September 2018 Purchases

This was such a quiet shopping month for me that it made no sense to blog about it unless I was also doing an outfit post. I bought ONE item this month. If you missed my August buys post, I did a lot of shopping in Toronto, leaving me with minimal budget to work with for September.

Boots: Aqua College "Iconic" via Naturalizer
Reg $189, on sale for $63
I donated two pairs of brown/taupe boots at the end of last winter. Let's be honest, is it really fall until you put on some brown boots? I believe this is the first footwear I've owned from Naturalizer. I'm usually into footwear edgier than the stuff they carry, but these were so darn comfortable and BASIC. There isn't much I can't make them work with. AND they're waterproof suede.
I saved 67%.

Details

Sweater: Lucky Brand

Jeans: Gap

Bag and Sunnies: Coach 

Boots: Naturalizer

Necklaces: Banana Republic

Lucky Band now has a Canadian website, but sadly, items are final sale when shipping to Canada, sooooo not helpful :( I bought this cozy pullover in Toronto.

I went over budget this quarter by $16. That leaves me with $534 to spend for the rest of the year, which includes Black Friday and Boxing Day.

I'm looking for a chunky knit butterscotch coloured sweater to replace my J Crew one. I may also get another pair of Zara leggings as I love the ones I bought last year.  Everything else will be a surprise!

XOXO
Glitterary Girl

Thanksgiving Stretchy Pants

I now own three pairs of these Uniqlo pants. They come in handy when there’s a high chance you’re going to overeat (a given for Thanksgiving). They’re also really comfy for traveling in and work appropriate if you have a casual office like I do.

Details

Top: Topshop

Pants: Uniqlo

Shoes: Tory Burch

Bracelet: Alex and Ani

Necklace: Banana Republic

When you're helping prepare a meal for 37 people (yes, really!) you have to make sure you wear something you can move in and no droopy long sleeves. These 3/4 sleeves worked out perfectly.

XOXO
Glitterary Girl

Zara Tips

I’ve been shopping at Zara for years, both on-line and when traveling. Halifax now has a Zara store that opened in August. I’ve had some people ask me how I have such good luck finding stuff there. I admit, lots of the styles are not for people who want to blend in, and some of them are ridiculous, but there are hidden gems if you’re willing to spend some browsing.

Five tips for Zara success:

1) Know when to shop. I haven’t figured out the store arrivals yet, but the new styles tend to drop on-line on Tuesday and Fridays. If you go to the “New In” section on these days, you’ll find all the most recent stuff, organized by most recent. That being said, if our visit often, you can quickly see what has become available since the last time you looked.

2) It doesn’t hurt to try it. The return policy is one month for both on-line and in-store purchases. It’s also FREE SHIPPING over $50 and free mail-back or store returns. I’ve ordered two giant boxes of clothes before and only kept two pieces. If you are unsure, just get it and try it on at home. If it doesn’t work for you, return it. 

3) You snooze, you lose. Don’t wait on something you think you might like. Even though I know better, I did this last week with a green tunic.  When I went back to buy it the next day, it was gone. Remember, you can always take it back!

4) Some things run a bit small. I’ve found I need to size up one size in any tops with button fronts and most pants and jeans. Dresses and tops without buttons tend to be true to size.

5) Know where the sales are. On-line you’ll find mark downs in the “Special Prices” menu. When they have a big sale, there will be an obvious sale section on the website. In the Halifax store, there hasn’t been a big sale yet, but the mark downs hang out close to the cash.

I had a gift card recently and picked up this cute shirt dress that I wore to the Festival of Wines on Friday night. Even though the pattern is bold, it has tons of colors in it and I know I’ll be able to wear it with bare legs, leggings, tights, and skinny jeans.

Details

Dress: Zara

Tights: Calvin Klein

Boots: B2 via Browns

Hat: Forever 21 

XOXO

Glitterary Girl

In Pink

This pink bomber is getting worn much later in the fall than I thought it would. It's surprisingly warm! It's not something that can be thrown on with just anything though. It doesn't work with most patterned pants, and I had to ditch the red handbag I'm using right now in exchange for something that didn't clash.

Details

Jacket: H&M

Sweater: J Crew

Scarf: I forget! It's old. 

Jeans: American Eagle Outfitters

Boots: Call it Spring

Bag: Danier

I hope everyone is doing okay with Christmas preparations. I've got some stuff bought, ideas for others, and complete blanks for a few! Black Friday is right around the corner, so I hope to make some progress then. 

XOXO 

Glitterary Girl

Fall-ish

Nova Scotia went from hot to chilly pretty much overnight! What a wonderful summer it was though... As amazing as summer heat is, we have a really beautiful fall. Fashion girls get excited over layers, so I'm okay with the temperature drop.

Details

Sweater: Guess

Scarf: Zara

Jeans: Madewell

Hat: TNA from Aritzia

Sneakers: Puma

Bag: Kate Spade

Bag Pom: TopShop

After pining over these sneakers for a good six months, I finally found them at Winners (at less than half price), thanks to the sweet salesperson at Little Burgundy who told me they were there!

This weekend we hung out with finds at the Stubborn Goat beer garden on the Halifax Waterfront and then stopped by The Dairy Bar for a yummy vanilla bean soft serve.

My prediction for what will be coming soon on the blog... blanket scarves. Tons and tons of blanket scarves. Hello Fall!

XOXO
Glitterary Girl

No Thought Fall Uniform

There is nothing wrong with a style equation to make getting dressed easy. Much like the long sweater + leggings + infinity scarf, the button-up + skinny jeans + boots combo is a quick way to pull an outfit together.

Details

Shirt: Old Navy

Tank: Smart Set

Jeans: Guess by Marciano

Boots: Call it Spring

Hat: Le Chateau

Necklace and Bracelet: Stella & Dot

How's everyone doing with Christmas preparation? I'm feeling much better this week, as I made some progress with shopping. I've done a mix of on-line and store shopping this year. I try to hit the stores on my lunch break to avoid the crowds on the weekend. Once again, I'm really thankful for the RBC Avion holiday lounge at Halifax Shopping Centre. Free poinsettia, cookies, hot chocolate, tea, water, fruit, and gift wrap? Amazing!!

XOXO
Glitterary Girl

Pumpkin Spice Sweater

When I spotted this sweater at Joe Fresh, I scooped it up immediately as it screamed autumn. As much as I hate to see the summer end, most style girls love the fall for the sweaters, boots, and layers!

Details

Top and Necklace: Joe Fresh

Jeans: Diesel

Boots: Old Navy

Sunnies: Coach

This was worn to Thanksgiving dinner, which was on a really warm day. Thanksgiving in Canada can be a roulette wheel of weather situations, so we lucked out this year.

Have you made any amazing sweater purchases this season? It was so hot in Arizona that I brought home only one sweater - they are hard to shop for when it's 35 degrees out!

XOXO
Glitterary Girl