Carting in the Cardigans

I'm into long, open cardigans now. They have the desirable trait of making one look skinny (er). It's kind of an optical illusion, like you're slicing off part of your fat (ouch!), since the cardigan divides the torso into vertical segments. And I can get some mileage out of those gauzy sleeveless tops I wore over a long sleeved shell in the summer, by layering them underneath the cardigan. The non-gauzy ones work just as well. The non-sleeveless ones with a pretty design on top work too. Okay, I guess I'm really saying you can layer these bambinos with anything. In a very long-winded kind of way. Hah, I made you read a whole paragraph saying basically that. Oh, the sublime art of blogging...

I'm also liking blue, as you can probably tell based on the outfits I'm putting together lately.

The necklace for this type of combo can be a challenge for me. It needs to be short, so as not to overlap the middle layer, and it's gotta match, of course, though these days, who knows? Clashing necklaces are probably tres chic. I wouldn't know.

In this particular outfit I used my handy-dandy true-blue (literally) necklace, which is starting to complain of overwork and is begging me to hire more help of the blue variety. We'll see what bargains we can find, necklace dear. We shall see.

1) Short-Sleeved White Cardigan, $5

1/2 Price Outlet (226 Church Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11218)

 

2) Blue Sheer Sleeveless Top, $4

Value Depot (1702 Kings Highway, Brooklyn, NY 11229)

3) Blue Beaded Necklace, $1.99

Value Depot (1702 Kings Highway, Brooklyn, NY 11229) 

4) Small Black Shoulder Bag, $7.99

Conway (1613 East 16th Street, Brooklyn, NY 11229)

TOTAL OUTFIT COST

EXCLUDING SKIRT & SHELL:

$18.98

Catch of the Week...I Mean Month

The Period of Procrastinating Posts is over, my friends. For now, at least. I'm finally gonna show ya what I bought lately.

But let me tell you, that Sandy gal who hurricaned into New York is a real party pooper. She definitely discourages shopping. It's hard to get around when there are fallen trees all over, and it's hard to get into the mood of shopping for extras when people right here in this city have lost their entire wardrobes. Don't get me wrong, it's not hard for me to get into shopping! It's hard to get OUT of it sometimes, if you know what I mean. But somehow...I don't know. It just seemed a little frivolous. So that's my lame, mock-virtuous excuse for not posting promptly. Take it or leave it.

So I shall hereby display my slim pickings, and you shall hereby tell me how very nerdy some of them are, while others may perhaps meet your discerning approval. 

(Talking to yourself again, FrugalFrum?)

OK, here goes:

Chartreuse Sweater

$6, Church Avenue Factory Outlet (217 Church Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11218)  

I would call the color of this sweater chartreuse, and I have no idea how to pronounce it. I think it's like chart-ruse, as in when you attempt to fool others through an elaborate scheme involving the use of graphs. Now off to Google to see if I'm right. 

I'm wrong. It's something like shar-TRUES. Though one de'ah (that means opinion) has it as shar-TRUCE. "Sure, truce sounds good to me," said the general. Except he had some kind of weird accent.    

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The same style in a yummy rusty brown color was also procured:

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Not bad thus far, you're thinking. Well, hold onto your seats ladies, because we're heading into nerd territory right now.

Nerdy Nightgown

$14.99, Value Depot (1702 Kings Highway, Brooklyn, NY 11229) 

Yes, it's old fashioned, but guess what? I couldn't care less. It's made from a comfy quilted material and it covers me! Go find a tsniusdik nightgown these days that doesn't cost a fortune. I suppose I'm officially old fashioned.
(Still, I'm keeping the nightgown image small. No need to make the delicate fashionistas among us swoon in horror with a larger picture.)

Old Fashioned is Fun!

Who me?? A nerd?!

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And these shoes. I can't decide if they're just NOT...or not. Can someone more knowledgeable in these things kindly grace me with her insight?

Beige Flats, 2 Varieties

 

$3.99 each (not each shoe, you silly! each pair), Bobby's Department Store (1628 Church Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11226)

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Navy Blue Sheer Sleeveless Top

$4, Value Depot (1702 Kings Highway, Brooklyn, NY 11229) 

I want to layer this with the long white cardigan from my previous Catch of the Week post and (what else) a black shell. I'll try to post a pic sometime this century.

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And, finally, the accessories:

Bronze & Crystal Bead Costume Necklace with Flower

$1.99, Value Depot (1702 Kings Highway, Brooklyn, NY 11229) 

You can't really see the flower since it's lying sideways here, but it's pretty.

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Hair Accessories for the Younger Set

50¢, Church Avenue Factory Outlet (217 Church Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11218) 

Outfit Blues

Remember my shopping spree from one post ago? Here's one of the outfits I...er...said I would post. *Shrug* Better late than never!

I didn't actually use the blue pocketbook although my fingers were itching to pick it up, it's so matchy-matchy. Why didn't I use it? Simple: I was afraid the Frum Fashion Police would come bop me over the head with THEIR handbags. I mean, we're talking about a 99¢ vinyl bag from Amazing Savings... So I chose discretion as the better part of valor and went without--sniff--my beloved, bright blue bag. Boo hoo. But I still looked nice. I hope! :)

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1) Blue Sparkle-ish Pullover, $5

1/2 Price Outlet (226 Church Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11218)

2) Blue Beaded Necklace, $1.99

U-Need 99¢ Super Store (209 Church Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11218) 

3) Black Pleated Skirt, $12

Value Depot (1702 Kings Highway, Brooklyn, NY 11229) 

4) Blue Pocketbook, 99¢

Amazing Savings (1080 McDonald Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11230) 

TOTAL OUTFIT COST: $19.98

Catch of the Week: The Colors of Fall

Time to parade my prudently priced purchases of the week! 

I've been noticing a lot of the new fall colors lately (mustard, anyone?) I mean, like, chas v'shalom that we should wear the same colors every fall! How would the hotshots in Paris or wherever they have their dens of gashmiyus (tsk, tsk) make any money, the poor pampered things, if we didn't have to hew to an entirely new spectrum of clothing every few months?

But alas! to Paris's great sorrow, FrugalFrum does not fall for such tactics. Well, okay, she does, but she doesn't singlehandedly sponsor some designer label's mansion on the Champs Elysees. Okay, maybe she does, after a while, when all the weekly $2, $4, $5 & $6 tops start adding up...but we won't discuss such depressing topics on this delightful blog. The important thing is that I buy my new colors cheap, cheap, cheap.

Fall 2012 Colors

According to the folks at Pantone, this season's theme is "the magic of color," supposedly playing on a fantasy theme of princesses and castles, etc, etc. Lah di dah. Well excuse me if I don't see Harry Potter flourishing his wand represented in a few reds, blues and greens. How shamefully unimaginative of me.

Anyway, I brought home some great new stuff after making my shopping rounds, and guess what! I was even yotzei some of the new tones. I got in the blue, the rose, the orange (does that style look familiar?) and the gray.

FrugalFrum's fashion catch of the week

A: Bright Orange Belted Cowl-Neck Sweater, $4

Church Avenue Factory Outlet (217 Church Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11218)  

B: Blue Pullover with Sparkly Highlights, $5

1/2 Price Outlet (226 Church Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11218) 

C: Sparkly Dark Gray Shell, $5

1/2 Price Outlet 

D: Light Rose Top, $6

Church Avenue Factory Outlet

E: Short-Sleeved Long White Sweater Cardigan with Pockets, $5

1/2 Price Outlet

And I picked up these cute baby boy pants, too. They were $3 each at Church Avenue Factory Outlet.

I would love to hear outfit suggestions from my public, such as they may be. Maybe I'll post some outfit pics another day. My pillow awaits. Ta-ta!

Craving Mustard

That's right, folks. It seems to be the color of the season. It's popping up everywhere, and I don't mean on hot dogs. Though I guess the right description for mustard would be "squirting up," not "popping up," wouldn't it? "Popping up" would work for a nice buttery popcorn color. But I digress.

This striking yellow color was striking terror in my heart not too long ago when I realized that EVERYONE--but me--WAS WEARING IT. Now, I know that has just got to be the dumbest line of the century, and like we tell our kids, "if EVERYONE were to jump off the Brooklyn Bridge, would you?" But I gotta admit, the saucy, spicy, sunny yellow sweaters had me craving for some of that color in my own wardrobe.

So I staked out my regular discount haunts, and guess what? I found it! A mustard-colored sweater! To the tune of...drumroll, please...all of $4!

Ha! Take that, you spenders!

I'm still trying to decide what it goes with. I think my standard black long-sleeved shell with my trusty ol' black straight skirt should do nicely. Opinions from the peanut gallery, anyone? Which necklace would you wear with this?

(Hmmm, on the other hand, a mustard sweater would go nicely with a dachschund, doncha think? Hot dawg!)

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Sweater: $4, Church Avenue Factory Outlet (217 Church Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11218)  |  Necklace & bracelet set on left: $1,  Church Avenue Factory Outlet  |  Middle necklace: $3, Value Depot (1702 Kings Highway, Brooklyn, NY 11229)  |  Necklace on right: $3, gift store with a name I can't recall

Get Ready to Save, People!

Hi, and welcome to FrugalFrumFashion!

I can't wait to see how this goes! See, I had this great idea that maybe we could be spending a leetle teeny weeny bit less on clothes, and still look great. We all know how we love to shop (fess up, ladies!) but our husbands DON'T love looking at that long, long itemized list that comes at the end of the month....you know...the credit card bill? 

So since I'm an avowed, acknowledged, and addicted bargain hunter (me big chief Frugal Lady! Me catch great big bargain today!) and I'm always getting complimented on my fresh kills--oops, I mean finds--I figured I'd spread the wealth. Er...I guess that's literal. Wealth. Get it? Haw-haw.

The deals are mostly local to the Brooklyn area so far. Nice frum place to start, eh? I'd welcome local deals from other folks out there, though. Yes, out-of-towners, even you. (No, I'm not a snobby New Yorker! How dare you even insinuate something like that? :D )

Anyway, just a word of caution before you proceed. This blog is not--and I repeat, NOT--for those of you who are looking to save 10% off your $1,000 Prada heels, or the gals who won't touch anything that's not a brand name (even if they scrub furiously with hand sanitizer afterwards). When I say "get ready to save," I mean You. Will. Save. We're talking cheap here. Le Cheape Couture. The cheapest of the cheap. But still totally cute, as long as you guys make sure to whap me over the head if my unique fashion sense runs away with itself. It does that sometimes. I treat it so nicely, but it still insists on running away from me every so often...sigh. So I'd love to get suggestions on outfits and combos.  I also want to hear about your own deals and steals.

Spread the joy! Let every woman save!