Factory Girl

Outfit details:
J. Crew Factory pearl necklace (almost identical here)
J. Crew Factory dress (similar here and here)
Boutique 9 Gilla (Great Crossing) Sandals
Rebecca Minkoff Clutch in Harewood
The Look for Less: (dress), (necklace), (sandals), (bag). 

I really loved Rosa's beachy keen look yesterday and decided to put my own spin on it. This dress and these sandals were on my mind all morning--they were just screaming to be worn with each other! But interestingly my ensemble ventured over into simultaneously 40's and flapper costume territory. I almost called a friend to borrow a boater.

The dress and necklace are two more purchases from the J. Crew outlet on my Disney trip. The dress was a no brainer--it's nautical cream and navy striped and was on promo for $19.99. I love simple jersey dresses to throw on and go in the summer.

The necklace was a little iffy. I have this notion in my head that pearl strands are uber preppy, as seen on Stepford wives and certain cachets of college girls. But something about it just drew me in, and knowing that I could (though painstakingly) drive to the Crewlet back home and return it if it didn't work helped seal the deal.

Like I've mentioned before, sometimes when I pull out a J. Crew piece to wear, I find that my other J. Crew pieces always want to be worn with it. I decided to take the J. Crew "casual luxury" look for a spin--you know how they like to style their blingy jewels with art tees and easy jersey knits? I took the plunge and tried another Crew-styled idea and found it was perfect with the laidback vibe of the dress. Gosh, I guess they really know what they're doing.

So with today's outfit, two things were saved from the return and donate bins! However, some were not so lucky today.

Later, Buds and Bunches and Insouciant tanks!

I took back both of these bordeaux tanks that were just languishing in my closet. While the idea of an embellished jersey tank to wear with skirts seemed like an excellent idea, I just never really reached for them in the past few weeks. I'm sure that someone else in Anthro-land will enjoy them. I'm just happy to have a little bit more funding towards moving expenses.

And thanks so much to everyone that responded to my initial post about this project! It was so awesome to hear about how some of you are and aren't able to keep your wardrobe in check. I will keep all of your stories and advice in mind during this process.

So progress on the audition rack? Day 1, 4 items sorted out. Whew! At this rate, this feels like it's going to be easy breezy!