Inspired by Work

I am lucky.  I am working two jobs that truly inspire me.  Did I ever think that I would ever be working retail in any capacity?  No.  I have a degree in Biology from The University of Georgia aka: the Harvard of the south.  I worked my butt off for that degree.  Did Biology inspire me? You bet!  It's so interesting to learn about life, literally, the word, biology, directly translates into "the study of life".  Upon graduation, however, reality hit and I realized that finding a career that directly relates to my major right away is not exactly easy or feasible or even my desire.  I worked in sales and then casual dining before relocating to Chicago.  I decided to come to Chicago and actually pursue what it is that makes me excited, inspired, and happy.  I started by working as a stylist assistant for a Chicago-based stylist that I found online before moving to Chicago.  I had the most amazing experience with said stylist.  She was very patient and helpful and actually gave me my first paid-gig in Chicago and gave me my first experience of being on a set of a national Miller Lite ad campaign!  After that experience I have a little bit of reserve because I realize that styling is not all "Rachel Zoe" all of the time.  A stylist is not always working with haute couture designers. Often times stylists are shopping at the same stores for their assignments as us "Regular Joes" can afford to shop such as H and M, Forever 21, Zara, Old Navy, Banana Republic, GAP, Urban Outfitters, Anthropologie, etc.  Is there anything wrong with that? No.  But I guess in my head (and on the reality TV screen) I had expected to be going to Louis Vuitton and Versace and doing "pulls" for the shoots.  Not so.  As corny as this sounds I really do feel that I have a passion for fashion and am very imaginative when it comes to trying to pull together higher-end looks from thrift-store finds (or just urban-youngster looks from thrift-store finds).

I headed to Wicker Park again today and did some more shopping at the Ark thrift store and Buffalo Exchange.  I also made a stop to Free People and drooled all over myself as I tried on peasant skirts with embroidered patterns and doily-like designs.  It reminded me of a few pieces of clothing or leotards that I had in the early 90s.  Unfortunately, I had to put the too-long-for-5'4"-skirts down and exit the store before I tricked myself into buying something off the sale rack or using my Urban employee discount (this is dangerous).
But I ended up with some pretty fabulous pieces again!  I love thrifting.  It feels so good to find a few good deals on a couple cute pieces!

Why yes, this is a Missoni for Target dress with the tags still attached!

 

 Showing off calf-muscle?  Yes please!

Sweater-Guess  Dress-Missoni for Target   Boots-Chinese Laundry

 On left: Arche genuine leather booties made in Paris On Right: Steve Madden patent leather black flats (you can never have too many pairs of these- this is my second pair)

 Clothes for work at much cheaper than even Wal-Mart prices and a lot more fitted.

 Burnt-orange/red corduroys are all the rage at work at Anthropologie and I just happened upon a much cheaper pair of my own today and still as comfortable- these will go great with my new Chinese Laundry boots!

Knitted and Knotted sweater- a brand that we sell at Anthro- gorgeous green holiday color.  Perhaps worn with the cords?  I haven't decided yet.

And because it's Cyber Monday and because I just couldn't resist, I had to take advantage of the Beautymint $20.00 off my first customized skincare order.  I ordered the five-piece set to get the full experience.  I love skincare and beauty- and hence, will love my second job- YAY!  Reviews of my customized regimen and the results will be blogged about as soon as I try the products.  I am so excited to try them and to share the results with you!

Oh Jessica.  You could sell me poo and I would buy it. :-)  Plus, I seem to be addicted to the "mints". I just haven't been able to get behind the Stylemint yet- seems like simple tees to me- maybe someone will change my mind.

Happy Cyber Monday everyone.  What did you buy online today?

The moral of this post is: find inspiration in your work whatever it may be and be creative!  Don't just buy right off of the mannequin all of the time.  Save money and shop thrift!

Love,

Claire xoxox

Things I'm Ridiculously Excited About Episode #2

I've only worked a total of 4 shifts (one shift involving solely training hours) and I have already found something that I just can't live without any longer.  I'm in deep doo doo.  I will preface this with the fact that I find horses beautiful and magestic creatures but that I have never myself owned or wished to own a "pony" not even as a little girl.  Not sure why I felt I had to clarify but... Look for yourself:

Anthropologie you dirty rat.  You are trying to steal all of my earnings!  I'm telling you, it might not look too amazing on the form, but in person and layered under a coat and scarf this sweater is just the sweetest and most feminine thing! I've seen it on a couple of my coworkers and apparently half of our staff already owns it. I tried it on in the fitting room today.  The very last size extra small was hanging up to be brought back on to the floor and I took a second to try it on.  It felt warm and fuzzy and not scratchy and wool-like at all. I'd love to pair this sweater with my new fuzzy black weatherproof boots for a winter stroll or out to coffee with friends.


*SIGH* Maybe it'll go on sale soon.
Here's hoping that you get the piece of your dreams from your recent "wish list".

Love,
Claire xoxox

Self-Gift on Black Friday

What a great way to end my day of retail work on this Blackest Friday of the year than ordering my very own Jewelmint piece.  Yes, I finally gave myself the gift of the Victorian Charmer Necklaces!  Vintage-chic ah oui oui! I shall receive my pretty little self-present in the mail in about 1-2 business days.  I cannot wait!

Go to www.jewelmint.com and take the style quiz.  What's your favorite piece?  You can get 50% off by entering the promo code: chicago89 at checkout.

Love,

Claire xoxox

What I'm Ridiculously Excited About- 1st Edition

With Thanksgiving around the corner I'm sure a lot of you are like me and are gearing up for Black Friday madness.  With so many stores and sales flooding my email it's going to be tough to choose where to spend any hard-earned cash-olah!  One thing I am really REALLY excited about though is the launch of Shoemint by Rachel Bilson.  Have you seen the preview site?  The shoes she has on are to die for.  At the risk of pulling a Rachel Zoe, "I die."

Just look at those shoes, will ya!?  What color is that besides deep rich wine-colored beautiful? Click HERE to enter your email in the site and receive updates about the Shoemint brand and the official launch in approximately 1 day! I can't wait to see what other shoes Rachel and Steve Madden are going to tempt me with.

Love,

Claire xoxox

P.S. I'm also ridiculously excited about the blog's new facebook page- do you "Like" me?

Shopping for Work

I have the freedom to dress as I want to at work so long as I do not wear anything too revealing (as if I have anything to reveal).  The only other rule that I must abide by is that I mustn't wear UGG boots or rubber flip flops. Gotcha.  Today while on State St. I couldn't resist a little shopping.  Once I got home I decided to put together some outfits that I might wear to work.  I wanted to look classic and soft but also professional and pretty.  I think I achieved this goal with a couple of the outfits that I put together.  Check out my "Off to Work" collection.

Here are my favorite outfit(s) of today:

I got the idea to take pictures of my outfits from the book, Fabulosity, by Kimora Lee Simmons.  That woman knows her stuff for sure.  Seriously it is one of the best books that I have ever read.  I would suggest that every woman pick up a copy and read it and take notes.  Rent it from the library or get the electronic version for your ipad/kindle/nook/tablet- just as long as you read it.  You won't be sorry that you did.

Love,

Claire xoxox

P.S. I think the Victorian Charmer Necklaces will look fabulous with my new outfits.  Using the code Chicago89 we can get 50% off of our first Jewelmint orders :-)

Leopard Lovin'

I have been yearning for Georgia suburbia lately and I have been wanting to go shopping like I always did with my friends and my sisters and my Mom.  Alas, with my lack of car here in the Windy City and my lack of where-to it is always a project to plan out a trip on the CTA.  Therefore, if I'm going to go shopping and spend the money than it's usually going to be somewhere where I will be able to hit multiple stores in one area.  Before now I thought N. Michigan Ave. and State St. were my only options. But oh was I wrong!

I found a website dedicated to Chicago thrift stores!  This site is fabulous- not only does it list almost every thrift store in the greater Chicago area, but the author actually divides the shops up into "sections" and describes neighborhoods where one should shop if one is traveling by car or by public transportation.  What a lifesaver. What better hobby to have when feeling a little homesick than to enjoy the art of "digging" through a thrift store to find steals and deals that you will treasure and collect?

So, as I had heard and experienced before with my previous trip to the fantastic Bleeding Heart Bakery I decided that the wonderfully eclectic neighborhoods of Wicker Park and Bucktown would be my first thrifting destination.  Well well well!  When I stepped out of the bus on N. Milwaukee Ave. I was so pleasantly surprised by the shear numbers of vintage, consignment, thrift, and second-hand stores!  I didn't even have time to explore them all!  I know that I made several purchases at The Ark Thrift Store and I also made one "big" purchase at The Buffalo Exchange (Which I am assuming is the Midwest equivalent of a Plato's Closet).

At the Ark I spent $20 bucks and got a beautiful seafoam green hand-knit J Crew  thick cable-knit scarf, a vintage gold stretchy waist-cinching belt, a pair of weatherproof black furry boots (see pictures below), a 100% silk netted sweater, and a cream-colored Guess Jeans cropped sweater.

And I know I asked you to guess in my previous post and as you've probably guessed by now my purchase that I made at The Buffalo Exchange was my fabulous new leopard-print faux (YES I said FAUX Zach and Rachael) fur trench coat, AKA: "Pimp Coat" - Thank you, Jonny.  And the grand total for the coat?...
A mere $20.00.  There's just something to be said about thrifting and finding good deals and steals and treasures and collecting and putting unique items together.  Is it thrifting that I love?  Or just the shopping in general? Who really knows.  Here are some pictures that I had Jonny take of me in (some) of the new loot!

Thank You, Katherine, for your more-than-helpful guidance to the wonderful world of Chicago thrifting. What does tomorrow bring in terms of thrifty finds?  I guess we shall see!

Love,

Claire xoxox

Twitter and Thrift Tease

2 Things: 

1. TryChiStyle now has a Twitter! Oh My Gosh Guys!  Follow "TryChiSyle" http://www.twitter.com/trychistyle for constant Chicagoland Fashion and Beauty updates on-the-fly.

2. I want to give you a preview of my Wicker-Park Thrift store shopping extravaganza so here 'tis:

I love leopard print so much.  Guess how much this coat cost me by placing your vote in the comments.  I'm working tomorrow- 1st day of orientation on The Mag Mile so I must get some beauty rest.  I'll post more pictures tomorrow after 5pm central time.

xoxox

Claire

Groupon Chicago "Sunny" Purchase

So it might have been because I've been feeling a little under -the-weather lately or it could have been because the tan, blonde, pink-bikini-donning, model made the deal look just a little too appetizing or it could have been because the price was too good to pass up- but I just purchased a spray tan and two tanning sessions from Groupon Chicago.  I feel that I should preface this with the fact that I don't like to frequent tanning beds for fear of skin cancer that runs in my family, my fair skin that burns easily, and my fear of developing wrinkles prematurely (which stress hasn't helped either).  But I knew that with the bitter-cold weather approaching that I would definitely be needing a little pick-me-up in the vitamin D department. Therefore, I'm going to use these coupons but I will make sure to take the proper SPF precautions and wear SPF on my moles and put a towel over my face during the session as to block potentially harmful rays.  And ladies, please refrain from tanning in the nude- at least wear a thong- so that you don't burn your precious lady-parts (they aren't used to sunlight!)  I would also suggest applying SPF to nipples as well if you tan topless.

I can use the coupons between now and March 21st so I have plenty of time to wait until I just can't stand the cold anymore and then dive into a warm bed of sunlight.

Here's the link to Groupon: http://www.groupon.com/r/uu19040771 if you're in the Chicago area look for the L.A. Tan Groupon today. $4 gets you a tanning session and $12 gets you a spray tan.

(This image is a screenshot from Groupon.com)

Happy sun-bathing!

Love, xoxox

Claire

Jewelmint Jewel-of-the-Month Obsession

Happy November everyone!  The past few months since I have graduated college have brought many changes in my life.  I have started two different jobs and decided that they weren't for me as well as moved to the beautiful city of Chicago to finally be with my boyfriend of two years.  Two different jobs and a move in five months sounds like a lot but honestly I couldn't have been more ready for each of the decisions that I have made.  I've been thinking a lot about my life lately and the choices that I've made and the journey that I've had during my twenty-something years.  I realized that the things that I have enjoyed during my life have often-times turned into obsessions and I have been fanatic about certain things.  For example, I couldn't just have one Hello Kitty sticker book growing up, I had to collect them all and then never even use the stickers because I was "saving" them for a better occasion.  I couldn't just go to a play, I had to know every word to every song in Wicked and own the Grimoire book and obsess over the pictures and the actors.  I couldn't just love Jessica Simpson and have a couple songs, I collected each one of her albums and listened to her constantly, imagining that I was on stage singing her songs to my friends and family.  I can't just watch The Rachel Zoe Project on Bravo, I have to move to Chicago and work as a stylist assistant and play "Claire Zoe" for a day.  I'm sure that you get the picture by now.  I like what I like and I can't help it.


Moving to Chicago brought the challenge of finding a new job that I would enjoy in this tough economy.  So far, I have found a part-time position as a Brand Ambassador with Jewelmint.  And, as with other endeavors in my life, I have become hooked!  I am obsessed with Jewelmint.  For those of you who don't know, as I didn't when I first started, Jewelmint is an extension of Beachmint, a company in San Diego started by the founder of Myspace.  Beachmint is the umbrella company over the brands, Stylemint, Jewelmint, Beautymint, and Shoemint.  These brands represent the designs of celebrities Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen, Kate Bosworth and Cher Coulter, Jessica Simpson, and Rachel Bilson respectively.

(I do not own this image)

(I do not own this image)

(I do not own this image)

Jewelmint is the equivalent of Kim Kardashian's Shoe Dazzle or Kimora Lee Simmons' Just Fabulous or a wine-of-the-month club except for instead of shoes, the of-the-month product is fabulous jewelry designed by Kate Bosworth and stylist Cher Coulter.  I was skeptical at first- does this mean that I'd have to spend $29.99 every month, because, frankly, in this economy, I couldn't do that.  But what I discovered is this is not a scheme, you can skip whatever month you can't afford to buy and you can actually purchase whatever piece you want to- not just what is in your "showroom".  This makes perfect sense to me!  Tell me what you think I'll like and then give me access to everything you've got!


Currently I'm obsessed with the "Victorian Charmer Necklace".  I think it has a vintage-charm and a simple elegance to it.  As with all of Jewelmint's pieces, the necklaces are unique and are, in my opinion, unlike most any piece of jewelry that you will see in the department stores.  Here is a picture of the Victorian Charmer Necklace that I took off of jewelmint.com:

(Image from jewelmint.com)

As a new Mint Brand Ambassador I have had the opportunity to sell Jewelmint pieces at Chicago's Latino Fashion Week and I watched as some of the most interesting and fashion-forward women of Chicago took the Jewelmint Style Quiz online and purchased their first Jewelmint pieces with much excitement.  It is clear to me that Jewelmint and the other Beachmint brands are the new "things" to watch.  With the brand-new launch of Jessica Simpson's Beautymint skincare system and Rachel Bilson's Holiday 2011 launch of Shoemint, there are only good vibes on the horizon for Beachmint as a whole.  I hope you are as excited as I am to see what is on the horizon!  In the meantime, visit jewelmint.com and take the style quiz to get your showroom selections sent to your email absolutely free.  And, if you decide to purchase your first unforgettable piece, take this little gift from me to you and use the discount code: chicago89 to get 50% off.  You'll thank me later when you receive your first piece of Jewelmint treasure!  What is your favorite style in your Jewelmint "showroom"?  What was the first piece that you purchased?  Who's brand are you most excited about?  Tell me about it in the comments!

Love, xoxo


Claire 

*Note: All images were "Googled" images- I do not own these images.  All jewelery pictures are from jewelmint.com.