A Cheap-Cute Challenge - Are you up for it?

More Leggings Fun

Since my last post on cheap leggings, I got all inspired to share some other leggings-based outfits with you, to show you what you can do with them.

One of my favorite garments from this last season is a pair of simple red leggings, bought at Walmart for six bucks. I've paired-the-pair with several things, two shown here: a heather-grey, long-sleeved tee with red top-stitching (from www.womanwithin.com, part of a "lounge-wear" set--I use the bottoms for jammies) and a multi-colored top from Cato that I bought last year (you know it was under $20!).

With the grey, I wore little silver flats, which I think came from Old Navy a few years back. They've come in very handy!

With the multi-, I wore my black short boots, from Payless a year or two ago. They have a wedge heel and are very comfy. I definitely felt hip with my hair up in a topknot, like all the girls are wearing these days!

Back to leggings. I also have this pair of medium-blue ones that I got at the grocery store for $7. I put them together with this buffalo plaid shirt from Cato, bought last year on clearance for... $11? With the black belt and short boots, it's very slimming, don't you think? I really liked the way this turned out.

Oh, and there are the navy "fleece-lined tights", which are kind of like leggings, bought at Walgreens for $6. (See them in action here, too.)

Here, I've put them together with a red flannel shirt-dress from Walmart, on clearance for $7.50. I am crapping you negative. A whole frickin' dress for $7.50. Who am I to look a gift horse in the mouth? And damned cute with these ancient red wingtips!

Now, get out there and Shop Cheap, Look Cute!

Cheap Leggings, Cute Legs

Oh, boy! I have gotten on the leggings bandwagon the last few months. I have been wearing denim leggings, which are more like skinny jeans really, for several years. But a certain daughter of mine got really into LuLaRoe in the last year and I started looking at leggings in earnest.

I have one pair of the famed LuLaRoe leggings, courtesy of said daughter, and I do love them. They are "peached" or, as LLR has deemed them, "buttery"--a super-soft fabric that just makes you feel like you're a coddled infant in jammies!

LuLaRoe leggings are very reasonable at $25 a pair, but I have found--with my bloodhound's bargain-hunting nose--that I can do better. (Aside: If you are interested in LuLaRoe, please comment or message me, and I will refer you to a wonderful consultant.)

These pictures show me in two outfits featuring leggings I bought--get this--at the grocery store! Yeah. Go figger. These were even on clearance, 50% off the original $6.99. And the register at the self-check didn't show the discount, so the clerk gave them to me for $3! I bought two pairs at that price. Crazy!

Today is a bit chilly, so I took advantage of the temps to wear this favorite red sweatshirt one last time this season. It's from Woman Within (aka "fatgirls dot com") and probably cost me around $20 last year. One of the things I love about Woman Within (actually www.womanwithin.com) is that most of their shirts cover the crotch--perfect for wearing with leggings, denim, buttery, cheap, or otherwise.

With the red, I added my cute little Scottie pin that I got on clearance at Macy's for $4 right after Christmas. It doesn't look like "holiday" to me, but that's what Macy's called it. It's super-cute with anything black-white-and-red.

I wore my short black suede cowboy boots today, because they are super-comf and warm and cute. They are also super-old, from Payless, of course. Remember to closet shop!

And the other day, I wore the leggings with a simple black tee: 3/4 sleeves, boat neck, buttons at the shoulder. I added these ancient oxford chunky heels in grey flannel and black patent. No doubt from Payless, but many long years ago. I felt super-cute!

Until next time, be cute!

Stripe It Cheap!

This quickly became one of my favorite outfits! I feel hip but not like I'm trying too hard to look younger than I am. Of course, part of my Cheap-Cute philosophy is to feel cute, no matter my age or my weight. If I think maybe I am trying a little too hard for my age, I check in with my 20-something daughters. They will set me straight! But usually, they tell me I'm fine.

Okay, here's the nautical Cheap-Cute Scoop:

Navy/White Striped Dress: It's French terry, a fabric I love for its comfort and shape. Walmart. $15. Surprise! I know, I have been getting things at Walmart a lot lately. I still love Cato, and their prices are almost as low as WM, but somehow, I have wound up at the Walmart more than I probably should of late. Probably because they are the cheapest anywhere. And they really do have some cute things. If you know how to shop!

More about this dress--I love it so much that I went back to see about another one. I looked online and saw that it also came in red and white stripes, heather grey, and black. I didn't need black. I didn't want another stripe, either, so I thought I would get the grey. Well... I saw it in person in the store and I didn't like it at all! After all those fantasies I had about all the cute things I would put with it! Tsk. It's cool, though. I'm happy with the navy and white.

Burgundy Suede Belt: On clearance at Cato for $4. Shyeah-hah.

Burgundy Flats: Payless, of course. Don't remember what I paid, but you know, $15-$25, depending on BOGO and coupons. These are the CUTEST shoes! I just love them, and they happen to match the belt perfectly!

Navy Leggings: Oh, yes, must not forget the leggings. I can do this outfit without, of course, but when I put it together, it was "winter", which, in Texas, means slightly too cool to go bare-legged. Well. I searched high and low for footless navy tights. I'd have settled for the footed kind, but even they were scarce as hen's teeth. I stumbled across these--"fleece-lined tights"--at Walgreens for six bucks! Yeah! Who'da thunk?

And here I am, totes adorbs.

Until next time, be cute!

CheapCute in Black and White

Well, my lovelies, here we are. February in Houston, Texas, means warm temps and time to break out the summer duds and sandals! Here's the Cheap-Cute scoop:

B/W Chevron Skirt: Walmart, of course, about $10. It has high slits on the sides, and I have to turn the waistband down, since I am short. But you could pretty easily cut off this skirt, since it's made of that kind of knit that will curl a little but won't ravel. Try it!

Polka-dot Sleeveless Top: Also Walmart. It was on clearance last summer for $2. Or was it $3? Either way, extremely affordable, and I went back and got it in the red polka dot too. Comfy! And the shoulders cover my bra straps. I hate a top that lets the straps show!

I started out with this top un-tucked, with a thin red belt. It was cute, but the top is kind of long and I wondered how it would look tucked in. Sure enough, it was much more flattering tucked.

Now, I could still put almost any color shoes with this, like my red 40's-style pumps, or my turquoise patent-leather pumps. Black wedge sandals or silver or yellow flats... With black and white, the possibilities are almost endless.

Bonus: I always love the opportunity to wear this cute little pin: a movie clap-board that says "Une belle fille comme moi" (French for "a beautiful girl like me"). My sister brought it to me from Paris years ago and I have cherished it! As for the cheap-cute thing, well, the pin was free to me!

Until next time, be cute!

It's Fall, Y'all! Or... Boots and Cutes

FINALLY. Finally, there is a break in the heat in Houston, Texas! Yass!

I love fall most of all. And here's the Cheap-Cute Scoop on this outfit:

THE Boots:
I searched high and low for several years before I found these. I needed some tall black boots and wanted a medium heel on them. I had some old ones that were actually kind of hideous--patent mock-croc with a kitten-ish heel... And it just seemed like the only tall black boots I could find were either flats or biker boots, neither of which was what I wanted.

THESE little beauties were a steal at only $10. Yep. I found them on Shoe Dazzle and got them with my VIP sign-up special offer. Ten dollars and free shipping. Dang! They are not perfect, but they are definitely closer than the old ones. I only got to wear them once last year, because I got them late in the season and there was no actual winter in Houston last year. Sad! I am already happier this year and wearing my boots in 70-degree weather. Brrr!

The Top:
Purchased last year at my current favorite shop, Cato, this top is just a little bit too big on me. Fortunately, with the swishy-swashy style, you can't really tell. It has 3/4-length sleeves and is made of matte-jersey. I love the colors and the look! I don't remember the price, but Cato's prices are really low, so I am guessing I paid about $20, maybe less.

The Leggings:
These are some of my old jean leggings from Walmart. I have them in several colors. They're about $12-$15 and come in a variety of colors and prints. I recently got some that are green tartan! LOVE.

The Secret:
These leggings are crops. They barely come below the wide part of my calf. Really more suitable for spring and summer wear. I was planning to wear them today with my shorter black cowboy boots, but those boots didn't cover the bottom of the pants. There is a look of short boots with a gap at the ankle and jeans (preferably cuffed) or leggings above, but these leggings were too short to do that.

Happy Fall!

Let Me Tell You About This Skirt

I. Love. This. Skirt.

Let me tell you about this skirt. It  is nothing in the world but a pencil skirt made out of t-shirt material, got a little stretch in it, elastic waist, boom.*

You can see that it is cut in a curve, so it hugs your knees nicely--no kick pleat.

On my five-foot-three-inches, it falls about 5 or 6 inches below the knee, which is a flattering midi length.

I got the skirt at Wal-Mart for--get this--$6.88. I am crapping you negative. I actually started with a black one and loved it so much, I went back for the burgundy. They also have it in a couple of stripe patterns, a solid heather grey, navy, a black/grape check, and a blotchy grey/black.

I have styled the burgundy version with four different tops, for both summer and fall.

#1: with a "capelet" top from Cato

Outfit #1: I got this "capelet" top from Cato last year--or was it the year before? It probably cost about $17.99, but I don't recall exactly. I love it not only for going with this skirt, but also the fit and the style. It has a little bling sprinkled around the neck, so it can dress up or down. (I have two other tops that are a similar style, but widely different prints and colors--the style flatters me and is so pretty!) Here, I have put it with my little suede booties from Payless, purchased several years ago. (Remember to closet shop!)

#2: with a simple tank from Wal-Mart

Outfit #2: This simple striped top came from Wal-Mart this year, about $6 or $7. It's sailcloth, very cool, has a slight swing to it. Even with me being busty, it's flattering, and I can put a belt with it if I feel too "maternity" in it. I pulled an old bead Necklace of Many Colors out of my closet, and added black/white houndstooth pumps (Payless, of course, and btw, super-comf! I have two pairs in the pointed-toe, like these, and three pairs in the round toe version of the same shoe. The pewter ones in Outfit #3 below are the same style.).

#3: with a medallion print shirt from Cato

Outfit #3: I got this shirt at Cato last year to go with my pink stretch denim leggings (Wal-Mart, about $14), but it is perfect with this! I pulled the silver belt (Nine West, bought at Ross for $11) and pewter shoes for one look, grey sweater tights and suede booties for another. If I needed more warmth, I would add a grey or white cardigan and a pale pink scarf. Or maybe a grey scarf--I don't like to get too carried away with colors.

#4: with a large cat

Outfit #4: Outfit #2 combined with a large feline named Blue, who enjoys helping and making sure that I never leave the house without cat hair.

#5: with a 3/4 sleeve georgette blouse from
I don't remember, because I have had it forever!

Outfit #5: I have had this blouse so long that I don't remember where I got it or how much it cost. But you know me, I doubt I paid more than $20 for it. Maybe at JC Penney? Anyway, it has a lot of beautiful colors in it and I have paired it in the past with teal leggings and also with a long green linen skirt. It is fantastic with our new favorite burgundy skirt! Same silver belt as Outfit #3. With this one, I decided to go with flats. These patent mock-croc loafers in a color somewhere between puce and cordovan are perfect. The tailored style balances the boho softness of the blouse. And the low heel means added comfort if you're on your feet a lot or walking around all day--perhaps while Shopping Cheap to Look Cute!

Cheaply and Cutely Yours,
Susan K