Shopping – Yoojin Cho

A Splash of Color

Oh helloooooo!

It’s been a while…

So why not make my first post after a long hiatus about my favorite topic, clothes?

Many people know already I love shopping. Of course I do not have a reserve pot of gold to spend on clothes, but I do my best to bargain shop and keep up with the trend.

The latest trend I noticed… skinny colorful pants.

I was at first very, very, very hesitant to try them on. Why? Well, as you can imagine, going bright is always tricky, and when you bring that brightness to pants… to skinny pants… it gets even trickier.

But I was inspired after seeing this:

Former Kate Middleton, now known as Duchess of Cambridge, rocked red skinny denim at a field hockey game. And she looked fabulous! So why not? Give it a try.

I found these cords at Loft. On sale, not skinny, but straight legs.

I knew the light pink pair would be a great addition to my closet because one of my friends had bought them the last time we went on a shopping spree in Boston.

Then I decided to be a little more bold and try different colors. Sadly in my size, my options were limited to green and magenta.

Not going to lie… magenta – deep pink-ish purple-ish – didn’t quite look right. Perhaps a little too bright. But emerald green surprised me! Who knew you could wear green pants after St. Patrick’s Day?

Now my next challenge is finding tops that would match my new pants. Obviously dark colors for the light pink pair… but I’m also thinking faint yellow for emerald green could work too.

Obsessed with: Vera Bradley Lunch Tote

I’m starting this new “Obsessed with” short feature. It’s my attempt at keeping this blog more me and more alive.

This week, I am obsessed with my lunch tote from Vera Bradley. Before you dismiss lunch bags as something you grew out of 20 years ago, take a look.

I wanted to pick an evergreen pattern. Vera Bradley offers many gorgeous blue-based patterns, but I thought they were too summer-y. Especially on this island, when the wind blows at 40 mph and the trees all bare, happy blue and yellow quilt wouldn’t belong. Of course I didn’t want something too winter-y either, so here’s the happy medium. What do you think?

And inside – do excuse my unpolished nails, full-time plus hostessing life doesn’t offer too much free time – I can fit my water bottle, cookies, sandwich and fruit snacks. I can fit a couple of Ziploc containers as well if I bring leftover pasta or rice for lunch. Often, I bring both lunch and dinner if I have to go straight to Chowder Co. for hostessing from the Times, so the spacious compartment is crucial.

All my food in one cute bag AND save the planet by not using plastic bags. I think that’s a winning combo.

Don’t Overspend!

We all know I love love love shopping. My closet back in Boston has an extra bar installed to accommodate all my tops, and my closet in Dallas houses quite a bit of outfits as well.

While I do admit I spend more money on clothes than I should, I can still take pride in that I never ever pay full price. Yes, I shop sales and hot deals.

For example, yesterday, my parents and I made a quick trip to Galleria Dallas where we found both Ann Taylor & Banana Republic offering extra 40% off.

I found this gray tweed coat for only $89.99…

And this fabulous relaxed top for only $11.39.

Especially between gift searches and dress shopping for holiday parties in December, we frequent shopping malls and without realizing, drain our bank accounts. So here are some tips I learned in saving money while looking fabulous!

Shop those extra 40% off deals

I was very successful, wasn’t I? Early in the holiday season, many stores offer 20% or 30% off full-priced items. Sounds extremely tempting, but be patient and wait until the promotion changes to 40% or more off your ENTIRE purchase. That means if you score a sale item, it could be as affordable as 10 or 20 bucks.

Take advantage of free shipping

If you’re a student, get Amazon Prime. If you’re online shopping on other retail websites, look for minimum purchase amount or special items that have free shipping options. Sometimes you may find a cute purse for $5, and you immediately add it to your cart, only to realize at “proceed to checkout,” the shipping is $10. Yikes.

But really really really try to go to the store

You can always shop from the comfort of your own couch. Online shopping can save you time, but it doesn’t always save you money. While some online deals are irresistible, online prices are not always as low as actual prices offered in-store. My new coat’s online price: $199.99, in-store sale price: $149.99, I spent: $89.99. Enough said, right?

Always ask about college – student or faculty – discounts

J.Crew and Ann Taylor both offer special college discount with your student ID. That extra 20% can save you a lot in the end.

Earn those rewards points

If you have a store credit card, use it and pay off right away. The more you use those credit cards, the more reward points you’ll get, meaning more exclusive sales and discounts. One caveat though, I am NOT encouraging opening new credit cards… I’m saying, if you have one already, take advantage. And obviously, remember to pay it off right away.

Don’t be afraid to shop outlets

Texas is especially great for outlet shopping. Many people have this preconceived notion of outlets as damaged, unwanted, less desirable items. Well, WRONG. J.Crew, Banana Republic and Nordstrom all have great outlet stores that carry cheaper items that are still stylish, amazing and wonderful.

Look for those cute little postcards in your mail

Don’t just toss all your “junk” mail. Look through those coupon books or catalogs for discount coupons.