I am temporarily hijacking Sabrina’s regularly scheduled style program (with her permission) to bring my May and June contributions to Mina’s 4D monthly Style Challenge. Both are embarrassingly late, but better late than never, as people generally say. When I heard that Mina and Sab were doing this together I thought it’d be fun to join in – I couldn’t stand idly by and let them put together fabulous outfits without me!

The idea of the challenge appeals to me because it forces me to look into my wardrobe to mix and match pieces, rather than go with standby outfits. I am also pretty good at finding sales, so I was pretty sure I’d be able to stay below budget with my extra items. Although Sab and I do a fair amount of our shopping together, Mina is far away so we don’t always get the opportunity to see what sort of things she has in her closet. Also, Sab has so many things in her closet I don’t remember half of her outfits, so I look forward to seeing both of their interpretations of the challenges.

Well, without further ado, my May outfit!

• Polka dots! (dress? skirt? something else?) – Smart Set (owned) – bought roughly 10 years ago in New Brunswick
• Classic black heels flats – Aerosoles (owned)
• Structured bag – Vintage patent leather handbag: (owned) – bought at Salvation Army for $5 on half price day!
• Bright matte lipstick – from a Sephora palette, bday gift from Mi
• One “piece” of jewelry – Fossil Stella Mini watch (owned – birthday gift from the beau)

Extras:

• Goldtone and faux pearl necklace (owned) – vintage Avon, from Lady Jane’s Treasure Trove
• Dangly pearl earrings (owned) – H&M or F21 (can’t remember!)
• Avon SuperExtend Extreme Waterproof Mascara (owned)

Cost: None!

I really liked this outfit because:

A) It made me feel classy and put-together. There’s something about a polka-dot dress, pearl jewelry and red lipstick that is really classic and effortless – this may be why I have two other dresses such as this one in my closet…

B) I didn’t have to buy anything, and had worn this outfit to work the day the photo was taken, minus a few last minute additions.

I wish I had been in NB to show off with my favourite gals! They both looked fabulous, and had totally different spins on the same look!

Now, let’s see how I did with June!

• A breezy summer dress – Embroidered cotton tunic (short dress?), Forever 21 (owned)
• Cool, colorful sunglasses – Aqua Ray-Ban style sunnies, Zellers ($6.99)
• A quick and easy satchel – Roots Olivia Satchel (owned – bday gift from Sab)
• Embellished flats sandals – braided leather sandals, Hibou (owned)
• A handmade woven bracelet – braided, beaded bracelets (owned – gifts from a shopkeeper in Cancun), various friendship bracelets (owned – handmade + gifts)
• Complimenting nail polish – Sally Hansen Hard As Nails Xtreme Wear in Hot Magenta

Extras:

• White leggings with lace trim – Ardene, maybe?
• Red and gold beaded necklace, Salvation Army, Fredericton

Cost: $6.99

I was also pretty happy with how this all turned out, and while I had most of the items on hand, I did have a bit of trouble in the dress and sunglass department. I later realized that among all of my dresses, none of breezy ones were particularly colourful, is why I opted for the tunic instead. I loved Mina’s coral dress, and Sab’s from her most recent post (I also own this, but in black – poo), and was hoping to find something in that colour scheme, but no luck this time.

I also loved the sunnies Mina had posted and was on the lookout for something similar all month, and when I had almost given up I found not one, but two colourful pairs on sale at Zellers while my mom was waiting for me in line. Close call, but I was glad I took a look!

Good job with your outfits guys – you both look great! Hopefully I will be more on the ball with getting things together next time, though July’s challenge does look a bit more challenging, actually.