The Boyfriend Shopper

Hi everyone! Sorry I've been MIA recently. There have been big things happening around the Wilde house and I haven't had a moment to post!  I'll be catching you guys up on my summer travels, and all the other things that have been happening, this week! Starting off first, with my favorite shopping trick...

You've all heard me sing the praises of Stitch Fix. Personal Stylist, try on the clothes at home, sending me new trends to try out. It's all great. Now it's time to share with you another one of my favorite things - The Boyfriend Shopper!

What is this you ask? Well, it's just like Stitch fix, except my personal stylist is my boyfriend!

Sure, this might not work out for some of you (okay, most of you), especially if your significant other hates shopping. Or isn't comfortable wandering the women's department of Bloomingdale's. I'm a lucky girl and let me tell you the great things about My Boyfriend Shopper. (All of the items in the outfits included in this post were purchased by the boyfriend, without any influence from me!)

1. He has access to all my favorite shops, the best shopping mall in New Jersey and a few of the best outlet malls in the area. His office is right in the middle of all of these amazing stores. It's a good thing that I don't work in that part of the state.

2. The Boyfriend has learned my style over the ten plus years we've been together. He knows I hate surged hems, stretchy tops and anything Missoni. Though he often buys things he thinks will look good on me and I wind up loving them.

3. My guy is incredibly frugal and can sniff out a sale like a deal bloodhound.  On his most recent trip out for me he spent $120. He saved over $700 on labels like Theory, Hugo Boss & Marc Jacobs. Yeah, he's good.

4. I get to try the items on at home and if I don't like them he can just take them back to the store next week. I don't have to lift a finger! No going to the mailbox for me, take that Stitch Fix!

5. He sometimes forgets that I haven't paid him for the cute clothes he bought me.  Mostly I just repay him by making a larger rent payment, thereby lowering his payment. So it's like I'm paying for the roof over our heads, instead of those killer shoes on my feet.

If only I could figure out a business model in which I would monetize his sale finding skills.  Anyone out there need a personal bargain shopper? I charge 10%. Yes, that sounds legit.

Wilde Wednesday - Work Wear Wishes

How's that for alliteration? Today I'm thinking all about work wear. Though I guess it's not just things to wear to work, but also to carry to work and to bring to work because you need hydration and food. We spend so much of our lives at the office, why not look good and feel good while you're there?

1. C Wonder - Ikat Coffee Mug - $10 - More so for the winter, but I always like to have my morning beverage in a cute bug, rather than a paper cup. My mug is just making my desk look pretty these days, it's the season of iced everything!
2. Rebecca Minkoff - Medium M.A.B. Tote - $255 - I have this tote for my monster of a laptop. This Rebecca Minkoff bag is big and sturdy! It holds everything I need to bring with me to work, including my shoes and lunch.
3. Rebecca Taylor - Pleated mixed tweed dress - SALE $383 - Of course you need to have cute clothes for work. Showing up in a bright and crisp dress really sets the mood for your entire day at the office.
4. Fresh - Sugar Lip Treatment (Tulip) - $22.50 - I literally have four of these in my office right now. Three different tinted colors and one sheer. They are super moisturizing, which is completely necessary in this over air conditioned office world that we all live in. Bonus? It has SPF.
5. Fitbit - Fitbit Zip - $48.99 - And that SPF will come in handy when you get away from your desk for an afternoon walk. After I transitioned from a lab job to a desk job, I found that I wasn't moving around as much. Now I have my Fitbit (and so do many of my coworkers!) and I try to log over 10,000 steps per day. A quick walk after lunch totally helps me toward that goal.
6. Kate Spade - Black Cat silicone iPhone case - $45 - I have the toucan case from the summer collection. It was also $45 and I can't see spending another $45 on this iPhone case, but it's so cute. A black cat is so perfect for the fall!
7. DVF - Amelia Silk Combo flared wrap dress - $485 - I've been living in wrap dresses this summer. Combine them with some bike shorts and you're all set for whatever the day throws at you. Wrap dress + bike shorts = absolute comfort.
8. Basily - Infuser Water Bottle - $15.99 - With all of the amazing fruits I've been picking up at the markets this summer, there was no need for boring, plain water. Cut up some berries and pop them in the infuser and in minutes you have an amazing and refreshing drink!
9. Ikea - Knubbig Table Lamp - $7.99 - The light in my office is sub-par. I like to have an extra pop of light on my desk, not only to be able to read things, but also to cheer up the room a little. This is especially helpful on stormy summer days.
10. Kate Spade - Bedford Square Eastern bag - $398 - I know, I already said that I have the RM M.A.B. tote, but look how pretty this bag is! Look at all of those internal compartments! So gorgeous and useful.

What are some of your favorite things to have at the office? Something special to make the time pass a little faster?

Boyfriend dress

Since I moved to a business dress company environment, I've adopted a sort of uniform. You'll either find me wearing a pencil skirt and blouse, or a fun dress. I try to keep it a little fun by mixing in statement jewelry or amazing shoes. Today, I paired this DVF ruched bodycon dress with my favorite LK Bennett cheetah print booties and kept the jewelry to a minimum. The booties are always noticed, by both my coworkers and fellow train commuters. Also, believe it or not, they're totally comfortable!

One thing that might surprise you about this look - I didn't pick out any of these items for myself! While I was out of town a few weeks ago, the boyfriend did some shopping. While he shops for himself, he'll often wander through the women's department and pick up a few unusual pieces for me! The dress and shoes were both a part of one or two of his shopping trips. He always brings home things that I would have never tried for myself and it makes trying them on at home so much more fun!

I think the dress was scored at Century 21, so I couldn't find the exact same one online. Here are a few other options with fun asymmetrical necklines!

Wilde Spring

I'm back in the States for the next few weeks! We had a meeting scheduled for Australia this week, but I'm happy to say that it was cancelled. After two weeks in Europe, I could use a little time to acclimate back to East coast time. Being back in New Jersey means I get to enjoy the spring weather that has finally come to stay. That means skirts with no tights, open-toed shoes and shooting photos outside without freezing my butt off!

I actually wore this outfit a few weeks ago, when the pink flowers were everywhere. My work uniform has come to be either a dress or a pencil skirt and blouse. I love this simple cream colored shell from French Connection (and I actually own it in five colors!), it's perfect to wear all by itself, or layered under a blazer.

You might also notice these amazing booties. I picked them up a few weeks ago at Woodbury Commons (the most amazing outlet mall around) at the Giorgio Armani outlet store. Their original price? $795. The steal that I scored? 80% off. I think these beauties will be seeing a lot of wear this spring and summer.

Jacket: Kenneth Cole

Blouse: French Connection

Necklace: Charming Charlies

Skirt: Diane Von Furstenberg

Shoes: Giorgio Armani

Springtime Color

Spring has finally arrived in New Jersey! The temperatures keep jumping back and forth from comfortable to chilly, but at least the flowers are here. I'm in love with the original Montclair, NJ town planner, because they planted flowering trees all down the central street. It's like driving down a lane of white puffballs. My apartment building is also surrounded by these pink flowering trees

The flowers outside are inspiring me to perk up the colors of my wardrobe. The winter knits have gone to into storage and the chiffon and neon has made its way out. I've been waiting all winter to wear these pink pants! As my company doesn't do casual Fridays, this is my dressed down "it's almost the weekend" look.

I picked up this blue bauble at Charming Charlies a few weeks ago. The bright colors seem to go with everything I own. Or I just really like it and want to wear it with everything!

Top: Diane Von Furstenberg

Pants: C Wonder

Necklace: Charming Charlies

Flats: via DSW

Sunglasses: RARE

ModCloth Flats · shopbop.com Pants · RetroSuperFuture Sunglasses

Patience

I've been looking all winter for a leather skirt. When I saw the Rita skirt at Diane Von Furstenberg, I knew that it was just what I was looking for. The problem? At $500, the skirt was quite a bit more than I was willing to pay. Patience was necessary and after a month, that patience paid off.

At the same time that the skirt went on sale at the Soho store, it also showed up at Nieman Marcus - Last Call. Then there was a coupon for an additional 20% off! I was able to score this amazing skirt for 40% of the original price!  Bonus? There are two zippers on the front seams. Keep them zipped up during the day, unzip one (or two) for dinner and a night on the town. Totally a perfect day-to-night skirt!

I've been having fun with this skirt and wearing it with my whimsical sweaters. Now, to find a way to bring this skirt from winter into spring...

Sweater: C Wonder

Skirt: Diane Von Furstenberg

Tights: Anthropologie

Heels: Elie Tahari

PJ Salvage Crewnecks & Scoopnecks · Diane von Furstenberg Mid-length Skirts · ModCloth Plus Sweaters

Weekend Brunch

This weekend flew by so fast, I blame the fact that we lost an hour from daylight savings time. It could also be that I spent Saturday in the city with friends and the boyfriend. Saturday mornings have come to mean brunch in Manhattan with my girls. It's an excellent excuse to put on a cute dress and brave the weather.  Brunch is always delicious.

Heading to NYC for a visit? Stop by tomorrow for a list of some of my favorite brunch locations!  I won't call them "The Best Brunch Places in New York City" because I haven't eaten at every restaurant in NYC. I'll just call them my faves.

This dress was actually my first Diane Von Furstenberg wrap dress.  Since this one, I've bought two more. This was totally my gateway wrap, I'm addicted.  Classic, easy and oh-so-pretty, the DVF wrap is the easiest piece of clothing to throw on and run. Keep an eye out for their mid-season sale on wraps, you can score some pretty amazing dresses for no where near full price.

If you have been looking for a statement piece of jewelry, check out Nervous System Jewelry. I bought this necklace last year from Fab.com and get compliments on it each time I wear it. The version I'm wearing is from a 3D printer, but you can also get a silver version that is beautiful.

Dress: Diane Von Furstenberg

Jacket: Sachin & Babi

Tights: Anthropologie

Booties: DV for Dolce Vita

Purse: Ted Baker

Necklace: Nervous System

Dolce Vita Boots · Topshop Hosiery · Old Navy Hosiery

2014 Budget - February Recap

Umm, yeah... So I totally blew my budget this month.  I can't even blame the boyfriend for bringing home purchases for me, though he was pivotal in me picking up quite a few of these items (the windowpane Theory sweater and wrap leather Theory skirt). I mostly blame Bloomingdale's and their ridiculous sales this month!  

While most of my purchases this month were just fun, I did pick up two necessary work items.  I've got a lot of conferences coming up and I stopped at Elie Tahari to buy some blazers. I also seemed to be on a big leather kick this month and picked up two leather skirts. I have been watching the Diane Von Furstenberg leather pencil skirt and it finally hit a price that I was willing to pay. The leather is beautiful and it's a piece I'll be wearing for years.

 Kate Spade - $179.10 (398)

 Milly - $157.50 (375)

 Theory - $224.77 (555)

Theory - $123.75 (275)

 DVF - $207.00 (498)

 $26.98 (69)

Elie Tahari - $198 (398)

Elie Tahari - $398

Ted Baker - $177.99 ($275)

Luckily I'm out of town for half of the month of March, not much time for hitting the malls!  Maybe I'll be able to make up some of my budget. I'm certainly set when it comes to pink purses!

Total spent in February - $1,693.09
Price before sales - $3,241
Total savings - $1,547.91 (47% off)
Amount over budget - $1,193.09 (whoops!)

2014 Budget

January - $614.07

February - $1,693.09

Some of these items are still available online! Some aren't and I've given you some similar options!

Ted Baker Satchels · Ted Baker Totes · Ted Baker Shoulder Bags

Call of the Wilde

Happy Friday everyone! I know that I just showed you this MaxMara shrug last week, but I've been living in it since then! It's funny how throwing something over your shoulders can really warm you up. Today I'm pairing it with one of my favorite Diane Von Furstenberg dresses. I picked this one up just before I started my new job and I just love it!  You can't tell, because it's freezing out, but it actually has these cute cap sleeves.

Oh, and those shoes?  Can you believe that the boyfriend found them for me? He knew I had been searching for some cheetah pumps and discovered these (in my size!) at Century 21.  Bonus - They were 75% off.  Such a good boyfriend! They totally add a bit of fun to an otherwise simple work look.

Dress - Diane Von Furstenberg (so similar, kinda similar)

Shrug - MaxMara

Booties - LK Bennett

Necklace - Charming Charlies

D.E.P.T Cardigans · 525 America Sweaters · Amy Byer Cardigans

Linking up with...

Style Elixir - Friday's Fab Favorites
Simply Lulu Style - What I'm Loving Fridays

Classic Work Looks

Since I started at a "business casual" job, I've found a few favorite designers for my day to day work clothes. On any given weekday, you'll find me sporting either one of my favorite Diane Von Furstenberg dresses or some of my Elie Tahari separates. Both labels are chic, well tailored and classic.  Everything that I have from both DVF and Elie Tahari are pieces that I can see myself wearing for years.  Besides, the DVF wrap dress has been around for 40 years, I don't see it becoming passé anytime soon!

Sure, both labels are a little on the pricey side. I actually only buy about 20% of these items from the brick and mortar Soho stores. Most of my closet comes from the outlets! Check out Nieman Marcus Last Call online for some of the same great deals that I score in Bergen county.  I picked up this DVF at the Nordstrom anniversary sale for a song.

Jacket: Piperlime (Sold Out, Similar)

Dress: Diane Von Furstenberg

Heels: Elie Tahari

Necklace: Charming Charlies

Burberry Coats · Max Studio Coats · Cole Haan Coats

Linking up with...

Transatlantic Blonde
I Feel Pretty Linkup