fancy pants

My first trend alert!!!

Actually, it's not an alert. I'm about 3 - 4 months behind on this. But hello, I just started blogging!

This spring is all about bright colors. They are everywhere!!!


I've incorporated into my nail polish collection. . . and other accessories.

But most exciting of all, this season is about colorful denim on those hot legs! Three months ago began the excitement around bright denim, and now the focus is shifting to pastels for the summer.


















You can get this pair of jeans for a measly $125 from J.Crew.

OR you can shop smart like I do and have a whole closet full of colorful denim for less than $90.

    (from right to left)

1. Teal purchased from Forever 21 in 2010 (I'm so ahead of the trends, it isn't funny :).
    Cost: I can't remember, but probably less than $30.

2. Burgundy purchased from Kohl's in Fall 2011.
    Cost: crap. I can't remember exactly, but I think it was less than $30, on sale & with a coupon.

3. Blue purchased from TJ MAXX in January 2012.
    Cost: $19.99.

4. Orange purchased from TJ MAXX on clearance in January 2012.
    Cost: $7.99.

J.Crew quality might "out-wear" these, but that's not a concern of mine because I doubt the trend will last long enough. OR I'll be on to another color palette by next Spring!

Now, for the fun part of this leg trend! 

Please welcome back, Kelly. She will re-introduce us to floral jeans!

 this guy beat me to this trend and posted about it in February. (Gr. I'm so behind!)

Here is Jenna Dewan wearing them in that article:


If you are nervous about how to wear these, don't worry, Cosmo is offering some advice here.



Now, where can you pick up a pair? Looking at Polyvore, it seems only the high-end brands have them right now. I haven't seen these beauties in TJ MAXX yet. (I'll let you know the second I do!) Have you seen them anywhere for less than $50?!


Don't like the flowers? Anthropologie has polka-dot denim here!


If the denim part of this trend scares you, it looks like stretch cotton pants in all sorts of flowers and patterns are here for the summer too. H&M has a pair for $14.95! Stella McCartney has a silk pair for only $1,165.00. Hurry, though they are running low on inventory! :)

shop smart! xo

i make things

Fashion and trends have been important to me.
For as long as I can remember actually...

Like in 2nd grade when I wore a head-to-toe orange fruit outfit. (Be nice, it was the 90's.)

Or here in third grade when I wore a sequin floral dress. (Open your eyes Savanna! you look gorgeous!)

And just a typical Sunday at grandmas, playing dress up with my brother and cousins! (Do I look too old to be playing dress-up?)

Back to fashion and trends, this is related to what I do and have done now for almost 5 years. (A job that I drive 100 miles everyday to do!)

What I do is never an easy explanation for some reason.

My answer usually is, "well I make things" (ok, maybe not that. well maybe once. i'm so awkward).

I think I usually say, "I'm a merchandiser. I make hats and accessories. Well I don't make them, but we work with designers to create them, and we source them for well known brands."

Then I receive a nod (of confusion) and a look like this...


(hi kelly!)

(pssst. kelly is will be featured in my first trend alert post, coming soon)

My mom didn't "get it" either until after two years on the job, I finally took her into a Dick's Sporting Goods (my last company) and handed her a hat and said... 

Me: "I did this."

Mom: "You did this?"

Me: "Yes, mom... and this one, and this one and this one.

I am a merchandiser (aka product developer/account manager) of hats and coldweather accessories. 

I am a behind the scenes in the retail industry, a dynamic industry that is very fast paced, very analytical, (exhausting at times), creative, and yes, we are mind readers. Here is a quick lesson for you:

Retail Merchandising 101:
1: Products don't magically appear in the store. We work almost a year or more in advance, using past related sales information, and the mind reading skills of designers trend and color projections to create products.
2: Then once products are created, they need to be sourced. Pricing is negotiated with suppliers and suppliers are chosen.
3: At the same time, before the total quantities are ordered, buyers and planners come up with the budget based on (that's right!) more analysis. They also decide what the initial price will be, tentatively plan what/when the sale or marked down price will be (this is flexible depending on sales trends once the goods hit the store).
4: Next, there is lots of work and coordination to get the product produced right, and within compliance guidelines. Once complete, goods are shipped and transported to a distribution center.
5: Once at the distribution center, analysts send products to each stores in specific quantities based on.... analysis. (i know, sorry)
6: Before the goods even get to the store, a whole different team of people already decided where the goods are placed in the store and the signage next to it. (also, based on analysis & some creative minds)
7: Once product is at the store, inventory and sales are analyzed very frequently and decisions are made around on whether to make the price lower,  move it somewhere else in the store, update signage, ect.

That's a lot isn't it!? I've been on the buying side in apparel, but my first job role and my current job fits into points 1, 2 and 4.

I haven't really put much thought into how I ended up in retail merchandising as a career until my aunt Heidi reminded me that I used to coordinate outfits for my cousins and I during family vacations. . .

And maybe I'm so good at retail math because when I was younger, if I wanted my mom to buy me something in a store, I had to correctly calculate (without a calculator) the final price with the discount. (ok, it's really not that hard, but at tween age it was just a tad bit annoying!)

I may not appear 100% put-together-trendy all the time, because in the balance of life, how i look isn't always the priority. And if I could wear the brands I really wanted to wear all the time, I would need a very large pay increase. So, when there's room for me in the budget, I spend quite a significant amount of that money at TJ Maxx hunting for great deals for our home, discounted brand-name shoes/bags, and cheap, but trendy "no-brand" apparel (that will last as long as the trend will last.)

My goal in future posts related to is to share trends, and where to get them for a steal! Stay tuned!