January 2021 – Mel Gets Dressed

January 27, 2021

The sweater so nice, I bought it twice! When you love a piece of clothing, you have to buy one in every color. I don’t make the rules.

During the most recent Forever 21 50% sale, I managed to snag one of these frilly cardigans in my size! The best part? It’s one of my favorite pieces I already own and now I have it in PURPLE! My wardrobe is super colorful so this was a no brainer for me.

With Spring coming up, I’m excited to get more wear out of this. I’m still seeing the frilly collar/big sleeve trend carry into Spring 2021, which you already know I’m all about. You’ll definitely see me style this more frequently in the future!

January 20, 2021

Curious to hear about my first time purchasing from Zara? I really had to limit myself, but I ended up with five pieces that I absolutely love!

Today’s outfit features one of my brand new tops from Zara! It’s sheer, flowy, colorful, and everything that I’m looking for in a shirt with Spring approaching.

Top: Link // Jeans: Similar // Headband: Similar

Though my style is extremely eclectic, you’ll find that I’m often inspired by bohemian fashion and home decor pieces. I seriously love everything with frills, textures, and embroidery so this shirt checks off all the boxes. Actually, I was pleasantly surprised to see that Zara was selling something of this style, because up until this point, I thought they only sold more simple, modern pieces. The quality is amazing and I was seriously impressed with everything I got.

In my order, I received two shirts and three dresses, all of which I plan to post here in the coming days. If you can’t wait until then, check out my try-on in my Instagram highlights here! Spoiler alert – and you heard it here first: I’ve already ordered from Zara again and another try-on is coming soon.

January 15, 2021

And just like that, today marks TWO WEEKS since the creation of Mel Gets Dressed! What an fun journey it’s been so far that I’m excited to continue.

If I’ve learned anything so far from this new blogging endeavor, it’s that you get out of it what you put into it. If I want so see more engagement and reach a larger audience, I have to branch out and engage with others in the same way. It’s introduced me to so many new creators so far and they inspire me every day.

To celebrate, today I’m sporting this black and white buffalo plaid printed dress that I recently purchased on sale from H&M right before the holidays. I love to wear buffalo plaid in the winter, as I feel like it’s an easy way to incorporate more color into your wardrobe with a more seasonal and classic pattern. This piece is one of my favorites from the many items that I purchased – I’ll have to do a haul before everything is sold out.

January 14, 2021

Today I’m giving you a peek inside of my MASSIVE shoe collection and dishing out the inside scoop on some of my favorites.

Free People simply cannot make a pair of shoes that I don’t like. It’s just not possible. The perfect example is this pair of red/cream houndstooth booties, which are some of the most unique looking shoes I think I’ve ever seen.

I’m not sure what year these were released, but I found them on Poshmark for a very reasonable price and scooped them up immediately, even though they are about half a size too small for me and I definitely feel it after walking around in them for a while.

I typically dress these down a bit with a pair of jeans and simple sweater in the winter, and I’m excited for the day that I can wear these to the office again!

January 11, 2021

Introducing… my first official shacket! I can already tell you that it will NOT be my last.

For the past several months, I have been watching the “shacket” trend and waiting for the perfect one (for me). The day is here and I finally have one in my hands!

I purchased this shacket during the Forever 21 50% off sale sale (sale sale), among many other things, for the great price of $17. It’s cropped in length and super soft and warm – perfect for the upcoming winter/spring transition we’ll be experiencing here in New England! Also, I’m a HUGE fan of buffalo plaid anything. I seriously wish they came out with more colors – I’ll have to keep an eye out.

January 10, 2021

Tan western shirt with Quay Jezabell sunglasses

Is Sunday the last day of the week or the first day of the week? I definitely see it as the last day of the week because I need a full day or rest before Monday comes and the madness begins again.

Speaking of rest, I’ve been taking a lot of it recently! Between Christmas, New Years, and the on-going pandemic, I’ve been staying home a lot more often than usual. The most productive thing I’ve done is clean out our basement storage and filling an entire box of of odds and ends to donate to charity. This is something I’ve been putting off for about three years now!

Because I’ve been home so much, the most exciting thing that’s happened to me is getting my package from the Forever 21 sale. I’ve been trying to stay away from buying things just because they’re on sale, but with an additional 50% off, I picked up a few pieces and trends that I’ve been wanting to try out, like this very cool western shirt. It’s a cushiony, soft material that will last, paired with my favorite Jazabell Twist sunglasses by Quay Australia. I’m excited to incorporate these into my wardrobe and style it up with existing pieces!

January 6, 2021

My outfit today is what inspired me to make my blog in the first place! It was my first time layering a collared shirt under a sweatshirt and it will definitely be a trend that I continue.

Collared Shirt: Similar // Sweatshirt: Similar // Skirt: Link // Necklace: Similar

This look consists of a lot of my personal favorite brands. I’m sporting an H&M red tennis skirt, my classic black patent Dr. Martens, a Fred Perry white button up, and a Fred Perry black sweatshirt. Though completely unintentional, it’s interesting how even the roots of this outfit are connected, as the Dr. Martens and Fred Perry brands both originated in England, and Fred Perry was a tennis player himself. Although most of these are recent purchases, the Docs and Fred Perry pieces are secondhand.

Over the past two years, my Fred Perry collection has grown exponentially thanks to ThredUp. Every now and then, someone will donate a few shirts and I always scoop them up because you really can’t beat the quality and the prices are so much lower than retail value. In this particular haul, I managed to get FIVE pieces, all for ~$100 which is a STEAL. I’ll post details of that haul in another post!

January 5, 2021

Today’s look features one of my favorite thrifted finds to date! A vintage 90’s Miami Dolphins crewneck sweatshirt in PERFECT condition. I paired it with some of my favorite gold necklaces for some added flair.

Closup of miami dolphins sweatshirt with gold necklaces — Coin Necklace: Link // Curb Chain Necklace: Similar

Thrifting is one of my favorite things to do! If you’re a maximalist like me, it’s the most sustainable way to fill your closet with quality pieces and you really can’t beat the prices. I tend to mix old pieces with new, but I would say about 70% of my closet is secondhand. I typically shop from a variety of different thrift shops in my area, like Goodwill and Savers, and living close to Boston helps me to score some awesome pieces since everyone here is so fashionable. If I have something specific in mind that I can’t find while thrifting, I’ll turn to online secondhand sites like ThredUp, Poshmark, Mercari and Depop.

Though I’m not a huge of sports, I couldn’t pass up on the color and quality of this sweatshirt. I’ll have to brush up on some stats in case anyone asks!

January 4, 2021

Welcome to my first blog post! Today’s outfit is a super casual one, with layered accessories to give it a more dressed-up feel. Outfit details below.

Cardigan: I recently purchased this cardigan from Forever 21. The pointelle design and frills on the collar really stood out to me as something unique! I’m happy to report that the quality is great and it’s something that I plan to wear often even after the cardigan-as-a-shirt trend is over.

Cardigan: Link // Jeans: Similar // Shoes: Link

Jeans: These are my favorite jeans… ever! I’ve been looking for the perfect pair of high-waisted mom jeans for a while now and I’m super pleased with the fit of these. The denim is thick, the legs aren’t too baggy, and the western patchwork design is to die for. The brand is Abercrombie & Fitch, although I purchased these second-hand on Poshmark. Who knew I would be wearing A&F again in my late 20’s after being willing to give an arm and a leg for a moose graphic tee when I was 13?

Shoes: Check out these cheetah-licious Dr. Martens Chelsea boots! I had my eye on these for a while and finally took the plunge when I found them on sale for almost 50% off. I have a big collection of Docs, but these are definitely one of my favorite pairs!

Accessories: Almost all of my accessories, including my socks, were purchased at Forever 21. The only exception to this is the vintage gold belt, which I recently thrifted! The two necklaces and earrings are my go-to jewelry pieces these days since they are so easy to layer and go with everything.