Savvy Outfit of the Day - $27 Rafe Retro & a mini Rant

Today's outfit is another one of those questionable What Not to Wear moments. Can one wear a full length sweater and have it NOT look like a robe? I think maybe, just maybe.

I found this gem at a thrift store for $10 and I've gotten so many compliments. Of course after watching enough WNTW I know that's not always a sure sign that you've hit a home run. Although I will say that one woman hung out of her car to compliment me as I was walking with the Superstars in a parking lot! The jacket is by Kenji Natural, which I had never heard of before, but it fits well and it sure is cozy (I did NOT say "comfortable").

The Breakdown.
Kenji Natural full length sweater jacket ($10 thrift store/ARP $40), black Banana Republic wool turtleneck ($4 thrift store/ARP $50), winter white American Eagle cords ($5 thrift store/ARP $40), black Nine West leather boots ($8 thrift store/ARP $150), Rafe for Target black "patent leather" purse (trade with a friend/ARP $50).

Grand Total: $27
Approximate Retail Price: $330
Savvy Savings: $303


I'm not sure this is What TO Wear, but what good is the freedom savvy shopping brings if you can't try something new without breaking the bank? I felt good wearing this. And well, at 40 I've finally decided that there's a small part of me (growing bigger every day) that just doesn't care what other people think.

Of course I don't mean that in a bad way, but if the 30's taught me anything, it's that no matter how "decently" I think I dress for a stay-at-home mom who sometimes stays in her PJs all day long, there will be someone out there who does it better...and for less money. Conversely there will be someone who spends more money and feels superior for it because it's new, improved, more stylish or more eco-friendly and you know what? It's ok!

In life there will always be someone who is prettier, richer, smarter, funnier, thinner, or all around more together than I am, but no one has it all together and no matter what strong points we think we can boast in, there's another area of our life that is sorely in need of work. We're ALL that way. It's part of being human. It's what makes us U-nique and sometimes U-nusual, but overall it's about being U, flaws and all (sorry, kinda cheesy but I like the alliteration).

So to quote Ms. Frizzle in The Magic School Bus (can you tell I have an elementary school child?) "Take chances, make mistakes, get messy!" And even as that statement makes me cringe (I'm German and we're tidy, organized people!) I get it, and there's a lot of freedom in that statement. I hope you see that too.