J.Crew inspired outfit on the cheap

Sorry for the bad quality of this image, but I have had a period of separation from my camera and a camera phone is the best I could get. I really wanted to share this outfit because it was inspired by the J.Crew outfit above. I knew I wanted to recreate it, but I couldn't afford to buy all of the pieces from J.Crew. So I looked in my closet and put this together. Notice I am wearing Hunter Wellingtons. I was wearing high heels with this outfit in the office, but while getting dinner, I just left on my boots. I love these boots. And since we were trying a new burger and beer restaurant, I felt that my lack of formal shoe wear was acceptable. (We went to the new Michael Symon restaurant in Cleveland called, Bspot. It's delicious) I think the boots especially compliment a girly outfit like this one. (H&M Dress: $29; J.Crew striped shirt: $20; H&M Scarf: $15; Ann Taylor Loft Tights: $15; Hunter Wellington Boots: $115)

Striped shirt dress

I think this outfit materialized because I like to look dressed up for work, but I also want to be comfortable and warm. Soooo striped shirt dress with leggings and grandpa cardigan is born. And I just love those riding boots. They were an investment piece, but I wear them with everything. Completely worth it. Sweater: H&M ($15); Shirt dress: F21; Legginings: Target ($6); Belt: Banana Republic ($16); Boots: Franco Sarto ($80)

Tights tricks

Layering clothes reaches a whole new dimension when you live in Cleveland. You have to be tricky if you want to escape the wrath of cold winds blowing up your skirt. Why would I even be wearing a skirt or dress in the middle of winter?—because I am THAT girl. No, not puking in the bathroom of a bar girl who is wearing a dress that is too tight for her and her control top is showing, I mean the kind of girl who sacrifices her comfort in the name of outfit elitism.
So the trick here is to layer an opaque color like red or blue under a more sheer pair of tights like this polka dot pair. I tried it with a maroon pair of tights and the color is a little too dark to notice. So if you really want it to pop out I would recommend using a bright red. So if you have a pair of really sheer tights that you want to wear in the winter you can with this easy method. (P.S. I was still freezing!)