Holiday Party looks

This past weekend was my company's Christmas party. I wanted to look glamours and fashionable without looking out of place... lets just say, the people in our company are not exactly avid readers of Vogue. Therefore, I wanted to wear something that showed off my personality without looking flashy. this is what I wore:

sparkly cardigan: Petticoat Alley, $24.99 (TJ Maxx)

silk blouse: The Limited 

red skirt: Express, $69.99

clutch: Expressions Inc, $16.99 (TJ Maxx)

bracelet: Forever 21, $8.90 

necklace: Forever 21, $8.90

shoes: Aldo

the above outfit was a last minute thing I was able to put together (thank goodness!). This was back up outfit if I couldn't come up with anything else:

dress: Worthington, $39.99 (JCpenney)

shoes: peruvian brand, got them on vacation 

necklace: Payless Shoes Source, $4

Fall fashion favorite: Red Denim

sorry I have neglected to post anything for over a week. I had to get my computer repaired and just got it back.. here is a blog post on red pants I worked on meanwhile I waited to get my computer back.

Im obsessed with the red pant trend for this season. I put these three outfits together that could be used in different scenarios:

pants used for this blog post: South Pole, TJ Maxx, $12

1) out for drinks

Shirt: Forever 21, $25

Jacket: The Limted, $45 (on sale)

Belt: Forever 21, $2.50

Shoes: Cathy Jean

Earings: pack from Target, $5

Bracelets: Forever 21

2) for a lunch date:

Sweater: Canyon River Blues, $10 (Sears)

Necklace: Forever 21, $9 

Ring: Forever 21, $3.80

Shoes: Nicole, $7, (Ross)

3) to run errands:

Shirt: H&M

Shoes: American Eagle, $9 (Payless)

Watch: Sophie, $18 (Nordstrom)

Please don't forget to email me with any questions at mspetitefashion@yahoo.com

OOTD #2: Twilight

Last night, I had ladies night with my best friend. I went out directly after work so I had to quickly put this outfit together in the morning.. I wore these pants to work and brought the rest with me to change.

Top: $25, Robin K (TJ Maxx)

Jeans: $15, Bullhead (TJ Maxx)

Blazer: $30, Forever 21

bracelet: $15, Harajuku Lovers (Nordstrom Rack)

Necklace: gift

Shoes: $90, Aldo

OOTD #2

It was yet another nice fall day here in the OC.. this time, I wanted to show a little leg and wear a cute sweater with a skirt. What do you think of the finished look? I like it but I think I different skirt would have been nice...

earings: $5 in a pack fromTarget

bracelet: $40, Juicy Couture (outlet)

necklace: $20 (on sale) The Limited 

purse: $20, TJ Maxx

skirt: H&M

sweater: $25 Cable and Gauge, Macy's

jacket: I.E. (petite collection), Macy's

Shoes: American Eagle, Payless

NOTE: if things don't have a price on them, it's because I've had them for so long that I can't remember how much they cost

Outfit of the Day (OOTF) #1

So I bought a new camera!!!  I will finally be able to upload outfits, video blogs, tutorials, etc! Here is my first one... today it was actually kinda cool in Orange County so I wore this:

Sweater:  Canyon River Blues $20 (Sears)

Pants: Levis $20 (TJ Maxx)

Shoes: Dollhouse: $25 (Ross)

Watch: $18 (Nordstrom)

feather earings: $12 (Nordstrom)

I PROMISE I will be uploading more things on this thing!! Also, be on the look out for the launch of my Youtube Channel :D

Thanks for reading!

Backstreets back ALRIGHT!!!

I was a teen in the early 2000s.. so what does that mean? I AM A BOY BAND FANATIC!!! Although I consider myself a die hard *NSYNC fan, I went to see NKOTBSB last night (since they are the only boy bands touring). I bought tickets for my best friend's birthday and she chose me to come a long :) YAY! This is the outfit I wore.. thought it was a little rock-and-roll and a little pop:

Shirt: $17, Forever 21

Jeans: $16, TJMaxx

Shoes: $25, Reflections

Clutch: $16, TJMaxx

p.s. I apologize for the messiness of my hair.. it had been a long night hahaha

my parent's 25th Anniversary

I love my parents very much. Often, I say that they are more like my best friends than they are my parents. We get along, fight, argue, laugh, etc. This past March they celebrated 25 years of being happily married. Being the good Peruvian woman that my mom is, she hosted a small gathering in which she and my dad renewed their vows. Here are a couple pics from the event (btw, you can see the lack of tall genes in my family hahaha):

I, of course, helped style both my mom and dad. My mom and I are both wearing dresses from Banana Republic. I was originally drawn to my dress because of the color, because lets be honest.. its gorgeous!!!! But I felt that I really needed to accessorize it in order for it to look elegant enough for this important occasion. I ended up adding this silver belt (that I found at Kohl's for $4.50!!) and a silver ring and earings.

Believe it or not, my dress was originally $149.99 and I paid something around $25 for it!! I bought it almost five months ago so I really can't remember the exact price. Nevertheless, the price was a STEAL!!!

Why I loved the dress? THE SHAPE!!!! It nicely drapes at the bottom and the fact that it is fit at the waist makes it very figure flattering. It really helped me because I was (and still kinda am) carrying a few extra "college" pounds and the dress did a good job about disguising that. Needless to say, I was very happy that night, not only was it super special, but I felt like I looked great :)

Basics: super important!

To start, I think I will tell you what my wardrobe staples are, simply because they are crucial to creating awesome outfits:

1) A black pencil skirt: I recently bought this one at The Limited and it fits great!! Its a going out skirt that flattens your belly and gives you a nice shape:

2) Dark denim or black skinny jeans. These are my favorite basic jeans by Gap:

NOTE: this is really important ladies so listen up!!!!! DO NOT GET FRUSTRATED WHEN PANT SHOPPING!! just remember that the tailor is you bff! I, for one, tailor ALL my pants. My mom used to do it for me when I was kid but I have now learned to do it on my own. Pants are not made for girls like me, so I make them fit me by tailoring them. Just make sure they fit great at the waist and thigh area, the length is an easy fix.

3) Structured jackets. They complete an outfit and slim your figure. Enough said.

4) Cardigans!!! Words cannot express my love for cardigan. I love printed ones, ruffled ones, colored, buttoned, zipped.. you name it... if it's a cardigan, I love it! Personally, I think its a good layering tool that not only creates interest and depth to your outfit, but helps disguise parts of your body you may find unflattering (both of these are from the Gap). Cardigans are also a great way to show off personal style, there is sooo many types out there that you will definitely find one that will fit your personality!

5) last but not least: a well structured dress. I firmly believe that clothes need to have a great cut that provide you with a flattering figure. Wrap dress and A-line cut dresses that hug at the waist and flow away from the body are ideal. 

Im new blogger yay!!!

Not gonna lie.. Im completely new at this blogging thing.

A little bit about myself: My name is Marita and I am a complete academic nerd! One of my biggest passions in life is politics. I majored in Political Science at the University of California, Santa Barbara. UCSB was seriously one of the best things to EVER happen to me and could not be more proud to be Gaucho! Coming from a political background, I always imagined my first blog to be about politics (getting people excited about politics is my specialty, just ask my friends). However, fashion seemed to be a much less controversial and exciting topic to write about.

The true reason why I wanted to start blogging?!? Well, I am a curvy, Latina girl of only 5 feet. Fashion is NOT always friendly towards me. Nevertheless, I LOVE IT!!! The thought of running around the store shopping for the perfect outfit excites me!! There is one little problem though, I am a poor college graduate on a serious budget. Although, something tells me that I'm just like you: I shop at sales, use coupons, and frequent discount stores. I was not always this way. Back in my waitressing days in high school, I was making decent money for a 17-year old. Nordstrom and Bebe were two stores I often shopped at. These days, I cannot afford a $60 top. The person who has introduced me to fabulous world of bargain shopping was my mother. My mom dresses very well; very age appropriate but youthful at the same time. She loves using her extra 20% off coupons at Macy's, or her $10 off coupon at Kohls. Man, that woman knows how to save money!!! She once bought like two dresses and a top for something around $14 total! Now that's saving!!

Now it must be said that I did not just wake up one day and said: I think I'm gonna start a blog today. I received inspiration from someone (who I can now call a fellow blogger), Jeanette at http://www.jseverydayfashion.com/ . I LOVE LOVE LOVE her blog, I read it everyday! I use many of her ideas in my everyday wardrobe. However, she is tiny! I am not her size :( So some of the outfits she puts up, I can't wear (they don't go with my curvylicious figure). So I figured why not start my own blog where I can help women like me look fabulous too? After all, Im sure Im not the only short, curvy girl out there. If there is anything that J, as she goes by in her blog, has taught me is that cuts and quality matter!

This brings me to my last point: QUALITY OVER QUANTITY PEOPLE!!!!!! Due to my fashion addiction, I have been known to splurge on tons of clothes and shoes. But lately, I have taken a different approach. I realize I am no longer a teenager that can wear Forever 21 merchandise from head to toe. I am a strong woman in her mid twenties who cares about the high quality fabric of her clothes. I would much rather spend $30 on a single item at Banana Republic or The Limited than $30 on multiple things at Forever 21. Don't get me wrong, I love me some Forever 21! I just think we need to shop there wisely. Pick up a top that looks better (although it may be $20-$25- which is expensive at F21 I know!) than that $10 top that may fall apart after a few washes. Nevertheless, there is always those fabulous finds that are super cheap and of decent quality.

So, the two things I will be focusing on this blog will be: Shapes and Budget. Times are tough people, we gotta look hot but spend less. Most importantly, I wanna show curvy girls that we can look good too. I will tell about cuts and shapes that have worked for me. I strongly believe that fashion is an illusion. You can look thinner and more sophisticated but simply putting on the right clothes on your body! You just need to learn how: and that's why I'm here!