Hearts and Leopard

Collective Concepts top c/o Le Tote (similar) / SYLK blazer / DL1961 jeans / Nine West pumps / Catbird ring / RayBan Sunnies / Mac Snob Lipstick

I was raving about my new leopard pumps last week. I paired them with a open draped blazer, patterned top and some dark wash, loose fitting jeans for a day at the office. This is just the beginning of my parings with these heels. 

It's the last day to enter to win my giveaway so be sure to take care of business!

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TGIFall

Petel table runner, Pottery Barn mercury pumpkin

I will never complain about a Bay Area Summer, but there is something to be said about the enchantment of Fall. Leaves fall off *deciduous trees, Black Friday sales are right around the corner and family comes to visit. 

In preparation for our family coming to celebrate the Fall holidays, I picked up a copy of 'Living Without' which is chock-full of gluten and dairy free recipes I will be attempting to replicate before their arrival. 

My MIL and FIL are not always gluten free, but they are incredibly accommodating and we do gluten and dairy free holiday dinners. They have never complained as they are likely happy I am no longer vegan. 

Last year, one of my family's not-so-guilty pleasures were these gluten-free and vegan pumpkin carob chip muffins (original recipe here - just replace chocolate chips with carob chips.) 

I am currently looking forward to a season filled with leaf crunching, scarves, boots and yes, even football. I'll be posting my ultra-femme Sunday football outfit on the blog soon!

 (*I learned that word watching Sesame Street and have been waiting for the opportunity to use it.)

Leopard Pumps

Nine West Heels

Finally, I've procured myself a pair of leopard pumps perfect for adding a touch of animal print to any outfit. These are classic enough to wear to the office or The Banker's conservative bank parties. I cannot wait to pair these pumps with a bazillion different outfits this Fall/Winter. I wore them to the office today and will post the full outfit soon, but you can get a pretty good idea of what it looked like on Insta.

Have a great weekend, love bugs. 

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Sadie Hawkins

Blouse: Anthropologie / Skirt: H&M Conscious Collection / Shoes: Tory Burch / Bag: Tory Burch, black handbags, robinson satchel, / Rings: Gorjana / Bracelet: Stella & Dot / Sunnies: Amazon / lips: Estee Lauder #35 Rich Red

The other night, I got all Sadie Hawkins on The Banker and whisked him out of the house for one my favorite dishes, tacos. To this ex-Arizonan, nothing outside of Tucson beats Tacolicious in Palo Alto. Gourmet, artisan tacos with an overwhelmingly diverse selection of margaritas can't be debated. Of course, no date with a burgeoning fashion blogger would be complete without allocating time to capture the sartorial moment on an SD card. 

Giveaway Alert: Don't forget to visit my YouTube channel, then enter to win a cute Ted Baker cosmetics bag!

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Ted Baker Giveaway

What I'm Wearing:

Fashion Shenzhen at NYFW

Fashion Shenzhen made its Mercedes Benz Fashion Week debut showcasing its own elite designers: Deng Hao and Guoxin Xia from China's garment district in Shenzhen. The audience at Lincoln Center was in for a bold treat.

Denghao's provocative knits seem to be the love child of Missoni and Dolce & Gabbana. I love the bold colors and mandarin collar on this number. It doesn't require much styling (other than a slip) because it is the perfect amount of pretty 'as is.'

Xia Guoxin of Ellassay showed black and white with that perfect structured-and-androgynous-meets-ladylike-elegance look. This is totally modern ready-to-wear that is actually well, ready-to-wear. And I am swooning.

What do you think of these looks?

Wagner Family Weekend - Part 2

Hat: Forever 21 / Top: Lulus / Jeans: Goldsign / Boots: Steve Madden / Nails: Essie - Jamaica Me Crazy

Happy Friday the 13th! This post is another contribution to my 'Wagner Family Weekend' posts (first one here). I love being able to share a bit of the personal side of 'Bethanimal.' Last weekend was a very social weekend with friends from all over the beautiful Bay Area.

On Saturday, we drove up North to celebrate our friend's 29th birthday. No better way to celebrate than with a BBQ and some pool time!

We spent Sunday closer to home, in SF for our friend's housewarming party. Their house is so unbelievably cute that I am now more inspired than ever to save for a house/condo of my own. Read: I may be wearing the same clothes repeatedly from here on out.

We also wandered around one of my favorite areas in SF, Hayes Valley. There are a few fantastic playgrounds there and we hit them all up. We may have had more fun than Harlowe and were craving some homemade guacamole post playtime. Luckily, The Banker can deliver in that department.

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How to Afford Fashion Blogging

  This dress retailed for $429.00. I bought it on sale for $128.70.

Lately I've received a few comments and emails asking how I afford the clothes and accessories I wear on the blog. Well, dear reader...I can't.  

No, I am not in a fashion-blogging crime ring. Rather, everything I wear falls within my modest monthly budget (except for a very small percentage of merchandise that has been generously gifted to me by brands). In the spirit of transparency, all gifted items have 'c/o' for courtesy of written next to it in the post's outfit details.



While I would LOVE to pay full price for those Rag and Bone jeans, that's just not in my DNA (thanks, Mom). I stalk everything I want online until it is deeply discounted and I buy items used when I'm crushing on hard-to-justify expensive pieces. I'm looking at you Valentinos. I'm like a freaking style hunter in the fashion wilderness.

Since I live in the Bay Area, I most certainly do not have a walk-in closet. In fact, depending on what geographic area you live, my entire bedroom may be the size of your walk-in closet. So, what do I do with all these featured clothes? I sell them. My favorite sites to buy and sell clothes are Poshmark, Bib & Tuck, Thread Flip and eBay. After I sell my old clothes I have space and cash for new clothes. Yahtzee!

Zara heels purchased on eBay after they had been worn once. 

I admit, not everything I wear is used or bought on sale post-season. Occasionally, my husband will surprise me with something really nice, like the new Tory Burch bag he splurged on. Obviously, I am incredibly grateful for gifts as I never bought a handbag that was more than $150 (and even that was from Buffalo Exchange).

All of this makes it easier for me to do my independent lady thing while staying within budget (hopefully) and allowing me to save aggressively for things I really want (a modest SF condo, a college education for the little one, etc.) while looking, arguably, chic as hell.



Finally, dear reader, I want you to know I've teamed up with ShopStyle and the rest of this post is totally sponsored.

If you are in to winning money, read on... You can win $1,000 by reviewing some of your favorite clothes, accessories and beauty products. I wrote a ridiculous amount of reviews last week in hopes that I will get lucky and win the unexpected ten benjis to invest in the aforementioned Valentinos. Best of luck to you should you choose to participate!  (Which you should, because it's fun and you can win money.)

Sporty Chic

J.Crew Cap / Old Navy Shirt / Nordstrom Jacket / Wayf Pants / Zara Shoes / Tory Burch Bag / Gorjana Rings / c/o Dogeared Necklace 

Okay, so who else is excited about the emergence of athletic wear on the runways? I was channeling said things in this sporty-chic baseball cap styled with track pants and an edgy jacket.

Another sportswear inspired S/S '14 trend I'm looking forward to donning? Bodycon dresses with architecturally androgynous blazers and (gasp!) tennis shoes. What are trends are you going to be trying out?

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Fashion's Night Out

Photos by: Donna 

Top: Classiques Entier (similar here) / Jacket: Mural / Skirt: c/o Bebe / Boots: Steve Madden / Bag: Tory Burch / Sunglasses: Celine / Rings: Gorjana & Random Artist in SF

Well, this is the most prompt I have ever been with an outfit post. I wore this last night to *Fashion's Night Out. FNO was just me and a flock of well clothed ladies sipping bubbly and chatting about NYFW shows we are excited to see this week. When we weren't ruminating over the models for Alexander Wang or silhouettes at BCBG, we were taking 47-ish selfies in the bathroom.  It was kind of my dream social experience.

What does one wear to such an event? I updated a bright maxi skirt (last seen here) by adding some ankle boots. Maxi skirts and boots are my Fall go-to if and when the occasion requires me to peel off my staple skinny jeans. What silhouettes are you rocking this season?

*Still not totally sure about whether or not proper noun needs an apostrophe, guys. Advice?

Animal and Aztec

Photos by: Lydia Hudgens

Shirt: PJK Patterson J. Kincaid / Blazer: BCBG (similar here) / Skirt: TopShop / Heels: Zara (similar here)

If you couldn't tell by the name of this blog, I'm mad about animal print. This leopard graphic tank is casual enough for weekends on the prowl, but can easily be dressed up.  A smart blazer and tube skirt is perfect for a laid-back look at the office or for drinks once the work is done.

It goes without saying that I am in heaven thanks to the emergence of animal print I've seen hitting runways, magazine spreads and fashion blogs this season. What are your favorite wildly-printed pieces this Fall?

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Psst...make sure you come back tomorrow for an exclusive peek in to NYFW.

Wonder Woman Wednesday: Michelle Phan

Photo credit:  Glamour.com

I've failed you. I've been making it rain at work (you know just trying to get my one million dollars from Google like Michelle did!) and have neglected my 'Wonder Woman Wednesday' posts for far too long. Well, the neglect is not over, but I think this is even better!

In lieu of my normal Wonder Woman Wednesday interviews, I'm sharing this profile from Glamour magazine on my favorite YouTube beauty guru, Michelle Phan. 

Read the full article here (spoiler alert - readers with a heartbeat might cry): YouTube Makeup Guru Michelle Phan on Becoming a Beauty Superstar: "My Only Goal Was to Help My Family":  oh, and be sure to check out her revolutionary (and affordable) Life Palettes. Makeup you don't have to think about like, at all? Yes please. 

Day to Night

Every now and then The Banker has some impromptu 'plans' for us which require me to be prepared to walk out of the door one hot-minute after I walk in. I am so incredibly grateful for nights when we get to spend time together sans 2-year-old and want to celebrate them in heels and lipstick.

With a simple swipe of red, few accessory swaps and the removal of daytime outwear (like this Bebe vest - last seen here) you can really prepare your daytime self for just about any evening event. When planning ahead is manageable, I'll pack heels in my bag and swap them with my daytime kicks (ShoeDazzle! booties) to make an outfit more elegant. 

While we are on the subject of accessories; I had been coveting the Karen Walker 'Number One' sunnies for the better part of 2013, but had reservations about digging deep into my pockets for uber-trendy shades. When I spotted freakishly similar ones at a more manageable price, I finally pulled the trigger. I have to say, they're getting the job done just fine.

What helps you get from daytime chic to nighttime glam with ease?

The Daytime Look:

The Nighttime Look: