Last month, when I heard juniors retailer Charlotte Russe was closing all of its stores, I honestly wasn't surprised as similar stores like Wet Seal had done the same. I never shopped there a lot but did on occasion, so I was a little disappointed. But I was honestly more excited and looking forward to the liquidation sales because I love a good sale! And with it finally starting to feel like spring, it was a great time to shop for some warm weather clothing or get a great deal on fall/winter clothes.
There are quite a few Charlotte Russe stores in the areas I usually shop at, but I went to only two within a week or so, closer to the start of the liquidation sales. I bought the most stuff at the first store I went to, probably because it was either the first or second day of the closing sales, so that's when the most stuff and the best items were available. The second store I went to several days ago still had a lot of stuff but not as much good stuff, so I didn't buy as much. None of the sales were like ridiculously good, like 70% off the original price (except maybe the clearance rack items), but they everything was at least 30% off, which is still quite a bit of money to save.
The first time I got seven items (five clothing items and two undergarment accessories) for $78, and the second time I bought two pairs of shoes and two clothing items for $63. Considering $80 at Charlotte Russe would typically get you maybe three or four clothing items or two pairs of shoes, I think I got some pretty good deals.
Pink criss-cross dress and Nude pointed stud flats
This dress was one of the first things I saw when I first went to Charlotte Russe for their liquidation sale. The bright pink color easily caught my eye, and we all know pink is my favorite. The color is perfect for summer. I really like the fit of the dress with the flared skirt, and the criss cross design at the front adds a bit of flair to the solid color dress.
Another thing I like about this dress is that it can be easily dressed up or down. I can throw on a denim jacket and some flat sandals for a more casual look, or I can wear it with some wedges of heels for a fancier look. Pairing it with these pointed studded flats creates a look that would be in the middle.
Ever since I saw Valentino make shoes with studs on the straps like these, I wanted a pair of similar shoes, knowing full well that I could not afford the actual Valentino shoes. So when I saw these dupes of the flats, I immediately tried them on. The nude color makes it so they're versatile and can go with pretty much any color combination.
These shoes have two adjustable straps: one at the ankle and one on the foot to make them fit you best. Almost every pair of flats I own are uncomfortable and give me blisters, and while I haven't actually worn these yet, they were pretty comfortable when I tried them on in the store with somewhat swollen feet and when I took all the photos for this post. I think I wore these shoes the longest during my photoshoot, and my feet didn't hurt, so that's good!
Tropical floral lace-up back dress
The best thing about this dress is that it was on one of the clearance racks, so it was an addition 30% off the already-cheap clearance price! This dress just makes me want to go on a warm, tropical vacation ― or a vacation somewhere warm at the least! The tropical floral print is just so fun and summery and pops really well on the white. The dress itself is made of a very light and airy fabric that's perfect for summer and makes it super comfy.
I feel like I hardly ever see V-neck dresses, so I really like the neckline of this one. The flutter sleeves are really cute and actually have an opening, so it sometimes looks like there's a cutout in the sleeve or there's a straight-up cut in the sleeve. Either way, it's a unique little detail that would make this a great dress to wear along the water or on the beach where the breeze would blow through the sleeves and give you some refreshing air.
My favorite detail, though, would have to be the back. I love the lace-up design on the back that just more fun and flair to the dress. It's another reason this would be great to wear on a beach or somewhere along the water. Plus, the lace-up back allows you to tighten or loosen the top of the dress to your desire, which is neat, because it allows you to be the most comfortable you can be.
I paired this dress with some '90s-looking heeled sandals because I wanted to add some more color, but this would look great with almost any kind of sandal: flip-flops, flat strappy sandals, wedges, or some block heels. I absolutely love the Sugarfix by BaubleBar earrings I accessorized with, because they add some more fun to the look without overdoing it, especially looking at the outfit from the front since it looks more plain. Anyone up for a trip to Florida or California?
Red/pink/white/black striped cropped hoodie
As much as I like to dress up and wear skirts and dresses, there are of course days where I'm feeling a more casual, laid-back look. And this cropped hoodie is perfect for that. This was another one of my clearance rack finds, and I just liked everything about it: the cropped design, the colors, the stripes, the fit.
I personally love high-waisted jeans and shorts, so I love to pair them with crop tops. However, I actually have only one cropped hoodie and think they're just so cute and comfy. This one definitely adheres to my cute and comfy opinion. The red, white, pink, and black is simple and still allows me to wear pink like I always do. The stripes are just classic and timeless, so they'll never go out of style. Sometimes cropped tops can be too cropped, but this one is just right.
I wanted to keep it all simple and casual with this hoodie and paired it with some distressed black jeans so the hoodie would be the focal point of the outfit. I wore black slip-on sneakers here, but a lot of different sneakers would work well with this. I also have white low-top Converse, light pink Keds, and rose gold Reebok sneakers, all of which would look good with this hoodie and add some contrast to the black jeans but also bring out the colors in the hoodie. I'm currently saving up for some white slip-on Vans, and those would be perfect with this hoodie, too.
Yellow striped off-the-shoulder top and Yellow floral high-low skirt
It's pretty rare that I buy a shirt that has absolutely no pink on it unless it's a solid, neutral-colored shirt, but I couldn't pass up this shirt when I saw it on the same rack as this floral skirt. They basically put the outfit together for me right then and there!
I've seen a lot of these fitted off-the-shoulder tops in the past year or so but just never bought one. But with this one, since I immediately saw what I would wear it with, I didn't hesitate. The yellow color fits the spring and summer seasons so well (and could even be worn for fall if done correctly). It's a departure from my usual color palette, so it'll add some variety to my wardrobe.
If I'm being honest, I pretty much bought this floral skirt only to go with the yellow top, but I know I have other shirts in my closet already that I can pair it with. What I like about the florals on this skirt is how they look like a painting. Also, they're pretty big compared to any other piece of clothing I have that is floral print. I love high-low skirts like this where it's almost like a wrap skirt in the front with the overlapping curved front.
Mixing patterns is something you can totally do if you know how to do it without looking like you're dressed for a high school spirit week on tacky day. But it actually isn't that hard, and this outfit here is a great, easy example of how to do it. The striped top provides a more subtle pattern while the floral skirt is bolder. Both the top and the skirt have a main color in common, yellow, which ties the two together without the mixing looking tacky.
Don't these two pieces make a cute outfit?! I love the variety in designs and lengths where the off-the-shoulder top shows more skin while the high-low skirt has more coverage, balancing nicely. Off-the-shoulder tops go great with chokers, because they let them be seen more as opposed to other tops. I wore a gold choker and a rose gold chain necklace here, which are simple but add some shine.
I chose wedges to go with this outfit to add some height and dress it up a bit. The high-low skirt lets me show off my shoes without detracting too much attention from the clothes themselves. But this could also be worn with flat sandals for a more casual look.
Light olive/pink/white striped blazer and Rose gold glitter pointed heels
No matter where I'm shopping, I always try to take a look at the clearance and sale racks, because you never know what's there. I never want to miss out on a good deal, and this blazer is one of those. As I begin to become a fully-fledged adult with a job, I need certain clothes, like blazers. I'm not a big fan of boring black blazers, and as someone who works in media and communications, I can get away with colorful and patterned blazers, like this one.
Olive green is actually one of my favorite colors to wear because it's a great color for spring and fall and goes with pink, especially light pink, well. So I'm a fan of the color combo of this blazer, and the pink and white contrast well with the olive and give it a fresh spring vibe. It's not a super stiff or structure blazer and actually is really easy to move in, so it's comfortable to wear. The little ruched detailing on the side at the bottom of the sleeves are super cute, too, and shorten the sleeves, which I like since I'm often working with my hands, doing a lot of writing and typing, and sleeves can sometimes get in the way.
I hardly use blazers for everyday casual wear, but even this blazer can be dressed up or down depending on what I wear with it, mainly the shoes. Whenever I wear blazers, I typically wear them with a matching top and pants. Since this blazer is striped, I'd probably stick with plain shirts or maybe a lace top and black business casual-appropriate leggings or skinny leg pants. But I could also be more formal and wear a black or pink skirt. I'm not sure I have any business-casual dresses that I could wear with this, but that would work as well.
To dress up the outfit with pants, I chose to wear these Charlotte Russe heels to add some shine and formality. While glitter isn't something I'd wear for any business purposes, I feel these are subtle enough to work, especially since the rose gold color isn't bold. Plus, I work in a more creative industry where that isn't as big of an issue.
I don't usually shop for heels unless I'm seeking ones to go with a certain dress I bought for an occasion, but since these were on sale and I love pink and rose gold and glitter, I thought these could be a good, justifiable investment. One of my cousins is getting married later this year, so I'm definitely going to try to wear these even though I don't have a dress yet. Anyway, even though these are literally covered in glitter, I can make them work for more casual but still fancier than normal occasions like Easter. I actually bought a Ted Baker dress at Marshalls not too long after buying these, and it would go with these quite well since it has gold accents.
Purple/white/pink/light blue striped turtleneck sweater
The last thing I bought from Charlotte Russe was this comfy striped sweater. Although I'm pretty over wearing sweaters since I've done it for the past four months or so, I loved the colors on this one and thought this would be a good sweater to wear on a cooler spring day. I love how the pink really stands out among the other colors, which all pair well together while still contrasting. I typically like my sweaters to be a little big, so I definitely liked the fit of this as it wore like a slightly oversized sweater. The sweater itself is soft and it isn't too warm, so I was able to wear it last Sunday on a rainy, cooler spring day.
While I could pair this sweater with black jeans or leggings, which are usually my go-to, I wanted to brighten and lighten it up and chose to wear light wash distressed jeans instead, which is more of a spring outfit choice. I'm also kind of over wearing boots, but when it's raining, there are only so many good footwear options. Besides, these sparkly Kate Spade boots stayed in the color combo of the sweater while adding some shine. This was a great, comfy cool, rainy spring day outfit.
