Adrienne Young is Working It!!!

Some of you may have heard of a woman who, online, is referred to as the "Queen of Thrifting." She is a wife and mother of two sons. She lives in Charlotte, NC. Adrienne Young, is this wonderful woman, sharing her desire as a thrift shopper. She enjoys inspiring others with her finds via Don't Go Thrifting Without Me! In addition, she has a passion to share her expertise about natural hair as the Founder of Naturally For Your Glory. Besides thrifting, she is the College Placement Director at Carmel Christian School. She is also frequently asked to speak at many events. This beautiful woman has created a style with her finds seen here.

Check out Adrienne as she rocks this fabulous orange lace dress, and accessorizes with those floral print footless tights and the mint colored statement necklace and tear drop earrings. This entire chic look costs only $18 from head to toe!  Can you believe that! On top of all of that, those nude patent leathers are Nine West. To put the icing on the cake, her crown in glory is protected with some beautiful crochet braids she did herself. Adrienne is an example of how everyone can be fashion forward, regardless of your budget.


If you haven't already checked her out on her Website, YouTube and Facebook you've already missed a treat.
Let us know about your fantastic thrift finds...we'd love to see what you've found...

Until next week,
xoxo LaJule

Closet Revamp

Ok, so this is another busy week, but I wanted to share this quick tip with you.  Don't you love to take things that are old and make them look new?!?! Well, to be honest, that is one of my most favorite things to do.  With today's outfit of the day (OOTD), I'm going to do just that! There's nothing more fabulous than being fabulous on the cheap! Love it! 

I was going through my closet, and I found a pair of some old thrifted jeans, a sweater that's about 2 years old now that was gifted, and some Leopard Faux Suede Platform Heels for less than $40 (which I love from AMI Clubwear)... together, we can make old things new right there in your closet! 

I love using prints in outfits  because it works all year round. Some may say differently, but who follows "rules" anyway right? Granted, there are some patterns are seasonal, but bold prints like leopard

has worked for me during every season :) I hadn't worn this sweater in a while, so thought I would pull it out and wear it again with different shoes, but still keeping the look really simple. So... Here you go. Let me know in the comments below.  xoxo 

Renee, you rock!!!

The "Work it Wednesday" spotlight is shining on a woman who gives to us all. This week LaJule has chosen the fabulous, Renee Grippon. She is a 35 year old mother of two, who works hard and sacrifices herself on so many different levels. She has been serving in the United States Army for the last 14 years. Renee is from the Charleston area, but is currently living in Europe. She has defended our country, while deployed in Afghanistan and Iraq. She is taking herself to higher levels by working on her Bachelor's degree in Public Health, fellowship with her Order of Eastern Star organization and helping out at USO for wounded soldiers. We all have a story, and her story is amazing!!  Not only is Renee hard working, she is a hard working woman with style!! She knows how to "Work it!" 

 Renee's look is her desired masterpiece. With her braided Mohawk and Louis Vuitton bag, she loves to make a statement with her look. She's rocking a dress that was made while in Korea and paired this striped ensemble with some nude pumps from Zappos and accessories from Body Shop. I've always said, confidence is always a good look on a woman and Renee has that down!! Thank you for being selfless for our country while still staying fabulous! We love you girl! xoxo


Who do you think will be our next Work It Wednesday feature? Do you have someone you want to nominate? If so, leave it in the comments below! 

Work it Isis!!!

As some of you may remember, LaJule started honoring women in the past for our "Work it Wednesday" spotlight. We have been searching for just the right time to relaunch this and today proved that it is perfect time! Everything just lined up...So, this week LaJule has chosen the unforgettable and gorgeous Isis Frasier and we wanted to share a little about this lady who truly knows how to "Work it!" It's truly and honor to know her.  

To be honest, she is very well known by many around Charleston, but for those who don't know her, she is a 34 year old mother who works hard and sacrifices herself daily for so many others! Not only is she an inspiration to her friends and family, but even to those who may not even know her personally! Yep! That's right.  Trust me, we all could take and learn something from a page in her book. Like I said before, not only is she an amazing individual, but she has made a lifestyle changes that has a resulted in her loosing over 150 lbs!  She lost the weight, but gained a platform by using her influence to share her experiences and daily lending encouraging words for anyone who may need it.  With her spirit, hard work, and being such an over comer of many obstacles she deserves the spotlight today. 

 

 Here, she is looking extra fabulous in this color blocked dress by Guess and boots are from Francis Gibbs.  Isis is standing her ground and showing off her sexy for sure!  She has accessorized her outfit with a pair of gold dangle earrings, makeup and photography by Thettra Brown, with her hair by Alaina Smalls...  Isis, work it girl!!!!  We love you! 

 

 

Blue Cirlce Skirt

So, today was kind of an interesting one... You have to excuse me, but I get random ideas in the middle of the night and sometimes, I have to act on them.  But to be honest, I'm kind of excited about it.  I've  never had a royal blue skirt (yes could you believe that...) or of this type, so I thought to myself why not try and do it yourself? So I did.  Yep, at 1am, I'm finishing some final touches on this skirt.  I posted it on Dressa (my dress form you'll hear me talking about) last night.  Anyway,  I thought I'd share with you two different looks with the same skirt with only one quick change! 

If I've said it once, I've said it 100 times...don't be afraid of bold prints and patterns! This classic circle skirt midi reminds me of something I could rock in the 70's... SO why not go there with it.   Here is a patterned shirt that compliments the skirt. This is one of those throwback kind of looks...

The turtleneck sweater gives a more fun, easy and low "fuss" kind of look.  Accessories can be simple... I accessorized with a black belt and dangle earrings. Add a cute bag and done! 

So literally, you can change one simple thing, and give a totally different feel to an outfit.  Try it out with something that you have and let me know how it goes! xoxo 

Sweater Dress and Pink Pea

With the cold...let me rephrase that.. simply unbearably cold weather affecting us all, we can be warm and still look fabulous in the process. To be honest,  I just don't have time to even think when it's this cold...So I found this old sweater dress in the closet while trying to get dressed with only one eye wanting to open.  I've had this sweater for several years now, but would wait to wear it because it is pretty warm, simple, and quick.  In the south, it's not everyday that we see wind chills in the "teens" so .. There you have it. I'm not used to this! Who would have thought right? I had to revamp this old sweater dress, but I really didn't want to wear just tights or leggings under it.  I would do that usually, but wanted a little but more warmth to hold me down... so I wore it as a tunic instead.  Here's a quick way to get some versatility in the clothes you already have.

To be honest at 5am, I'm really not in the mood for a thinking about anything to wear, but this dress came in handy (with a coat).  I wanted to brighten my mood up a bit, so I threw in a little color for a simple, yet noticeable change in the look.  For early mornings, everyone can use a little flare.

 

 

 

Simple and basic doesn't have to be boring.  You can literally give new life to your mood and your look very simply... I wonder what else I can dig up from some old closet finds...I just found out that I suffer from #HIH (Hand In Hair) syndrome...Ok, I'll take it :) the 3 day old braid out is still working for me. xoxo



Conscious Shoppers

Almost all stores have some type of weekly sale (especially this time of year) to lure customers into their doors or make entice them to make online purchases. Because of my business degree, I have had some exposure to the psychology of marketing.  I have seen first hand how retailers encourage customers to buy, buy, and buy and how to encourage their employees how to sell, sell, and sell-- to be honest, this is how they keep their doors open.... But fortunately, because I've been exposed to both sides of the coin, here are some tips for the shopper to use when preparing themselves to look good, avoid the retail traps, snag some good deals, and still save some cash!

 

1. Emotional shopping will lead to you wanting to spend money until you "begin to feel better".  But a lot of times, emotional shopping is not the way to go if you are trying to save money. But if you absolutely have to reach out to just "get something...you have to start somewhere.  Instead of going to the mall, go to a discount store or even a thrift store. You can snag some unique and affordable finds!  You have to be conscious of your caution that you don't buy and end up debt.. because then you end up with 2 problems instead of one.  Proceed with caution, but this works. 

 

2. Practical shopping people will shop because they feel they don't have anything to wear. Trust me, I KNOW you have SOMETIHNG to wear. It's just about thinking outside the box.  When this person feels the clothes they have are not good enough to wear, they will go a spend money on what they feel will work for them in that moment. I know people that have more clothes than two or three of my friends closets put together, and still say "I have nothing to wear!" What???? Try going on www.polyvore.com to get some cute ideas. Pick things that are similar to what you already have, and get creative.  

 

3. Identity shopping will lead to wasteful shopping every time.  When someone shops because they don't feel good about themselves to fill an emotional void.  Honestly, I don't feel like trying to buy more clothes/items when you have no direction is the way to go.  Take the time to figure out who you are and what you stand for. Stick to your authentic style.. search to find what that is.  Make sure that you shop for what YOU LIKE, not what you think everybody else will like.  You can't shop for what you see someone else with. What works for one person, may not work for everyone else.

 

4. Financial shopping is easy for those that have a lot of money. But don't be fooled. There are people that spend and spend like they have a lot of money, but in reality, they are drowning in credit card debt.  These shoppers spend money because of their relationship to their money. It can be hard to save money and shop wisely when there is no limit. Setting a budget is important. You can spend what you want, but you need to figure out if YOUR object spending or saving.

 

 

You can have nice things and not have to go broke to get them. TRUST ME, I DO IT ALL THE TIME.   If you are conscious of what your goal is, no one can take that from you. I'll admit, shopping makes me feel better too...because the reality is, if you look good you feel good.  You just have to know it can be done in a strategic way. You know your style and the types of things you like, a sale can be a great thing.  If these shopping issues are stronger than your discipline, you need to rethink what is important. Do you want to look good and be broke? Remember, there's a way... you can have a fat wallet and a fabulous style as well.