abercrombie

Burlap & Flannel

January 10, 2021 by The Partial Ingredients

For the New Year, I decided to actually complete a project that was lying around for months — this messenger bag! I had a few burlap pillow covers tucked away under the couch, as well as a leather strap that wasn’t getting used so I figured why not make a crossbody bag out of it? It took about three days to hand sew since I had a couple extra details in mind: an inside pocket fitted with a smaller space for a phone to live, as well as a zipper closure at the top. I didn’t go with any kind of template or guide really, just what I wanted as the end result.

It was a pretty cool project to do for the New Year and was strangely empowering in a lot of ways. For one, it’s satisfying to finally get something done that was hidden away, half done, for months. And two, this bag has turned into my go-to for everyday errands and shopping! It’s a great feeling to finally accomplish a long awaited goal, and it’s a solid way to start off the New Year even if you’re not one for resolutions (I’m personally not). In other news, I paired this bag with some of my latest Winter favorites: these excellent Lace-Up Thursday Boots and an extra cozy boyfriend flannel shirt from Abercrombie. In my opinion, there’s no better time to rock some flannel than January!

**Outfit Details:** Flannel Shirt: Abercrombie; Jeans: Levi’s; Boots: Thursday Boots; Bag: handmade; Belt: J. Crew

Green Gingham

July 12, 2020 by The Partial Ingredients

It has been an abnormally hot Summer in Northern Colorado thanks to a “Heat Dome” (thanks 2020!) so this post and probably all the ones in the near future will be featuring the most Summeriest of Summer outfits. Give me all the lightweight dresses, tank tops and skirts please — like this gingham patterned dress from Abercrombie & Fitch. Like usual, the quality is up to their standard: it’s made from double-lined 100% cotton and comes with pockets! I am pretty much a loyal Abercrombie customer after they revamped their whole image and brand a few years ago. They have sales so frequently that you can get their items for a very reasonable price. The quality being much better than your average fast-fashion retailer gives you the most bang for your buck. It’s not as cheap as say H&M or Forever21 (this dress was on sale for $39.99), but I’m all about spending a couple bucks extra for better quality. Oh and this genuine leather shoulder bag was also from there and was on sale for like 15 bucks! It’s hard to find faux leather bags for that price, much less real leather.

Sandals and flats are also a must for this freaking hot Summer (I think we have had mid-to upper 90s for a solid week and a half now ughh). These woven flats from LaMar Lifestyle are a perfect lightweight and breathable shoe for your hot feets. Add a sunhat and you’re good to go for the weather, just don’t forget the SPF!

**Outfit Details:** Dress: Abercrombie; Shoes: LaMar Lifestyle; Bag: Abercrombie; hat: unbranded; necklace: Forever21

Into the Rockies

October 9, 2019 by The Partial Ingredients

We’ve recently had a bout of lovely Fall weather and it has been so gorgeous! I took advantage of the milder temperatures by posting one of my latest favorite dresses from Abercrombie & Fitch. I initially bought this one in the snake skin pattern (not without some amount of trepidation) but it turned out to be a lovely dress! So naturally I had to see what the floral pattern was all about and bought another (it didn’t hurt that it also happened to be on sale). Needless to say I am thrilled with this one as well! This dress has more of a viney pattern than a typical floral design that I just love. It goes great as a Fall layering base — pair it with a cardigan, jacket and tights and you are good to go for cooler weather. This dress is weirdly versatile; it fits in well as part of an every day outfit but could be dressed up for a night out or even a wedding.

I also recently discovered this Etsy shop that sells Babouches in all kinds of patterns and colors. What are Babouches you ask? Well, they are pretty much a slip-on shoe that hails from Morocco. These simple black ones with a foldable heel caught my eye (one of the few they sell with a foldable heel). They are perfect for a more minimalist wardrobe and I am a big fan!

Over the weekend, we did a little road trip to check out the Aspens changing at Rocky Mountain National Park. While I do miss the Midwest falls that have a huge variety of colors, the all yellow trees along the mountain sides are truly stunning! It’s neat to see the little veins of gold in the distance in between all the evergreen trees. If you’re in Colorado, it’s worth checking out this time of the year.

If you do visit Colorado, don’t forget to wear sunscreen! Especially if you are hiking in the mountains, the sun is incredibly powerful. EltaMD’s Broad Spectrum Physical tinted sunscreen is my favorite. It goes on totally matte and is a perfect base under makeup. Shop Here.

Outfit Details: Dress: Abercrombie & Fitch; Shoes: Etsy/Fezsouk; Jewelry: Forever 21; Hat: Brixton

Snake Print Dress

August 11, 2019 by The Partial Ingredients

I have no idea how I fell in love with this dress. There are two factors here that would make this so improbable that I can hardly believe it. First off: I HATE snake skin print. To me it’s the heavy hitter of trashiness, second only to leopard print. Hate it. I probably don’t need to explain my reasons, you probably already know and are on the same page. Moving on.

Second: the brand is Abercrombie & Fitch. I actually worked at Abercrombie Kids briefly while I was in high school and let’s just say the brand has come along way since then. They have some awesome, well made clothes for reasonable prices that don’t look like kid-wear. No longer do I see the gaudy “AnF” writing on everything nor do I see the oversized moose insignia stitched on everything. Gotta take my hat off to them for getting me to buy something snake skin, seriously. I mean come on, the pattern is gorgeous though right? Also, another awesome thing with their sizing on this dress: they offer this in tall which they recommend for anyone over 5’8. I’m not over 5’8 but I bought it anyways to get an extra few inches in the length, which paid off. I don’t like mini dresses and having the option to add some inches was great. Another smart touch to this wrap dress was the little snap enclosure. While I love wrap dresses it can be annoying to keep the front always secure so that little snap was a perfect touch. I love all the little details of this dress and it’s great to branch out into something I don’t normally wear!

Dress: Abercrombie & Fitch; Bag: unbranded; shoes: Birkenstock; necklace: Urban Outfitters

Next up is a bit of a makeup experiment. I was curious whether my favorite — but pricey — concealer by NARS (the Radiant Creamy Concealer in Chantilly) could be duped by a more affordable brand. It’s hard to find a perfect tone for fair skinned folks so I thought it would be tough to beat since NARS’ offering is a perfect skin tone match. NYX’s HD Studio Concealer in Porcelain (retails $6) gives a pretty good run for its money though and I was overall very happy with it. The coverage is pretty much the same but maybe slightly less creamy. The tone is a very good match but has a bit more of a pinky tone than NARS. For 1/5 of the price, their dupe is a pretty amazing option. I have tried both as an undereye concealer and am happy with both of them. If you’re a pale person like me and have been on the hunt for a perfect fair skin concealer, try both of these out!