Monday, February 18, 2013

Unexpected Inspiration

I am a GAP  brand girl, this is no surprise to anyone who reads my blog regularly.  You also by now know I work there.  What you may NOT know is that I was offered my first sales associate position because of the amount of time the store manager saw me shopping in her store.  True story.


Working in retail can be a boon, but in my case I have found that I only tend to shop in my "family" of stores where I can use my employee discount or store card discount.  I have sort of cut myself off from shopping anywhere else because, well, in short because I'm cheap. 

What is my point you may be asking?  Well, I had to go to Home Depot for a toilet seat the other day.  No, my inspiration didn't come from there!  It didn't take me long to find what I needed and right next door to the Home Depot is a Kohls.  I have only ever been in there a few times and have NEVER found anything I would buy, but I had all this free time on my hands and it was right there!  Well, guess what?  It was end of season closeout time and I came away loaded up with new goodies for my closet!

One of the things I found was this great printed, tie-neck blouse.  It has beautiful details like the pleating in the front, which is echoed in the back.  I loved the floaty sleeve and the colors, and immediately saw a bunch of different ways I could use this.

Click here for Kohl's Blouse Shop




I loved it layered with my cool leather jacket.  I thought it added a masculine element to the feminine aspect of the blouse.  I threw in a great clutch and off I went, happy in the knowledge that there are more places to shop than my own stores and deals to be found if you take the time to shop.  Lesson learned world, lesson learned.  Inspiration can often be found in unexpected places.  Now that I have my eyes open, where will I find it next?
Where have you found unexpected inspiration?


XO,
Alyssa 

** I got called out by the social media dogs for not linking to Kohl's, so out of courtesy I added the link.  If you so choose, you can also use the blogger promo code TENFORBLOG now through March 9th.  


24 comments:

  1. The blouse is a keeper! Love the way the color looks on you, and the play of the sheen of the blouse against the cool neutral of the leather jacket.

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  2. Alyssa, you look fabulous!! The blouse is lovely and the colours go perfectly with your hair! I love it anyway because it is so shiny! How do you do that? Mine is so dry...
    I also like the bigger size of your 2nd photo because now we can see much better how beautiful you are!

    Annette
    Lady of Style

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    1. Annette,

      Thank you so much for all your kind words! There is no trick to the hair I'm afraid. Straight, dark hair just reflects light so it looks good even though its kind of damaged!

      xo,
      Alyssa

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  3. Love your blouse and that leather jacket rocks! Congratulations on branching out!

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    1. Tracey,

      Thanks for stopping by, and for your nice thoughts.

      xo,
      Alyssa

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  4. Love that blouse and jacket together. :) The colors look great on you. :) I used to love shopping at Gap, but they have just gotten too expensive in the last several years. I desperately wanted those mint shorts that were out last spring, but there was no way in God's green earth that I could afford them. :)

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    1. Thank you CC!

      So, regarding Gap...I now work at a Gap Factory Store (FKA Gap Outlet) so its not quite the same price point as a retail store. Plus, the employee discount is pretty great hence my problem of shopping where I do. ;o) If you let me know what you love I can try to keep an eye out when it comes down the line to my store (usually the following season).

      xo,
      Alyssa

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  5. It is great to try new places - and this blouse looks so pretty! Thanks for sharing with Visible Monday : >

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  6. I know what you mean about Kohl's. I didn't like it much the first time I went, but in one trip I found several things I liked. So I guess you should never say never.

    That's a beautiful blouse, and it looks great with jeans and jacket. I imagine it would also look fabulous with a skirt. The colors look really good on you!

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    1. Thank you Val! You must be psychic about the skirt...that was the second round of shooting for this blouse...office inspired blouse! Of course, I don't work in an office so there is that little problem! LOL.

      xo,
      Alyssa

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  7. Well, blogger just blew away my comment darn it! Anyway what I was saying is how fabulous you look and how good these colors look on you.

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    1. Oh no! I hate when blogger does that to me!! Thanks for your sentiments Debbi, especially for doing it twice! lol

      xo,
      Alyssa

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  8. Great blouse! I really like it paired with the jacket, too.

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    1. Thank you Inge Jane...and thanks for stopping by by blog! I love seeing new faces and hearing from new people!

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  9. Love the name of your blog! A print like that is definitely versatile. I'm loving prints right now and this is a great Visible Monday look. As for your question, I always shop for accessories when I'm shopping with my daughter in HER favorite stores. I have a scarf from Wet Seal that I always get compliments on. Debbie

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    1. Thanks so much Debbi! I have recently found myself shopping in my daughter's stores too! (Forever 21) Navy jacket, black pencil skirt, chain necklace--score!!

      xo,
      Alyssa

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  10. Hi Alyssa,
    Love the blouse and jacket! Your hair looks fabulous, too! So shiny! I don't often shop at Kohls but I'm going to have to check it out. Great find!
    Heather from Friendship, Life and Style

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  11. Okay, am I the only one that did not know you worked at Gap? Somebody move my rock!I love Gap clothing.

    This colour combination works so perfectly on you. You look so beautiful...I look forward to seeing more looks with this blouse.

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    1. Sue...LOL about moving your rock. I slip it in very casually so they don't social media check me! LOL. Although, really they should hook me up. I think I'll start detailing where all my stuff is from so GAP is written about 2 million times!!

      xo,
      Alyssa

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  12. How did I miss you ...? Making up for it now... really polished look, and you look PRETTY in this ensemble! You always do, but the colors and the girly really work for you. Agree that the jacket will lend an edge, and that helps. Very nice choice in accessories, as well.

    Some of my favoite things are from Kohls ... mostly from the Very Wang shop. She's a favorite of mine. I always like the collaborations, and generally find a piece or two I want. I particularly like VW, as her stuff seems geared toward grown up women.

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  13. Adorable shirt! It looks great on you. I saw this one in pink and grey and loved that too. It's the J-Lo brand right? Jennifer Lopez does cute shoes for Kohl's too

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  14. LOVE this look .. it's totally me. I also love Kohls and shop there often.

    Monica
    www.pear-shaped-gal.com

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