@NatalieandErika take on #Sweetlife

...just incase you aren't following on Instagram already, this is what you missed this weekend...

friday I (Natalie) won two VIP tickets to the Sweetgreen Sweetlife Food and Music Festival, courtesy of Liz of So Much to Smile About and Natasha of Honest Tea (a huge thank you to the both of them!)  and i guess i should also thank the company i work for, for providing us with trashcans that have a nice little message to "go green" on them, which was the photo entry that won me the tickets!  upon my big win, i immediately called up my music festival partner-in-crime, Erika, and she was up and driving home by six on Saturday morning.  we threw together our best last minute festival outfits, consisting of denim jackets, lacey tops, and fancy festival nail art, and were on the bus en route to Sweetlife, super stoked to see Avicii , casually for the third time, by eleven o'clock am.  which was totally not anything out of the ordinary for us to do.  

i live for these spontaneous adventures with my sister!  who knows where we will end up next?!   

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printed pants gone neutral

{ ARK. & CO. BLOUSE via Nasty Gal (similar), BLANK PYTHON SKINNY JEANS (similar: steal/splurge), DEENA & OZZY PLATFORM WEDGES (similar), ZARA MESSENGER BAG WITH EDGING , STELLA & DOT JEWELRY }

printed pants are a popular trend this spring.  but they are most importantly, a super wearable trend, especially when in the form of printed skinny jeans.  the rest of your outfit can sit back and relax, while your printed pants do all the talking.  unless your like me and decide to pair your skinnies with a pair of the biggest wedge that you've ever seen, then no one may even notice your awesomely python printed pants, which is sort of exactly what happened to me (sorry, Blank jeans!).  

a six inch leather and suede combination, done absolutely right by deena and ozzy.   had these babies shipped all the way from the other side of the country due to their high demand at urban outfitters.  and i owe it all to the kind sales girl who found them for me!  look at that, the uber-wedges even took my attention away from my own printed pants. back to the pants - they're great. and fashionable.  and everyone needs a pair, or three.

photography by: ashlyn
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NOVA Fashion Week: Behind the Scenes

Every October NOVA has a fashion week (i know, i had no idea either!) and this year they are holding an extra special event earlier in the year to kick it off!  On May 4th Luxe Lifestyle will present the first annual BEHIND THE SCENES OF NOVA FASHION WEEK, showing off everything that goes on behind the scenes of a fashion show.  SO exclusive, right?  You will get to see everything that goes in to a runway show; from the beginning of hair and make-up, to an amazing runway show at the end of the night! 

The fashion show and main event will showcase designs from Dayanne Danier ready-to-wear collection Bien Abye as well as a live musical performance by Bravenoise.  Showcased on May 4th will also be hair and make-up demonstrations from First Impressions Salons, a jewlery styling session by Stella & Dot Stylist Kristen Biggs, sample testing of Cosmetiques Laudin all natural beauty and skin care line, a discussion panel featuring members of CAPFABB, and drinks provided by Honest Tea.

Oh, and not to mention, myself and five other fabulous DC bloggers will be there covering the event as NOVA FASHION WEEK Glambassadors!  So, get your tickets here for only $15 and come hang with me, Ashley, Morgan, Allison, Maria, and Andrea for a night of BEHIND THE SCENES fashion! :)

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nail art for dummies

the craze for nail art has really made it's comeback.  the amount of amazing hand-painted nail designs i have seen on instagram and pinterest, and pretty much everywhere cool lately, has really just made me feel depressed about the fact that i am not talented enough to do such fabulous things with nail polish.  lately, i find myself day dreaming quite a bit about how i can make this happen without getting a manicure and asking for some sort of "special design" that they will charge me out the wazoo for and will probably end up being destroyed in a few days from doing the dishes or banging my nails up against whatever makes them chip so darn easily.  if you feel the same, not to worry, these feelings of frustration have been resolved... Nail Fraud has created a line of patterned nail strips and they are by far the cutest ones i have seen yet!  and literally, you just stick them off and file them down. that's it.  no drying. no chipping for at least a week!  i am obsessed.  how amazing is the colorful tribal slash geometric situation on this set?

{ NAIL FRAUD NAIL STRIPS c/o SOUTH MOON UNDER }

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liebster love

two weeks ago a new follower, Samantha of Confessions Of A Real Estate Diva nominated Fashionably Broke for the Liebster Blog Award.  then this week one of our favorite bloggers Christina, of The Style Mogul, nominated us as well, kisses to the both of them!  so now it's now time for us to spread a little Liebster love by nominating five of our favorite bloggers that we think all of our readers should know about!  you all have amazing blogs & you totally deserve this! 

1. District Sparkle

2. Necessary & Proper

3. Life Through Preppy Glasses

4. NomNomBlingBling

5.  The Fashion Skeleton

Now, if you would like to accept this award you must: 

1. Link back to the person who gave this to you

2. Post the award to your blog

3. Give the award to five bloggers with less that 200 followers 

4. Leave a comment on the blogs you nominated letting them know they have received the award

xo, 

natalie && erika

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rustic hues

{do} redesign old clothes 

 FOREVER21 SHIRT (old), ARK & CO. ZIG ZAG SHORTS via South Moon Under, STELLA & DOT BANGLES / NECKLACE, ASOS CHEVRON RING, ZIGI SOHO SANDALS, NYLA SATCHEL (seen here), THRIFTED BELT, RAY BAY AVIATORS

here, i brightened up some old pieces with some more up-to-date styles.  i bought these shorts last week at South Moon Under at the Spicy Candy DC/SMO Look Book launch party, which was a total blast by the way.  meeting Nylon magazine's style editor at large + style guru, Dani Stahl, was definitely a highlight of the night, but it also really ended up being a super successful shopping venture. (if you follow me on instagram you saw that i got quite a few things!)  these shorts were among them, and their rustic color pallet and missoni-esque, chevron pattern are initially what caught my eye.  i decided to stick to neutrals pairing them with this old tunic, which i redesigned in to a crop top with the help of a pair of a good pair of scissors. this is exactly what i had envisioned for my new cropped shirt ~ on top of some sort of high waisted bottom.  (maybe one day i'll get crafty and do a DIY post on how to cut your own shirts) colored jewels and turquoise detailing on this belt added little pops of color right where it was needed.    

it's however apparently winter again in DC, so i don't know if i will be in shorts again anytime soon.  today i'm wearing a sweater coat and boots :(

FOLLOW / LIKE / TUMBL / PIN / INSTAGRAM / BLOG LOVIN'

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taupe + tied

visit Let It Be Beautiful today to see more...

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bug-eyed

{do} show a little bra.

here i am being all fashionably broke on a mountain.  totally normal, right?  only in the blogger world is this acceptable and not strange at all.  but you must admit, it makes for some pretty rad pictures, i think.  a very unnatural color is unexpectedly so well complemented by nature.  when i first went to style this neon green skirt, i thought it required a bright top.  tried it on with a little black and white color blocking piece, just for fun, instantly loving it and feeling more me.  it was a nice little reminder that i can always trust my own instinct. 

LOFT POCKET MINI SKIRT, BLOUSE via NORDSTROM RACK,

BCBG WEDGE BOOTIES via TJMAXX, TOBI (PRADA INSPIRED) SUNGLASSES

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coachella inspiration

today kicks off the Coachella music festival, and sadly, Erika & I have still yet to make it out there.  next year! no really, it's happening.  but if we were going to Coachella 2012, researching outfit inspiration is what we would have spent the entire week doing.  since i chose to live vicariously through pictures on the internet and did that anyway, i thought i would share with you some of my favorite festival fashion trends.  for starters, anything sheer or holey is a plus, from crochet, to fringe, and large cut outs are even better.  you then pile on your best bohemian jewels; braided bracelets and tourqoiuse and such.  messy waves are my go-to festival hair style, topped off with some hippie-chic head gear, such as a floppy felt hat or a head wrap.  and oh would you look at that ~ two of your favorite sister's made the inspiration board today! ;)

images via 1 2 3 4 5 6

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instagram lovin'

 Join us in the Instagram Blog Hop, hosted by Let It Be Beautiful, The Pink Elephant, & A Night Owl !  

{ && FOLLOW Fashionably Broke on INSTAGRAM } 

xo,

natalie && erika

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neons and neons

when i think of converses i first and foremost think that they are just meant to be worn with cute, short/little dresses in spirits of that sporty, california beach girl style.  that style that all of us east coast, city slickers secretely wish we had more of.  i've never owned a pair of converses before now and ever since very.com sent me this bright, turquoise pair, i keep finding more and more in my closet that i could wear with them.  to wear with flats?  i know.  it's strange and exciting all at the same time.  i think it's safe to say that these shoes are officially my new summer staple so get used to the blueness people. 

along with my asos chevron rings and (finally purchased) metal cuffs.

H&M DRESS | J.CREW DENIM BUTTON DOWN | ASOS METAL CUFFS 

& CHEVRON RINGS | NEON TURQUOISE CONVERSES c/o VERY.COM | ALDO ROSE GOLD SUNGLASSES

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{Brand Spotlight} shopexcessbaggage.com

so - one of the most frequently asked questions we get is "Where do you shop?"  now - as our blog is an effort to answer all of the fashion and style related questions that we get, we are introducing a new segment called this new segment where we answer this question.  the first time we featured a brand we loved was here, and now you can officially expect it to be a regular thing on yours truly, Fashionably Broke.  


Shop Excess Baggage was a website that i randomly came across during my "research" and it was one of those things where i instantly thought "where have you been all my life?"  they have every fashion staple item you need, clothing and accessories, all in one place; carrying hot brands (ex: one day grey, a LA based cali-style designer) and always feature the season's hottest trends, currently tons of neon, colored denim, cut out tops, and high / low hem lines.  the style is a little bit Urban Outfitters, crossed with a Lulus.com girly touch, which is so me.  i would literally wear everything and anything on this website, so that's why i am sharing this piece of fashionable shopping knowledge with you guys.  i hope know you will find something that you love!  happy shopping! xo


{ AND right now, my special readers can SHOP with 15% off with the code: FASHBROKE and FREE shipping on any order over $100 } 

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rose gold

i had a great time with this fish tail of a shirt.  you can't see it here, but the front and back are long, and separated by a high slit from the waist down.  enjoyably, i can chose to tuck in or leave out which ever tail i want and achieve the high/low effect of an asymmetrical hem.  tail in the back anyone?  paired with an all white suit (it's very simple, white jeans + white blazer = impromptu white suit), black BCBG summer booties (yes, i wear black tops with brown shoes) and my new (FAVORITE) Zara messenger bag which has prompted me to incorporate more and more rose gold jewelry and accessories into my wardrobe.  

i like rose gold.  you know why? it's not gold, and it's not silver, but it's sort of that in-between metal that goes with everything.  and because it's like the latest trend, it's automatically so chic!  so here are some pictures before and after our trip to Panas ~ a tiny, gourmet empanadas restaurant  that is to die for, simply because of the variety of stuffed latin goodness that they offer.  dying to go back already.   

FOREVER21 FISH TAIL SHIRT, H&M BLAZER (old), BLANK WHITE DENIM JEANS, BCBG BOOTIES, 

ZARA MESSENGER BAG, ALDO SUNGLASSES, STELLA & DOT SIDEWINDER RING/BRACELETS

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