Remember That Road Trip?

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The Frugal Wench Guide to the California Coast

There is one very large exception to us being Frugal Wenches: vacation. More specifically, food on vacation. Even though we were both extremely tight on pocket money after spending nearly every cent to our name in the month of September (birthday month babyyy), we decided to go on a week-long Pacific Coast road trip. We have driven the coast many times before, so I’m sure you are wondering why we decided to go again. One word: Twilight. Summer of 2020 rekindled our desire for the angsty, supernatural teen romance we are still in search of for ourselves.  It was the Summer of Twilight for us and we just had to go to Forks. The plan was simple, drive all the way up the coast, stopping along the way to hit all the spots and end in Forks, just nearly at the Canadian border. If we could’ve lived the entire trip with the iconic and absolutely necessary blue filter of the first film, we would have.

Let’s talk about the highlights – outfit edition:

Day 1:

Audrey: American Apparel tie dyed t-shirt dress (thrifted).  
Erin: Gap green striped 2000’s-esque blouse with denim shorts (also thrifted). 
These were the perfect road trip outfits to wear while driving up the Southern California coast. We made a ton of stops, including Santa Barbara, beached seals and Big Sur. All places where we somehow spent money… all charged on Erin’s ~Visa~. 

Day 2:

Audrey: Black t-shirt from Brandy Melville and black cigarette jeans from J. Crew (thrifted). 
Erin: White cargo capris (thrifted… how else? lol) and a green cut-off tank top by Free People. Giving Keira Knightley in Bend it Like Beckham vibes. 
Another LONG day of driving meant balancing comfort and style, while also channeling a Northern California vibe – foreign territory honestly. The weather had started to cool down so opting for pants with a light top was definitely the move.

Day 3:

Audrey: Anthropologie green, flare corduroy pants, black and grey men’s golf sweater (thrifted) with black plaid high-top vans. 
Erin: Free People cardigan sweater (thrifted), Ralph Lauren white long underwear top, Loft Jeans (low rise and honestly weird but they just hit different with boots), with my Blundstone green suede boots.
Now that we had finally made it into Oregon, we definitely needed to dress for colder weather. Exciting! We only had a short drive from Eugene to Seattle so these outfits were not as comfort centered as our others (see Audrey’s very tight pants), but they worked well for a sunny fall day checking out campuses and drinking coffee with a cute jack russell terrier named Maddy (spelling assumed). 

Day 4:

Audrey: Grey/blue turtleneck sweater (thrifted from grandma), grey men’s Levi’s (thrifted from Captain’s Helm), black low top converse. 
Erin: Blue Ralph Lauren flannel shirt (thrifted from grandma), Levi’s 501’s (outlet), Anthropologie puffer coat (purchased after an assault of too-targeted instagram ads left me without a choice… happy for it though), black low top converse. 
After picking up Erin’s Best Friend Becca (capitalized as an official title), we did some touristy things around Seattle like Pike’s Place Market and the gum wall. We dressed in “comfortable, Pacific Northwest chic” or at least what we thought that would look like.

Day 5: TWILIGHT

Audrey: Thrifted tan and brown striped t-shirt, brown flannel, and J. Crew jeans. Worn with the same plaid vans and Erin’s baby pink raincoat from Urban Outfitters (paid full price and was then marked down 50% a few weeks later…).
Erin: Black and white striped long sleeve shirt purchased in Florence from Misguided (Italian Brandy Melville) under a Target t-shirt appropriately hand-embroidered with “AS IF YOU COULD OUTRUN ME.” Worn with Levi’s 501s (outlet again, different wash), Blundstone boots, and Pendleton raincoat from good old Costco.
All outfits worn on this day were inspired by Bella Swan and Bella Swan only. Bowling shirt on the first day of school with keds meets vampire heartthrob in the PNW… obviously. I think we got the point across.

Day 6:

Audrey: Brown tie dye top, brown corduroy pants, and vintage men’s Levi’s denim jacket (all thrifted). Paired with platform Dr. Martin’s. She was 6’1″ and had Netflix quaking in their boots.
Erin: Orange velvet wrap shirt (thrifted), same Levi’s with torn knee, same Anthro puffer. (not photographed)
For our last day in Seattle, we kept the same vibes going for a morning of brunch and fancy croissants before we started our return journey south. Highlights of this day include the food mentioned above, spending time with good friends ❤ and getting our ears pierced (holes 2 and 3). 

Day 7:

Audrey: Striped vintage (haha) Victoria’s Secret lounge pants with blue Madewell t-shirt. 
Erin: Blue sweater and embroidered pants (both thrifted) with converse.
A LONG day of driving after spending a quick morning in Portland eating donuts and fried chicken sandwiches. With stops along the Oregon coast and in the redwoods, our outfits were comfortable and warm.

Day 8:

Audrey: Vintage rugby shirt from Depop, blue Ralph Lauren baseball tee, also from Depop with same gray jeans. 
Erin: Navy t-shirt under a thrifted hand-made rainbow poncho (I’ve been waiting for this one) with men’s 501’s and converse. 
The morning of Day 8, we took a stroll through Fort Bragg’s glass beach and saw some gorgeous coastline. The outfits were planned for this outing, but were comfortable enough to wear for the very long drive home to San Diego. 
With so many stops and different climates to consider, packing for this roadtrip was sort of tricky. Luckily, our little prius doesn’t have baggage limits and we brought everything we wanted! Within reason of course… As you can tell from our outfit lists, we ended up rewearing a lot of pieces, especially bottoms, which made our packing a little lighter.  Head to our instagram stories for a more in depth documentation of our days on the road.
P.S. Obviously Team Edward till we die.

A Written “What I Would Wear If I Was In” Tik Tok

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Should we make the Tik Tok? Should we? Anyway, even if we don’t, we have a Tik Tok. Follow us @Frugalwench.
Audrey and I draw a lot of style inspiration from our favorite characters in books, movies, and TV shows, but there are a few we have actually been able to emulate. Here is a list of our favorite things and how we bought things to match.

1. Confessions of a Shopaholic 

This is my favorite book. First of all, it’s all about shopping (relatable). Secondly, it is one of the only books that throughout the entire series, has made me laugh OUT LOUD while reading it. And I’ve read it a few times through. In the first book, when confronted with the option to make more money or spend less, Becky chooses the former and gets a job at an Ally Smith retail store. On her first day she spies the last pair of zebra print jeans in her size on the reduced rack, marked 50 percent off. In the dressing room, she lies to a customer trying them on and hides them for herself. Here’s the quote of when the customer and Becky’s new and serious boss Danielle catch her in the act. 
“‘Wait a minute!’ says the girl sharply. ‘What’s that?’ I follow her gaze and freeze. The zebra print jeans have rolled out from under the curtain. For a moment we all stare at them.”
She’s fired that day. 
I literally will never forget this scene or her hilarious desperation for a pair of pants she really really wants. So when I was in Nordstrom Rack and came across a pair of zebra print jeans this is immediately what came to mind. So naturally, I bought them. On clearance too. 

1a. Shopaholic Takes Manhattan

In the second book of the series, Shopaholic Takes Manhattan, Becky buys a pair of lilac sandals with a tiny little blackberry by the toe. She justifies the purchase as a NEED and the high price acceptable because “everyone knows you should never skimp on shoes, because you’ll hurt your feet.” At the register the clerk tells her about the new pair that just came in. The same sandal but it in creamy orange with a clementine instead of a blackberry. She buys both.  
I recently bought a pair of Katy Perry jelly sandals with a watermelon on the toe and of course I thought of my fellow Shopaholic again. I know that the shoes aren’t remotely similar, color, fruit and heel wise (hers were strappy stilettos) but a fruity toed sandal only has one reference.
I’ve paired my watermelon sandals with denim shorts, a pink floral mesh top and a loose knit sweater. With my zebra print jeans, I’m wearing a light citrus colored tank top from Urban outfitters and yellow sandals with floral accents for two outfits inspired by the girl in the green scarf herself, Rebecca Brandon nee Bloomwood. Love you, girl. 

2. Nancy Drew

Let’s take a trip down memory lane and remind everyone of our fabulous #PLFM (penny loafer fashion moment). We have always been influenced by traditional preppy style in some way or another, but penny loafers are the iconic statement piece of the preppy fashion movement. One of our favorite movies, Nancy Drew (and also book series, duh) features a revival of the classic shoe, not only sported by our favorite girl detective, but also her new Hollywood friends. 
Here’s an entire outfit inspired by the series including our favorite shoes in our own version of The Hidden Staircase. I’m wearing a pair of dark Levi’s 501s, a brown silk top purchased from a thrift store, my G.H. Bass loafers, a headband, and of course a pearl necklace. It just seemed right. 

3. Wild Child

If you know Audrey well, you know that she has dubbed three legendary movies as the Holy Trinity of adolescent girl dreams. At the top of the pyramid, in the throne of honor, is Wild Child. In Wild Child, the delinquent main character Poppy, played by Emma Roberts, is sent to boarding school in England as punishment (?) and finds herself, a group of best friends and a super hot new boyfriend (Alex Pettyfer). On their first date, Poppy wears a white blouse with bow straps paired with jeans and flats for their picture perfect jaunt across the English countryside. Audrey found a similar shirt, complete with big bow ties, and is now just looking for the perfect hot date. Respond with takers please. 
Like Poppy, she paired the shirt with a pair of men’s Levi’s 501s and ballet flats. Talk about a perfect match. 
As another, albeit less fashionable, nod to our favorite movie, Audrey created these shirts with Alex Pettyfer’s face on it. Please enjoy one of our favorite looks. 

4. Sex and The City 

After rewatching Sex and the City for who knows what time, I realized a couple new things about the show. One, that I actually love Miranda. Two, if I don’t copy most of their outfits, what am I doing? This second realization isn’t new, just something that resurfaces after each binge of this iconic series. In Season 1 Episode 6, “Secret Sex,” Carrie walks down the street arm in arm with Big wearing pinstripe pants, a sweater, coat, and new balance tennis shoes. I recently found the perfect pair of Theory pinstripe trousers at a thrift store and I am psyched about replicating this look. Because it’s still  summer weather, I won’t be styling my pair the same way, but the tennis shoes and casual top were a must for my inspired vision.
Here, I’ve styled the pants with a pink thrifted t-shirt and my high-top white vans to emulate Carrie and her iconic style with my own flare. But I’ll remember her version of this outfit to wear later this fall.

5. Aquamarine

First of all, amazing movie and also in Audrey’s Holy Trinity. There are a ton of iconic looks in this masterpiece that deserve recognition but the one we have that fits the bill is what Aqua wears after their fun trip to the mall. Say “HELLOOOOOO” to the gradient blue tank top Audrey found on Depop. Paired with a white skirt and espadrilles, the outfit isn’t an exact replica but a reminiscence. Audrey also wears a pair of handmade clay star earrings I found in Capri that are our own version of Aqua’s suck-up star fish accessories. BRB, wearing this outfit until I find my own Raymond.