The Mission: The Perfect Outfit For A 20-Year High School Reunion

I was, and am, a TOTAL geek. I can admit it. My favorite TV Shows are on the Science and Discovery Health Channels. To me, its the people like Dr. G Medical Examiner who are real celebrities in this world! I can admit high school wasn't much fun for a nerd like me, but my life is GREAT now, and I wanted to wear an outfit to my 20-year high school reunion that said "I'm living, and looking, better than ever before" but I was in the process of building a new home and I wanted a fully-equipped gym in the house too, so what to do, what to do?! It was time to don my cape as the REAL Frugal Fashionista (all others are just poor imitations trust me) and find a complete outfit for under $100, my limit for this event! This "budget" had to cover the dress, the shoes, the jewelry and the handbag. Mission impossible? No, but not probable either!

Right away I scored a great dress...an Anne Klein unique, one-shouldered purple number that fit like a dream for $24.99 at Ross. I know, I know, it is a poorly lit store, very cramped and always crowded....but it was worth it! I tried on several great buys and was amazed at the amount of cute short dresses you can buy at this store. Some were so cute and so cheap I thought to myself "I can play Diana Ross here...where it once and give it away!" For under $80 bucks I could

buy 4 dresses for the next 4 events and never wear them again. But that's crazy talk. Who wouldn't want to wear a cute dress twice?!

When selecting the shoes for this outfit I wanted sexy and unforgettable...so I scoured the local shops and found a bridal store called The Bridal and Pageant Connection in Fayetteville that had an assortment of wild shoes for semi-formal and formal events. Among many incredible shoes I fell in love instantly, I found these black high-heeled sandals with straps that reach mid-calf and fell in love. The shoes are covered in rhinestones, well-made and surprisingly comfortable. I scored the displays for $39.99! Yummy!

The final items (the evening bag and the earrings) were both last minute buys. The cute evening bag was a $5 buy at a consignment store in Southern Pines (I loooove a millionaire's wife's hand-me-downs). I found the rhinestone drop earrings for $12.99 at my favorite jewelry spot...MHR designs in Hope Mills, NC. If you want jewelry for any event (fun and casual or formal and fancy) this is the place. I get all my pageant jewelry there and you can find colorful pieces to match any outfit!

I work hard for my money. I didn't want to spend a ton of it, I just wanted to look like I did. And I wanted to be able to mix-and-match the pieces with the rest of my wardrobe. Well,

the Frugal Fashionista was able to make it happen...I got TONS of great compliments everywhere I went that evening...especially at my high school reunion. Total amount spent on this outfit: $82.97!