OOTD: Casino Night Glam (on a College Budget!)

     I am especially excited about today's OOTD post for a couple of reasons. One, because sharing dressy outfits on my blog always makes me excited (as I love any chance to dress up!), and two, this is my first time featuring a friend's outfit on Southern Belle in Training who isn't a blogging friend! This past weekend at my college was our annual school-wide semi-formal event (not a sorority event). I went with my friend Caroline, and as she was taking my blog pictures I realized that I wanted to feature her adorable outfit in my post as well!

Caroline's outfit details:

Dress: Saks Avenue Off 5th || Cardigan: Saks Avenue Off 5th || Shoes: Target || Clutch (old) || Bracelets (from an antique store)

     Dress: Forever 21 || Coat: H&M || Shoes: Nine West || Purse: New Look {bought on my trip to the UK last year} || Necklace & Earrings: {Local boutique in Maine} || Ring: JC Penney || Nails: Wet n' Wild MegaLast Salon Nail Color in Disturbia || Lips: Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick in Pink Velvet

     First off, I hope that the quality of these pictures are okay since they were taken indoors! (Caroline was a fabulous photographer but it's more the artificial lighting I'm worried about, since most of my blog pictures are taken outdoors.) Both of us had busy Saturdays and weren't even able to get dressed for Casino Night until after it was dark outside! So we made do and once we were all glammed up we headed over to one of the classroom buildings on campus and took pictures in the foyer, which you can see here. :-)

     So one thing that I really want to highlight is that I didn't pay more than $20 for anything that I wore to this event! It is 100% possible to look glam and gorgeous for a semi-formal or formal event and not break the bank. Here is the breakdown of what I paid for everything that I'm wearing:

• Dress: $13 (Bought over October Break during my trip home to Maine! The Maine Mall has a surprisingly great Forever 21.)
• Coat: $0 (Won when I entered an won an H&M store opening giveaway last spring! Read about that here!) 
• Shoes: $20ish dollars (They are Nine West but were bought in high school at a Maine regional discount store chain that sometimes carries name brand shoes and apparel at very low prices. Don't remember the exact price but it was definitely under $25!)
• All jewelry: Nothing above $15
• Purse: Bought on my trip to the UK so it was paid for in pounds... but I think it came out to about $20 (such a steal!).
• And my lipstick and nail polish are both from drugstore brands!

     I fell in love with this dress from Forever 21! I love the bold blue color, and since it's a plain dress there are so many ways to accessorize it. And since it has such a low price point I don't feel badly about wearing it to go out or to situations where it might get "ruined"... I could easily replace it for that price! It is a little bit tighter and lower-cut then things that I usually wear (which I'm sure you can tell if you've been following my blog and outfits for any length of time :-) ), but I didn't feel like it was inapropriate, especially for an evening event that was Las Vegas themed. Sometimes it's fun to have a special wardrobe that's slightly more "out-there" for going-out or other night-time functions!

     Here are a few other pictures from Casino Night! I really enjoy this event because it's a time to see all of your classmates and school friends all dressed up, and a chance to socialize outside of the day-to-day routine. Casino Night definitely has a very different vibe then any ADPi formals or even high school dances, but I like it nonetheless! I especially enjoyed this year's event since it was Las Vegas themed... I traveled to Vegas in summer 2013 and LOVED it (I have several posts about the trip somewhere back on my blog!) and I can't wait to go back someday! (There was also a Big Bang Theory episode a few weeks ago where Penny, Amy and Bernadette went to Vegas so that just fueled my excitement.) 

My sweet friend Soo Jin who is a fellow communications major with me! 

Haley! My Big in ADPi, Jess, is studying abroad this semester. Haley is Jess's best friend so I met her through Jess last year. With Jess not being here this semester Haley and I started hanging out a little bit at the start of the semester and now we eat dinner together weekly and hang out a bit too! So thankful that my Big's friends have become my friends too. :-) 

My sweet Little in ADPi, Julie, and her boyfriend Aaron! Aren't they a cute couple?

     And luckily for me I get to dress up again this weekend! ADPi is having our fall semi this Friday. It is a themed semi where you and your date have to dress up as a celebrity couple or a famous couple in history. Any guesses as to who me and my date are going as? Hint: they're a celebrity couple who went public sort of recently! 

      xoxo Miss ALK