My Little Appaloosa

I wore this last weekend on my drive home to my mom's and to visit my old show horse, Cissy who now lives a life of eating and pooping in the back yard. I've always had a special bond with this nut of a horse, most likely because she's just as neurotic as I am.

I've been adding this vintage fur scarf to almost everything since I picked it up from Archives Vintage a month ago. Is that what this is called? Anyways, it makes me feel regal even when I throw it over this jacket picked up from a clearance section.

[Jacket by Ecote, checkered top from Urban Outfitters (4 years ago), jeans c/o J Brand, Jeffrey Campbell boots c/o Lori's Shoes, purple belt from H&M, sunglasses and ring from Banana Republic, watch from Fossil beaded bracelet c/o 31 Bits, vintage fur from Archives Vintage, necklace c/o JewelMint, skull ring by BCBG]

$100 Deux Lux Giveaway!

Need a little post-Christmas present? Enter the $100 Deux Lux voucher giveaway! Deux Lux bags range from glamorous to edgy and of course ethical, as most of the designs are created using animal-friendly synthetics.  The giveaway is open to U.S. readers only. Comment to enter. Giveaway will close on January 8 at 8 p.m. CST. The voucher is valid through March 31.
Added bonus: Through December 28th, you have a chance to snag the perfect bag through Refinery29. Spend $50, and you'll receive $100 in credit - with plenty of options under $100, you're bound to find the perfect gift for yourself or a lucky friend!

And the $50 Pure Collection Giveaway Winner is Holly Dolly!

Home With The Dogs

Since I've been back at my parent's, I've spent a lot of time with all the animals, catching up with my youngest brother and making my mom take my outfit photos. I wore this particular look on Christmas Eve, which was a low key day of baking, grabbing dinner at a chain restaurant and listening to the bickering of my aunt and cousin which makes any holiday complete. I have a pretty small family, but the ones I have are the most amusing. I find myself jotting down notes of funny things that happen and/or texting them to Merl.

I have a little obsession with faux fur and I loved how one of my vests looked when I tested it out over this coat. Voila, instant extra warmth and that pimp factor I occassionally love to add in my looks. I've also starting trying this new bun hairstyle I learned from Veronika's messy bun tutorial. So. Easy! It requires an elastic band and only two bobby pins to hold my hair!

[tee c/o StyleMint, faux fur jacket by Kristen Blake, pants from Zara, BB Dakota coat c/o Burlington Coat Factory, glasses from Warby Parker, bag by Marc by Marc Jacobs, boots c/o Kelsi Dagger, necklace by Merl Kinzie]

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas from Beau, Lily, Zoe and Shasta!

Distressed

I always like when people pair jeans with a bit of distress with a fancy top and I thought this balance was perfect for dinner with Tieka of Selective Potential when I was back in Michigan a couple weeks ago for work. I wore this to work with black pants and changed into more cozy jeans before dinner. I forgot I had these but after digging through drawers I re-discovered them. More photos are over at Delightful Dozen, go check 'em out!

[vintage top swapped for Delightful Dozen via Style and Pepper, vintage blazer, jeans by Levi's, heels by BCBG, necklace by Merl Kinzie, leather bracelet c/o The Brooklyn Bakery, beaded bracelet c/o 31 Bits]

$100 Gift Card Giveaway to Burlington Coat Factory!

I accepted the $100 Style Challenge from Burlington Coat Factory this past weekend and headed to the closest store to find an outfit perfect for a holiday occasion. Since I'm literal, I was on the hunt for a red dress and I scored this pretty red wine colored sweater dress, the BB Dakota camel-colored coat and grey Guess mary-janes that I thought created a cozy, holiday look perfect for my family's laidback gatherings.

And for the giveaway: by commenting, you'll automatically be entered into the $100 gift card giveaway, but additional entries are available through liking Burlington on Facebook or following on Twitter. There are up to three entries per person. Please leave separate comments for each entry. The giveaway ends on Tuesday, January 3, 2012! Good luck!

[BB Dakota coat $39.99, knit sweater $14.99 and Guess mary-janes $39.99 total: $84.97 c/o Burlington Coat Factory, thigh highs from American Apparel, watch by Fossil, sunglasses by Banana Republic, ring c/o Poshlocket, beaded bracelet c/o 31 Bits, clutch by Tylie Malibu]

Photos by Becky Johns who interestingly enough works for an agency whose client is Burlington Coat Factory. It only made sense she took these particular photos. Thanks, Becky!

Weekend in Photos

Weee! I'm finally in possession of an iPhone and my dreams of quickly and quite simply over-editing photos has finally come true! My username is @andreakerbuski, the same as my Twitter handle. I feel as if I always miss fun moments since I'm too lazy to drag my Nikon D700 with me everywhere and now that I have this handy dandy iPhone I've been snapping away like crazy!

Above: Downtown Chicago for lunch last Friday
Below: Jill sets up the ornaments at the BYOOB "Bring Your Own Ornament and Booze" party at work

My new Kelsi Dagger boots! 

Merl of Clydes Rebirth and kitty Clyde before our Saturday night adventures

A boring highlight of my week? Getting my roots touched up. Hooray!

All in all, last week was good.

$25 Poshlocket Gift Card Giveaway!

Poshlocket, an online fashion jewelry shop, is offering one of my readers a $25 gift card to their store! To enter, either like them on Facebook, follow them on Twitter or join their mailing list and then leave a comment to let me know if you liked them on Facebook, Twitter or joined their mailing list. For a second entry, please share the giveaway on Twitter or Facebook and leave a second comment. Open to U.S. readers only. Giveaway closes on December 26 at 9 p.m. CST.

Shop Til I Drop

I always procrastinate when it comes to Christmas shopping and this year I vowed to get it done in advance.  Mission: Accomplished. My friend Courtney and I shopped together a couple weekends ago and both paired with an aversion to long lines, appreciation of quick decision-making and a mutual impatience, we quickly shopped and got the hell out of there in a snap. My kind of shopping!
It was a surprisingly warmer day where a cardigan and faux fur vest provided enough warmth and these Ninewest red heels added a little pop of color, but were comfortable to walk in for a day of shopping and an event that evening at Lori's Shoes.

[red shoes c/o Nine West, bracelet c/o T+J Designs, cardigan and gold bracelet from Forever 21, faux fur vest c/o Rachel Rachel Roy, necklace by Merl Kinzie, pants by BDG, bag by Marc by Marc Jacobs]

Frostbitten

I needed a little pick me up at work last week and instead of throwing on the typical boots and leather jacket, I opted for a pretty pink blouse with a gold sequined collar, leopard shoes, a faux fur coat and my new old Chanel bag. It was cold as shit, but  worth the cold feet to prance around this at work and again this past weekend when I hit up a vintage sale where I found the most perfect leopard shawl from Merl Kinzie and a fur stole from Archives Vintage. 

[blouse swapped from Keiko, faux fur coat c/o JcPenney, pants by BDG, belt by American Apparel, leopard print wedges by Sam Edelman c/o Lori's Shoes, vintage bag by Chanel via eDrop-Off, leather gloves by Lauren Ralph Lauren, sunglasses c/o Send the Trend]

Photos by the lovely Amy Creyer of Chicago Street Style

Payless Style Remix Day Two

The second day in NYC for the Payless Style Remix last week was beyond amazing! We spent the morning meeting Lela Rose and touring her beautiful home in Tribeca, where tables came out of the ceiling and floor and a monopoly house shaped elevator designed specifically for the dog actually exists. Every inch of the home was interesting! We also got a sneak peek at the spring 2012 shoe line. Patterns, textures, color--they are very pretty shoes just as Lela Rose intended them to be.

Lela taking us through her large, large closet!

Next stop was at the Payless Design Studio where we met Pat Field, designer and stylist, well-known for her role as costume designer for Sex and the City. She's so cool, genuine and down to earth. We sat down and chatted with her about her experiences in fashion and listened to her stories from throughout her career. Payless also hosted a mini swap where I snagged some cute tops from the other girls and we styled them up using the shoes and accessories from Payless.

Photos at the Payless Design Studio by Don Bowers/Getty Images
For an even better recap, visit Kim's blog!
Thank you again to Payless for organizing such an incredible event! And thank you to Christian Siriano, Lela Rose and Pat Field for taking time to meet with us!

$50 Pure Collection Gift Card Giveaway!

Pure Collection, an online shop, is offering my readers a $50 gift card! From beautiful capes to cashmere winter hats to ladies jumpers at Pure Collection has it all! Just comment with your email for a chance to win the $50 gift card! Giveaway closes on December 18 at 9:00 p.m. CST. Good luck!