Winter is Coming

Since it's wrong in my family to wear anything fancier than a sweatshirt and jeans on Christmas, I took the opportunity to get dressed up on Christmas Eve at Jack's mom's. Since I had been sick, I laid around watching Die Hard and Die Hard 2 (THE best Christmas movies, although Jack disagrees) all day and finally changed into this outfit for an hour at his mom's before changing back into pajamas. We ate so much good food and my favorite was Christmas morning when she made homemade cinnamon rolls. I love cinnamon rolls.

For Christmas Day at my mom's, I swapped out the skirt for leggings so I could lounge around in comfort while I blew my nose, sneezed and whined. Jack finally got to meet all of my mom's critters. I was especially excited for him to meet my mom's new foal and my old show horse, Cissy. That about wrapped up the holiday adventures for us in addition to this past weekend in Canada to visit the rest of Jack's family. I'm still sad I couldn't see miss Jentine of My Edit who lives just a couple miles from Jack's grandma's house. :/ Next time, Yen!

[sweater and skirt from J Crew, boots from Aldo, cape by Bebe, old, old gloves, watch c/o Daniel Wellington, bracelet c/o INPINK, ring c/o JewelMint, ring c/o Courtney Kaye (last year)]

Some Blogs I Love

I've been sick this week and I've spent some time catching up on some of my favorite blogs and I thought I should share a few I started reading this past year that I absolutely love!

Amanda of Off of Broadway, is one of the most stylish people on this planet and her blog is one of my favorites. From her haircut to fearless style to her ability to run and exercise AND seem to enjoy it, I'm always in awe of her. I had the opportunity to meet her in person last March in Austin and she's really just an incredible person with flawless skin and a closet filled with thrifted gems I'd love to "borrow."

 

Karrin (left) and Haley (right) of Style Sound are two fun and easy-going gals. They blog from Chicago and Houston, respectively, and infuse their love of style and music in their blog. I've known the two of them before they started their blog and I enjoy reading about their adventures and getting some inspiration from their bohemian styles.

Nicole of Rose Runs Wild is a lifestyle blog I appreciate so much. It's easy to throw up a photo of your outfit, but it takes more balls to share your life with the world and I love reading about her and her cute-as-a-button son and her handsome fiance. And of course, their pups!

Into the Wild

I love a baby doll dress, especially around the holidays. They're whimsy and just so roomy for all the eating I do around this time of the year. I styled this dress for a holiday party at a new bar last night with these platform suede boots and a leopard coat, a few of my staples.
I'll be dressing down the next couple days as I've got some last minute family photo sessions to capture, Christmas shopping for Jack and a lot of apartment cleaning to do. I always think I'm prepared for the holidays and each year I learn I'm really not!

[dress from Asos, Viola boots c/o ShoeMint, coat from H&M, watch c/o BCBG, sunglasses by Rayban, ring c/o JewelMint]

Abbot

Different variations of this look: maxi skirt, leather jacket and hat have been my "winter" staples so far this month and I think this is my favorite version. There hasn't been snow and I'm not complaining, I can continue to weary breezy skirts and cropped moto jackets. I wore this for a day of shopping and a chorizo taco dinner with my friend Erin in the Detroit area last Friday. 
I've recently figured out how easy it is for stylists to use a blowdryer and a round brush to straighten in my hair in about 30 minutes and so you may see me with straight hair more often. Or not. I don't have much patience even for that, but it's nice to have the option, especially in the winter when the weather is dry and my hair won't be subject to as much fuzziness.

[t-shirt and maxi skirt from American Apparel, cropped moto jacket c/o Bebe, Koko flat c/o ShoeMint, watch c/o Ice Watch (sold exclusively at Macy's), Rayban aviators c/o Shades Daddy, clutch by Tali Malibu, hat from Target]

I just realized after looking at the photos that the skirt is a bit see through. Mental note: get a slip.

Back to Midwest

I'm back from Florida! I never thought I would miss 36 degree weather and cloudy skies so much, but after 90% humidity in St. Petersburg, I'm happy to not be sweaty and sticky anymore. And now I've returned to wearing layers once again in shades of red, mint and grey.

[sweater from Urban Outfitters, pants c/o J Brand, chambray shirt c/o Baukjen, coat from Anthropologie, heels c/o Payless, bag by Chanel, Rayban aviators c/o Shades Daddy, rings c/o JewelMint]

Amour

Last week I thought to myself, how can I make leather leggings acceptable in the workplace, especially in government? The answer came with a chambray tunic and a cozy cape and a lot of meetings that took me out of the office in more creative environments. I met up with my friend and past intern, Naomi and it blew her mind that I was able to get away with it since she can't at her PR agency. For me, it was just about downplaying the leggings almost as much as I should (I had to wear these snakeskin shoes!) Later that evening, I changed from these heels into snakeskin flats. 

[Alexa Shirt Dress c/o Amour Vert (30% off all apparel code: blonde30), leathery leggings from Aritzia, cape c/o Marshalls (last year), heels c/o Lori's Shoes, watch from Fossil, bracelet c/o INPINK (30% off code: blonde30), bag by Marc Jacobs]

Photos by Naomi of Between He and She

My Kind of Holiday

For this year's holiday parties, velvety mini dresses and anything leather and studs will be my go-to, I suppose no different than any other day! How about you?

1. Devore Tunic from Topshop, $70

2. Court Shoe from Zara, $99.90

3. Leather Knit Gloves by Carolina Amato, $108

4. Black Skater Skirt from Topshop, $76

5. Crystal Embellished Cotton Collar by Sonia by Sonia Rykiel, $60

6. Mini Tech Cross Body by Nine West, on sale for $25.99

7. Amber Floral Rhinestone Ring from INPINK, $20

8. Printed Cotton T-Shirt Dress by Ksubi, $140

Plaid & Leopard

A couple weeks ago I saw a photo of a girl who wore a plaid scarf and leopard print shoes on Pinterest and I've been determined to recreate the look in my own way. Once I found this skirt, I knew I would pair it with the polka dot sweater and the leopard print booties.
Expect some Florida updates, tweets and instagrams later this week and weekend as I'm off to Tampa for a work conference! Woo! I'm excited for some sunshine and warmer weather..and of course the conference. It's the National Workforce Association's national legislative conference and I'm actually excited about it.

[sweater and skirt from Forever 21, boots c/o Aldo,  sunglasses by House of Harlow, necklace by Merl Kinzie, BB Dakota coat c/o Lulu's (last year), skull ring by BCBG]

Surprise Sunshine

For the first weekend of December, Michigan weather was surprisingly warm and mild so naturally I took advantage of this. I started the day off wearing this maxi skirt with a tee and blazer to run errands and eat lunch at one of my favorite Kalamazoo establishments, Food Dance. By night, I changed into jeans and enjoyed dinner and drinks with Jack and his friends.

[maxi skirt from American Apparel, tee from Club Monaco, blazer c/o Bebe, Rayban aviators c/o Shades Daddy, boots c/o Aldo, bag by DVF, ring c/o Catbird]