26 November 2013

What to Wear: Thanksgiving Edition

Happy Tuesday loves! Today was such a hectic day with work and a big paper due for school that I seriously have been looking forward to escaping and posting here ALL day. Total distraction, but I couldn't help it, I am just so gosh darn excited for Thanksgiving and most importantly, planning what to wear ahead of time so that the day of, I can focus on how grateful I am. For today's post, I have created three outfits to help you plan what to wear on Turkey Day. All of the items featured are from Target, because holy moley are Target's sales this week OUT.OF.CONTROL. We're talking boots and handbags buy one get one 50% off, 40% off sweaters, 40% jeans, and price cuts on tons of statement jewelry, and that's not even looking at Cartwheel, which if you haven't heard is now available to everyone, even if you don't have a Facebook account, yippee! That being said, don't be surprised if the outfit below featuring the chevron sweater shows up as my #ootd on instagram, because I caved and bought it yesterday, it was such a steal! So run, don't walk, to Target if you are in a rut planning your holiday outfit =)

So, let's talk Thanksgiving day outfits. Now, I don't know about you, but growing up, Thanksgiving was always a dressy holiday. My mom would make my sisters (I have 3 younger ones) and I special dresses for Thanksgiving and Christmas, braid our hair the night before so we would all have long wavey hair under our giant bow barrettes, and find the most ridiculous tights (white with red heats, anyone?) to wear with our little patent Mary Jane's. We were like a set of Russian nestling dolls at Thanksgiving, and at Christmas, and at pretty much every holiday for that matter. But, as we grew up, the fanciness inevitably began to fade. My sisters and I now text each other ahead of time to make sure its okay not style our hair or wear makeup or even to wear our yoga pants over to my mom's house. "We're not taking pictures, right?" someone will text. We all conspire to get out of looking nice. We look nice everyday (seriously, I work at an Architectural Engineering firm, two of my sisters are teachers, and my baby sister works at a library, it's like a fashion show every freakin' day), Thanksgiving is a holiday, holidays are for resting, we want a break, hence the conspiring. Now, there are some holidays when we decide to not look like a bunch of rag-a-muffins, mostly anytime we are not celebrating at my mom's house, so...like when we are out in public, bahaha. You are welcome world.

I digress...Anyways, this year Kevin and I will be making the lovely, scenic, 3 hour commute across the state to spend Thanksgiving with his family (its going to be awesome and I am excited to spend my first holiday with his family!), sadly though, this means I will be in public, which means no yoga pants for me (you can just hear my disappointed sigh, right?). BUT that also means I get a new outfit, its only fair if I have to wear make-up and brush my hair on my day of rest, right? ;-) So, after seeing a few ladies snag the aforementioned chevron sweater shown below, I ran out to Target to get one. First trip = fail, didn't even have them at my store. Second trip = success, only one in the store was in my size = happy dance! Since I have been told that the atmosphere will still be fairly casual, I will probably pair my sweater with dark denim and red and leopard details. Since its apparently winter in Michigan (its in the 20's, eek!), I will also be wearing a coat, and this one just happens to be on my lust list! Now, knowing that other families still maintain a sense of decorum that my own has lost, I also put together a dressy-casual and dressier outfit that I would also wear if warranted. 

What to Wear on Thanksgiving

casual: jeans / sweater / coat / shoes / purse / scarf / belt / bracelet / essie
dressy casual: pants / sweater / coat / pumps / purse / necklace / bracelet / essie
dressy: dress / coat / booties / purse / belt / necklace / bracelet / tights / essie 

If I were not going to wear jeans, a pair of dressier pants, like those pictured with an amazing window pane print, would definitely suffice. I added a little print mixing with the polka dot sweater (also on sale with the chevron one for 40% off) and a plaid coat. All the pieces feel cohesive because of the color story: cobalt, black, and cream. Since there are a few patterns at play here, I decided to keep the accessories monochromatic and chic, all in black. If dress up for Thanksgiving, a sweater dress with booties and colored tights is a must! Again, the color story here is three part, black, tan, and burgundy. The burgundy is so festive and really pops against the black. I added an edgier cut-out bootie to add a touch of hard in contrast with the softness of the dress. Whatever you wear, I think the most important part is feeling comfortable, especially if your family makes enough food to feed an army =)

And now, for your viewing enjoyment, I have decided to share a family picture from a few years ago when the sister who is an art teacher, decided we needed to do a "family Thanksgiving craft," made us make hand print turkey sweatshirts. Yeah, I know, you wish you were this awesome.


Olivia, Me, Stacy, Tina


Do you have any Thanksgiving Day traditions?
What is the dress code for your Thanksgiving?

Thanks for stopping by and have a fabulous day!




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25 November 2013

Holiday Gift Guides - Under $50

Happy Monday Lovelies! Today I have put today some gift ideas for the variety of ladies you may need to shop for this holiday season. I love shopping, and shopping for others is by far my favorite kind of shopping to do. Having 3 sisters and several other special ladies and girlfriends in my life, I know that I have already began searching high and low for the perfect gift for each of them (Christmas is just 30 days away after all!). I love to find personalized gifts for each person on my list, tailored to what I think they will enjoy. It can be easier sometimes to get a "blanket gift," or the same gift for lots of people on your list, but I don't really like the generic-ness of that, so I tend to favor highly individualized gifts selected for that person and no one else. Keeping this in mind, I have grouped my gift guides thematically and selected gifts all below $50 with a variety of price points, knowing that some (like my sisters) will be allotted more money, while keeping all the items affordable. Since it's t-minus 4 days until Black Friday, I hope this gives you some ideas for the special ladies on your shopping lists!

Gift Guide for the Glam Girl

row one: one / two (in stores only) / three / four / five / six
row two: one / two / three / four / five
row three: one / two / three / four / five
row four: one / two / three / four 

Gift Ideas for the Christmas Crazed

row one: one / two / three / four / five / six
row two: one / two / three / four / five
row three: one / two / three / four / five 
row four: one / two / three

Gift Guide for the Eclectic Creative

row one: one / two / three / four / five
row one and a half: one / two / three 
row two: one / two / three / four / five / six
row three: one / two / three / four / five / six

Gift Guide for the Girl on the Go

row one: one / two / three / four 
row two: one / two / three / four 
row three: one
row four: one / two / three / four / five / six / seven / eight
row five: one / two / three / four

Gift Guide for the Crazy Cat Lady

row one: one / two / three / four
row two: one / two (in stores only)
row three: one / two / three / four / five / six
row four: one / two / three / four / five
row five: one / two / three / four 

Gift Guide for the Girlie Girl

column one: one / two / three / four
column two: one / two / three / four / five
column three: one / two / three / four / five
column four: one / two / three / four

Hopefully this helps you locate things you were already thinking of buying, or answers the "what the heck am I going to get for so-and-so?" question. I realize that a few things are not currently available online, but most are available in stores, so take advantage of the locate-in-store functions on websites or check back to see if the item is restocked for cyber Monday. I also included several etsy shop finds, I try to support local business whenever possible and there are so many cute and unique items, finding the "right" gift for someone is made easier. I am working on gift guides for him, they will be up soon. That's all I have for now, happy shopping!

What is on your shopping list for Black Friday?

Thanks for stopping by and have a fabulous day!




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21 November 2013

Oh, Deer!

Happy Thursday Lovelies! Sorry for the disappearing act the last week, but school has been insane, I mean, like beyond insane! I hope you can forgive me and can relate to what I'm going through since it's also the beginnings of the bustle of the holiday season and I'm willing to bet you all feel like there is just not enough time ever. My sincerest apologies. So, while the semester is winding down the next month I will try my hardest to find time to post, but bear with me, I am a grad student, and an incredibly foolish one for taking 5 classes this semester; begrudgingly, school comes first. Even though I would rather spend my time talking fashion than wind energy applications for the built environment...weird, right? ;-)

That being said, I have a plan for the next few weeks and I am actually really excited about it! I am hoping to post 3-4 times a week and will be starting a recipe feature weekly, outfit posts as usual, holiday gift giving guides, and of course, ideas of what to wear this holiday season! So, I hope to be able to follow through on my plans and I hope you enjoy this direction for the next few weeks. 

Today, however, I want to share with you my current style crush: everything and anything deer. I can actually pinpoint the thing that pushed me over the edge to adoration of this gorgeous animal: this Old Navy sweater. Prior to seeing this sweater on their website last weekend, I sort of thought the whole deer and reindeer everywhere thing was just eh. I was feeling very ambiguous towards the docile creature gracing the fronts of tee's and sweaters, and popping up as a major theme in holiday decor this year. Give me Thumper over Bambi any day, were my thoughts. Keyword: were. All this has changed, and much to Kevin's chagrin too. I am 100% team Bambi now (don't worry I am still team Thumper too, like I could actually choose just one, psh, child please). So, having fallen for the sweater, I went a little crazy, as is my nature, and started stalking all the deer related things that I now "need" (hence Kevin's chagrin). So, I put together a little sample of all of my latest obsession. 

Oh, Deer!

row one: one / two / three / four
row two: one / two / three / four
row three: one / two / three / four

AND, being the crazy, overly enthusiastic type-A that I am, I even put together some outfits show how I would love to style some of the items featured above, so you all can be obsessed with me. You. Are. Welcome. =D

Oh Deer Outfit 1


Is there anything better than a slouchy, cozy sweater? One with deer of course! I love this sweater and my favorite way to wear an over-sized sweater is with leggings and boots. I also love unexpected layers, like adding a preppy gingham button-up under a loose, bohemian style sweater, so that is exactly how I would wear this one. To add a pop of color to this outfit, I would toss on some bright orange, simple stud earrings and orange satchel. Beanies are everywhere this season and this outfit is a perfect mix of styles and textures to add a navy beanie over my long, unruly hair. Lastly, these boots - perfect to wear from fall into winter, and oh my gosh, the Sherpa lining peeking over is perfection!  

Oh Deer Outfit 2

plaid shirt / necklace / watch & bracelets / jeans / sweater / booties / fur vest / purse

For this deer sweater, which I am currently swooning over the mostest, I would definitely wear it out for lunch with girlfriends on the weekend. Again, layers are my best friend. Here, I would play with bordeaux details, because I am love, loving it this season! Plus it pairs well with gray tones and brown tones. These buckle ankle booties are on my lust list, but as I have gotten a few pairs this season already, a chocolate colored pair such as these, will more than likely have to wait til next fall to enter my closet. However, my future booties would be worn with this sweater, dark wash jeans, a plaid and statement jewelry, as is my weekend uniform as the weather is cold and I need to layer up. As a finishing touch, I would throw a fur vest on, for fun, for warmth, and for my love of fur. I mean, really, do you need a reason to add a faux fur vest over anything? Nope, you don't. 

Oh deer Outfit 3

blazer / belt / cross-body purse / scarf / cords / tee / necklace / watch / shoes

For this outfit, I decided to style this JCrew Factory deer tee for work. I would wear it with a pair of wine colored cords and this fabulous plaid blazer from Target. Yes, I am still obsessed with deep reds, sue me. AND, navy and bordeaux just happens to be one of my favorite color combinations for fall, so rich and classic, complementing the white and gold tee beautifully. Right? I know you love it too! I would play off the deer on the tee and wear this cognac colored quilted cross-body purse, which is also the perfect textural pairing with the knit scarf and corduroy pants. Lastly, for the details of this outfit, I would throw a little pattern mixing in with leopard heels and belt, I just can't help myself! Since the deer on the shirt is sparkly, I would keep my jewelry tastefully minimal, I am at work after all ;-) so I don't want to have too much going on in my business casual environment, a simple pearl statement necklace and this adorable bow watch are the perfect accessories! 

So that is how I would style deer adorned pieces if I had unlimited funds. Hey, a girl can dream, can't she? 

What are you obsessing over this week?
What are you thoughts on deer; yay or nay?
Thanks for stopping by and have a fabulous day!




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11 November 2013

Weekend Recap + Stripes, Bordeaux, & Vest

Happy Monday! How was everyone's weekends? Lovely I hope! Mine was swell =) I worked late Friday night due to some car trouble in the morning and didn't arrive home until 8 pm. This meant a quite night in with some mags and a mani, which was fine by me. Saturday morning was an early one, since I had class on campus at 8 am. Let's just say I will be very glad after our last Saturday meeting a month from now! After class, Kev and I headed home and while we had the best intentions of being productive...we instead had a Sons of Anarchy marathon, thank-you Netflix for enabling our obsession with watching a ton of TV show episodes in a row. Anyone else binge on TV shows? 

Kev started watching SOA like two weeks ago and got through season one in like two days. Well, in that time I caught like an episode or two plus the finale, and that was all I needed. I was hooked. So, as he started season two a week ago, I insisted on watching it with him. Of course he was mad. We have this thing were we get mandatory alone time away from each other to keep ourselves sane and that means we each have our own TV shows (we have a TON we already watch together as they air weekly), and then in our alone time we have shows that we watch because the other has no interest in seeing. I thought SOA would be a show I wouldn't want to watch, but I was very mistaken. Oops. Sorry Kev. So, now we watch it together and he has been watching the B, C, and D-list action movies on Netflix during his alone time. Anyways, we finished off season 3 on Saturday night and it.was.awesome. 

Due to our being incredibly terrible students Saturday, we spent all day Sunday cleaning and doing homework. Very exciting, no? 


Shirt - Old Navy / Vest - Old Navy / Leggings - Target / Shoes - Target
Purse - Target (similar) / Necklace - Groopdealz (similar) / Nails -Essie SoleMate





Okay, so today I am posting an outfit from a few weeks ago. I wear this olive vest from Old Navy pretty much whenever I am not wearing my herringbone one from JCrew Factory, I am quite addicted to vests right now. Well, until it starts to snow, which is projected to this week, then I will be trading them in for winter puffers and peacoats. 





In addition to this vest, I also found this striped long sleeve tee at Old Navy. I love that its light weight and not too tight. I am really weird about my clothing being breathe-able, especially during the winter when I wear a million layers, I don't like to feel think my skin is being smothered by fabric. That being said, I love this tee. Plus its striped, and I am a bit of a striped clothing addict, its the perfect print to pattern mix with and is pretty much acceptable to wear all year round! 




This Groopdealz steal and JCrew dupe is making another appearance today. It was seen last week here, and I am positive it is the "color mix" necklace of the fall. Its the perfect combination of colors that make it very wearable and add a pop of color to an outfit. Lastly, I accessorized with Bordeaux lips, tips, and flats (told you, I'm in love!) which I think complement the grey and olive green nicely. 



I'm keeping it short and sweet today since I have a busy week ahead. Hope you all have a great Monday!

Do you have a collection of vests?
What's your go-to accessory this fall?

Thanks for stopping by and have a fabulous day!




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08 November 2013

Throwin' Elbows + Zara Scarf Winner

Happy Friday lovelies!! TGIF, indeed. This is one week I am glad is over. As the semester begins its rapid descent to completion, my stress levels increase exponentially. It just seems like there are fewer and fewer hours in a day, which is just compacted by daylight savings. Now don't get me wrong, I cherished my extra hour of sleep last weekend, but to be frank, having it be pitch black before 6 o'clock sucks. Having fewer hours of daylight makes my brain go into overdrive freak-out mode as it believes there are in fact less hours to do things too. Weird how much we associate time with light, or maybe its just me... Is anyone else suffering major panic attacks over not having enough time, and thinking its like 10 pm when its 6 pm? Such an anti-fun mind boggle. Crossing my fingers to adjust soon...gah!

Anyways, my time comprehension issues aside, this week has been biting at frosty temperatures which in turn has caused me to basically live in my warmest and coziest sweaters, cardigans, and knits. I have been getting a lot of inquires on my instagram outfit posts about where I have purchased several of the knits I wore this week. Unfortunately, almost everything my incredibly stylish followers inquire about is old news. I hang on to sweaters for ages and many of these are more than a year or two old. So, after I posted one of my favorite pieces this morning and received so much love over the cardigan featured, a piece that again, is several years old, I was inspired. Not wanting you ladies to miss out, I decided to put together a collection of other pieces currently available. Below are some of the outfits I have posted this week featuring my favorite sweaters.

Today: Grey Grandpa-style Knit Cardigan with Brown Corduroy Elbow Patches 
(Target 2-3 years ago)

looking back at the rest of the week...
Saturday: Over-sized Knit Cardigan in Taupe (outfit details here)



Sunday: Cream Cable Knit Open Front Sweater (Old Navy 2-3 years ago)



Monday: Caramel Cowl Necklace Open Front Knit Cardigan (Target this fall)



Tuesday: Leopard Print Cardigan (outfit details here)



Thursday: Yellow Knit Sweater (outfit details here)



One of my favorite details for fall and winter is elbow patches. I am sure you all love them too, how could you not? ;-) It's such a classic detail, whether its mimicking classic tweed blazer patches I think of a professor wearing while smoking a pipe, pursuing his library, or the soft cardigan patches, adorned by the dad as he plays in the fallen autumn leaves with his kids, this trend is full of styling opportunities from generations of its male counterparts. Since elbow patches are a menswear inspired detail, I'm always compelled to reminisce about my grandfathers, and even my father, when I see them. The nostalgic aspect of the patches is just something I cannot escape. There is just something about elbow patches on sweaters and cardigans that make me feel like I am being wrapped up in their love and protective arms when I wear them, especially in this cardigan, with its muted, masculine tones.

All of my imaginative and emotional impositions on this detail aside (and now that you know how tangent driven my brain is), I also just love the unexpected pop of color and the fun new ways elbow patches are being done today to make a masculine detail a tad more feminine, like the sequined patches on the Old Navy cardi, or the heart shaped patches on the ASOS sweater. Another popular update to this classic style for this season includes leather patches (leather is everywhere right now!). There is also a transition to fastening them on pull-over sweaters in addition to the traditional pieces like cardigans and blazers. Any way you slice it, elbow patches are a must this season! Here are some of my favorite pieces available this year:

Throwin' Elbows

1 / 2 / 3 / 4 
5 / 6 / 7 / 8
9 / 10 / 11 / 12

I must admit that number 8 is by far my favorite. I love the color blocking (the cobalt is fabulous next to the grey) and the chunkiness of the knit, plus is a cardigan! Hello, lover! And, although I am a little cautious about all the leather popping up this season, these leather elbow patches are a phenomenal final touch on it. It's most definitely going on my lust list!

Are you throwin' elbow (patches) this fall?
Will you be adding any of these to your closet?

The last order of business I have before bidding you farewell is to announce the winner of the Zara plaid blanket scarf giveaway! Congrats to Keara L. for winning! I will be emailing you shortly =)

Thanks for stopping by and have a fabulous day!




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07 November 2013

Fall Brights: Polka Dots, Herringbone, + Yellow Cable Knit

Happy Friday's Eve Lovelies! The week is in full swing and so I will keep today's outfit post brief. Yesterday it was cloudy, rainy, and gloomy pretty much all day. While I absolutely love this weather, I also can't help but feel a need to bust out some brights to add some sunshine to an otherwise grey day. Knowing that this weather was going to continue today, I prepared an outfit to combat the rainy day blues. Additionally, I think this is a great opportunity to show you how I incorporate my bright colored clothing and jewelry into my fall outfits, which can tend to get a little monotonous with all the neutrals I gravitate to this time of year. Adding a bright colored piece or two is an easy way to freshen up a look and bring some lightness as the day light start to creep away.

Today I am wearing a bright yellow cable knit sweater over my favorite polka dot top (also seen here). I threw my herringbone vest on for an extra layer in the cold. I even found these amazing herringbone tweed and patent leather flats while I was cleaning out my closet this week (don't you just love when that happens??), which I thought were a perfect pairing with this vest. Since the yellow of this sweater is quite bright I wanted to pair it primarily with black and white, that way the sweater becomes the focus of the outfit. Keeping the prints small, in herringbone and tiny polka dots also keeps the outfit from becoming overwhelming with the mix of prints and bright yellow. Lastly, I accessorized with my amazing J.Crew inspired techni-colored floral statement necklace I was lucky enough to find on super sale from Groopdealz at the beginning of the fall. It is a perfect splash of autumn brights to complement this outfit. Just for fun I threw on a bright pink lipstick to mix it up from all of the dark lips I have been drawn too lately. A finishing whimsical touch to this outfit that I think pulls it all together (minus my wind blown bun which is taking on a life of its own, eek!). 


Polka Dot Shirt - J.Crew Factory (in lilac)(option)(option) / Sweater - Gap (option) / Vest - J.Crew Factory (option)
Necklace - Groopdealz (option) / Bracelets: Enamel - J.Crew (option) / Cuff - Forever 21 (option) / Bangles - Rue 21 (option)
Shoes - Naturalizer (option)(option) / Purse - Phillip Lim for Target (option) / Leggings - Target



 












Do you incorporate your brights into your fall outfits?

P.S. Today is the last day to enter to win the Zara blanket scarf featured in the giveaway post,
don't forget to enter here!

Thanks for stopping by and have a fabulous day!




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