For years now, it's been all stacks of delicate little rings; barely-there gold midi bands and minuscule anchors and stars and such. And I love a teeny-tiny ampersand as much as the next person, but ever since I saw that photo above (from my post on Fall 2014 nail trends), I've been coveting cigar band rings.
Everyone knows that the way to handle the changing seasons is by wearing layers: a tank under a cardigan under a vest topped with a jacket and a scarf, and you’re ready for whatever the weather can throw at you. But layering isn’t just a practical approach to temperature ups and downs; it’s also a fun way to add a little extra color and pattern to your favorite basics.
A trick for adding some interest to your look while keeping your legs warm and toasty: top a pair of black opaque tights with knee-high socks…and then layer a pair of patterned ankle socks on top of everything. (Just make sure that the rest of your outfit doesn’t fight with the print on your socks; a good rule of thumb is to make sure all the patterns that you have on are in the same basic color palette but are different sizes: small polka dots and big checks, for example.)
My mom will be so proud of this post.
Because I finally - finally! - own a practical winter jacket.
What finally broke me: the fact that the puffiness is so slimmed-down that it's just as flattering as a less-practical style, and that it's simultaneously classic and sort of retro-feeling. Oh: and the (faux) fur hood. That broke me, too.
There are some pieces that a closet just has to have: the workhorses of your wardrobe, those items - a perfect denim jacket, a slouchy grey sweater, a black bootie that goes with everything you own - that you pull out of your closet so often that their cost-per-wear ends up going down to something like one-ninetieth of a cent.
And it's not necessarily about spending a ton of money on these items; it's about finding pieces that you not only love, but that work for your life - that you don't have to think about, but can just throw on and know that you'll look (and feel) good. As an example, two of the pieces in my closet that I wear constantly are a three-hundred dollar pair of leather leggings…and a twelve-dollar cardigan from Forever21. Both excellent investments not because they're "bang for the buck" or whatever, but just because they get worn. A lot. And because I love them.
All of the pieces pictured above would get worn over and over and over…and look spectacular no matter where they went. (The best news? Nordstrom is having a major sale at the moment, and every single thing up there - from that gorgeous white blouse to that awesome tweed blazer to that totally dress-up-able pair of Current/Elliot sweats that I would like to own yesterday - is at least 40% off.)
Mornings are a bit of an adventure these days. During the week, Kendrick usually spends the night in Connecticut or leaves while it’s still dark out to make it to his first class, so when the kids wake up (simultaneously, just to maximize the chances that both will require help with ten thousand things at the exact same moment), I’m on my own. Waffles and juice and what-are-we-going-to-wear-today and spit-up on the comforter and diaper changes and dogs that need to go out immediately, please. It’s all very exciting.
Now, coffee is non-optional, but all of my other basic needs – brushing teeth, breakfast, pants that are not of the pajama persuasion – generally need to wait until things calm down and my daughter takes her first nap, sometime around ten. Makeup? I don’t think so. I’m lucky if I even see a mirror before I leave the house for my first excursion of the day.
But here’s the problem: I don’t have time to care what I look like in the mornings…but I still sort of…do. And what I’ve found is that the best way to allow myself to get out of the house makeup-free but still feeling confident enough to face the world is to put in a little extra effort the night before, so that I wake up looking (at least somewhat) refreshed.
