B to C

More ideas for ways to go from place to place, or you might say since we already covered A to B, this is B to C.

Exhibit B: frolicking in the mountains, and then driving back through the mountains and a few mountain passes to a lower elevation to run errands and get settled at home after a weekend of play. Exhibit B is comprised of: a bulldog sweater, leggings, a scarf, a down vest, and snow boots.

And lots and lots of snow.

Exhibit C: perfect for running errands and enjoying the winter sunshine in Colorado (the temperature this day reached 70! in the middle of winter! I rolled down my car windows and turned up the tunes. Y'all, it was great). Exhibit C was comprised of: the same (wonderfully awesome) bulldog sweater, skinny jeans cuffed a few times, fancy pointy-toed flats, a faux leather jacket, a pearl explosion necklace, and shades. Shades for the above mentioned sunshine.

This was an easy transitional look - I kept the sweater the same and changed my bottoms and outer layers. And accessories, too. And the entire vibe of my ensemble.

But, you gotta do what you gotta do when you swing from one weather extreme to another, and you need to look good and feel good while you're doing it.

sweater: Target

scarf: c/o Aéropostale

vest: Old Navy

leggings: c/o Aéropostale

boots: SOREL via JAX

sweater: Target

jeans: c/o Aéropostale

jacket: c/o Aéropostale

flats: Target

A to B

If you've got a busy weekend ahead of you, with several places to be, that happen to be one right after the other, pay attention - this post is for you.

One of my friends gave me the idea to do a few posts on "transitional dressing." Not winter to spring, or summer to fall (although I could definitely do some of those, if you're interested), but this is more of a "when you're running around and don't have time to change, but you've got to be somewhere, wearing something different than what you left the house in."

Sometimes that's the gym to brunch, or brunch to gym, or errands to lunch, or pedicures to dinner.

Or, perhaps, dogsledding to lunch...

I went dogsledding with my family a few weeks ago (this was my 3rd time going). And, you guys, if you ever have the opportunity, GO! It's such a rush - you're on a sled, pulled by a team of running dogs, the air is crisp and the snow is bright. You can pretend you're competing in a dogsled race on the frozen tundra, the wind in your hair, the dogs smiling as they run...

If you DO go dogsledding, dress warmly - you'll be in the snow, cruising right along, but you'll also be running and helping to push the sled.

I dressed like I was going skiing, with a few minor substitutions: long underwear/cold weather running gear (long sleeve technical shirt + running tights/leggings) as a base layer; warm technical-fabric sweatshirt; snow pants & ski jacket; mittens, a neck "gator," hat or headband, and warm snow boots, instead of stiff ski boots.

I chose my under layers knowing that I would be heading out to lunch after the dogsledding adventure...

I ditched the sweatshirt, snow pants and jacket, neck "gator" and mittens. I added a buffalo plaid shirt over my long sleeve technical shirt that was my base layer, added a scarf over top, and swapped my hat for a solid black fleece one with a pom-pom on top. Those leggings are ones I wear running, and also the ones I wore under my snow pants while dog sledding (and skiing the next day).

I changed my whole look, in the parking lot of a brewery, without ever baring skin. Keeping my base items the same, and making sure they weren't sheer, see-through, or wildly inappropriate or skin-baring, I was able to easily step out of my snow pants and ski jacket and don a new layer.

And if your base items are basic enough (black, gray, easily matching what you're going to wear next), you can easily dress them up, down, in, out, or under just about anything you might need to don to make it to your next "appointment,"

However, if a quick deck-change isn't an option, there's always changing in the car, or ducking into a restroom. More on that later...

Ever end up running from place to place and need to change up your outfit on the go?

How do you make it work?

ski jacket: Anakie

snow pants: Sniagrab. in high school...

sweatshirt: 2013 Denver Hot Chocolate 15k

snowboots: SOREL via JAX

mittens: Hestra

neck gator: gift

gray beanie: Sniagrab. in high school...

sunglasses: Target Mens' section

buffalo plaid button up: Kohl's

scarf: c/o Aéropostale

running leggings/tights: TJ Maxx 

snow boots: SOREL via JAX

black beanie with a pom-pom: Old Navy

stealing beanies

This beanie is stolen.

No, not from a store, or from a merchant. It's bought and paid for, with a receipt and everything

BUT

I did steal it from someone in my family. I had ski hair, I was cold, and I liked the new beanie:

it's navy blue (*swoon*), warm, doesn't make me look bald like most beanies, and has a Colorado flag on it. Not sure if it will ever get back to its rightful owner...

shirt: Kohl's

vest: Old Navy

beanie: Breckenridge Hat Store

pants: Aéropostale

snow boots: SOREL via JAX

the sweater saga, part 3 + sweater #12

part 1 and part 2 of my Sweater Saga

I used to be of the "more is more!" mindset, but I find myself lately adopting the "less is more" / "simplicity is the ultimate sophistication mindset." At times, I feel overwhelmed with the amount of stuff I have/own, and subsequently have to maintain and upkeep. So, I'm trying to make a conscious effort to limit my "stuff." And that includes clothes.

I know my closet could always stand to lose a few items, and I'm becoming more and more comfortable with getting rid of things that don't flatter me, don't fit me well, or don't reflect me. I really enjoy "playing in my closet" - trying things on, pairing unlikely things together, further solidifying things I know I like to wear, and also getting rid of things. It's a more grown-up and real life version of dress up. 

All of that to say, I'm by no means a minimalist. But I can really appreciate many minimalist ideals - less is more, quality over quantity. I don't really need several of the same items, and I'm learning that less items = less maintenance. Which means more time to do fun things, like love on my pup, and read, and run, and ski, and sleep.

And those are things I'm into.

tunic: Hollister via a local consignment shop

chambray: Old Navy

sweater: Eddie Bauer

leggings: c/o Aéropostale

snow boots: SOREL

two New Year's Day outfit ideas (sweater #1 + #2)

If you're like me, and didn't go out or get gussied up to celebrate New Year's Eve, you might be more concerned about what you're wearing for the first day of the year. Lucky you, I've got not one, but TWO fancy pants (literally) ideas below.

Difficult to see, but I'm sporting my leggings with the faux leather stripe down the side. Let the leather tell you "edgy", or "daytime tuxedo pant," whichever you prefer. I paired them with an oversized button up (with my monogram!) from my sister-in-law (she gave them to her bridesmaids to get ready in the day of her wedding), and wore a bright red cardigan on top.

Additionally, I layered a shirt underneath, because, cold.
I wore my SOREL snowboots because, snow.
And I added a beanie because, dirty hair.

You could easily ditch my cold weather accessories for something a bit more fancy, and warm weather friendly, too. Sandals? Flats? Heels?


button up: gift from my sis-in-law
shirt underneath: GAP
leggings: c/o Aéropostale
snow boots: SOREL via Jax
cardigan: from a friend
hat: ?

  

These pants are new - they were a Christmas gift from my brother and sister-in-law. They're velvet (velvet = fancy).

They're warmer than most other pants I own.

They're skinnies.

They're black.

They're perfect. 

Paired with a slouchy sweater, a statement necklace, booties, and a messy-ish bun, it's the perfect outfit for starting off the New Year in style.

sweater: c/o Aéropostale

pants: J. Crew Factory (gift from my brother & sis-in-law)

booties: Old Navy

scarf: c/o Aéropostale

necklace: WalMart

peacoat: Old Navy

Happy 2015! Hope it's treating you right!

layered up

this is my "I'm cold out here" face

faux leather stripe on my leggings. fancy, huh?

What do you wear when the highest expected temperature is 9 degrees?

Answer: at least 4 layers up top, warm fuzzy boots, fancy pants, and a blanket scarf.

I hadn't originally planned on wearing the chambray, but added it at the last minute, and these pants are ponte knit leggings with a faux leather stripe up each side from Aéropostale (from last year). 

Let me tell ya about this scarf. I was inspired by the blanket scarf trend of last winter and this year. It sold out quickly everywhere, and I can't really justify spending more money on more scarves. So, I went to WalMart and checked out the fabric section. I found this houndstooth print, and a gray and red buffalo plaid (worn here), and purchased a yard of each. They're nice and big and square and warm and bulky - I fold them in half to a triangle shape, and loop them around. Sometimes they look more structured, and sometimes bulky or a bit lopsided. I have yet to master the art of tying/looping/wearing a blanket scarf, but just winging it seems to work for me.

teal shirt: Target

chambray: Lauren Conrad via Kohl's

sweater: Eddie Bauer

scarf: WalMart

leggings: Aéropostale

boots: SOREL via Jax

Early [Weekend] Mornings

oh y'know, just shivering & trying to stay warm while trying to take cute outfit pictures ;)

This cold weather look is something I wore when we had to take one bulldog (the handsome one, Turbo) to the vet for an appointment on an early, snowy, cold Sunday morning. We dropped him off at 7:30 (7:30! on a Sunday!) to get his (sparse & very crooked) teeth cleaned. After we dropped him off, we headed to a favorite breakfast place that usually has a crazy long wait on the weekends. But since we were there before 8, we had no wait and were seated right away! 

And then, since we were up, and in town, and full on pancakes, bacon, and coffee by 9 am, we decided to run some errands. We were done with our errand running, shopping, productive-ness, and on our way home with the freshly-cleaned teeth of Turbo by NOON! This is unheard of for us, people! We like to sleep in on the weekends and take our time getting things done. We had so much done on this day before we're normally even out of pajamas, it made me start thinking about starting every weekend day early.

But then, I remembered that I and my Mr. enjoy sleeping in. Especially when it snows. And is cold outside. And there's fresh coffee to be drunk. And unwatched House of Cards episodes on NetFlix to be watched. And snoring bulldogs to be snuggled.

SHOP THE LOOK...OR SOMETHING SIMILAR

sweatshirt: Old Navy [similar below]

vest: Old Navy [similar below]

scarf: GAP (gift) [similar below]

jeans: Aéropostale

boots: SOREL [exact below]