taupe & gray

All of the taupes and grays.

All of the knits.

And all of the scarves.

This day was frigid cold, which called for a warm sweater and not one, but TWO scarves. I had a surprise coffee date with my best friend, and she kept gushing over my taupe and gray ensemble. And to be honest, it's something I didn't put much thought into, but I knew I liked both colors, and thought "They look decent in home decor, so why not on a person?"

And, ya know what? I like how it turned out.

However, I'm hoping I don't have to wear this heavy of a sweater (or two scarves) until next winter. Fingers crossed!

oh oh, and linking up all over the place:

Jersey Girl, Texan Heart

Cappuccino and Fashion

A Touch of Tartan

Stylin in St. Louis, Living in Color Style, and Coffee Beans and Bobby Pins

I do deClaire and Once Upon a Time & Happily Ever After

sweater: thrifted (GAP)

gray skinnies: c/o Aéropostale

striped scarf: thrifted

oatmeal scarf: handmade

ankle booties: Old Navy

monday does it again

At the risk of sounding like a broken record, or a tugboat tooting my own horn, or Kanye singing his own praises, this outfit is another one that just came another in the early morning (yesterday did, as well). This look has a few different elements that, when combined, form a cohesive (and dare I say, classy?) look.

First up is the colorblocking with the navy top half, and the wine-colored pencil skirt. Colorblocking works best when the 2 colors are of the same saturation, or level, of color. So, a deep wine color, and a rich navy blue work here. Or a deep emerald with another equally deep and rich jewel-tones (see some of my past not-so-great colorblocking looks over here...).

Next is the monochromatic layers up top - the navy blue button-up under the navy blue vest.

The third is tying together the boots with the necklace and scarf. Cognac meets brown paisley and brown + gold - not matchy-matchy, yet coordinating and pulled together. And lastly, I wore a necklace under the scarf so that if/when I took off the scarf and vest (which I did), my outfit would still look complete, and not like it was missing some element.

button-up shirt: thrifted (J. Crew)

vest: Old Navy

scarf: gift

necklace: Target

pencil skirt: J. Crew Factory

boots: The Frye Company via Nordstrom

olive & magenta

This is one of those outfits that came together in the early morning haze that exists before the sun is up, before the coffee has been drunk, and before I'm ready to make coherent sentences. Somehow it came together, and I simply love LOVE LOVE how the olive looks with the purple and magenta, and how the stripes look with the fair-isle print of my scarf. I think this is one of my best looks yet.

On another note, I'm on the lookout for another pair of olive green skinnies - these have been great, but after just a few minutes of wear, they become stretched out and saggy in the most unflattering of places. Any recommendations on where I should look?

purple striped shirt: Kohl's

olive skinnies: c/o Aéropostale

fair-isle scarf: WalMart

gray blazer: c/o Aéropostale

magenta wedges: ALDO

the opposite of snowy

See that snow on the ground? And the accompanying velvet pants, boots, turtleneck, and blanket scarf?

I'm NOT wearing anything like that today.

Instead, I'm wearing a lot less warm clothing, and soaking up as much sunshine as possible with friends while patio drinking and frolicking. We're also resurrecting old phrases and -isms from our youth, in celebration of my birthday nameday yesterday:

"Long hair, don't care."

"Let your freak flag fly."

"Leggooooo."

"YOLO"

turtleneck: GAP

blanket scarf: WalMart

velvet pants: J. Crew Factory

boots: c/o Aéropostale

bye bye, blondie

This is the last of my oufits to share before I started taking pictures with my (new!) red RED RED hair. So, bye bye blondie. It's really red this time. And I love it.

It seems fitting to share this last blonde look today, since I'm a whole year older than I was yesterday. Out with the old, and in with the new?

Or is that something that only applies during the New Year?

cardigan: from a friend (Banana Republic)

black skinnies: Target

boots: c/o Aéropostale

scarf: thrifted

sassy

Just in case I haven't made it clear before, I love my Frye boots and wearing them with dresses or skirts. Without tights. It feels so sassy and fun. And almost like I'm getting away with something - like cheating winter and its subsequent snow and gross weather.

It DOES help to wear a warm dress when foregoing tights in winter - this sweatshirt dress from J. Crew Factory has a great fleece-y lining, and since it's such a nice basic color, pairs with just about any scarf in my closet.

dress: J. Crew Factory

scarf: gift

boots: The Frye Company via Nordstrom

jacket: c/o Aéropostale

all black. kinda.

One way to break up a lot of black is by adding in prints and textures. This black chambray leans gray in pictures, and the floral tank top still flows with the black pants, but adds visual interest. The scarf adds another texture up top, and hat caps everything off, without being so matchy-matchy - it doesn't match the floral print on my shirt, but still ties together the whole look. 

linking up over here

floral tanktop: WalMart

black chambray: Old Navy

black skinnies: Target

boots: c/o Aéropostale

hat: thrifted (Target)