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

you do not

I know yesterday I talked about being cold and wearing a beanie for warmth + several other layers + furry boots + a down vest. But today, it's all about a chambray dress, light scarf, bare legs, and boots.

When the temperature reaches the 60s in the middle of winter, and the sun is shining,

you do not question.

You do not wear 18 layers.

You do not pass GO.

You do not stop to collect $200.

You wear a dress, ditch the tights, and ditch the heavy jackets.

At least for a few days.

dress: Kohl's

henley: Express

cardigan: Banana Republic

scarf: WalMart

boots: Nordstrom

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

Aéro - plaid, leather, leopard & bows

I did some shopping recently at Aéropostale, and got some new goodies - a few that I've had on my list for quite some time. Keep reading to see what I found, and why I love it.

The first is this plaid button-up. You know me - I love me a good button-up shirt. And in a color scheme I don't already have. Online I can't find this blue/red plaid, but here is the shirt's twin, in blue:

Long Sleeve Double Cloth Plaid Woven Shirt.

Next is this cute black skirt from Aéro's Bethany Mota line. It's a full skirt, with a cute, yet understated bow at the waist. I wear it at my actual waist - right around my belly button, and it hits a few inches above my knees (look for an outfit post featuring this skirt soon!).

some similar skirts:

Solid Pucker Skirt / Chevron Jacquard Pleated Skirt

Solid Diamond Lace Skirt / Pleated Uniform Skirt

I also found leopard print flats - the ones I've been wearing since my days of working retail were looking pretty rough. We're talking holes in the soles and torn leopard... so, needless to say, I've been on the hunt for new leopard print flats. And I found some! AND, they're very light and incredibly comfortable on my tender, prone-to-blister feet.

similar: Pointed Flat / DV8 By Dolce Vita Scrunchie Ballet Flat 

And this jacket. This jacket is what faux leather jacket dreams are made of. I purchased a black faux leather jacket this summer from Target and got TONS of wear out of it this fall, so I added a brown one to my closet wish-list. This jacket was the first thing I saw when I walked into Aéropostale a few weeks back, and I knew immediately that'd found THE ONE (I opted for one size larger than I normally would, so that I could comfortably wear a sweater or long sleeves underneath it, to maximize all the ways I could wear it).

exact: Classic Faux Leather Jacket

Here's everything. I've gotten the most wear (so far) out of the jacket - it's been on repeat on the sunny days we've had the past few weeks. But don't you worry - we're back to snow and freezing temperatures, though...

the end of a sweater era

Here we are. The end of an era. The end of a sweater wearing era.

Ha. Not really.

I'll be wearing sweaters (and layers and coats and scarves and boots) until at least May.

But I AM at the end of my posts about my 31 sweaters (trust: I wore them all in January. I'm a bit behind on posting, so my apologies for this style challenge bleeding into February).

So, I did it. I wore my 31 sweater-y items (sweaters, sweatshirts + sweater dresses) in 31 days.

And took pictures and then posted them here on the internet. 

What did I learn? 

That I might have too many sweaters. That I don't need any more. And sometimes it's fun to pick out your outfit within some constraints - it forces me to get creative and come up with ways to make something wearable that I might have otherwise glossed over. 

So, again, reinforcing that I don't need to add to my closet, and that I like style challenges - both things I already knew. But those are both nice lessons to reinforce ;)

See all 31 sweaters here.

And read about "The Sweater Saga"

part 1 / part 2 / part 3

part 4 / part 5 / part 6 / part 7

the final sweater, #31

Here's the final sweater to round out my "Sweater a Day Challenge" for January...halfway through February...oops (I wore them in order, in January, but am backlogged on posting).

This black cable-knit makes 31. This is it. My final sweater. Look for a recap in the next few days. 

linking up at On the Daily Express and More Pieces of Me, and over here too, since it's been a while since I've worn this sweater

sweater: American Eagle

jeans: c/o Aéropostale

scarf: WalMart

boots: c/o Aéropostale

indigo pants + sweater #30

It's tough to see, but I'm wearing a pink button up shirt under that white cable knit sweater. And these pants. Let's talk about these pants for a hot minute.

They're navy blue.

They're skinnies.

They're stretchy.

They fit like a glove.

All of the above are good things,

BUT...

They're also some special indigo dye, and they have been rubbing off on whatever I wear them with. By the end of the day, this sweater was turning a wee bit blue on the sleeves and around my waist/hips. So, that's frustrating. However, I'm supposed to wash them by themselves the first few times, then I should be ok. 

We'll see.

The price of fashion, my friends.

The things I do for the pants I love.

button up: Eddie Bauer

sweater: Old Navy

scarf: gift

pants: target

boots: Nordstrom