It’s officially Christmas-time kids!! And I know that because A.) Thanksgiving is over and, B.) this commercial is in heavy rotation:

Best. Commercial. Ever.

And Christmas-time usually comes with Christmas parties – except for me. I have no Christmas parties. But if I did have Christmas parties, I would surely pick something involving sequins to wear to them – the sparklier, the better. (Seriously. I am attracted to all things shiny. I think I might have been a magpie in a previous life.)

But what do you do with all of your sparkly tops when the holidays are over? Sure you can shove them to the back of the closet and leave them there alone and unloved until next year. But I say nay! I say you can make any day a holiday with sequins.

Let’s start with this top:

Paired with black skinny pants, a black velvet blazer, some brightly colored platform pumps and a leopard clutch this top would be tres fab for holiday cocktails with friends or even an office holiday party.

But I think we can all agree this top is far to pretty to be banished to some dark drawer once the merriment has come to an end. So here’s how I would wear this top to work, even after the holiday season has come and gone:

Layer a black turtle under this top, tuck them both into a black pencil skirt, add colored tights, black booties and voila! Instant, work-appropriate chicness.

But lest you think our friends sequins can only be fancy, here’s how you dress them down for the weekend:

This time layer the top under a warm, nubby cardigan, pair with skinny jeans and riding boots* and you’re set.

*As an aside – is there anything that does NOT look good paired with skinny jeans and riding boots? I really think that old adage about someone being so pretty they would look good in a potato sack might be true if said potato sack was worn over skinny jeans tucked into riding boots.

The lesson here, kids, is not to be intimidated by sequins. Don’t be afraid to buy that sparkly top for your holiday party just because you’re worried you won’t be able to wear it again – it CAN be done!*

*As long as you don’t spill something on it. Which I would do. Which is why I always drink clear drinks at parties. You’re welcome for the handy tip.  🙂

Kids, I have some big news – I have fallen in love. And I’ve fallen hard. For this coat:

I love you like a fat kid loves cake.

I know, I know – I have a dysfunctional relationship with coats.  But this time I swear it’s the real thing!! (The wrist buckles! The leather waist bow! The houndstooth! So many exclamation points!!!) And if I had $1,900 to spare, this coat and I would be getting married. But I don’t. And so, sadly, my love will have to remain unrequited.

But does that mean I can’t fall in love with another coat ever again? Probably not. And in fact, I’ve found two possible replacements at an unlikely source – Victoria’s Secret. They’re not just for slutty yoga pants and overpriced cotton underwear anymore.

Bachelor Number 1 is the Wool Military Lace-up Coat in Navy:

The shape here is mighty close to the Burberry. And a solid navy blue peacoat is a classic wardrobe staple. But there’s nothing overwhelmingly awesome here except the price – which is $149. (i.e. $1,750 less than the Burberry)

Bachelor Number 2 is the VS Double-breasted Peacoat in Blue Plaid:

Once again, the price here is obviously the major selling point. Unlike actual bachelors, when it comes to blue plaid peacoats, the cheaper the better. And this one is on sale for $99. (i.e. $1,800 less than the Burberry)

I’m not even going to ask if we love the Burberry, because if you don’t love the Burberry, we just can’t be friends anymore. But I will ask you to help me decide if we can love one of these perfectly fine replacements. So kids, what do we think?

One of the things I’m thankful for this Thanksgiving weekend (in addition to all of you guys, of course!) is the internet. Because I would rather donate a kidney to a serial killer than go to a mall/store on Black Friday. And thanks to the internet – I don’t have to do either!!

This morning I have already seen news stories about Black Friday shoppers being trampled, maced by police officers, or in one case, SHOT BY A FELLOW SHOPPER who was trying to get to an Xbox. On a more hilarious note  I also watched an interview with a couple who got an admittedly great deal on a giant tv which they then proceeded to try to unsuccessfully cram into their car in the background after the interview was over. Don’t they know they can order that same tv online and some nice man in a truck will bring it directly to their house, usually for free???

So rather than mingling with the masses, I’m enjoying Black Friday from the comfort and safety of my parents’ couch. Here’s what I want so far:

BCBGeneration Chiffon Tie Dress from Piperlime:

$128 minus 20% discount = $102.40

Hunter Wedge Rain Boots from Saks:

Regularly $175, on sale for $122.50

J Crew Cafe Wool Trouser in gray:

$138 minus 25% discount = $103.50

Fossil Rebecca Boots from Endless:

$168 minus 33% discount = $112.56

BCBG Arelia A-Line Coat:

$298 minus 50% discount on outwear = $149

Whew! I am exhausted after all of that Black Friday shopping – how about you? I hope I’m recovered in time for Cyber Monday. I better go take a nap. Happy shopping kids!!

Happy Thanksgiving Eve kids!! And in the spirit of our original, gracious Thanksgiving hosts I present, for your consideration, these moccasins:

I’m sure the Native Americans wore something exactly like this while preparing their horns o’plenty.

Now you can file these right alongside my Uggs as things I never thought I would wear. But while I still think my Uggs are downright hideous to look at, I think these are kind of cute. Especially worn like this:

Pretty sure the Native Americans wore something exactly like this, too.

But what do you think? Are these really cute or am I too festive for my own good?

I don’t like snow. How’s that for a non sequitur? I blame my total inability to come up with a clever way to start this post on the fact that I have already turned my brain off for Thanksgiving. And yes, I still have to work until Wednesday. So if you know what’s good for you, you will not call me for legal advice this week.

But back to the snow. The only time I like snow is when it is falling from the sky. The minute it hits the ground it ruins my life. And so, it should be no surprise that I don’t want snowflakes on my clothes either. But fair isle sweaters are all the rage this winter and now I’m being forced to reevaluate my anti-snowflake stance. Let’s take a look:

Free People Fair Isle Cropped Sweater:

I. Can’t. Even. It’s snowflakes. It’s pastels. It’s cropped. This one is a no.

J Crew Handknit Fair Isle Sweater:

Also no. This one is entirely too literal. If you’re not wearing this while sipping hot chocolate in a ski chalet in the 1980’s this sweater is not for you.

J Crew Dream Crewneck Fair Isle Sweater:

This one is better. I think the unexpected soft aqua color helps to soften the snowflake pattern. And for maybe the first time this season I actually like the styling by J Crew here. Kudos!

Ella Moss Jolene Sweater:

Now this one I actually like. Probably because the pattern is confined to small doses on the sleeves. And also because they’re more like ‘abstract snowflakes’ than actual snowflakes. Okay, okay – they’re diamonds. But this might be a good way for me to warm-up to this trend. (Hehe. Warm-up. Get it?? …… I told you I have holiday brain.)

And finally, the Hive and Honey Fair Isle Open Front Sweater:

This one is totally my fave. And yes, I realize that’s because there’s not a snowflake in sight. But if Hive and Honey can call this a fair isle sweater, so can I.

So what’s the final verdict? I think I can love fair isle details in small doses. But what about you?

PS – one thing we absolutely CANNOT love on our sweaters – reindeer. So girls, if your boyfriend/husband shows up to your family Thanksgiving and/or Christmas wearing this:

Break up with him. Immediately. You’ll thank me later.

If you are anything like me your first reaction to reading the title of this post was to giggle at the word snood. Your second reaction was to ask “what the hell is a snood?”

Well according to J Crew, this is a snood:

But according to dictionary.com, a snood is:

1. the distinctive headband formerly worn by young unmarried women in Scotland and northern England.

2. a headband for the hair

3. a netlike hat or part of a hat or fabric that holds or covers the back of a woman’s head.

4. the pendulous skin over the beak of a turkey.

Call me crazy, but this doesn’t look anything like a headband or the pendulous skin over the beak of a turkey. (How’s that for a visual?? Happy Early Thanksgiving kids!!)

What I think we have here is a failure to communicate. This is clearly just a fat, neverending scarf. And they’re popping up at retailers all over the place this winter.

Anthro calls them “loops”:

Old Navy is calling them “infinity scarves”:

And the Gap is apparently going with “cowlneck scarf”

Now while I think we can all agree that ‘”loop”, “infinity scarf” and “cowlneck scarf” are more descriptive terms for what is actually happening here, I’m hoping we can also all agree that those terms aren’t nearly as much fun to say as “snood.”

But is it equally as fun to wear a snood? Or should we all just stick with our good, old-fashioned scarves?

Do you realize that we are less than two weeks away from Thanksgiving??? The holiday season really snuck up on me this year. I mean, Saturday afternoon a friend was telling me that she thought the truly insane traffic in Green Hills was due to holiday shopping and I told her there was no way that could possibly be true – it’s only mid-November. And then I realized it is MID-NOVEMBER and of course that means holiday traffic is in full effect.

But the holiday traffic and crazed drivers trying to grab the last parking spot are not the most dangerous things about the holiday season. For me, the most dangerous thing about the holidays is the amount of money I end up spending on myself while I am shopping for others. It’s not like I can just leave my wallet in the car when I go into the mall – I am obvs going to need it to pay for gifts.

So along those lines I was doing some online website perusing to at least begin thinking about my holiday shopping this year and came across these pants – for myself:

Are these cute or are they crazy pants? And am I crazy-pants for thinking they might be cute?

Whether or not you like these pants, I think we can all agree that plaid cropped pants provide a unique styling challenge – and we all know how much I love a challenge. So here’s how I envision wearing these pants:

Crazy pants scenario No. 1:

Obviously the easy solution would be to wear these pants with a solid black or white shirt, but that’s just not very fun. So I would add one bold color on top and keep all of the other pieces simple and neutral so as not to compete.

Crazy pants scenario No. 2:

Now here I’m obviously cheating a little bit by opting for a neutral-colored sweater on top. But the gorge cowl-neckline makes up for it’s simple color and the neutral top is balanced out by the pop of brightly-colored flats on the bottom.

So what do we think kids? Are these pants crazy? Am I crazy for liking them? Can I still like them even if they ARE crazy? Help me decide.

I am one of those people who firmly believes that sometimes you have to suffer for fashion. Your fabulous new pumps give you blisters? Stock up on band-aids. You don’t want any lumps or bumps under your body-hugging dress? Learn to love Spanx.

But I am also human. And some days I just want to be comfy. But does that mean that I leave my house looking like this:

Hell no. I don’t know when people in America decided it was acceptable to wear their sleepwear out in public, but it’s time to rise up and MAKE IT STOP.

Especially when there are plenty of other stylish, comfortable clothing options out there. Like these pants:

Y’all – these pants are Uh. May. Zing. So much so that within two weeks of buying them I went back and purchased a second, identical pair because I was already convinced I would wear out the first pair before Christmas. They’re like a really thick knit legging but with genius jean-like styling at the top. Buy them now. You won’t regret it.

And on this casual Friday at the office, I’m wearing them like this:

The top and necklace* are also new this season but the boots I bought last year and my scarf is a style similar to this one from the Gap  several years back.

*Obvs my charm is an ‘s’ not an ‘a’, but Anthro didn’t have a pic of a single ‘s’ on the website. So it was either the ‘a’ or a pic of the whole alphabet. And I didn’t want y’all to think I was wearing all 26 letters around my neck.

Is this the most professional, lawyer-looking outfit I’ve ever worn? No.

But is it pajamas? Definitely not.

But does it feel like wearing pajamas while looking stylish and cute and not at all like someone who stumbled out of their house in some kind of cold medicine-induced sleepwalk? Absolutely.

So for all of you who say you can’t be bothered to be stylish because it’s not comfortable, I just proved you wrong. And we all know how much I love to win. 🙂 Happy Friday!!

It’s Friday! And Veteran’s Day!! And 11/11/11!!! To me that sounds like three good reasons to celebrate by buying myself something pretty. So what do we think about this top:

Here’s what I love about it:

– the pleated neckline

– the defined waist

– the awesome basket-weaving at the defined waist

Here’s what I’m not so sure about:

– the color choices

The dark gray is kind of blah. And the orange is pretty, but I think being mistaken for a UT or an Auburn fan might be worse than being blah. 🙂

But what do you think?

I am so slow with these ‘boots on a budget posts’ that you’ve probably already filled out your Fall 2011 boot wardrobe and no longer want/need my sage fashion wisdom. Well I put a lot of time and effort into this post young lady so you’re getting this wisdom whether you want/need it or not!! Today we’ll be tackling another one of my boot essentials – the brown ankle boot.*

*For purposes of this post I considered “on a budget” to mean $100 or less. I was surprised to find it was harder to find ankle boots at this price point than it was to find knee-high ones. Oh retail pricing, you will never cease to confuse me.

 
Let’s get started with the Nine West Azzurro Bootie:

I love that bootie. (I also love how this sentence would have a totally different meaning if you swapped out ‘booty’ for ‘bootie.’) Classic, simple shape makes it totally versatile and I love the little wrap detailing at the ankle. And waiting a little longer into fall to buy your boots means you can get this one on sale for $79.90 down from $109.95. Win!

Next is the Enzo Angiolini Haver Suede Bootie:

Another good example of how sometimes it literally pays to be a procrastinator (like me) because this bootie is on sale for $89.99 down from $120. This is another super-simple shape with some fun, subtle details around the heels. Also the yummy brown suede makes me think of hot chocolate – and who doesn’t like hot chocolate??

Speaking of suede, here’s the Nine West Darion bootie:

This color taupe is great – it’s like dark brown’s younger, hipper sister. It’s a great option for pairing with this season’s bright oranges, reds and pinks. And yes, at $99 it’s at the very top of our budget-friendly price range, but it’s so pretty!!

And finally, if you’re really looking to branch out, I recommend the Sabine Bahari bootie:

In case you haven’t noticed yet, this type of lace-up bootie is a huge trend this Fall. Pair these with a girlie dress or tunic over a pair of leggings with a gray or black boyfriend blazer for automatic adorableness.

And just because I love you – here are my general ankle boot tips and tricks:

1. If you plan to wear your ankle boots with skirts or dresses always go with a narrower heel or wedge. A heavy square-shaped block heel or  super-high wedge (no matter how comfy it may be) is going to bring all of the visual weight to your feet. What does that mean in layman’s terms? It means you’ll look like a horse. And no one wants that.

2. Make sure to be cognizant of where your ankle boots actually hit your ankle. Generally speaking, to avoid the appearance of cankles you want your boot to hit just above, not at or below, your actual ankle bone.

So there you have brown ankle boots on a budget. Next up, brown knee-high riding boots – which at this rate will be up sometime around Memorial Day 2012. Mark your calendars accordingly.  🙂