The Piece I Declare You Must Own

  Sweater: RACHEL Rachel Roy; T-Neck: Target; Leggings: INC; Boots: Halogen;

Necklace: Stella & Dot

I met my friend Megan of Chasing Davies for a little photo shoot and collaboration earlier in the week. I think it's destined to rain every time we get together. Remember this day? 

I wanted to be warm and comfortable and that's exactly what I was! I had a meeting later that evening so I needed a look that would literally take me from to day to night. I'm thinking these leggings are the perfect thing to wear when doing that. Just look at the rainy day post above! I now declare leggings the rainy day, comfortable look, day to night piece that every girl must own. However, you must wear them as pants!

 

The Sweater: Before and After

   

 

The week is almost over!! We've all made it, right? It's been a rough one here on the home front, but I think we're on the other side! 

Here's to tomorrow being Friday!  

A Fisherman's Sweater

Sweater: My Dad's; T-Neck: J.Crew; Cords: LOFT; Wedges: Steven by Sam Edelman;

Shades: MARC by Marc Jacobs

There are days when all you want to do is wrap yourself in something incredibly warm and comfortable. And for me, that's this sweater. This was my dad's sweater that he used for cold mornings on the water when fishing in East Tennessee. I stole  borrowed it years ago and it's my go-to when it's freezing and I can't stay under a blanket all day. Besides, there's not much fishing to be had in Overland Park, right?

I grew weary of my boyfriend jeans over the holiday "break". I can't believe I just said that, but I literally wore them day in and day out on vacation. I decided to mix things up and go with cords. Pale pink paired with charcoal was just the ticket and my wedges were a nice, last minute addition.

 

 

The Cords: Before and After 

With all these sub degree temps, what is your go-to comfort piece for a dreary, winter day?

A Mix of Browns

Jacket: Ann Taylor; Top: J.Crew; Jeans: Ann Taylor; Pumps: Moshino Cheap & Chic;

Sunnies: Ann Taylor; Handbag: Louis Vuitton (gift); Necklace: Tori Spelling via HSN

Rings: Gorjana via Gilt; Nail Color OPI Diva of Geneva

 

I'll be honest. On this particular morning I just wasn't feeling it. I didn't want to get out of bed, let alone think about what I would wear. Normally, I think of outfits the night before. Since that didn't happen, the result was jeans. There is something about jeans. They are comforting. Like taking your favorite blanket with you to wrap up in during the day.

 

The jeans were all I had in mind! I knew it was supposed to be warmer than normal so I grabbed something the resembled fall, brown. And that's how it all came together. I love the mix of hues. However, I think I look the sans jacket! It just makes me appear wider than I actually am. On the other hand, I have never received as many compliments as I did with this look.

 

 

 

The Jacket: Before and After

 

 

 

 



A T-Shirt Dress

Dress: J.Crew Factory; Belt: Ann Taylor; Sandals: Target; Sunnies: Tom Ford;

Necklace: eBay; Handbag: Rebecca Minkoff via Gilt

I love a simple t-shirt dress! They are so comfortable because, well, it's a t-shirt. And they can be so versitle. This is how I wore mine to work but I can't wait to throw on my Chuck Taylors for a more casual look! On the other hand, add an amazing scarf and cute heels and it will take it to a date night look in an instance.

 

I got this darling dress from the J.Crew Factory sale a couple of weeks ago. And, if you think it looks oddly familiar, you're right. It closely resembles this dress. Must be why I like it so much!

 

 

Check out my new Rebecca Minkoff bag! It's the "Andie" bag. It's just the right tote to take me straight into fall!

 

 

Speaking of fall, this dress will be a perfect transition piece. Layered with a denim jacket, tights, boots or paired with a t-neck. Gotta love a work-horse piece!

 

Happy Wednesday!



Packing: My How-To



We fly out on Friday for a family reunion in Virginia and will be gone until Tuesday. I haven't seen most of my family in about two years so I'm really looking forward to the trip! However, it will be McKinley's first flight and I'm terrified. (If you want to follow along with that journey, check out Krasnow Living this week. I will be blogging about how I'm preparing us for the trip!)

 



As usual, I am planning, planning, planning! I'm kind of annal when it comes to packing for a trip, so I thought I would share with all of you some of my tips. Be prepared, I'm a list girl!! First off, I always check the weather before I plan out my looks for the week. Yes, I plan out my looks. It really does help on over-packing! And, looking at the forecast for VA later this week, we may be faced with rain and cooler temps. I love to travel but I hate being away from my closet. It is so hard to prepare for this kind of weather. Scattered and isolated showers are not something I want to see! I don't mind cooler temps, but sometimes with rain comes humidity and you don't really know if that's truly going to happen. So, I've been thinking about my wardrobe and what I can pack to get me through rain or shine or both!

 

From the photo above, you can see that I plan out each day. As I continue to plan my daily looks, I try to play off a couple of pieces that be worn multiple times and won't show visible signs of wear. Jeans are great for this! I plan to wear my skinny jeans out and back. Saturday is already planned for us as my mom has "cousin" t-shirts for everyone to wear. However, if it's going to rain and be a little cool, I've got to figure out something to pair with a short sleeved tee. I'm planning to throw in something to layer underneath and I'm asking my mom (they are driving) to bring my Hunters! Sunday is the family reunion so I'm planning on wearing a dress. Something casual as it's a picnic style gathering and I'm leaning toward cotton. I'll probably bring along two different dresses and style accordingly. Later that day, it will be a smaller gather at my aunt's house so I plan to wear my LOFT boyfriend jeans and a cute top. Oh, did I mention those boyfriend jeans will be worn on Saturday? See what I mean about doubling up their wear?

 

Monday we will be visiting with my dad's side of the family. I plan to wear jeans, but colored this time. Mint jeans and a cute top will make for comfort and keep me looking stylish. Then it's Tuesday and time to fly home. Like I mentioned before, skinnies will be worn again leaving only three pairs of jeans for the week! I have a list of extras that will need to be brought along as well. A hat to shield the sun, a jacket for cool evenings and small handbag for incidentals. I will also throw in shorts and other summery pieces in hopes that the forecast changes. As I start pulling everything together, and adding them to the suitcase, I will take photos so you can see how I've laid out the week. And, since we're planned to pack all three of us in ONE suitcase, I've got to get myself down to the bare neccessities!

 

Stay tuned.....





Work Place Comfort

Dress: Jaclyn Smith at Kmart; Jacket: My Mom's; Shoes: FarylRobin;

Ring: Silpada; Necklace: My Mom's/Silpada; Sunnies: MARC by Marc Jacobs

 

Ever have one of those days where you just want to be as comfortable as possible at work? Well that was me last week! After what seemed like a week of playing dress up, I decided that I just needed something that felt easy and light. This dress totally fit the bill. I tried several different belts but nothing worked any better than the self-belt. Instead of tying it in the front, I decided to wrap it around a couple of times and tie in a small knot in the back. I think I prefer that to the strings hanging down the front. Just something to play around with it.

 

I still think this look is work place appropriate. Cute shoes that aren't too casual (although you can't seem them) my faithful denim jacket to ward off the air condition chill and turquoise jewels to add a tiny bit of color. I think this was a work week success!

 

 

The Dress: Before and After

 

Happy Monday!



Styling Leather Again

Top: Piperlime; Jeans: Joe's Jeans (old); Pumps: ShoeDazzle (old/similar); 

Necklace: Ann Taylor (similar); Clutch: Gift

 

Friday night was a joint birthday dinner celebration for two of my very close friends and I wanted to look chic but feel comfortable at the same time. It has felt more like spring, especially on Friday, and I was so ready to wear to shed long sleeves. This vegan tee has been the best investment. Remember how I blogged about styling leather for spring? I've really enjoyed the challenge.

I haven't worn these jeans in awhile, for fear that they wouldn't fit, but they did! You can only imagine my surprise and excitement! They are one of my all time favs! I decided the look needed a pop of color so I went with my lime pumps. I'm so happy with the look and the evening was a complete blast! Nothing like drinks, dinner and great friends!

Other ways I've styled my vegan tee: