Thanksgiving OOTD

I hope everyone had a nice Thanksgiving. As I've mentioned in a previous post, Thanksgiving was never really a holiday we celebrated in my parent's house since it was so close to Christmas (which is when my whole family gets together). This year was slated to be the same way until a last minute trip to visit my dear friend was decided upon.

It was a very lovely weekend and it was certainly a nice change to how I usually spend the holiday. On Black Friday we indulged in some of the sale's. My favourite was the Gap. They had everything on sale for either 20%, 30%, or 60% off. We were able to pick up some nice things. I wanted to share my outfit that I wore out to dinner on Thanksgiving, and would also like to apologise for the blurry quality. I'm so bad at remembering to take photo's when I'm enjoying myself and in this instance I literally ran to my bag, whipped out my camera, and asked my friend to take a few. The lighting in the room was on the other side from where I was standing, so the flash wasn't going off and I wasn't aware until the photo session had finished that actual pictures were taken.

Broadway shirt from Stylemint (size 1)

H&M wool mini skirt in grey (size 4)(this fall)

Hue opaque tights in grey (size 1) (here)

MICHAEL Michael Kors Jada Bootie (size 5.5) (here)

Costume Pearls from NordstromRACK

I really like my outfit. The t-shirt is great and I would definitely pair it with a grey or camel coloured pencil skirt for work with navy tights and pumps. In fact, I've been scouring the web for those sort of items since receiving this shirt in the mail almost two weeks ago. Thank you for reading and enjoy the rest of your day!

Midweek Treats: Thanksgiving

I have a confession. My favourite holiday is Thanksgiving but I never celebrate it. Growing up in my mom's house, we skipped it most years to prepare for Christmas (we hosted my family for it every year). It was a practical thing to do but I was always secretly bummed when the holiday came along. This year being no different, I thought I'd post a few pictures I found that would be part of the equation (people are needed too) in summing up my ideal Thanksgiving.

Even though I prefer chicken to turkey (in most instances), you can't have Thanksgiving dinner without it at the centre of the table.

I'm still secretly wishing I liked pumpkin pie but hopefully I'll learn to make it good enough for others to enjoy, and it'll smell awfully good at that!

I kind of feel stuffing is more important than the turkey. While it's too late to make it for Thanksgiving, I'm definitely learning to make this in time for the Christmas holiday. You can bet I'll spend hours after putting together this post scoping out tons of recipe's to choose from.

Fireplace's... I've always wanted one but never had one. They're so picturesque and add such character to a room. I see sitting in cozy chairs with hot chocolate or hot apple cider in hand, watching the football game (go patriots!) after a stuffed meal.

To all those in the U.S. (even though I'm sure my readership has yet to move past it), I hope you have a wonderful holiday and thank you so much for reading!

Midweek Treats: Zipper Dress

It's no secret by now that with the return of cold weather I'm looking for cute ways to stay warm. The minute I saw this dress on Zara's online shop, I knew this was perfect. What really got me about this was the interesting structure and I love the zipper detailing. I would pair this with black tights and booties and then add a bright wool coat (perhaps my obsession for cobalt blue can come into play on this one) to brighten the look up and I'm ready to run out the door.


The drug company Pfizer may be offering an over-the-counter version of Lipitor soon. I'm all for more options in the fight against high cholesterol.

Intro to inflation lesson featuring the Duck Tales. My inner 8 year old was very excited to see this.

Travelling Handbags

When travelling, I always try to pack minimally. I don't drive and do a lot of walking and riding public transport. For the part of actually going to my temporary destination I like a bag that, as I like to put it, I can "carry the world in". It allows me to put my everyday things, and to also tote around essentials like my makeup bag.

View the Polyvore details here.

While in new places exploring, I have discovered the best way to do so is hands free. For that reason, I like to also bring along a cross-body handbag. What's great about those guys, is most are easily convertible into a clutch so you are set for a night out on the town. Here are some options:

View the Polyvore details here.

Thank you for reading and enjoy the rest of your Monday!

Packing for A Weekend Away

Hope every one's Friday has been going well. As I am travelling this weekend I thought it would be fun to do posts related to it since I try to make posts based on what I am actually shopping for, doing, etc. for those that may be doing the same. On that note, it seems many are or have travelling on the brain this week as well. You can see how Extra Petite (one of my faves!) packed less than two handfuls of pieces into a week long trip here. I initially wanted to share with you my strategy for packing light since as I've gotten older I've realised how ridiculous it is to travel with your whole closet. Capitol Hill Style beat me to it with this post, which made me feel over packed to the point where I threw out my list (yes, I make those) and started over.

So, I've decided, today I am going to talk about the art of packing for a weekend.... in a pretty small duffel bag. You see I love suitcases but they clonk, and aren't fun to roll and carry through the streets in my 30 minute walk home from the metro. I also find it's easier to maneuver bags while amongst large crowds of people. My only complaint is the tired shoulders at the end of the day. Since I love making lists (really, I do. For everything.), Here is everything I'd recommend you'd need and why for a weekend away:

1. A Jacket. You only need one. I recommend bringing a nicer one (think one you would wear to work) because it has more variety than, say, a casual bomber jacket. For this time of the year, I'm thinking of a trench or a thin wool coat anywhere from hip length to the bottom of the thighs.

2. One pair of Jeans. Once you see the rest of this list, I think it'll be clear why only one pair is necessary. In case not, one normally wears a pair on several occasion's before washing anyway.

3. 2-3 tops and a dress. For instance, I have 3 tops and a sweater dress packed. When going away for 3-5 days, that really should be enough. Unless it's the Summer season, you can wear them more than once. A dress is good to bring because you can transition it from day to night almost seamlessly in just about every case. Also note that, with dresses, tights are involved without saying unless you plan on wearing a bare leg and you can totally do that. I recommend tights being brought along just in case.

4. An extra outfit. I would make it a skirt and top combination simply because skirts generally take up less room than pants. I think it's always good to have one extra to account for any damage (such as stains) done to other pieces of clothing that you brought. As an example, I went away for the weekend one year to visit my brother who was playing baseball out in the Midwest. To get to the point, I brought just enough clothes and one of my shirts got ketchup on it at lunch (I don't like ketchup so no, it wasn't an act of slobbery by myself). Instead of just grabbing an extra shirt, I had to wash it so that I would have a shirt to wear on my last day of the trip. Now, I am all for laundry on a trip extending to a week or more but it's not really necessary (and a tad expensive) for a trip lasting 56 or so hours.

5. No more than 3 pairs of shoes. All you need is your casual day and an evening shoe. You should try to coordinate your outfits in a way that they could all match with the shoes you bring. I say bring a third for those sort of trips that may involve something different, like if it will include hiking you will need to pack the appropriate footwear.

6. Two handbags. All you need is a carry all sort of bag for the journey (and other occasion's during the trip where it's appropriate) and a cross body bag. I like to bring one of my nicer one's when I go away for the weekend because I can usual it for a casual day out and transition it easily into a night look. Note: Come back Monday for more on this.

7. Accessories. I recommend keeping it light. For jewelry, I would say one pair of earrings and for the rest count in two's. If you can count in one's, even better. Now that we're full force into Fall, I also recommend bringing a scarf and a hat (if that's your thing).


I hope everyone found this at least a bit informative. I meant to post picture's but of course, major procrastinating happened and there was no time to upload them. If you check out the post's I linked to, combined they create a great resource. Thank you for reading and I hope you all enjoy the weekend!

Friday Night Out: Transitioning from Day to Night

This Friday is a unique one. Mainly, I will be traveling at ungodly hours this morning (in progress for several hours as you read this) and consuming massive amounts of coffee just to stay awake. For a day like this my goal is always to feel comfortable while radiating a chic look. Since I won't have any resting time until after 5pm, I want a minimal no frills transition to my evening look. Due to the long day that I'm bound for, a typical Friday Night Out in this situation would consist of a little dinner and maybe live music (don't forget the venti from Starbucks I'll be consuming on the way to dinner- a trooper award in my future?). Here's what I came up with:

View the Polyvore details here.

I love a dark skinny jean. It is impossible go wrong. I've paired it with a beautiful simple burgundy cowl neck sweater, and a great cognac wedge boot. What I like about these pieces is they're great for colder weather. I actually own these exact boots and I find, at least for me, that they're a bit wide in the foot allowing for thicker socks. It's important to mention this given that it's going to be one cold weekend. Okay, okay. Not that cold. BUT it will be colder than this section of the Northeast has been accustomed to this Fall. That's where our trusty cowl neck comes in. I paired it with a simple gold stud, just because bare ears look weird to be and watch+bracelet combo. I topped this outfit off with a cropped coat and a great bag that will hold just about everything (more on that soon). The transition to evening is kept simple with a quick swap of the boots for sleek black booties. I also swapped the jewelry out for black drop earrings which I am loving right now. I also added a leopard clutch with a chain to allow for a hands free evening.


Since I'm traveling, I thought it would be fun if I themed all of today's posts to that. Stay tuned for more around 1pm.

Friday Night IN

***Note: Due to a looming cold and a packed weekend, there will only be one post today. We will be back to my desired two posts per posting day on Monday. Hope you all take advantage of the Ann Taylor 40% and J Crew 25% (off $150 or more) this weekend! ;)


We all need those every once in a while. The work week or endless hours at school (for those in it) can be tiring, and it's nice to unwind alone sometimes. Besides, staying in on a Friday enables a Saturday night out. This does not mean I will be posting on Saturday though. ANYWAY ANYWAY ANYWAY. Sorry, had to stop myself with caps before I get complete off subject.

For this mornings pleasure I though I would share all those things I like to indulge in during the Fall when cozying up at home:

1. Hot Chocolate. It just tastes so good, and I tend to get cold easily so even a slight adjustment upward on the heater doesn't fully do the trick

2. A good book. I've always been a bit of a book worm. My mother used to be in awe (yeah, not her words) to see me reading multiple books at once instead of one at a time like normal people. Some books I have recently enjoyed are: One Day, The Road to Serfdom, Mukiwa, Colossus.

3. HBO On Demand. Thank you Time Warner Cable. Although, I am still convinced Optimum had better variety. Okay, okay. Both providers did good.

4. An outfit resembling this:

I just want to point out I never in my life considered paying more than $10 for leggings. They are lycra/cotton/whatever after all. They just stretch. Then entered Topshop leggings to my life while in the fitting room one day just to try on an item that I wanted to wear with leggings instead of the jeans I had on. Long debate in the fitting room later, I left with the leggings. This was two years ago, and they're still soooo soft.

Yes, you do see a zebra sock. No, I don't own them. Yes, I wish I did. Why? I have a hard time saying no to zebra's (unless it's tacky looking). I mainly chose these because their chenille which, in case you're not aware, is heaven for the feet. Also, as long as you're not walking around in public with these socks visible, why not indulge in them at home where no one can see you. It all works out.


What do you like to indulge in when spending the night IN?