what i want wednesday/duck boots

photos from pink peonies, classy girls wear pearls

So this morning when I was literally shoveling my car out from being stuck in the middle of my road for the second time (good job city of St. Louis.....good job) I realized that I am severely lacking in the area of winter footwear.  My husband would laugh at that sentence on its own, because I have more shoes than it seems any person could ever need, but hear me out!  

I have UGGs, which are crazy warm and comfortable, but NOT at all waterproof.  We've got about 6 inches of show still on the ground, so they don't help much when you're trying to dislodge your car from a snowdrift.  

I also have Hunter boots, which keep your feet drier than dry, but they are pretty much the opposite of warm even when you wear them with thick socks.  The rubber just gets colder the longer you're outside, which makes them better for spring and autumn rain than for winter snow.  

That brings me to the conclusion that if I'm going to make it out of this supposedly/expectedly cold & wet winter I'm going to need a pair of duck boots, stat.  I've got my eyes on a few pairs on eBay, including this amazing coral pair from J. Crew, and of course some classic LL Bean boots.  If your store still has them in stock, Target always makes a few really cute options as well, like this adorable plaid pair!  I love the pop they give to an otherwise basic winter outfit.  

stl fashion week/industry night

Yesterday's show at Windows on Washington was most certainly the highlight of STL Fashion Week!  I have to say, it was the first show which left me really excited about fashion.  I was so invigorated by the entire presentation - there was so much energy in the room, you could feel it.  

I'm getting a little ahead of myself though....

To help us get the big day off to a good start, Dimvaloo, an activewear store in St. Louis hosted a yoga event in the park.  

I LOVE yoga, as all my longtime readers know, so I was really excited that this was on our fashion week agenda.  Dimvaloo was a wonderful host.  They gave us these amazing water bottles  (which have the time marked on them, so you'll drink enough every day!) and a seriously good yoga mat.  I couldn't help but show off a bit once I realized how good and grippy it was!  

That night, we all headed to Windows on Washington for the Industry night show.  

The venue has this gorgeous Chihuly glass fountain in the entryway.  

Bluebird boutique had their models doing a funky little routine.  They moved positions like robots every once in a while.  

I loved these vintage styles from Suzanne Lay, and their hair was so perfect for the looks.  

The runway show kicked off with a few words from Fern Mallis, the creator of New York Fashion Week.  It was a huge validation for the St. Louis fashion community to have her present, and just really neat to get to see her in person.  Of course, I totally chickened out on actually introducing myself, but still very neat to be at the same event!  

There were lots of gorgeous looks, but I thought I'd just show you my favorites.  

Wai Ming's collection was minimalistic and sexy, in a sophisticated way.  I could honestly say I'd wear almost all of it.  

Jennifer Chun's collection was sporty and feminine at the same time.  I really loved the matching sets.  You could definitely see her previous work experience with Derek Lam & Michael Kors coming out in her aesthetic.  

Eva Franco gets five outfit shots, because she was my very favorite!  Her girly prints had so much life.  Best of all, she encouraged her models to smile and wave, and why shouldn't they?  I think it sells the clothing so much better than a sullen stare.  

Now, don't forget to head out to support Fashion's Day Out on Saturday - I hear there are some pretty amazing deals to be had!  

most days

Most days, I wear something like this, that serves the purpose of running around for errands, doing a little blogging from the couch, and cooking dinner by the time Darrell gets home.  No makeup, hair in a topknot.  

It's super casual, super comfy, and I think still has a little personality.  

top - anthropologie, shorts - american eagle, espadrilles - soludos, necklace - gorjana

previously worn

If you're been a longtime reader of this blog, you know it used to be a style blog.  But I was never that great at modeling, and my husband has a full time job and never wanted to take picture for me, so that went by the wayside.  Still, I love dressing up and wearing fun clothes, so I thought rather than have full-on outfit posts all the time, I'd just start a new column on Tuesdays with a little selfie recap of my fave outfits from the previous week.  

1st outfit: forever21 dress, lotta stockholm clogs, target bag.  

2nd outfit: free people tee, american eagle cutoffs, saltwater sandals

3rd outfit: forever 21 dress and necklace

Yup, pretty much my entire closet is from forever 21.  

A Few Winter Favorites

Advent calendars add to the excitement of the season, this one is my favorite from Etsy.  

I want to lay around my house all day in this sweatshirt, reading and drinking cocoa.  

Aren't these stockings beautiful?  And only $45 for three of them!  Would be perfect for my family (me, the hubs, and the dog.)  

I'm the apple pie maker in our family, and although I've always made Betty Crocker's version, I might switch it up this Christmas for this one (with cider caramel!)  

style # 3 : everyday fur

While I can't get behind the for "real" versions of the gorgeous pieces above, I love a touch of fur in a winter ensemble.  The softness of a faux mongolian lamb vest or a mink-like scarf is a perfect add-on when the wind is really biting outside, and sometimes a full on leopard coat is just the thing to top off a simple outfit.  

style # 2 : winter braids

I really love it when the weather starts to turn cold, and there's reason to wrap up in scarves and cozy coats.  I don't love the more complicated part of that outfit equation, when your long hair goes crazy in that tangle of fabric.  If I wear my hair down in the winter it more often than not turns into a kind of static-y mess, so you'll likely see it woven up in a braid.  These are a few of my favorites - i.e. ones I've actually managed to accomplish.  Braids are such a pretty way to frame your face, and as you can see in the top left picture they compliment the season's burgundy lip as a Russian inspired nod to opulence for everyday.  

I fully plan to do a few tutorial videos on some of these when I get around to it!  Most of them are less complicated than they look - much faster than a usual blowout.  

style # 1 : autumn apparel

Nothing terribly trendy or exciting here, but these are some of my favorite pieces for fall, most of which I already own (although those oxfords are on my list...)

Those sweatpants get lots of wear from me indoors & out, the burgundy trousers come in multiple colors and never has there existed a more flattering pant, and the leather boots are from TARGET, less then $75, and gorgeous in every shade.  

I would say, although perhaps the least exciting item on the page, the one you must go out and get right away are the tights - there is no other pair in black that manages to be so completely opaque and also entirely matte.  Nothing I hate more than when I can see my reflection in my stockings.    

mustard top/riding boots/oxfords/oxblood trousers/skinny sweats/sweater/tights

the.greatest.find

So I am a Pinterest addict - seriously, follow me to the left and I will bombard your main page with awesomeness all day long. Promise. Maybe my favorite thing I have found on there is the website tobi.com. They stock their online store with the cutest, most unique and wearable dresses out there - less ubiquitous than forever 21, but basically just as affordable. One of my other favorite things is that a lot of their dresses come with a belt! All three of the ones pictured above came with. These are some picks of the dresses I've acquired there for spring - it's hard to believe that with these four I barely crossed the $100 mark!

everyday.sparkle

i wore this outfit last week on a quite rainy day (hence the topknot) and these booties proved they're going to be one of the more valuable finds of this fall!
not to mention - you can't beat these prices...

it's only 45 degrees outside (probably a little weird how excited i am by that) and i've decided it's finally time for chili - i'm heading to whole foods on my lunch break to pick up all the essentials and maybe there will be a yummy recipe post tomorrow - depending on how it all turns out! i've not made vegan chili yet, and although i had a FANTASTIC recipe for beef chili courtesy of my mother, i think i'm going to have to experiment with vegetarian versions for a bit before i find the perfect equation. wish me luck!

"Maybe if they all could be combined - art, rock and fashion. Those were always my favorite things."-Stephen Sprouse

the.outfit/10.02

My uniform lately has been my favorite jeans, booties, and a chiffon blouse. It really couldn't be easier - but for my October plans (orchards, staying in, enjoying the amazing weather) it also couldn't be more perfect.

Also - don't call it fall...autumn is such a prettier word.

top-nordstrom, jeans-madewell, booties-sam edelman

"Maybe if they all could be combined - art, rock and fashion. Those were always my favorite things."-Stephen Sprouse

all the small things

Well my attempt at a low-key weekend was pretty much relegated to Sunday, since we didn't manage to be very low-key at all on Saturday. Somehow cheering on a friend at his bowling tournament Saturday morning (and by cheering on, I mean drinking perfect bloody marys in the bowling alley bar) turned into buying tickets for Kool and the Gang, which turned into dressing in every vintage 70s piece I have and dancing until my feet hurt so bad I almost took them my shoes off on the way home.

Luckily, the concert ended early enough that we were in bed by midnight, so I actually did something useful with my Sunday. I finished my weekend cleaning early enough to bake a homemade pie - crust and all - and sit down with my book (Jane Eyre, re-reading it since I remember loving it the first time around and it was FREE on my Kindle - all the good classics are free on kindle).

In other random news I'm pretty excited for this coming week since

a) my taupe suede Litas are coming Tuesday : )

b)we're getting DirecTV Thursday which means I get my very own DVR...this sounds small but you've no idea the amount of football I've watched since living with this man all year

I also despise Mediacom since they like to have FOX "outages" every time a new episode of Glee is on

c) and I'm foregoing getting my nails done this week to get my hair worked on, which is desperately needed, as evidenced by the heidi braids i'm sporting to hide it here

on to the clothes: olive cardigan-f21, wedges-stevemadden, jeans-gap1969, bag-fossil

"Maybe if they all could be combined - art, rock and fashion. Those were always my favorite things."-Stephen Sprouse

some people save their clothes for "special occasions" - i say, the occasion is that you're alive and you woke up today...you may as well look cute

I can't really use lack of inspiration as an excuse for my lack of posting - if anything I've been even more so. The outpouring of fall images and concepts in the blogs & magazines has been exceptional this year, and I feel like every single aesthetic applies to my life - something I haven't felt since the over-the-top gypsy hippie look of '08. It's as if all the good grown-up clothes came out right when I finally needed to start wearing them, and I've been piling up magazines pictures and filling folders with images for the past few weeks - all in the hopes of creating a closet full of clothes I love to wear. With caution, I began the process of collecting a few pieces that make want to get dressed up again.

A few things I've checked off my list:

a leopard print coat (from topshop...i'm kind of freaking out over how amazing it is)

black wedge boots

brown wedges in a menswear style

the tan hat from my last post - i about died when i saw that the one on olivia palermo was ACTUALLY available at a reasonable price for us normal people to purchase

The one thing I may be most excited about, however, is this rvca hat. I can't really wear a small fedora - they don't suit me - but this wider brimmed version just reeled me in.

Plus, a girl needs to keep her head warm right?

dress & shoes - forever21, hat - rvca

"Maybe if they all could be combined - art, rock and fashion. Those were always my favorite things."-Stephen Sprouse