Woolly

[Sweater: thrifted; Pants: J.Crew (similar factory version); Flats: Lacoste (old, similar); Beanie: Asos; Cuff: Joyo; Sunglasses: Ray-Ban; Coat: White House Black Market]

This outfit felt about one step away from pajamas. Cozy, slouchy, warm wool. A beanie to mask my whacky, dry, no-longer-beachy-wavy winter hair. The perfect recipe for cold weather dressing, even though that day was actually pretty warm in retrospect.

Also, pairing a $4 thrifted real wool sweater with J.Crew (retail, not factory) pants I paid $21 for just feels like a huge bargain score.

All photos by Mikhail Glabets

Resist the Temptation

Something happens in the four days following Thanksgiving

After waking up from my post-Turkey coma and 13 hours of sleep, I check my phone to discover 50-plus e-mails in my inbox, each and every one carrying the equivalent of shoppers' crack. 30% off plus free shipping at that store I shopped at once. 45% off if you buy seven pieces of jewelry at BaubleBar, plus a free gift. 40% off plus free shipping plus 15% off $100 orders plus a free puppy at J.Crew Factory.

To top it off, every style blogger and their mom has been putting together a very tantalizing roundup of their top BlackFridayCyberMondayThanksgivingWeekendSaleNonsense picks. Peplums and pleats and polka dots and cozy cute knit things and every trend that has been barfing all over you all season, except now it's half price! Great news, right?

Certain offers are incredibly tempting. You mean that jacket at Forever 21 that matches my cute mini skirt is marked down to $13, meaning after the 50% off sale code is applied, I can get it for $7? And fake leather oxblood-colored wedge booties for $5? This is CRACK, I tell you.

Yes, the aforementioned items cost the equivalent of a lunchtime sandwich and a Starbucks latte, respectively. But I forced myself to resist. I'm not knocking Forever 21. I just like to put a little more thought and planning into even the least expensive of purchases, looking for reasons other than mega-awesome sales and discounts to buy them. Will they last? Can I wear them in dozens of outfit combinations across different seasons? Is the material even the least bit nice? Impulse-driving sales result in hasty purchases that take up valuable closet real estate. I hate parting with any piece of clothing, so throwing out an altogether too trendy item that was purchased with Black Friday Sales Goggles is no good.

I'm no saint, and I did buy some things this past weekend. My big mission was shoes. I'm coming around to the idea that something you walk in everyday should cost more than $23, so I picked out some timeless pairs of shoes I hope will last for years and work with all different outfits:

• A classic pair of black leather boots. I bought a non-leather pair at DSW last year in what felt like a good buy, but the heels are already worn out. Not such a 'deal' after all. 
• A pair of black smoking slipper-style flats that may be just a bit too trendy. But they may work.
• And a pair of metallic loafers with a cool turquoise blue sole. These may seem whacky and impulsey, but hear me out. Flats are a must for my sporty, casual workplace. Loafers are one of the most classic forms of flats, with the perfect hint of menswear. The metallic color and blue sole are the risky parts, but those details feel like a perfect injection of personality and fun into an otherwise very practical pair. 

Sure, I could have bought a sequined sweater for every day of the week from Forever 21 at that price. But these feel like the smarter buys. I'll let you know how they work out.

I'll leave you with this YouTube video.

What's your sale shopping philosophy? Are you an impulse shopper? Get anything good from it? Or are you more of the planning type?

I'm Blueeeeee

[Blouse: Forever 21 (similar); Jeans; 7 for All Mankind (similar); Shoes: DSW (a pretty similar pair); Ring: Forever 21; Neckalce: Joyo]

Remember that annoying song? That's all I could think of when reviewing this outfit.

Happy Black Friday all. Let's keep the impulse shopping to a minimum.

All photos by Mikhail Glabets

Closet Remix: Layers on Layers

[Blazer: Forever 21 (this Theory one would be a good investment); Blouse: J.Crew factory; Sweater: Banana Republic outlet (similar); Jeans: Seven for All Mankind (similar); Boots; Salvatore Ferragamo (vintage & thrifted, a similar super dreamy modern version is here); Ring: Forever 21; Beanie: ??? (similar)]

I've said before that one of the best things about reading style blogs is getting inspired to look at your closet in a whole new way. In this case, My Style Pill's mix of blazer/sweater/blouse here and here pushed me to recreate my own version. This blazer has been a great staple, and the blouse and sweater are oldies. Throw it all together and it felt brand new without having to spend a single dime! Talk about wallet friendly.

All photos by Mikhail Glabets

Red, White, & Layers

[Dress: Forever 21; Sweater (old) and Tights: J.Crew Factory; Boots: J.Crew (old and hand me downs; similar); Snood: Asos; Bracelet: SoWa Vintage; Earrings: Old Navy; Nails: OPI 'Dating a Royal']

I've developed a recipe for creating summer in winter.  Take summer dress, put it over tights and boots, top it off with a thick sweater and scarf, and boom! Winterized.

And I'm prepared to repeat it.

Happy Friday all!

All photos by Mikhail Glabets

The Perfect Winter Dress

Last month I was invited to a wedding last minute (perks of being the photographer's wife), and realized all my fun dresses were far more summer appropriate. I pulled a look together with a knit little black dress and some statement jewelry, but have since been daydreaming about owning a perfect go-to winter cocktail dress. Around the same time, I stumbled my way into Barney's (dream on, right?) when I had some time to kill before meeting with friends, and came across this perfect number by Rag & Bone.

I love the black and white combo, the flattering vertical color block pattern and the fun gold piping. All that in the ultra flattering shift shape? Can I please own you NOW?!. The $450 price tag, is well, shall we say unrealitsic, but I'm determined to own something similar in my price range. I took to the usual sources, and here is what I came up with.

This first row is actually a bit liberal in its interpretation: a similar shape in the center, but different colors, longer silhouettes, and other tweaks make this row more of a nod to the original dress.

1/2/3

One of the things I love the most about the Rag & Bone dress is the flattering vertically oriented pattern, so these dresses below struck me for the same reason. Some include the mirrored print look that has been cropping up in the last year, but I think the overall shape and layout is a nice nod to the original. And I love the shoulder detail on the far right dress. 

1/2/3

For this last set, I went as close to the original as I could. The gold buttons on the far left dress remind me of the piping on the original, and I love the curvier shape of the middle dress! I thought the beige was a nice twist in the third one. 

1/2/3

What do you think? Close enough? What's your ideal winter dressy dress? 

By the way Rag & Bone, you could make this easier on all of us and just send me the original? OK thanks. 

Hunter Green

[Sweater: Banana Republic (last year, but similar); Pants: Forever 21; Shoes: Restricted via DSW (sold out now, but I am loving this similar pair); Earrings: H&M (old); Ring: Forever 21 (similar)]

Hunter green is really the perfect color name for this particular pair of pants. Because I literally hunted them down. After I embraced the colored jeans thing with this purple pair (six months after everyone else, I know), I decided I wanted another pair or two in a classic, pretty jewel tone for winter. (Sorry, "Oxblood" just hasn't been my color EVER, so I'll stay away from that trend.) I loved this green, so I ordered the pants on Forever 21's website. It seemed suspicious when they weren't shipping after a week, and I then got the heartbreaking news (overdramatic much?) that the order had been mysteriously cancelled and the pair was suddenly out of stock online.

Well, I still wasn't over it a couple weeks later when we were in California, and used our touristy moment in Santa Monica to hop into the Forever at the Third Street Promenade. They were there!

And so worth the hunt. They're comfy and a pretty shade of green that I am excited to pair with just about everything I own this winter (but especially the blues and blacks pictured here).

PS. I know my poses are whacky in this post. Not sure what happened there, but I'm making you suffer through these images so you can hear the story of my pants hunt.

All photos by Mikhail Glabets

Cozy Fall

[Sweater: thrifted from Salvation Army (similar); White Blouse: Forever 21 (similar); Pants; Forever 21 (similar); Boots: old hand-me-down J.Crew (similar); Necklace; J.Crew factory; Bracelet: SoWa Vintage; Nails: Essie 'Merino Cool']

This is the latest installment in my series of thrifted big, cozy sweaters. When buying these sweaters, I either go for classic neutrals or crazy patterns. I tried to jazz up this beige one with the chunky mint necklace and my new favorite purple jeans.

All photos by Mikhail Glabets