Wearing: Navy and metallic

And of course lipstick. And of course goosebumps because yes, this photo shoot was frickin' freezing. I love this old plaid shirt. It's soft, over washed, and the perfect navy color palette that works with everything: leggings, dark jeans, light jean jorts. I got it ages ago but it's back at Gap for round two. The metallic loafers were a five dollar find (on a lesser sale at urbanoutfitters.com) that I just couldn't pass up. 

Then there are my lips that I've recently been spoiling. I love M.A.C.'s Brave Red but frankly I love all their colors. Snob, Myth, The Dark Side. Any lip color suggestions other than the basic red, pink and neutral? 

Shirt: Gap (old, similar)

Jeans: Zara (old, similar)

Flats: Urban Outfitters

Lipstick: M.A.C. Brave Red

Wearing: Simple gray

I love this dress that I scored at Zara, of course outrageously discounted. I love its simplicity and ability to go to the office or out to dinner. Looks great with bare legs too. Sigh, bare legs.

(It was 1 degree in Chicago yesterday)

Dress: Zara (love this simple drop waist)

Boots: Forever21 (similar)

Lipstick: M.A.C. Snob

Wearing: A sale

A little recreational shopping with a strict budget happened this weekend. I don't mean to boast but I'm an expert in bargain shopping and only in extreme circumstances do I buy things full price. I'm telling you, my ashes will be swept in the corners of a sale section.

Here is the bounty of yesterday's hunt. Embellished H&M sweater: 10 dollars (originally 80); Urban Outfitters booties: 10 dollars (originally 80); Urban Outfitters metallic loafers: 5 dollars (originally 30). You do the math.

Wearing: Neon beanie

Not one but TWO items from my Wearist's Gift Guide I posted last month. One being a marvelous neon beanie, which I can't/won't take off my head. It reminds me to be bright in a gloomy season and in Chicago, a happy reservoir of winter accessories is a must. Let's be honest, a reservoir of accessories in general is a must, which brings me to my second point. My new Marc Jacobs x Target metallic pouch (that went severely on sale embarrassingly soon) is a great basic-but-not-so-basic piece that perfectly fits my wallet, keys and cell phone. Oh, and my new M.A.C. lipstick.

Neon beanie: H&M (similar)

Coat: H&M (old, love this in black)

Boots: Forever21 (leather version here)

Sunglasses: Urban Outfitters

Clutch: Marc Jacobs from NMxTarget Collection (similar)

Lipstick: M.A.C. Snob

The decorated ear

I love Sienna Miller. Her beauty is classic and her style is chic. So, naturally, when I saw her on the red carpet for the Golden Globes she caught my eye. First of all, her dress is strikingly similar to this black top I have. Win. Secondly, her one decorated ear was a subtle punch of amazing with a double-pierce and ear cuff. Who knows if it was intentional but now I want another ear pierce. And a new cuff. Off to Claire's I go?

1 / 2 

Shoesday: Fur pumps

So this is an interesting turn the shoe game has taken. Furget a vest or a coat. Celine's got fur pumps fur Spring in 2013.

I scratched my head a little bit when I saw the glorified slippers in the latest Vogue. I mean, no way in hell would furry pumps make sense other than in a majestic and overly saturated garden and even then it's odd. That's fashion for you, though. Just when baseball hats and over sized everything become sexy, they throw a furry shoe at you.

1 / 2 / 3

Wearing: Tomboy attire

Work has been bananas lately so here's the official post of last Monday's outfit, which was a total tomboy look. It's so easy to wear chic ballet flats with black skinny jeans but I thought to myself: why not top off (bottom off?) this ensemble with my fresh Superga sneaks and really take on Monday. So here they are: my platform shoes (yeah, I said it, platform) that take me back to the 7th grade Steve Madden epidemic.

Shout out to  my new favorite bracelet from my sisters, who bought it for me during their trip to Mexico. Love it stacked, love it alone, just love it.

Also, HAIR IS SHORT. I got it cut before Christmas and while it's since grown out a tad, I'm still in shock.

Blazer: Vintage (love this splurge)

T-shirt: Forever21

Jeans: Forever21

Sneakers: Superga (love these)

Sunglasses: Urban Outfitters

Bangle: Gift from my sisters

 

Everyone's sporty now

I swear, it seems like everyone's running. I'm running errands, others are running races. I stand in the grocery line, people are crossing the finish line. Don't get me wrong, I exercise regularly and love a good jog. But it's always when a major race lets out that I'm at the Golden Nugget eating eggs and bacon (yes, stealing bites of my boyfriend's french toast) and looking out the window watching post-racers in awe. They walk around with race bibs still safety-pinned like they were back in fourth grade leaving their tonsillectomy hospital bracelet on as a conversation starter. It's their badge of honor and absolute right to make the 'hey I just ran a race what have you done today' look. Anyway, long story longer, a race bib is the newest accessory and it's starting to show in today's style. Athleticism is the new black and for some reason, Adidas track pants and four inch stilettos just make sense. And not in a shacker kind of way.

I want a pair of Golden Goose sneaks, but a girl's gotta pay rent (they run around $500, $250 a foot). Superga is a more affordable brand for a similar look. For example, these and these.

1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8 / 9

Hat craze

Okay, so I've bought three beanies in the past week (all around five dollars I might add) but I'm also crazy about brimmed hats. I wish so badly I could pull them off but something about them look funny on me. Trust me, everyone agrees. I love how they look with classic stripes, lots of dark layers, flowy and unruly hair. Sigh.

1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6

Hats to think about here, here and here. 

Wearing: Tartan skirt

Let's get real. It's plaid. And while I hope it's inspired by or created from a Scottish cloth used in war, let's call a spade a spade here. In the same breath, I love how fashion can make things fancy, elevating a trend or a style to something a little more special. Like plaid, tartan. Burgundy, oxblood.

It's just the right size of plaid in a pretty silhouette. The end of the skirt has flared pleats that add a bit of bounce to what could have been a matronly shape. It's a truly vintage piece that fits me just right.

Sweater: Forever21 (similar)

Skirt: Vintage (love this one)

Booties: Lucky Brand

Sunglasses: Urban Outfitters

Wearing: A cat in my hat

That's it. We've all gone mad.

When two ears aren't enough, we can all have four with this insane trend that might be too cute to pass up. And while it feels a bit childish, I can't wait to don mine. Only on a weekend though (at least to start) because I'm sure the commuter crowd would think I've gone batshit crazy. Or shall I say catshit crazy.

Seems like clothes are creeping into the animal kingdom lately, so why the heck wouldn't I buy such an item. This feline find is from H&M but here are a few other inspirational photos to convince you to join the movement. Meow.

1 (me) / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 

Oh and Happy 2013!