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Everyday Style & Recipes. Est. 2010

winter

Spring Thaw

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Who else lives in oversized knit sweaters and boots during the winter months? I do! Since the “Bomb Cyclone” blizzard hit northern Colorado last week, it has warmed up quite a bit so I’m hoping this will be the last Wintery outfit for the blog *crosses fingers.* Since Winter weather can hit as late as May in Colorado there’s no guarantees.

It’s hard to find a quality pair of Winter boots for trekking around in the snow, and even harder to find ones that actually keep your feet warm. These classic ones from L.L. Bean have been my go-to this season. They continue to make their products in the U.S. and their quality hasn’t gone down over the years, which is kind of amazing! You can get this style in several different types, and I chose the eight inch with gore-tex/thinsulate lining. It costs slightly more but I definitely noticed a difference in warmth compared to other boots. I ordered my usual size but they do run a bit large to make room for thicker socks. I like a little roominess since tighter ones can actually make your feet colder — and nobody wants that. Another recent favorite has been this messenger bag from Karlen Swiss. These bags are made from recycled Swiss military blankets and made from heavy-duty wool. It’s been a perfect Winter tote this season!

Outfit Set:

Outfit Details: Sweater: Zaful, Leggings: Felina, Boots: L.L. Bean, Scarf: Amazon, Bag: Karlen Swiss

 

 

Black & Tan

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I’ve always loved more monochrome looks–you can play around more with texture and patterns that way.  A variety of patterns look great when they all fall within a similar color scheme.  I recently stumbled across this vintage men’s cardigan on Etsy and fell instantly in love!  Sometimes you just wanna slouch around in huge, cozy cardigans amiright? This one is the epitome of that.  It’s a really well made and super warm as it’s made from 70% wool.  Gotta love well made items like that, and Etsy has tons of vintage options from so many awesome sellers.  Speaking of which, this bag from Etsy is a great little vintage saddlebag that’s perfect for everyday wear, and there’s a lot just like it being sold out there!

I recently splurged a bit on some classic high-rise jeans from Levi’s, and I couldn’t be happier with the purchase.  These are the 720’s in Black Chaos and they are seriously awesome.  I love the material blend–they’re mostly cotton but with enough stretch to not make them stiff or thick feeling.  It’s super high-waisted so just a warning if that’s not what you’re looking for.  The distressed parts of them are natural and don’t look strange at all.  I’m not a fan of super high up torn up jeans so these are perfect for me!  These aren’t a true black, they have a bit of charcoal grey tones going on but that’s cool with me.

Outfit Set:

Outfit Details: Cardigan: Etsy – PerennialVintage,  Jeans: Levi’s 720’s, Shoes: Marc Fisher, Top: MaiTai, Bag: Etsy, PurpleHeather

January Blues

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January is one of my least favorite months–something about the holidays being over, a new year and lets be honest, January has the worst weather.  Even if you live in a place like California with perfect weather year round, rainy and relatively cold weather usually sets in.  Here in Colorado, January was welcomed by negative temperatures and freezing rain, but no snow!   If it’s gonna be freezing cold, I want there to at least be a pretty snowfall but nope, no snow this month so far.

That said, drinking hot tea and hibernating is the cure for January blues.  I have been keeping warm in cozy knit sweaters and binging on netflix!  This sweater from H&M and these ultra soft leggings from Felina have been the perfect pair on cold January days.  Another recent favorite has been these Anthropologie ankle boots found on Poshmark.  I love the details and the quality of the leather! And for a girl who isn’t super down with heels, these block heels add a little height without hurting your feet.  Plus they are perfect for a dressed down casual look or for a night out, so it’s a win-win!

Outfit Set:

Outfit Details: Sweater: H&M, Leggings: Felina, Boots: Anthropologie (found on Poshmark), Charm Necklace: Etsy

Winter Green

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Happy New Year everyone!  Winter has officially hit on the Front Range in Colorado, and I was looking to find a warm and cozy outfit for the colder days.   That’s why I love American Eagle sweaters so much, since they provide looks that provide comfy and stylish options that are great for everyday wear.  This sweater is so great as a warm pullover I have been wearing it non-stop!  It’s so comfy and warm–this Striped Crew Neck sweater is a perfect casual look that is great for winter weather layering.

In other news, I was recently gifted this minimalist leather lunch bag handmade by Homestead Leather on Etsy.  It was a perfect addition to my lunchtime routine!  I used to bring my lunch in plastic bags, but nooo more.  It’s a great environmentally friendly option for those who don’t want a big, bulky lunch bag. It also avoids bringing your lunch in wasteful plastic bags (yep, that was me) so in my opinion it’s a win-win!  Another brand I’ve been crazy about this past year has been The Frye Company and their fantastic boots.  I wore these leather “Celia” shearling-lined boots outside in sub-20 degree weather, and my feet were as warm as can be.  I recommend wearing these without socks, which sounds weird but they actually keep your feet roomier and warmer.  My feet get cold really easily, so I can’t recommend these enough.  Another recent gift was this extra cozy cable-knit scarf from Amazon.  It goes great with so many outfits that I have to hold off wearing it sometimes–it’s kind of ridic!

Outfit Details: Sweater: American Eagle, Leggings: Felina, Boots: Frye Company, Bag: Homestead Leather, Scarf: Amazon

Outfit Set:

 

Electric Dreams

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To be honest, I’ve mostly bought coats for utilitarian purposes only.  Just give me something that will keep me warm even if I look like a puffy bowling ball (basically George Costanza’s Gortex coat).  But lately I’ve started looking for nicer, slightly less ridiculous looking outer gear.  I’ve had my eye on camel trench coats for a while but I couldn’t decide which one to buy.  My goal was to find an affordable coat that still had a fairly high wool percentage.  That wound up being a challenge since most of the affordable coats weren’t made of decent fabric, and then I had the opposite problem where the decently made coats were way too expensive.  So what to do? After searching around I stumbled across this coat from Zara which retails for under $200 and is made from 75% wool.  Perfect–exactly what I was looking for!  I wasn’t disappointed, this coat is well made and looks fantastic with denim.  It’s pretty much the perfect “going out” coat for winter that will actually keep you warm!

Onto the details:  I’ve always loved the minimalist trench and graphic tee combo, so this tee from Urban Outfitters was a perfect addition to this look.  I went with my favorite pair of classic vintage style levi’s in a lighter wash and a high-rise. You can’t go wrong with a good pair of Levi’s, and while I love all their styles, I’m personally a fan of the 721’s.

Outfit Set:  Outfit Details: Coat: Zara ‘Masculine’ trench, tee: Urban Outfitters, Jeans: Levi’s 721’s, Shoes: Marc Fisher Chelsea boots

Snow & Roses

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As the days get colder, my focus has turned to high quality boots and cozy knits.  This cardigan from Forever 21 has become one of my favorite over-sized pullovers in the closet.  The knit material is surprisingly good quality, and I love it in this “rose” color.  At first I thought it was more brown than rose when I first unwrapped, but in different lights the rosey tones come out.  I love in-between colors like that!

Something I’ve learned about Colorado winters: snow doesn’t stick around like Minnesota winters, and they come earlier too.  It’s already snowed twice here and it’s only mid-November! As I’m writing this, the snow from this shoot is all gone and the grass on neighborhood lawns is still mostly green.  It’s kind of weird, even after living in California for almost ten years, I still expect snow to hang around longer as a holdover from growing up in Minnesota, but I digress.

Another thing I have been loving are Frye boots–I mean who doesn’t love Frye?   I recently picked up these Frye Lindsay Ankle boots and I love how versatile and durable they are.  Comfortable, great quality and stylish–can’t ask for more than that!  They come “distressed” which everyone knows about with jeans, but I definitely haven’t heard of that with shoes.  Turns out I like the roughed up look, and it just gives the boots more character!

Outfit Details: Cardigan: Forever 21, Tee: Urban Outfitters, Skirt: Vintage/thrifted, Tights: Target,  Boots: Frye, Scarf: Forever 21 (old)

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Cozy Neutrals

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As you can probably tell I have been into clean and simple neutral looks lately. Neutral tans, beiges and charcoal greys look so good when paired with complementary textures like leather and velvet. This outfit has been one of my favorite travel outfits in the recent months. I’ve been kind of obsessed with menswear inspired looks and this windowpane button down has become a bit of a staple in my closet.

My favorite travel outfits usually involve layers. Layers are a smart idea, especially when flying, because temperatures in the airport can vary so widely. It’s always handy to have some wiggle room when you’re stuck somewhere. It can get a little complicated traveling from a cold area to a warmer one too. I wore this outfit when I traveled from Chicago to Los Angeles and it worked out nicely. To buffer from the cold while I traveled from Chicago, I added this cozy scarf as well as my new favorite leather jacket from Zara. I’ve only had it a month or two but it’s quickly become a prominent accessory in my closet! It’s surprisingly good for cold weather too. Then when I arrived in warm and sunny California, removing the layers was a cinch!

Outfit Details: Shirt: Banana Republic, Jacket: Zara, Jeans: Joe’s Jeans, Shoes: Asos, Scarf: H&M (Old) and Bracelet: Civion

Outfit Set:

Leather & Leaf

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Sometimes black Friday can really come through with amazing steals! I had been on the hunt for a quality leather jacket for months and I was having pretty bad luck finding the right one at the right price. Real leather jackets can be super expensive but I didn’t want to give up on the search. On black Friday, I just happened to be poking around on Zara’s site and saw this fab leather jacket marked down for only one day. This jacket is a moto-style and made from sheepskin leather. I couldn’t pass it up! I was hoping this jacket would be as soft and flexible as it looked and I wasn’t disappointed. It turned out to exceed all expectations! I was really pleased with the softness and quality of the leather.

Zara also had this lovely 70’s inspired shift dress on sale and I instantly fell in love with the pattern. The colors of the falling leaf design is just too pretty. It reminded me of a late fall day in October. I pictured this being worn to a festival or concert, especially with the 70’s vibe of the dress. My favorite pair of Chelsea boots came in handy for this look again; they seem to always be popping up in my looks lately!  

Outfit Details: Jacket: Zara, Dress: Zara, Tights: ebay, Boots: Marc Fisher

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Midnight Rainshower

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As I’m typing this it is lightly raining outside. After moving to California I still miss rain and of course a good thunderstorm. While this is just barely a shower, it is lovely to listen to the rain and smell the wet pavement and grass coming in through the window. Since this is a rare treat I decided to look into something that reminded me of a rain storm. I started looking for a perfume that could help recreate it. It seemed like a difficult thing to recreate–how to get that smell of clean water, pavement and grass in a bottle? I then found the perfume company, Demeter and found exactly what I was looking for. I had heard of them for a long time but only recently tried out the scent, “thunderstorm.” They have several different options for watery scents but I wanted something more like an actual summer storm. The brand is super affordable but the perfume is not very long lasting. The scent is a perfect recreation of a rain storm. There was the rain, wet grass and soil all in a bottle. I was amazed! It was the answer to my “rain cravings” as it were.

The latest addition to my ever growing cardigan collection has been this one from American Eagle. I’m kind of obsessed with the in-between brownish purple tones. It’s one of those cardigans that you can wrap yourself up in it’s so soft. The cami is also by American Eagle and I love the darker daisy/floral pattern on this one. To complete the look I went with my tried and true chelsea boots. They go with so many things it’s hard not to reach for them for every look!

Outfit Details: Cardigan: American Eagle, Cami: American Eagle, Jeans: American Eagle, Hat: Brixton, Shoes: Marc Fisher

Outfit Set:

Olive & Leather

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Maybe I’m boring but I’m a sucker for rustic colors inspired from nature. Browns, greens and greys are some of my favorites. It was nice to have an overcast day where the sun was more defused. Any photographer is probably familiar with the harsh lighting the glaring sun can produce so I was excited to have one of these days. Over the holidays I received this amazing leather wallet clutch from the Etsy store Hustle & Hide.  The clutch is an elegantly designed half wallet/half clutch folded into a three piece design. It has a little sleeve for your phone, another for a few cards and a coin pouch. I absolutely adore it! The leather is high quality with beautiful texture and softness. The strap comes separate so you can convert into a wallet or a bag as needed which is pretty handy.

I’m wearing one of my favorite Lucky Brand ankle boots which have at last finally broken in. These puppies run very narrow and I was worried they would always be too tight on the sides. Luckily the leather has broken in and they are now super comfortable! But be warned: these shoes (and Lucky’s in general) run quite narrow. Just as an aside, if you do have a pair of leather shoes that are a bit too narrow, you can buy some thin nylon socks (like panty hose) to wear in the interim to break them in gradually without too much discomfort. To keep your shoes in good health, you can also add a coat of Lanolin wax to protect the leather from water and give it a good polish. Lanolin is a natural product that comes from sheep’s wool and it does wonders for protecting your leather stuff. It soaks into the leather like a lotion and leaves it soft and conditioned. It’s a great product to keep your leather items in great condition so they last for years. Plus they look so good all shined up so it’s a win-win!
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