Basic Black Suit

A basic black skirt suit is a must for the office.  Although I love black, it can get boring.  Pairing a black suit with a bright red or berry lip and a fun blouse can make a statement without interfering with the sophisticated look that wearing all black can give.  If you don't have a cool, patterned blouse, you could opt for a tie-neck blouse like the one I'm wearing, although if I'm being honest, they're not too practical.  They have a tendency to untie throughout the day, or sometimes the bow lays funny, like in these shots.  If you can get it right though, they look elegant and classy.  If you're not sure where to buy your work suits or office attire, check out this post from last week, listing my favorite online workwear retailers.

OOTD: Coated Skinnies + Striped Knits

I attended a housewarming this weekend.  One of my oldest friends recently fulfilled a life long dream of owning a home, and moving in with her own family.  It was really one of the nicest afternoons I'd spent lately, because the house was teeming with love and happiness.  It was so sweet.  My new camera lens came in and I took some test shots of her with her husband and her boys.  Then of course, turned the camera on me to capture this easy outfit.


I wore coated teal skinnies with an oversized loose top from Splendid ($26 version here). I almost wore booties but I really wanted this to be a no-fuss outfit and my feet hurt (how old am I?)

I am loving how manageable the glossing treatment from Chroma Studio has made my hair. :)

OOTD: GAP Faux Fur Vest + Driving through Kansas

If you follow my blog you know that I was in Kansas for Thanksgiving with my boyfriend.  After having spent our days eating (everything in sight), and watching movies, it was time to move on and visit some of his college buddies.

So we packed into our mini-van rental, and drove.

And drove.

Kansas is flat.  It's got a lot of land and few buildings out near the open road.  It was definitely different for me to see the natural landscape, and lack of skyscrapers, but it was a welcomed change.  It was peaceful and I was happy.

Oh, and I'd like to dispel a popular misconception: tumbleweeds do not constantly 'tumble' throughout the landscape my friends.  In fact, I didn't see any while I was there (inside joke, sort of).

Dressing for a cold weather climate can be a bit challenging because you're not spending most of your time outside (hopefully) so the moment you get indoors, and the heat is on, you have to peel off all of your layers.  Because of this, I kept it simple; I didn't really accessorize this look so that the feature would be the vest.

So...how to wear a vest? Easy. Long sleeves, leggings and boots - the official cold weather uniform.

What I'm Wearing: 

Vest: GAP Fitted Puffer Vest(Take 25% off w/ code GAP25) - Similar here & here & here( 40% off).
Leggings: Newport News (sold out) - Similar here & here.
Boots: Sofft via 6pm.com Claremont style. (Unbeatable price - from $189 to $60!! And SO comfortable/ TTS) Available in black here.
Oxblood Sweater: Gap (Soldout) similar here & here.
White Fleece: Old Navy Women's Performance Fleece V-Neck.  This is only $8! And with your Old Navy card you can save 30% using code STUFFSAVE; if you don't have a card, you can save 20% at checkout by entering code ONHOLIDAY.

Old Navy Sweater Dress + Vest

Wore this Old Navy sweater dress again this weekend.  I also bought it in a leopard print which I have yet to feature but I'm hoping the cool weather continues and so that I can sport it soon.

This is one of the first times that I have gotten to wear these GZ shoes that I got in September.  My feet are so narrow that the peep toe actually makes these shoes a little uncomfortable.  Does anyone have a solution for toes that go through peep toes in shoes? I mean really. What the heck? I wore them with an insole, but no luck. 

This dress has turned out to be a pretty good buy; it was a relatively inexpensive purchase and can be worn many different ways, including with a fun vest - as seen below.

xo.xo.

Cynthia Rowley + TJ Maxx find!

Lima, Peru Part I

I am a terrible packer, I know that you're all aware.  I always miss my closet when I am living out of a suitcase.  I did my best.  Please enjoy some pictures from our recent trip to Lima, Peru.

Lots of colorful shots at every corner.  I really like this one.  Good timing.