Outfits of Christmas Past

The weather this year has not felt like Christmas at all.  So much for dreaming of a white christmas (though we did have a white thanksgiving a few years ago...).  Looking back on my outfits from the past few winters make me jealous that I'm not bundling up in warm layers.  It's actually supposed to be around 70 degrees here today, in New Jersey.  Nope, not in Texas anymore but it sure does feel like it.

Christmas last year in one of my favorite turtlenecks from J.Crew.  I have a few colors of it and wear them all the time.  Plus this whole outfit is almost 30% off! 

SWEATER: Turtleneck Sweater  (I also love this one that's cable knit) / PANTS: My oh so loved Pixie Pants  / NECKLACE: Older from J.Crew but the Twist Necklace and Ribbon Tied Necklaces are similar. 

Original post: Christmas Outfit

Ah, baby Emma.  This picture feels like forever ago.  I still love this outfit because of the maroon and navy combination.  

SWEATER: Merino Wool Sweater /  SHIRT: Gingham Boy Shirt /  PANTS: AG Corduroy Leggings (the most comfortable pants ever!) / BOOTS: DSW / NECKLACE: Alternating Cluster necklace is similar!

Original post: Happy Thanksgiving!

The perfect travel outfit if you're headed somewhere over the holiday season.  The "layered" look is built into the sweater so it looks way more impressive than it really is. 

SWEATER: Club Monaco (similar options from   / NECKLACE: Mini Pearl Tassel Necklace / PANTS: Pixie Pants / WEEKENDER BAG: Patchwork Weekender 

Original post: Travel OOTD

Another oldie.  This is a great outfit if you want to wear a statement scarf.  Almost any color combination of pattern will shine and you'll look great. 

JACKET: Burberry Quilted Coat / SCARF: Here's a similar Lilly Pulitzer scarf / PANTS: Pixie Pants / BOOTS: DSW 

Original post: Looking Cute in the Cold 

New Year's Eve Dresses

1 / 2 / 3 / 4 

5 / 6 / 7 / 8

2016 is just around the corner.  This time next week, we'll all have the fresh start we've been looking for which leaves the perfect opportunity to start something new or hit the "reset" button.   But before we can do any of that, we need to celebrate. No celebration is complete without the perfect ensemble to ring in the new year just right.  This year my family and I will be in Vermont over New Year's and will go to the celebration at the hotel, which is a little different than what I've done the past few years.  Last year I hosted some friends, so the dress was pretty casual.  And two years ago I was asleep at eight after arriving back from London that morning (#jetlag).  

The search for the perfect New Year's cocktail dress was harder than I expected.  I'm the biggest fan of online shopping (you never have to leave your bed, you can see what everything looks like on a person).  But this was definitely something I needed to shop for in person.  I came across the perfect dress in Saks by Parker (pictured above #8!).  Normally I would've never thought about buying this dress because it retailed for around $462.  Although I love Parker's beaded dresses, that was way out of my price range.  Luckily, Saks is having an amazing sale right now, so the dress was 60% off! I think I ended up paying around $160 for the dress, which is a great deal in my opinion.  Plus, I'll definitely be wearing this dress on multiple occasions.  If you're looking for a dress for New Year's or any event soon check out Saks's sale section.  

Christmas Brunch Recipes

via

Something about me that you guys might not know is that I absolutely love to cook and bake. Any chance I get to be in the kitchen, I take it.  Christmas Day will be no exception.  I don't know what many of you do on Christmas day but usually my family and I just chill around the house after exchanging presents.  We do the formal stuff the night before like a dinner with extended family and the trip to Church.

Since we don't plan on doing anything on Christmas Day, this year I've decided to cook brunch! I made a great quiche with hashbrown crust earlier this year and I can't wait to bring out the recipe again on Friday!

Here's what I'll be making!

Hash Brown Quiche: This quiche was a big hit with my family earlier this year because it really combines all the best part of a breakfast in one dish: eggs, bacon, and potatoes! It's great too because of how customizable it is.  You can add almost anything to your quiche and can mix it up depending on what you or the people you're cooking for like! 

Popovers: They're so delicious and quite impressive too, but aren't really all that hard to make! Perfect with jam, butter, or any other spread you'll want to have on Christmas.  

Mini Cinnamon Rolls: Cinnamon rolls are always the highlight of breakfast, but sometimes it's hard to choose whether to have one or go for something more filling instead.  With these mini cinnamon rolls it's easy to fulfill your craving while eating food that will leave you more satisfied.  

Blueberry Granola Tart: This looks delicious and a great way to get some color on the table with the blueberries! 

Gingham and Ponchos

Poncho / Shirt / Pants / Necklace / Boots (similar) 

It's crazy how warm it's been recently in the north east.  Coming back home, I expected to be faced with cold temps and was looking forward to bundling up in my winter clothes for a change.  I was completely surprised to see such warm weather (it was a little warmer than Texas the other day!!).  Global warming is truly a scary thing, folks! 

Yesterday was the first cold day since I've been home, so I wore one of my favorite gingham button downs from J.Crew with this Lilly Pulitzer Poncho I stole from my Mom (Sorry Mom!).  This reminds me of a poncho I bought in the village I lived in during my stay in Italy that I'm regretting leaving behind at school.  It was funny to buy a cashmere poncho in the middle of the summer but right now I really wish I had it! 

The cold weather yesterday reminded me of one of my biggest pet peeves about the winter: static-y hair! My hair just gets so insanely static when it gets so cold and dry there's almost nothing I can do about it.  I've tried everything from using static guard as hairspray and carrying around dryer sheets to rub in my hair (surprisingly the later worked a little).  

This outfit though is really comfy regardless of whether it's 20 degrees and you need to throw on another layer or if it's 50 and this is just comfortable.  That's the beauty of a poncho-- it's essentially a blanket that you can wear around you and it's perfect for all temps in the fall and winter! 

Holiday Wishlist

Eye Shadow Stick / Coasters / Jacket

Sunglasses / Heels / Lipstick / Clutch

This post is a little delayed considering Christmas is just two weeks away and Hanukkah has already passed, but I thought I would share my holiday wishlist.  I know I'm not alone in that each year when my family or friends as me what I want, I can't remember anything I've ever seen that I liked.  This year I tried to make a pinterest board early of things I saw and liked so that I could remember them easily.  

This year I have a few things on my wishlist that I've wanted for a really long time, like the Barbour coat.  I've wanted this jacket for so long and finally decided it would be worth it because you can dress it up or wear it with leggings and a t-shirt and it's still appropriate.  

How gorgeous are those heels though? I really love them and they would be the perfect pair to replace my well loved strappy tan patent leather heels that I purchased at DSW probably about 7 years ago that need to hit the trash soon.  

What's on your holiday wishlist this year? 

Holiday Tartan

Dress / Sweater / Necklace (J.Crew: check in stores!) / Shoes

Finals are thankfully over and I've come home for winter break, which means I get to spend a lot more time blogging! The end of the semester got pretty crazy and blogging had to take the back seat for a little while.  When I was home for Thanksgiving I shot a bunch of outfits that I was really excited to post so that I wouldn't have to worry about taking photos during finals, but of course my memory card snapped in half! I guess this should be a lesson not to keep my memory card in the little reader slot in my computer.  

Luckily, I did have one outfit downloaded to my parent's computer: this super Christmas-y tartan dress! This dress is great and perfect if you celebrate Christmas somewhere warm because it's sleeveless.  Since it's a little colder here, I threw on this cardigan.  The best part of this dress? It's just about $65! 

I will definitely be wearing this as Christmas approaches to celebrate with family or friends.  What's your go-to dress this Holiday season?

Light Blue Ruffles

Dress / Boots

When I first tried this dress on, I wasn't sure how I felt about the ruffles on the front and the bag.  I feel like there are so many patterns and designs that only cover the front on so many pieces sold today, but I like that this one is a little unique.  I think the pleated ruffles give the dress a timeless, girly look.  

As I head into finals with full force, I'm dreaming of wearing this dress during the Holiday break.  Just four more days until I head home for the semester and I can't believe it.  These past few months really just flew by faster than I could've imagined.  

Plaid Scarf

Dress (similar) / Scarf / Necklace / Boots (similar)

This ended up being my Thanksgiving outfit very last minute.  I ran upstairs to change into this literally two minutes before my grandmother arrived.  By now I'm sure you want me to shut up about this dress (see my other post with it, here!), but I love it so much.  Nordstrom unfortunately is sold out of it, but the same brand makes a similar style (just with a lace up detail on the front!). 

After wearing this outfit, I'm obsessed with wearing my scarves this way.  I threw it on like this because the scarf is a little to thick to be wearing tied normally in doors.  I'd normally reserve it for a lot of time spent outside where I'd want to be completely bundled up.  But, worn as a shawl like this is perfect because it's overly warm.  

Shop Spring Wishlist

Boots / Candle / Tray / Bracelet / Camera / Keychain

Watch / Earrings / Sunglasses / Bag / Necklace 

I love reading holiday wishlist posts so I thought I'd share my first one today.  I found all of these it's on Shop Spring which made it really easy to browse over so many different products all at once.  They feature items from more than 850 brands.  Some of the brands I know and love and others I've never seen, which makes it a great resource to exploring and finding new items.

Though we're just a few days into December, we all know that the month will fly by and Christmas will be here before we know it.  I hope this wishlist will help spark some ideas of what to ask for yourself or what to get for other people!

Let me know what you're asking for in the comments!

Blanket Scarf with Maddy from The Black Barcode

Shirt (similar) / Scarf  / Jeans / Boots (similar)

Blanket scarves are all the rage now and you can probably find one in just about any store you pop into (J.Crew has a lot right now!).  But, they're kind of hard to wear.  I sometimes feel like when I wear a blanket scarf I'm wearing a neck brace just because my neck feels so tied up.  So finding the right one can be a little difficult, and finding what to wear it with can be a challenge too.  I love how Maddy (The Black Barcode) and I both styled our scarves.  While Maddy's is a fun plaid, mine is a solid navy from Zara a few years ago.  

Here are a few more blanket scarves that I love: 

Check out Maddy's post, here! 

Also be sure to follow Maddy on her other social media!

Instagram - Twitter - Facebook 

Christmas PJs

Thermal One-Piece / Red Sleep Set / Plaid Pajama Set

Red Plaid / White Plaid / Whale Pants 

Currently writing this blog post in my favorite flannel pajama pants, which is fitting right? Christmas season is in full swing which means lots nights snuggled in bed in the most comfortable pajamas.  I feel like this is really the only time of the year that I wear real pajamas, is anyone else the same way? Any other time of the year I'm probably wearing nike shorts and a t-shirt to bed, but as soon as it's Christmas I'd so much rather be wearing the cutest pair of PJs.

Also, ABC's 25 Days of Christmas officially starts today which means Christmas movies all day long.