Keeping Warm in the Winter: Dresses

My last Winter layering installment, dresses, is now up!
Look One is in part inspired by Wicked. I heard a talk from the original costume designer a few years back and this jacket reminded me so much of their school uniforms. The architectural shape of the jacket compliments the flowing pleats of the dress beautifully and is echoed in the pointy-toed flats. The jacket's shape also highlights the skinniest part of most women's bodies.

Look Two's focus is this absolutely gorgeous jacket. Truly any awesome jacket will work with this outfit, but I love a collarless one with bright and intricate detail work. The key to this layered look is to not disrupt the silhouette of the dress. The button down should be thin so that the collar is the only detail that adds to the outfit. The jacket ends before the A-line skirt flares out, which exaggerates the skinniest part of the outfit. Make sure the dress ends within a few inches of the knee, below to highlight your calves, above to lengthen your legs. I would definitely wear heels with this outfit, they'll make the a-line skirt appear more dramatic.

Look Three is more relaxed than the other looks, and more figure friendly. If you want to wear a dress with a fuller skirt, like I've shown, than wear a shirt that ends no more than two inches past wear the skirt begins, if the shirt is too long than you lose your waist in all the fabric. If you go with a slim dress or body con, than the shirt can be a little longer, but not too much. I love a good bomber, and the stretchy bottom part is essential when dealing with this much fabric. I'm on a wedge sneakers binge, especially with dresses, they add height and lengthen the leg while keeping the outfit appropriate for day. This outfit would also work with boots, however, maybe loafers.

Keeping Warm in the Winter: Pants

Part two, much awaited I'm sure. Now today is probably no the best day to post this seeing as the temperatures have skyrocketed but I'm sure next week  we'll  be back down to the 20's. Look one is Glam. The black fur is super chic, and very warm. The problem with short furs is they can look fancy fast, so let the boots be the only other somewhat fancy element. Jeans are a great compliment to the fur and make them super skinny to fit into those boots. Look two is the most layered look. You've go three layers, as well as a scarf. I wear tanks year round and when under a bomber they're totally winter appropriate. If that's not cool enough for you, add an oversize army vest. I'm almost always wearing a scarf and I especially love circle scarves (no worrying about the ends being dipped in soup or strangling you). This one echo's the red of the tank top and with the blue pattern it doesn't look too christmas-y with the green vest. With so much going on on top, keep it simple with jeans and brown lace-up boots. Secret- what makes this outfit special is the mix of textures, mixed textures always look great. Look three is super sporty. Really its about as sporty as I am able to get. The awesome baseball jacket, (with room for a cardi underneath) the wedge sneakers (comfy, booty-lifting, and super stylish), and the slimming skinnies.
Get ready for dresses up next!

Keeping Warm in The Winter: Skirts

It's cold out, and I very much dislike cold; when there's no snow it just doesn't seem worth it. Unfortunately, I have a life which requires me to leave the house at least once a day, so I've been layering like there's no tomorrow. It's my fourth week in and I'm tired of feeling bulky, so here are some suggestions. Part 1 is skirts:

(From top left clockwise)

Look one is one of two brown based looks, all of these looks have a base color of either brown rot black because it's easier to start with one. It's also the only look without tights because the skirts is longer, but warm socks could help if this isn't warm enough. It's a ladylike, almost Victorian look but I added the skull tank for some fun. I almost alway wear a scarf and this leopard one goes great with the camel pleats. 

Look two is inspired by my awesome friend from Brooklyn. The last time I saw her she was wearing this awesome baseball jacket, also she's got awesome Doc Martens (they're not floral, though). The cardigan, tights and hat will help keep you warm.

Look three combines three factors of awesomeness; teal, monochromatic and capes. The teal button down looks great with the blue skirt, but not too match-matchy. The teal only peaks out because of the white pullover, but trust me it makes an impact when you also add those magnificent blue suede boots (Cue Elvis Song). Now the cape is the best part; the swingy silhouette of the cape in conjunction with the skirt and boots gives you Insanely Skinny Legs Syndrome, which is curable but I don't know why you would want to.

Look four is the second brown based look, even though the tights are black. Because this outfit is made up of mostly neutrals, the red skirt pops like magic, I chose red because it looks great on most people but really any color skirt would look great with the rest of the outfit. The leopards scarf and the shearling lined leather jacket also add interest because the secret to a mainly neutral outfit is mixing up textures. The boots are really popular right now and I love how they toughen up the sweet skirt, and if you add socks over the tights, that's extra warmth.

Look five is the rocker outfit, like the last outfit, the red skirt is the eye catching accent. the velvet works wonderfully with the leather bomber, an unexpected texture combination that totally works. I love this outfit because it is mostly black, which is a warm easy color. no wi would probably wear this with blue or black skinnies, but I think the skirt is far more interesting. This outfit might only be warm enough for those weirdly warm days. If you want to make this look warm out a cami under the tank, a sweater over the tank, and over size that jacket.

Layering

So you know those days when changing out of your pajamas seems like the death of all that's good and holy? Well today was one of those days, except I had to walk my dog. Good thing I slept in a tank and leggings. I have some weird aversion to checking the weather (even with my new iPhone 4!) so I love layering in the winter. You can't really tell from the picture but basically I just threw some stuff over my pjs. I have almost all my clothes in the wash so the limited options made it easier for me to pick what wore. 

My base for the outfit was of course a tank and leggings. The second layer is where it gets interesting. I got my red wool sweater out of storage for winter and this was its first outing this winter! It's a little scratchy but manageably so. Then comes the leather layer with my leather motorcycle vest. You can tell it's black from the picture but the closest I could find on Polyvore was white. I wore my black Steve Madden motorcycle boots because I  thought it might still be raining but they're no longer available. These were the closest I could find.
Then came my moms BEAUTIFUL Jil Sander black coat. She recently had it shortened ad I've been stealing it since. Its only fair since she stole my gray Zara coat :)

So that's how I layer for dog-walking.

Layering by lajoliefleur featuring a trapeze tank

Knit top / American Vintage trapeze tank / Jil Sander / Biker vest / Oasis legging, $22 / Steve Madden low boots

My Fall List

Fall represents new beginnings, regardless of how many years you've been out of school, it's hard to shake that new year feeling that strikes once September rolls around. For me, the new school year always means new clothes. Everyone's got their list, mine's always informed by those chunky September magazines I get in August. I've been told my way of planning however is unique, and a little more thorough than normal people, so here's the weirdo's way:

First I make a list of all the items I want to buy; neon patterned pants, tweed jackets, and wedge sneakers all made tot the first round this year. Unfortunately these three didn't make it to the second round. The items that don't make it to the second round are generally too high fashion, too hard to find, or too impractical for my life. Once I've edited your list down to a manageable size, I start pre-shopping. Pre-shopping is the smartest way to shop because you see all of your options before spending a penny (which is especially helpful when you don't have cash to burn). For those of you who don't know, pre-shopping is when you scout the items you want to buy from various sites. It's pretty much comparison shopping except that sounds too mom-ish for me. I've included my list below. I'm purchasing most of the items online and only a few in store because I want to try them on.

Tell me what you've got to have this Fall in the comments below.