Bundle Up

Seeing as I'm moving to Boston next year (and by next year I mean 2 months from now), I'm pretty sure that I'm going to need a coat. Honestly, I have never felt more Californian than when I think about preparing for a Boston winter. As far as I can tell, it will involve water proof shoes, coats (see below), and possibly earmuffs. The boyfriend says adults can wear earmuffs, but I'm not so sure.

But, I'm getting ahead of myself, let's start with the coat. I think I'd need two, one pea coat type thing, and one waterproof/puffy coat. So, I turn to you, who must know more about this sort of thing than I do; am I on the right track? And are there any secrets to shopping for coats on sale?

Winter Coats by petiteonapenny featuring j crew coats

Sun and Shades

 Dress: gift, from a local boutique / Cardigan: from a local boutique / Hat: borrowed, from my sister, from her boyfriend / Bag: vintage Coach, via eBay / Sandals: Gap / Earrings: from a local boutique / Sunglasses: Target

 

I love getting clothing as gifts. Clothing given as a gift often leads to me owning something I might have passed over in a store on my own. See: this dress. I own very few brown things (purses and shoes aside, this dress is the only brown thing I own), I don't think brown looks that great on me, and I probably wouldn't think twice about this dress in a store. But, as a gift? Turns out I like it!

Hope you are all having a lovely week.

A Little Less

 

Dress: from a local boutique / Cardigan: Target / Sandals: Gap / Necklace: from a farmer's market / Bag: Gift, from Guatemala 

 

My car died this weekend, by which I mean the battery is fully and completely cooked. It's a Prius, so this may mean (if it's the fancy Prius battery) a nice chunk of change to get it replaced. Hot on the heels of having my first car totaled, this most recent adventure in grown-up car ownership got me thinking about how much I'd like to simply not have so many...things.

Of course, that may sound too simple. No car means no totaled vehicles, no paying for batteries, no batteries dieing in the first place, and no annoyance of what to do when the car's not there. (This is all presupposing a great public transportation system I could rely on, and is after, obviously, counting my blessings that I am able to have a car and pay for its fancy new battery in the first place.) But fewer things do, I think, mean less mental clutter and more breathing space in the long run.

This is something I've always want to do with my closet. Get it down to the few, perfect, timeless, beautiful pieces that I could wear anywhere, to do anything. I'd love to have everything match everything else so perfectly that putting looks together is a breeze. I'd love the paired-down simplicity of the one perfect cocktail dress, the one perfect blazer, the one perfect white shirt. But, in reality, I do buy with the trends (though I try to do it sparingly), I do like doubles and triples of things I wear often (skinny jeans, t-shirts, boots), I do buy silly impulse purchases, and I do think I "need" that cute new dress from H&M, when really I should save my money for the one perfect dress from a much more timeless store. This, I think, is what my wardrobe aspires to be, when it's all grown up. Simple, timeless, paired-down, and thoughtfully put together as opposed to bought on a whim. I'd like to think I'm getting there (with a few unnecessary purchases along the way), piece by piece by piece.

Blogging on a Budget: March

This month, I spent:

$0 on hair products

$0 on makeup

$54.57 on clothing (one top and one dress)

$0 on jewelry

I just got back from a visit to the East Coast to check out my graduate school, so forgive the laspe in posting! More stuff coming soon!

Wondering What

 Top, skirt, and boots: Urban Outfitters / Bag: Alice + Olivia / Tights: H&M

Ah, look. A perfectly in-focus palm tree trunk.... Grr. Out of focus photos (that I thought were in-focus until I uploaded them) are the worst! Especially when I'm pretty happy about my outfit.

Speaking of the outfit: I've had this grey skirt for years and bought it because I was sure it would quickly become a wardrobe staple. An easy color, a simple shape, something that would pair with many shirts without too much effort. However, I always find myself stumped when I reach for it...something about how tight it is makes me unsure how loose the top should be, and a little self-conscious to wear it without tights underneath.

Anyone have a suggestion as to what to pair with this grey jersey skirt?

Uniform

 

Top: Gap / Cashmere sweater: bought in Scotland / Jacket: Urban Outfitters / Jeans: JBrand (second hand, $11.00) / Boots: Ralph Lauren / Bag: Alice + Olivia

 

When I lived in Cambridge for my semester abroad, I pretty much had a uniform. Jeans, these leather boots (the only pair of water-proof shoes I own. That's going to have to change, soon...), a sweater, the only coat I brought, and a colored scarf.

I wore a variation of that uniform almost every single day throughout the English winter. Until it got to be June and I broke out the sun dresses along with the rest of the British, celebrating the 65 degree spring. :)

Given this post and the last (yes, these outfits are 50% exactly the same). I seem to be back to my old habits. Got to work on that...

Drizzly Days

 

Top: Gap / Vest: LOFT (gift) / Jacket: Forever 21 / Jeans: JBrand (second hand, $11) / Boots: Ralph Lauren / Necklace: bought at a farmer's market ($15)

Forgive the cruddy indoor shots; these were taken over the weekend when it was raining. And please further forgive my lack of posting recently! I've been pretty sick this past week, and collapsing into a stuffy-nosed heap almost immediately upon getting home each day.

I do, however, have some great news. I found out last week that I got into my top-choice graduate school program! Getting in to grad school at all was awesome, but getting into my #1 choice is even more amazing. :) I can not wait for the fall...

Hope you all have a lovely weekend!