Outfits Not Just Clothes

So I work with some very fashionable ladies and before our holiday luncheon we got a few shots of our outfits that day: Even though we work in a fairly conservative office these ladies are not at all afraid to play with color, which I love. You can see here I've employed my Christmas Tuxedo made mention of here . Of course I didn't go for the all red suit, but instead played it safe with black and grey.  Is that a cop out?  Not so much because of the killer leather collar last seen here . And when you say red suit during the holiday season one can't help but think of Santa Clause and I sure as sh*t do not want to be mistaken for an old fat white man.  AND let's not forget the shoes... The burgundy wedges are from Shoe Mint. We had a lovely  lunch with the rest of our team at the Grand Concourse and because of the heel action you see above I insisted on using the valet. Don't worry it was my treat, what can I say, I'm a giver. Thanks Rita, Megan and Mi...

Yes that IS an aluminium Christmas tree in the background This dress has wings!  Feel free to make a maxi-pad comment now. sweater-Gap(similar here ), dress-FreePeople(some other dress options here ), snood-Jcrew(similar here ), coffee cup-Canada Since I work for a university I always have the week between Christmas and New Year's off.  My husband does not, so I have a whole week at home on my own and its AWESOME!  There is the temptation to just stay in PJs all day, but by day three that starts to get depressing so I always make myself shower and put on some sort of "around the house outfit."  I call this my sister wife dress, which is actually a summer dress, but I've winterized it with the snood, wrap sweater, long-johns and slippers. 

So yesterday I had totally planned on going out to hit up the after Christmas sales, however it rained horribly and I really was enjoying my pajamas so instead I just trolled through the online versions of said sales and picked up these two items: both from UrbanOutfitters Now the pants weren't exactly on sale, but I couldn't resist.  I'm thinking of totally wearing them together.  I figure I can slap on a blazer like the one from this post .  Or I may layer the blouse over a turtle neck.  Either way I intend to try it out as a possible office outfit.  The basic components of trousers and an embellished blouse are definitely safe enough for work, but the colors here make it a bit more daring/interesting. Here are a few additional finds: Now I actually didn't buy this particular collar, but I did get one similar from Asos that I think will be perfect with the black blouse above.  And these shoes finally went on sale!!! dress, blouse, shoes- Zara...

I love a rough brown belt.  coat-BB Dakota c/o ModCloth , jeans-Martin&Osa, shirt- MikkatMarket , belt-Gap(similar here ), boots-Bass(more boots here ), ring- JewelMint , bag-Nine West(similar here ) For a day after Christmas movie date the husband and I went to see " Girl With The Dragon Tattoo " so of course I wanted to wear something black and tough.  The boots are so killer and I like how they have a cowboy vibe.  Also how sickening is the ring? Definitely something Lisbeth Salander would wear, don't you think?  Overall this is a fairly easy look, you may recall the shirt for this post .  The ring, the belt, the half tuck, and of course the boots make an outfit from a shirt and jeans.  I will say that I wish the stripes in the coat ran all the way round to the back, but maybe that would have been overkill.  I guess we'll never know...

Another great gift I received for Christmas this year: Elizabeth Arden tote and makeup case. Filled with cosmetics! I really was excited to receive this gift and was totally not expecting it to be so elaborate.  Mascaras, glitter powder, lipsticks, lip glosses, eyeliners, brushes, and a huge shadow and blush palette! (click here to see the details) I also love both bags which will now be my go to totes for traveling.  I was going to take a few "beauty shots" but then I realized that I'm a 13 year old girl when trying out new makeup and need to put on every color at once.  So I've spared you from having to see that hot of a mess. 

Each year the husband and I host and ugly holiday sweater party.  We actually have a contest for best ugly sweater, but we usually give prizes to everyone who shows up in a tacky sweater.  These prizes consist of re-gifts that are taking up too much space in our attic.  Now these two are obviously not in sweaters, however my friend Tracy's purse is awesome--suede and fur--we all enjoyed petting it. The Winners!!! Have a very Merry Christmas everyone.

jacket- MikkatMarket , sweater-Zara (similar here ), trousers-Jcrew(similar here ), shoes-Banana Republic(similar here ), necklace- Jewelmint , scarf-seen here So from yesterday's post I hinted that I would style this scarf with a military jacket and here you have it folks!  Talk about service!  Since the scarf hails from India I was thinking about what I'd wear to explore India.  However, I had to go to work instead of India so I didn't deck myself out in khakis or fatigues.  Instead I wore this military jacket in place of a  blazer, and traded khakis for wool trousers.  I think overall this does have an adventurous vibe and I really dig how the teal of the sweater's sleeves plays off the orange of the scarf and the military green of the jacket.  The pins came with the jacket, but I'm not sure I'll keep them on... I may trade them out for something like this: from Modcloth  since the bling of the faux-military honor might be ...

For Christmas my sister-in-law gave me this fabulous scarf: So yeah, this was an attempt at photographic animation as the scarf "took over" the chair.  Anyway, not only do I love the scarf itself, but also the packaging is so chic.  My sister-in-law picked this up in her many exotic travels, but you can also check out the website: http://www.thebombaystore.com/categories/Bombay-Store-Fashion/cid-CU00007133.aspx One word of warning, prices are listed in rupees and I have no clue what the exchange rate may be.  In terms of outfitting, I'm thinking of pairing this with a military jacket and maybe some wool trousers, we shall see...