This might be more of a “snooze” for some of you, but I loved this casual outfit so, so much. It was one of those slapped-together-at-the-last-minute looks that turned out nicer than expected. The combination of the cozy scarf (one of the most versatile and practical ones I’ve got) and the chunky sweater gave me the warm & fuzzies … literally and figuratively.
My boots are new-ish, and a Winners clearance rack score. I already have a pair of ankle boots I really like, but I thought a flat-heeled Chelsea boot might be a good addition — and what could be better than (discounted) Fryes? Well, here’s the thing. I like the look a lot, and I have no reason to expect the quality to be anything but good, but I have some reservations about these boots. The shaft is very — and I mean VERY — tight/skinny, which makes them a pain to put on and take off. Most of my skinny jeans are too bulky to tuck into the boots, and even if I get them in, they get un-tucked almost immediately. It means that I have to tuck them into socks first, which doesn’t help with the getting-my-foot-into-the-boots thing and … ugh, too much work. I’m hoping the leather will soften up with age, making this whole process less of a PITA.
My bag, on the other hand, is not new. I bought it last year to replace my still-regretted purple version (which, much to my current chagrin, I sold a few years ago) and while I got a great deal on it, it has quite a bit of, um, patina. To wit, colour-fading. The soft, croc-embossed nubuck is definitely delicate, so this is not surprising. It’s what’s kept me from putting the bag through its paces … until the holidays. I wore it non-stop for a week, and loved how versatile and easy to use it was. (I usually keep the straps free, for easy access, and find that there little danger of spillage.) And I came to love its imperfections because I realized that (a) they make it look like a well-loved bag (which it should be) and (b) make me less worried about damaging it.
NOTE: A new chapter of A Temporary Engagement is up, and you can read it here.
Hi Adina,
I love how you tied this scarf (and others featured on the blog)! Would you consider doing a tutorial?
Thanks,
Kathy
Thanks, Kathy! I honestly don’t have a particular technique — I just wound it around my neck and fiddle with the ends until it looks semi-decent. I find that chunkier/large scarves are easier to tie from that perspective (or harder to mess up, if you like).
Not a snooze to me but then my blog post today is an outfit from before Christmas, a dark beige cord skirt with a cream stripe top. Ha! I quite like going all neutral from time to time.
Love the new ‘do btw, will it be high maintenance? I’m so lazy with my hair plus I need to be able to scrape it back for running so I’d never be brave enough for a pixie!
I don’t work out (haha! sob) so the ponytail is not a must for me; I usually just clip or bobby pin it back at home if I’m doing chores, etc. So far, it’s been pretty low maintenance. I have only straightened it, not tried to go for a wavy look yet, so we’ll see how it goes. But my hair is generally well-suited to pixies — it’s thick but fine, so it looks best when it’s short/layered. I need to play around a bit more with hair products, though. I want to find a good texturizer to try some edgier looks. So far, I’ve been using hairspray only, and it works well for my everyday ‘do. I call it the “pixie swoop”.
Love the new haircut!
I cannot seem to get to the new chapter of your book though.
It’s showing now 🙂
Awesome! Thanks for letting me know
I’m a long-time reader of your blog. I understand that you take your pictures in the basement when the days are short and dark – but have you considered placing a lamp on either side of you just out of the shot? It would help to balance the light so you don’t get such sharp shadows behind you 🙂 just a thought, I’m not a professional but I know they do something similar
I probably should, but I just got complacent about it. Do you find that the shadows are really distracting when you’re looking at the pictures? Hmm, definitely something to think about. Thanks for mentioning it.