herringbone + maroon ♥

December 19, 2015

Vest: Van Huesen/Tee: Old Navy/Necklace: Target/Jeggings: American Eagle/Boots: Target

Before this fall, I didn't have any vests in my wardrobe. As an all day every day baggy sweaters + scarves kind of girl, a vest just didn't really fit into my wardrobe - but since the herringbone vest trend has come around, this sweaterscarf girl is officially convinced! I picked up this beautiful vest at Van Heusen and have been wearing it almost every week with either a black or maroon long sleeve tee underneath.

I've found that the vest is really not as hard to style as I'd originally imagined. With the black and white base, the vest goes with almost any color, as long as I don't wear too many other crazy patterns along with it! Plus, it gets major bonus points for keeping my core warm and most importantly - having pockets!

The weather's made a turn for the colder here in Chicago (I'm writing this under two blankets next to a space heater - eek!) and despite how miserable I usually am in the cold, I'm trying to be optimistic this year and make a serious effort to invest in clothes that are actually designed to keep me warm! If you have any suggestions on brands and pieces that are tough in the cold weather, I'd love to hear them!

4 Ways to Brighten Your Office Desk!

December 13, 2015

If you follow my Instagram you'll notice that I absolutely love colors. Any and all colors are welcome in my closet, in my office, in my apartment - you name it and it's there. I think part of the reason I have such a strong love for brightly colored surroundings is that I am easily affected by the mood of my environment and bright colors gives off a cheerful vibe that helps to keep me sane - especially during the winter months.

Ever since I started working a 9-5, I became obsessed with decorating my desk space so that I could make it through a whole day in the same spot! As a student, I almost never had this problem because I was up and outside on my feet within an hour or two. In a full-time position, however, making an effort to brighten my desk has really helped make long days much more manageable!

1. Keyboard Covers

If you work in a typical office like I do, one of the easiest ways to dress up your technologyis by throwing on some colorful keyboard covers. Since my company provides another keyboard for me in addition to my laptop's keyboard, I chose two colors that complement one another (blue and purple) from this collection of covers I got from Amazon.

2. Post-It Notes (and other supplies!)

Post-It notes are another simple way I have found to brighten an otherwise dreary desk! They come in all sizes and colors to suit whatever color preferences you may have and are incredibly useful to boot. As someone who is constantly making lists, it's nice to have a convenient stack of post-its that also function as colorful accessories for my desk :)

3. Pretty Coffee Mugs

Most people drink coffee or tea at work and while this may seem like a relatively mundane part of the work day, it is the perfect opportunity to brighten up your office space with colorful, artistic, or even motivational mugs! I even use a matching set of bowls and mugs on my own desk- the bowl holds all of my desktop knick knacks, one mug holds all of my pens, and the other mug is my designated coffee mug. Starbucks always has a gorgeous selection of beautiful mugs and I am highly considering buying this classy (and inspirational!) one from Amazon: Mug.

4. Desktop Backgrounds

Since I keep my computer desktop pretty clean, it's a great space to decorate with images and patterns that help to brighten my mood. Vera Bradley has downloadable desktop backgrounds that I use frequently. I also love to use images of sunflowers as my background because I like to think I can trick myself into thinking I'm outside!

Bonus Tip:

If your office allows it, taking brief walks outside- maybe just for coffee or lunch - can really help to break up a long work day. I am lucky enough to work in an office where we are free to take breaks whenever we need to and people are often in and out of the office taking walks and even taking all of their calls outdoors when the weather is nice. Walks, coffee breaks with co-workers, or even simply taking a meeting outside instead of in the office can really help to dash away the blues and revamp your work day!

Hunter Tour Boots Review!

December 9, 2015

I recently found a beautiful pair of Hunter Tour rain boots on sale on Black Friday (Similar pair on Zappo's: H unter Tour) and thought I would share my experiences with Hunter boots. Unfortunately, this isn't the first pair of Hunter boots I've bought. The first pair I bought didn't work out for me for a variety of reasons I’ll mention below so I ended up giving them to one of my roommates. The good news is I love my new pair - which makes me excited to wear them for the rainy Chicago weekend forecast!

Style:

Overall, I love the style of all Hunter boots! Hunter has really made your average clunky, heavy rubber rain boot functional and fashion friendly. I love adding pops of color to my outfits (especially since I live in the lovely snowy, cold Midwest) and Hunter has a huge selection of colors to choose from. Red is one of my absolute favorite colors so I got the beautiful matte red color. Since I have longer legs, mid length boots don't work too well for me. I feel like they awkwardly cut off my leg in a strange place, so I try to stick with either really short booties or tall riding-esque boots. While I think the short Hunters are adorable, the tall hunters really suit my body type and clothing choices better.

Comfort & Size:

The first pair of Hunter boots I owned were the glossy red original boots. While they were absolutely beautiful in every way, I could not go anywhere without them rubbing against the backs of my heels. Every time I wore them I’d always end up with blisters no matter how many pairs of socks I wore. Given that I was a student at the time, I probably walked more than your average person would but I was hoping for a pair of boots that would be comfortable especially since I needed them on those messy winter days! Since they were so uncomfortable for me, I ended up wearing them very rarely and ultimately gave them away since they were getting almost no use in my closet.

That’s why I was so excited about the new pair of Hunters I bought this past Black Friday. While they aren’t the glossy style that I originally owned, they look equally as cute in the matte style. On top of that the new pair is the Packable Tour style which makes it so easy to store and pack on trips. A side benefit is that this pair is also so much more comfortable because the material of the boots is thinner and more flexible.

Price:

I bought my first pair of Hunters on Zappos.com for the full $150 price tag but got the second pair for a steal at $87 at Nordstrom Rack! If you're in the market for Hunter boots (and not too picky about the specific color/style of boot) I would highly suggest checking out Nordstrom Rack. While their selection is more limited, you're much more likely to find a good deal. In addition, the Hunter website itself (www.us.hunterboots.com) also has some great deals in its sale section for select colors and styles.

Functionality:

While I haven't had my new pair of boots for very long, I've worn it through a smattering of slush and rain successfully. The rubber material on the original style Hunter boots is much thicker and sturdier than the material of the packable Tour Hunter boots so they may not last as long as the original style but that's kind of the trade you make in creating something that's more portable vs. sturdy. In general, however, Hunters are not particularly warm so it's best to wear them with warm socks or invest in a pair of welly socks. I'm still looking for the perfect pair of welly socks as well - there are so many styles to choose from!

I'm in love with my new Hunter boots and so excited that I got them at such a deal price as well. I promise Hunter boots are worth the investment if you're looking for a functional rain boot that's stylish and goes with almost any fall or winter outfit (: