outfits


Classic casual outfit and pop of turquoise

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Pictured: Sunglasses: Chanel / Lipstick: Chanel Melancholie / Earrings: Kendra Scott / Sweater: Banana Republic / Scarf: Monki / Ring: Beau Bijou / Nail Polish: Nars Night Creature / Handbag: Proenza Schouler / Jeans: Gap / Booties: Rag & Bone

The weather this winter has been on the cool side. It has been so refreshing, after all the drought weather we had experienced here in the San Francisco Bay Area over the past few years. I look back at last January, and I was already wearing some spring pieces! There were even a few days when I wore short sleeves, a skirt, and sandals! Yikes! Not very wintery 😉

Since we have been enjoying cold weather, and rain (yes!!!), I have been reveling in the chance to actually wear warm clothing! In our long, lost winter, I have found a turtleneck sweater, jeans, booties, and a blanket scarf, make the perfect go-to outfit on a casual day. The classic casual outfit above, has been getting quite a bit of a workout lately!

Although I love having the chance to bundle up this winter, sometimes the constant cloudy weather can be a bit dreary. In order to combat the grey days, I have been wearing this Proenza Schouler tote from their resort 2016 collection quite often. The bright turquoise really pops against the dark colors in my winter wardrobe. I love being able to wear a little bit of sunshine on a grey day. That is the great thing about accessories, you can wear the next season without sacrificing comfort. Love that!

I am the type of person who will purchase something in multiple colors if I love it; a shopping trick my Mom taught me when I was a child. This turtleneck sweater from Banana Republic is comfortable, classic, cozy, and comes in a ton of colors! So, I splurged and purchased it in the pale pink, black, cobalt, and light blue. You can see the light blue styled here. If you are looking for a classic turtleneck sweater at a fabulous price, I highly recommend this one!

The jeans I am wearing are Gap’s skinny jeans. I own a pair in regular, medium wash, and also black. They are comfortable, offer a great fit, and are great quality. If you are looking for go-to skinny jeans for your closet, this is the pair! I love that they are priced waaaaaaaay under $100. It is hard to find great quality jeans, that fit well, under $100. I hope they come out with more color washes for spring!

Lastly, these booties are so comfortable! Rag & Bone makes this pair of booties every fall. They have classic colors, and variations of neutrals which are fresh and interesting. My pair is from fall 2014, and is a dark charcoal with a vintage wash. You can invest in these booties knowing they are in style every year, since they are a classic style. I love owning classic pieces I can find on store shelves every year; it makes them feel new every season! If you order a pair, order a half size up from your usual size. I ordered my pointy toe shoe size, which is 9.5. I usually wear a 9.

What are some of your favorite classic casual outfit pieces for cold weather?


Favorite skirt of the season

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Pictured: Sunglasses: Chanel / Earrings: Kendra Scott / Lipstick: Chanel Mighty / Necklace: Kendra Scott / Sweater: White + Warren (so soft and comfy, love!!!) (last seen here) (less expensive option here) / Skirt: JCrew (last seen here) (also love this one and this one, more at the bottom of this post) / Handbag: Givenchy / Ring: Beau Bijou / Nail Polish: Dior Lilac / Shoes: Prada (sold out, also love this pair and this pair)

Have you ever had a piece in your closet you find yourself reaching for over, and over again? That is this skirt for me! I purchased this skirt for fall near the end of summer vacation after I instantly fell in love with it when I saw it in the JCrew catalog for fall; so I jumped up and ordered it!

I have been styling it with different tops since late summer. When I first got the skirt, I was pairing it with basic tee-shirts, and tops, so that I could wear it during the awful heat we experienced in late summer, and early fall. When our weather finally cooled off, I started to pair it with light sweaters, and now heavier ones, such as the turtleneck sweater I wore it with last Sunday; shown above.

In this outfit, I mixed last year’s color of the year, Marsala, with one of this year’s colors, pale blue or “Serenity,” because I think they look pretty together. I love Serenity for 2016, any shade of light blue is beautiful; and easy to mix so many other types of colors!

I am looking forward to continuing to style this skirt into the new year; and pairing shades of blue with other colors in the new year too!

My beautiful nine-year-old daughter took these photos after church on Sunday. I think she did a pretty good job! She is learning her way around a DSLR camera, and really enjoys photography. It seems like a natural hobby for someone who wants to be fashion designer, an interior decorator, and an automobile designer when she grows up! With three careers, she will be quite busy 😉

Do you have any pieces in your closet this season you feel like you are reaching for all the time? If so, what are they?

Laser cut skirts:

Outfit details:


Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk in the winter

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Outfit: Sunglasses: Chanel / Earrings: c/o Laurel Burch / Lipstick: Chanel Mighty / Sweater: Banana Republic / Ring: Kendra Scott / Nail Polish: Chanel Sunrise Trip / Handbag: Tory Burch (on sale!!) / Jeans: Gap / Shoes: Rag & Bone (sold out, also love this pair and this pair)

Over Christmas break, we took the kids to the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk. Winter is a great time to go to the Boardwalk because there are less crowds, significantly lower lines, and you can really maximize your day; since you are not spending it in long lines!

The Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk in winter has reduced hours, and not all of the rides are open. On the day we went, the Boardwalk was open from 12pm-5pm. We arrived at noon and stayed until about 5:15pm. It was a full day, and loads of fun!  There were about twelve rides open, so in addition to going on rides, we played mini golf, and a few carnival games.

The food at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk is always fun too. Can you believe the potato on a stick my daughter is holding in the photo above?! It was like potato chips on a stick, but fresh! They make the potato on a stick right there in front of you, so you can see it is fresh; and I would like to think it is healthier than potato chips from a bag at the super market. The kids also ate french fries; and I enjoyed a delicious hot cocoa made from Ghirardelli Chocolate, yum!

The favorite ride of the day for my kids were the bumper cars. I think they went back on the ride close to ten times! There were a lot of people riding the bumper cars, yet there wasn’t a line, so it was easy to keep going back on the same ride. It was the perfect amount of people!

If you are interested in heading down to the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk in winter, be sure to call first and see how many rides are open. You will also want to check the hours. They do offer a reduced daily rate during the winter, which is nice.

What are some places you like to go to in the winter because there is less of crowd than in the summer?