snowvember.

mossimo sweater

j crew skirt {via thredup}

mossimo kachiri boots

so, before i went to bed on sunday night the meteorologists were going nuts predicting anywhere from 6-100" of snow to fall sunday night through the day on monday.  okay, maybe this is a slight exaggeration, but i think it maybe snowed 2-3" where i live?  not really the early november snowpocalypse that was predicted, but i'm still satisfied with my outfit choice as i've found that tall boots really are the way to go whenever there is going to be a substantial snowfall.  i suppose if i were a true minnesotan i'd own actual snow boots, but boots like this work for me on days where i either wake up to a million snowflakes on the ground or the snow falls throughout the day and i have to trudge out to my car and unearth it to go home.  i'm not sure that i like the way more casual looking tall boots pair with pencil skirts, but at least the taupe boots found a color partner of the same shade of brown in the skirt. i kept the sweater untucked to mimic the more casual vibe the boots present.  and i spent all day listening to people trade stories about their drive into work and their prediction of how much it was going to snow throughout the day.  i swear, everyone in minnesota is a meteorologist!

dare i ask how you're getting along with winter (oh, it's still fall you say?) where you live?

also, i mentioned yesterday that marissa and i are doing another pantone-inspired color link-up next week but i failed to mention what colors we will be featuring.  here you go!  pick out something sangria, cypress, royal blue, mauve, and cognac from your closet.  if you're feeling extra adventurous, add a blazer to your look (bonus points if it's in one of these colors), because andi is hosting blazers week next week as well!  yay!

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a beginning with pants.

loft diamond print cropped pants   ·   mossimo sweater {thrifted}
target necklace & belt {thrifted target stock}   ·   cl irresistible bol wedges

i've participated in theme weeks these past two weeks, so i decided to give myself free reign at my closet this week instead of jumping right into another one.  this also gives me the opportunity to wear one of the new clothing items i've purchased this month - these patterned pants.  even though i wear patterned skirts with confidence, i have never envisioned myself in patterned pants!  i automatically assumed they wouldn't work for me so i wrote them off without ever trying a pair on. 

my personal style has really been changing since i started a different job earlier this year.  my previous job was primarily a desk job--i could hide out in my little cubicle and not present myself to others if i didn't want to.  i don't mean that i was closed off or unfriendly, i just mean that there was little risk in wearing bold colors or patterned skirts if no one ever really saw what i was wearing as i sat behind my desk all day.

my current job is so different.  i squat beside my residents in their wheelchairs so we can be eye-to-eye, i kneel on the floor beside dining room tables to take breakfast orders, i perch on the edges of beds to visit, and i walk up and down long hallways multiple times a day.  gone are the days where i can comfortably wear most high heels, that is for sure!

it's interesting and important to me to track the progression of my style and reflect on how it's impacted by so many different factors... not only the ones i noted above, but also my personal preferences, my weight, the appearance i want to present toward others.  my new workplace is so casual and relaxed and my personal style is changing to reflect that - i've sold/donated almost all of my heels and i'm on the hunt for different styles of pants to incorporate into my wardrobe as that is what i feel more comfortable in nowadays based on what my job requires of me.

a couple weeks ago i took a leap and ordered two pairs of patterned pants from loft.  i paid more for them than i would have at my usual stores of old navy or target, but as soon as i slipped this pair on, they felt very much to be a reflection of present day heidi.  i'd pay that price again and again to have a garment i feel that great in (even though i wish they were a size smaller; i was unsure of the sizing as i've never shopped at loft before).  i will continue to wear skirts and dresses and heels (albeit less often), but i feel my new found love for pants - and dare i say patterned ones at that - will make my entire wardrobe more well-rounded.  that's something that's really important to me too.

do you notice your style changing over time in a similar way?  if you got this far, phew - thanks for reading!

get the look:  exact pants {i'm 5'5" and ordered the tall to have a longer inseam because i don't like pants that hit above my ankles.  the length of these loft pants is better, right?  i welcome your objective opinion!} / similar sweater / similar necklace / similar belt / exact wedges

april 23rd {eyelet}

mossimo sweater & ann taylor skirt {both thrifted}

dexter kylie wedges

here is what i wore today!  i woke up to about 18 inches of fresh snow this morning {okay, kidding, it was only 5.2"} but despite this silly winter we continue to experience, i tend not to allow that to affect my dress.  skirts and wedges it is!  this morning i went to an amazing presentation on new therapies for alzheimer's disease and i was really glad that the winter wonderland this morning didn't affect the conference--i learned some really fascinating new research!  do you have the opportunity to attend conferences/seminars/education events in your field?

thanks for the response so far to the PANTONE-inspired color challenge that my friend marissa and i are hosting starting next monday, april 29th! i look forward to being inspired by some of your spring colors, seeing as how i may be stuck in tight for who knows how long!  read more about it here & let me know if you have any questions!

friday (wiped out)

i get to work really early when it's still dark outside, and it's starting to get even darker as we get closer to winter.  it's been pretty cold in the mornings too but i didn't think it was quite cold enough for wet ground to freeze yet!  needless to say, i was pretty taken aback as i was walking along the path towards my building from my parking lot this morning and slid on a patch of black ice and boom, down on my bum i went.  it was one of those things that happened so fast that i just hoped no residents were looking out their apartment window to see me sprawled out on the ground or other staff/employees lurking in the shadows of the pre-dawn day (that would be creepy).  i know, that potential embarrassment rose above my concern about actually being hurt!  thankfully i've only been a little sore and my coffee didn't spill all over me as i went down.  my shoes weren't so fortunate, however.  one got scuffed when i plopped on the ground and then went flying off (don't worry, i quickly recovered it!).  i'm really bummed though as i haven't worn these shoes that many times and the scuffed scratch is an obvious place on the top of the shoe.  they're on clearance for $19 right now at payless, but my size is sold out.  well, i'm sure i'll keep wearing them anyway... and here's to hoping i don't wake up sore tomorrow!  have a great weekend!

friday (indeed.)

mossimo sweater {thrifted}   jones ny blazer {thrifted} 

handmade (by me) skirt   mossimo wanda wedges

HAPPY FRIDAY.  HAPPY FRIDAY (!) indeed.

wednesday (untucked)

gap plaid ruffle placket shirt {thrifted}   mossimo cardigan {thrifted}

banana republic paper bag skirt {thrifted}   banana republic tiona heels {thrifted}

 

another entirely thrifted outfit, i love it.  and total cost of this outfit was $10.47, is that crazy or what!  thank you, goodwill.  i really liked the idea of this skirt when i found it at the GW but wasn't sure what to pair with it since it's a paper bag style skirt.  tuck or not to tuck, that was the question.   then i decided that for as much as i eschew trends & fashion rules, i just needed to wear it already {it's been hanging in my closet since august}.  i love the dark gray against the magenta and the nice matchyness factor with those great BR heels i can't stop yapping about {they were $1.49!}.  but midway through the day i was questioning again the tuck factor and decided to take a picture of both options when i got home when i got home... and when i put the two pictures side by side i see such a huge difference.  don't you?  the picture on the left looks put together & professional but still a little bit fun.  the picture on the right seems a little sloppy and missing something.  can you guess what way i looked the entire day?  the picture on the right.  i'm glad that i have this hobby & format to help me take an honest look at how i appear & how i feel... and maybe do something a little bit different the next time... next time i will definitely tuck!