What's your one piece of clothing that instantly elevates an outfit from drab to chic? For me, hands down, is a leather jacket. Leather jackets have that way of upping the coolness factor for an outfit (do I sound like a dork right now?) and it works in almost every situation. When I'm unsure of an outfit -- too sloppy? too matronly-looking? too anything, I grab a leather jacket of choice, and voila, I'm ready to head out the door.

A few years ago, Burberry released these black equestrian rain boots that my preppy heart fell in love with. I wasn't able to track down any in my size, so simply resolved to keep my eyes peeled for dupes. When I came across the Banana Republic version, I couldn't help but be excited that my search could potentially be coming to an end! I say "potentially" because I'm picky about the fit of rain boots. Now that I've experienced the perfect fit with Hunter Tour rain boots, I just can't go back to shorter and wider boots.

The BR boots turned out to be perfect in person. They are TTS, the same height as my Hunter Tours, and are snug against my small calves -- I'm wearing my usual tall boot socks over jeans and there is not much of a gap. The buckles are what initially sold me on the boots, but I have to say they are a bit disappointing in person. The straps have a tendency to uncross, whereas I'd prefer if they remain criss-crossed. I've yet to explore solutions, but have a couple in mind that I plan to try (double sided tape, tighten the buckle), so fingers crossed on that front.

The first time I wore this pink outfit [left pic below], something felt "off". After perusing through the photos, I had one of those aha! moments. The accessories I had chosen completely gave off a different vibe than the one I was going for -- (hard)working* and fashion-conscious girl in a sea of stodgy government workers.


That saying, "accessories make an outfit" completely applies in this case. The purse I had chosen works well for business casual environments given its tote style, but is a bit fancy for the rest of the outfit. On the other extreme, the ankle boots are a tad too casual for the rest of the outfit. I think the three mis-matching shades of neutrals in the bottom half of the outfit didn't help either.

For the second go-around [right pic above + pics below], I deliberately chose accessories that were not at either extreme. The purse can pass for casual (worn with the long strap) or dressy (when hand-held). The biggest adjustment though are these pointy, rich suede ankle boots! Love. I think they completely elevated the outfit. (Side note: Boots are TTS and required no breaking in). The matching brown shades also ended up working well together.

The one accessory that I didn't change between outfits was the fun colorblocked stole. Every outfit needs a statement piece, and this was mine.

Two fleece outfits in the span of one week? You can now add fleece to my list of obsessions for this year along with the color green. Unlike the first look, today's is appropriate for weekends and casual Fridays at the office. I wore the blanket scarf mainly for added visual interest, but without still looks just as put-together.

This has been my go-to weekend outfit for the last 8 consecutive weeks (no lie, DH can attest to this). It's perfect for all the times we go out to eat at restaurants where the grease just embeds into your pores. I'm looking at you, Vietnamese pho (edit: phodor!), Chinese beef stew, Korean soondubu -- all of which I love too much to give up, so instead fashion is sacrificed in the process. I used to wear a holey sweatshirt (literally multiple holes at almost every seam) and baggy jeans, so this sportier outfit is a slight upgrade. It's so easy to just toss every item into the wash and not have to think about dry cleaning.

Happy Sunday! I haven't been posting too many casual outfits lately, so here is one with all old favorites (some of which has been re-stocked for this season!)

After I mentioned long cardigans paired with dresses in the last post, I realized I haven't worn that combo myself in awhile. So to the back of my closet I went and out came today's outfit.

After my red rain boots ripped, I didn't rule out Hunter boots completely. I love the light weight of these Tour boots, so figured I would give them one more try. If the new pair also rips, then well, fool me twice shame on me. I thought about getting the same red color again, but decided I liked this mustard yellow just as much. Life is too short for regrets.

Keeping plans simple on this rainy weekend: eyes will be glued to the TV all day long. On the schedule will be catching up on Suits (I kinda stopped watching shows the last couple of years, lol. My attention span is not what it used to be) and hoping the Capitals do not give me a heart attack. Hope y'all have a good one!

There are so many cute ways to wear a scarf. The simplest might just be draping it over the shoulders. It doesn't add warmth (not necessary this time of year anyway), but it does add visual interest. Simplicity at its best.

Stripes, oh how I love thee. It's a pattern that suits any occasion -- work, dressy, weekends, just to name a few, and one that I can't get enough of. Oh, periwinkle blue? Don't mind if I add that to my growing collection.

This skirt is one of those items that you just don't want to take off. I wore it on back-to-back days last week! That phrase "so comfortable you can sleep in it" is quite fitting... and I would have if not for my aversion of combining my "outside clothes" with my "home clothes".

Layers. Love them. They add so much interest to the eye. Today's look is all about layers in transitional weather. Including the scarf, I'm counting four layers of solids and patterns -- some shorter, others more visible, but that's of the fun of mixing and matching.

Today's outfit consists of taking a typical classic winter look (wool coat + suede boots) and adding a fun twist with accessories. Who says winter has to be dreary and boring?

Fun fact: I'm a huge Minions fan and Bob is my favorite (probably because I'm a grown-up Bob in real life). When Uniqlo released their Minions collaboration, I had a hard time choosing just one item. Ultimately the embroidered teddy bear on the left sleeve was too cute to pass up.