TBMD

*** Update as of 6/19:
Tory Burch Junction riding boots looks very similar to my Nadine boots  ***

After an unsuccessful attempt at finding a pair of riding boots last year, I couldn't wait to get an early start this year... even though summer's still in full swing. My criteria hasn't changed much with time, as I'm still looking for a pair that is black, preferably leather, flat/low heel, buckle detailing, and with a tall and slim shaft.

I've never paid much attention to Nordstrom's Anniversary Sale in the past, so I hadn't realized that the sale is for next season's styles. Apparently I've been living under a rock all these years (!!) I was excited to see a few pairs of boots on the list, but was enamored with only one, the Tory Burch Nadine riding boot in black, size 6.5 (sold here), which bears a striking resemblance to last year's H&M boots that I coveted but couldn't find.

Sales galore all over the place!
- Nordstrom half-yearly sale has begun (for women & kids)
- Take up to 40% off at Saks through 11/8
- Take up to 60% off first cut / spree sale at Neiman Marcus through 11/8

A few specific items to note:

1a) Tory Burch Ludlow driver - I'm wearing sz 6 - TTS (runs a bit narrow but leather will stretch) / outfit below, also: here / buy at:
- $192.50 at ToryBurch.com - in navy, red, brown (limited sizes)
- $184.00 at Neiman Marcus - in red (sz 8.5)
- $184.25 at Nordstrom - in red (limited sizes)
- $220.00 at Shopbop - in brown (limited sizes)

1b) Tory Burch flat riding boots (see current season's styles) - Mine is the Nadine from last year / outfits here, here, here / the same style isn't brought back this year, but similar ones have been discounted:
- Bristol has a small TB logo by the ankle: $346.50 at Bloomingdale's and Saks / $373.50 at Cusp
- Brita has a small TB logo by the ankle with criss-crossing ankle straps: $331.65 at Nordstrom
- Jess has metal details behind the ankle: $367.50 at Bloomingdale's
- Calista is from last year and most similar to my Nadine: $495.00 at Jildor (not on sale)

2) Blank NYC spray-on jeans - I'm wearing sz 26 - sized up / outfit below; also: here / buy at:
- $61.60 at Neiman Marcus and Cusp - limited sizes
- $43.97 at Piperlime - sz 31 only
- $70.00 at Shoptiques - limited sizes
- $88.00 (not on sale) at Blank NYC, thehipchick, Designs by Stephene, pink Mascara - most sizes still available

3) Sperry Top-Sider shoes - review here / outfits here / buy at:
- Lots of styles for 33% off at Nordstrom


J.Crew piqued my interest when they released the vintage pajama set last season (I believe). I was a fan of the style, but wasn't really interested in the two colors they offered (light blue, white).

I was happy to stumble across Gap's version of the pajama set recently in a wider range of colors and patterns (buy for $41.97 w/code GAPFRIENDS through 11/11).

The fabric and sizing for both J.Crew and Gap's pajama sets are comparable. For reference, I tried on sz XXS in J.Crew and own the XS in Gap. J.Crew's top is longer in length, which I liked. I think Gap's shrunk when I put it in the dryer without thinking. It's too bad because Gap's was already shorter than J.Crew's to begin with. The inseam is roughly the same for both, ~32". They're also both made of thin cotton that may be see-through in lighter colors.

I didn't play it safe and chose the eye-popping orange-red set. DH complained that I was blinding him with the bright color, so I've been mostly wearing the pieces as separates instead as a full set. Take today's outfit with the pajama top for example. I literally stumbled out of bed, pulled on a sweater and jeans, then marched right out the door to start my day. Gotta love multi-purpose (for home and in public) items! Though I can't take the credit as I stole the styling idea from a J.Crew mannequin awhile back.

The Nordstrom Anniversary sale has begun! Select fall items are discounted from now until 8/4 (when prices go back up to retail.)

Picks:
1) Tory Burch Eloise Riding Boot (sale $299.90; retail $495) - My TB Nadine riding boots from a few years ago was also a Nordstrom exclusive. This year's version, the Eloise, has slightly different detailing. Measurements for the Eloise look the same as my Nadine, so I'd recommend these boots to ladies looking for taller shafts with narrow-to-normal calf circumference.

2) Burberry Brit Cobridge Hooded Anorak with Detachable Liner (sale $659.90; retail: $995) - The Cobridge looks the same as my burgundy version from last season (outfits: here, here, here), but with the additional interior liner for extra warmth.

3) theory Gabe B 2 Blazer (sale $263.90; retail: $395) - A classic blazer at a discounted price. I bought my navy blue theory blazer many years ago and it's still the one that I reach for most often.

4) kensie Faux Leather Mixed Media Dress (sale $65.90; retail $99) - LBD with the added faux-panel twist looks a lot like my Zara faux-leather dress (outfits: here, here).

I'm channeling my inner prep with an almost-all-J.Crew outfit, with an accompanying scenic background that isn't so random. If I had actually planned ahead of time, I would have used a large tote, because realistically, who brings a clutch anywhere near bodies of water?

Happy shopping and have a great weekend, everyone!

As the morning temperatures drop, I've decided to finally dust off my boots in preparation for the colder months ahead. For a top 5 favorite purchase from last year, I don't feel like I wore these riding boots as much as I should have. Too scared to scuff them up? Make dents in the leather? Finally bought black jeggings so no more mismatching blue denim with black leather? Take your pick. Things shall change this year as the newness has worn off.

My morning schedule varies greatly depending on the amount of sleep I get the night before. Sometimes I'm up at 6, other times at 8. On this morning, I happened to be at the right place at the right time, just as the sun rose above the horizon. I love how these photos turned out. I didn't even feel the brisk morning air (ok, small lie) when there's a beautiful sight to see.

The end of November also means the start of holiday sales. Oh my god, I already did serious damage and Black Friday/Cyber Monday haven't even arrived yet. It just so happened that a bunch of items I had wishlisted went on sale, so I didn't bother waiting to see if a better deal would come along. See the right side bar for all stores and their respective sale promos. To highlight a few:

1) Ann Taylor - 50% off everything with code ANNTHANKS
I ordered: tweed clutch ($64) / sheer dot peplum top ($49)

2) Sole Society - 8 days of deals
I ordered: Shay textured vegan satchel ($46.87 - shape and color is more like the Chloe Gemma I've been coveting and will replace my H&M bag)
Other picks: love my Desirae almond toe pump (see review, outfits) / Anneke mid heel pump is a nice lookalike for the Rockstud pumps at rock bottom prices

3) Express - 50% off everything (prices as marked)
I ordered: sleeveless one button jacket ($44 - absolutely love Elle's theory vest and hoping this one drapes as nicely) / studio stretch barely boot Editor pant ($34.95 - need a replacement for my existing too-tight camel pants) / studio stretch slim leg Columnist pant ($34.95 - figured I'd give this style a try to meet free shipping minimum)

4) J.Crew - 30% off your purchase with code HOLIDAY
I ordered: Etta tweed and glitter pumps ($208.60 - a bit over-the-top, but so gorgeous!) / pajama pant in end-on-end cotton stripe ($34.65 - love stripes, don't have enough PJs in my rotation)

5) Shopbop - 15% off $250+ or 20% off $500+ or 25% off $1000+ with code BIGEVENT13
I ordered: Tibi Simona Jacquard top ($206.50 - loved it on Wendy) / theory Rodiona G stay tee ($52.50 - uhh, had a lapse of judgement and wanted to meet the discount code minimum. Spending money to save money, C? Not my smartest moment) / Blank NYC vegan leather skinny pants ($98 - actually ordered from Bloomingdale's because I had rewards to use)

Forget emerald (Pantone's 2013 pick), red is the color of the year in my eyes. All of a sudden I find myself with a bunch of red items in my wardrobe. I feel like if an item is offered in red, then that's an automatic choice. Hmm... perhaps it's time to diversify. In the meantime, it's a good thing I have plenty of neutrals in my wardrobe to pair with this bold color.

I'm off to spend time with family where we'll be skipping the traditional fare for Chinese take-out. Easy, no fuss, no stress. I can't complain. Happy Thanksgiving to everyone in the US!

When people stumble upon me taking photos, they usually fit into one of three categories: 1) ones who politely smile, perhaps say hi, then go about their merry way; 2) ones who give me a weird look and may linger around to see what I'm up to; 3) ones who straight up ask what I'm doing/taking photos of. 1 and 2 I'm used to (if the roles were reversed, I'd probably fit somewhere here), 3 still catches me off guard (gotta get better at thinking on my feet.) None of the above fit the description of the brisk walking couple who caught me in action taking today's photos. They didn't slow down one step, just walked right in front of my camera and called out, "Don't mind us, just a couple exercising and photobombing your nature shot!" Haha, thank you for not making me feel self-conscious!

Have a great weekend, everyone!

Sale alert: Take 40% off everything at LOFT (no code needed) through 12/8.

Closet favorites include:
- Knit denim leggings - $35.70 (limited sizes left online; check in-store inventory / outfits: below, here, here)
- Modern skinny jeans - $32.99 - $53.70 (old review here / outfit: here)
- Modern straight jeans - $35.70 - $53.70 (believe it used to be called the modern slim / outfits: here, here, here)

Also, take 40% off party-ready styles at Sole Society (prices as marked) through 12/8. All sales final.

- Desirae almond toe pump - $35.97 (I own in twilight blue suede; review here / outfits here)
- Anneke mid heel pump - $35.97 (I do not own, but is a great lookalike for Valentino Rockstud pumps)

I could've been one with nature in today's outfit. Fur? Check. Animal print? Check! I don't feel like the combination is too much, given the neutral color palette and keeping prints to a minimum.

Have a great weekend, everyone!

These photos were taken days prior to Blizzard 2016 when just a light dusting of snow fell. Four days post-blizzard, we're pretty much all dug out and ready to go back to work tomorrow :( haha. But really, I thought we were quite prepared for this storm: plow trucks were efficient, power stayed on (shout out to Dominion!), and authorities made smart decisions regarding closures. All in all, quite a pleasant blizzard experience.

Inspired by this photo, I was all set to swap out the denim jacket for my chambray shirt. However, I hadn't counted on the shirt hem being longer than the blazer, therefore making the outfit look sloppier than I'd like. With three layers on top of one another, each shorter than the previous, the combination just looked odd. One piece had to go, so the chambray shirt it was.

Have a good weekend, everyone!

If given the choice between hand washing or dry cleaning clothes, I usually opt for the latter due to laziness. The one time I decided to be pro-active, I shrunk my shirt. Face palms. The gray tee I'm wearing in today's outfit is pre-blunder, and though it's hard to tell, the fit is loose and tunic-like. It was perfect. After I hand washed the viscose top per the care label, I realized it shrunk about two sizes. Wtf. I was pissed off and walked around muttering to myself for two days before finally calming down. Curiosity led me to search Google for the possibility of unshrinking clothing. I found and thought this set of instructions looked promising so decided to give it a try... and it worked! I successfully unshrunked my top. I can now look back and laugh at how ridiculous I was being to be so mad during those two days.

As 2012 comes to a close, so does the third year that I've been blogging. I say this all the time, but it's amazing how fast time flies, especially when you're having fun.

From a blogging standpoint...

- I crossed off multiple items from my (ever-growing) "classics" wishlist: tweed jacket, black riding boots, red cross-body bag, and navy peacoat. I also tried my hand at a few trends, including camo and maxi dress. Jury's still out on the former, but I'm really loving the versatility of the latter.

- My biggest impulse buy (and the one that I regret the most) is the J.Crew Tillary tote. I used it a few times before getting bored, so I promptly turned around and sold it to a new home. My most expensive purchase is the Chanel camellia WOC (surprise surprise, yet another bag). My favorite purchase of the year is the Tory Burch Nadine riding boots. Overall, I spent 6% of my pre-tax income on clothes/accessories/beauty this year.

- My top 5 favorite outfits of the year are: [from L -> R] one / two / three / four / five

- The awkward-photography-moment-of-the-year award goes to the day I was taking photos by the side of a dead-end road (or so I thought). As the self-timer was counting down, I noticed a car round the corner from the supposed dead-end to head towards me. I picked up my tripod to give the car room to pass, then noticed that I was looking at a police car. Thoughts that immediately popped into my head were, Oh crap! I hope I don't get ticketed for parking illegally or something of that nature. Hmm, would it do me any good to walk over and casually stand in front of my license plate to hide it from his view? LOL. Nah, that'd be too obvious. So I just stood there, staring at the cop while he stared right back as he drove past.

- I had a wonderful time meeting Yvonne and Elle when they visited my area on separate occasions. What were the chances they both loved and wanted to eat Korean food?

On a more personal level...

- DH and I became homeowners for the first time. My advice: DON'T DO IT unless you're prepared to deal with the time and cost it takes to maintain a home. We bought one that's less than ten years old, but we've already had to deal with a broken garbage disposal and dishwasher (we think the two are related), a squeaky step (drives me crazy!), and a leak on the roof of a bay window caused by Hurricane Sandy. All three of which we still haven't gotten around to completely fixing. For us, the mortgage interest tax deduction is pretty much canceled out by property taxes and maintenance costs. So not worth it if that's your primary reason to buy.

- We also celebrated our 10 year anniversary by tying the knot. Does that mean I have to start over with the yearly count? Or can I simply continue? At least I still only have one date to remember.

- I was lucky to have the opportunity to travel to Asia and San Francisco/Napa this past year. I'm hoping Europe is in the plans for next year. Fingers crossed.

Lastly...

I want to thank each and every one of you for visiting my little corner on the web. Whether it's critiquing my outfit choices, putting up with my attempts at humor, sharing personal experiences, or engaging in conversation, I have truly enjoyed it all.

Please stay safe and have a happy holidays!

[photo above and below]: Taken the morning after the polar vortex of a bay that feeds into the Potomac River. At first glance it just looks like foamy waves, right? The entire bay (as far as I could see) was actually frozen over with waves in mid-ripple. Sorry for the low quality photos (wasn't expecting to see this, so only had a prime lens on me), but I swear it was so cool to see in person. Though not as impressive as the frozen pier up in Lake Michigan.

Just another casual outfit with many of the same pieces that've been in constant rotation. Hope you had a good weekend!

Sale alert: Two F&F events going on the next few days:

1) Take 25% off at Shopbop's F&F through 10/17 with code INTHEFAMILY25.

Closet favorites include:
- Blank NYC spray-on jeans - $66.00 with code (I sized up to 26 / outfits here)

2) Take 25% off at Saks' F&F through 10/20 with code FRNFAM.

Closet favorites include:
- Burberry Marystow trench - $821.25 with code (I'm wearing sz 2 / outfit below; also here, here)
- Longchamp large Le Pliage - $108.74 with code (outfits with bag: here, here, here)

I'd also suggest Tory Burch riding boots (love my Nadine from last year): the Bristol ($371.25), the Lizzie ($393.75).

Every time I do a closet inventory, this lace dress ends up in the should-I-or-should-I-not pile. Should I sell it because the fit is off? Or should I keep it because I can cheat and double the dress as a skirt? The result is the same every time (thus far). I've had no problems whittling down the dress section in my wardrobe, but this one? I can't seem to let go.

I'm fairly competent at layering traditional pieces (ie: tee/top/cardigan/blazer) but am a bit clueless at thinking outside the box. I remember seeing Wendy layer a fur vest over a jacket but didn't think my bulky jackets would fit under a vest. A few minutes spent rummaging in my closet and voila! I found the winning combination: a fitted military jacket with leather sleeves that fits right over my fur vest. Turns out, Wendy has already worn this exact combination. That's subconscious inspiration for ya.

I went on a jacket shopping spree this past month, and am currently eyeing a third. Someone talk some sense into me, please?

Up first is the American Eagle military jacket in olive, size XS (sold here / tag info) with faux-leather sleeves. I initially ordered this jacket on Black Friday in size S, but eventually exchanged it for my normal size at AE. Size S was slightly bigger and longer overall, which didn't look bad, but felt I already have a similar fitting jacket from Zara, so I wanted this to be more fitted.

I like the two-tone combination of olive green with the black faux-leather sleeves. They're both neutral and dark colors, so the contrast isn't too jarring. I was pleasantly surprised to find the faux-leather to be so soft to the touch with a nice thickness. I also didn't notice a smell, which is another plus.

I do wish the jacket was released earlier in the season because temperatures are dropping everyday. I wore the outfit below when out and about in low 50s weather and felt fine. Any colder and I'll have to swap for a thicker jacket.

Other details that I didn't capture through photos include a drawstring waist (that I won't be using unless I want a peplum shape), front zipper as well as button closure, and epaulette tabs on shoulders.

Quick measurements:
- Sleeve length is 24.5" (love the longer length)
- Shoulder-to-shoulder is 14.5"
- Length measured from the back is 18.5" (front is slightly longer)

The jacket comes in sizes XXS-XXL (tag info) and should still be in stores, though quantities may be limited.