The Perfect Holiday Dress

Finally! A dress to carry you through the entire holiday season.

I am in love with this piece from Stone Cold Fox.

It is a bit pricey but it will get you through events 

that you might, otherwise, have to buy

several outfits for.

I've already worn mine once - to my own holiday party.

I intend to wear it to a friend's holiday party.

I will be wearing it on Christmas Eve,

Christmas day and, of course, New Years Eve.

…aaand possibly New Years Day.

That is, if New Years Eve is a success and I

wake up in my outfit from the evening before.

Although, I have always been the 

take-off-your-makeup-and-get-in-soft-jammies type.

Even on the really successful nights - depending on how

you define success, I suppose.

It shows the perfect amount of skin for

New Years - aka not the foot-long bandage that

girls seem to think is so appealing these days.

It is sexy but can easily be transitioned into

a more conservative look

by pulling up the sleeves so that they rest on top of 

your shoulders rather than around them or throwing on a blazer, a 

leather jacket or a pretty shawl. 

For my friends on the taller side, I suggest 

putting on a pair of sheer black

stockings and nixing the heels because this

dress is a bit cheeky 

(in both meanings of the word) for, say, church.

Shop the dress here.

Now, for those of you who are not looking

to splurge on this beauty - and I completely

understand not wanting to, as it is the holiday season

and it gets expensive enough as it is (although, you

could ask for it as a gift, if you're asking what I'd do) I've 

assembled a list of a few other looks 

that will also get you through a handful of holiday

events in style.

Stylestalker Moss Dress - $190

Keepsake Hearts On Fire Dress - $170

Stylestalker Drive All Night Dress - $149

Keepsake Reckless Metal-Collar Mini Dress - $130

Dress With Lace Sleeves - $99.90

Open-Back Dress - $69.90

Lace V-Necked Dress -$49.99 (SALE ALERT!)

(the Dress with Lace Sleeves is probably most similar
but my favorite is the Keepsake Reckless Metal-Collar
Mini Dress!)

Happy Holidays!

xx

One Thing I've Been Searching For and I Bet You Have Too

There is one thing I've been searching for for ages  and can never seem to find…besides a  nice guy who's 6'2", has blue eyes, a british accent  and wants to marry me:  a nice looking goose down coat.
I don't deal with the cold well. In fact, every winter, my time outside is spent literally running through the streets, muttering profanities under my breath and  leaving confused/disturbed people in my wake. 
I have had the same J-Crew goose-down coat for a few years. Unfortunately, people are starting to recognize it as a part of my ensemble  just a little bit too much for my liking. It's a fine coat  but not what you'd call fashionable or flattering. However, it changes my behavior in the cold from assumed schizophrenic to just  "wow, that girl looks uncomfortable." So, I think it's safe to say, I need the down. 
Thus, for several years I have been passively looking for a coat to replace my winter uniform without success but it wasn't until taking my broken in, slightly dirty looking coat out  of the closet this year that I finally said "ok, I must find a new winter coat" and this time, I  was determined to make it not only warm but stylish. Well… as stylish as a shapeless, puffy coat can be.
So, the hunt began.
THE CONTENDERS:

The sporty coat - Canada Goose - $695  

The affordable and you'd never know it coat - Zara - $149

The casual coat with a little edge - Topshop - $135

THE WINNER:

The incredibly warm, dress me up, dress me down coat - Elie Tahari - $998 

(but I got it from Bloomie's for $550)

The Elie Tahari coat won because as soon as I put it on I could tell by

the weight of it it would be extremely warm. Also, it's leather detailing and

thin black fur-trimmed hood make it slightly more formal

looking than most down coats. It just fit so nicely and had 

that oversized, boxy shape I love. It has high-fashion flare while

still being puffy and warm.

It, initially, was too pricey to consider but thanks to 

Bloomingdale's Friends and Family Discount

as well as some customer rewards cards (aka frequent

flyer miles) it was brought down to nearly 50% off. 

So, if I have to look like Ralphie's little brother from

A Christmas Story in the winter months, at least now I can feel like 

I'm still holding onto a little bit of style.

My Paris Photoshoot

In May, I was 22, in Paris, without a care in the world  and decided to do something very out of character for myself. I had a photographer take my pictures.
It was the words of one of my favorite bloggers,  Lauren Knight AKA Aspiring Kennedy, that ultimately  pushed me to do this photoshoot, as she had done. To sum it up, she said, "WHY WOULD YOU NOT HAVE HER TAKE PICTURES OF YOU WHEN YOU COME TO PARIS??" (her being Stacy Reeves, the photographer that had taken photos of her and would  end up taking photos of me)
So, despite feeling awkward and hesitant, I emailed Stacy and set up an 8 AM session with her.  This was the result:

Was it slightly awkward and over-the-top? Yes. But as I sit here in broken-in jeans, with messy hair and no makeup on (my usual state of being) looking at these photos makes me feel a little bit more glamorous.
I'll have these photos for the rest of my life and be able to look at them and remember the time when I was in 22,  in Paris, without a care in the world.

My Eye-Opening Commute

I left work today feeling…not great. I felt exhausted, slightly defeated and a bit like a drone. It is only my second week of work and today I was letting those negative voices in my head that develop from what seems to be one's current reality get to me.
I left my office building, got on the F train, rode it 2 stops and disembarked feeling less than thrilled about the inconvenient 11 blocks and 1 avenue I had  left to walk before I would arrive home at my apartment.
As I got off the train and headed towards the exit I noticed a  young blind man walking in my direction getting slightly  shoved by the crowd that was migrating toward what is  now the only exit from the under-construction station. The man was clearly unaware of the construction and a bit confused. Before I could  even process what I was seeing,  another man grabbed both of his shoulders,  gently pulled him out of the heavy flow of humans, and said  "where are you trying to go my man?"
I passed by the scene and continued up the stairs but then as I got to the next level I saw the man walking with him up the flight of stairs behind me. The helpful guy said "alright, I got to catch the train that's coming down there but if you continue going up 3 flights you'll reach the top." (yes, this is the Subway station from hell…4 huge flights beneath the ground)
Just as I was thinking I was the only one seeming  to notice this act of kindness a young woman  walked up and said,  "I'll help you up to the top. It's super crowded right now and a bit hard to navigate so do you mind if I hold your arm?"
I proceeded in front of them for a bit but  lost sight of them in all the chaos. 
I continued on my walk home feeling completely different than  I had just 10 minutes earlier.  This little bit of kindness that two  people showed a stranger…really inspired me.

(pinterest.com)
I can't promise you many things. I can't promise you there's a heaven. I can't promise you that you'll reach all of your goals in life. I can't promise you there's a God. I can't even promise you there'll be a tomorrow. But I can promise you this:  if you look for it and even sometimes if you don't, you will always find the goodness within others.
I'm aware this sounds ignorantly positive and  irritatingly unoriginal. However, those who truly know me, know I am really not always little miss sunshine. Those of you who do think that...and think you really know me…don't give yourself so much credit. I don't go around looking for only the good things in life and celebrating that like someone on uppers. I actually quite enjoy discussing and acknowledging the darkness within our world. Whether it be through writing or films, I think there's actually a certain beauty to the dark parts of humanity and life on this planet that needs to be explored and acknowledged.
I do, however, believe that with this bad,  there is always a little good. I believe in karma, in good energy, in the power of thoughts and allowing them to be as they are, in the importance of living fully in each and every moment and in the ability that each of us has to impact each other daily.
So, roll your eyes at this post that you could've been spared and the cliche "message" I am putting out. I don't care.  We all choose to live our lives in  different ways and if you like to only acknowledge the darkness then that's fine by me.
But I came home today and instead of lying on my couch  and responding to my sister's typical question  of how my day was with an unenthused "fine", I  opened my laptop wrote this out and feel energized to  unpack the many bags of clothes that have yet to be put in their proper place in my new  apartment and...who knows what else?
I got lucky today because I was reminded of the goodness in others, the potential life has to surprise you and that no day is ever fully bad. I needed that reminder  right when it came to me.
Instead of keeping this to myself... I thought maybe this could be your reminder.

What I Wore: Summer Rain? I Go Glasto.

Whenever it rains in the summer months, I turn to the

style of Glastonbury Festival to carry me through

the puddles and drops, while still keeping cool enough

in the summer heat.

(Glastonbury Festival is, basically, England's Coachella…for

those who weren't aware. It's notorious for sloppy mud and

festival style meets English weather-wear.)

Jacket: Primark 

Top: Brandy Melville

Shorts: Madewell

Belt: Madewell

Boots: Hunter

What I Wore: Museum Wandering Day

Jeans: Topshop

Top: Urban Outfitters

Bralette: Free People

Shoes: Birkenstock

Scarf: Pepe Jeans (EU)

Sunglasses: Ray-Ban

Banana: courtesy of Starbucks

Two Films That Have Restored My Love for Cinema

I'm sure you've heard a little bit of the buzz surrounding this

amazing masterpiece by now, however, if you have not yet gone to see it…GO!

This movie was such a touching and original trip filled with 

nostalgia and beautiful, real moments. 

If you haven't heard about this film, the writer/director assembled 

a crew to shoot the movie for a couple of weeks each year for twelve years. 

In doing so, he captured the characters growing and changing significantly

and packed it into a 2 hour experience. 

The film is not filled with plot twists or special effects but is a heartfelt and 

extremely real-feeling story of a family and a boy's experiences and

relationships evolving as he goes through life.

The acting was incredibly impressive, the soundtrack was 

perfection and the raw emotion

that the film evokes made me so appreciative for the experience.

If there has ever been a movie that you should go out and see in the theater,

it is this one because it is completely the first of it's kind and a true work of art.

Talent this large should be celebrated and experienced without 

interruption. Please, please, please - find the time, 

do yourself the favor and pay the $12 to go experience this.

(A big thank you to my friend Nicole for taking me to see this with her

on our last evening together before her year-long journey in Colorado. It

was the best departing gift you could have given me.)

The second film I saw recently that I found extremely refreshing

and well worth the money was Begin Again. 

I have to admit, I was a bit speculative going into this one. 

The poster is a bit cheesy, as is the title, Keira Knightley has never

been my favorite, and, well, Adam Levine is in it…acting…so, 

to me, there was a lot that could've gone wrong here.

Forget all that surface crap --- this movie was amazing. 

It was not cheesy at all, Keira Knightley was actually much more

likable than usual for me and Adam Levine was actually a pretty decent actor.

On top of that Mark Ruffalo and Hailee Steinfeld's performances

were extremely impressive -- both so refreshingly not over-the-top.

What really makes this movie amazing is both the message and the music.

I'm not sure whether it's where I happen to be in my life that made it

so impactful for me but it touched upon

extremely important topics like not selling out, fulfilling your

dreams and goals, doing what you believe in and 

finding a way back to true passion and contentment in life. 

This movie wasn't too heavy or overdone. It was light but touching and

the music reflected that perfectly. You won't be able to get the songs out of your 

head. It was the perfect combo of comedy and depth.

It also didn't hurt that it was set in New York and captured

the city in a really original way. It gave the city a soundtrack, which I really enjoyed

This movie will not disappoint you and will restore your love

for a lot of things: Mark Ruffalo's curls, vintage cars, really well written

songs, British accents and, of course, the best city in the world.

___________________________

So, it looks like movies are still one of the best ways to escape today,

while still inspiring us to connect to the beauty of life.