Brisk

Forever 21 Sweater & Circle Scarf (similar here) | Urban Outfitters Snakeskin Gloves | Zara Pants | Nine West Heels

This sweater, first shown here, has gotten it's wear. I'm hoping it will last a couple more wears through the end of winter. It is Forever 21 so I'm not holding my breath. These Zara pants are of course on sale now too. I'm now making a mental note to not shop for myself in November-December and wait until everything goes on sale after the new year.

p.s.: Many thanks to Amanda Caplin for taking these pics this weekend...and preventing the normal fight with my bf every time I ask him to do so.

Weekend Update - 1/16/2012

{the one pair of shoes I wore this weekend}

There's really nothing like a three-day weekend. Ok, maybe a snow day but unfortunately those don't exist anymore so I'll take what I can get. As expected, the Hampton's were super relaxing filled with (as evidenced by the photos...see more on instagram @shanele) lots of cooking, eating and lounging...three of my favorite things. Last night's Giants win and Golden Globes left the boy and I very satisfied as we headed off to bed at 11:00 pm. I'm now re-charged and ready to tackle another week in The Cube. Hope you had a great (hopefully long) weekend!

{cozy blanket, créme brûlée coffee & a good book by the fire}

{baked egg boats & mimosas}

{swiss chard w/ tomato basil almond slices}

{classic chocolate chip cookies & milk}

{indoor s'mores}

{lots of hot tea on a brisk Sunday}

Layered

Zara Sweater & Riding Pants | Forever 21 Striped Shirt, Bag & Scarf | Frye Boots | Michael Kors Vest (similar here)

Layers. The key to withstanding this crazy up-and-down weather we've been experiencing. I'm not complaining about 60° but fingers crossed it isn't all building up to be a miserable February (likely the case). Looks like more of the same this weekend...but luckily I will be in the Hamptons. In a cozy house, with a fireplace and very little to do besides catch up on the Golden Globe nominated movies in advance of Sunday night's awards. What are your plans this weekend?

Back to the Basics

Forever 21 Coat (similar here) & Bag | Uniqlo Button Up | U.O. Necklace | J. Brand Jeans (on sale!) | Nine West Booties (on sale!) 

From Fridays at work to Saturday shopping trips or Sunday family dinners...you can really never go wrong with a classic white button up and nice denim. These J. Brand jeans, hands down the most flattering and therefore my favorite pair, are on mega sale...like so many other things I paid full price for last year [i,e.these booties, these wedges, this vest, these pants, among others I'm sure). But I'm not bitter or anything. 

Soup Cocktails

Saturday night we stopped in the Bryant Park Hotel's Cellar Bar to try their new lobster bisque, herb tomato and carrot ginger 'Soup Cocktails,' which unfortunately are only served Monday - Friday. I'm not sure when I'll be able to make it back during the week so I have high hopes of trying some of these traditional recipes and adding 1/2 cup or more of the specified liquors. Will let you know how it goes!

{Herb tomato w/ Absolut Pepper vodka, a touch of sea salt, dried basil & black pepper}

{Carrot Ginger w/ Domaine de Canton & Frangelico} 

{Lobster bisque w/ Harvey's Bristol Creme, seasonal spices & cayenne pepper}

{Butternut squash w/ Frangelico}

Winter White

Anthropologie Pleated Skirt | Zara Sweater (similar on sale here) & Booties (similar here) | Forever 21 Scarf 

I wore this outfit on a spring-like Saturday night to a birthday dinner and drinks after. When I picked my boyfriend up in the cab, the first words out of his mouth upon seeing me were, "What are you wearing?" Later in the night a complete stranger on the street said, "I really love your outfit." I let her know that someone (while pointing to the boy) begged to differ. Regardless, it consists of a pleated skirt so that always makes me happy...especially this little gem that was buried among many others on the Anthropologie sale rack this weekend.

Weekend Update - 1/9/2012

Happy Monday....How was your weekend? I don't think God could have given us better January weather if he tried. Ok, he's God...he can do anything...but a little reverse psychology can't hurt. Friday was yet another long night at work before a birthday party and late night dinner at Ippudo. The weather was absolutely perfect on Saturday so started with a morning jog across the Williamsburg bridge to get amped up for a long day of bargain buying (still a lot online at Zara...get it while the gettin's good). That night was another birthday celebration and then long walk around Bryant Park sans coat & tights, might I add. I added it up and I spent a total of 4.5 hours yesterday either waiting outside, walking between or eating at restaurants with coffee at Tea & Sympathy, brunch at Monument Lane and sushi dinner at Momoya...my favorite kind of day.   

But it's a new day. A very special day, in fact, as it is that of a very special photographers birthday. Happy Birthday to my love, Mr. Miller. xoxo

Mixing Mint

{Winter a la this J. Crew sweater}

{Spring a la this J. Crew Cardigan and Ermanno Scervino's Spring 2012 Collection} 

{Summer a la Miss Audrey Marie and similar for sale here}

{Fall a la Cupcakes & Cashmere (available here) and Fashion Editor Caroline Issa} 

Winter, spring, summer or fall...on models and bloggers, I love it all. I have a soft mint sweater and dress that I manage to mix into my wardrobe all year round. Find a similar pieces here, here (on sale + an additional 25% off with code SHOPNOW), here and here.

{pic sources: J. Crew lookbook x 3, pinterest x2, A Lovely Escape, Cupcakes & Cashmere, Vogue.com}

Plaid³

Urban Outfitters Plaid Coat | Gap Plaid Shirt (similar here) | Forever 21 Scarf, Leather Pants & Bag (similar here & here) | Steve Madden Booties (similar here)

I'm sure I've mentioned it before but if not: I love plaid. Not sure what it is...perhaps my farmer roots? While I was down on the farm over the holidays I decided to pair this plaid coat (on sale for $39!), shirt and scarf to really drive this point home (pun intended). This coat, by far the warmest I have, is like a big fuzzy wool blanket that is really coming in handy on this 20° January day. On a completely unrelated note, you have no idea how much I miss that dog. Thought about stuffing her in my suitcase but unfortunately her weight is almost triple that of the 50 pound limit. Darn it.

New Year, New Resolutions

Now that we're three days in, I guess it's high time I start thinking of some Resolutions. Mine are usually the generic get organized, get healthy, etc. but this year I made a list of different things I can do to help me achieve each of these. Additionally, every month I'm going to try something new for 30 days (i.e. January - Photography Class, February - Bikram Yoga and so on including re-learning French, enrolling in a sewing class, taking field trips to new areas of NYC, field trips to areas outside the city, quit shopping for a month...ok, that's a stretch). Sure, most of these wont stick the whole year but gotta set your goals high and hopefully documenting them in this post will keep me on track. What are some of your Resolutions??

Get Organized:
1) Don't go to sleep or walk out the door with a messy apartment
2) Pick a different area of my apartment every week to clean organize (example here)
3) Stop buying clothes I'm not 100% sold on to limit returns
4) Line up 3-4 blog posts on the weekends 
5) Update Facebook page / Pinterest every Sunday

Make Better Use of Time:
1) Limit Pinterest / Facebooking to 30 min. per day
2) Better email management by answering only emails that will take < 2 min, otherwise finish task at hand
3) Layout clothes for week on Sundays
4) Have purse and bag for work packed the night before
5) Only hitting the snooze button once

Be More Positive:
1) Limit cursing
2) Do something nice and/or give a compliment to a stranger every day
3) Call a different family member or friend I haven't spoken with in a while once a week
4) Being thankful for (at least) one thing per day (this blog provides some good inspiration)
5) Limit time spent with negative people

Get Healthy:
1) Work out for 45 minutes 3x per week.
2) Bring lunch to work 2x per week
3) Drink tea instead of coffee
4) Floss every night
5) Eat dinner before 10:00 & get to bed by midnight 

Think Outside the Box:
1) Have lunch away from desk (with a friend or fiction book) once a week
2) Take a 15-30 min afternoon coffee break once a week
3) Take photography and sewing classes this year
4) Join one TBD volunteer group
5) Find time to take advantage of free online classes here

{photos via pinterest}

Champagne & Merlot

Zara Skirt & Top | H&M Fur Stole | Joe Fresh Tights | Steve Madden Booties

I wore this Champagne & Merlot look to consume copious amounts of...champagne & merlot on New Years Eve. A friend from home had a low key gathering at his house so I paired the sequin skirt with a champagne tee to dress it down a bit and topped it off with merlot colored tights and nails to ring in the New Year. A much-to-fun evening led to a rough Sunday start to 2012 but am confident it's going to be a great one. Happy New Year to all! xo