Dynasty

I couldn’t resist another post with my favourite jacket, the lining of which now has several holes. Sigh.

But, on the plus side, my helpmeet surprised me with this amazing necklace and ring – which I feel like a character on Dynasty when I wear. And nothing beats that feeling.

dress: Simon’s / blazer: BB Dakota / boots: Kohl’s / necklace and ring: gift from my helpmeet / coat: H&M / faux fur collar: Winners / purse: Michael Kors / watch: La Mer

Virginia Slims Collection Anyone?

My amazing friend Margaret, a vintage collector extraordinaire, and my dear grad school pal Jennifer, who now lives with Margaret in London, put their heads together and sent me this kick ass vintage blazer (you guys, it’s from the Virginia Slims collection!!!) as a Festivus gift. Now my inner Golden Girl can come out to play.

blazer: vintage, Virginia Slims / dress: H&M / necklace: Aldo / boots: Target

Let's Rumble: Early Modern Edition

I dyed my hair a really dark, almost black, shade and treated myself to this awesome dress from ModCloth. That’s about all that’s been going on with me lately!

Oh, and I finally got around to starting early research on a new project about early modern elite women getting scrappy with each other - a investigation of their use of slanderous speech as a weapon in conflicts with both peers and subordinates. Yeah, it's pretty exciting. It involves such memorable sayings as "when I remember your name Savage I ffind it not moch dissenting from your natural disposition. For indede if I might so grossly terme it. this beastly blessinge of yours declare you to be more savage or brutish than discrete or reasonable in so cruelly cursinge me yt never harmyd you." Let the good times roll.

dress: ModCloth / boots: ASOS / blazer: thrifted, Value Village / belt: ModCloth / purse: Zara

Back to Work

Le sigh. This is what I wore a few weeks ago for my first day back at work after the holiday break. As you can tell from my facial expression, I'm seriously considering calling in sick.

leggings: Zara / boots: Aldo / blouse: Dynamite / blazer: BB Dakota

Playing Hooky

Nothing beats getting home early from work so that it’s still daylight!!! It was a slow day and I had no meetings scheduled for the afternoon so I slipped out a little early. It’s a small victory, but a meaningful one nonetheless. And it affords me an extra hour in the day to snuggle up in my cozy sweater with a good book and do a little reading.

dress: Simons / cardigan: ModCloth / belt: Mexx / necklace: Monserat de Lucca

Coat Crush

These photos are actually a part of the last set that I wasn’t planning on posting because usually pictures of winter coats tend to be not all that entertaining. But I’ve been having an eight year love affair with this coat from H&M that is nearing the end of it’s life (seriously, this thing is getting ratty as hell) and so I decided I’d share these anyways. I’m going to miss this coat when it finally dies on me.

coat: H&M / jeans: Kensie / faux fur collar: Winners / boots: Steve Madden

I'm Hardly Feeling Human Anymore

I am pretty obsessed with this faux leather sweater I picked up from Zara a while back – it’s very comfortable and so totally my style. And I need a little comfort in my life these days. It just seems like it’s such a hectic time of year. Work is nuts, I’m working on yet another set of revisions to my manuscript and thinking about an article I want to start researching soon, and still recovering from my trip to DC and everything involved with that. Ugh, I need a vacation!

Title c/o Hot Water Music's "Drag My Body"

jeans: Kensie / sweater: Zara / necklace: ModCloth / boots: Steve Madden

Black Heart

I’m thinking this corner of my apartment, in front of one half of my home library, is about the best place I’m likely to find to do photos during the winter, when the sun sets at about 4:20 pm so it’s already pitch black by the time I get home from work. Oh well, it’ll have to do. At least all the black faux leather that I’m wearing fits with the early nighfall. And my black as night heart (just kidding…sort of).

tunic: ASOS / leggings: ASOS / booties: Target / blazer: BB Dakota

Ringing It In

Belatedly, here’s what I wore this year to ring in the New Year with my very best pals, watching some awesome bands perform. I would have gotten these up sooner but my trip to DC for the annual American Historical Association’s conference threw me a bit behind schedule.

The conference itself was great – my travel there was an absolute nightmare of delayed and cancelled flights but I made it one piece and then had an enjoyable few days of reconnecting with academic colleagues and friends and visiting two of my very best friends from New Haven (and their adorable puppy) who now reside in DC. So, despite the travel problems, it was a wonderful trip!

dress: Zara / blazer: Zara / shoes: Steve Madden

Broken Dreams

So Sears in Canada is basically going belly up but things are killer marked down. So I’m taking advantage of that chain’s broken dreams and state of ruin/decline to score some sweet bargains. Enter this awesome (and crazy cozy) sweatshirt.

skirt: Banana Republic / sweatshirt: 7 for All Mankind / booties: Target / tights: Target

DC Bound

Happy New Year everyone! I hope you all had a great holiday season and a really fun NYE celebration. My BFF has been in town from Vancouver the past week and a half so I've been incredibly spoiled in terms of getting to see her almost everyday and get into all sorts of ridiculous shenanigans, as we are want to do.

But today it's officially back to reality for this gal. My BFF has boarded a flight home and I am off at 3 am tomorrow morning (yikes!) to the American Historical Association's annual conference. This year it's in Washington DC and, around the interviews I have scheduled, I'll be catching up with colleagues, talking all things British history and job market, and visiting with two of my very best friends from New Haven and their adorable beagle who recently graduated from Yale and settled in DC. It's going to be a great trip but I am really not looking forward to this early modern flight.

leggings: ASOS / shirt: Aritzia / boots: Kohls / blazer: F21 / necklace: Monserat de Lucca c/o Shopbop / bracelets and ring: Aldo and ASOS