Severity is the New Black

And here I am looking severe in my living room in a turtleneck dress. Guys, there’s a reasonable chance I’m just a severe person and will, accordingly, always look severe in photos.

dress: Simons / necklace: Stella and Dot / shoes: ASOS

Wrapped in Velvet

This is my go-to dress when I’m feeling tired or otherwise less than enthusiastic – there’s nothing like being wrapped in velvet when you’re dragging. It’s like a plush cocoon. And these days I need it because I can't seem to shake the last remnants of an awful cough associated with an awful cold I've been battling. The cough kicks up overnight, even with a healthy dose of doctor prescribed sough syrup, and I wake up most mornings feeling more tired and cranky than usual because I've lost out on sleep because I've been coughing. I cannot wait for cold and flu season to be over!

dress: Simons / boots: Camper / necklace: F21

Another Day, Another Cape

Just hanging out in the driveway, looking severe.

The story behind this cape is actually mildly amusing. After watching the most recent season of American Horror Story and being obsessed with the cape that Sarah Paulson’s character wears in it, I jumped on el interneto to see if I could find something similar and was led (after like 7 hours of digging) to a foreign website that had what I was looking for at the price I wanted. So I ordered. And then, because I ordered it in October and it literally arrived at my door on January 15, I had totally forgotten all about it (having had a few glasses of wine when I was ordering it helped with that). So it was a total January surprise.

cape: Haoduoyi / dress: thrifted via Value Village / boots: Target / necklace: ModCloth

A Night Out

Worn out for some holiday cheer when my BFF was in town a couple of weeks ago. Nothing beats faux leather and faux fur in my estimation.

leggings: ModCloth / shirt: Simons / coat: Simons / boots: Camper

All the Green

Hot on the heels of digging out my green cardigan for a wear, I unearthed this green t-shirt, which seemed the perfect choice to pair with a pair of velvet leggings.

leggings: ModCloth / t-shirt: Zara / cardigan: Pins + Needles / necklace: Groovestone

All the Frills: Advent Calendar

I meant to feature this advent calendar earlier in December but it sort of worked it out well to feature it after the month was over so that all the pieces were on the tree. This advent calendar, a tree with little felt ornaments that you velcro on, is one of my dearest possessions. I remember purchasing it at a craft fair with my mother when I was a girl and we hung it every year in December. At some point it passed from my parents to me (maybe when I moved out on my own, maybe when I moved to Connecticut, maybe when my parents sold their house for a condo downtown … who knows). For the past few years it’s been in a rather tattered state (velcro coming off the back of some of the pieces, etc) so last year I asked my helpmeet, as a birthday present, to take it to a tailor and get it all patched up and fixed. I had so much fun with Eleanor this year as we decorated in daily. She wasn’t totally sure what was going on and wanted to pull off all the ornaments and rearrange them daily, but I made a big to do each morning about putting another ornament on the “tree” and clapping for it and cheering her on. In short, I’m so glad I’ve held onto it for all these years.

Weekend Reading: 

• Looks like I’ve finally found a use for my Instant Pot.
  
• We need to be kinder to new moms.
  
• Please don’t go shopping without first putting your clothes on.
  
• I’m glad to see that James Watson’s credibility is taking a huge hit over his views.
  
• This piece on memory is really interesting.

A Small Break From Black

Sometimes I get so accustomed to always being in black that I forget that I do actually own a few coloured pieces, like this green cardigan. Seeing that green is my favourite colour after black (yes, yes, I know black isn’t truly a colour), taking it out for a spin liked a good idea. And by “taking it out for a spin” I of course mean wearing while I lazed at home all day on holiday vacation from work and rewatching past seasons of the Real Housewives of New Jersey. So, you know, using my time wisely.

leggings: ASOS / shirt: Simons / cardigan: ModCloth

Background Issues

I wish I could get better lighting in front of this massive set of bookshelves in my living room. I wish I could take photos in front of it all the time. Sigh.

dress: Simons / necklace: Saks Off Fifth

All the Frills: Silly Signs

Someone gave me this little sign for Christmas as a sort of joke gift (I find all those Home Goods-style signs, whether with a singular word ("home," "breathe," etc) or some cutesy saying ("she leaves a little sparkle wherever she goes," "wine all the time," etc), to be rather hilarious). But imagine my surprise when I turned it over and discovered that it was produced by none other than the company of my current most beloved Real Housewife of New Jersey, Margaret Jacobs! Now it’s truly the gift that keeps on giving in its ridiculousness.

Weekend Reading:

• What a fascinating and forgotten life.
  
• I would love to visit this place. It seems so magical.
  
• This week in horrifying news (also, this is seriously the plot of a Law and Order episode)…
  
• I watched this over the holiday break (being a fan of the book and being scarred for life by the 1978 adaptation when I saw it as a child) and this latest iteration of Watership Down did not disappoint.
  
• Don’t you just love getting reminded that there is good in the world?

Bring On The Glitter

I feel slightly less awkward about wearing a ton of sparkly things in the weeks before and after Christmas so wearing this truly gigantic statement necklace to work seemed like a good fit. Was I perhaps a titch over accessorized for my office at 8:30 am? Sure. But I regret nothing.

dress: Zara / boots: Franco Sarto / jacket: Simons / necklace: Banana Republic

Christmas Day

Worn on Christmas day for a whirlwind day of visiting family, opening gifts with Eleanor, and battling a nasty cold. Now that Eleanor is in child care, it’s basically just my lot in life to be constantly battling one illness or another, I think.

dress: Simons / blazer: Simons