10 colorful accessories for a gloomy day

Yesterday's weather was...sad. If I wasn't having an incredible day with my girlfriends, I would have been wallowing in the wah wah-ness of the rain. I figured you might all be feeling similarly. Is anyone else dreaming of a magical snowfall? You've got a friend in me. This weekend was a dream in every way, and Saturday's shoot styling boudoir sessions got me thinking about accessories. As you know, in my life and on this blog, I'm a true minimalist when it comes to accessories. One of the biggest pieces of fashion advice my maternal Grandmother passed on to my mother, who passed it on to me, was that less is more. She used to tell my mother to put on every accessory she wanted to wear, and then take off two pieces. Grandma Grace, you are wise. I have adopted this philosophy when it comes to dressing myself and others, but make no mistake, there is a time and a place for a bold accessory.

Like today. It's Monday, yesterday's weather was a bust, we need some good cheer. Here are 10 colorful accessories to catapult you into a wonderful week:

// chic day-to-night wallet // not-totally-necessary-but-oh-so-necessary sunglasses // timeless with a twist watch // monogrammed key chain // finger bling // chunky bracelet to wear with aforementioned watch // slick silver iPhone case // simple gold bracelet // buzzworthy earrings // evil eye necklace to ward off Monday blues 

See you folks tomorrow! Have a wonderful day.

xoxo,

packing for alt

Friends, I have some exciting news that I cannot believe I haven't shared just yet. Next week, I'm headed to Salt Lake City to attend the Altitude Summit conference! Better known as Alt Summit, the conference caters to small business owners and bloggers. Being just a little over a year old, LRW is more than ready to soak up everything there is to know about blogging better and working better. This is the kind of learning I can get into! If you've heard anything about Alt, it's one of two things. First, the business cards are on point, and exchanging them has become a sort of rite of passage at the conference. Second, everyone dresses to the nines. For 3 days, there shan't be sweats. There can't be slippers. Effort must be made. A few years ago everyone wore top knots, and Pinterest went crazy. In an effort to not look like every other blogger, here is an outfit I'm dreaming of:

// cheeky sweater (similar) // my favorite skirt // opaque navy, color block-able tights // comfy, chic, go with everything boots // neutral tote to carry my laptop //cozy scarf that can double as a plane blanket // dark nail polish //

My biggest challenge for this conference is my lack of funds. With a wedding on the books, my ability to make the random purchase here and there is gone. Goodbye packages of clothes! Goodbye online shopping. I'm done (for now). So, I had to go into the archives on this one and reimagine some existing pieces. And I'll also be wearing a lot of my staple / favorite looks on the trip as well. Just because I'm attending a conference doesn't mean I should change my style. So I'll be packing jeans, sneaks, and a t-shirt, too.

Have you ever travelled for a work conference? This is my first EVER! Any tips?

ps- Don't forget to enter yesterday's GIVEAWAY!!!!!

xoxo,

real deal // huge steal = Isabel Marant booties

Hi friends! Thought I'd bring back one of the more popular posts around these parts, and one of my personal favorites - splurge / save, or, as I like to call it, real deal / huge steal! This weekend, my good friend and future SIL Batya got in touch and mentioned she was going shoe shopping. As you can imagine, I immediately volunteered to aid in her search. Aside from sneakers (I recommend Nike Air Max) and a great pair of rain boots, she was in the market for a great pair of work appropriate, low heeled shoes. We sent links back and forth, and she asked me what my favorite footwear brand is. Funnily enough, I don't have one, but I did send her in the direction of my favorite online retailers Shopbop and Net A Porter. On the subject of Net A Porter, I sent her a link of my favorite Isabel Marant booties. She didn't enjoy the price point (frankly, neither do I), but she did enjoy the look of the boots, as well as the small heel.

I did a little poking around the internet this weekend, and look what I found!

// Isabel Marant booties // Steve Madden booties //

Five hundred dollars less for almost identical boots! The SM boots even have similar stitching, which is so pretty. And to be honest with you, the Steve Madden version looks a little sturdier to me. I don't know about you all, but I walk hard, and living in the city, heels are almost the first thing to go on my shoes.

These boots are versatile (especially in black), but I think I prefer them best paired with skinny jeans and an oversized sweater or coat, like Emma Stone did, here:

Ugh, talk about #flawless. What do you think of this week's pick?

xoxo,

Emma image via.

colorful, comfy start

Aaaand we're back! Happy New Year, Happy Monday! It feels like a lifetime since the holidays, doesn't it? A new year will do that to you, I guess. What have you all been up to the past few days? I had a great week last week, lots of dates with friends, lots of wedding pondering, and lots of cleaning and organizing my life. Raven and I opened our first joint bank account, I had a shoot with Ashley (coming soon!), paid all my 2014 bills, and spent Saturday night discussing business and life with Becca and Courtney. OH! Speaking of Courtney, I finally decided to get into shape and have signed up for a 6 week program at Bari. I cannot wait to keep you posted on the progress!

Let's ease into Monday and this year with some easy, comfy fashion. Just because you feel comfy doesn't mean you have to throw your sartorial personality out the window. Grow some balls, try something new, break your own rules, everything matches! Like this:

// top // pants // boots // coat //

I love love love the wintery colorblocking that has been happening lately (T Swizz has been doing it a lot, and you know how I feel about her). Layering muted jewel tones is so chic and takes the guesswork out of getting dressed this morning. By the way, I just purchased a pair of Matt Bernson booties a few weeks ago, and have been paring them with everything. I highly recommend them!

Talk to me, friends! Thoughts?

xoxo,

how to: navigate post-holiday sales

Friends, I'm telling you. Sales are RIPE for the picking right now. There is so much goodness on sale that before I've done a full sweep of my favorite designers and items available in my size, the item I originally sought out is already gone (this happened to me with an amazing Rick Owens jacket).

Here's the thing with sales. It's so so easy to see your favorite retailer having an enormous sale, go straight for the cheapest item you can find and scoop it up just for the thrill of it all. I also know a good chunk of my friends who will avoid sales altogether because they feel overwhelmed. I. Hear. Ya. And I'm here to help. Before you go HAM on this season's winter sales, read this:

1. Take a closet inventory. Step AWAY from the computer. Put DOWN the credit card. Take stock of your closet. What item are you hoping to add to your closet? Let your answer be a classic item or it doesn't count. Classic items are as follows: cashmere sweater, down coat, flattering jeans in a neutral wash (blue or black), everyday boots, black pumps, wool blazer...you feel me? Remember, your classic pieces are likely different from mine because we're different people.

2. Reuse money. Did you get a gift card for Christmas? Sweet! That helps narrow things down. Did you receive an item that just doesn't work? That also narrows down retailers / amount of money you can spend. Use your gift card or store credit on top of the sale to invest in a piece that you love. I got a Shopbop gift card this year, and today they're offering 25% off (with code CHEERS2015). Guess work gone. I'll be investing in one sale piece from Shopbop this year, and I'll make it a good one.

3. Don't gamble. So you want to spring for some Frame denim jeans, but you've never tried them on before? Stop right there. Remember your closet. You've got 4 pairs of J. Crew jeans/pants already. You know that brand works for you, so stick with it. If you do want to try a new brand, make sure that you either try it on in store before purchasing, or purchase from a store that offers free returns, just in case the piece in question doesn't work out.

There you have it, friends! Hope this helps with your post-holiday shopping! You know this subject thrills me, so feel free to email or message me with any questions. And if you want to hire me, I'm offering 25% off my services for 2 MORE DAYS! Hope to work with you.

xoxo,