I wore this last month for a drive up to Litchfield and Torrington. Christian was helping a friend get some drone shots of an event in the evening in Torrington so we used it as an opportunity to finally explore Litchfield like we've been meaning to do for a few years. We'd love to move up there one day, but it's a little out of our budget when we look at the acreage we want.
For the Litchfield portion of the day we started off at White Flower Farm followed by the White Memorial Conservation Center and finally Topsmead State Forest. We also finally went to Pizzeria Marzano in Torrington. I've had them on my list for a while thanks to Instagram. The pizza was so delicious, I can't wait until we take a trip back up there again! We hope to spend a weekend up in the area to see how it feels for locals and find other fun places to visit.
For the occasion I decided on elevated basics - jeans with gold embellished leopard and a gold sweater tank full of sparkle! Even my sandals were sparkly gold. I've had this sweater for a looooong time and it doesn't get as much wear as it should for being such a simple piece. I used to wear it a lot for work, but not as much for casual outfits. I think that may be changing now! It first appeared on the blog in a January 2012 "This Week in Fashion" post, so I assume I got it for Christmas? It's first full outfit post was with a gorgeous velvet blazer.
We were too busy having fun so we forgot about outfit pictures until it was too late, so I rewore it for these photos, ha ha!
Gold Sweater Tank: Willi Smith (TJ Maxx)
Jeans: Stella McCartney Wild Cat Skinny Ankle Jeans (eBay - linked pair is more of a straight leg)
Bag: Purple Prada Cahier in Viola (Rebag via Vestiaire Collective)
Sandals: Ancient Greek Sandals 'Kore of Berlin' Embroidery Sandal - 10th Anniversary Collection (Shopbop)
First, a backstory: Back in 2011 I did a "Dream Outfit" for what I'd wear to the Christmas Tree Farm for our Christmas Tree hunt. It featured a really fun Stella McCartney polar bear sweater, red coat, suede leggings and boots. Being a dream outfit, I never imagined I would own it. However, in 2013 I was able to buy the Stella McCartney sweater from The Outnet for $229 (vs $1145) in their Summer sale and it has been a holiday season staple ever since. I love that it will never really go out of style because it's a statement piece.
Fast forward to this past weekend and visiting Marijane Boutique in Guilford. Lydia works there so I've been meaning to visit for over a year - whoops! Christian and I decided to visit a little farm store in Guilford so I figured it would be smart to kill two birds with one stone and stop by after. The store is on a super cute street on the green and is filled with all types of treasures. As I was going through the coat rack I stumbled upon a holy grail - a Burberry wool coat! It was red and very similar to the coat I used in the dream outfit. I actually think I had this coat on my wish list years ago but never bought it because of the price tag. Based on my research it was either $795 or $995 retail, I snagged it for $230 at Marijane Boutique and it is in perfect condition!
Of course the first thing I paired my new bright red Burberry toggle coat with was the Stella McCartney polar bear sweater! Dreams really do come true, especially for those who wait. 11 years later and I was finally able to pull it off! I don't have a red hat yet, but maybe I'll find one. I decided to break out my beloved Chanel for the occasion. Why not feel super fancy for the day, right?! It's crazy to think that this bag has at least doubled in value since 2012 - yikes!
Coat: Burberry Brit Wool Minstead Duffle Coat In Military Red (Marijane Boutique)
Polar Bear Sweater: Stella McCartney 'Polar bear intarsia wool and alpaca-blend sweater' - similar version (The Outnet)
Leggings: old
Boots: Audrey Brooke 'Mirie' (DSW)
Sunglasses: Ray Ban 'Erika' c/o Shopbop
Bag: Chanel Classic 2.55 Double Flap (Madison Avenue Couture)
Here it is, the blog debut of my newest pair of Ancient Greek Sandals! They are part of the 10th anniversary collection that was released earlier this Summer. Each piece is inspired by a piece of art in a museum. These are the Kore of Berlin sandals inspired by the patterned robes worn by the Kore of Berlin in the Altes Museum in Germany. I still want the Victory of Samothrace feather-embellished metallic sandals (inspired by The Winged Victory of Samothrace at the Louvre in Paris) because they're a callback to my first ever pair of Ancient Greek Sandals - the winged Ikaria.
I now own TWELVE pairs of Ancient Greek Sandals. You can definitely say I'm a super fan. If I didn't limit myself to one pair a year (with a few exceptions) I'm sure I would have many more. I did a favorite things post back in 2020 featuring each pair of sandals and talking about my love of the brand so I won't do a whole repeat here.
When I got these in the mail I spent a good chunk of time making a Reel featuring every single pair of Ancient Greek Sandals I own. Sadly it didn't take off like I hoped it would. Apparently Instagram prefers when my Reels feature food and doesn't show my fashion Reels to people. *eyeroll*
Jeans: Stella McCartney Wild Cat Skinny Ankle Jeans (eBay - linked pair is more of a straight leg)
Bag: Purple Prada Cahier in Viola (Rebag via Vestiaire Collective)
Sandals: Ancient Greek Sandals 'Kore of Berlin' Embroidery Sandal - 10th Anniversary Collection (Shopbop)
Sunglasses: Gucci Aviators
Necklaces: AURATE X KERRY Lioness Pendant & Acanthus Jewelry 'Gemma' Amethyst
It's been a while since an outfit has been on the blog so I decided to bring back the Then to Now series to share how I've worn some of my pieces over the years! Even though I've been working from home for over 5 years I've found it very hard to get dressed this past year. Before the virus I at least got dressed on the weekends or to go out to blogger dinners during the week.
These days I just want to stay in lounge-wear. When we do go out, it's just to drive to Target to get our "groceries" put in the trunk. We don't buy fresh product or meat right now because we stocked up on meat and froze it and Target doesn't have the best produce (I've gotten moldy onions and garlic when I tried - but they do have good sweet mini peppers!) We will run out of meat soon so maybe we'll actually go into a real grocery store to stock back up, ha ha. I DO get dressed to drive to Target because "what if I need to get out of the car for an emergency?" It's just not cute enough to make Christian take photos, ha ha.
Maybe this lack of getting dressed for 12+ months due to coronavirus will reignite my love for all my clothes and later this year (/after the vaccine) will be my best fashion year yet! It's just been hard to make myself get dressed when I know I won't be going anywhere.
Madewell Leather Pants
One of my favorite pairs of pants that sadly left my closet in 2016 after they ripped. I've still been hunting for a new pair but the ones I've found have been too much money. Maybe one day I'll find them for as good a price as when I originally bought them!
Stella McCartney 'Polar bear intarsia wool and alpaca-blend sweater' (The Outnet)
This is somewhat of a statement piece since it's an oversized sweater dress in a holiday/wintery print. Yet somehow I have managed to wear this Stella McCartney polar bear sweater many times! Sadly I don't have photos of me wearing it this year but it DID get worn over the holidays!
Madewell Houndstooth Patchwork Scarf
Accessories don't get too much love in these posts for some reason (I guess I like to focus on the main pieces) but when I first bought this scarf it was my MVP! I wore it so often and it kept me nice and warm.
Madewell Striped Sweater
Sensing a Madewell theme here? I swear it was accidental! I was just picking some of my favorite pieces that I've had for years and this HAD to be included. I think I wore this at least once a week when I first owned it and I still would except it is starting to get worn to the threads so I'm trying to make it last and only wear it sparingly. I can never find this color combo on eBay but I'm still hunting for a replacement.
Ella Moss 'Nico Faux Fur Vest'
I didn't get into vests until the early 2010's but they are such a great outfit completer. Wearing something you've worn before and want to switch it up? Throw on a vest! A little to cold for a thin sweater? Add a vest!
Theyskens' Theory Juno Leather Jacket
This leather jacket remains one of my favorite designer steals. I bought it in 2012 at Nordstrom rack for $172, it retailed for $1100+. Another piece I wore to DEATH it's first few years so it doesn't get much wear now.
