I might as well just stop trying to fashion blog right now because I’ve found my new favorite outfit. I’ll probably wear it every day for the rest of the season. I was going to say ‘the rest of my life’ but the weather will eventually warm up and I’ll end up sweating it off. But seriously, I love this outfit. I first wore it on Thanksgiving, even though I had planned to wear something slightly different, and decided then and there that I would wear it again every chance I got. And I almost have!

I absolutely adore this sweater because of the beautiful lace-like detail on the front. I don’t wear sweatshirts, but with this one I can get the feel of a sweatshirt with a look that is still casually elegant and put together. Also, the pattern on this vest is great! I know I mentioned in a previous post that you couldn’t really see it but in this photo you can. It’s not quite houndstooth but it works!

 I didn’t intend for my porch umbrella to end up in these photos, nor did I intend to match it! Actually, the umbrella is a burnt orange and my sweater is red so I don’t really match. *whew*

Sweater and Vest: Banana Republic | Jeans: Old Navy | Boots: Steve Madden

It’s a rainy Monday in my neck of the woods and I’m studying for my last final tomorrow so I won’t be leaving the house all day. What that really means is that I won’t be changing out of my pajamas so I won’t have a nice outfit to share with you today. Instead, I’ll leave you with the outfit I wore for family photos last month. For the last few years, we’ve had beautiful family photos taken by our favorite photographers – who also photographed our wedding and are available if you’re in the market – to put on our holiday cards. They offer an event where you have 10 minutes to take all the photos you can get for a very reasonable and inexpensive price. The photos always turn out gorgeously, as you can see, because Thad and Sarah are artistic geniouses!

As we do for every event in life, Nick and I coordinated our outfits with a pink/navy/brown color scheme. I’m wearing a pink sweater with denim (for my navy) and he’s wearing a pink button-front under a  navy pull-over sweater. Unfortunately, Nick wouldn’t let me dress up the dogs, even though Mia has the cutest little seersucker dress in pink!

These photos could also serve as engagement photos if we weren’t already married so I hope it gives you some good ideas for your own photos!

Happy Sunday!

This week’s serenade is You & Me by Diamond Rings.

“So come on, hold me tighter,
Let’s shine brighter,
Let’s be you and me”

Love it.

This Week’s Top 5

1. Holiday parties. I’m hoping to get some outfit ideas up this week for all of the upcoming holiday parties. I’ve already had one party and I”m not sure how many more I will have this year, but the one I did attend was for my program at school and was a lot of fun. My new friends are all pretty awesome.

2. Quiet study areas in the library. It’s where I do the majority of my studying and, believe me, I’ve utilized it a lot this week.

3. Sleeping in. After several late nights in the library studying for final exams, it was the best feeling to sleep in the morning after a big exam. Only one more left and the semester is over!

4. Dinner with friends. Especially those you haven’t seen in a while, like, at least a month! Catching up is the best.

5. Getting to know new people. I’ve done a lot of that over the last few months and it’s incredibly satisfying. New people, new friends, new experiences… that’s the life!

Photo of the Week:

Just one of the many purple and gold Christmas trees around campus to celebrate the holiday season. This one is in the library. Go Pirates!

There are a lot of times on campus where I feel really out-of-place because I’m looking fairly fashionable and it seems like everyone else couldn’t be bothered to get dressed for class that day (i.e. they’re wearing yoga pants or just jeans and tshirts). Don’t get me wrong, I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that, but, being one of the older students on campus, I’ve already been there, done that when it comes to wearing PJs to class. Just kidding, I’ve NEVER worn pajamas to class. The closest I’ve come is wearing track pants, and that was ONLY to 8 AM biology and chemistry labs. Those are tough!

However, I wore this outfit to present a proposal of a program my group created, and luckily, in graduate school, everyone knows that presentations = dress appropriately. So I didn’t feel out-of-place on that day. This shirt has very thin white and black stripes, which make it look gray. It also has a cute scoop neck in the back, but I couldn’t get good photos of it.

The wind was blowing, making it a little chilly so I added the black sweater cardigan for warmth.

Top and Sweater Cardigan: Banana Republic | Skirt and Belt: Target | Necklace: Francesca’s |  Bracelet: Old Navy | Shoes: Target (super old)

It’s really gray outside today but luckily it isn’t raining. Yesterday was the last day of classes and today is “reading day” which means I have all day today and most of tomorrow to study for final 1 of 2. Wish me luck!

I bought this vest right before Thanksgiving and it is quickly becoming my all-time favorite. It’s so easy to style, it’s soft and comfortable, and is puffy but not too puffy. I started off simple by pairing it with a black sweater, but you could pair it with just about anything! I wish the lighting was better so you could see the pattern.

Vest and Sweater: Banana Republic | Camisole: Ross | Denim” Loft | Boots: Steve Madden | Earrings: Target