Velvet

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If you haven't noticed the trend by now, you can tell just by taking a look at my last two posts that textures are all the rage.  Faux fur, in the form of coats and scarves, and of course, velvet.   

Velvet, particularly in jewel tones, for your pants, dresses, tops, and shoes this season- it's everywhere.   It's such a super-soft but fun, playful texture.  You can't go wrong.  It's perfect for holiday parties or a weekend out, and I think a great trend to try without having to get too risky.  I paired it with a fitted body suit since velvet already adds a bit more volume to wherever you choose to wear it.

 

Shop my look below to get your own velvet and cozy faux-fur outfit...I'll be living in these pieces this winter!

Holiday Cheer

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Dress - MakeMeChic
Shoes - L.A.M.B.


It's almost that time.  Without fail every year, these holidays creep up on us.  I know Bloomingdales had their lights up in like, September...but still.  I find myself last-minute shopping.  Again.  

I can never get enough of the warm and festive ambience of the holidays.  This time of the season gets so busy with everyone trying to wrap up work before the year ends, and some of us have to remind ourselves to actually stop to enjoy it.  Sit at a coffee shop right in the middle of Fifth Ave to watch the rosy-cheeked tourists shuffle in for a shopping break.  Glance out the window and take in the bird's-eye views of building decorations that are completely different from the ground level persepctive.  And sit under the twinkling lights that will soon disappear when everyone prepares their clean slate in the new year.

Of course, as far as sartorial concerns go...we sure love to reach for all things sparkly and shiny.  Sometimes, though, keeping things classic is best- and that little black dress will never fail.  Particularly great for situations such as your work holiday party.  

The one I'm wearing here is from Make Me Chic, and you can get it here.  I've also listed several similar LBD options below, and all for less than $100.  Which is amazing for a dress you can wear over and over. 

Happy Holiday-ing! 

x

 

Photos by Dennis Christians

Aspire to Inspire

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Shirt - Zara
Trousers - Tibi
Bralette - Nastygal
Sunglasses - Haze Collection

 

I didn't realize my outfit that day would inspire, until a middle-aged woman, hands full of designer shopping bags, walked by and told me she wanted to be me.  I was flattered, but a bit taken aback, slightly thrown.  Because the truth was, that I always had wanted to be her.

I never had a good answer when I was asked, "What do you want to be when you grow up?"
I didn't say doctor or nurse, teacher, actress.  I felt like that would have been faking it.  I really didn't know.  I felt bad for not knowing.  
And now I realize - it's because you are never solely one thing.  Nor should anyone ever strive to be defined as one particular thing.  Society plants these seeds in young minds, that you should work in your life to be that one thing, that label for your grown up self.  Those seeds, in actuality, are limiting.  By setting those expectations, many of our peers have developed this feeling of anxiety and ineptitude surrounding the topic of whether or not we are where we "should" be in our 20s & 30's.
Perhaps the question should be, "How much do you want to be.."?
How great do you want to be, at the many things that you will do? Because we are not defined by a singular profession.  The one career goal that we achieve should not the benchmark by which we measure our success, and call it a day.  Rather, a slice of the pie we're cooking (is that a term?  I don't know, but I said it, and it is now). 
What do you think? Did you have an answer for that infamous question we were all asked as children? I think most of us are still working on that.  And we should be ok with it.  

 

Full circle: Who knew the woman passing our shoot in the street would lead to a tangent off to such realizations?  Certainly neither she nor I.  Thanks for inspiring my post, cool lady.

 

Photos by Dennis Christians

 

Square it away

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Top - For Love and Lemons
Pants (actually a jumpsuit!) - Norma Kamali
Hat - Zara
Jacket - Nasty Gal

Sundays I love me some brunch.  I think we all know this by now.  You get to dress up in a fab outfit, head to a super cool spot downtown buzzing with people.  Mimosas are being poured, perfect egg yolks come from the kitchen, and multiple plates of sizzling bacon are set down on tables for hungry revelers.  It's the epicenter of New York City's energy on any given weekend, and where you go when your hangover has got you thinking you can't go on.

So, several avocado toasts and overgarnished fruity drinks later, all is well and you've finally caught up with all of your super-busy friends.  Your buzz has got you feeling decent, until the bill comes.  That little piece of paper with a list as long as a grocery bill after you've neglected your fridge for three weeks.  And then you have to force yourself to realign your thoughts so that you can figure out the math? Total buzzkill. 

Of the 11 friends at your table, 3 pay with cash, the rest want to split cards.  Or, it all ends up going on two cards.  One being yours.  One friend goes to the ATM (who has time for that?), a couple of others pay you in a few days, and someone totally forgets, and you have to awkwardly ask them to pay you back, stat, because payday is too far away and you impulsively overspent on the shoes you saw at Bloomingdales the other day ('it was Friends & Family!' you tell yourself).

Or you split lunch with 8 people at work, leaving you in a similar situation.  Been there, done that, yea? You don't have to be a brunch fanatic like myself to get stuck with this same problem frequently.

Well, that's where Square Cash swoops in to save your behind.  This app makes sharing bills, and send money to friends, family, businesses, whoever- a piece of cake.  With gold sprinkles on top.  

Here's the quick rundown:

You take two seconds to download the app for free.  Then, just add your debit card.  After this, you're good to go and can send or receive money to anyone in your contacts or a mobile phone number. 

Square Cash lets you make this username called a $Cashtag, which lets you get paid anonymously if you want to, and which I like.  None of that sharing business- I don't really need the cost of my eggs benedict on a news feed.  This app keeps it bare-bones simple for the user, from its clean design to its minimal requirement of information.  
$Cashtag is also great because it makes it a breeze for non-Square Cash users to pay you.  The sending party doesn't need an account (I hate telling friends and family to "download the app" just so we can make our exchange).  You just send a text, they get your $Cashtag link, and click it.  Super easy.  Simple, like...a square.

Other highlights about the app:  It doesn't "hold" your money the way other apps do.  It's the ONLY app that allows you to send instant deposits, just with a small 1% fee.  
You can even use bluetooth in times you don't have someone's number or don't feel like taking it down and saving it to your phone book.  Sometimes I just want to pay an acquaintance or business and not give them my digits, so I love this part.  Easy as airdropping photos.  Holiday gifting for my super-picky family members is going to be a no-brainer this year.

One other big thing I'll be using this for is travel.  I travel frequently, and when I'm away with friends, splitting costs quickly gets confusing.  This is a great way to divide the total for the big hotel suite we share or the train tickets we bought in a rush because we cut the timing too close.

Check it out for yourself, and let me know what you think!  
Also, shop my look below.

www.cash.me

Tell me your thoughts on your favorite money-sharing apps, or if you already use Square Cash, how it's working out for you.

xx

 

*Thanks to Square Cash for sponsoring this post.  All opinions are my own.*

 

 

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Photos by Greg Routt