casual blues

Vineyard Vines hat | J. Crew tee (similar) | GUESS coat (similar from Patagonia) | Hudson jeans | C. Wonder necklace (similar here and here) | Diva Shoes boots (from Italy)

Went to the Botanic Gardens the other day as part of a casual outing in DC. The gardens were gorgeous and it was nice to get out of the cold and into warm, jungle-inspired rooms. Seeing palm trees and smelling the flowers and greenery made it feel like spring despite the chilly winter air outside.

xo-ally

m street at night

C. Wonder top (on sale!) | Longchamp bag | Martin + Osa peacoat (old, but similar here and also loving this blue one) | Trouve leggings (similar here and here) | Nordstrom sunglasses (similar) 

Just quickly posting a few photos from strolling around M Street earlier this week. M Street is definitely my favorite shopping spot in the DC area. Now it's back to work - I've been working some pretty long days but love what I do, so it's all good. I will say that I am very excited to get some sleep tonight!

Thanks for stopping by :)

xo-ally

plaid

 Madewell shirt (loving this one) | Chanel sunglasses | Hudson jeans | Max & Chloe monogram necklace | Kate Spade long necklace | Aritzia carigan (similar) | Boots from Italy (similar) | Longchamp bag | Forever 21 belt (similar)

xo-ally

snowflake leggings in the boboli gardens

Red Dress Boutique leggings | Longchamp bag | Corso Como boots | H&M coat | Free People shirt | Chanel sunglasses | J. Crew bracelet (similar)

Living in Italy, it is a little difficult to shop online at my favorite US boutiques due to international shipping. Don't get me wrong, the shopping here is amazing (but can get pretty expensive), though sometimes I enjoy looking at the styles from the stores back home. I got these adorable Christmas leggings from The Red Dress Boutique and shipped them to my parents' house, and then my dad brought them with when he visited for Christmas. I can finally wear them! Yay! I love the variety of snowflake prints and the bright colors. Since they're not in the typical red and green Christmas colors, I will definitely be wearing these throughout the rest of the winter season!

xo-ally

christmas gifts

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas! I had a good day and celebrated here in Florence. My dad came out to Florence for the holidays and we have kept busy by seeing major Florence "to-dos," like going to the Ufizzi and Accademia museums and the Boboli gardens, Rome for a day, and of course, eating some delicious Italian food at my favorite restaurants.

A few of my Christmas gifts:

A new Longchamp to replace my old one. I had my old one for seven months and wore it almost every day. I often cleaned it, but then eventually, even cleaning it wasn't enough - it hit the point of no return. I got great use out of it, so it's nice to upgrade to a new one. The surface on this one has a beautiful gloss and the Longchamp pattern. It's black, too - hopefully it will disguise any dirt or marks!

 Europe also destroyed my riding boots, so I got a new pair of Italian leather ones from a shop in Florence. I love them! They're very comfortable and go with everything, and will be nice to wear especially now, before I take my riding boots into a cobbler.

Some new bracelets: the top one is from Stella & Dot and the other silver ones are from a Seattle boutique.

Happy holidays!

xo-ally

stripes on stripes, with a dash of pink

Shirt Nordstrom (old) Jeans Nordstrom Sunglasses Chanel Earrings Nordstrom Boots Me Too Socks J. Crew (similar) Bag Guess (similar) Ring Kate Spade Watch Michael Kors Nail Polish Color Club in "Peppermint Twist"

Today I wore my olive green striped tshirt with skinnies, ankle boots, and striped socks peeking out in between! I continued to play up the pink from the socks with my earrings and nails. The pink really breathed some fresh air into the neutrals in the rest of the outfit.

Time to go change! Can't wear heels to Zumba. This is the last class I'm teaching till next semester! I'm going to miss it over the Christmas break, however, it will be nice to have some extra time to come up with some new routines!

xo-ally

paris sweater

Sweater Wildfox Couture Pants F21 (similar here) Boots Corso Como Watch Michael Kors Bracelets F21 (similar here) Ring Henri Bendel

These olive pants are making yet another appearance this fall/winter season. One thing I like about olive is the neutrality of the color, yet olive colored pants add more interest than a regular pair of jeans or black leggings.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

xo-ally

a cozy study outfit

Close-up of the headband

Headband Nordstrom Sweater Aritzia (old) Tank Nordstrom-old (similar) Leggings lululemon Knee Socks J. Crew Boots Ralph Lauren/DSW

I wore this outfit to the library yesterday for a marathon study session. I was there for more than four hours and totally forgot to bring snacks or a lunch! I was so hungry afterward, haha. Since I knew I'd be doing homework for a while, I wanted to wear something that was cozy but still put-together. The leggings, baggy tank, and boyfriend sweater are all very comfortable, and the knee socks peeking out from the boots added warmth. I could've gone the UGG boot route, but instead I chose to wear my new fave leather riding boots. They're just as comfortable!

And I couldn't resist adding sparkle with my headband. ;)

xo-ally

pun-kin patch with dance team

Outfit: Jacket H&M Shorts Nasty Gal Boots Ralph Lauren/DSW Tank Nordstrom Bag (kind of hidden behind me!) Tory Burch (old)

xo-ally

plaid & stripes with olive pants

Button-up shirt: Madewell Necklace: Muses & Rebels Pants: F21 Boots: Corso Como Watch: Michael Kors Ring: Kate Spade

Since I only have about twenty minutes between getting home from rock climbing and leaving for classes, I'm always in a rush! I sometimes just switch out my leggings and sneakers for jeans and flats and throw on a hoodie before heading to class. But today was different - I picked out my outfit before rock climbing. I should've realized this earlier...it's just like choosing the next day's outfit before bed so you don't have to groggily put something together the next morning. Sometimes I can throw together a rockin' outfit in a rush, but it's much nicer to have the clothes laid out and ready to go.

I used to wear these olive-colored jeans all the time last year, but haven't lately. I decided to pull 'em back out and pair them with the plaid button-up and striped belt. The boots add a neutral contrast and the accessories play off the colors in the rest of my outfit.

xo

a random place to take an outfit photo

Pink tank: Nordstrom Coat, skinnies: F21 Boots: Corso Como Necklace: Muses & Rebels

Today I was out shopping and getting a massage at the mall, and wanted to take an outfit photo outside. Well, there isn't much of a backdrop other than Game Stop apparently, haha.

I only had time for a few photos, so I tried to do a closeup on my necklace! My brother gave it to me for Christmas (his girlfriend helped pick it out) and I think it is gorgeous. I then added my new coat and riding boots for structure to balance out the bagginess of the tank.

Okay, so the photo at the top doesn't show the necklace very well. Here's a photo from their website:

Isn't it pretty?

xo

simple black

Headband, Shirt, Jeans: Nordstrom Cardigan: Macy's Bracelets: F21 Watch: Michael Kors Boots: Corso Como Earrings: New Look (London)

Today I kept my outfit pretty casual, but added a black and gold hippie headband to keep things a little interesting. I threw my black leather jacket from Italy on over this before I went out to class for a little more warmth -- little did I know that it would snow today! (Should've worn some gloves!)

Speaking of class...or rather lack of class, I had a semi-productive day today. I went to my first class but the professor didn't show up so we all left. Then I did some homework waiting for my next class...and the professor didn't show up again. Instead we had a "substitute professor" (which almost always don't exist in college) to give us a writeup assignment. Five minutes later, we were out the door.

While I've had a lot of extra time today, it kept getting broken up by my non-classes today, so my studying hasn't been going as great as I thought it would - I have a big test tomorrow! I'm going to need a strong dose of caffeine tomorrow before I take it.

xo

what is this thing? a knitted headband?

Tunic: Macy's Jeans: Forever 21 Boots: Corso Como Bracelets: Nordstrom Watch: Michael Kors Knitted Headband: Anthropologie

I'm not sure what to call this thing on my head. A headband? A knitted headband? A kind-of-hat? Whatever you call it, it is one of my go-to cold weather accessories. It is a winter take on the hippie headband, and provides a lot of extra warmth as the temperatures drop. Speaking of, it was supposed to snow last night but it didn't! I'm glad. I'm not ready for the snow yet.

I'm also a fan of stripes. I love bright colors, especially in the winter. Cold weather accessories make a bright sweater feel more "appropriate" (though I think bright colors are acceptable all year round) and adds a little dose of happiness on a cloudy day, in my opinion.

The new Trader Joe's just opened in Spokane last weekend. I went on the opening day and it was madness. Complete madness. The lines reached the back of the store and I waited to check out for 45 minutes. I went back today and some items were completely sold out! Including my favorite peanut butter-filled, chocolate covered pretzels...but that's okay. Now that Halloween's over, I'm going to stock up on plenty of half-priced chocolate and peanut butter candy from the other grocery store. Reese's pumpkins? Yes, please!



indecision, as per usual

Skirt and Tights: Forever 21 Tank: J. Crew Sweater: Nordstrom Bracelets: Forever 21 Ring: Nordstrom Rack Watch: Michael Kors Boots: Corso Como

aaand a shot up close of the bracelets/tights/boots:

So I put this outfit on, took a couple photos, then looked out the window and saw the rain. And looked in my closet and didn't see any rain-appropriate jackets that went with this outfit. So I changed my outfit because of the weather, four times, slowly getting farther and farther away from Outfit #1. I eventually came up with this:

Jacket: Italian market in Florence Tanks: Nordstrom Skinnies: Forever 21 Scarf: Urban Outfitters Boots: Corso Como

I have a feeling I'm going to be wearing this jacket a lot! I love it and it's perfect for the weather these days.

Earlier this week I went to a meeting about Public Relations (which is also what I am majoring in for school) and I loved it. I just had a really good feeling. Then I read a couple of articles in the handout they gave us and I knew that I was in the right place doing the right thing. Isn't that feeling the best?

xo