11.13.2019

How To Style A Long Duster Cardigan For Petites (Part 2)

11.13.2019
Happy Wednesday friends! If you haven't read part one from my Monday style post, you may want to quickly head over and catch up because it's connected to what I'm wearing today. To recap some of those thoughts/tips: petites can definitely wear a long cardigan! There are just a couple simple styling tricks I find helpful for a flattering, elongating look. 1) Stick to loose, drapey knits that skim the body. 2) Also, wearing more slim fitting items underneath the longer layer will help create a streamlined, leg-lengthening appearance.

I love wearing cardigans over dresses, so I decided to see if the proportions would still work with a breezy mini dress. This dress is one of my favorites from Summer, and I wanted to bring it into the Fall season with just a few small changes. I swapped sandals for suede ankle boots, and then added this gorgeous orange duster. I guess it's more bohemian than I usually dress this time of year, but I was surprised at how effortless it felt. I'm all for ease!


I think the length of the dress pairs well and even compliments the length of the duster. Showing a little leg ensures you don't disappear in all the flowing fabric. I liked the effect so much that I plan on trying it with a Leith bodycon dress next. 

Do you ladies enjoy this type of styling post? I know not all of you are petite so I sometimes refrain from posting specifically for petites, but some things can be fairly universal. These days I repeat and rewear everything! Even when I don't mention it on here, I hope you'll notice that I have well-loved and well-worn items. I'd love to create more of these posts if they're helpful. 


How would you style this cardigan? Which outfit do you like more, part 1 or 2? Linking up with On The Daily Express and Straight A Style.
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11.11.2019

How To Style A Long Duster Cardigan For Petites (Part 1)

11.11.2019
Long duster cardigans have been trendy for a few seasons, but I wasn't really certain if the length would work on my petite frame (and when I say petite, I mean that only in height as I'm 5'2). I've admired the look on other, mostly taller women, which made me curious. When I saw this beautiful burnt orange duster at Target, I decided to give it a try. The color sold me but the question remained; Can long layers work for petites?


The short answer is yes! Petites absolutely can participate in the trend and actually look really great. I think there are just a few key styling tips to keep in mind, 

1. The fabric and construction of the garment really matters. For example, knits have a flattering drape to them and will flow beautifully as you walk and move. They skim the body nicely without adding extra bulk. A more structured long coat in a heavier fabric is trickier to pull off which is why I prefer those to be shorter in length. 

2. Make sure that whatever you wear underneath the duster is more slim fitting. like a crisp pair of skinny jeans or a dress that still shows off some of your curves. This way you won't feel like you're swimming in it. 

3. Choose your shoes wisely. I almost wore this outfit with my favorite heeled sandals, but I opted for flat mules instead and I actually like the look. Just make sure that your shoes are fairly sleek. 

Long duster cardigans aren't everyone's cup of tea, but I've surprised myself with just how often I've been reaching for one in these weird transitional weather days. It's fun playing with proportions and seeing what works versus what doesn't. I always thought that long layers were meant for tall women, but I'm finding that short ladies like myself can have fun with length too!  

Would you wear this duster? I'll show you one more way to wear it on Wednesday so I hope you'll stop by!
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11.06.2019

Postcards - Autumn In New Jersey & New York

11.06.2019
Ah, the east coast. I hear it's decidedly more beautiful in the Fall, with all its changing leaves in fiery shades of red, orange, yellow, and some leftover green. I've been to New York in June, and I distinctly remember how sticky and humid it felt to walk around the hustle and bustle of the city. This trip, in contrast, was an absolute pleasure to walk around in. And walk we did. My feet are still recovering one week later.

In putting these photos together (and this isn't even half of them), I realized that doing a travel guide would be much too daunting. I feel like I'm not the best at them anyway because when I travel, all I want to do is wander around to wherever my heart takes me, stop in to places that look like they offer good food and drinks, peek into little shops, and when I'm being hosted by friends, I like to surrender and let them take me where they want to go. I don't think I've ever done a guided tour...maybe in college? Frankly, getting lost is my favorite way to explore a new place and New York City is no exception. I actually think it was made for that.

I will say that this 5 day vacation was enlightening for me in many ways. I discovered that I don't hate sneakers as much as I once did. Nate was thankful because the amount of complaining I would have done otherwise...I also loved New Jersey much, much more than I expected I would - it truly is a gorgeous state.  Another thing, I can get by on very little sleep (two nights we didn't sleep at all because we had to commute from Jersey to the city when our friend went in to work). It was nonstop go, go, go from the moment we got off the plane in Newark. Oh, and I rode on the subway which I totally dreaded because you know, social anxiety and all that. My old dark friend was no match for the overwhelming excitement I felt. There really was no time to be anxious. We crammed in as much as we could in those 5 days. It was a complete whirlwind.

The first half of our trip was spent with friends who graciously let us stay with them in their home and who showed us New Jersey and the countryside of New York state. The second half they had to work so that's when Nate and I spent time on our own in NYC.

These photos, or postcards if you will, are all in chronological order so you can get a real sense of what we did and saw each day of the trip. I hope you enjoy!


Seaside Heights (Jersey Shore)
It rained all day until serendipitiously as we set foot on the beach, the rain let up.

We took the train to Cold Spring New York 

Central Park

The Met Museum
We walked the first floor for 3 hours. So much to see!

Chelsea Market

The High Line area was one of my favorites.

The Oculus and WTC 
So incredibly moving. Our friend works close by so we rode into the city with him and got to watch the sun come up over the 9/11 memorial.

Brooklyn, probably my number one favorite area 
Sezane where I bought a little black wallet I'll share in another post.


Overall it was an A+ vacation and all of my Autumn dreams have been satisfied. The only real question remaining is...when can we do it again? But if you have any questions for me, feel free to ask!

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11.01.2019

The Monthly Edit // October

11.01.2019
"Autumn shows us how beautiful it is to let things go."
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I keep saying this to everyone I've spoken to lately, and I'll say it again to you; this month has been epic! I didn't think October could top the excitement of this Summer, but after our whirlwind trip to New Jersey and New York, I take back what I said last month regarding Fall. It may not be a thing here in California, but if you live in a state that actually gets to experience the beauty of it then I completely understand the allure. October on the east coast is just magical. 

I'll have a complete photo diary of the trip next week so I don't want to be repetitive in this post. I'll admit that I'm still trying to catch up on sleep and everything else, so let's just dive right in!


Visiting NYC this time of year was an absolute pleasure. Nate and I sat at the Highline Hotel for about an hour taking in the sights and sounds of the city. 



Camping at Vail Lake with friends at the beginning of the month was the perfect way to kick start Fall. We enjoyed the mild weather, watched our friends' kids dress up and go trick or treating throughout the campgrounds at night, and grabbed some of Vail's famous bloody Mary's at the cafe in the morning. This camping trip is a tradition so we look forward to it all year long! 



Eating my fair share of soup now that it's cool enough to do so. My favorite is French onion (look at all that cheese). I've never made it myself but now I'm on a mission to see if I can attempt at least a decent one! If you have a recipe, please share it with me. 


Packing for our trip proved to be pretty successful. I will say that we did such an extraordinary amount of walking that I wore my Nike sneakers the whole trip. I've never been a sneakers girl, but who has time for blisters when there's so much to see! Plus, I like how sleek this particular pair looks so you may be seeing them on me in a proper outfit post. I did wear some slip-ons on the plane and for the first day, but I'm just happy I'm at a point in my life where I'm not a slave to uncomfortable shoes anymore. 

Watching Peaky Blinders season 5. In my opinion, best season yet! There are only 6 episodes though so we went through it pretty quickly and I'm a bit annoyed by that. I could watch Cillian Murphy all.damn.day. Here's the trailer if you want to catch up.


Thing(s) I Liked In October: 
 I finished personal training sessions at an athletic sports club that Nate goes to. Man oh man was it tough, but I pushed myself and realized that yes, I can do hard things despite the fact that I'm not athletic at all. I still have yet to start taking the group classes with Nate, but I'm challenging myself to begin next week. After all the food we ate on our trip, my jeans are tight.

Thing(s) I Didn't Like In October: 
There were many times that I didn't feel like blogging, so I didn't. Which is fine, but it can also be frustrating. I find that I've been self-censoring a lot lately, meaning I have things to write about but I've seen such an increase in people sharing way too much on the internet that it's honestly embarrassing. There's a fine line. I don't know, maybe I'm being a prude and overreacting but sometimes it seems like nothing is private anymore and I just can't wrap my head around that. 

That's it for now but I'll be back next week. Happy Friday!
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