Festive Attire

This time of year has me wanting to wear ruby red lipstick, tons of sequins, feminine details, my hair swept back, shimmery nails, sleek silhouettes, sky high heels, and a festive dress at all times. Does your style change around the holidays?

PS: I am sharing some beachy honeymoon attire over at Ashley Nicole Catherine today, AND a lovely gift guide {if I do say so myself} over at Shannon Darrough's blog! Make sure you stop by and give these bloggers some love. xoxo

{images via my Fashionable Pinterest board}

Words to the Wise

American Apparel Velvet Bow Hair Clip. Perfect for the holiday season.

Ensemble Assembly

1 Emersonmade Mod Little Black Dress  2  Alexander Wang Rocco Duffle Bag  3  Elizabeth Cole Gold and Black Stud Earring  4  Spanx Sheer Polka Dot Tights  5  J.Crew Martina Calf Hair Wedges

On the top of my wish list is the Emersonmade Mod Little Black Dress. I can already see this being my daily go-to and having to fight the urge to not wear it 5 days a week. I love the simplicity of its A-line shape, slimming arm length, key hole cut out, and slit pockets. I would pair this with a few other items from my wish list and I would be ready to hit the town {how cute would it look with tiny polka dot tights and a leopard wedge?}. Day or night this look is for me.

Decorations via Instagram

Here are a few photos from my weekend at home and all of the holiday decor my mom has incorporated throughout our home. It makes me super excited that Christmas is less than a month away!

A Golden Home

Yesterday I mentioned that gold was one of my favorite ways to decorate for the holidays {and pretty much in general}. Here are a few of my favorite options for incorporating this festive color into your home this holiday season:

1  Pieces Sea Urchin Art  2  Anthropologie Gold Mercury Glass Knobs  3  Gold and Bone Gilded Deer Antler  4  Kelly Wearstler Mini Bauble Box  5  Gretel Flawed Gold Plated Cup  6  Nest Holiday Candle  7  The Zhush Peace and Love Gold Dinner Plate  8  Jonathan Adler Futura Salt and Pepper Shaker  9  Z Gallerie Metallic Hourglasses  10  Jonathan Adler Muse Bottle Opener  11  Society Social Live Sparkly Pillow  12  Jayson Home Gold Athena Tray

Here is another post on gold and some festive sparkle for your Monday!

{image via My Pinterest Decor Board}

Golden Details

Golden goodness for your Sunday. It is freezing in Chicago today and I plan on adding some festive decor to my home, including Christmas lights and gold details.

{images via my Pinterest boards}

A Holiday Favorite

Now that Thanksgiving has come and gone, and my Christmas decorations are slowly making their way out of storage, my first order of business is purchasing my annual Christmas cards. Since I don't have a family of my own just yet {if I did, these would be mine in a second}, Rifle Paper Co. is my go-to for festive holiday stationary {and calendars, cards to say hello, invitations, thank you's, recipe cards, gift tags, etc.}. If you haven't heard of these whimsical designs, I suggest you check out their site right now.

Black Friday

I am not so much a fan of this national shopping day, but I do enjoy browsing through my favorite online stores from the comfort of my home with a hot cup of coffee and Thanksgiving leftovers. Today, I will be stocking up on my J.Crew favorites because everything is 25% off + Free Shipping on orders of $150 or more.

Shop the J.Crew Black Friday sale here!

{images via the J.Crew Holiday Catalog, browse it here}

Thankful

On this special day, I am thankful for my loved ones, my new business + the ability to do what I love, my little apartment in the city, my amazing support system, clean sheets, running {+ hot} water, the ability to enjoy a Thanksgiving dinner, the men + women that serve our country, life's simple pleasures, this creative community that I am a part of + all of the talented friends I have made along the way, my readers who keep this blog alive and running, and this lovely life that I get to live every day. Life is an amazing gift, full of freedom that allows us to create our own paths in the world. I feel so blessed today for all that this life has given me, for all of the footprints I've made thus far, and for all of the footprints I have yet to make.

Happy Thanksgiving to you and your families, I hope it is full of lots of gathering and grateful hearts.


{image via Pinterest}

A Celebration

Today I am headed to Wisconsin to celebrate the life of my Uncle Joe who passed away this week. He lived a long and fulfilling life so I am trying to look at this as a celebration and a reminder of how thankful I am to have the people in my life that I do. I will be staying in Wisconsin to enjoy my favorite holiday with my extended family, which will consist of your typical turkey dinner, roaring fire, cozy blankets, football, and festive decor.

How will you be celebrating this year?

{images from Pinterest}

Mr. Porter

My loyal male readers {mostly my friends who are sweet and check in with me daily} have asked me to do more posts on men's fashion. Women have so many options when it comes to shopping and I was interested to see what sites were popular these days aside from the norm {ie: J.Crew}. Enter Mr. Porter, the brother to our favorite, Net-a-porter. Did you know of this site? Am I totally out of the loop? Yes, some items are pricey, but I noticed that men's fashion is far less expensive than women's and this site is legit. 

If you're looking for gifts for your man friends, I highly recommend browsing through Mr. Porter, he would look very dapper and sexy in these handsome pieces.

{images via Mr. Porter and Pinterest}

Take Note

Note to self: Stock up on J.Crew's cozy sweaters, woven snoods, overload on color, buy a pair of chic leather gloves {in a fabulous color}, layer up the bracelets, a Fair Isle scarf, make a statement in a bright coat, and always more plaid.

This winter I am all about splashes of color popping from my wardrobe, complimented by a sleek silhouette, enamel + gold accessories, metallic details, and black basics. An easy way to make a statement and J.Crew always does it so well. The new holiday catalog was so pretty my eyes burned.

{images via jcrewing}

Open for Business

I am thrilled to announce that I am now offering personal styling services on Sequins and Stripes! This has been a dream of mine for as long as I can remember and I am eager + excited to share my knowledge, experience, and sense of style with you. For more information, please check out my Styling page!

Also, I want to thank those of you who have given me the confidence, encouragement, support and well wishes on my journey as a new business owner. I am sure there will be a lot of trial and error in the coming months but your support makes this adventure so worth it!

You all are the best.

If you have any questions regarding the personal styling services that I offer, please don't hesitate to email me here!

Sunday Goodies

1  Forever 21 Plaid Scarf  2  Hunter Boots Glossy Tall Wellies  3  American Apparel Hairbow  4  J.Crew Golden Stripe Bracelets  5  Rifle Paper Co. Notebooks  6  Leif Slim Leather Bow Cuffs  7  Dogeared Gold Nugget Stud Earrings  8  The Zhush Art Deco Tassel Necklace  9  Anthropologie Periwinkle Bottle Opener  10  Madewell Polka Dot Sleep Mask  11  Deborah Lippman 'Do Ya Think I'm Sexy" Nail Color  12  Kate Spade Sparkler Gia  13  Korin Mugtail Fawn  14  Chan Luu Gold Chain Wrap Bracelet  15  100 Unforgettable Dresses by Hal Rubenstein

So many favorites in this collection, the perfect way to brighten up a Sunday!

Style Done Right

Europe does it right. Simple, chic, balanced and tastefully styled. They rock all black, dark nails, layered scarves, and most importantly, fabulous shoes. While traveling, I found myself wishing I could get rid of everything I packed and start fresh with a neutral palette and cool accessories. I purchased these and a few of these amazing pieces, and I felt like it helped me fit in quite nicely. I now want to draw inspiration from this lady, the epitome of European style, and add a few more edgy additions to my wardrobe. Combined with my generally colorful, classic, and feminine wardrobe, I think my own personal style would welcome them well.

Thoughts?

{images via my Pinterest boards}

Prague

Prague was one of my favorite stops on the trip, such a charming little town all bundled up for winter. The city is lined in cathedrals, bridges, water and enormous clocks {with a man that plays the trumpet every hour on the hour from his watchtower}. The Old Town Square hosts tons of tiny huts that offer hot wine, sausages, ice cold beer, crepes, grilled cheese, kabobs, and fried dough {yum}, and the happiest little band serenades the crowd. I loved ending the trip with this cozy city, their 20 degree weather prepared me for winter in Chicago! Brrrrrr.