Plaid Wrap & Fur Lined Sneakers: Of Christmas Trees & Bras

The time had come for us to go on the hunt for a new Christmas tree…

THE STORY

…yes, we have an artificial tree. While the authenticity of a real tree is nice, my husband is highly allergic to pine and I prefer artificial trees anyway. The tree that we currently have has been around for far longer than it should have been. Christmas trees are kind of like bras in my opinion; you know that you need a new one but you kind of hate spending the money on it. But after you get a new one you’re like, “Wow, why did I wait so long? My girls ornaments look fabulous!”

Like I said, our tree has seen better days, way better days. It currently looks like it survived some tragic pine tree plague, a forest fire and maybe a family of turkey vultures nesting in it. Um, there literally were mice nesting in it at one point, but ya, moving on. This time around we bought a pencil tree and I’m actually kind of super excited to put it up. We’ve always thought a pencil tree would be cool, but never felt like investing in one. See how motivating a family of nesting turkey vultures can be? The sad thing is, there will have to be a culling of the ornaments. I like me a nice overloaded with ornaments kind of tree, and since the old tree was a beast I own a veritable plethora of ornaments and lights. Since my son and his boyfriend have grown up lives with a house and dogs and their very own Christmas tree, maybe it’s time for mama to pass down his childhood ornaments. Although in light of the fact mama is tearing up just writing that, maybe she should just get rid of all of the filler ornaments…

THE OUTFIT

Even though I live in the frozen tundra northern part of Pennsylvania where outer wear is a requirement a good part of the year, I honestly never put a lot of thought into it until the last year or so. Coats were for warmth, not style. That’s just silly. Once it gets breezy outside, your coats are what people see the most of so why not put some thought into them? And why not get more use out of your lighter weight jackets by layering them? This outfit isn’t on it’s own particularly blog-worthy. Yes, it’s cozy and comfortable, but not exactly something to light the sartorial world on fire. This particular look is all about the outer wear (and the shoes, which I’ll get to in a minute).

“AND WHY NOT GET MORE USE OUT OF YOUR LIGHTER WEIGHT JACKETS BY LAYERING THEM?”

The moto jacket is one of those staple pieces that works with most anything and it added some interest on it’s own. But add this genius plaid wrap complete with a toggle fastener and hood (yes, I said it has a hood) and now you’re talking outfit awesomeness. The plaid wrap was also necessary for practical reasons; it was freakin’ cold outside and that moto jacket just wasn’t gonna do the job. I can tell you right now, the wrap will be seeing a lot of use this winter. Both layered over and under coats and jackets.

Now for these delicious sneakers. Delicious? Yes, my friends, delicious. They are completely and totally lined with faux fur. It’s like the lovechild of a pair of Bearpaw boots and Converse sneakers. They are so soft and warm and bad ass that I just might not take them off. To tell the truth, I had them on pretty much all weekend. The nice thing is, they also fold up and you can lace them completely up if you don’t want the explosion of fur showing. I’ve worn them both ways and they’re fab either way. What’s even more fab? They’re on sale for 30% off at JCPenney as we speak. You might wanna check that out…

THE TIP

Once cold weather hits, view your outerwear as part of your outfit. And keep in mind, layers are always a good thing even when it comes to outerwear.

“VIEW YOUR OUTERWEAR AS PART OF YOUR OUTFIT.”

Think denim or moto jacket layered with a faux fur vest or plaid wrap/blanket scarf; or long wool coat layered with a wrap or denim vest. Layers aren’t just for under your coat, layers over your coat add a whole new level of cool to your look.

LINK UPS

Check out the weekly link ups I participate in for even more fashion and style ideas…

Wrap: The Deal Cottage (Similar, Similar); Sneakers: JCPenney; Moto Jacket: JCpenney (Similar) Jeans: GAP