It’s important to say your deepest feelings for those you care about, so I just need to do a quick “I LOVE YOU” shout-out to this sweater. Oh, wait. Did you think that was going to be a comment directed to my husband or something? I could see how you might think that, but I have pretty strong feelings for this sweater…

As much as I adore the style and elegance of Audrey Hepburn or the glamor of Grace Kelly, all I really want is to be Brigitte Bardot in a sweater. No one else in the history of the world has made sweaters look as sizzling hot as Miss Bardot, AND, she can remain toasty warm against a light chill. Win-win.

Top/Forever 21, Waxed Jeans/H&M, Booties/Gianni Bini

I find this particular sweater to be perfection as far as I’m concerned. I’m definitely one of those dummies that can be conned into buying almost anything if it has a cute phrase in French on it, but the biggest plus is that it feels like someone brushed baby bunnies and knitted the hairs together.

So far, other people’s first instincts are to ask if they can feel it, which is OK if it’s my husband or a friend, but not OK if it’s a creepy guy at a bus stop. I have to set limits people.

Well, I’m picking up Todd at the airport today so, I don’t know about you, but I’m excited for the weekend! Happy Friday!

As much as I love jean shorts in the summer, I get a little sad when it’s too hot to wear my chambray shirts. Well, it’s definitely not too warm to wear them these days, so I’m pulling them back out and steaming out the wrinkles. This is one of my favorite tops from last year and it’s definitely going to make the rounds this season as well.

You may have noticed that I love a good waxed jean- they’re all the comfort of stretch denim with the look of leather. Fabulous. I highly recommend that you buy yourself some if you don’t already own a pair. These J Brand flare cut are delightful, but it’s also nice to have a skinny pair for variety.

Jeans/J Brand, Top/Forever 21, Shoes/Steve Madden, Sunnies/Forever 21

As depressing as it can be to realize that the temperature isn’t going anywhere but down, I remind myself that I need to focus on the positives of cold weather- boots and beautiful coats! At least I can look forward to wearing more of those…

I don’t know how you plan out your seasons, but I always enter a new phase of weather with a list of clothing items that I would like to snag if given the chance. This spring I saw a jean jacket with leather sleeves and just about fainted at the brilliant thought of it all, but alas, it was too big and the only size left. Awesome. I vowed this season to rectify the wrong that was done me (don’t you mentally correct my grammar! It done me real bad…), and I only had to wait a few weeks before I found this little gem that was just what the doctor ordered.

 Jacket/Olive and Oak , Dress/Forever 21, Boots/Aldo, Bag/orYANY

I actually have to make a conscious choice not to wear my jean and leather frankenstein jacket every time I leave the house because I’m afraid I’ll overdo it and get sick of it. Is that possible? I like that the jacket gives me the feeling that the middle part of my body is a redneck but my arms are all luxurious and city folk.

Anyways, don’t you just love these black boots? I thought you would. There’s actually a mysterious secret behind these boots, and I’ll let you know what it is soon…

MWAH, HA, HA, HAAAAA!!!!

So let me tell you a little story about my weekend…you may recall how I mentioned last week that Todd was leaving town to work on the band’s new album again. He was scheduled to leave Saturday afternoon, so I was at least glad to have the opportunity for Friday night and Saturday morning dates before he left. Of course, any time he leaves, the few days building up to his departure are increasingly sad for me (although I have gotten better over the years of not letting the sadness totally ruin the time I do have with him). Never the less, I swallowed the sad lump in my throat and savored every minute of our cocktail date on Friday and a rainy breakfast at our favorite spot on Saturday morning. I sent him off with a heavy heart once our brunch was complete and worried about the rainy driving conditions as he started his drive to Texas. I then did a bit of what I like to call “sad shopping” around town to cheer myself up and got ready to meet my dear friend Katie for dinner at a new pizza spot.

A few minutes after we got our delicious looking slices and sat down at a booth, I saw Katie’s husband Jonny come through the front door with my husband Todd following right behind him. I was so confused I could barely speak. My mind was racing. Why was he here? Was there an accident?? What’s going on??? I kept mumbling “Why are you here??” while Todd tried to explain that his trip had been cancelled a few days before he left, and he thought it would be a great surprise to pretend like he was leaving (he even put an empty suitcase in his car) and then surprise me several hours later to give me the great news that he wasn’t going away. It took me a few minutes to grasp what was happening and that he really wasn’t leaving town anymore- I have to say that I didn’t know if I should punch him or kiss him. All in all, it was definitely a classic Todd prank to play, but I gently explained that this should be a one-time-only prank because it was a bit of an emotional roller coaster to be sad for three days for apparently no reason. But, I still like that he wanted to “surprise” me with good news that would make me happy.

That has nothing to do with this outfit, but it’s a great story, so I wanted to tell it…

Top/Forever 21, Pants/H&M, Shoes/Jessica Simpson, Bag/ Alice + Olivia

So, it is true that Todd will eventually have to go on his trip at some point, but for now, I’m glad to have him around and it feels extra special than it normally would. Here’s to making every moment together count!

I have to say, of all the trends that have appeared over this past year, the matching top and skirt that appear as one (but are actually two) is a particular favorite of mine. To be honest, I wasn’t sure if I could pull the look off, but I took this outfit for a spin recently and I think it’s definitely a keeper. In fact, Todd is leaving again soon (boo!) to go back to Texas and continue writing/recording for the next Mutemath album, and I think I’m going to wear this out for our last night on the town before he leaves.

Skirt + Top/Forever 21, Shoes/Steve Madden, Sunnies/Forever 21

It’s always a bit daunting to wear something different than your usual look, but if you don’t try something new, how will you ever find new favorite pieces or silhouettes?

By the way, another great thing about this trend is that you can wear the two pieces as separates as well. Oh, sure, they’ll miss each other, but they can tell the other one all about their adventures when you hang them back together again at night. Because clothes totally talk to each other at night when you sleep…duh.