Credit: jcrew.com

Outerwear is one of my favorite things to shop for. I love coats, trenches, jackets, blazers, parkas – and I can’t get enough. Unfortunately for me, I live in sunny southern California and we have about 360 days of sunshine throughout the year. It’s the middle of November, and today’s high was 80ºF!  It’s silly to complain about such a moderate climate, but I love the cool, crisp weather that calls for coats.

Credit: jcrew.com

J. Crew is among my favorite retailers. Every year, I especially love their line of outerwear.  Their coats are timeless and they will last years. When shopping for a coat, keep in mind that these are definite investment pieces. Coat styles hardly change over the years, so go for something more classic than trendy. Though I love the idea of a green or yellow wool coat that stands out, I’d buy a coat in camel, beige, grey, or black. Sure, it sounds boring, but if you’re planning on wearing it for longer than a season, neutrality is key.

The weekend is finally here, and after a very long and busy week at work, I finally have some time to sit down and catch up on blogging! My last post featured pewter, our pick for the color of November. I’ve had these shoes for a little while now and I have to say that I am in love!

These flats are by Sam Edelman and this style comes in a great variety of colors and materials. I opted for the pewter boa. I originally bought them at Bloomingdales, but to my surprise I found them for nearly half the price at endless.com! I’ve bought several pairs of shoes from endless and I have never been disappointed by their speedy service and easy returns.

I can pair these flats with so many different outfits. I can wear them to work and on the weekends, so versatility is great. As far as sizing, the length is true to size, but they are a little on the narrow side, which thankfully wasn’t a problem for me. They are very comfortable and I can wear them all day without a hitch, but it did take about 3 or 4 days to break them in. Truth be told, the first day I wore them, I had a few painful blisters. Ouch! But I loved the shoes, so being the shoe-aholic that I am, I stuck it out. I wore them with bandages on my heels for a couple days, and finally, the shoes became comfortable enough to be worn all day, without band-aids.

So I suppose this is a little bit of a mixed review. If you’re like me and willing to spend some time breaking them in and maybe get a blister on the way, these flats are worth it. But if you’re looking for immediate comfort, I would pass it up.

One of my favorite fall/winter colors has always been pewter. It’s more than just grey – it has hints of metal, purple, and sometimes a touch of blue. I love that it’s smokey and rich. It’s a great color for both work and play during the winter.

J. Crew Sterling Jacquard Pencil Skirt $139.99. Collette Dinnigan Embroidered Smock Dress $765. J.Jill mini-stud belt $34. Mossimo Frame Wallet $12.99. J. Crew Drapey Sequin Tee $79.50. Banana Republic Lace Overlay Shell $98. Elizabeth and James Strappy Sandal $279.

Pewter is a color that is flattering on just about anybody. If you go for darker shades of pewter, it’s a great alternative to black. Black can be boring and expected, so why not try something that packs just as much edge, but with added punch?

I’ve already picked up a few pewter purchases for this fall and they’ve been perfect for the office and especially for going out after! Expect some reviews soon!

Here are my two purchases; Steve Madden on the left and Envy on the right. I’m actually quite happy the way it worked out, because I much prefer the Steve Madden wingtip design at the toe of the shoe. I’ve already worn them around quite a few times and they’re pretty comfortable. I’ve paired them with shorts and skirts and I can’t wait to try them with tights. We’ve been having some miserably hot days these past couple weeks in Orange County (with the exception of a random 2 day rain streak!) and I have been crossing my fingers for cooler weather so I can start wearing my new fall clothes!

In the mean time, I’ve been wearing my oxfords with patterned socks. The socks I’m wearing above are from Hue, my go-to brand for socks and tights. The shoes are advertised as laceless, but laces come in the box as an option. Personally, I like the oxfords better laced, but if you don’t want laces, the shoes have some hidden elastic attached to the tongue to keep them snuggly on your feet. Note it will take a couple wears to get the shoes broken in and the leather will stretch a bit. The width is standard and the sizing is true to size. My feet are neither narrow or wide and it fits just fine. I normally wear an 8 or 8.5 and the size 8 fits perfectly.

Tell us how you’ll be wearing your oxfords this fall!

Credit: Style.com

This Spring, I’m looking forward to wearing more stripes. It’s been appearing in some Spring and Resort 2011 collections. Above we have looks from Jonathan Saunders, Marc by Marc Jacobs, and Prada. Whether the colors are muted or electric, one thing is for sure: the stripes are bold. Marc Jacobs is no stranger to stripes and this spring collection was no different. I just love that the orange stripes against a military palette is so unexpected. I really appreciate that stripes can fit into any style. Even from these runway photos, you can see that these outfits would be worn by very different women.

Here are a few stripes to mull over:

Won Hundred Striped Jersey Dress $75.83. Milly Border-Stripe Pleated Skirt $159. Marc Jacobs striped cashmere blend sweater $298.50. Old Navy Variegated-Strip V-neck $20. Jucca long sleeve scoop neck $98. DKNY cardigan $245.

My favorite piece is the Marc Jacobs sweater. The leather stripes give the sweater a great hard/soft look.

Let us know how you like to wear your stripes!

Hello dear readers and happy weekend! This October’s color of the month is Orange. I was actually inspired by recent runway shows, not the upcoming Halloween.

Credit: Style.com

From left, we have Rebecca Minkoff, Tory Burch, Prada, and Marc by Marc Jacobs. These fresh orange spring 2011 looks are paired with fall trends like camel, military, vibrant hues, and color blocking.

Orange tends not to be a favorite color among the masses and it’s definitely a hard color to pull off, but we don’t have to color block our entire outfit to be orange. One standout piece can really liven up your outfit. Take these for example:

J. Crew Henley Layering Cami $72. Patterson J. Kincaid Monaco Tie-Dye Tank $58. House of Harlow Aztec Bangle $80. Rebecca Minkoff The BF Bag $295. Michael Kors Chronograph Watch $195.

Not sure how brave I’ll be to wear bright orange, but I’m giving it some definite consideration this season.

J. Crew Camden Suede Brogues $250. Urban Outfitters Chelsea Crew Perforated Oxford $68. Steve Madden Trouser Oxford $69. Envy Tango Oxford $59.95. Xhilaration Taree Oxford Shoes $19.99. Coconuts Byron Oxfords $59.

Like many girls, I have a great love affair with shoes. My most recent obsession has been oxfords, or brogues. I’ve been on the hunt for the perfect pair of oxford flats for about a year trying on dozens of styles and I have yet to find one that’s just right.

Though oxfords come in countless styles, my heart is set on the classic oxford. Still, the choices are endless. The oxfords shown above range from faux leather oxfords from Target for $20 to suede beauties from J. Crew for a whopping $250 (These were worn by Serena in the season premiere of Gossip Girl!). But then what color to choose? I’ve been on the fence between black and brown for what seems like a century, but I’ve finally decided on gray. It’s a perfect neutral that can go with an outfit that would normally call for brown or black shoes – it can go with them all!

I just purchased a pair from dsw.com (the pair shown in the second row on the right) in gray. I’m eagerly awaiting it’s arrival. I’m crossing my fingers for satisfaction so I don’t have to return them dejectedly to the store. I’ll post a review of the shoes when they arrive.

Friends have asked me what to wear with oxfords. There are plenty of options! Cropped pants, skinny jeans, leggings, tights, shorts, skirts, dresses – it’s really all about the styling. Here aew a few celebrities in oxfords:

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Taylor Swift, Sienna Miller, Olivia Palermo, Alexa Chung, Jessica Biel.

Hopefully I’ll find the perfect pair soon!

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Sam Edelman Gigi Sandals $44.96. Betsey Johnson Plastic Retro Sunglasses $55. Mulberry Lily Leopard-Print Shoulder Bag $695. Kate Spade Medium Heddy Cosmetic Case $70. Marc by Marc Jacobs Cork Leather New Q Printed Zip Around Wallet $174. Jimmy Choo patent leather Morse flats $332.

I’m liking the Mulberry bag and Jimmy Choo flats since they aren’t the typical brown leopard print color. The model above shows that it can really add a fun printed pop of color to an otherwise boring outfit. And the Jimmy Choos are a very subtle leopard, so it’s perfect for a recent convert like me!

The Sam Edelman sandals were actually seen on Kim Kardashian earlier this year.

You probably won’t find me in a leopard dress anytime soon, but you can bet I’ll be wearing some leopard accessories this fall.

I stumbled upon these great cateye sunglasses on the TopShop website. Cateye sunglasses are back in style and this pair has caught my full attention. These tortoise shell beauties are $30 + a flat $10 shipping cost to the US (but you can buy a few more things to justify the shipping!)

I’m currently playing my favorite game of To Buy or Not To Buy. We’ll see how this goes…

Photographer: Mario Testino for Vogue

A ran across this picture on the newly redesigned vogue.com and it inspired me to do an equestrian outfit post. I love the classic equestrian look – beautiful riding boots, a fitted blazer, and leather accessories. Actually, equestrian inspired looks have been popping up on recent runways.

Credit: Style.com

From the left we have a look from Ralph Lauren and a look from Hermès.  The look from the Ralph Lauren collection reminds me of fall in the east coast or perhaps the British countryside. Alternatively, Hermès is a little more Parisian luxe.

Here’s the inspired look:

Mulberry Alexa Bag $1,150. Tinley Road Equestrian Blazer $59. Lauren by Ralph Lauren Herringbone Equestrian Hat $54. ModCloth Stable Style Belt $19.99. Jodhpur Leggings $54. Alfani Becka Boots $94.99. Vita Fede Combina Cognac Wrap Bracelet $75.

Everything is under $100, so it won’t dent your wallet too much. Well, except the Mulberry Alexa bag, but I couldn’t help but put it in! My favorite pieces (other than the Alex bag, of course) are the Alfani boots and the Jodhpur leggings. Jodhpur not only refers to a city in India, but also to the style of pants. They are very fitted and only go down to the ankles. Typically, jodhpurs have an extra patch of fabric on the inside of the knee as seen above.

I’m not sure I’d have the courage to go out in a complete equestrian style ensemble, but I’m eager to get a few key pieces to get the gist of it.