Baby it's cold outside: Winter coats and accessories

Winter has officially arrived in Texas, in case you were wondering.  I've been freezing my tail off for days, and the coats have officially come out of the closet.  Now that I've been walking around in my old coat that I keep meaning to get hemmed and mended, I am noticing lots of gorgeous options on the internets.  Plus, I wanted to share some of my top picks for other cold weather accessories that won't make you look like a kid from A Christmas Story.

Let's start with the most important splurge - a nice coat that fits well.  I'm dying for a new trench in a bright color like emerald green or bright blue.  I'm also drawn to fun details like an unexpected ruffle or gold zipper.

coats winter 2011 by cardiganjunkie featuring lightweight coats

Warm and cozy accessories are also a must, and I'm loving options in colors besides basic black.  I'm also insistent that hats do not ruin my hair for the rest of the day, which is a challenge.

cold weather accessories by cardiganjunkie featuring vintage style hats

And finally, I think rubber boots are a must when it's wet and possibly snowy.  Everyone and her cousin loves Hunter wellies, but there are tons of other cute options out there!

rain boots by cardiganjunkie featuring buckle shoes

Now I wish we had more than 2.5 months of cold weather!  What's you're most indispensable winter accessory?

A brave new world... of pants!

Hi, I'm Haley.  I'm newly addicted to brightly colored slim pants. 

I used to think that I wasn't cool enough for such a risk, but I tried them on a whim and now I'm hooked.  I decided that since it's fine for everyone to walk around in blue pants, so why not other colors?

It started with red cords from LOFT, and now I have the green ones too.  Look how I'm wearing them all the time!

green pants all the time by cardiganjunkie featuring a knit cardigan

I like mine hemmed to my ankle bone so I can wear them with flats, and have the option to do a cuff if I want them to be cropped. 

Are you in the bright pants club yet?  We're pretty cool... almost as awesome as the BSC in Stoneybrook.  :)

Christmas Party Dress Picks

Tis the season for holiday parties, and the inevitable panic about what wear when you'll be mingling with lots of people you may not see often.  You want to impress, but not if it involves spending a ridiculous amount of money on something you're unlikely to wear again until next December unless someone gets married and it's fancy.

However, I strongly believe that every woman needs a dress that she can feel great in and it's worth a small investment to have something reliable that you can throw on when the occasion arises.  That said, here are some of my top picks for this year's holiday part circuit:

holiday dress 1 by cardiganjunkie featuring a sheer dress

holiday dresses 2 by cardiganjunkie featuring cocktail wedding dresses

holiday dresses 3 by cardiganjunkie featuring party dresses

I officially do not need any more cocktail dresses, but the lace and leopard dresses in the last set are really tempting.  I'd be so classy!  But I don't need them.  Sigh.

Do you have a standby party dress in your closet?  Where did you get it?  Do tell!

Reader Request: Comfortable Work Shoes

Hello lovelies!  I hope everyone had a great weekend.  I was a Christmas shopping fiend and managed to get about 80% of my gift buying out of the way before a Sunday night movie marathon where I watched Love Actually and The Holiday as I do each year before Christmas. 

I will admit that this reader request post is a long time coming, but I was really happy to finally sit down and scout out some comfortable shoe options for my friend Kelly, who is a newly graduated pharmacist and spends 8 hours a day on her feet.  She wants some cute shoe options that will look nice with her work pants, and I think I found some good candidates.  In my opinion, a sturdy wedge or heel 3 inches or less can be as comfortable as a ballet flat if it offers the right support for your foot and doesn't squeeze your toes.  Hopefully these shoes help Kelly expand her options, and she can start with basic black and then work in some unexpected prints and other hues:

work shoes by cardiganjunkie featuring leather shoes

If you have a shopping question that you'd like some help solving, feel free to send me a note at cardiganjunkie at gmail dot com.  I love helping out and it's free!

LOFT Outfit Recap + Thank You

Wow, I am tired.  Last night's party was so fun, and it meant so much to me that so many people came out to support the event.  I loved meeting some fellow bloggers and blog readers in real life, and had a blast helping pick outfits and pushing people to try new things they may not have tried on before.  I hope to have some photos later today or on Monday, and I'll share them as they roll in.  Right now I only have head shots from the photo booth :)

Part of my role as hostess involved me "modeling" items from the Holiday collection and here are items I fell in love with and can't wait to wear again:

Ruffle Crepe Wedge Tee, Jewel Trim Zip Cardigan, LOFT Scuba Pencil Skirt

If you came out, or even thought about coming out, I want to thank you so very much for supporting me and making me feel heard and appreciated.  It means a lot to know that people are reading and responding to the words and pictures I publish. 

Have a nice weekend, everyone!

DIY Holiday Wreaths

I can't wait to have time to do a good DIY project. I really enjoy sitting and focusing on one thing, probably since it's such a huge departure from my everyday work where I'm constantly jumping from task to task.  This past month has been really busy for me (as you can tell from my lack of internet interaction besides writing blog posts twice a week) and my plan to create a cute wreath for my house this year is unlikely to come to fruition this month unless I can pull it together this weekend.

However, that shouldn't stop the rest of you from getting inspired and making something pretty and personal for your home.  Here are some of my favorite options that I had good intentions of creating myself:

Source: papermoss.com via Breanne on Pinterest

Source: sharyncarlson.typepad.com via Jorelle on Pinterest

Source: bhg.com via Randall on Pinterest

Source: littlethingsbringsmiles.com via JBirdHome on Pinterest

Source: matt-and-becky.blogspot.com via Sara on Pinterest

I think I'll be most likely to pick up a big tube of small round ornaments and affix them to a foam wreath from Michael's.  Has anyone tried this before?  Is it really the one hour, glue gun project that I'm picturing in my head?

P.S. Tonight is the LOFT event at in Dallas, and I'm really excited to meet some of you in person!  Please don't be shy and introduce yourself - I'll be the one dressed head to toe in LOFT Holiday 2011  :)