What to Wear in January in NYC

What to Wear in January in NYC

My sweet boy helped me pack.

I'm spending the long weekend with a dear friend from college in New York City. I lived there after college (in Manhattan) and again for a summer during law school (in Brooklyn). We decided between moving there and to the DC area when we moved here in 2011, and I love it so much more now that I don't live there, actually!

I can't wait. However...I'm not looking forward to the cold. Although I live only a few hours away, there is nothing like the cold of New York City except where I moved to DC from-Chicago. In New York City in January, I can expect to stand outside waiting for cabs, trains, and buses in weather that anywhere else would have you cowering in your car. Not usually an option in the City.

I remember my first winter in NYC, standing waiting for the crosstown bus back to the East Side from grad school; I found it so odd that the normally uber-stylish New York women around me were wearing these hideous coats that looked like sleeping bags. As the minutes ticked by and my legs got cold and colder, I asked the one closest to me where she had gotten hers. I went in search of a knock off the very next day. What had she told me? "It's called a boyfriend," she said, "because it's big and tall and keeps you warm at night."

So let's start there: a warm outer layer. I'm going to need one, and, in fact, I just replaced the jacket that got me through the cold of Chicago winters. It was worn out! I went a few places and then defaulted to my gold standard for jackets-Macy's. They have so many options and always a sale. The one I got is by Calvin Klein, it's down, it's tested to -10 degrees, and it's not hideous.

Next up? Layers. One of the particularly difficult things about a winter trip to NYC is that you will be extremely cold outside, then extremely hot in the subway, then potentially either one in whatever restaurant you end up in. If it's a popular spot, prepare to sweat. Get a table near a doorway? You may freeze every time someone blasts their way through the double set of winter doors. You need to be ready to strip layers off and add them back on.

Here's what I did: pull out every layer that I want closest to my body. This includes the softest, best undershirts by Cuddle Duds, and silk long underwear. Then, pants. I decided to stick with a couple pairs of black pants because I don't want to haul a lot of clothing with me. I might have worn fleece-lined tights and skirts if not. Then, SmartWool "lifestyle" (ie not the thick hiking boot style) socks. I'll wear warm winter boots and bring an optimistic pair of wedge boots if it's a cab it to a nicer place kind of night. If they're too heavy, I'll ditch that option.

Now my base layers are all set. I looked around, and my pants are black, and my shirts are gray and white. Time to add some more neutrals or some color. I added a gray scarf and gray wrap cardigan. Lots of neutrals...so I threw in a bold lipstain (Lively by Tarte). For the other options, I added an Aztec print sweater with neon colors on it, a deep red wool hat, and a reddish, long sweater with zippers on the shoulders, and a HUGE fleece, plaid scarf that I made.

I'm not going to any fancy events like shows or anything, otherwise I'd have added a dress and some warm Wolford tights.

That's it! Layers and layers, waterproof boots, and warm socks. I'll resist the temptation to compare myself with all of the gorgeous NY women around me and just know that I fit in more than I realize in my blacks and whites and grays. And guess what I will be? Warm.

How to Pack for Five Days in Mexico in a Carry On

How to Pack for Five Days in Mexico in a Carry On

I took very few pictures while we were in Mexico because I wanted to get away from my phone, I didn't bring our nice camera, and I wanted to just enjoy being there. But, I did snap a few mirror shots for you to give you a sense of what I wore, in case you were curious. And here's my original packing list, which I cut down by a lot.

I anticipated buying several things I had my eyes on that I did not end up finding there. To prepare for that, I brought a small rolling suitcase and made sure that everything I brought could fit in my carry on on the way home. Here's what I packed:

(1) wrap for the planes and to wear over dresses (brown and black) and (1) big scarf for the same reason and as a saraong (black and coral, could have done without)

(2) fancier dresses that were still cotton (black and white, orange. I only wore one, could have done without)

(2) maxi dresses (black)

(1) maxi skirt (black)

(3) tshirts (gray, white, black) 

(1) cardigan (black and white polka dots. Never wore it.) 

(2) bathing suit tops, (3) bathing suit bottoms (black bikini, black/white polka dot bikini bottom, black tankini top, white bikini bottom, all interchangeable)

(1) pair of leggings for the plane rides

Vitamins, toiletries, colorful jewelry, bright lipstick in two shades, sneakers (could have done without), sandals, and clogs (could have done without but was nice to wear on the plane for a little warmth).  

And the most important thing I wore the whole time? These soft babies. Hysterically, my husband and I realized we were wearing the ones intended for the other person only after he saw how big "mine" were on me!

That's it! I just looked at my favorite things I wanted to wear (cozy, soft, cotton), and worked them into the days we had, then cut it in half. I noticed I was choosing a lot of black and white and orange so I decided to make that my theme and brought orange and blue bright, beachy necklaces.

Do you have any great travel tips? My other one is to roll your clothes in your suitcase so they get less wrinkled and you can fit more.

How to Pack the Perfect Bag for Vacation: By Theme

How to Pack the Perfect Bag for Vacation: By Theme

Yesterday, we talked about one way to pack: by color. Today, I'm excited to share with you a second way to pack the best vacation bag of your life! This is an idea I put into practice this summer when we went to the Outer Banks, and it's packing by theme. In this case, think of things like boho chic, nautical, sporty, preppy, or edgy. I find that the theme can be dictated by the type of trip you're having. If you'll be rafting or biking, a sporty style is a natural fit. For many trips, a boho look helps you to feel relaxed and at ease. I chose this style for our trip because I didn't want to wear anything constricting or anything I'd normally wear to work.

You might look through your clothes if you're not sure what theme you'd like to pick. Get a sense of what types of clothing you have that you'd like to wear. Then, follow the same practice as yesterday. First, pull out everything that you own that's right for the season that fits your theme.  

Here, a nautical/preppy theme worked well for me because I have so many stripes! This would be a great bag to pack for a weekend trip to

How to Pack the Perfect Bag for Vacation: By Color

How to Pack the Perfect Bag for Vacation: By Color

My favorite way to pack for a trip, whether it's of a few days or a couple weeks, is by color. Bringing all one color grouping (think black&white, shades of orange, whites&brights, greens&blues, red, white, and blue, etc) means that everything is interchangeable. Your shoes will go with everything; your makeup will work no matter what you wear; and all accessories will work no matter which outfit feels right during the day or night. Not only is it a fun, creative way to pack, it results in a low stress way to dress during your vacation.

I know myself and know that I have a lot of black&white clothing. But, if you're not sure that you have enough clothing of one type, take a look through your drawers and closet and pull out everything that's the same color family. Then, organize it on your bed or floor by category (remember short sleeves, tank tops, a long sleeved top for nighttime, dresses, bottoms for summer).

Here, I went with black&white. I started to think about bright red or coral lipstick, about painting my toenails a color that would pop, and about the brightly colored sandals I could bring. This would be a fun trip to take pictures all in black&white, wouldn't it?

A few tips:

How to Pack the Perfect Bag for Vacation: the Basics

 How to Pack the Perfect Bag for Vacation: the Basics

Last week, a dear friend of mine asked me if I had any tips for her. She's heading to Hawaii in a couple weeks, and she knows that she wants to feel and look amazing without bringing every single piece of clothing that she owns.

For the next two days, I'm going to share my ideas about how you can pack for a trip in a way that will be fun while you're packing and result in stylish, stress-free dressing while you're on your trip.

The first thing I'd like to start with is the most important: what kind of traveler are you?

I know a few things about myself that help me to pack: I get cold easily if it's chilly inside a restaurant, boat, casino, airplane, whatever. If the sun goes down and it's chilly, I'm chilly. So I always pack something with long sleeves like a light sweater, a jean jacket, or even a fun blazer.

I like to wear dresses while I'm on vacation because they're so easy and they roll up so small in a suitcase. I tend to pack a variety of dresses so that I can choose to show off my legs-or not-depending on the mood.

If I'm going to the beach, I like to have t-shirts to wear when I feel like my shoulders have gotten too much sun so I pack those in addition to tank tops.

So first, I'd ask you to think about what your preferences are as far as dressing while you're away from home. What temperature do you like to be? How dressed up or relaxed do you want to feel? How many opportunities will you have to dress up or, on the opposite end of the spectrum, how many times will you need to get dirty?

Tomorrow and Tuesday I'll talk about how to pack the perfect bag by color group and then by theme. I can't wait! This can really simplify your traveling!

How I Pack for A Week at the Beach

How I Pack for A Week at the Beach

Via Free People

At the end of the week, my husband and I are going to the beach with a big group of friends. I cannot wait! I haven't taken so many days off in a row since our honeymoon in October 2011. Also, I would live and die at the beach as anyone who knows me will tell you!

So, of course, I started packing on Sunday. The way I pack is pretty specific, and I thought it might be useful to you. Here's what I do: Pick a Theme, Create Hypothetical Outfits, and Edit.