What I Wore | The Sound of Music

         

WhatIWore: We did something so great this weekend - we went to a sing-a-long viewing of The Sound of Music. I remember  watching it on tv around Christmas time when I was a little girl and it’s one of those movies I’ve pretty much memorized word for word. Saturday was my first time seeing it on the big screen and what a difference! I had chills and teared up so many times! It was also Felix’s first time in a movie theatre and he did great, but we only stayed for the first hour and a half.

I wanted to look Christmasy but it was nearly 70s degrees out! I opted for something that slightly references a 1950s winter look - the small fair isle sweater, full skirt and booties. I think it’s because of all of the old school holiday movies, but I always want to dress in vintage or retro styles during this time of year.

When: December 12, 2015

What:
Shades: Karen Walker ‘Northern Lights’
Sweater: J.Crew Factory
Purse: kate spade new york, gift
Skirt: ModCloth
Booties: Rockport, gift (and 20% for WIW readers!)

Where: Seeing the Sound of Music at the IU Cinema

Gift Guide | From the Husband

Today… a special gift guide (guarantee you haven’t seen this on any other fashion blogs!) from my main man Adam, otherwise known as the hardest person to buy gifts for ever! 

In his words: Here are some things I would like, if I was your man (but I’m not, so I can’t, then I won’t, but if I was your girl…(music emoji))

Sunglasses I lose or break sunglasses, a lot. I’ve come to accept this, and instead of shelling out $30 - $50 at a store for some made-in-China sunglasses, I go to the source. Almost all of these are $10 or less. About once a year I buy 3 or 4 pairs.

Door Lock Guys like installing things. Guys like their houses to be safe. These items combine those two desires perfectly. (another option here)

The Perfect Whiskey Glass - What can I say about this glass that I didn’t say last year. It’s the perfect whiskey glass, it’s reasonably priced, and it’s beautiful.

Laptop Cabinet - Mountthis in your home office and feel like you’re in a bunker in LOST. 

A Good Stool - I would suggest making a stool from scratch out of a single piece of wood, but if that is out of the question, get something sensible:

Forklift - Most guys secretly want one of these. They’re expensive, take up a lot of space, and you only need it once every two or three years at most. If you buy one of these, please let me know. It will make me happy. 

Cork tiles for office - This is better than paint for finishing office walls:

Klein Tools Retractable Folding Utility Knife - No house should be without a utility knife, and this one is the best.

Magnets - Beautiful and strange, magical magnets. How do they work? Nobody knows (especially Juggalos), but they make a great stocking stuffer.

Cologne Samples - I read something this year about how we pay so little attention to smell, but how important it is to us. Scent is directly connected to the memory center of your brain. I bought ten of these sample-sized scents earlier this year, and wore a different scent every few days for several weeks. I ended up really loving two of them, and bought slightly larger versions of them (Hemingway 1899 and Juniper Sling). Fun gift. (Jessica’s Note: Adam smells amazing)

Lodge Cast Iron Cookwear - Last year I recommended a teflon coated omelette pan. I read a few things this year that scared me about Teflon, and after some consideration I changed out all our pans for either stainless steel or cast iron. Lodge is made in the US and pretty much the best, most affordable cook wear you can buy if you’re looking for cast iron. 

Socks - Merino wool socks, made in the US 

Thanks Adam. You’re weird and wonderful. 

In Pursuit of the Perfect Hair Day

Not too long ago, I wrote how I was having some seasonal blues and just not feeling myself. I usually find that switching things up - like with my hair - can be part of a jump start to feeling better about myself, which can domino into my day to day being better too! 

The winter does weird things to my hair. It’s baby fine and has the ability to feel dry and greasy at the same time. Limp and unable to hold a style. Just yuck. Not too long ago I had the brilliant idea of cleaning out my stash of random shampoos and using them all up. Spoiler Alert: It was a bad idea. I found myself having day after day of gross hair days (and a lot of hat head because when in doubt, just cover it up). With a hair appointment on the calendar weeks way, I decided to start the change at home. Luckily, the fine folks at Living Proof asked if I wanted to sample their line and because it’s fancy fancy (and grounded in science), I thought to myself Hell. Yes. 

First I needed to pick out what I thought would fix this rats’ nest best. I used their ‘Your Best Hair’ product selector tool to select the right products. Gimme soft volume! Help extend my style longer than a day! 

A few days later, my little box of goodies, courtesy of Living Proof, arrived at my doorstep. Luckily my in laws had just rolled into town to watch Felix so what did I do? Run errands? Go on a date? No! I wanted to wash my hair! I used the Full Shampoo and Conditioner and once it was towel dried off, the prime style extender spray. I took my time blow drying and gave the final ‘do a light spritz of the flex shaping hairspray. All night I couldn’t stop touching my hair. It felt thicker, but still silky (but not slinky if that makes any sense?)

That night I found myself talking about… hair textures (because, what else do you talk about at Holiday parties?!?) and this gal said to me something along the lines of “well you have thick hair!” to which I replied “no! I just have new shampoo!!”

Then a couple of days later, my butcher of all people complimented me. “Did you do something new with your hair? It looks really good!” And that was on my second day after a wash too (yay dry shampoo!)

So last Friday, I took my healthy head of hair down to my stylist and this is the result! I love the balyage highlights and the shorter length. I think it’ll look really cute peeping out of winter knit hats and work both straight and with more texture. 

I’ve read the rave reviews of Living Proof online I’m eager to add my full experience once I’ve given everything a longer test run. They’re definitely an investment, but that reminds me of something my mom taught me as a teenager - it’s better to put time and effort into your hair and makeup with a plain tee shirt and a pair of jeans than to wear a ball gown and not try at all. See also: You’re never fully dressed without a smile!  

As with any new cut, I’m still practicing with the style, but I really like the way it actually feels - like I was born with a head of thick, full hair! 

Heads up! This post has been a collaboration with Living Proof. Thanks for supporting the brands that make What I Wore possible!

What I Wore | Winter’s Blush

         

WhatIWore: I love having something in my closet that inspires an outfit. Today’s look is based off my recently finished fair isle knit hat! Recent as in twenty minutes before we took these photos!! Normally we do our shoots in the morning as we head off to work, but this afternoon Adam is having some quality daddy-son time so I’m able to grab a couple hours of writing and editing photos.

But can we talk about the hat for a sec? It’s actually all scraps or small skeins I had hanging out in my stash! It came together pretty quickly too! The top is a very pale pink used for my first fair isle sweater (seen here) and the blue and black are cashmere (so soft! so lux!) that I bought a couple of years ago right before I totally burnt out on knitting for the season. I used a sweater I saw in the J.Crew catalog as inspiration for the pattern and just sort of made things up as I went!

When: December 9, 2015

What:
Hat: Self Made
Shades: Karen Walker ‘Northern Lights’
Sweater: Target (old)
Jacket: Banana Republic (still available in black)
Jeans: J.Crew
Motocycle boots: Rockport, gift (on sale!)

Where: Working at my favorite coffee shop

See Also: Wear and Repeat! Here are a few ways I’ve styled this pink jacket! One, Two, Three, Four,