in which i commence coat week (and outfits of 2013)

I'm back!  First outfit post of the new year, woo-hoo!

(coat: nordstrom; ear muffs: urban outfitters; dress: modcloth; skirt/scarf: thrifted; shoes: seychelles)

 My plan this week is create outfits around my various winter coats.  As the snow starts to fall and temperatures begin to drop, I inevitably scour the rails of women's coats at department stores across town, looking for new outerwear.  Winter in Vermont is not pretty (well, it is literally pretty, but not in any other way), and pretty much any outfit is guaranteed to be covered up with a coat for the duration of any outing.  Which means that I need to have enough coats to keep outfits interesting.  This year I really wanted to buy a camel-colored toggle coat with a fur-lined hood, but luckily for me the store didn't have my exact size and in the end it was a pass (I'm trying to save money!!).  This yellow coat, on the other hand, was purchased back when I was living in Oregon (in 2007).  I rarely wear it because it's so bright.

Lately I've been having a bit of a sartorial crisis when it comes to colors.  I have a lot of bright clothes, but I'm currently drawn to more muted tones--navys, blacks, tans, browns--with a swoosh of red lipstick.  I'm not sure how to reconcile my current tastes with my closet, and so I end up rewearing old favorites again and again. Something about this outfit, however, feels just right.  It's sort of a winter-ized version of this rainy-day getup, which was one of my favorite outfits from the past year.  I guess part of my struggle with color is that it can feel a bit too youthful and saccharine (or even circus-y) if it is overdone.  And I'm trying to be a grown-up now. (Hence, the ear-muffs.  Ha!  Just kidding.  But I love them.)

I had a great weekend, spent mostly just reconnecting with K and running around town a bit.  He took the GRE on Friday so we celebrated that night with nachos and cocktails.  The next morning we ran some errands, stopped at the Montpelier library book sale, saw Hyde Park on Hudson at the Savoy, had coffee and did a crossword at Capitol Grounds, and met up with friends at Julio's (and later the Three Penny Tap) that night for drinks and goodbyes (to my friend Sarah, who just flew back to Portland).  It was a full (but fun!) day.  Yesterday I read for most of the day and then we stopped at Costco and spent the evening watching Weeds.  I always like having Sundays to just relax and unwind before another work week slaps me hard in the face on Monday morning.  Tonight I'm planning to hit the grocery store and the gym and make chili before the premiere of the Bachelor tonight!  Yay!