what would krissie wear

Vino y Chocolate: a fundraiser for BECA

Join me this Friday, April 1 at at Trinity Wall Street Parish Hall (74 Trinity Place)to support BECA–an amazing organization that  recruits, trains, and supports native English-speaking volunteer teachers to staff a network of community-run bilingual schools in Honduras that serve low-income communities. 
This event is targeted towards New York professionals who have both philanthropic inclinations and a weakness for fantastic chocolate and fine wine.

For the third year in a row, our wine and chocolate guided pairing is being generously sponsored by MarieBelle New York and Wine & Spirits Magazine. Additionally, we will be offering silent auction items and live music while you have the opportunity to “come meet your class” through interactive photo and video!

 Click on the link to purchase tickets: http://www.becaschools.org/chocolate 

4pm

teal-ometric!

This black and white jacket is so fabulous because I can wear it in winter or in summer with white pants or a white skirt, with capris and heels as a more serious suit with black pants… and it was only $80… WITH PANTS!

I like this outfit because it’s pieced together from so many different purchases and styles of clothing I’ve gone through.  The top is from Old Navy - this season (hello $20!!!).  Skirt J. Crew last season.  Jacket Nine West from Macy’s 3 years ago.  The boots from Nine West 2 years ago (of course end of season sale) and the belt I took from my boyfriend’s mom when she was cleaning out her closet 5 years ago!  So yes, quite the mashup.

Are you having fun with your wardrobe?

11pm

twinsies, sorta

I mentioned several months ago that I was looking for a new suit and that I was willing to pay so that it fit well and was extremely versatile in its uses.  I got that suit and it was Theory.  In fact, I got three pieces: a blazer and two different styles of pants, and I wear all the pieces all the time. 

The great thing about Theory suits is that even though they’re relatively expensive, you can mix and match all of the other elements they sell: skirts, dresses, more pants, more skirts to create a complete work wardrobe.  And with a little splash of color here and there, you can come to work wearing pretty much the same suit as your colleague and not even notice until the end of the day.

Case in point, my colleague Becky and I a few days ago:

Ok so we’re wearing different styles of Theory pants, but you get the idea.  A bright scarf or a statement necklace is all you need to make this suit pop.  Roll the sleeves up to go a bit more caz or keep them down and business, it’s all about the versatility!

Thanks for posing with me, Becky!

10am

tip of the week: dig through old stuff

If your mom or aunt or neighbor has been working in corporate America, chances are she probably has some pretty sweet pieces that a) no longer fit or b) she can no longer pull off.  Go raid her closet!  If you have none of these ladies in your life, visit Housing Works for a great array of well-priced, used, high-end clothes!

My mom had to convince me to take a look at her old(er) suits and blazers and other work attire when I was home over the holidays.  And boy am I glad I did.  This gold-trimmed velvet jacket is just one of the treasures I uncovered and am now proudly wearing to the office. 

velvet jacket - Mom’s!
orange silk blouse - J. Crew, on sale - $45
pants - Theory, with 20% off coupon from Saks - around $200 (I have a whole suit set!)
pumps - Tahari from Loehman’s - $65

7pm

S.O.S!

S.O.S - Send One Suit
Mark your calendars! February 24th – 27th is S.O.S. – Send One Suit – Weekend®.
Every year, Dress for Success issues an SOS to women across the country to donate your nearly-new suits to help a deserving woman on her journey to self-sufficiency.
dressbarn will continue its support of the campaign by serving as national title sponsor and drop-off site for the ninth straight year.  Drop off your donation at any of the more than 835 dressbarn stores nationwide.  To find a store near you, visit http://www.dressbarn.com/.

I think I have a suit or two that just doesn’t fit right and that’s pretty darn new that might fall into this category.  Start digging through your closets, ladies!

8pm

This is kinda cool... the AMEX Skybox Report

6pm

winter wonderland of fabrics

One of the things I love most about winter is the array of fabrics available for wear.  They’re thick, sturdy, soft, envelopping.  And the colors are rich and warm. I bought this teal skirt (originally I thought it would be navy) from J. Crew with a coupon and since it arrived in the mail a few months ago, it’s been high on my wear-list each week.  I paired it with the soft draped neckline sweater and then with a studded belt and black heels, which I thought gave the whole look a bit of an edge.

Pencil skirts are so versatile because you can pair them with jackets, sweaters, long or short blazers, belts, you name it. 

teal wool skirt - J. Crew - with coupon - $95
cream wool sweater - Ann Taylor - $85
tights - Daffyy’s - $8
belt - HousingWorks - $2
black pumps - Tahari from Loehmann’s - $60

10am

taking the hint

So I blogged several times last year about all the one-piece ski suits making their way around Stratton, Vail, Breckenridge… pretty much every place I skied, there they were in their neon fabulousness.  Well, I must have talked about those ski suits a lot because at the start of ski season, my boyfriend Jay tells me he has an EBay surprise for me.  Can you guess what that $15 EBay surprise was?  I’ll show you:

Straight from 1986, this thing was warmer than I thought it would be but by no means had the water repellent qualities of today’s ski gear.  But let’s be honest, how awesome do I look in this electric blue wonder?  Let’s just say our group of 11 never separated on the slopes because they were always able to spot me in the crowd.  Is there anything you’ve been secretly coveting?

10pm

snow, how I love you so

I mean, look at how excited I am in th is photo? Jenny, my cousin visiting from Finland for the week, is more like “why did I travel all this way to feel just like I’m back in Finland???”

6pm

that same d%&n sweater

Yup, it’s that same one that I bought just before Christmas from J. Crew again.  But it’s so useful and so versatile and so soft!  I’m tempted to wear it every day, but that would get boring. 

A few tips for cashmere:

• Wear a camisole or even better a tee underneath so that there’s less skin-to-cashmere contact.  This way, you’ll get more wears before washing and prolong the life of that sweater.
• Alternate between dry cleaning, handwashing or machine washing on delicate. I’m not going to tell you to only handwash, because let’s be honest you’re busy, I’m busy and for busy people like us, that’s a lot of time to be standing over a sink.  But, if you dry clean sometimes (too much = too many chemicals for fine materials like cashmere), hand wash sometimes and machine wash sometimes (DO NOT PUT IN DRYER–lay flat), then your garment will last a pretty long time.
• Apparently some cashmeres are dry clean only… you should probably do what the label says.  See bullet one for increased wearability before dry cleaning.

black cashmere sweater - J. Crew, with coupon
tie skirt - HousingWorks
belt - HousingWorks
pumps - new from Loehmann’s - Tahari - finally replacing my old ones which were in baaaaad shape

6pm

tip of the week: weave a ribbon through a bracelet to fab it up

Inspired by my co-worker and fellow blogger, Adriane, of The Kissters.

We all like looking fabulous and not spending a lot of money to do so.  But how to do that?  I’m constantly inspired by other fasion bloggers, co-workers, friends and the ways they’re making the biggest bang from their bucks and looking amazing doing it. 

Check out what Adriane’s done with this gold bracelet.  Purchased from Forever 21 or a similar store for a few dollars, she has J. Crewed it up by weaving through the richly colored green ribbon.  An expensive look for little money.

And a total statement piece:

How are you making the most out of your wardrobe?

10am

Sgt. Pepper & Madame Salt

New Year’s Eve is the best time to dress up, dress festively and dress just a tad funky.  Which is just what my lovely friend Michelle did with her awesome layered look.  Sparkly skirt (pretty much a NYE necessity) with a flowy top and vest paired with dark tights and booties: she looked fantastic (as usual).

And then there was me in my Sgt. Pepper ensemble, which I grabbed from my mom’s Christmas’ giveaway pile. How fun is this black velvet with gold trimmed blazer? (Note to self: never wait until late New Year’s Eve to ask someone to take a photo of your outfit… they don’t turn out so well!)

P.S. I finally got new black patent leather pumps to replace my old ones that are slowly falling to bits.  Tahari from Loehman’s for $65! And they’re comfy.

10am

princess at Christmas

My family tradition is to dress up at Christmas.  This year, I took it to the next level (and shopped in my mom’s fabulous closet to do so). Best part? She let me keep the skirt!

This sweater is a new purchase from J. Crew.  100% cashmere, it is soft, elegant and can be worn with just about anthing, from a ballgown skirt to jeans and boots.  The cowl neck really makes it! Although I did wait until I got a coupon to buy the sweater, it was still on the pricier end, $120 or so, but well worth it for me considering the use I’ll get of out it!

How did you spend Christmas?

6pm

Also read the WSJ article on UBS’ Swiss dress code… which not only tells employees how to dress, but also “provides detailed tips on hygiene and personal grooming, ranging from appropriate hair dyes and accessories to underwear and socks."  Maybe you shouldn’t be working at UBS if someone needs to talk to you about your underwear?  Just a thought…  Read the article here.

4pm