Vintage Burberry and J. Crew Furry Hooded Jacket!

Over break in Ohio, I had the best night with my high school bffs (and one of my college besties, Courtney, and her sweet husband, Mark, drove in from Pittsburgh!). We are now living all over the Midwest, but we have been friends for (literally) decades.   The girls and their significant others came over to my mom and step dad's house, and we chatted the night away. (We really missed Amanda and Darren, though!).  Before we knew it, it was 1:15 am! If you know me, you know I like to start reading in bed by 8 pm. I wish I was exaggerating! hahaha! My poor husband (in my defense, 5 am is an early wake up!!).


For the get together,  I threw on my go-to tartan dress (it's from Lands End's Canvas line-- seriously from 2011 or before! But it's PERFECT for Christmastime!).

Burberry scarf: here.

My multi-strand pearl necklace: here-- currently $26!

I am totally obsessed with this red J. Crew Factory coat. 

It is currently $107, which is a huge steal. I must warn you, though, it runs laughably large! I usually wear a 6 in J. Crew coats, and this is a 2. LOL. 

But, it is the WARMEST coat ever! 

^^ my fave part-- the fur hood! 

This pic makes me laugh: major RBF. haha

#IswearImnotmean

Then, my favorite attribute of the outfit: this vintage Burberry silk scarf.

This was given to my mom when my Aunt Marge passed away. It is purely gorgeous-- and so sentimental-- it means so much to carry on her fashion legacy. I was so excited to show our cousin Susie that I was wearing her mom's scarf with pride. Again, Burberry will never go out of style. It is timeless, classic, universal beauty! This one is from about 40 years ago, and it looks brand new! 

These Frye boots are my go-to brown boot. I bought them during the 2013 half yearly Nordies sale, and the condition still remains excellent! I highly recommend purchasing a pair of Frye boots, as they will last for years and years. 

God bless my hubs! He put on all the clothes I would take off for pics. He is a saint!

Kate Spade green bag-- 2013. 

Similar: here on sale! It's an extra 30% off with code: SPRINKLES

My main squeeeeeze!

He's the best :)

My high schools besties-- just missing Amanda!

Oh, and you're not seeing double-- those are my twinnies on the right! Lauren and Brittany!

We all love Court!!! 

Finn's first Christmas gift in Ohio! After traveling 6+ hours in the car from Chicago!

Uncertain... hahaha!

I love him sooooo much! 

More tartan dress options:

More fur-hooded coats:

Admittedly, a lot of what I posted above is pretty expensive, but-- hear me out! These are items that are high quality and will become heirlooms. :)
Do you have any fashion heirlooms?
And... Happy New Year! How are you celebrating?
xxoo
Mary

Loft Ruffle Tunic & 50% off!

To say my time in Ohio and Michigan was amazing would be an understatement! It was FANTASTIC!!!  I got to see my high school besties, one of my college besties (Court and Mark made the trip in from PA!), my Hancock family, my Fremeau family, my Sevenich fam and my Sobotka fam. I got to hang out with my nephews and nieces, which was the absolute high light of the days away! We are back in Illinois, and Mike is sadly back at work. I am getting organized for our move(!) and getting ready for NYE! More to come on both of those... ;-)  Looking forward to spending the next few days with my pals around Geneva! Excited to babysit Finn tomorrow, too! Overall, an outstanding week off so far. YAY.


I wore this extremely comfy, simple, and not-just-Christmas-y outfit on Christmas day. It is something I can wear to work with tights in the winter and sans tights come warmer weather. I love wearing the tunic (which is longer and flowier) with my skinny jeans or pants, too. FYI: it runs a little large. I bought the XS, and it is flowy and comfy.

More ruffly Loft tops, all 50% off with code TREATS:

Currently 50% off with code: TREATS  !! What a steal! $22 for a fab work top? Yes, please!

My skirt is on major repeat in my closet. I have written about it before in black, but I also have a coral, a plaid and this khaki sparkly one! This khaki one is a little shorter because it's a size 4. My other three are size 6. I love that they just slip on and look so cute with tucked in shirts! Also: POCKETS! 

These Toms Lunata booties are everything. I teach in them all day with no discomfort.

They're suede, but I've had them now 2 winters with no discoloration. Check out the leather pair, too! Just be sure you spray either pair with protectant once you get them :) Also loving the camel leather pair and this taupe suede. 

The ruffle detail is my favorite part!

I just got these Loft tights before our trip.  I really like the pattern to dress up a simple outfit like this!

I picked up this basic black pair and a pair of warmer ones, too. 

I wanted to steal Anna and Shawn's dog!!!! 

We are in the market for a pup like Cooper. Any suggestions on where to find him or her?! We have started researching! 

Me being a typical frosting monster. Stealing frosting off cake since approximately 1989. 

Celebrating our birthdays! Gary is Dec. 24, Ash is Dec. 27, and Rick and I share January 6!

Re-enactment of this 1989 photo of my 2nd birthday. HAHAHA! 

Oops. 

Sevenich/Sobotka fam on Christmas!

More ruffle henley tunics below. All 50% off at Loft with code TREATS! 

How was your Christmas? What was your favorite gift? Mine was... FINN!!!  I loved snuggling with him! He makes us so happy.
xxoo
Mary

Peplum Blazer

As it gets colder, I find myself struggling to find cute *super warm* clothes. I totally adore this peplum-front blazer from my cousin, Beth! She bought me this for my birthday last year, and it is ALL KINDS of perfect. Also, it is SHERPA-LINED! OMG! I wore this out to dinner last week at Riganato in Geneva (get the ricotta stuffed meatball when you go!!), and I stayed toasty warm, even in the single digits. 

Blazer (old Francesca's), similar here in light grey. 

Also, loving this color with the plaid. 

And how cute is this with the bling?

Obsessed with these faux-leather tuxedo striped leggings. They're fleece-lined, HELLO!!! 

These are $29! A perfect price-point for your first pair. 

My bar necklace is a Lat & Lo. coordinates necklace of the latitude and longitude of our apartment! It says "our first home" on the back!

Such a great gift for a friend, girlfriend, wife or mom. 

Bow shoes: old Nine West. Similar here with the bow in front! And they come in several colors and suede, too! 

Okay. So, Sarah Jessica Parker is my fashion idol. Long before she had her own shoe brand, I worshipped her on SATC! I even wore a dress just like her white one with the huge gold flower to senior formal at Saint Mary's. She has the most AMAZING glitter bow pumps I have ever seen. Prepare to swoon, guys and dolls!  

These pink bow-back sandals are on sale! #todiefor

SCALLOPS AND BOWS! Melt x2. 

Tassel earrings: old J. Crew Factory, similar here in a gorgeous blush color. 

LOVING this version by Lisi Lerch. 

My hair looked super red in these pics! So crazy. I haven't colored my hair since 2012! So, maybe it was just the light?! 

More adorable blazers: 

How do you stay warm but stay fashionable in the winter? It's so tough when it's LITERALLY -10 degrees!
xxoo
Mary

Getting a Second Wear out of a Bridesmaid Dress

I have been honored to be asked to be a bridesmaid 9 (!) times (twice a maid of honor!), so I have quite the collection of beautiful bridesmaids dresses that I want to be sure I can wear again.  Just this past month, I was trying to decide on what dress to rent for my friend Maria's wedding, when it hit me. I have 9 GORGEOUS dresses to choose from! Why not re-wear one of those?!?! DUH!  I chose to wear Caitlin's bridesmaids dress again; it was black lace and navy fit-and-flare, and it matched Mike's midnight blue tux :)  I threw on some black tights, and I was warm enough for a December wedding in IL! (Caitlin's wedding was May of 2013 in South Carolina!).  Pictured below are just SOME of the gorgeous dresses I've worn for my friends and family members wedding parties.  Don't let those bridesmaids dresses hang in your closet. Throw on some tights, and re-wear them for winter weddings! If it's been years, get them altered to fit! Wear the jewelry you wore the day of the wedding, or spruce up the dress with a new statement piece! You will save so much money, and you will relive the fond memories from your besties' weddings. 

My mom, my sis and me. I was Anna's MOH for her July 2013 wedding! 

I can't wait to wear this peplum dress again. The back is a low scoop back. Super flattering. 

One of my absolute favorite family pictures. We miss Aunt Sue every day.

How gorgeous is my sis? 

Maid of honor, bride, groom and best man! 

Shout out to Joanne for being an INCREDIBLE photographer!

Super excited to give the MOH speech! haha!

Dress: Alfred Sung

How awesome are these bow-back dresses? They remind me so much of my Kate Spade bow back dress that I wore for my cousin's wedding!

Angela and I loved the bow back pics! 

Besties at Fran's wedding! 

My forever wedding date! 

The stunning bride, Fran! 

Fran's dresses were Alfred Sung, too. 

The beauty of his dresses is that you can pick out different colors and styles to match your tastes! 

Megan was a MODEL-beautiful bride! 

The prettiest bff!! Besties since bowl cut age in 5th grade.

My dress here. 

Megan's bridesmaids dresses were so comfortable! The color was vibrant and AWESOME, too!

high school besties (above)! 

Caitlin's dress was probably the most incredible dress I've ever seen on a bride. It was her grandmother's! She was even featured in a wedding magazine for it, too!  I also modeled our wedding flowers after Caitlin and Tom's.

Epic entrance into the reception ^^^

SMC/ND besties!

The gorgeous bridesmaids dresses can be found here. 

Maria and Kevin's winter wonderland nuptials. 

Re-wearing the dress for Maria's beautiful wedding! Here with my sis.

May 2013/December 2016 

We tried to recreate the pic! Caitlin and Tom's wedding was the first one Mike and I ever went to together! 

Chicagoland besties/ SMC loves!!! How amazing does the bride look?

Moral of the story? Bust out those bridesmaids dresses! Do not forget about them. You can easily update them for the season :) 

xxoo

Mary