Hello and welcome to the first blogpost of 2018! It does feel a little sad to be back to reality after all the holiday indulgence, but hey, life has to go on right! Oh and on the same note, I hope all the New Year resolutions are coming along well 😉 I’m not a new-year-new-me kind of a person, but I do have a list of things (a rather long list) that I want to try/learn/visit(obviously) this year! Well we all have 358 days ahead of us, let’s get the best out of it 🙂
This holiday season, I went on a road trip as I wanted to end the year close to nature! Where can you see beaches, waterfalls, mountains, valleys, gorgeous rivers and snow all in about 3 hour drive from each other? *Sings “Welcome to the hotel state of California” in the Eagles tune* I will save my rant about how absolutely amazing California is for my travel post, but seriously, I’m so so lucky and grateful to call this place home and I’m 190238% positive that no other place is so accessible and yet so beautiful as the golden state ❤
Since Winter is officially upon us, I packed a lot of (really) warm layers for my trip and I was really happy with the outcome. Since it was a road trip, I went all in and packed two big suitcases of clothes and shoes coz hey NO BAGGAGE LIMIT in my car! 😀 Most of the pieces are more than a year or two old and I had so much fun putting together different textures and prints.
My advice – grab a thin but warm pair of thermals that work for you and wear them as a base layer. This will keep you warm as well as give you the option of wearing your favorite sweater/skirt even during winters so that you don’t have to wear the same boring coat/jacket everyday! I picked my thermals from Uniqlo from their extra warm collection and I love it! That’s what I wear almost everyday and they do last a good amount of time. Now onto the outfits –
Day 1 – Mendocino Beach
I wore this cream sweater and paired it with a fleece lined leggings (another good option for the cold) to the beach. I paired them with Burgundy accessories – this baker boy hat and booties. I didn’t wear this sweater for the longest time because it had stretched after just one wash ( It’s from F21. Poor quality. Bad decisions) but I decided I could wear it with leggings and make it work as a off-shoulder sweater! Now you know what to do with all your ill-fitting sweaters in your wardrobe 😉
Day 2 – Eureka
For the second day, I went monochrome in Green! A Faux leather skirt is such a versatile piece that everyone can pull off and I think it instantly elevates your look without much effort. Winter also means experimenting different looks with your scarves! I decided to wear all black accessories and wore this black velvet beret and my fav velvet printed booties. There goes my “Parisian chic for a day” outfit 😉
P.S How cute is the graffiti on the walls? More pictures of these coming soon in a travel post ❤
Day 3 – Burney
On the third day, I wore this mock neck top with a layer of full hand thermals and added another layer of this grey cardigan to keep me extra warm near the misty waterfall. I also wore this pretty black textured skirt that was a wardrobe staple during fall with a layer of thermals tights. The result – a warm, cozy yet fashionable day by the falls.
P.S Extra points for those who can spot the Winter Rash on my cheek coz that was the only part out in the cold 😐
Day 4 – Lassen National forest
This is probably my second favorite outfit of the lot because of how versatile and comfortable each of the pieces are – my faux leather jean which I have already styled multiple ways in this and this blogpost. They are more than a year old but still in perfect condition even after all the abuse that I put it through 😀 I picked this sweater recently from LOFT owing to the non-existence of warm clothes in my wardrobe and I love how comfortable it is! Oh and leather boots with the faux leather pants combo comes in handy if you decide to pose on a frozen lake and may or may not skid and fall on the ice while you are jumping in excitement 😉
Day 5 – Lake Tahoe
And I saved the best for the last you guys! Sporting my fav fav sequin skirt while I’m on top of the world (kind of :P) at Lake Tahoe! I chose a think chunky scarf because 1) to keep me warm 2) to take the attention away from the fact that I’m just wearing a layer of thermal shirt underneath, and it served its purpose pretty well 😀 It was new years day and I was literally SPARKLING and oh that felt so good and liberating! 😀
If you have reached here, congrats and thank you for reading my longest fashion post (yet)! 🙂 I hope this post inspired you to pick up that summer skirt/party top lying in a corner and style it and rock it during this gloomy winter season!
Here are some links to my favorite winter basics from some ethical and sustainable brands –
Sweaters and layers – Fair Indigo
Skirts – ASOS Eco Edit
Until next time,
Mal
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