The Lucky Ones

Photography by Albert Park

I find myself lucky to be in a city full celebrations this week. Seattle brings in the Lunar New Year with a bang and I bring it in with bright red (for a little luck). Not only are there fireworks for the year of the horse but there are fireworks to celebrate our first Super Bowl victory ever. I'm not a huge football fan (or even a small one) but I know now what it feels like to see a city overcome with excitement and joy with victory in their hearts... and it feels amazing. A lot of people might not understand what it's truly like to be a Seattleite at the moment but just know that we finally have something to cheer for. And these small victories have earned a whole city's worth of celebrations.

Coat: H&M (similar)
Top: UO (similar)
Skirt: H&M 
Earrings: H&M (seen here)
Shoes: Jeffrey Campbell

Rock the Coats: Our Favorite Outerwear this Season!

J.Crew 2012 Winter Coats

The colorful pastels and neons of summer seem to have found a home in this year's winter coats! We couldn't resist the temptation of taking advantage of the opportunity to find a coat that pops amongst the crowd and wanted to share some of our favorites with you. Here you'll find a coat for every occasion and more! Hopefully we've covered all the bases to make this winter as warm and cozy as it should be. Let us know how you like our picks!

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Xiang

"Chicago may be the windy city but San Francisco comes in a close second. Since it's windy almost all year long in SF, my favorite coats tend to be leather to block out the wind. Leather jackets can easily accompany casual looks as well as add a bit of edge to a dressy outfit. I also love long coats to keep me warm from head to toe. There's nothing like a long coat to accompany a dress and leggings to a formal occasion but they can also be worn everyday as well. I actually had a chance to try on the short Coach jacket recently and loved it! It matches perfectly with my new Coach purse even if I do prefer a longer jacket. Lastly, since I've lived in Seattle for a bit, I know to always be prepared for rain. Raincoats tend to be synonymous with trenchcoat but I tried to pick a couple others choices to accommodate the classic trench."

Long

 left to right: Madewell, miu miu, Maxmara Studio

Short
left to right: Coach, Ted Baker, Marc by Marc Jacobs

Leather

left to right: Free People, River Island, DVF

Rain

left to right: American Apparel, Jones New York, Free People

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Jen

"Xiang did a great job covering leather coats so I skipped that category all together and instead, I subconsciously included a coat with leather detailing in almost all of my categories. I mentioned in one of my last posts that leather panels were one of my favorite trends this year and, as you can tell, I really meant it. Every year I never miss an opportunity to hit the slopes so I included some snow jackets that I've been eyeing lately. I don't think I've ever worn a cape but I do think they are incredibly versatile and can look amazing no matter how dressy or casual the outfit. Even though Burberry makes the most perfectly cut jackets, I think my favorite is the long jacket by Club Monaco. For a quarter of the price of a Burberry coat, you get a coat that looks lux with any outfit. "

Long

left to right: Club Monaco, Moschino, Mackage

Short

left to right: J. Crew, Burberry, Rick Owens

Rain

left to right: Valentino, Victoria's Secret, Steve Madden

Snow

left to right: Mackage, The North Face, Moncler

Cape

left to right: Alexander McQueen, SheInside, Burberry

In the Mood for Leather Panels

Photography by Superhero Michael Shriver and his sidekick Jinna Hagerty

My new obsession this season is anything with leather panels. Designers have really gotten creative with the trend lately of experimenting with geometrical leather panels rather than using a print. It's nice to see a dress with a good variety of texture while still looking elegant. Granted the leather on this dress isn't remotely real, I still love calling it "vegan leather."

What I'm Wearing

Jacket: H&M
Dress: H&M (similar)
Scarf: American Apparel
Necklace: Wearable Artworks by Peggy Hunt
Tights: Express
Shoes: Jeffrey Campbell Vargas (seen here)

In the Mood for Trading Skylines

Photography by the Fiery Zooey Ingles

It's hard to get over how incredibly easy and comfortable this skirt is. Not only that but it gives me at least the illusion of height. Leave it to a thigh high slit to make your legs look longer than they actually are! However, my favorite thing about this piece is that it's simple enough for you to dress it up or down or even sweet or tough. Paired with a leather jacket, I could probably join a bicycle gang but paired with a formal top, I could fit right in at the opera in this skirt.

What I'm Wearing

Jacket: H&M
Shirt: H&M (similar)
Skirt: ASOS (petite version)
Earrings: UO (similar)
Shoes: J.W. Anderson Aldo Rise (seen here)

In the Mood for the Highs and Lows

Photography by Rishi Sanyal

Only in Seattle can you find yourself amidst perfectly beautiful weather one day and using every speed your windshield wipers have to offer the next. The surprise bursts of sun always make me excited for the coming spring and summer and I've been looking for the perfect high low skirt to flaunt for quite a while now. The one that Forever 21 has to offer is light enough to trail behind you, bright enough to turn heads, and honestly it's something anyone can afford which is probably why it's sold out. Fortunately the high low trend has gotten big enough to find this skirt in any style and any color. I'm not a big fan of animal print but these snake skin wedges go with everything and I love how the print contrasts with the leather.

What I'm Wearing

Jacket: Sparkle & Fade Leather and Wool Mix Jacket (similar)
Blouse: H&M Button-up Blouse (similar) (similar from H&M)
Skirt: Forever 21 High Low Chiffon Skirt (similar)
Tights: UO Cross Tights (similar from ASOS)
Shoes: Jeffrey Campbell Vargas Wedge

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In the Mood for a Fancy Night Out

Valentine's day or not, spread your love! Hope all of you guys had a good time. I certainly did :)
My date and I dolled up and went to a nice dinner at Gary Danko. It was my first time there and the food was delicious.

My outfit falls into the "fancy dinner" category from our previous post. I picked my rarely-worn one shoulder ruffle dress (not too many occasions require me to dress up :p).

I love how I can tie a big bow on my shoulder and the ruffles just add cuteness! 

I definitely need my dear leather jacket to keep me warm in the cold SF weather.

Lastly, the subtlety of the lace on my shoes and leggings adds a bit of texture and pattern, but not complexity from the overall dark colors. The bright colors come from the accessories and make up: red heart necklace, red lips and red nails :) 

What I'm Wearing

Dress: French Connection One Shoulder Dress (similar in blue from TIBI)
Jacket: Leather Jacket with detachable Fur from mom (similar from FreePeople)
Heels: Nine West (similar from Dolce&Gabbana)
Leggings: Banana Republic (similar from Patrizia Pepe)
Earrings: Swarovski (similar)
Necklace: from mom (similar)
Ring: Tous
Clutch: BCBG (similar from BCBG)


Note: this post's background credit to KateSpade