When the clouds are closing in, the temperatures are plummeting & your mood starts to go south with it, the very best thing you can do is pile on your most garish, gleaming, glowing garb!

While a cursory glance out the window might have you inclined to dress down in black & skulk around, you would be amazed at how much better you feel with some colour around your face!

Also… on your feet!

The hue of these shoes could take your eye out, for sure!

I’m wearing…

Chocolate brown faux fur coat, vintage
Forever 21 beaded belt
Raspberry scoopback jersey dress
Two-tone pink silk oversized dress, vintage
Black leather leggings from Ted Baker (I did tell you I was wearing them 24/7!)
Senso Wilma leopard-print booties
Mini Morning After Bag by Rebecca Minkoff (gifted)
Pink star earrings from Girlprops.com
Tarina Tarantino rings

Yes. In case you couldn’t tell… I am a leopard-print fiend. Funny how your opinions change; I remember a couple of years ago talking with Jess about how loathsome we found every conceivable kind of animal-print. Now I can’t get enough of it!

These booties are ponyhair, just like the BIRTHDAY GIRL shoes I designed! In case you were wondering, ponyhair is not actually made from ponies! It comes from cows, it’s just the other side of the leather. One side is smooth (which is usually used for shoes, belts, bags, etc.), & the other is hairy. So now you know!

I was a little unsure about buying a brown (!!!) coat, since I never wear brown & didn’t want to create a wardrobe conundrum. But I thought this one would work out okay, since it’s such a dark brown. I really love wearing this coat with black, I think it creates some nice dimension & contrast. Plus, matching everything gets boring!

I’ve been belting the coat with a stretchy number from Forever 21, which gives it some much-needed shape. LOVE!

If you couldn’t tell from looking at it, this coat is super-warm. I wasn’t cold at all taking these photos… except for the fact that when I got back to the apartment, my hands had gone numb. Uh-oh! I think I’m going to need some actual gloves. Fingerless gloves aren’t going to cut it any more!

I took my extensions out a little while ago, to give my hair a break & to give it an opportunity to grow & get stronger. I’ve been using L’Oreal Absolut Repair shampoo & conditioner, which is having a TRANSFORMATIVE effect on the loveliness of my locks. I also feel like my hair is growing like mad! No complaints here!

As this guy walked past my camera, he made a face, & said, “BOO!”

“Hey!”, I said. “Come back! Take a picture!”

Unfortunately, he wouldn’t make the face again… But isn’t his ensemble dashing?

Rebecca Minkoff were kind enough to gift me this handbag a couple of weeks ago, & I absolutely adore the colour! It’s ENORMOUS inside, too, which is a must for those of us with maximalist tendencies. I love the perforated leather, too, I think it’s so cute.

Bag close-up: A Barbie pin (I bought it from a party supply store!) & some Tarina Tarantino bag candy.

Inside: Forever 21 silver glitter oxfords (for walking around & finding somewhere to shoot this–these booties are sexy but totally impractical!), my other lens, phone, lip gloss, Tic-Tacs, house keys.

There is something I love about oversized faux fur coats. Did anyone ever read Flossie Teacake’s Fur Coat as a child? It’s the story of a little girl who finds a magical fur coat in her older sister’s closet. She puts it on, & all of a sudden she is grown up, cool & stylish. I think that story made a permanent imprint on my subconscious!

Here’s to a fantastic week!