Outfits That Say, I'm Here to Celebrate

As we begin to ring in a new year (a new DECADE, actually!) nothing is more fun than planning what to wear for a New Year’s Eve night out. While we usually stay in and opt for a more casual celebration (and by celebration, I mean MAYBE making it until midnight), this year we have plans! We’ve got grandma and grandpa on babysitting duty, and I’ll admit…my closet isn’t full of ‘going out’ looks. So what does one wear when flashy isn’t your thing?

OPTION ONE - THE SLIP DRESS

The slip dress has been around for the last few years, and it’s not going anywhere anytime soon. I love this option because it’s a little sassy but also sweet. I love a midi dress and there’s so much you can do with it…belt it, throw a cardi over it, dress it up with boots or dress it down with sneakers. With a silk number like this, I’d pair with nude undies like these (especially if it’s a light dress) and a strapless bra (or my fave bralettes from Underbares!)

Wearing Cuyana dress, CHARLES & KEITH boots, bag and belt

OPTION 2 - FESTIVE BLOUSE

The blouse has made such a comeback this season. I love a fancy blouse paired with trousers (comment below if you have any recs because I have been ON THE HUNT for the perfect high-waisted, wide-leg pair!) but I’m also into dressing down a blouse with a great pair of jeans too. These skinny jeans from COS are actually on major sale (only $50) and have remained a favorite of mine over the years. The blouse below is from Realisation Par (snagged it on Poshmark and found it for you on The Real Real!)

Wearing COS jeans, Realisation Par top and HOBO bag

OPTION 3 - THE PUFF SLEEVE DRESS

Last but certainly not least is the puff-sleeve dress. Everyone’s favorite 80s trend has been sweeping my heart by storm and I. CAN’T. GET. ENOUGH. This beauty below is an item I spotted on my friend Sara then immediately ordered on my next Rent the Runway shipment. Pair it with a fun bag like this one from Susan Alexandra (another great Rent the Runway find!) and a scrunchie for a playful finish. You can still get half off your first month of Rent the Runway’s Unlimited program using code: JGARMAN50

Wearing Keepsake dress and Susan Alexandra bag via Rent the Runway, Maison Cleo scrunchie and Cuero + Mor shoes

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Pleated Party Skirts

I rented this teal Tibi pleated skirt on a whim with my Unlimited subscription, and it’s been one of my most worn rentals ever. It’s also been one of my most complimented items, which tells me people are very into pleated skirts right now. So I’ve rounded up a few cute skirts I thought you might love too.

Snapshots from NYC

I’ve been spending the last few days reflecting on last year and how I want things to change in the coming year. I’ll admit, I’m not sure what that’ll look like QUITE yet but I do know I want to continue bringing you high-quality posts that are useful and fun! And I also know I want to do a lot more with travel in 2017 so here are some snaps from last weekend’s trip to NYC and the places we visited!

Saturday
We arrived in NYC early Saturday morning and quickly rushed to Time Square to we could do the whole, been there, done that before the crowds got crazy. We saw the Christmas tree (so tall!!), visited the NBC studios, got royally lost multiple times within the building, and then immediately rushed OUT of that area to pick up our keys from our Airbnb rental in Chelsea.

When we arrived at our Airbnb, I was blown away It was on THE cutest street, super accessibly to Chelsea Market and right around the corner from the spot I'd booked for brunch. We figured we'd be hopping around the downtown area for drinks and such all evening, so it was central to everything we wanted. PLUS inside was so dreamy...high ceilings, brick walls, and two great sized rooms for our guests and us. If you ever go to NYC and want to stay in the Chelsea area, I'd highly recommend the place we stayed, which you can find here! 

Next we set off to Chelsea Market for some lunch. It was terribly crowded but the food was 1000% worth it. The hubby grabbed tacos from Bienvenidos, while I couldn't resist the ramen at Mok Bar. Then we got Halva treats from Seed + Mill afterwards which was SUCH a treat!

Next up was coffee - of course. Luckily, Blue Bottle was right across from Chelsea Market so we fueled up on caffeine before heading back to our Airbnb for a bit of R&R before dinner.

After resting for a bit, we got all gussied up for our night out. I wore this gorgeous Alexis jumpsuit with a Shinola cross body, bracelet and matching hoop earrings, all from Rent the Runway. 

Around happy hour, we set out for an the Italian dinner! It was nestled in East Village called Misirizzi! It's pretty new to the area and it's cozy, intimate setting was perfect. I had the Tris Di Canederli, which is apparently becoming QUITE THE THING in the food world. While it used to be a ‘poor man’s dish,’ today, chefs around the country are giving it a major makeover for the masses.

After dinner, we hit up The Standard for drinks right around the corner. The cocktails were great. The people watching was better.

We finished off the evening watching fireworks from the Brooklyn Bridge at midnight...although I'll admit - it was not the BEST spot. I definitely wish we had gone down to Battery Park instead. Although...you certainly can't beat this view.

Sunday
Even though we went to bed at an astonishing 1 AM (those who know me know I am NOT a night owl), I woke up bright and early to get ready for brunch...and to catch the morning light through out windows, of course. ;)

We arrived for brunch at Tipsy Parson (just a couple blocks from our Airbnb) around 10:30. It was relatively empty by then which had me a tad nervous, but within a half hour, the place was bustling! Everyone in our little group agreed that this was our FAVORITE part of the trip - the food was THAT good. I took some fancy photos with my actual camera because the space was SO CUTE - and I'll be sharing those later! But in the meantime... 

After brunch, we waddled back to our Airbnb, packed up and went down to the 9/11 Memorial to do a little reflecting...It was quite humbling to be at Ground Zero. I spotted a rose on one of the names, indicating that today would have been their birthday, and said a prayer for his family. I honestly can't imagine.

Before heading out of town, we stopped for one last coffee at Cafe Grumpy (which I kept accidentally calling Grumpy Cat Cafe much to the chagrin of my coffee-snob hubby.

SO there you have it! What did you do for New Year's? Also let me know if you like posts like this and I'll work on getting some more destinations on the travel calendar! (Any excuse to travel is good enough for me!) Xx!

Festive Culottes

You may be surprised to learn that I don’t go out all that often…over the years, I’ve become quite the homebody. And when your home is way out in Western Loudoun, well, you go out even less.

That’s why I LOVE this time of year - there’s always an excuse to dress up! Holiday parties, work happy hours, Christmas dinner, family gatherings…I’ll use any event as a reason to dress up these days!

As you know - Rent the Runway is often my go-to for finding the prettiest festive pieces without clogging my closet. When I spotted these red culottes from minimalist brand, Tibi, I couldn’t wait for them to arrive! Of course, I loved them even more than I thought. They're so flattering. 

I knew I wanted to get AS MUCH wear as I could out of these bad boys before I had to return them. So I wore them to work Friday. Then to church on Saturday. Then out to brunch on Sunday. Then out for a coffee date Monday before mailing them out that evening. No shame in the game.

Paired with this dreamy top by Erin Fetherston (who I fell madly in love with after seeing her show at NYFW and meeting her in person at an event), it's a festive way to dress for the holidays without being predictable (ahem, ugly Christmas sweater, I'm looking at you!) 

 Wearing Tibi culottes, Erin Fetherston blouse, Opening Ceremony bag via Rent the Runway, Kapten & Son watch c/o and Banana Republic suede heels c/o.