Seeing as I’m about to head back to school, I’ve been running a lot of last-minute errands. That includes trips to Target (one of my favorites), which is where I spotted these beauties yesterday. Seriously, how adorable are these pleated, belted skirts? The black one would make a great wardrobe staple (so many ideas already!), while the purple one is more fun and unique, but still classic. Plus, you can mix and match the belts. At just $18 bucks a pop, how can I say no? I see another Target trip in my future…

~ Sarah

P.S. I finally started my own Facebook page! Feel free to like it

I know, I know, I was doing so well keeping up with my blogging in 2012! Sometimes though, real life just has to take over, and that’s exactly what’s happened to me – but it was totally for a good reason! My boyfriend surprised me and flew down to Florida for a few days! Can you say best boyfriend ever?

Once I got over the shock, we planned a great little vacation during our vacation. We spent a day in Ft. Lauderdale and a couple days in Orlando. It’s all part of the Florida experience – that, and Publix subs.

Museum of Science & Discovery

Mickey & Minnie candy apples in Downtown Disney

The Hulk roller coaster - which I will never EVER ride.

It was basically the best Christmas present ever. Except for the part where I lost at mini golf – but only by two strokes!

~ Sarah

Still nursing your holiday hangover? Hopefully these links can help you through the first Monday of the year.

An oldie but a goodie: the lead singer of Dion and the Belmonts returns to the Bronx to tell his story, from The New York Times.

Fan favorite Jason Taylor retired this weekend, and even though I’m not a Miami Dolphins fan, he’s a stand up guy. I loved this piece on him from The Miami Herald.

The Refinery 29 guide to Miami. It all sound so glamorous, not that I’ve explored even one thing on the list.

This is kind of cool: Florida recently abolished its smallest city, Islandia. I hadn’t even heard of it before.

Here are some great tips on mixing patterns from a Clothed Much contributor.

Laughing With Broken Eyes recently had a series, One Week to Better Blogging. Click the link to read all the posts – great tips even if you’ve been blogging for awhile!

From CF, ten great DIY ideas – adding some of these to my to-do list.

Still looking for a calendar for the new year? The Huffington Post has some great (read: free and downloadable) options.

Which links are loving this week?

~ Sarah

My New Year's Eve outfit: Oversized blazer - Forever 21 (gift), Tank top - unknown, Jeggings - TJ Maxx, Flats - Target. Minimal sequins.

Happy New Year, everyone! Can you believe it – 2012 already?!

I recently came upon this Lovelyish post by the lovely Michelle from Locked Out in which she broke down her style resolutions for this new year. I thought it was brilliant, so I came up with a few of my own:

✸ take better outfit photos

Gradually, this blog has become more of a style blog, and outfit photos are such an important part of any good personal style blog. Hopefully I can continue to take better quality pictures, but also get more creative with my locations, outfits and even my poses.

✸ wear more color

I don’t know if it’s the cold, living in New York or both, but sometimes it’s way too easy for me to reach for black and other dark colors in my closet. There’s a place for black of course, but I should have more fun with color (even with my makeup!), especially while I’m young.

✸ buy more investment pieces

So, I only have three more semesters of school left, and then I’ll be done. I’ll be interning again next semester, so now’s a good time to start building my young professional wardrobe. Time to say good-bye to all those graphic tees I used to love in high school…

How did you ring in 2012? What are your resolutions – style or otherwise! – for the new year?

~ Sarah

P.S. Check out College Fashion’s list of (more!) fashion resolutions. Thanks, Ashley!

In my very first fashion post here, I admitted that in my heart, I’m a jeans-and-t-shirt kind of girl. Here’s the proof in my lazy day outfit: a plain white tee and faded jeans. A swipe of my mom’s lipstick makes me feel that more grown-up, but only by a smidge. And, hey, short hair. What’s your lazy day uniform?

~ Sarah

Top - H&M; Jeans - Conway; Sandals - Avon.

The nice thing about spending my winter break in sunny (and warm!!) South Florida is that there’s no excuse not to wear bright, punchy colors. That’s where these coral jeans come in. They fill the void in my heart for colored denim (remember my OTI post?), but coral suits me better than red. Paired with this navy striped top and matching sandals, I’ve got a nautical-esque look I can wear in December.

Today was a lazy, but a great day. I hung around the house and then grabbed a late lunch with a girlfriend before going back to her house and catching up with her and another close friend. There were hours of girl talk, but there’s nothing wrong with that. It’s exactly what the doctor ordered, which, coincidentally, is exactly where I’ll be spending most of my day tomorrow. I have a pit stop at the salon too, so say good-bye to my long, messy hair.

~ Sarah

Hope your holiday is filled with love and laughter. And if repeated viewings of Love Actually are included in that, no judgement on my part.

~ Sarah

Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah, everyone! At my house, we celebrate on Christmas Eve, so I had to get all spiffy tonight. Or you know, as dressy as you can get when it’s 82℉ – that’s unseasonably warm, even for South Florida. I wasn’t really sure what to wear for Nochebuena, but my mom’s friend gave me a bunch of hand-me-downs, and once I spotted this green, applique blouse, my search was over. To keep things casual but fun, I added this black, ruffled skirt and a pair of wedges.

Blouse, Skirt – hand me downs; Watch – Fossil; Hairpin – unknown; Wedges – Payless; Nail Polish – Red Riot by Brash (Payless).

We had a big dinner – latkes included! – and opened gifts. My most exciting gift I opened a couple days earlier, when I was with my dad – a brand new Canon Rebel. My camera box isn’t near me, and I’m too lazy to get it at the moment, so I don’t  know the exact model. But the important part – I have a DSLR! I was going to ask for one when I graduate next spring, so it was totally unexpected.  I’ve been starting to play around with it a little, and here are some of my favorites so far:

Tomorrow, I’m just watching basketball all day long – go Heat! My family and I also may go to this Hanukkah celebration my town is having – why it’s scheduled on Christmas Day is a little beyond me. All the fun, Christmas-y stuff is over though. I always found Christmas to be a little bit anti-climatic – I guess that’s the Grinch in me!

How are you all spending your holiday weekend?

~ Sarah

I’m finally participating in my first round of EBEW – linksharing FTW. The theme for December is sequins and sparkles, which is perfect for the holiday parties. And actually, I wore this sequined number to a party for our school paper, celebrating the end of our volume.

Dress – Conway; Tights – Joe Fresh; Pumps – Payless; Pencil Case (as a Clutch) – Staples; Nail polish – Royal by Revlon.

I don’t go out very much, nor do I post those looks here, but I thought this was perfect to share. Since I first saw this dress on Fordham Rd. (our local wholesale shopping district), I knew I had to have it. The store doesn’t have a dressing room, so I just had to go for a medium and hope for the best. I didn’t account for horizontal waves emphasizing the curves I already have, but I tried to keep the rest of the look streamlined. I was partially inspired by Sienna Miller rocking this Burberry dress:

Credit

For color, I added this red quilted pencil case for a clutch, and then cobalt blue nails. Have you guys bought a holiday dress this season? What’s it like? And don’t forget to check Everybody, Everywear to see everyone rocking their own sequins and sparkles.

~ Sarah

I originally wasn’t going to post this week, but I was really excited to participate in “Open to Interpretation”, a feature started by  Erica from North Meets South, Kayla from Freckles in April and Amy from Amy Day to Day. Basically, they take turns finding outfits to recreate. Today was the first time the link party was open to everyone! Here’s the inspiration:

I adore this outfit – the loose/fitted contrast, the booties, the oatmeal cableknit sweater, the stripes, the RED JEANS. Great pick, Erica! Here’s my interpretation:

Oxford Button Down – Joe Fresh; Sweater – Joe Fresh; Jeans – Target; Oxford Heels – Payless.

I didn’t really have anything red for the bottom, so I decided to play with the color scheme and keep the proportions and textures, which I loved. I bought the oxford and sweater when I went shopping in Manhattan with Hannah – definitely a good decision for my closet. What do you guys think of my twist on the look?

~ Sarah