Layer Addict

Layering will always be a part of my go to styling technique when the temps drop. Yes, I want to be cute, but there is nothing worse than wearing an outfit and you are freezing. You can climatize your looks so that you can have the best of both worlds. One of the pieces that is needed in my wardrobe to achieve my perfect weather look is a vest. Vests are the easiest way you can look layered and polished to perfection. 

Why a vest? Vests add layers without tons of bulk. When I wear a blazer and a coat, there are times when you can see how many layers I am wearing and I look bulky. When I am wearing a vest, I can have on a sweater, vest, and a coat and it doesn't look like I am wearing tons of layers. This shearling vest from Simply Be has been a go to now that weather is getting colder. I get the best of both worlds with this vest. Shearling is warm and super on trend, but with the vest, I can wear it alone like I did here, or add layers for a bundled up look (pom pom hat and cozy scarf). 

With my vest, I wore a short sleeved striped sweater and a denim pencil skirt. I have been drawn towards colorful prints, and this sweater is super cute. I will be honest, my closet is bursting at the seams with items that are very specific (like sequins, leather, and fur). I want to make sure besides having all those fun pieces I have items that can do double or triple duty. Since this sweater is lightweight, I can wear it with a blazer, or over a button up with a pair of pants, or jeans. 

Remember lovers, it is Cyber Monday, if you are loving this look head to Simply Be to save 30% off your total purchase! Happy Shopping!

Black Friday Shopping

Holiday Season is in full swing, and I wanted to share some of my scores. I'm not about fighting folks at 6pm on Thanksgiving day, so I charged up the Macbook and have been enjoying the comfort of my bed and getting some great goodies. 

Eloquii

One of my favorites, Eloquii has been one of my go to's this Fall. I love their fun tops and one that I missed out on is now back in stock. I bought the bicycle top from their Conversational Collection. Definitely make sure to check out the tops & dresses before they sell out again. I picked up this cutie and a pair of velvet wide leg pants...cause you can never be too ready for an impromptu get together with the peeps. Right now everything is 50% off, better head there asap. Conversational print blouse originally $69.90, on sale now for $34.95.  

Bath & Body Works

Fashion is my passion, but I am all about skincare and body products. Bath & Body Works is one of my favorites, and I love their Holiday Collections. Though many are big on the body wash, I am all about their body scrubs. Now that it's starting to get col, slipping on a warm and cozy sweater against my smooth skin is just perfection. Also, in the winter months your skin is dryer and a scrub helps remove the dead skin so that your moisturizer well help your skin properly hydrated.  I can't wait to try the Frosted Coconut Snowball scrub and body creme. With their current promotion of Buy 3, Get 3 Free and my $10 off coupon I was able to get 6 of my favorites for $33.50 (Reg Price for 6 $87).

Zara

30% off at Zara....need I say more? Picked up a cute clutch and a pair of flats for $40. I am excited that Zara is offering XXL in their assortment but I have yet to find a top I am in love with in my size. I'm a patient gal, I will just keep checking out the site. Until then, I will still be all about their shoes and accessories.  

M.A.C.

My go to for lippies, I ordered their Black Plum Friday set. For $35, you get the limited edition shade Black Friday Vamplify gloss, matching lip liner, and a gel eye liner. This online exclusive shade will be a great edition to my vampy fall colors. One vamplify lip gloss is $20 and the lip pencil is $21, so the fact that you are only paying $35 it's like you are receiving the eye liner for free. 

This is just the tip of my shopping iceberg, so make sure you are following me on Instagram & Snapchat to see what else this shopaholic gets for the holiday season. 

Weekend Getaway Pt. 2

My last day in Philly was a gorgeous 60 degree day. Georgette and I decided that for my last day was to grab some brunch and then head to the Philadelphia Museum to check out their latest exhibit. 

The weather was perfect for this sweater dress. I love how soft and stretchy it is, while being super cozy. Since it's stretchy I was able to get this in a size 14/16 and it fit perfectly. I am all about layering in fall so this vest in my favorite color was a great addition. The vest (which is on sale!!) is a wool blend that definitely kept me warm while out and about. My favorite part of the vest is the fact that you can belt it to make it look like a chic over piece. The length is perfect for me and it's great piece that you can throw on and look instantly put together. Vests have been my go to this season and this one has been on heavy rotation. 

Lastly, let's talk about these glitter Chelsea booties. When Eloquii announced their Fall shoe collection, this was the one shoe I had to have. The bootie definitely is a show stopper, but it still looks great with so many statement pieces. I got these in a size 8W and they fit perfectly. I wore these for over 6 hours and I did not have the least bit of discomfort. These come in blue velvet and black faux suede, so if you are looking for a new bootie give these a try.  To add a color to my monochrome look, I added my favorite dark lippie and my See By Chloe tote. Georgette and I had a great time at brunch and the exhibit was amazing. I had a great weekend filled with fun, friends, all while enjoying an amazing city. This is not the last Philly will see of this blogger, and I hope you get a chance to check the city out as well. 

Weekend Getaway

You got a chance to see all the things that I go to do while I was in Philly with Grown & Curvy Woman, now you get the chance to see what I wore while enjoying my time away from home. While I was enjoying the Walking Tour, the weather was sunny but a little chilly. It was the perfect opportunity to wear some of my favorite pieces from Eloquii's fall collection. 

We had a little time while walking to take pictures in front of this massive, colorful mural.

While walking around, I all about wearing layers that can keep me at a good temperature. I can get hot easily so the worse thing I can do is wear a lot of layers while walking and get hot and sweaty to then take them all off. We all know when you play that game, you end up getting sick. I went with the Tie Waist Cape for my afternoon in Philly. I first got a chance to try on this coat over the summer when I visited the Eloquii team at their NYC office. It is great for those cool sunny days. The camel color pairs well with everything, and it has massive pockets to store all of your essentials. It kept me warm out in these Philly streets, and I was looking good while doing it. Can't ask for anything more. 

Keeping it cute and cozy!!!

Fall for me is all about sweater weather. I love me a good sweater. When the temps drop, I would feel as though you had to sacrifice warmth for looking good. I'm glad that is no longer the case. I Never one to shy away from ruffles, I wore the ruffle striped sweater with my favorite pants, the Kady. I love stripes, so in a sweater it was a must have in my closet. This sweater goes with anything in your closet. Definitely get this one!! I paired my sweater with my favorite pant: Kady. I never have owned a pair of pants in multiple colors. Most pants are either too long or do not come up high enough on my waist. Kady has my back....literally. I'm always on the look out for great flats, and these gold ones are wonderful. When it comes to flats, there are a lot that do not provide adequate support, but these wide width ones held up during my two hour walk around town. I definitely want to get these in another color, because finding a wide width shoe that looks good and doesn't rub. 

My Saturday in Philly was so much fun. Checking out the murals, had brunch, and just enjoyed the experience. There are times when I get so bogged down with my to do lists, and work that before I know it, months go by. The lists may never go away, but I am learning to be ok with taking time out to just enjoy life. 

Visit Philly

The first time I visited Philly, it was eight years ago. Even though the city was in transition with all the construction, it still was one of my favorite cities. Fast forward to last weekend, I headed back to the City of Brotherly Love to hang out with my blogger boo Grown & Curvy Woman. In conjunction with Visit Philly, we wanted to show all that the city of Philadelphia has to offer. Not only is it a great vacation spot (it's only 2 hours away from NYC), there is so much to do in the city it's even great for staycationers (Grown & Curvy Woman lives in Philly). If you didn't get a chance to see some behind the scenes on Snapchat and IG (follow me @styleoversize) here is all that I saw during my weekend stay.

Walking Mural Tour

On Saturday, Georgette and I took part in the Mural Mile Walking Tour. The program was created in the 80's to encourage artists to create art in their communities and to deter graffiti. Cheyenne, our tour guide took us through the city and explained the history of the murals. Philly has over 1000 murals around the city, and some murals are maintained, repurposed to display new art, or even created in conjunction with those in the community. For example, the third mural was created alongside children participating in the arts program. The artist then took all the different pictures from the children and combined all the art into a cohesive mural. As a wall girl, getting a chance to see all the different art created was eye opening. There are so many murals in this city, it's easy to just walk or drive by and not give it a second look. To learn some of the pieces and the inspiration behind it was pretty amazing. The tour is two hours so make sure you have on some layers and comfortable shoes. You will not be disappointed. 

Reading Terminal Market

When you think of Philly, you think of the arts, the Liberty Bell, but Philly is starting to become known for the great restaurants. For foodies, Reading Terminal Market is the place to be. From burgers, to sushi, to Amish chicken, this is the place to go if you want to be in a food coma. There is a buffet, several places to buy fresh seafood, and all the desserts you could possibly want. Walking through the market is an experience all in itself because it is packed with people heading to different vendors to get their fix. I have a major sweet tooth, so I tried the red velvet layer cake in the last picture. When it comes to mini cakes, especially red velvet a lot of the time the icing seeps into the cake and makes it mushy. Not this cake. The layers and the cake was just perfection. If you love cannoli's and mini cake, definitely check out the Termini Bro's Bakery. This place has something even for the pickiest of eaters, so you must make it your mission to check it out. 

Philadelphia Museum of Art

On my last day in Philly, we went to the Philadelphia Museum of Art to check out their latest exhibit, Paint The Revolution: Mexican Modernism. The art featured spanned from the 1910's-1950's. Artists such as Frida Kahlo (one of my favorite artists of all time), Diego Rivera were amongst those featured. Kahlo & Diego are the most well known, but it was cool to learn about other Mexican artists such as Rufino Tamayo,  David Alfaro Siqueiros, and Dr Atl. If you are into the arts. the exhibit is available until January. If you don't get a chance to see this one, there are so may pieces of art available to make an afternoon of it. Also you can always run up the infamous Rocky steps and check out the breathtaking views of the city. 

Though my weekend was short, I definitely had an amazing time. I was able to see an amazing city with a friend, enjoy so much great food (which I do not feel guilty about since we did a lot of walking) and just enjoy some time away from NYC. Added bonus, our hotel was in walking distance from Dilworth Park so we got a chance to see people showing off their ice skating skills at the Rothman Ice Rink. I will always enjoy watching those ice skate, but this clumsy fashionista is staying off the ice (lol). 

Thank you again Visit Philly for this amazing opportunity. To see all that Philly has to offer and to help plan any upcoming trips, head to the Visit Philly website.

Enjoying my last day in the City of Brotherly Love.