Holiday 2018 gift guide: gifts for men

There are two camps: those who think men are easy to shop for, and those who think they're hard to shop for. I tend to fall into the former—like most gift giving, it's a matter of knowing your audience. In this case, I had a particularly stylish, do-gooder, food- and drink-loving guy in mind, but these gifts would work in general for the dads, brothers, husbands, boyfriends, sons, and various other guys on your list.


What to wear with a plaid coat

As I shared with you in this post, plaid coats are the fall trend I'm most excited about, and thankfully it's finally cool enough for me to wear mine! You will probably be seeing a lot of this coat over the next few months, but here's the first look I created with it. I'd add in a scarf and tights when the weather gets even colder, but this is how I'm wearing it now.


Holiday 2018 gift guide: gifts for women

The Black Friday sales have already begun, which is both a blessing and a curse. Thankfully, I find shopping for holiday gifts for women—friends, sisters, moms, and so on—to be the next best thing to shopping for myself. So go forth, be generous, and take advantage of all those promos flooding your inbox!



What to wear in the OC

Remember The O.C.? And Laguna Beach, the reality show it inspired (which then led to The Hills)? I always think of those shows when I visit Orange County, where my boyfriend's mom lives, which is funny, because I've found it to be nothing like any of them. It's just a sunny stretch of southern California—yes, it's wealthy, but it's pretty laid-back for the most part. It just kind of feels suburban to me. The nice part, though, is that along the coast, the weather is perfectly temperate—even when it's blazing hot in the rest of Los Angeles, it's usually somewhere in the 70s with a cool breeze in Huntington Beach, where we shot these photos. Thus, my outfit is usually some combination of summer and fall. This is the first year in awhile that we won't be spending Thanksgiving weekend down south, but if we were, this is what I'd be wearing.


Holiday 2018 gift guide: gifts for kids

I was just about to start this with "Seriously, how is it already Thanksgiving?" but that's exactly how I started last year's gifts for kids post, and I don't want to become a broken record. (But, seriously, how is it already Thanksgiving?!) Anyway, the Black Friday sales will most likely start early next week, so I wanted to make sure you have a head start on your holiday shopping lists. Without further ado, here's the first installment in my annual gift guide, and as always, I'm staring with kids, because they're the most fun people in the world to shop for (and often the easiest)—which is also what I said last year. So, before I repeat myself again, here are my favorite gifts for kids. 


What to wear with a jumpsuit

Real talk: I have been looking for a black jumpsuit forever. I have tried them on everywhere from Neiman Marcus to Target, and just couldn't seem to find one that was right. I had some specifics—I wanted sleeves and wider legs—but otherwise was open to all sorts of styles. I brought some challenges to the table, too, as I have a freakishly short torso, which makes dresses tricky too. So as with dresses, I finally figured out a jumpsuit style that works for me: one without a defined waistline. But unlike with dresses, finding this in a jumpsuit presented a bit of a challenge. Thankfully, at long last, I finally found one that works for me, and here's how I've been wearing it.

What to wear on Black Friday

This post is sponsored by Cuddl Duds but the content and opinions expressed here are my own.

Surprise, it's a bonus post! In tomorrow's post, I'll be showing you what I'm wearing on Thanksgiving, but first, let's plan our Black Friday shopping outfits. Now, I prefer to shop online from the comfort of my own home, but this is a comfy option even if you plan on braving the crowds at the mall. I've partnered with Cuddl Duds and Macy's to show you the perfect thing to wear. It's all about soft, cozy layers. Let's break it down.


Get the look: neutral stripes

It's been a minute since I've done a Get the Look post, and since then, I've had a pin go viral on Pinterest! This most-pinned look from my Outfit ideas for ageless style Pinterest board is at 2,844 repins and counting, and I can see why—it's a very classic-with-a-twist look, and very fall-friendly. I also love wearing lighter neutrals in fall, because I feel like it's a nice transition from warmer to cooler weather. So before things get too chilly (and snowy), here's how to get the look.



How to dress up sweatpants

It probably doesn't surprise you that I don't own any sweatpants. Well, I didn't, until I bought this pair a few weeks ago. What spurred me to actually buy a pair of sweatpants, you may ask? The answer is that I needed something to wear when I walk my dog. More specifically, I needed something to throw on first thing in the morning when she needs to go outside to pee ASAP. So sometimes I end up putting these on at 7 a.m. on a Sunday morning...and then I don't take them off all day. Long story short, sweatpants are comfortable, people. So I decided to try to dress them up a little bit, to see if I could get away with wearing them all day. Here's how the experiment turned out.



Fall trends: plaid coats

It's hard to pick my favorite amongst the fall trends I've featured here, but if I have to, it would be this one. I own probably far too many coats (and jackets) for someone who lives in a mild climate, but my love of outerwear knows no bounds, nor season, apparently. This year, I'm all about the plaid coat. In spite of fact that temperatures are still in the upper 60s here, I've already bought my coat (read on to see which one), and I can't wait to wear it. Here are all of my favorites this season.