2016: A Few of My Favorites

My favorite thing about blogging is having a (very casual) body of work to look back on. Every once in a while, I find myself digging through my archives and watching myself grow physically, mentally, spiritually, and, of course, as a sartorial enthusiast. I've been doing this blog for almost five years. Five formative years. Over the course of this blog thus far, I've traveled to six different countries, moved, grown out my bangs, went through a horrible breakup, moved again, landed my dream job, quit my dream job when I realized it wasn't for me, been diagnosed with a mental illness, put almost 100,000 miles on my poor Mercury Mariner, gotten married to my best friend, adopted the most adorable and lovable boxer/hound mix, gone sober, helped start a tech company, moved again, and started writing a book. I've typed up thoughts and musings in both laughter and tears. (Emphasis on tears.) But we'll save the sappiness for my official blogiversary in March.

For now, I wanted to share some of my favorite looks from 2016. Though it's been difficult to scrap together any sort "goodness" from this past year, I must say that the hardships have forced me to take stock of who I am. That theme of getting to know myself definitively has absolutely shown through my clothing choices, specifically in the latter half of the year.

Sheer for NYE

Another year has come and gone and I'm not sure how I feel about it. It's bittersweet, really. It's been a rough (almost) 365 days but at the same time, who wants to get older? (Guess it's better than the alternative though.) I'm not usually one for celebrating January 1st but I do love dressing up-- any excuse is a good one. I know New Year's Eve is full of sequin shift dresses but I don't do sequins so I went with sheer. Good move?

Black is the Warmest Color

I tried to write this post without mentioning the weather but I just can't because it is so damn cold. It's not that I don't love it, it's just not an easy transition to make when it comes to dressing up. My go-to in every other season is "all black everything" so what makes winter any different? (Though I'm aware it isn't technically winter just yet.)

My New Favorite Embroidered Denim

Remember how I was telling you about my love for choker tops the other day? I got a white one, despite the fact that I tend to not wear a lot of white. And you know how I rarely wear actual jeans? I got a pair of embroidered denim that I just might be in love with.

Words from Others

I know there's still time left for 2016 to redeem itself but I doubt a few short weeks of goodness could reconcile the last eleven and a half months of abject torment so I'm just going to say it: this year has been the absolute worst for the best of us and I cannot wait to see it go. I've been on the receiving end of some pretty devious scheming and I've done some things I'm not proud of. I've been a victim of mean girls and I've been a mean girl myself. These last few months especially have been a period of mourning and rebirth. 

I'm not completely happy with myself. I'm definitely a work in progress and am still making mistakes every day. However, I'm not going to go on and on about it as I'm wont to do. I've been surrounding myself with quotes that challenge me to be the person I'm working towards becoming. Knowing I surely can't be alone in this journey, I decided to take a break from the usual things I write about to share some with you. (For positivity's sake.)

Choker Sweater

I'm kind of excited that choker tops are a thing. I love a good v-neck but I also love a high neckline. Until now, they were just too different to coexist and now that they're here, I hope this trend sticks around for a long time. I haven't seen an unflattering one yet-- on any body type. If you haven't tried 'em out yet, I implore you to do so. If you haven't the slightest idea on how to style it, look no further.

Friday Night Coffee Date

I don't like going out too much. I don't drink, bars are too loud, I never think ahead far enough to set reservations at a restaurant and I'm not patient enough to wait around. Friday nights are usually my time to curl up on the couch with some Chinese takeaway and some sort of (often corny) movie. This past Friday though, Brenden was home so we did something a little differently. We decided to take a little walk around town, get some coffee, and watch the ducks on the river. 

Christmas Sweater

We've all got that favorite Christmas sweater. You know-- the one that looks great with jeans and ankle boots. How about a dressier occasion? I'm thinking Christmas-sweater-and-metallic-skirt might be my new favorite combination.