Warby Parker -- 5 Years and Lots to Celebrate!!

I was thrilled when Warby Parker asked me if I'd be interested in covering its newly released Half Decade collection!! Although I don't wear glasses myself, my husband is a Warby Parker customer and he and I were both involved in the selection process of his glasses. It took us two at-home try-on boxes to get it right, but the process is so simple and user-friendly that we didn't mind the wait. So, it's no wonder that Warby Parker has observed great success over the past five years!

To start the party, Warby Parker employees hosted the "Biggest Smallest Parade Ever" in Manhattan. I hear it was awesome - you can check out some of the fun surprises here. At the event were David Gilboa, Neil Blumenthal, and Jeffrey Raider - three of the company's founders.

Side note - I met Jeff last November at the McComb's Marketing Conference. He was rocking the Movember stache, naturally...

Q&A session with @jeffreyraider & Rob Malcolm, former @Diageo_News CMO #WhyTexas #WhyMcCombs #McCombsMktgConf pic.twitter.com/DJbulJffuD

— Caitlin A. Dodd (@LadyXVII) November 21, 2014

But onto the exciting stuff... WP is launching a new collection today to celebrate its five year anniversary, and my favorite thing about it? The monocle, of course!

Pop Art Monocle!

The entire Half-Decade Collection includes a re-release of five and a half (ha, monocle!) designs from Warby Parker's first-ever collection, all featured in a limited-edition spectrum of its signature hue, blue. I do have to say, if I wore glasses, I'd be instantly attracted to blue frames. Wearing just a blue shirt makes my blue eyes pop, I can only imagine what blue glasses would do!

In the parade photo above, you can see David Gilboa wearing the new Fillmore, Neil Blumenthal in the Huxley, and I believe that Jeff is in his usual glasses, though the frames seem reminiscent of the Roosevelt, without the lighter bottom half on the frame. You can check out the entire collection on the prescription eyeglasses page!

So, congrats to Warby Parker on its five years of success! I'm loving your new collection and I have no doubt that others will too. Cheers!

Top Knots and Fur Vests

Today I wore an outfit that was perfect for the chilly days approaching winter. Not too many layers, but just enough to be warm and cute!

I layered my Adrienne Landau rabbit fur vest on top of a long-sleeve shirt. This vest is super cozy and tends to invite "pets" because it just looks so soft! It's really warm and a great go-to item for this time of year.

Underneath I wore a staple, my C&C black long-sleeve shirt. I got this shirt at Loehmann's a while ago and it's one of those simple pieces that you can always find a use for. Now that Loehmann's has closed, I'm not sure where I'm going to get my "staples"! I'll be heading back to NJ for the holidays, perhaps Century 21 Department Store can fill in the gaps ;-)

The necklace, which you can only see a peek of, is another staple of mine! I've had it for years and cannot recall from where I got it. All I know is that my friends love it... whenever we have a girls weekend, this necklace tends to get passed around between everybody each night. It's a fan favorite, that's for sure!

Now, a special addition to my #OOTD post... a video feature! I'm a big fan of top knots and I wore one today. Check out my video to learn a little trick about executing a flawless bun!

animal print

Major fashionista validation this week, folks! I posted my Monday attire on Instagram and when I logged on later in the day, I saw that Elie Tahari (@elietahari) liked my picture! I'm guessing that there's a PR person behind the instagram account, but it was such a fun surprise and huge compliment nonetheless.  I was wearing an Elie Tahari animal print (snake skin?) skirt with a charcoal gray turtle neck, black Tory Burch cardigan, and one of my favorite Pono statement necklaces.  Because the skirt has a fairly large slit in the front, which naturally separates when I sit, I paired this with solid black tights. My charcoal gray suede Bettye Muller booties were the perfect finishing touch.

I used a blue Avon nail polish to change my nails earlier this week. I'm hoping to add a floral design for an accent finger if I find some time this evening - it's been a while since I had a fun design on my nails!

And here's Tuesday's outfit... more animal print! The top is a sweater jacket from Michael Simon. And my tights are from Spanx - they make fabulous patterned tights which can frequently be found on sale at Rue La La!

Closing note to my readers: I am now less than 100 page views away from 20,000 lifetime page views!! And while I started this blog nearly five years ago, most of this traffic has been generated in the past 15 months since my relaunch. This is a huge milestone that I am beyond excited to celebrate. Thank you to each and every one of you for reading, following, and commenting!!

fashion forward for fall

The welcomed change in weather has brought a few of my favorite pieces out from the depths of my closet! I enjoy any change in the seasons because there are always a lot of new ideas for outfits, new accessories to play with, and new shoes to wear! I've lately taken a liking to #OOTD on Instagram. At some point in the day I'll snap a picture of my outfit, usually not my entire body, and share it through the Instagram app. For those of you who may not be on instagram or a "savvy social media user", OOTD stands for Outfit Of The Day. The hashtag (#) is used to hyperlink the acronym. Here are a few recent shots...

I used the PicFrame app to organize the pictures in this layout. My outfit includes Burberry skirt, Diane Von Furstenberg wrap top, the ring I inherited from my grandmother, and the necklace was a gift from my Mom!

This outfit was inspired by a recent Banana Republic mailing. I really enjoyed it! It was perfect for the early Fall weather because these fabrics are heavier but the short sleeves and skirt meant that I wasn't going to to get too hot. The sweater is Elie Tahari, the belt is off of a Theory dress, and the skirt is from Banana Republic.

I wore this outfit wedding dress shopping in New York City! It was very comfortable for a busy day of walking between salons and it was just warm enough for the nice weather! (Lucky wanted in on the picture.) Here, I am wearing a beige silk Theory blouse, black Tahari "peggings" (what I refer to as a combination of pants and leggings. These are spandex material but have a fly and pockets!), and Tory Burch flats and purse.

These fun new tights were inspired by the laces of ballerina shoes. And, I love fall because it means that I can wear my suede Jimmy Choos again!

On a recent rainy day I wore my colorful Burberry rain boots with my chocolate brown Tory Burch dress and my fun printed Michael Simon coat on top.

What are your favorite outfits to wear at the start of Fall? Or any season!

living the busy life

Not only has work work been outrageously busy lately, but wedding planning is going into full swing! I'm headed home this weekend for a FULL itinerary of to-do's but since I'm taking the train right from the office tomorrow evening, I have to do all my preparation today and this evening. I'm headed to trapeze class tonight after work and hopefully I'll catch the return bar. Last week, as you can see in the video below, I tapped the bar for the first time! It was a very exciting milestone and I'm thoroughly enjoying the recent growths I've experienced on the rig.

When I get home around 8:30 tonight I'll throw some dinner together and get to packing my weekend bag. I've had a hard time trying to decide what I should wear. I want something simple that won't take up too much room in my suitcase. Especially on Saturday, when I am dress shopping in New York City, I want to look polished and presentable. The ensemble needs to be easy to put on and take off because I'll be visiting three bridal salons and trying on TONS of dresses. Plus, this outfit has to transition to a steak dinner that night! Not that I'm complaining, for I have been looking forward to wedding dress shopping in New York City since I was 15 when I went into NYC with my Mom during her fittings!

After packing my bag, I'll be painting my fingers and toes. On my fingers I'm planning to use a neutral nail polish, I've got a Deborah Lipmann pink-beige that will work great. I'm going to add a glitter accent on my ring finger as well! No harm in calling attention to my favorite finger and favorite accessory (my engagement ring!) while wedding planning :) Since my toenails haven't completely healed from my running regiment, I'm leaning towards Wicked by Essie.

Something tells me I won't be getting to sleep until after 11 o'clock tonight... Better put some eye cream on. No bride wants circles under her eyes!

organizing clothes

Inspired by the write-up on Apartment Therapy which I found via Emily Schuman's twitter feed (author for Cupcakes and Cashmere), I'm going to share with you a photo of my closet!! When I moved in with my boyfriend storage was a big issue. We quickly found ourselves at The Container Store exploring the elfa system. WOW - what a savior!! Not only was it affordable and easy to install, but it makes my clothes look super neat, all the time! (Which is important because this is on a wall of our bedroom, not behind a door or curtain!)

high flying death defying

It's Wednesday, folks, you know what that means... trapeze class recap! Last night was a tie-dye theme. Everybody showed up in tie-dyed shirts, tights, spandex... you name it, it was dyed. Here's our class photo!

Peace, Mandy!

Shannon (not pictured) and I even sported the same tie-dye spandex from We Love Colors. A little about We Love Colors... they make affordable tights, footless tights, spandex, and then some. They have a great assortment of patterns and colors. Works great for the trapeze artist as well as the fashionista in me! Remember the post  (<-- click) I wrote about my outfit I wore as soon as the weather turned cold; boots, tights, pencil skirt & sweater jacket? Those tights were from We Love Colors!

PS - you know what was so great about having Water Marble Nail Art this week?! My nails were tie-dye too :)

And last, but certainly not least... here's a video from catching my back-end straddle whip!! A BIG HUGE thank you to my amazing instructors; Mandy, Will, and Marissa for coaching me through my struggles last night and helping me get this trick "catchable"!!

i am fashion

check it out fashionistas!

it's my claim to fame...

btw... i was not wearing silver flats, i was actually wearing pewter flats. like i have said before, i do not pair silver and gold together.

my legs look kinda short here.. hmm.