golden hour

hi, friends!
happy february, folks! hope you are ready for valentine’s day (if you celebrate it) and (hopefully) winter’s last hurrah. this is the time when retail begins to shift toward spring, so it’s a great opportunity to stock up on winter sale items that are “buy-now-wear-now,” as in many places we still have another couple of months before it warms up for good. just make sure you get items that you actually like, and you aren’t just buying things because they are on sale.

beanie – free people; jacket – free people {similar here}; dress – free people {on sale!}; boots – stuart weitzman {see “shop this look” for options}

this post is inspired by those winter sales, as i scored this free people jacket on sale. i’d had it in my cart since it was released, but balked at the price. when free people marked it down, it sold out quickly, but one popped back up in the size above mine while they were running an extra percentage off of sale, so i scooped it up. i knew at the time that if it didn’t fit, i could return it. even though it’s a little big, it’s so cozy i decided to keep it. plus the extra room gives more space for cozy layers!

shopping tip

be sure to check return policies when you’re shopping sales. a lot of retailers will mark items as “final sale,” meaning you can’t return them. don’t get stuck with an item simply because you didn’t read the fine print, so pay attention to those details.

style tip

if you’ve made the investment in a pair of over-the-knee boots, don’t think you only have to wear them with dressier outfits. i love wearing mine with dresses, but adding cozy third piece like a sweater or casual jacket, as well as laid-back accessories like a beanie, dresses them down. i love the idea of wearing them with a cute sweater dress, too! this is important because the more you can wear them, the more your investment was worthwhile! it’s all about cost-per-wear.