This post is sponsored by Lugz and the InfluenceHer Collective. All opinions are my own. Thank you for supporting the brands that make Dressed for Time possible!
Hello, babes!
Happy almost Christmas! I know I’m not the only one to say how crazy it is that the year is almost over.. It feels like my birthday was last week, and that summer was a couple months ago. The truth is, we have almost 5 months of winter left in Chicago, and I started to prep for it way late in the game. A little further down, I’ll share more about my look and my cute new boots, but first, I wanted to chat about some quick and easy, (not to mention cheap!), ways to destress right now.
Tip 1-
Breathe. Wow, groundbreaking, I know, but taking some time to breathe deeply and slowly in and out through your nose has such a calming effect. It can help you focus and get centered, also release stress and squash nerves. I also like to use apps for guided breathing techniques. My favorite is called Insight Timer. It has lots of free options so you can find a voice that resonates with you, or use one of the self-guided sessions. I also LOVE listening to any of the water noises, (pouring rain, crashing waves, a mountain stream), when trying to get to sleep.
Tip 2-
Speaking of… As much of a challenge as it seems, SCHEDULE sleep! Set a cut-off time on your calendar, not just the intention, to actually carve out the time you need. Personally, I need 8-9 hours if I want to be fully functional the next day, so I add it in. That way, if an event might run late, or I start to get caught up with work, I have that reminder telling me I need to cut it short so I can be my most effective. If you’re worried about not getting it all done, manage your time to focus on what’s truly important and what needs to get done on a daily basis, the rest will get done in time.
Tip 3-
Perform random acts of kindness. And then keep them to yourself. I do a bit of an eye roll when people perform altruistic acts, then go on social media to blast it to their following/friends. Encouraging others to do good things is awesome, but it feels better, at least for me, to just know that I’ve done good things without the possibility of a virtual pat on the back from others. That being said, here are some things you can do! Pay for the coffee for the person behind you in line. Send hand-written cards. Get the door for someone. Compliment a stranger. Thank cashiers and servers for working on the holiday. Give someone that gift card you have that’s been gathering dust.
Tip 4-
Write it out. Keep a personal journal to take note of how you’re feeling. Regardless of if you ever re-read the notes, it always helps me to de-stress and get everything that’s on my mind down on paper.
Tip 5-
Turn on some music! I will ask Alexa to play something upbeat, or throw on one of my Spotify playlists of tried-and-true mood boosters, but I also like to branch out and try something I haven’t given much thought to. I never realized I might like a little country, until a friend turned me on to Maren Morris. I also think listening to classical music, which I hated as a child, is so soothing now! I’ll be in my kitchen, stressing over what to make for dinner and how I’m going to get all my Poshmark packages ready before the mailman comes… I ask Alexa to “play classical music” and for some reason, it has a calming effect and allows me to focus and get shit done!
Do you have any de-stressing tips to share? Leave them in the comments, let’s help each other out!
Now, on to this super cozy outfit I’m wearing…
I’ll start from the bottom up! I had been looking for a new pair of winter boots I could wear everywhere, especially in inclement weather. Enter this versatile pair from Lugz at DSW! They’re called the Tambora and mine are in the shade Chocolate (which totally fits this rich color!), and they also come in a lighter brown and black. They’re lined with plush faux fur, which makes them very comfortable and warm, not to mention, I love the detailing at the fold-down collar.
I went pretty minimal, pairing them with jeans, a perfect white T, a shawl collared cardigan, layered necklaces, and my fuzziest glittens. Side note, I didn’t even know glittens (gloves & mittens) were a thing, but recently grabbed these at a pop-up in town. Can you tell I’m big on texture in the cold months?
For sizing, in the sweater, I tried on an XL, which I’d say is the perfect oversized slouchy sweater fit. Size down if you want a more fitted look. The pants are a 32, and true to size.
This sweater I wore in a size L, so I’d say that it runs a bit large. I’d size down in it, as the Large was still plenty roomy on me. The pants I tried in a 32, and ended up sizing down to a 31 to take home with me. They’re a little snug, but was told they’d stretch out up to a half size. The waist of the larger size was too big and gaped a bit.
In this sweater, I tried an XL and would say that it’s a fitted TTS. The pants in a size 32 fit like a dream.
I’m wearing the pants as above in a 32 (size down), tank in XL (size down if you have smaller-set hips, and blazer in a 14 which ran true to size.
Ahhh, totally regretting not getting this coat now. SO toasty! I wore it in a size 14, and could fully zip it up. The sweater is a more fitted style and true-to-size as an XL.
And I threw in an extra one of me and this cutie. He was one of our photographers for the evening and my favorite party companion! ❤️
Kisses from New York!
Seriously, what a transformation! My makeup artist, Daisy (find her at 
We shot with 
Ok, so in the first shot, we were not acting and were legitimately confused as to how to get to where we were going next. This was one of about 37 times when this happened. Navigation in New York succckkked and it seemed like no matter how fast-paced the city was, the GPS was never able to catch up to where we currently were, and directions like 41st St. between 9th and 10th Ave didn’t mean shit when you didn’t know which way 10th was.
We made it to 
Alison, Alyssa, and I Ubered over to our first show of the day, 
Off to our next show, 
Hey, Babes! I hope you’ve been following along on my Insta stories over the past week or so, where I shared a lot of behind-the-scenes looks at New York Fashion Week Fall Winter 2018. If not, no worries, because I’m doing a full recap here, broken down by days.
One of our first stops, after what would become our daily visit to Jamba Juice inside Port Authority, was blowouts at 
Next up on our tour of Manhattan haha, was the Eliza J showroom to check out their Spring/Summer 2018 collection. We all had our favorites, and I was definitely crushing on this yellow floral number. It had the sweetest bow detail at the bust, and I will be looking for it online soon. We chatted with the Eliza J sales and design team, and they are some of the sweetest souls! I love working with brands and people in general who are passionate about what they’re doing, and who make everyone feel welcome. It’s so important in this industry!
Our next stop was to a photo shoot for Maggy London/London Times at GO Studios. We weren’t able to take many pictures because it was pretty fast-paced, but I managed to grab a shot of my model sheet (how cool is that!!), and a sneak of the stunning Danielle modeling on their rooftop with the gorgeous NY skyline as her backdrop. I will definitely be sharing more from the shoot when I get the selects back!
After the long day of beauty services, showroom visits, photo shoots and countless subways and Ubers, I decided I wanted to change my look up a bit for our evening shoot at Chelsea Market. I love that in the last shot you can see my gloves precariously hanging there, foreshadowing what would be inevitable. I lost them while shopping at Anthropologie. This top from Rachel Rachel Roy was one of my favorite things I wore during my trip, and I loved how subtly sexy it was, showing a peak at my bra underneath, paired with faux leather leggings and a croc-embossed box handbag, along with my peacoat of course, because this night was freezing, like 26 degrees freezing. And to cap off the list of things I forgot, my pajamas did not make it in my suitcase. It ended up working out though, because my roommates kept the heater at 78 every night so I slept in a tank top!