Monday, December 17, 2012

Wednesday, December 5, 2012

AWOL for ABNA


So for the next six weeks or so (until the deadline of January 14th for the above), I probably won't be updating too much. I'll be trying to get my NaNoWriMo novel from last year into fighting shape for the contest.

That's all. Wish me luck!

Tuesday, December 4, 2012

Deep Winter Style the Finale

Extremities

Hands can get chapped and cracked, 80% of one's heat leaves and the potential for sickness rises dramatically. That is, if you forget to take advantage of the style potential that lay in hats, gloves, and scarves. Weee!

Hats

Remember in the nineties when hats were just not okay? I do. I was in high school and some girl in my grade caught pneumonia when she walked to school in the dead of winter with wet hair and no hat. Or at least that's how the neighbourhood (sub)urban legend went. I am so glad the tide has turned.

There are so many hats style available for wearing today that the challenge can be finding one that fits one's style, is elegant, is chic, etc. AND will actually protect one's head from the cold. Right now the big thing in hats is beanies.


I could have sworn a beanie was one of those multicolor hats from cartoons with the propeller on top:

And that the corresponding winter headgear is a sloughy tuque. No? Oh, I'll give. But whatever you call a beanie, I call silly. I guess if you're 21 and going for that grungy look then sure. But they are just not for me. Not cute.

If I'm going for something sloughy, it's going to be a beret.


How I love a beret. And what's better than an animal print beret? Not that I have one. Mine is white. But the only problem with berets (that tuques/beanies don't share) is that they are not exactly good for getting out after the big overnight storm to shovel the walk. Or walking to the bus when it's -45 celsius February no sun for days. They are more "winter Lite."

For Deep Winter, there is just nothing better than the Trapper Hat.


Oh, trapper hat. How I love/loathe you. Sure they look ok on P.Y.T.s when worn with fashionably sloppiness. But they don't exactly scream elegant grown up New Year's Eve party or anything, do they? Maybe if we go back to that whole Russian Princess thang?


Gloves

Gloves have a similar problem that all winter clothes do: the better they are at protecting hands from an eternity of eczema, the uglier they are. I love my leather gloves. They are black, they have studs. They are amazing and make me look cool. But they are for the fall. For winter? How's about this for sex appeal:

Throw on a multicolored beanie (with propeller) and you're ready to head down a Paris runway! But at least you'll be warm and water proof while scraping the car's windshield of ice, right? Ugggggh. Can't we do any better?

If you've got $250 laying around, Ugg might have your answer:

Or you could surround your hands in fur. So practical:



Or there's always the faux fur mitten route:


All right, so maybe finding stylish winter waterproof hand coverings is even harder than finding chic winter boots. But one keeps hopeful that we don't all be condemned to a life a ski gloves.

Scarves

Thankfully, when it comes to scarves there are so many more options. My favorites include anything that has "infinity" in the name. And the good news is, they are so easy to make. Whether it's upcycled tshirts or sweaters or full on knitting or crochet, infinity is easy to imagine. At least when it comes to scarves.


I really love the fur/faux fur options lately. Wishlist!

Snoods

Between a scarf and a hood, a snood can work for those 'can't find a pretty winter hat and can't ruin this hairstyle' dilemmas. I love the super chunky variety personally, but there are as many types as there are personalities.


Angry because it is winter.
 
And yes, snoods and infinity scarves are similar, but for the former look for full head coverage potential for days when weather goes from around freezing to -15 in an hour. It happens.

Oh my goodness. Are we done? I think we're done. Did you ever think it would end? There are so many layers to put on, so many style choices to make, so many things to consider. Crank open that frozen window each morning (I had a friend who used to do that in order to figure out what to wear) or check your weather website. Then brace yourself.

At least walking around with an extra pound of clothes on will mean more cardio in your life? Maybe we should just crank the heat and wear our summer clothes. Haha.

I'll try and put together some wintery looks/pinterest board for you since I can't find much of what I speak of on the interwebs currently. Look for it.