2011

It's odd, sitting here and reflecting on 2011 as 2012 gets ready to burst forth. 2011 was an amazing year for me. I started January off where I have for the past three years - in Evanston. But at the end of March, I was in New York City, living in a room the size of a closet, starting my quarter-long journalism residency at SELF. Living in New York and interning at Conde Nast affirmed for me that I was in the right field and that magazine editing and writing is something I really want to make a career out of. In June, I left SELF for a new internship (and left midtown to live in the NYU dorms next to Washington Square Park) in the web department at Lucky where I learned a lot about the web and saw a lot of amazing clothes. August was a special month as I headed to Nantucket with my family to celebrate my grandfather's 100th birthday. In late August/early September I was able to see a dream realized - my first national print magazine byline appeared in the September issue of SELF. At the end of September I headed back to Evanston to start my senior year of college. Years are not completely comprised of positive moments and my family mourned the passing of my grandfather in November. But we were all together again for Thanksgiving and then for Christmas which is probably the best gift of all. I can't wait to see what 2012 holds.

And because this is partially a personal style blog - my favorite outfits from each month of 2011 (or as I like to call it: 12 months of Hanna looking goofy)

January/February

March/April

May/June

July/August

September/October

November/December

Bag Lust

It seems weird to talk about shopping right after Christmas, but given my nature, it's surprising I waited this long to think about shopping (except for the fact that I went shopping on Tuesday). One of my next purchases is going to be a nice handbag. I'm graduating college in March and the impending job search (and hopefully interviews!) makes me want to put a little splash of adult in my wardrobe. And since currently the nicest looking bag I own is an aging faux-leather purse from Target, I thought it was time I upgraded to a big-girl leather bag.

I've been eying the bags at J.Crew, but while at the insanely crowded mall earlier this week I fell in love.

I've never been a Dooney & Bourke fan before - probably since my memories of the bags are from seeing the brightly initialed versions hanging at Hecht's before it was bought out by Macy's. But this bag was quite unlike those that seemed tailor made for suburban middle school girls to carry to the mall. For one thing, it's leather was plain and instead of looking like something that would be cast away once adolescence ends. Plus, it's roomy enough to fit all the things I need to carry and the straps are long enough for me to sling over my shoulder. Perhaps it's time for me to buy myself a New Year's gift...

Dooney & Bourke Florentine The Smith Bag

Gifted

My favorite thing once Christmas has passed is definitely wearing my gifts.

Sweater: Tommy Hilfiger, Jeans: Forever 21, Shoes: Aldo, Earrings: Kate Spade

Lucky me, I got pretty much everything on my list (and then some) this year. If you recall, both the sweater and earrings above were on my plea to Santa. Both are just as perfect as I hoped they'd be. The sweater is a perfect weight for layering in the winter and staying warm in the brisk early days of spring and the initial, of course, is ideal. And as I grow up, my love for bows (which I used to wear on every field hockey and lacrosse gameday - and lots of days in between) hasn't waned, but I think these earrings are the perfect mature way to wear bows.

Unseasonable

Christmas may be only a couple days away, but it sure doesn't feel like it here in Virginia.

Shirt: H&M, Skirt: Zara, Shoes: Topshop

There's something that seems wrong about bare legs in mid-late December. Nevertheless, I'm getting ready for the holiday which yesterday meant testing out all the twinkle lights that are now adorning our tree.

A Little Bit of Sparkle

One of the things I love about the holiday season is that it gives me the chance to dress up and wear all sorts of sparkly attire. Sure, sparkles are considered everyday wear now in some iterations, but I'm not necessarily one to wear a very sparkly outfit on just a regular day. But for the holidays, I thought I'd try out some festive outfits.
Full Disclosure: Without an actual event to go to, I changed this outfit slightly for my daily wear, but had I multiple festive events to attend, this would be one of my go-to outfits.

 

Shirt: Lands' End, Sweater: J.Crew, Leggings: Hue, Shoes: Forever 21

With these super sequined leggings, I don't think I would want to go too over the top with my other articles of clothing. So I matched it with a gingham shirt and complementary sweater. With minimal jewelry (including the snowman watch my mom gave me when I got home for break) and some sky-high heels, I think I'm holiday party-ready.

Getting Carded

One of my favorite things about the holiday season is making fun holiday cards. I'm all about using paper to create little scenes. I try to avoid a lot of drawing (since I'm not that great at it) instead using sketches to cut shapes out of paper to create my images.
I made three cards in the past week for people I worked with this past year at my various internships. I tried to tailor each one a little bit to the person's interests, though mostly I just had fun and made what I thought would be cute.

For the fashion lover:

If you can't buy someone an expensive pair of shoes, why not construct them out of paper. I had so much fun trying to create a likeness to the ubiquitous Miu Miu booties

For the health/fitness aficionados

Why not espouse some healthy habits in the form of winter sports during the holiday season? I mean, I guess running isn't technically a winter sport, but I'm pretty sure it counts if a snowman is the one running the 5k.

You can probably tell, but I bought some Martha Stewart glitter last week and it's going on everything. And I don't just mean the cards, since there are pieces of it all over my room now. I'll be back at it later this week to make my family their Christmas cards and I think a few people might even get New Year's cards.

Getting into the Spirit

I can't believe that Christmas is less than a week away. Somehow it always feels like it sneaks up on me, maybe because it has been a bit warm here as of late. But I've been getting into the Christmas spirit, starting with last week when my mom and I put up the Christmas decorations. I snagged some garland for some of my pictures...

Sweater: H&M, Skirt: Zara, Tights: Target, Shoes: Aldo

There are few articles of clothing that capture the spirit of the season as well as a Fair Isle sweater, in my opinion. I was lucky enough to snag this one on a pre-finals shopping trip in Chicago and I'm looking to wear this snowflake pattern all winter long.

Wintry White

Everyone knows that rules are meant to be broken - especially style rules. One of my favorites to play around with is that whole "no white after Labor Day" thing. Sure, there's winter white, but I don't believe in seasonal whites - I believe in wearing it year round, regardless of what holiday is coming up.

Vest & Skirt: Zara, Sweater: H&M, Tights: Target, Shoes: Topshop

This skirt was one of my favorite purchases this summer, but the shape and material make it perfect for winter (it won't blow around in the wind). Of course, the color isn't ideal for all activities. While out to lunch with my best friend I had to carefully avoid spilling egg yolk on the blank canvas on my lap (not that it would be the first spill; I dropped peanut butter on it sometime in late spring). But for simply running errands or going to class, I think it'll be a perfect addition to my winter wardrobe.

Wishlisting

It's coming up on Christmas, so I thought I'd share what I'm hoping for under the tree this year.

Clockwise from top left: Anthropologie blazer, Kate Spade earrings, Tommy Hilfiger sweater, J.Crew skirt, Nine West Booties, The Visible Man by Chuck Klosterman, Tommy Hilfiger scarf

Part of my goal each Christmas is to prepare for the Chicago winter (as you may be able to tell from the wool blazer and skirt, scarf and sweater) so I ask for things that will help me stay toasty while the frosty winds try to blow me off course as I head to class. Add in a pair of booties and some bow studs and you've got a pretty cute outfit. And for those times I'm taking the shuttle instead of walking, or heading downtown on the El, hopefully I'll have a new book from my favorite author to keep me company. Not included in the image above, I also asked for a faux fur throw from Restoration Hardware - the perfect topper for my new flannel Fair Isle-print sheets.

Flighty as a Feather

I've been home for a week now and let me say, it feels great. There's nothing like having some time to do nothing. My travel last Thursday was probably the best of my life - no line at security, flight wasn't full so I had three seats to stretch out on, left on time, arrived early and my bags were already at the carousel when I got there. Perfect.

Shirt: H&M, Vest: Zara, Pants: Gap, Boots: Frye

Also perfect? Being able to go outside and not freezing. And sleeping in my own bed. And, well, everything about being home.

Finally

Now that I've recovered from finals - and gotten my grades for the quarter - I can actually think about them without going into a panic. One of my tenets of test taking is that dressing well gives you an edge. Now, it may be silly, but I feel like if I go into an exam feeling confident in how I look then some of that confidence spills over into the academic part of my brain.

Jacket & Boots: Target, Shirt: Lands' End, Skirt: H&M, Tights: Kohl's

Those smiles above? Totally fake. I was up til 2:30 that night studying for my next exam/finishing a paper. But hey, I felt really well dressed while taking my exam, and after seeing my grade for the quarter, I think it helped.

Old Habits Die Hard

My absolute favorite color combination used to be pink and green (followed closely by red, black and white). In high school it wasn't uncommon to see me in the combo - my first pair of Chucks were white with pink and green trim and argyle laces, my prom dress was a pink, green and white Lilly affair. But as I got older, my affinity for pink and green caused people to ask if I was in AKA (a well known black sorority) and after a while, I decided that maybe I should retire the colors to avoid questioning. Sometimes, though, I just have to revisit my love of the color combo.

Vest: Lilly Pulitzer, Sweater: Forever 21, Skirt: Zara, Tights: Target, Shoes: Aldo

(I apologize for photo quality - I'll have my tripod with me after winter break which should make apartment photos a little better) This sweater is becoming my go-to to wear with brightly colored skirts. I don't usually like wearing things that are so close in color to my skin tone, but I make an exception for something that goes so well in my wardrobe. I would've liked to keep the leopard on my feet all day, but I headed out to brunch with a friend and Chicagoland Decembers require boots most of the time if you don't want numb toes. Luckily, it was just the right temperature for me to wear a vest instead of a coat, so I jumped at the chance to break out my favorite hot pink winter apparel and get my pink and green on.

The Laziest Days

Between Thanksgiving and winter break, we have two weeks: reading week and finals week. The journalism school has classes during reading week, but since I only took one journalism class this quarter that met once a week on Monday mornings, by Monday afternoon of reading week I was free for a little while. Tuesday, I decided to do just about nothing, venturing outside only to get something to eat.

Jacket: Urban Outfitters, Sweater: American Eagle, Shirt & Skirt: Forever 21, Tights: We Love Colors, Socks: H&M, Boots: Ugg

On days on which I'm planning on being lazy, I'm really most concerned with being comfortable. If I have to go outside, well, I'm going outside in the most comfortable version of socially acceptable. I wore two (then) new items: a super cheap skirt from Forever 21 - which will be worn with giant sweaters this winter - and a new pair of Fair Isle socks from H&M. I'm such a sucker for Fair Isle. But when it keeps my feet nice and toasty during the Evanston winters, that's not a bad thing.