So after a nice weekend in DC we have of course gone back to cold, rainy, awfulness and WOW winter is a trial for my sensibilities.

I didn't realize my mid-30's was going to be the time when I no longer picked being cold over being hot - even with cool coats like this.

(I hope y'all appreciated that segue.)

I'm a little proud of myself for this coat purchase because 1) I feel cool as f*ck whenever I wear it, and 2) I actually saw it way back in the Fall and refused to even consider it at full price, but eventually stumbled back on it for 40% + 10% off. And it's carbon neutral!

Since I like to be as real with myself as possible, I'm going to say that title up there is 100% correct. Even if I tried at it I probably couldn't pull off as effortlessly cool an outfit again (though believe you me, I will try). Stumbling upon this jacket in Ralph Lauren is one of those holy grail discoveries I'm not typically known for. I'd tried so many times since watching Lizzy's Testing Basics review to find that perfect leather/faux leather jacket of my own, and it'd always been close but no cigar. I did find one for a friend though, so not a total loss.

But this jacket is just AMAZING. It is both already broken in but still structured, fitted in the shoulder but still manages to hang perfectly unzipped (I could zip it, but I probably won't). And the final reason that I couldn't walk away from it was that it was down to $200. FROM $800. It was 50% off the red price and that, folks, is why you sometimes go into stores you usually can never afford, and try on everything.

With these boots I've officially decided I'm not going to keep trying black ankle booties. I like them on everyone else, which in theory would imply I'd like them on myself, but alas. On me all I see are boots that make my legs look short and wide, which is not really what I'm going for. And it doesn't matter what I've worn with them, the color or length of the jeans, or the top. It is what it is. But does that mean I don't enjoy these relatively recent Free People purchase? Hell no, because they're comfortable and have a slightly longer base to protect the pointed tip of the boot which, by the way, is GENIUS. What this new information does do is let me know that there will be no Acne Jensen or other boots in my future, because the style doesn't make me happy enough for a real investment.

In another tale of "Dana over analyzes past purchases", we have this Eileen Fisher top. I bought it during a phase of admiration for true minimalist bloggers, in an attempt to emulate the particular type of neutral/clean lines/etc characteristics that they look for in pieces. In the end I'm not sure I was spectacularly successful. This top is comfortable, but the for the price I can't help but feel delicate with it, and I'm just waiting for the day when the armpits take on that dreaded yellow tone. And I feel like the neckline isn't as flattering as it could be, since I really only wear this top when I'm able to wear my hair down, the help frame things better. All in all I'm mostly glad that I bought it so I could experiment with the look, but the more I follow ethical/minimalist bloggers, the more I become convinced that I'm too attached to more a culturally mandated sense of "flattering" for it to actually become part of my look long term.

I'm not going to lie to you and say this outfit was TOTALLY appropriate for the weather. Maybe if I was a scarf person it'd have been a bit less chilly in the shade, but since I was comfortable walking around in the sun I just couldn't bring myself to care.

This outfit was actually inspired by a Pinterest flat lay, and it was unexpectedly just the kick in the pants I needed to think about seasonal transitioning. Instead of embracing the cold mornings and warm afternoons that DC springs actually are, I've been jumping ahead to SUMMER  and all the dresses you can imagine. Spring has its own charms that I need to remember to check into, before I reach the point of sweating every second I spend outside.