Manic Monday: The best of 2014

Where the heck has 2014 gone? The last year has been such a whirlwind - it seems like it has just sped by, but at the same time, so much has happened along the way: Jamaica, I have a God daughter, "the" walk, I met Gina in person and am also becoming great friends with Jenna, my nephew was born, I won a blogger award plus all the other St. Louis Fashion Week festivities, and somehow I have managed to keep this little blog afloat for another year. I really enjoyed recapping 2013 for you at the end of last year, and was excited to do the same for 2014. I've tried to pick just one outfit favorite of mine for every month, so here you go!

JANUARY

Original Post: "Manic Monday: Shoe Shopping Fate"

I'm not sure if this outfit is a favorite, or if it's the shoes that make me love it so much. There's really not much to it, though I will say that 2014 was the year of blazers for me. I really tried to put more effort into buying and wearing blazers, and the color and subtle pattern of this one was perfect with the black and white background.

FEBRUARY

Original Post: "Color, pattern, texture, shine"

I've always loved this outfit probably because it has everything included with it that I love - stripes, metallics, color pop. And there's just something about blacked out tights and booties that always make mini skirts my favorite in the winter.

Original Post: "Icy Cool"

OK, so I cheated and picked two for February. But I figured that this second outfit is definitely more of a segue into spring vs the previous outfit that definitely screams winter more. I still adore this outfit - I love that every piece is old but since the combination was new to me, it felt like everything was just purchased and being worn for the first time.

MARCH

Original Post: "My Beau"

Another awesome combination. This light blue portofino is still one of my favorites to date, and it pairs so beautifully with my Beau bag. This gets me excited for spring all over again!

APRIL

Original Post: "Remixed to the max"

I'm not going to lie - sometimes I really impress myself! It was genius to pair this more casually styled vest over this top and skirt to make it read like a dress. The accessories make it look dressy, but not in an overdone way. The vest will always be a wardrobe staple of mine!

MAY

Original Post: "Manic Monday: This vest"

And speaking of the vest - here it is again, and it proves its versatility with this outfit. I love how utilitarian this outfit is, but then I add in the glitter pumps and bright pink bag to keep it fun and feminine!

JUNE

Original Post: "Manic Monday: The beaded necklace"

And here's example of how new outfit pairings made me feel like each piece was fresh from the store. Blogging and pulling inspiration from others are truly great ways to push the limits with your creativity and shop your own closet in ways you would never think of before. And it's so gratifying especially since there is no money being spent in the process!

JULY

Original Post: "Red bag, white blazer, and blue jean shorts"

Another case of pinspiration here. I would have never put this together in a million years, but I've always loved how this turned out. And I also forgot how much I loved those distressed shorts and suddenly miss them incredibly!

Original Post: "Manic Monday: Tea Party"

OK, so this is technically a second outfit in July, but I couldn't not include it because the dress is perfection. The open back is stunning and I need to wear this again stat!

AUGUST

Original Post: "Things I do in Bed"

Absolutely nothing special here - just a simple pullover top, skinnies, and the chunkiest of wedges. Maybe it's the fact that my hair cooperated that day, but I've not only always favored this outfit, but I've always liked these specific photos and how the depth of field turned out -- I really pop against the background. I was using my tripod and remote to take these photos, too!

SEPTEMBER

Original Post: "Buffalo plaid: now and later"

Ahhh, once September hits, the scuba leggings come out to play! I'll need to try this outfit again, but with my leopard Sam Edelman booties instead now that it's cooler!

OCTOBER

Original Post: "The blanket scarf and Montreal - Things we ate"

I not only love the way this outfit came out, but I especially love this photo. The husband was actually on his way to a meeting, but I made him take pics of me because I knew it would be too dark by the time the work day was over. I was trying to hurry, but then he saw these steps and asked if I wanted him to take some of me there. I naturally obliged, and I think he captured the outfit very well. I also love even more the way the mirrored version looks that I posted on IG here.

NOVEMBER

Original Post: "Less is more"

Funny story about this outfit. Grace and Lace shared this outfit on their Facebook page here. Well, later that week, a coworker came up to me. I work in an office of 500 or so people, so while we all may recognize faces, we don't always know each other's names, especially if our departments never interact with one another. Long story short - a  coworker who falls into the "I know your face but not your name" category, said that she follows Grace and Lace on FB, saw my photo and was so excited when she recognized me. That was my "celebrity" moment of the year.

DECEMBER

Original Post: "Layers"

I mean, you guys knew I was going to include at least one more vest outfit in this roundup! This outfit formula is certainly one of my favorites right now and I can't wait for more layering opportunities and MORE VESTS.

Original Post: "Sequin skirt remix"

I had to end with sequins. It is the holiday season after all! I love the way this clutch pulls the whole outfit together and that my feet disappear to let the sequin skirt really shine!

____________

That's a wrap! I would love to hear if your favorites made the cut!! I do have a couple more posts to finish out the year, so I hope you'll check back again before the ball drops!

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