The puffy coat

Outfit details--- Sunnies: Vince Camuto | Jacket: Bernardo (sold out) (other great options on sale here, here, here, swooning over this here) | Scarf: Fashion Lane (similar, similar) | Sequin sweater: DVF (old) (options here and not as sequin-y here) | Gingham Top: JCrew Factory (exact here) | Bottoms: American Eagle | Boots: Sorel Tivoli II (current colors here and here) ---

This weekend, we got hit with ice harder than we got hit with the snow, and ice is when it gets scary! Luckily, the husband was traveling on Friday and for some reason, I offered to drive him to and from the airport for that trip (normally, he just drives himself.) It's a good thing I did because originally, he wasn't supposed to be home until the normal workday was over at 5pm. Since Minneapolis was getting ready for a big winter storm, he thought he should get on the standby list for the earlier flight just in case. He was able to get on that flight with no issues, bringing him back home to St. Louis at 2:30pm, and us safe and sound in our house by 3:30pm. That's basically when all the madness ensued. Freezing rain left hundreds of cars stranded overnight and according to the local police, there were over 1,000 911 calls for accidents. Had I not offered to drive him, I would have been caught in all of that coming home from work at my normal time. SO THANKFUL, to say the least.

Fall and winter are my favorite seasons to dress! I love when an outfit has so many interesting details to look at and that's why I love layers. Plus, it helps break up the cold, dreary, monotony of the sweater/leggings/boots combo. Not that there is anything wrong with that combo! I love spaghetti, but I might not want to eat it every day. But if you added in mushrooms or meatballs, switched to a cream sauce, or heck, even swapped the noodles for some penne, I wouldn't get so sick of it as fast! You get my point about layering?

I scored this coat for a whopping $70 off thanks to the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale. I wasn't about to model this for you outside in the summer months, so I'm happy to finally get some proper photos of it for the blog! It's perfectly casual, the fit is not as bulky as you would think for a puffy coat, and even though it is packable and shrinks down to a tiny bag, it is so warm! I also have a vest by Bernardo (similar here), and now that I'm 2 for 2 with this brand, they're definitely getting a loyal customer out of me! Shopping ahead for fall and winter is often a gamble to do in the summer, but seeing that this exact coat is now sold out and its counterparts, though on sale, are still more expensive than what I paid for mine,  tells me I made the right life choice!

Bracelets: Charmed Stacks (see better photo here) (similar options here, here, here) | Ring: Kendra Scott "Naomi" (current colors here) | Polish: Essie "Double Breasted Jacket" (gifted from Noelle)

I know there is a select handful of you out there who haven't been hit with this cold weather, and while I'm not so jealous of you yet, I know I will be come February. I might complain about the cold, but December is the one time of year when I welcome snow and frigid temps! It makes Christmas feel more like Christmas when I'm freezing! And nothing beats waking up in the morning and seeing a fresh, first snow on the ground! There are seriously not many things as beautiful as that! So, while I'm wishing for my white Christmas at the moment, I'm sure I will be eating those words when all the layers start losing their appeal! 

If you are here to link up, please note that Hello Monday will be taking a break after today for the holidays! I still plan to be blogging from now until the end of the year, but the link up itself will be on a brief hiatus! Hello Monday will be back with a vengeance on January 9th! 

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