What 2 Wear When...: The North Face

Showing posts with label The North Face. Show all posts

Thursday, December 4, 2014

Putting "Sexy" Back into Winter Boots

I'm scrambling to get the fam outfitted in winter gear before things get all Buffalo, NY on us here. Everyone needs new boots, coats, snowpants and gloves. I love to shop but buying winter gear is kind of like spending money on a new water heater: necessary, but there's nothing sexy about it. Especially because I have to replace a beloved pair of boots that are most fabulous AND waterproof. Witness the ULU boot. Bedecked in rabbit fur, these beauties have kept my feet warm, fashionable and dry for the last 10 years.

Image from sierratradingpost.com.

And alas, the ULU brand is no more. Boo!

So the hunt has begun in earnest. The staging area is stacked high with incoming/outgoing boxes from Zappos and Nordstrom and North Face. Auditions for replacements are in full swing.

Sorel and L.L.Bean have the traditional rubber duck boot style that is all the rage. They look pretty cool, but I found them to be clunky, heavy, and frankly, the laces a pain to deal with. I want to pull on and go. Rubber conducts cold, so I'm fearful my feet will be unhappy come January. Back to Zappos for you!

North Face has a kind of cute waterproof boot detailed with faux fur (the faux looks really faux) and shiny quilted detail adds some sass. They are comfortable and lightweight. A contender. Don't pack it up yet.

Next up is the Kamik Luxembourg boot. Okay, now you've got my attention.

Image from zappos.com.

Kind of good looking, right? They are light as a feather with a thick grooved sole that will provide traction and warmth in slippery conditions. The upper is quilted and waterproof. The come in black, gray, white and burgundy. I think we have a winner! I am however, open to any and all suggestions until the first snowfall. If you have a favorite pair to share, give us a shout out! ~ LB

W2WW Waterproof Boots

Kamik wedge ankle boots / Keen Footwear holiday shoes, $155 / SOREL arch support shoes / Shearling lined boots / SOREL lace up snow boots / The North Face black slip on boots / Kamik LUXEMBOURG Winter boots, $110 / Kamik LUXEMBOURG Winter boots, $135

Thursday, January 3, 2013

...you need a winter hat.

Yes, it's January and so it's a little late to be tackling this topic. Nonetheless, here I am, January 2nd, and I need a new winter hat to go along with my Post Card coat. Just an everyday hat that's cool. I realized at school pick-up today that I've been wearing my North Face Cable Fish Beanie hat for way too long. If you know me, you're sick of looking at it. And, quite frankly, it's been to the gym, spinning, apres ski, the stable, etc. In other words, it's seen better days. Oh, and this other mom had an AH-MA-ZING hat on and I was jealous. There. I said it.

So, while I was sitting at afternoon-kid-activity-number-1, I started trolling online sites on my phone and not only got an education, but found some interesting hats out there.

First, the education. On Nordstrom's site, I could choose from 'beanie', 'cloche', 'fedora', 'cap', and 'wide brim'. Instinctively, I knew I wanted a 'beanie', but needed to know what 'cloche' was. They are small-brimmed hats, sometimes very elegant. See below.

Image from nordstrom.com.

Enough with education; back to shopping for a 'beanie'. They had plenty of choices, ranging from $20 to $130. With free shipping and free returns, I had to order a couple. Here are the ones that will be stopping over for examination. First up, a Missoni. Really, I couldn't resist. You KNOW it's super soft angora.

Image from nordstrom.com.

Marc by Marc Jacobs had a cute, polka dot and striped cap that I want to try out as well. A little flare with this one.

Image from nordstrom.com.

This Michael by Michael Kors one is something simple with it's cheetah print. I think I ordered the last one they had online!

Image from nordstrom.com.

I was also looking for something a little off-the-beaten-path. Something a little inspired. At this point, I was home and instead of cooking dinner, I was surfing around net-a-porter.com and shopbop.com to see what they had. It was on net-a-porter that I noticed Eugenia Kim hats for the first time. (After more research, I found that she attended Parsons, won a CFDA award for accessories design in 2004, and her millinery work can be found/purchased everywhere from Bergdorf to Barneys. I know, more education! Read about her here.) Not cheap, but certainly different and cute. While pompoms look ridiculous on me, I love this hat!

Image from net-a-porter.com

Net-a-porter was also featuring the Marc by Marc Jacobs one above, so I knew I was in good company.

A trip over to shopbop.com featured MORE Eugenia Kim hats and I loved these in particular. Both are fabulous, and I'm hoping to sample one or the other. Probably the first one. Grrr.

Images from shopbop.com.

In short, there's a whole world of winter hats and I have only scratched the surface. If you have any great hats I need to know about, please let me know! I'm on the hunt! ~ JH

Thursday, June 7, 2012

...you have a dinner right after attending kids' sports games.

This is a problem that was brought up to me at a 3rd grade girls' softball game. One of the moms was saying how she was heading directly to a dinner from the game, and had a tough time coming up with what to wear for both sitting in a field AND dining at a nice restaurant immediately after. (Personally, I thought she did a fine job in picking her outfit.) If you are like me, you want to look cute for both occasions but also appropriately dressed.

If you have the right items in your closet, this shouldn't be too difficult. Here are a couple of key ingredients you should have to pull this off.

Ingredient number 1, a chair. Whatever you choose to wear, you shouldn't be dependent on a picnic table or bench. It might be wet, covered in pollen, and you should sit on something clean. Please invest $11.99 in one of these.

Image from dickssporttinggoods.com.

Ingredient number 2, pants. I think it's important to have long pants on for this scenario, either jeans or trousers, if the weather permits. They will protect you from bugs and therefore you can avoid the 'eau de Off' smell later at dinner. Jeans are fine if appropriate at the restaurant. If you need to be dressier, I recommend looking into a darker-colored ponte knit pant. This type of pant will not wrinkle and is completely comfortable to hang around in. Either my $75 pair of Michael Kors pants will do, or these Tibi ones look great.

Image from tibi.com.

I like the idea of the pants being a little cropped too and here's why - you shouldn't wear your 'dinner shoes' to the field. Stick on a pair of ballet flats, sneakers, or rain shoes if you need to for trekking across a field, and have your 'dinner shoes' in the car for after the game. A pant that is hemmed for heels is too tricky to wear for the game, so pass on those.

Ingredient number 3, layers. On top, you'll have to layer a bit, again depending on the weather. Start off with a top that doesn't wrinkle too much. Silk jersey is good for this, and a poly/cotton blend will be the most resistant to wrinkles. Something that you are excited to wear for dinner. Diane von Furstenberg makes great tops for dining out, and this would look great with cropped, black pants.

Image from bloomingdales.com.

If it's cooler out, layer on a cute jacket or trench. Again, this jacket doesn't have to be for dinner; you can ditch it in the car (along with your 'game shoes') on the way to the restaurant. Jackets can range from cute 'activewear' jackets like this North Face one...

Image from nordstrom.com.

...to a classic shortertrench, like this one from Comptoir des Cotonniers.

Image from comptoirdescotonniers.com.

Ingredient number 4, the secret weapons in your car. In addition to your shoes and jacket that will need to be changed, these items should be in your car for the 'transformation' en route to dinner:

Change of shoes.
Change of outerwear to a blazer, if needed.
Clutch - move essentials from purse to clutch.
Change of jewelry - add necklace, stacked bracelets, and/or earrings.
Perfume sample - a spritz will do wonders
Lipstick or gloss, and any other makeup you'd want to apply to freshen up. I usually just powder my face to get rid of shine and reapply lip gloss.

And voila, you are ready to see and be seen. I put together another 'set' on Polyvore (yes, I'm addicted, can you tell?!) showing both 'at game' and 'at dinner' looks using the same base items. Hope it inspires, and please keep the questions coming. We love it. ~ JH