The Winter Accessory at the Top of My Winter List….

Happy Monday loves, I can finally say that I am feeling normal after a much needed weekend of rest and relaxation (and a quick photo shoot). The things we do as bloggers but only because my husband would be gone for two weeks for work and I needed to get some looks in before he left. I promise after that I was in all weekend getting better from this cold that just wouldn’t go away for the longest.

Lately on  A Styled Love Affair, I have been giving my key pieces to a winter wardrobe must have. Now not all these pieces have to be placed together but are great because they can be used interchangeably together or alone. So you ask what is my must winter wardrobe accessory this season that I can’t get enough of and even Rachel Zoe is saying is the it accessory and doesn’t seem to be going away (read here) Faux Fur. It is everywhere these days from shoes, coats, purses, but my favorite way to bring into my wardrobe is a Faux Fur Stole. Many people thought this was a jacket which is so great about this accessory it almost tricks the eye BUT besides that keeps you warm and looking extra chic don’t you agree. I decided to pair my new faux fur stole from Zara with my new sweater coat and they just work so well together. If you don’t want to pair with a sweater coat pair over your shoulders instead of a coat (probably not for winter) or add to your leather or pea coat jacket to change up the look. This is the perfect accessory to change up the same jacket or coat with a little change.

How would you or do you wear your Faux Fur stole?

Loves I hope everyone has a lovely Monday, this feels like its going to be a long week but let’s get through it together. Hope everyone has a lovely day.

Thank you so much for following or just reading along

 

Madewell Sweater Coat – (love & love)

Zara Fur Stole – (love & love)

Anthropologie Hat – (love & love)

Banana Republic booties – (love & love)

XOXO

Nicole

The Winter Staple Piece You Need…..

Hello Loves, I am currently trying to get back into the routine of work starting again but I believe I am like most and could use another week. It’s funny how I do love a routine but yet when it starts again I am never ready for it, I really allowed myself to recharge this time during my Holiday break and so thankful for that since I really needed it.

We of course know all our winter basic needs when bundling up before we head out the door Coat, scarf, gloves & hat. Living in the Northeast as I do these are vital accessories that are needed for every winter. Which I know many will agree. Yet it doesn’t always seem to enough during those very frigid cold winter days. That’s why for me my winter basic staple must is the “turtleneck”. Whether a turtleneck top or turtleneck sweater it’s a winter basic staple I can’t seem to love without these days. Which is so funny because years ago I wouldn’t go near them and now I can’t seem to fill my closets enough with turtlenecks. What is so great is that you can mix and match them in so many different ways from casual to dressy or from work to play. Want to wear that jumper or summer dress a added turtleneck allows you to bring those pieces back to life in the winter season.

My favorite go to Turtleneck lately has been this Banana Republic beauty which I scored on major sale (and is still on sale) and has been my outfit repeater for the past few weekends. It is super comfortable and so soft, it literally pairs well with every piece in my closet from jeans, skirts and even pants. I decided to pair it with my favorite casual pieces (all linked below). This is my perfect weekend go to look that is both casual and chic for the girl on the go.

Loves I hope everyone has a wonderful day, lets make it another great one.

Thank you so much for following or just reading along

Banana Republic Turtleneck – sold out (love & love)

Madewell Denim Jeans (love & love)

Zara Boots – old (love & love)

Nordstrom BlankNYC Leather jacket

Banana Republic sunnies-old (love & love)

XOXO

Nicole

Club Monaco – Gold Skirt

Well here it is another year has gone by (see ya later 2016) and a new chapter begins (HELLO 2017). It still just seems so crazy to me that another year is upon us and with that comes so much opportunity and so many great new memories. In 2016 I learned a lot about myself and a what I want for both my personal and professional life. I really want to write the newest chapter in my book for 2017 and make it the best year yet both for myself and for my blog. This blog has been such a outlet for me whether it is a long day of work or a bad week, I find so much comfort and joy sharing myself and my adventures. Someone like myself who is very shy, this year has been a total jump for me with my blog. I am getting more comfortable with myself and gaining more confidence each day but with that said I want to continue to grow myself and A Styled Love Affair. So 2017 will be seeing some changes which are all great.

Resolutions for 2017:

1. Style Make over – A Styled Love Affair. Since having my blog I have kept with just having the generic WordPress platform rather than updating this beauty and bringing out the potential it has by updating it to a actual full fledge website. We all need a makeover in life whether it be personal, career, lifestyle and for me this will be my 2017 makeover. If anyone has any recommendations would love the suggestions.

2.New Content. As many bloggers know it is easy to get into a blogger rut which I can get into a lot trying to figure out ideas of what to write. Since I like to keep my readers engaged I usually write 3x a week but it is usually the same content of myself and my outfits. Since I am looking to get my blog a makeover so does the content I contribute to my readers. I would love to share more How-to’s, beauty posts, My Favorites of the week etc. There are so many possibilities and I want to bring that to A Styled Love Affair

3.Blogger Meet-ups. As I have mentioned I am very shy and tend to stay behind the screen more than most I think. This is my year to quit that habit of being so shy and getting to meet some amazing blogger babes. I would like to make more connections with people that love to do the same passion as me. I do tend to get nervous to reach out to other bloggers since I don’t want to seem creepy but I am actual very genuine in trying to connect.

4.Go For It.  With this New Year and new possibilities I want to make new opportunities with A Styled Love Affair. I want to go for new opportunities with Blogger Collaborations, Style Collaborations, maybe add some styling refreshes to readers who might want a closet refresh and really expanding into vlogging. Now I know that vlogging can be very tricky but I want to dip my hand in it all this year. Mark and myself have been playing with the idea of trying this out and I want to make that jump and go for it. What is the harm of trying you just keep working at it and make it better over time.

5. Get Behind the camera. Mark 100% of the time is taking the photos of me which is super helpful and so sweet of him (especially those early morning wake up calls) but I want to start to learn more about photography and enjoy it as much as my husband does. Lately we have been trying to take out both cameras so I can start to get better at handling the camera and learn how to shoot.  Photography is such a intricate and delicate world that I want to learn, yes it will be a lot of hits and misses but I want to know what I am doing to and what my husband does behind the camera. I am looking forward to getting to know more about this craft.

Personal Goals

1. Love & Family. Mark and I do spend a lot of time together yes but much of that time I am on my phone trying to update all of you of my latest outfit post or latest adventure. I would love to make more time for him and my family while balancing my blog life too. I am not sure how to balance this but I want to find a way without it always having to be about social media or blog posting. While I do love my blog and this passion I don’t want to forget about my loved ones who need the love too.

2.Lifestyle. I am a active person and work out every morning at least 4-5x a week (if you haven’t seen on my insta stories) but that is the only time I can get my workout in because I work late a lot of the times and after work I am so pooped and/or need to work on my blog. With that being said I want to make time to really find some newness into my workout whether it be a new class or activity (I love kickboxing) or if that means getting out more during my work day just to take a quick walk around the block to get some fresh air and just get some me time. With that healthy lifestyle also comes eating well, which my friends will make fun we eat to well (except weekends are the worst). With the holidays I got off the healthy eating kick and was eating out a lot but I want to get on the wagon of eating well not just during the week but also more healthy on the weekends while keeping active.

3. Get out and Explore. Many of the times when Mark and I go out it is mostly for photos and that is it. We never just explore and with the temps going lower and lower it gets hard to want to get outside but we have decided to change that and get out and explore. We live in such a great city and live by the most beautiful city in the world with so many nocks to discover we are just letting it go by the wayside. I want to get out there and explore where I live and also get my hands on photographing other images other than just myself.

4.Travel. This is always one of my resolutions which I like to make every year no matter what. Travel does not always have to include a trip to a big overseas destination or a white sand beach, it can include a day trip to a new town or a train ride to another city. With the coming of the new year I have some big and small plans for travel with the hubby and possibly a family trip (my mother would like to take us on a big family trip this year looking forward to planning this if it does happen). My bucket list has surely grown a lot over the years and I hope to cross a lot of those destinations little or big can get crossed off this year. : )

My list of resolutions could go on & on & on really and they will come as the year comes along and I can’t wait to just jump head first and go with these new resolutions as they come.

As we know the Holiday celebrations and sparkle of the New Year’s celebrations are over but that doesn’t mean that we have to fade out of that shine all together LOL. Which is why I am bringing the shine today on this first Monday of the New Year in this amazing Club Monaco beauty. I am so into pleated midi skirts whether warm or cold I can’t get enough of them. One since they are so easy to go from day to night or work to play with a touch of different accessories or pieces and Two they are such a classic piece that are great paired with just about anything a sweater, t-shirt or blouse. Since I just wanted to add a dab of shine and not go overboard, I paired this gold pleated beauty with a simple gray turtleneck (which can I say every girl should own every neutral color in a turtleneck lifesaver) and my favorite leather jacket its been a outfit repeater a lot these past few months but I can’t get enough.

Loves Happy First Monday of the New Year whether you are home enjoying the last day or few days of your Holiday I hope its with the ones you love.

Let’s make this year great, what are some of your resolutions for the new year?

Thank you so much for following or just reading along

Club Monaco Gold Skirt (love & love)

H&M Turtleneck -old (love & love)

Nordstrom BlankNYC leather jacket

Strappy Heels -old (love & love)

XOXO

Nicole

It’s Beginning to look a lot like Christmas….

 

The most wonderful day of the year is finally upon us, Christmas day and I could not be more excited. Santa has delivered all his presents to all those wonderful children who have been good this year and adults of course too : )  Even as an adult I get excited for Christmas day and opening presents feeling like a kid again (I know that most of you can agree with me.) but that is not why I am thankful this Christmas. This year we have so much to be thankful for and I could not express how blessed I am for this life. This year marked our 1 year anniversary or marriage which I believe is a great milestone, we experienced hardships which have made us stronger and have really tested us good and bad and this year has shown us how truly great life can be and to be so thankful because you can’t predict what each day may bring. As I right this post and see what I have been blessed with I can say that my life is truly full and I can’t wait to make it even fuller this coming year.

Mark and myself started our own Christmas tradition when we moved in together 4 years ago where we have our own mini Christmas at home before we head out for the day to visit our families. We get up extra early to give our presents to each other, Mark is so cute he has a actual number system that he knows exactly which gift he is giving to me which I think is so cute. Whereas I just go with the wind and give away lol. I truly love our little tradition we have made for ourselves, just the two of us in our little moment together before the day gets away with us.

This Christmas I am going for the classic rocker chic look to change things up from the normal. I found this gorgeous pleated Club Monaco skirt while doing my Cyber Monday shopping and so glad I did. The color, length and pleats are perfection rolled into one and give me a pleated maxi and I am one happy lady. I paired this skirt with my favorite button down bow tie top from Banana Republic which I love to wear all the time around the Holiday season because it goes with just about everything. To bring out my rocker chic I have added my go to leather jacket (which has been on repeat a lot this past season) from Nordstrom to complete my look. I swear this jacket goes with everything and I have gotten so many compliments on it (linked below) it was my best purchase. Now just add that red lip and we are good to go for Christmas dinner with the fam.

 Loves I hope everyone has a wonderful and blessed Christmas and you are spending this Holiday with the ones you love.

Thank you so much for following or just reading along

Club Monaco Skirt (love & love)

Banana Republic Bow tie top-old (love & love)

Nordstrom BlankNYC leather jacket (love & love)

Banana Republic heels-old (love & love)

XOXO

Nicole

 

New Year’s Shine…..

Taking a little break from all the Holiday chatter BUT bringing out a fun New Year’s Eve look that surely will turn heads. I swear every time the New Year comes around, I am the one running around the mall like a frantic person trying to figure out my look for the night (have you happened to notice from my last few posts I am the worst procrastinator lol). This year I have vowed to get my look ready way in advanced to bring in the New Year. I feel that with New Year’s there is a unwritten rule that the more bling the better and that no New Year celebration is complete without a little or a lot of shine.

On New Year’s I feel as if there are no holds bar as to how far you want to bling out your look. You can be more classic with a simple black pencil skirt or want to be that sexy vixen make it a plunging neckline sequin dress and if that is to much you can bring in a fun accessory such as a great sequin clutch or earrings or vamp up those feet with some fun bling to dance the night away. I tend to sway towards the classic yet very fun side when it comes to my New Year’s Eve style (except this year I might just change it up). For a fun classic look I love a great midi skirt with a little bit of shine, which is why I am in love with this Tulle Asos sequined beaut, she is sure to be a stunner and turn a lot of heads. It is the perfect amount of shine and tulle that is not overwhelming. I love how the sequins cascade down the skirt which will give off enough shine to make you sparkle extra bright through out the night. To finish off my look I paired it with a simple velvet top that always the skirt to have all its sparkly glory.

Happy Wednesday loves, I hope everyone is having a great week and getting wrap to wrap up the week and go enjoy the holiday festivities with family. What are everyone’s plans to ring in the New Year?

Thank you for following or just reading along

ASOS Skirt (love, love, & love)

Zara Velvet top (love & love)

ASOS Silver Heels (love & love)

XOXO

Nicole

LBD for the Holiday’s

It’s the final countdown to Christmas and I couldn’t be more excited, it really is my most  favorite holiday of the year. Besides all the hecticness that seems to follow (especially with the procrastinator in me) I can say that at this point in my life I am so grateful and so blessed. My most biggest blessing is being able to celebrate with my family on Christmas especially my husband Mark. This will be our sixth Christmas together and I am going to get a little personal but me and the hubs are planning on making this our final Christmas as two (and no not pregnant yet) but this year we are hoping to add to the pack.

 This Holiday season has for sure had it’s many celebrations with both friends and families.  Of course with every party or dinner you want to dress it up differently correct? The golden rule that every girl has learned is that you can never go wrong with a great LBD, they can be timeless, classic and super chic that you can wear all season long. Going into the Holiday season a great LBD is the perfect go to especially if you have multiple parties because it is easy to change up with shoes or a cute clutch. This polka dot ASOS LBD dress is going to my perfect look for the remainder of the Holiday season. It is super adorable from head to toe, from the polka dot mesh to the peplum hem. This beauty has a touch of classic sophistication that will turn heads and get so many compliments. It is the perfect dress for a Holiday office party or dinner party. Pair with a great pair of fun pumps and a red lip and you are ready to have a great time at the Christmas party.

 Loves I hope everyone had a great weekend and has a great Monday, my weekend was surely packed with lots of running around and plenty of last minute shopping. I hope everyone is just as excited as me for all the Christmas celebrations to come, does anyone have any great plans?

Thank you so much for following or just reading along

ASOS dress – sold out (love, love, love & love)

Banana Republic heels – old (similar here & here)

XOXO

Nicole

 

Holiday’s in Red & Sparkle

The Holiday season is in full swing and I am so excited for the final two week countdown till Christmas (and I have loads to do especially shopping which for me right now is not my favorite especially when its down to the finish line and everyone is doing the exact same thing). Fun fact though and really great for last minute shoppers if possible go to the mall right when it opens OMG whole new world no lines, no shoppers and the best retail help and you can get shopping done in a snap if there is a plan in place lol.

On to the real story at hand, the Christmas color that never goes out of style for the Holiday’s RED and how I love a great pop of red color for the season. When Christmas season is in full affect I love to purchase a new red dress or skirt (or both lol) because I know that they come so in handy for Christmas dinners, parties, nights out etc. This ASOS beauty is the perfect piece to add to any Holiday wardrobe and with a touch of lace you are sure to make a statement. This piece screamed at me to purchase it and I am so happy that I did. It was instant love at first sight. The lacing details all over are just so delicate and pretty make the dress so classic looking and I love a great cinched in waist to extenuate the silhouette. I really like how the lining was not used on the sleeves to give it a little touch of sexy. To finish my look it could not be done without a great pair of sparkly shoes to add some shine. These bow tie beauties are also from ASOS and literally complete the look. The bow tie touch just simply adorable, I want to wear these all the time they are so cute.

Now most would shy away from so much red in one piece but there are so many ways to add that touch of the Holidays to any piece such as:

1. Handbag or clutch. Great way to add some fun to any look without it being to over bearing.
2. Shoes. Who doesn’t love a great pair of red stunners helping you strut your stuff. The best thing is they can be worn even after the Holiday season is over.
3. Jewelry. I am not a huge jewelry wearer but a great pair of earrings or bracelet can really bring out a outfit especially with some added shine.

 

 

ASOS Dress (love, love & love)

ASOS Heels (love, love & love)

Chunky Knits & Floral Pleats

So as the saying usually goes Rain Rain Go Away, yea us New Yorkers I am sure are saying all together Cold Cold Go Away. I am so not ready for the chilly temps to roll on in but I guess we had it so good this season with Fall extending itself.

With the cold temps I can say my favorite part are for sure the vast varieties of sweaters, fun coats and even adorable winter accessories. So there are positives that do come with the cold : )

When it comes to sweaters the bigger the chunkier the better because when it is cold you need that extra comfort and being cozy to stay warm on those extra cold days. I swear every fall and winter season those are my first purchases that I love to stock up on because I know they certainly will come in handy (and no stone unturned). On the hunt for a new chunky sweater to add to my assortment came this amazing beauty from H&M (OMG in love and ha been on several repeats this past season). I really can’t get enough of this great sweater which has kept my very warm with the cold temps creeping in lately. This chunky knit sweater literally goes with everything jeans, skirts, over dresses endless opportunities.

I knew exactly how I wanted to pair her (of course insert adorable pleated skirt my fav). This pleated skirt is also from H&M (linked below & currently on sale) and is the perfect combination to go with this amazing knit sweater. I love the floral print that is scattered all over the skirt and isn’t to overwhelming and the color is certainly also my favorite. It’s the perfect piece to keep the look super casual and of course to keep me super warm on top.

Happy Monday loves and I hope everyone had a superb weekend mine for sure was very casual and laid back which is exactly what I needed after a very long work week. And currently I am freaking out that there is less than two weeks till Christmas and my shopping has not even started.

Thank you so much for following for just reading along

H&M floral skirt (love & love)

H&M Chunky Sweater (love & love)

Nordstrom Leather Jacket – BlankNYC

Banana Republic Heels – old (similar here & here)

XOXO

Nicole

Holiday’s in Pink Velvet

Happy Wednesday loves, I couldn’t be more happier because today on A Styled Love Affair I am sharing my first Holiday look and super thrilled. I love when the Holiday season rolls around (not so much the cold chilly weather but hey hot chocolate helps 🙂 The Holiday’s are a very special time (at least for me) I almost feel that it brings out such a essence its literally intoxicating.

Now the usual Holiday wardrobe usually consists of something Red or Green, which I love both colors but sometimes you want to change up the rules and do something different from the norm colors. Last season I wore a blue jumpsuit (seen here) and it was quite a hit around the Holidays and I thought to myself who would have known such a different color would be a great hit. Which got me thinking this year of how to change up my Holiday color hue again. I still wanted to go with something feminine and chic AND it hit me when I discovered this adorable Pink Velvet Anthropologie number (linked below) that this would be my new hue for the Holiday season (don’t worry I have a red holiday look). This beautifully pleated velvet skirt was such a stunner when I saw it in stores I knew that I wanted to make this one of my Holiday looks. My husband at first thought Pink for a Holiday color but when the look came together (and of course the wreaths in the background helped) he saw it all come together. Pink is such a great color for the Christmas season and since it is also within the red color family but on a lighter side, a great Pink piece can bring out that touch of classy and chic. Pair your pink piece with a simple neutral and a touch of shine you are ready for any Holiday party.

I have to say do not be afraid to try different colors for the Holiday’s you will be very surprised.

Loves I hope you enjoyed my First Holiday look for the season. Have wonderful and splendid day : )

Thank you for following or just reading along

Sweater – old (love & love & love)

Anthropologie Suede Skirt (love & love)

Banana Republic heels – old (love & love)

XOXO

Nicole

Leopard is the new Black

Happy Friday loves, I seriously still can not believe that it is already December. I have literally gotten about 5 out of the like 20 or so gifts I need to get (let’s just stay I did to much Black Friday shopping on myself) no Bueno lol. Like I see it there is still time and hey who isn’t a procrastinator at shopping around Christmas? I bet I am probably not the only one.

When it comes to basics every girl needs a great black pencil skirt in their wardrobe, whether it be for work or just a casual day. It is certainly a must in the closet BUT I feel like the basic black skirt needs a little update at times. Which is why I think that the Leopard print is the perfect update to the basic black skirt. I love a great Leopard skirt and this one from Jcrew is a great way to make Leopard the new black. I mean how cute is this skirt, perfect length, bow tie front and I love that the print looks so authentic and not to chees or over done. With the Holidays here the leopard print is a perfect fun addition to any closet.

There are so many different ways to style your leopard print this season:

1. Skirt it up. You can do how I have and add neutral pieces to allow your print to stand out. Or for the Holidays add a fun Red or Green Sweater with a touch of gold heels and you are office party ready.

2.Go Bold with a all over Leopard Print Coat. This season I feel like it is all the rage to have a leopard print coat. They are super chic, whether trying to dress up your jeans or go for a all slick look in all black. You are going to paint the town.

3. Leopard shoes for the girl on the go. Now we can’t forget about this important accessory. They’re perfect for pairing with simple separates for an everyday outfit, or printed pieces for a high-impact look.

4. Bags & Accessories. Endless possibilities to style your leopard print accessories to your outfit. Need to update your basic neutral look a great leopard clutch or scarf is the perfect addition to add a pop of fun to your look.

 Loves I hope you have a wonderful Friday and amazing weekend. Now its time to go get ready for a Ugly Sweater party (aka DYI sweater fun)

Thank you for following or just reading along

Jcrew Leopard Skirt (love & love)

Ribbed Knit Top – Ann Taylor (here & here)

Banana Republic Denim Jacket-old (love & love)

Banana Republic Heels-old (love & love)

XOXO

Nicole