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

Anthropologie Tiered Skirt & Five Fun Facts about Me….

 

Happy Friday Loves, the first week of the New Year and its not how intended it to go at all to be honest. I have been sick as a dog since Tuesday and have been fighting this cold that just seems to keep creeping back every month which is no fun at all BUT I am not going to let it get my spirit down and I am going to keep with my post and power on. No cold or flu will stop this lady on a mission.

With the start of the New Year, I  really want my readers to know who they are following and reading about behind the lens. In the end I want to be connected to my readers and my readers connected to me and not just through clothing but on a more personal level as well. I have made it resolution to connect more with my readers and other blogger boss babes this year.

So here it goes Five Facts about me:

1. I am born and raised NJ gal but definitely not your typical jersey girl. I grew up in Summit, NJ about half hour drive from NYC. I lived with my mom at home till I was about 26 when I moved out with my Boyfriend (now husband).

2.I just recently turned 33 this past summer, I am a summer baby (but yet I love Fall over all the season especially my own). With that being said I am a Cancer gal, which means family is everything (very true they are my life and I love them), I am super sensitive (yes yes and yes ask my husband and any friend), I wear my heart on my sleeve and very loyal to everyone in my life.

3.If you haven’t noticed in my posts, I work in Fashion and have worked in the industry for almost 8 years. I work for Banana Republic as a Denim Product Development Manager, sounds confusion but very it’s been my passion since I learned about it when I first started in the industry. Basically we are the middle man between Design & when our products go out for bulk into the market. We are the in between to help streamline the process but it can be very fun because you see the process from beginning to end which I love.

4.My husband and I have been together this coming year will be 6 years and we have been married this coming April 2 years. We met at a bar (longest story every) but we had a double date that didn’t go well, I mean the worst double date ever of life. So we didn’t talk after that for about a week and then I contacted him because I was annoyed he didn’t call me back. We finally went on our solo date and we talked till almost 2 am and it was all history from there.

5.I am the middle child of 5 kids, 4 girls and 1 boy (he actually survived unscathed). I loved having such a big family because always someone to rely on or lean on for help. My older brother and sister are 1 year and a day apart and my two younger sisters are 1 year and 5 days apart and I am smack in the middle. Which was hard at first because the older kids were cooler and wouldn’t let me play with them (but my brother let me tag along). If you see me and him we are basically spitting images of each just a guy and girl version lol. Even though I have so many siblings, I really only want to have two kids (I would love twins). This will be the year that me and Mark are going to start trying for our own little bundle of joy.

So that is a little about this gal but I will be sharing more each week, now I want to hear from all of you and tell me few fun facts about yourself. : )

Another great fact about me I love a great skirt, mostly midi or maxi (short I get weary because I am not a huge fan of my legs even though my husband loves them and says I should show them more). This Anthropologie tiered beauty is on my top favorite list and how could you not love it. From the beautiful floral print to the tiered structure it is just to pretty. I have received so many compliments on this skirt (work & street compliments). I wanted my skirt to stick out so I paired with some of my favorite neutral pieces especially this suede moto jacket that I can’t take off even in the most frigid of weather. Now with the cooler weather you can pair this piece with a sweater top to keep yourself extra warm.

Loves I hoped you liked this post and learning a few fun facts about me, I did really like sharing some insight and who I am with you all.

I hope you all have a wonderful Friday and a great weekend.

Thank you for following or just reading along

Anthropologie Tiered Skirt – (love & love & love)

Sweater – old (love & love)

Nordstrom Suede Jacket (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

Favorite Posts of 2016….

 The last two official days of 2016 and I am still pinching myself wondering where has another year gone BUT I know that I say that same phrase every year to be honest. With 2016 coming to a end there are so many memories and life experiences both good and bad that have made this a year that to be honest I will never forget and I would not change them for anything. From Mark and I celebrating our 1st year of marriage, new jobs, birthdays, new friends, and all the ups and downs in between it has been another year for the books which I was so happy to write this chapter and glad to put it away and start another 365 day chapter book with new experiences and memories.

Since the New Year is almost about to arrive I have decided to bring back some of my favorite looks & moments of the past year for everyone today. Now I couldn’t choose just 12 and added a couple extra. Hope you guys enjoy it : )

January 2016 – Pretty in Pink

February – A Styled Love Affair Turns 1

March 2016 – Spring has Sprung

April 2016 – Savannah

June 2016 – The Trip of a Lifetime – Greece

July 2016 – Bursting with Florals

August 2016 –  Polka Dots

September 2016 – First NYFW

October 2016 – Who What Wear Collection

October 2016 – LWD

November 2016 – Playing with Layers

December 2016 – Red & Sparkle

Loves I hope you enjoyed my favorite moment & looks from 2016 because they are surely my favorite moments and adventures that I will cherish for a long time.

I hope everyone has a wonderful and amazing New Year and are celebrating with the ones you love. Let’s make this New Year another great one : )

Thank you so much for following or just reading along

XOXO

Nicole

New Year’s Eve……Red Velvet

How are we down to the final countdown to the New Year? It feels like just yesterday celebrating and ringing in the New Year, I mean where did the time go? But doesn’t it go the same way every year we ask ourselves where has the year gone but in the end we should be so grateful for another great year. Regardless of how fast this year has gone it has surely been such a great year with great new memories that I could never replace and so happy that I was able to experience. Mark and myself were walking the other day and I asked the him the question we all ask ourselves or each other “What do you want for yourself in the New Year” and I really liked his answer. To be happy (and of course to be prosperous, healthy and of course the list goes on) but I couldn’t get off how he started off with Happiness. I feel like we should all be a little more happy because we always want more and see the others on social media and wish we could have what they have or need. In the end when you look around and see what you personally have could fill you with so much happiness and when I look around myself my life is filled with so much happiness and I want to keep filling that bowl. Lets all make our lives a little more happy this year.

Now no more mushy and let’s get to the fun part which of course fills me with lost of Happiness getting ready for New Year’s Eve and what I will be wearing : ) New Year’s can always be difficult I feel like especially being on the East Coast and the temps are not as friendly which means you always have to cover up if you are not hosting. I hate when I have to cover up my dresses but the unveiling is so much fun right? What better way to knock’em dead with the reveal then a little sexy velvet number to stop the party, hence bring in this amazing ASOS velvet beauty. This is sure to have a lot of fun at any New Year’s party, whether you are hosting or going out on the town to dance the night away. I am just loving everything about this beautiful velvet red dress and the touch of shoulder fun which adds a little something to the look so its not just typical one shoulder dress so charming.

Now if a form fitting dress is not the way you want to go this New Year’s I have linked so many wonderful options below for everyone’s taste this New Years.

Happy Wednesday loves, whether you are last minute shopping or have your look ready to go for this New Year’s. I hope you feel like the bell of the ball.

Thank you for following or just reading along

ASOS Red Velvet dress (love, love, love, love, love, love, love, 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

 

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