autumn inspiration

In the month (ouch!) since I last posted...fall has appeared!

Mostly...we still got into the 70s this week in Wisconsin, but you can feel that hint of fall in the air. It smells like sweaters and apple cider, and I am welcoming it with open arms. True Fall Confession: I don't like pumpkin. No pumpkin lattes, muffins, candles, or pies for me! I am all about the apples once leaves start changing.

I had the best intentions of doing a fall shopping list post, but...then I accidentally went fall shopping before I had a chance to write it. So instead, here's a little bit of an autumn inspiration post!

Everyone loves a sweater in the fall (right?) I love sweaters layered with heavy classic fabrics like this skirt. My big obsession with sweaters for this fall, though? LEATHER.

That's right, got myself a sweater (a tunic-length sweater, which is my other favorite) in this gorgeous forest green color with a great leather detail on the collar. It's probably my mental connection between fall and great boots, but leather just goes great with knits.

I love everything about this look. The vibrant dress, patterned tights, cute boots, cuddly scarf. I'm really excited to recreate it with some of my new pieces - no pics yet, unfortunately, since I only got the chance to wear a sweater once before we creeped back up into the 70s, but yay! I'm always a fan of texture tights, and I'm excited to try layering them over my colored tights this year. Double warm! (Maybe?)

I also picked up a fall staple I've been craving for a long time that I'm super super pleased with:

Ohhh yeah, it's a bomber jacket! I saw it across the store and there was a swelling choir of angels. Brown (faux) leather, studs, zippers, great detailing in the stitching...I'm totally in love. I haven't had a good fall jacket besides my trench for a long time (which is great, but not so versatile for day wear). Gotta say, I feel totally bombin' in this jacket (hey-o!). The top is also new, featuring another of my favorite fall details:

Studs! There's also a stud gathering the sleeves at just 3/4-length, and they are so fabulous. A little bit of a hard edge on a very floaty feminine garment, such a big fan.

And that's my fall haul so far - I can't wait to get the chance to wear the rest of my new pieces (another sweater, a gorgeous blazer, and that dress!) and to pick up the last few things I'm still looking for. I haven't broken out the boots yet, but I have the perfect outfit in mind. As always, follow me on Instagram to see all the latest! (Plus cat pics.)

boots boots boots

Let's get some shoes! As many of you know, I've been on a quest for boots. "But Jenny," my mom says when I tell her I need to go boot shopping, "didn't you just buy boots last year?" Yeah, mom - last year! But, really, my boots from last year are still kicking...the problem is that they're heeled boots, which are fine, fresh, AND fierce, but not really suited to long days of walking on the frozen tundra. I think that my mom may be a convert though; when we went shopping, she was the one who got the fanciest pair of boots! I must be rubbing off on her...

One of my Christmas gifts this year was a certificate for a pair of boots and, quelle suprise, my sister got the same thing! (In an entirely unrelated incident, Dad gifted Mom the "boots of her choice" as well! It was a Very Merry Bootmas in the Zowie household.) So off we ladies set for DSW, my current favorite source for all things footwear related.

There was much trying on, not a little angsting about beauties that didn't come in my size, and even some unrealistic lusting over a pair of bright red boots (I still love them! You can't change me!) But in the end, we all ended up with what we needed. My boot shopping requirements were pretty simple - they couldn't be brown, since my other boots are brown; they needed to be easy to get on and off (zippers were a big plus); and, of course, they had to be mader for walkin'.

I already shared shots of the beauties who came home with me on Instagram, but here they are:

Why yes, I do now own a pair of shiny silver boots. Thank you for asking! I love both of my new pairs of boots, and I especially love the fact that, along with a well-timed sale and the DSW Rewards certificates I had squirreled away, I got both pairs under the limits of my Christmas gift! Merry Bootmas to me!

Because it's been a long (looong) time since I made Polyvore sets, I thought I would whip up some outfit options for my boots.

preview booties by ficklekitsch featuring a jumper sweater

For my silver babies, I went with a day look which is actually pretty similar to how I actually wore them. They look great with slim fit colored pants, either for tucking in or going over the top. I totally fell in love with this owl sweater, and thought the neutral tones went really well with colored pants and a scarf. The bag was just too cute, and the whole quirky casual ensemble is topped off with some funky earrings.

fido bootie by ficklekitsch featuring amrita singh jewelry

I've always loved mixing hard and soft. My family will tell you that the Christmas I got my first pair of combat boots, I wore them to Christmas dinner with a red velvet dress. TRUE STORY. So, to pay homage to one of my first adventurous ensembles, I paired my new combat booties with a slightly more sophisticated red dress. A pair of patterned tights adds some interest and another element of soft, along with some pretty sparkly earrings and bracelet. For a last touch of "hard," I couldn't resist this brass knuckles-inspired spiked clutch. Fierce (literally)!

ootd round-up

Did you know that I wear clothes everyday? Like, every single day of my life? It's true!

I've only very rarely posted OOTDs to this blog because a) I don't have a tripod or a fancy camera or a friendly photo-taking slave to help me get good shots and b) I generally don't feel like my everyday outfits are worthy of commemoration. But now I have Instagram and, by definition, those photos are allowed to be a little funky and self-taken! And maybe knowing that I'll be posting pictures occasionally will help me inspire to be fierce every day.

Here's a selection of some lovely outfits I've worn to work in the past few months:

It's interesting to look at outfits together like this...you can definitely see what my favorites are (hello, black cardigan!) and what the basics of my office style is (cardigan + top/dress + tights/socks, generally). A lot of my work style is based around comfort; while I like to be cute, I have to consider whether an outfit is something that I'm going to be able to wear for 10 hours at a stretch (from getting ready in the morning to changing into my lounging clothes at home) including three stretches of commute, a walk from the city lot for my second job, and a lot of sitting. You can also tell at the end that I got a shiny new app that allows me to make collages which I really like...it's nice to be able to show off accessories or shoes within the same pic (I have some shoe shots that I didn't include in this collage - you can view all of my instagram shots on your computer here).

Looking at the composite also reminds me of things that I want to buy to fill in wardrobe gaps - new trousers and more stylish socks (which I get a huge kick out of wearing) chief among them - as well as things that I have in my closet already and should really make an effort to wear more often - certain sweaters and my blazer (I haven't worn that thing in forever!).

Do you have a formula for putting together work outfits? Are you in the habit of recording your day-to-day looks? Have you ever had someone walk in on you taking a picture of yourself in the mirror (awkward.)?