robert frost once wrote, “two roads diverged in a wood, and i, i took the one the honey badger recommended.” or something like that. 

you can totally rock floral print in the winter. winter florals tend to have a darker background than spring florals (think black, navy), and also are usually a larger print, rather than an itty bitty flower design. if your blouse is questionable, the key is to make it clear that you understand what season it is with the rest of your outfit—no bare legs or super-short hemlines. adding layers like opaque tights, knit cardigans, blazers, vests, scarves, and sticking to winter-friendly fabrics like wool and velvet will help winterize your look.

here’s how i’d do it:

snoop dogg got french tips, and suddenly i feel even worse about my current sad, sorry, chipped nail situation. 

also, what is happening?

i want to understand. i really do.

(top photo from left to right: craig green, sibling, jw anderson. bottom photo: sibling. all from london men’s fashion week fall/winter 2013 collections, all very, very confusing.)

one of the best/worst things about colder weather is that no matter how frumpy or dressed up you are underneath, you spend most of your time outside looking exactly the same: coat, scarf, hat, gloves. after a few months, it gets a little boring. and i start to get a little lazy. (no one noticed that i’ve worn this shirt 4 times this week, right?)

lately, at least in pittsburgh, we’ve had a lot of “in-between” weather—it’s not cold enough for a heavy winter coat, but it’s also not warm enough to forgo outerwear altogether. translation: vest weather!

this faux fur bb dakota vest from jupe is perfect for the mildly cool temperatures and makes a great cozy addition on those days that you don’t want to completely cover up your outfit. it’s like the perfect wingman—it’s there for you, but it lets you shine.

i love that the collar is sturdy enough to stand up if you want a little extra shield from the wind. annnd (*drumroll*) it has POCKETS! warm hands for the win!

on a final and very important note, jupe is offering 25% off everything today + free shipping for cyber monday! no code necessary and the offer is valid today only.

get your shopping on from the comfort of your home and support a fantastic small business at the same time—it doesn’t get much better or easier.

outfit details:

vest: adrien faux fur vest by bb dakota, $72, jupe boutique

dress: greylin, via hautelook

shoes: forever 21 (a few years old)

thanks to everyone who entered my $50 the limited gift card giveaway!

sorry i’m a few days late, but we have a winner! i mean, you’re all winners, but there’s only one winner who gets a gift card. i know, life is unfair.

the winner is: michelle pickett! keep an eye out for an e-mail from me so we can get your gift card to you, michelle. 

the lovely people at the limited sent me this adorable necklace and asked me to style it in celebration of the opening of the new store in the mall at robinson here in pittsburgh, to which i happily obliged.

i really love the versatility of this necklace. i styled it casually here, but you could just as easily use it to add some sparkly flair to a little black dress or even an evening gown.

do you like the necklace too, or have your eye on something else in the store or online?

well, aren’t you in luck! the limited gave me a $50 gift card to give to one of you!

- to enter, simply comment on this post, leaving me a way to contact you if you win. 

- for an additional entry (i.e., another chance to win), like the commander in chic on facebook. leave a separate comment saying you did so.

- for yet another entry, follow me on twitter. leave a separate comment saying you did so. 

for another entry, follow me around for a day and tell me how smart and pretty i am. …just kidding. kind of.

the giveaway will be open until thursday, november 15th at 11:59pm est, and a winner will be randomly selected and announced next friday, november 16th. 

good luck!

i attended the hip’tique fall preview party thursday evening, where i tried on clothes, drank wine and hung out with a bunch of awesome people. yeah. it was tough, guys.

anyway, i purchased the fancified baseball tee above (only $42!), but ended up putting the bold-shouldered green sweater below back on the rack.

regret: i feel it.

(lace shorts in first photo: gold hawk from bylangley)

(photos stolen from terra and the hip’tique facebook page!)

nail art doesn’t usually interest me, probably because i can barely paint my nails a solid color without somehow screwing it up. the dripping blood nails at prabal gurung, however, were not only mindblowingly awesome, they look like something i might actually be capable of pulling off!

the nails were created by sally hansen manicurist tracylee, who used an artist’s “stringer” brush to create a dripping effect with sally hansen polish in “angel bite” on models’ bare nails, finishing with a layer of clear top coat.

angel bite, along with two other shades created for the prabal gurung for sally hansen spring collection, arrives in stores in march 2013.

so, how many side eyes do you think i’ll get when i show up to my economics class with bloody nails?

(via fashionista and the cut)

it’s monday and ashley don’t care.

i don’t know about you, but i’m having the kind of day where i really needed to take a break and watch other people suffer for a few minutes. well, lookie here!

this post is dedicated to my favorite lover of watching models eat it, sara zucker. ;)

(via buzzfeed)