Spirited Style: The Ghost of Galentine's Day

Top: Candie's, Kohl's; Skirt: Tinseltown, Kohl's

The ghost with the most . . . stuff.

Bag: Betsey Johnson, Amazon

Bow: Limited Too, Kohl's

Boots: Betsey Johnson, Macy's

Fancy Phantom Necklace

Top: INC, Macy's; Skirt: Tinseltown, Macy's

A rose grows at Macy's

Shoes: Mix No. 6, DSW

Bag: On 34th, Macy's

Top: Madden Girl, Kohl's; Skirt: Tinseltown, Macy's

Heart of Bold Necklace

Y2K spray of roses.

Shoes: Madden Girl, Kohl's

Headband: Amazon

Wallet: Betsey Johnson, Macy's; Lip gloss: Too Faced, Target

Bag: Betsey Johnson

I love going through my crafting supplies and making something unexpected.  So when I unearthed a pink ghost, I thought, challenge accepted.  So what if it's Valentine's weekend and not Halloween?  I'm sure that many lovelorn souls would say that Cupid's cuddle fest haunts them more than the ghouls' gala.  Speaking of ghouls, there's no better time to post this Fancy Phantom Necklace (that's what I'm calling my cohort) than Galentine's Day, which falls on Friday the 13th this year.  If that's not a sign of the supernatural, then I don't know what is.

Because we ladies can believe in the occult and make our own luck --and spirited style statements.

Oh Deer, It's Almost Christmas!

Sweater: Madden Girl, Kohl's; Skirt (a dress!): ModCloth

Wondershop, Target

Coat: JouJou, Macy's; Bag: Macy's

Wondershop, Target

Sweater vest: Madden Girl, Kohl's; Skirt: On 34th, Macy's

I've got this deer in the headlights look standing by my forest friend for a reason.  Holiday hysteria is setting in.  It comes but once a year, that heady mix of anxiety and excitement.  As in, did I buy Uncle Merv that secrets of spelunking book last year?  And, how many cookies can I eat before I throw up and/or get diabetes?  But beyond all that clatter is calm.  It surrounds me like a blanket as I unplug with a book (under an actual blanket), or gaze up at the night sky.  And it reminds me that, in the grand scheme of things, my worries aren't so important.

That said, it's Uncle Merv who should worry.  More people die from spelunking than cookies. 

Little Leopards, Every Flair

Skirt: Wild Fable, Target

Sweater: On 34th, Macy's

Shoes: Madden Girl, Amazon

Bag: Amazon; Sunglasses: Nordstrom Rack

Sweater: Candie's, Kohl's; Skirt: Vanilla Star, Macy's

Bag and charm: Madden Girl, Kohl's

Bag: Betsey Johnson, Boscov's

Jeans: Wild Fable, Target

Socks: Macy's

Tee: Rebellious One, Macy's

Heart and Rainbows Necklace

Bag: Madden Girl, Macy's

Barrettes: SHEIN; Clips: Wild Fable, Target

Leopard's for rebels.  Leopard's for ladies.  Leopard's tacky.  Leopard's classy.  In other words, leopard's a neutral.

Because no matter what kind of cat you are, there's a little leopard in all of us.

Problematic Summer Wardrobe

Dress: Betsey Johnson, Zulily

Pancakes should always be served with whipped cream.

Bag: LC Lauren Conrad, Kohl's

Bow: Art Class, Target

Bag: Francesca's

Sweatshirt: LC Lauren Conrad, Kohl's

Skirt: On 34th, Macy's

Dress: ModCloth

Bag: LC Lauren Conrad, Kohl's

Shoes: LC Lauren Conrad, Kohl's

Oversized Anchor Necklace

Sweet suburban skyline sans storefronts.

Bag: Isaac Mizrahi, Marshalls

Headband: INC, Macy's

You know that I dread the end of summer and refuse to acknowledge it until October.  Well, samesies this year.  So until then, I'm going to keep on trucking sailing with my unseasonal summer ensembles.  And I'm going to keep reading beach books, too.  Like Ali Hazelwood's Problematic Summer Romance.  

This one is about a twenty-three-year-old, award-winning physicist named Maya and her "inappropriate" crush on her brother's thirty-eight-year-old, biotech billionaire bestie, Conor.  Maya may be a genius, but, like Halsey, she's "bad at love."  Yet (also like Halsey), you can't blame her for trying -- especially during her brother's wedding week in lemon-scented Sicily.  Less STEM, ahem, coded than Hazelwood's previous romcoms, Problematic Summer Romance is more easy breezy.  Because even eggheads sometimes leave the lab to play the field -- and the fool -- like the rest of us.  Smart and snappy, it's rife with pop culture references, all of which enhance Maya's journey.  So, just what you want from a summer romance -- and a book about one.   

That said, my own (sartorial, not relationship) problems have only begun.  

By which I mean brights, bare legs, and produce prints in the face of flannel and pumpkin spice. 

Also, white shoes after Labor Day.