spring jackets

I don't know about you, but I'm so tired of this weather. We've already had a couple of snowstorms and are in the midst of one now with more snow to come! Yuck. I'm excited for warmer weather and I'm looking forward to trading my winter coat in for something lighter. And there are some really nice ones out for this spring - here are my favorites:

1. jacket by Akris

2. Donna Karan trench

3. Valentino trench/cape

4. Aryn K. jacket

5. jacket from ModCloth

"where was the fur?"

After hearing that question from a number of people in response to my post on my top 5 winter coats, I've decided to devote an entire post on fur pieces that I want! Here are my top 5:

1. I have a faux fur vest that I love and wear pretty often in the winter. The only problem is that it's not a solid color fur, so it doesn't go with everything. That means I need a white fur vest of course! I love this mongolian lamb fur vest from J.Crew :

I love the curly texture of the fur and the color is perfect. Apparently a lot of other people think its pretty perfect too - its now sold out - even with its $640 pricetag

I did find a more affordable option on Ebay. Its a bit different - the fur is only around the collar of the back of the vest. I prefer the J.Crew version, but I prefer the price tag on this - $279:

2. I've been wanting a vintage fur capelet for a while now but still haven't gotten one. And I'm not really sure why. They're not that difficult to find - you can usually find one at a good vintage store, there are a ton of them on Ebay and they're typically pretty affordable. The one below is an Ebay find and doesn't it look adorable with the dress? I think it would also look great with just a pair of jeans and a long sleeved tee:

3. As soon as I saw this purse in the J.Crew catalog, I knew I had to have it...until I saw the pricetag of course (why does it seem that everything I want from J.Crew is too expensive?!!). But isn't it so pretty? Sigh.

No worries though! I've come up with an option that even I can afford! All you need to do is go into your closet and get that fur muff that's been collecting dust and - what? You don't have a fur muff in your closet? Hmm...I have a couple of them - doesn't everybody? Well if you don't, you can buy one off of Ebay or at a vintage store. The one below is from Ebay and so far the bid is only at $10.95. To turn it into a purse, take it to a tailor and have them sew one end closed and put a zipper along the other. Easy right? And they usually come with a cord wristlet, but if you want to be able to wear it on your shoulder, just sew on some chains (like the J.Crew one) or a leather strap.

4. I love hats but I usually don't look very good in them. I still have yet to find a winter hat that will keep my ears warm and look good on me. My solution: ear muffs! When I was in elementary school I had a pink faux fur coat with a matching muff and earmuffs (yes, the obsession with fur started early). That was the last time I wore fur earmuffs, but I'm ready to give it a try again. These are from Top Shop and are only $24:

5. I love this jacket and what makes it stand out among the other million black coats out there is the fur collar. And the best part (besides it being vintage) is that its only $24.99...but there are still a couple days left so the price will surely go up. You can place your bid here.

top winter coat picks...

I still can't believe it's almost Halloween. Soon Thanksgiving will have come and gone and we'll be buying Christmas decorations (which, by the way, are already available at some stores!). So you know what this means...it's time for coats! Since I have about a hundred coats in my closet, I don't really need anymore. But if I did, these would be my top 5 picks:

1. J. Crew makes beautiful clothes and their coats are no exception. I love their Trudie herringbone coat. It has a wonderful vintage feel with its funnelneck and relaxed shape. And you can wear this coat with everything - can be worn casually over jeans but is nice enough to wear over a fancy dress:

2. This Helmut Lang coat is a bit on the expensive side (its $795), but it's like two coats in one. The inner layer can be removed so that it can worn on days that are less chilly. And there's just something about the shape that I love:

3. This Burberry jacket is a classic that you can pass on to your daughter (at least that's how I like to justify my more expensive purchases...). But isn't this adorable? I love the standup collar, the quilting, the fitted shape. And it is pricey ($495), but not ridiculous, right?

4. This coat from Calvin Klein is so affordable, I am really really tempted to buy it. It's on sale for $165.99! Sigh. Isn't it gorgeous? I'm not sure how warm it would actually be since it's so open, but it's a great layering piece:

5. I love this DKNY coat mostly because of the fabric - houndstooth is my favorite pattern! Besides that though, the boxy shape is great and allows for you to wear it over thick winter sweaters if need be: