If you live in a very cold place and you have to fight with snow and wind your outfits need to be functional and protect you. There is no room for showing off how fit or hot you are. You also don't have room to show off the latest trend in fashion, whether it is a pair of sandals worn with stockings or a dress worn with no hosiery. There is also a tendency to wear dark colors in the winter to blend in with the gray colors of our surroundings. But it does not have to be like that. We can still find functionality and style with cold weather. I am the coldest person in the world, so I usually wear many layers (I live in Florida and I am still cold). If I wear jeans I would wear a pair of leggings or thermal pants underneath. I also wear ski socks with boots. And I only wear real wool or cashmere. I know. I told you I am cold.



 

I want this post to be the last one about Winter. I see it as a transition to warm and vibrant colors. I did not include all the missing layers, but you get an idea of how to wear a skirt and colors in the Winter. Add stockings if you need and an extra pair of socks with matching scarf:) I think an eggplant organic wool scarf will look amazing with look. I want it all!!

The Top is by Bel Air, Wool Jacket French Connection, Boots Coach, Skirt Anna Studio, Earrings Stella Dot, Bruno Magli bag, nail Polish Essie.

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Last few years had been really bad in terms of design for purses. I did not buy a single bag because I did not like any and of course Coach was too expensive for a student on  a budget. All the purses I bought at cheap stores made out of plastic from China broke, so I had been left with an old leather Italian oversize bag my mother bought me at a 'mercato' in Forte dei Marmi. That bag my friend is about to retire. My other Sisley leather messenger bag died after stuffing it with a laptop and a 500 pages dissertation. The point is that we are women. We need durable yet fashionable purses.

Here is my list of 2013 bags that I just can't stop wanting. I had a longer list but I need to start with something. You will notice that I am a big fan of Coach. It's an American company well-known for leather items. The leather actually comes from Italy. I had bought shoes and purses and the quality is amazing. their vintage selection on Ebay is reasonable priced and in great shape. Don't buy their trench coats. A $500 waste of money. It looked adorable until the colored leather faded all over with the contact of rain. Yep. It was a rain coat.

If you can't afford the pricy Coach purses or Gucci or Fossil (amazing leather), you could go to forever 21. Their new collection is amazing looking. They replicated some of the designer icon items for $34. You just can't beat that, but be aware their stuff will last one year max. Even Zara purses' collection sucks. Their looking leather bags are fake, after few times of wearing them the thin layer of leather comes off and you end up looking like a confetti. I am so tired of crap and yet when we are on a budget what are we supposed to do?

Look for sales if you live in the United States, but also if you are in Italy check out websites and check their shipping fees. Maybe you can get some friends to split the cost. Asos is a European fashion online store. Their sale section is amazing. I just bought a purse (well my friend gave it to me as a gift, but I was there when she bought it) from Banana Republic 40%. That is another high quality store for leather bags. In fact they usually cost $220 a piece. Marshalls and TJmaxx I still find them to be expensive for purses. Yes, they offer half price or even 70% but everything I like is $150.

Best luck on your search for the perfect and durable leather bag.  If you have a favorite brand let me know.

I adore Cameron Diaz. I love her style young but classic and chic. She is never vulgar even when she shows some skin. It does not hurt to have long toned legs and a beautiful smile, but we can agree that we can all replicate her style and feel stylish and comfortable.

The first look is casual. Cameron Diaz can put on a pair of old jeans and a white tee and she still looks well put together. I don't know how she does it.



I believe if you accessorize well then you can leverage casual pieces and still look smart. I provide some suggestions below that everybody can afford. If you don't wear shorts like me, then opt for capri or jeans.



I must say that I am quite obsessed with Kate Spade and Chloe. I just like everything they have from house decor to shoes and bags. If you can't afford these brands like me, try to find similar items. I have seen the sunglasses at TJmaxx for $12 and everybody sells long sleeves t-shirts. It might be difficult to find the bag by Miu Miu. I stopped buying cheap bags because they break and they just don't look good. I would invest in a nice leather purse. I bought many bags from Furla and they still look new. For the sandals I had found super cheap fake leather sandals at Forever 21 for $7. I am surprised they are still alive in my closet and I walked through Europe with those plastic shoes;) I think the point is that if you can afford buying nice, good quality items go head, but style does not come with money, but with modesty.

I was going to include a Camero Diaz's evening look but I am tired and need to work on some job applications.

Sheer Nude Pantyhose: a big question among women these days. Are pantyhose IN or OUT?

It seems that there is always a debate in fashion whether pantyhose are in or out. Personally and this is just my opinion I would NEVER wear sheer nude pantyhose. They are cheap, fake, old-fashioned, awkward and just UGLY. Not only that but when I see sheer nylons pair with denim shorts and boots in the winter time I just want to rip them off. Here my personal tips on pantyhose.

1. FIRST RULE: If you don't live in Florida, don't try to be Floridian when there is snow outside your house and 30 degree or below. Leave the shorts for the summer and the sheer pantyhose for weddings.

Picture courtesy of Robyn The Bank

2. Avoid wearing miniskirts and minidresses in the winter if you are not in Florida. Opt for dark pantyhose that will go with a warm sweater and warm boots over cold winter days. Again leave the summer fashion for summer.

3. If you are under 30s you should never wear sheer/nude hosiery. You have beautiful legs only for few more years, show them off, don't be a granny.

4. You are 30 years old and older: your legs might have imperfections. Ok I understand. At this age you should probably avoiding mini skirts and opt for something more classy, so you can still avoid nude/sheer pantyhose.

5. When to wear them? It's your wedding day, your gown is long, you just need some pantyhose to put everything in place. Opt for Victoria's Secret or any seamless sheer pantyhose.

6. You live in England, you will never see the sun or have hot summers. It's ok to wear them. When I lived in London this was the only time I felt comfortable wearing nude pantyhose with sandals. Oh geeh it was painful though..... But I have noticed all women worn them.

7. You have an office job. For professional women who wear skirt suits it is appropriate to wear sheer pantyhose. You are not trying to be sexy or edgy with pink or dark navy hosiery. Check the employees' s handbook to see what is considered appropriate or not.

8. You are a celebrity and faraway pictures look good no matter what (horrible outfit high heels and shorts and sheer pantyhose? Really? When is the next show?) - Sorry Beyonce, not your best look with denim and sheer nylons.

Sheer Hosiery - www.thechicfashionista.com

 John Stillwell/WPA Pool/Getty Images, TOBY MELVILLE/AFP/Getty Images, Dave M. Benett/Getty Images

9. You are Kate and the Queen does not allow you to be 'naked' unless your nipples are on the front cover of any British tabloids. But look at the last picture, really? Shining legs? Am I some sort of X-men?

photo: http://www.gofugyourself.com/scrolldown-fug-katherine-heigl-10-2012

10.  I am in my 30s but I want to look like my grandma'. Opt for a black sheer pair of pantyhose or go bare legs. You are not wearing any pantyhose on your arms, why doing that to your legs?














So the answer is always NO, with few exclusions. Please don't make me take your picture with shorts, pantyhose and a winter jacket. It ain't cool girls.

1. Dress pants by Ann taylor; 2. Blazer by Anthropologie, Blouse found at Shopstyle.com

Depending on the type of job you are applying for you will have some flexibility in terms of clothes. You don't always need to have a suit with matching pants and jacket. What is important is that you look clean, neat, and well put together. Your shoes should always be polished and avoid chunky and noisy jewelry that distracts from what is important: YOU.

You can opt for a nice pair of dress pants and a blazer. The colors do not need to match, but should be complimentary to each other. Underneath the jacket wear a nice blouse. Avoid sheer fabrics unless you are wearing a tank top.

You don't really have to spend much money. Lose items like the above can be found at outlet stores like Marshalls, TJMaxx, and Ross. The other day I saw a really nice CK silk-like blouse for $19. Invest in items that are NOT trendy, but are versatile. You can wear navy pants multiple times with different shoes and different blazers. Stick with neutral colors like nude, navy, gray, and black. You can always add colors by adding a pashmina or other accessories.

Most important do not wear high heels if you usually don't wear these types of shoes. You want to be comfortable and focus on your qualities as a candidate, not your sore feet!! One of the complains I have about women shoes and fashion is that there is a tendency to glorify and advertise high heels shoes, rather than fashionable flat shoes. I will rather see how an outfit looks with flat shoes than high heels. When I lived in London I saw many business women wearing ballet shoes. I opted for ankle boots with a short heel. You can always wear tennis shoes until you get to the office. Then switch to something a little bit more business appropriate. But the rule is that you need to be fashionably comfortable.