Vegas outfits

So, now that you saw what I packed, how did I wear it? I didn't get a picture every day but since several of the outfits were repeats from the last few weeks (the yellow with yellow-taupe scarf, and the wrapping elf outfit as prime examples) I figured it wasn't a big problem.



I mentioned in the comments on yesterday's post that one of the great blessings of putting together outfits as I packed also allowed me to see which items could get remixed during the trip if needed. This one was a great example of that; I had planned to wear this purple balloon-sleeve on the return flight home, but the weather was all over the map the first couple of days and I was rifling through two outfits a day, which I had not planned for. So I pulled it into rotation early and added my short-sleeved black AT Outlet cardigan. You can see I was also doing the two-accessory idea with the long lariat necklace on and my scarf temporarily tied around my tote bag. The embellished cheetah-print flats and Gap skinny pants finished the outfit, taken by Hubby outside the Venetian.



Christmas Eve saw me wearing this green Max Studio dress with the red sparkly scarf, as seen in this terrible shot taken by my dad. Hmmm, do I have a better shot of this?



Of course! (This was Fremont Street, where we went to see the Christmas light show on the canopy. It was weird, and tacky, and wonderfully Vegas in a way the Strip is not.)



I will spare you the shots of the go-go girl elves dancing in some of the other parts of the light show.

Hubby tried one more time to get a good shot of this outfit, but the first few were so terrible I just started hamming it up.



I woke up Christmas Day and felt the need to go with a more elegant look. So I scrapped my purple sweater with sparkly statement necklace idea and went with some of the gifts and new purchases from the trip: the gorgeous black ruffled sweater from White House, Black Market from my mom, new black Dillards clogs, and the new black WHBM purse. I added in my own black layering top, black NYDJ ponte skinnies, and turquoise glasses.



Oh, and the gorgeous 72-inch Nordstrom glass pearls Hubby got me for Christmas. :) I did the Angie-knot technique, which was a source of much amusement between me and Hubby as I struggled to figure out how to do it in the hotel room. Finally it dawned on me to think of it like making a Jacob's ladder like I did as a kid, and voila! Success.



See how cool it looked outside the Beatles' Revolution Bar at the Mirage?



The last outfit I have photographic evidence of (besides the Red Rocks one) is just a casual "bumming around the Strip" one. Of course, my idea of casual was much different than most of the other toursists, since I don't wear sweatpants and Uggs (together, OMG!!) or sports-team shirts. But I am in jeans, my crossbody, and some combo of cardigan and scarf. This was taken at the Wynn, such a gorgeous, luxurious place.



Lest you think I am the only one in my family with a love of bold colors and great prints, here is a close-up shot of one of Hubby's typical outfits. Microcheck shirt, black tee, and maroon pullover, such a sharp look for him!



And that's what we wore on our trip!

Three-day weekend starts today, so I will be back either today or tomorrow with my New Years Resolutions, and a look back at last year's. I hope you all have a lovely and safe New Years Eve, and here's to an amazing 2011! I have high hopes for the coming year; I think it's going to be great for all of us!

Real winter vs. fake winter

I am back from a lovely trip to Las Vegas! I have many photos and thoughts to post (both of a fashion and a non-fashion nature), but it is off to work I go so this will be brief.

Here is what I wore on the "coldest" day we had (Hubby took this one, and I could not stop laughing at his terrible photography skills):



That is a Gap knit moto jacket, a sheer teal scarf, a thin Gap striped sweater, Gap skinny jeans, and purple Privo sneakers. No socks. We rented a car and drove through Red Rocks Canyon that day, where the temps dropped to the 40s while we tooled around in a convertible. For half the trip, I had to break out my chartreuse knit gloves. I only wore the jacket this day, and the days we arrived and left...in the airport.

This is "winter" in the desert.

Meanwhile, on the same day at home, 12 inches of snow dropped out of the sky. Puffer coats and boots will now be worn for the rest of the winter; no more cute boots, no more suede, no more nice hair styles unless it can be shoved under a hat. I'm not complaining, that is what I am used to. It was Vegas winter that seemed surreal.

But it finally dawned on me that it is that warmer "cold season" that most clothing retailers seem to build their winter collections for. I never really got some of the options in stores before at this time of year; how can you have so much freaking suede when their is ice and salt everywhere? What is that ridiculous unlined wool coat supposed to do? Most of the stuff I saw for sale in Vegas would have been wearable back home for about a week in the late fall -- but they are appropriate for the whole winter season there.

I am New England bred and have lived my entire adult life in Chicago. Las Vegas and the desert is a wonderful place to visit, but that will always be fake winter to me. Snow, ice, below-freezing temps -- that is real winter. And while I complain about the length of it sometimes (snow in April is just MEAN), I definitely prefer the real thing to the fake one.

So I throw two questions out to you:
1. Do you live in a real or fake winter area?
2. Which do you prefer?

Tell us!