The Woman I Wanted To Be

"I didn't really know what I wanted to do, but I knew the woman I wanted to become" is a quote from the Woman I Wanted to be that I think really hits home for so many women. I don't think we ever know exactly what we want to do in life, but it is the adjectives we want associated with our name that rarely changes. Independent, smart, confident...whatever it may be, those adjectives are what is the most important thing in becoming the woman that we all want to be. 

This is such an excellent story of the life of Diane von Furstenberg from her mother surviving Auschwitz weighing only 49 pounds to DVF marrying a prince to the story of the global DVF brand we all know today, I highly recommend this book to everyone and would love to know what you all think of the book! 

P.S. Can I just be BFF's with Diane and wear an iconic wrap dress for the rest of my life?! #lifegoals

Quotes from the book:

"I wanted to be an independent woman, a woman who could pay for her bills, a woman who could run her own life-and I became that woman."

"My best friend is me, and I take good care of me."

"Beauty is perfect in its imperfections, so you just have to go with the imperfections."

Shirt: J. Crew; love this one (on sale!)

Blazer: Aeropostale; no longer available; similar here

Scarf: Francesca's; no longer available; similar here

Jeans: American Eagle

Shoes: Steve Madden; no longer available; very similar here

Book: Amazon

All in the Details

Happy Hump Day! I hope everyone's week is going fabulously! Mine has been super crazy and hectic; I am definitely ready for the weekend just to catch up! Now enough of the small talk, let's get down to the fashion! This is my absolute favorite sweater of the season. I am very much a details girl, so the extra lace and blouse-like fabric at the bottom absolutely sealed the deal for me! When shopping I always try to go for something that is a little bit different (no matter how small!) and I am now challenging each of you to pay more attention to the details and go for something a little different. 

Sweater: Windsor; no longer available; similar here and here (love the back!)

Jeans: American Eagle (all jeans BOGO!)

Boots: JustFab; no longer available; similar here (on sale!)

Hat: Windsor

Clutch: Aldo

The Red Coat

Before Red Coat became a regular character on Pretty Little Liars, it was just known as my favorite little trench. I found this little gem while I was in Paris a few years back at a little random hole-in-the-wall boutique. I still have a couple Metro tickets in the pockets to savor that last little taste of Paris. Now, I know, that no matter how hard we click our little red slippers together, it still will not get us to Paris, so I have linked some similar trenches (equally as adorable) below. Happy shopping :)

Trench Coat: similar styles; L.L. Bean (very similar to mine and on sale!) and Red Dress Boutique (classic color!)

Dress: Forever 21; no longer available; very similar option here

Tights: Forever 21

Necklace: Purple Peridot; no longer available; love this one

Clutch: BlueTique (monogram it!)

Shoes: Gianni Bini; old; similar here (love!)

The Blair Waldorf Way

Hello, pretty people!! It has been awhile since I have blogged due to excuses that I will not bore you with, but I am back and from now on there will be a new post every Monday-Thursday with occasional ones on all of the other days. I am excited to be back in action and I hope that everyone's New Year is off to a butt-kicking start!

With the New Year in full swing, I have really been thinking about the things I want to accomplish. I am not one to make a big list of “do not’s” for the New Year because I feel that is when you start to cave and not accomplish the goals that you wanted so badly. For me, I have decided to spend this year and all of the years following to evolve into the woman that I want to be. I want to create a lifestyle for myself that just simply makes me happy, independent and successful. This is not something that happens within a year, though, but rather a lifetime. Each year I want to have the simple, but difficult goal of being a better version of myself. For this year specifically I have decided to focus on creating a healthier lifestyle for myself and to just be able to live in the moment (no matter how big or small!)

I would love to know YOUR resolutions and goals for the New Year so please share below in the comments section!

P.S. I love this outfit because I feel it is something that Blair Waldorf would wear. The iconic character plays out in Gossip Girl where she too is trying to become the woman that she wants to be. She is one of my favorite TV characters and one of my top style inspirations. xoxo

Top: Forever 21; no longer available; similar here

Skirt: Forever 21; old; similar here (love this one!)

Tights: Francescas; old; similar here

Clutch: BlueTique (monogram it!)

Shoes: Gianni Bini; old; similar here (on sale and love the designer!)

Hat: Target; no longer available; similar here and here (designer pick!)