#cozydrive

A bit of blogger honesty: above is the outfit I started off in this morning. In my head, this look was fabulous. Oversized sweater! Body-hugging pants! Fabulosity! I was going to look so cool, so hip, so good. The reality was something much less than that, bordering just plain silly.

While what I wear on my off-days falls somewhere between 'will the Chiefs mount an amazing comeback against the Broncos while I'm watching 'The Good Wife'' and 'Did I buy enough chicken to make dinner in case the boys come over for movie night on Tuesday?' -- which is to say wholly unimportant to the world at large but either critical or non-critical to me depending on the context -- it's still always my goal to look nice.

So it's pretty funny when I end up looking unintentionally sloppy. Say what you will about the narcissistic practice of selfies. It's been very helpful for me! I've found myself stuck with a lot of items like the Cabled Pathways Pullover in my closet...items that seem like winners mentally but never look right in an outfit, either because they're too big on me now, too shapeless all along, or something I never should have purchased to begin with.

Given a second chance to build this outfit, I'm much happier with the results.

It's nice to have the opportunity to build my closet again, this time with a better understanding of how to dress my own body. Where it's been easier and successful to style others, this might finally be the time where I give a little of that to myself.

A bit about each piece of this outfit: the sweater's cowlneck is somewhat fussy; it takes a minute or two in front of the mirror to set it right. Runs TTS; I'm in a medium. I picked it up as part of Anthropologie's Cozy Drive -- details here.The bag is small but can hold my iPhone, a small wallet, my keys and Metrocard with little issue. The boots run 1/2 a size small and despite reports to the contrary on Free People's website I find them very comfortable for the whole day. Love the toe hardware and adjustable side buckles.

The pants are fantastic and right up my alley. I drift towards items that are 'not for everyone' and look for an urban twist that can be worn in an otherwise preppy or classic outfit. They stretch out considerably as you wear them so stick with your true size. Thanks to these pants I've learned that I tend to sit down in a sliding style; in these pants where you sit is where the pants stay! This could lead to some embarrassing subway moments where you feel your ass sliding out of the pants...not that I have personal experience or anything. I'm in a 30.