Christmas Holiday Party Outfit Inspiration

Pleated Plaid Dress: JCrew / Booties: Steve Madden
Tights: Spanx / Earrings: Ann Taylor

The countdown to Christmas is in full swing! As this time of year is such a busy one from office parties, events to getting together with family, it’s so much easier to get ahead of the game by planning outfits in advance! This pretty plaid dress from JCrew is the perfect midi length and has a beautiful pleated skirt. This dress (along with so many others) is currently 48% off with code “FLASH48”.

We also took our Holiday card photos last weekend (shout out to my brother helping us out - check out his Instagram page). This beautiful street near Rittenhouse Square has to be one of my favorite streets in Philadelphia. It’s lined with lights all year round but during the holiday months this street looks even more magical! We ordered our cards through Simply To Impress and had a great ordering and delivery experience with them! They are currently having 25% off + Free Shipping with code 19WISHES. This post isn’t sponsored in any way but this is the second year we have used them and I just wanted to share my positive experience!

Shop my look below

Designer Inspired Tweed Cardigan

Cardigan: Zara / Jeans: Frame
Purse: Chanel / Heels: Old
Sunglasses: Quay / Earings: Ann Taylor

Is there anything more classic than a chic tweed cardigan? Whenever I think of tweed I think of Coco Chanel. This oversized tweed cardigan is such a great dupe for this Chanel tweed cardigan. This piece is so versatile and can be used with this ensemble, paired with a pair of skinny jeans or even as an oversized sweater over a mini skirt! I love the details on this sweater especially the metallic buttons which just elevate the whole look. I just had to share this cardigan since it’s just a fraction of the cost of a designer one. I also had a couple of people stop me to ask where I got the cardigan from - it’s THAT good.

I linked some of my other favorite designer pieces below!

The Ultimate Black Friday Sale Roundup and Discount Codes 2019

Thanksgiving is definitely one of my favorite holidays of the year. It's the one holiday that I have never missed with my family and I look forward to it every year. This year my husband and I hosted Thanksgiving today in our home in Philadelphia and we had the most amazing time with our family!

After Thanksgiving Day comes Black Friday which is the biggest shopping day of the YEAR! I used to get up early to get to the stores as early as 5am (or even sooner!) but now with everything accessible online there is no need to fight the crowds! This is definitely the best time of year to get all of the items you have been eying and a great time to get all of your Christmas shopping done (click the links below to shop - everything is in alphabetical order).

The Ultimate Black Friday Sale Roundup and Discount Codes 2019:

7FORALLMANKIND // 40% off Full Price Items + Free Shipping // Code: FAM40

ABERCROMBIE + FITCH // 50% off Purchase + Free Shipping

AMERICAN EAGLE // 40% off Purchase + Free Shipping

ALDO // 20% off Regular Price & 50% off Sale Price

AMAZON // Amazing deals everyday!

ANN TAYLOR // 50% off Everything // Code: BLACKFRIDAY

ASOS // 20% off Purchase // Code: BIG30

BANANA REPUBLIC // 50% off Everything
Also when you use your card get an extra 10% off Code: BRCARD

BAUBLE BAR // 35% off Everything

BCBG // 50% off Everything

BLOOMINGDALE // 15% off $100-$249.99, 20% off $250-$399.99, 25% off $400+

CHICWISH // Extra $10 off $70+ Code: BF10 Extra $20 off $120+ Code: BF20

COACH // Select items 50% off

COLE HAAN // Up to 60% off & Additional 10% off Code: BF10

CLUB MONACO // 30% off Everything // Code: BLACKFRIDAY

EXPRESS // 50% off Everything + Free Shipping

GAP // 50% off Everything and Extra 10% off Everything // Code: BLKFRIDAY Bonus Code: BESTEVER

GUESS // Everything 40%-50% off

H&M // 30% off Everything + Free Shipping

HUNTER BOOTS // Up to 30% off Select Footwear

INTERMIX // Up to 75% off

JCPENNEY // So many amazing doorbusters and deals!

JCrew // 50% off Purchase // Code: SHOPFIRST
Non card holders use Code: WHYWAIT for 40%

JCrew Factory // 60% off Everything // Code: YAYDEALS

KATE SPADE // 40% off Everything // Code: TGIBF

KOHLS // $15 off Every $50 Spent & Take Extra 15% // Code: GIVETHANKS

LANE BRYANT // 40% off Almost Everything // Code: BLACKFRIDAY

LOFT // 50% off Purchase // Code: FRIYAY

LUCKY BRAND // 50% off Everything

MACYS // So many amazing doorbusters and deals!

MADEWELL // 30% Off Purchase // Code: GIFTWELL

MICHAEL KORS // Up to 70% off Select Styles

NEIMAN MARCUS // $50 off $200 Purchase // Code: THANKFUL

NEW YORK & COMPANY // Everything up to 75% off Plus Extra 10% off Code: 118996

NIKE // Up to 60% off Select Items

NORDSTROM // Get up to $100

OLD NAVY // 50% off Everything

POTTERY BARN // 25% off Sitewide + Free Shipping // Code: THANKFUL

RALPH LAUREN // 40% off $125 Purchase

REVOLVE // Up to 50% Off

SAM EDELMAN // Extra 30% off Almost Everything // Code: SAM2019

SEPHORA // Up to 50% off Items

SHOPBOP // 15% off $200+, 20% off $500+, 25% off $800+ // Code: MORE19

STUART WETIZMAN // Up to 30% off Select Items

TARGET // Amazing Doorbusters!

TORY BURCH / Up to 60% Off // Code: THANKS

URBAN OUTFITTERS // Buy 1 Get 1 50% off Everything

VICTORIAS SECRET // Buy 1 Get 1 Free

WEST ELM // 15% off $150, 20% off $500, 25% off $1,000, 35% off $3,500 // Code: SAVEMORE

Top 5 Favorite Boots for Winter

Cable Knit Sweater: H&M / Jeans: Madewell
Over-The-Knee Boots: JustFab (c/o) / Purse: Chanel (Similar)
Sunglasses: Quay / Earrings: Ann Taylor

Now that the cold weather is here to stay for the next couple of months I wanted to do a roundup of my favorite winter boots! Wintertime has to be one of my favorite seasons for shoes because I love to wear boots and they also don’t require having a pedicure! (lol).

Top 5 Favorite Boots for Winter

1. Sernity Stretch over The Knee Boot
   2. Tileah Block Heel Bootie
   3. Crocia Lace-up Combat Boot
   4. Roccio High Heeled Boot
   5. Arianna Quilted Lace-up Winter Boot

Thank you to JustFab for sponsoring this post.

The Essential Paris Travel Itinerary

A few week ago I got back from the best trip to Paris with my hubby! This was my first time to Paris so we wanted to do a combination of not only sight seeing but shopping, eating and drinking our way through Paris and feeling like a total Parisian! It was totally magical and beautiful I would definitely go back some day! I’ve been getting a lot of questions about where we stayed, what we packed, where we ate/drank and what we saw so I’m covering all the details in today’s post!

 Where to Stay

 After hours and hours of research we decided to stay in the 6th arrondissement (area) which is known as Saint Germain. Paris is divided into a total of 20 arrondissements starting from the center and going outward. The things we liked about the 6th were a combination of the numerous cafés, restaurants, bars (we were literally a minute walking distance from the famous Cafe de Flore and Laduree) and shopping. Think old world glamour and history. Other popular arrondissements to stay are the 1st (The Louvre), 4th (Le Marais), 7th (Eiffel Tower) and 8th (Champs-Elysees). Hotels in the smaller numbered arrondissements will be on the pricer side but you can’t beat the location! We were honestly walking distance to everything and if not, we were in between two metro stations which was so easy to use!

As discussed a little bit above, we stayed in the 6th arrondissement. We stayed at the cutest boutique hotel called Hotel Madison. The rooms are on the smaller size but that’s pretty standard for Paris. The room was soo cozy and had these pretty lights on the ceiling like little stars and our room had two bathrooms which made getting ready so much easier. The hotel was also close to two metro stops and we actually walked a lot – I loved walking around the city there are so many charming places to explore and things to see!

Additionally, getting around Paris was pretty easy. From the airport to the hotel we took a taxi (there are also Uber’s available). The taxi has a fixed rate of $50-$55 euros depending on if you are staying at the Left or Right bank. Also, we did use the Metro a couple of times especially when we went from our hotel to the Eiffel tower. Of course there are taxis and Uber’s if you feel more comfortable with that. And lastly, if you’re up for the challenge, the city also has scooters!

Sweater: H&M / Leggings: Zella
OTK Boots: Sam Edelman / Earrings: ASOS

What to Pack

The weather when we went (towards the end of October and into the first weekend of November) was chilly so I wore a jacket each day. The weather overall was pretty cloudy and rainy so if you are going in the later months of the year make sure to bundle up! The best thing to do (and what I did) was to wear layers! I mostly wore a jacket and under it warm sweaters with jeans and boots. Paris does get a reasonable amount of rain throughout the year so make sure to pack an umbrella as well and shoes that will stay dry!

Sweater: H&M (Similar) / Jeans: Frame
OTK Boots: Sam Edelman / Purse: Saint Laurent

What to See and Do

Eiffel Tower
Seine River Cruise
Louvre
Notre Dame
Sainte-Chapelle
Versailles
Arc de Triomphe
Tuileries Garden
Hop On/Off Bus Tours

 One piece of valuable advice I have for any of these places that you need a ticket to get into (i.e. Eiffel Tower, Louvre, etc.) book your ticket ahead of time! I can’t even begin to tell you how long the lines were for people waiting without a ticket. When you’re on vacation you don’t want to have to worry about that and wasting time waiting hours in line! It’s hard to cram in everything, personally for us we bought tickets to go to the top of the Eiffel Tower at sunset and also tickets for the Louvre. Next time we go we both said we would love to check out the Musee D’Orsay There’s honestly not enough time to see everything!

Another good tip if you are thinking of doing the Hop On/Off Bus Tours, Eiffel Tower then it may be worth getting the Paris Pass. It’s basically a tourist pass that gets you into more than 50 museums and attractions throughout Paris (in some cases, you get to skip the long ticket lines). It also gives you unlimited rides on the Paris public transportation network. I would price out all the options and see if getting this is worth it.

Sweater: Club Monaco / Skirt: Zara (Similar)
Boots: Sam Edelman / Purse: Saint Laurent

Top Places to Eat

Balagan
Cafe de Flore
Cafe de l’Homme
Ferdi
Girafe
Hotel Costes
L’Avenue
La Fontaine De Mars
Le Cinq (at the Four Seasons)
L’Arpege (Vegetarian - one of the World’s Best Restaurants)
Pink Mamma
Thierry Marx (at the Mandarin Hotel)
Laduree (for Macaroons)
Pierre Hermes (Bakery)

Any of the cafes were wonderful! For breakfast we kept things super simple with a croissant and cappuccino’s (I’m still dreaming about those wonderful, buttery croissant’s… yummm…)

 Where to Get Cocktails

Bar Hemingway - (at the Ritz) Pricey but worth it! Cocktails are $30 euros each
Bisou
Harry’s New York Bar
Hotel Costes
L’Avenue
Le Bristol
Little Red Door
Prescription
Septime La Cave
The Hoxton

Shopping

The best shopping for luxury items is in the Champs-Elysées Avenue. Literally any high end store you can think of is there! My number one tip for getting into Chanel, LV, Dior, Hermes, etc is to get there EARLY since a lot of the designers have their flagship stores in Paris. If you go when the store opens you have a better chance of finding what you want and taking your time looking! I’ve walked by these stores and around 4-5PM there are literally lines wrapping down the block just to get in.

 Another important thing, if you do purchase any luxury items, is to get your receipt stamped. You need to notify the sales person that you would like to collect the VAT tax. They will then take a copy of your passport and give you a receipt (sometimes the sales person will just do all the paperwork which is what happened at the Chanel store in Barcelona). Once you get to the airport you need to locate customs and once you come back to the US you need to declare all goods.

I tried to cover everything but as always if I missed anything feel free to comment below or send me an email!