Winterizing your wardrobe is easy, for me it's easy mostly because fall and winter encompasses my wardrobe aesthetic anyway. Though I'm not here for unbearable blistering cold weather conditions... I can't stand (equally if not more) the sun and the heat.

I just wish that every day was Portland Oregon.

I like my days overcast and gloomy...to match my angst.

No but seriously, it's like second nature to throw on a jacket or a blazer with my dresses and Tees. I don't do sleeveless, my favorite sleeve length is 3/4, and if I can layer it up I'm pretty happy. It's not about hiding as much as it is about dimension. When I buy dresses I very rarely have the intention of wearing it solo dolo; I'm thinking, jackets, blazers, vests, cardies, collard shirts, etc...

And as for accessories.... they're the grammar to my outfits. It's the comma, the semi colon, the period, the exclamation mark, and/or even the question mark (the things that make you go Hmmmmm)...it's what gives the onlooker the appropriate cues in the story I'm telling. Now when it comes to that, sometimes I like cohesion (a fine tuned melody where everyone in the choir is in sync)...but most times I like for things to be loud, intrusive, unexpected, exciting, an exquisite build up to the illest breakdown where everyone in the place (even the wallflowers) can't help but get on the dance floor and bust-a-move..

Winterizing your wardrobe/ wetseal dress

In this outfit I kept the accessories to a minimum (at least to my standard) and as cohesive as possible, I didn't want to distract from the awesome color and print of this dress. I tied in all of the black notes to this symphony by adding my black blazer with it's leatherette details, my black leggings, and my tall wide-calved boots. I wanted to be feminine while still having some hard edges, like a rose and her thorns.

What I'm Wearing:

Blazer from Strawberry. $19.99
Necklace from Burlington Coat Factory. $14
Dress from Wetseal.com $18 (On Sale)
Belt from V.I.M. $7
Bracelet from Fashion to Figure. $12
Leggings from Rainbow. $10
Boots from Avenue.com. $33.60 (On Sale)

Look who it is again, my spiced pumpkin sweater and chambray combo...but we're not gonna get into that again today, no. We're gonna get into this skirt, just look at it...it's awesome! If you ask anyone who knows me, or even a fraction of my taste, they will tell you how borderline annoying I can get with all things quilted (I have friends who call me quilted northern). I just like it....a lot...OK I love it!

It's not just that it's a quilted pattern that gets me going, it's the fact that there's added texture. I love texture, especially when it's applied as an accent or done in an unexpected way. In my world garments that have a quilted effect (or are like it's cousin twice removed; an embossed effect) automatically takes any look you you could dream of, up to an eleven on a 0-10 chic-o-meter...it makes perfect style sense....right?

So when I saw this gem here, at Shop & Swap 2014...for the low-low price of $30 (which is insane because the skirt is from the brand MYNT1972), I prayed to the heavens it would fit.

The Lord was on my side.

When I got home with my purchase I immediately searched for this skirt online (because I just had to know how much of a bandit I made out like), and though I couldn't find the exact skirt due to the probability of it being out of stock or out of season being high, I sat there straddling the fence on shock but lack of surprise when I saw how much similar skirts ran.

I think it's safe to say that this purchase was a serious WIN! #WINNING!!!

In general the clothing is too rich for my blood, regardless, I do feel that the clothing may actually be of high quality, which is rare. Most of the time you will see retailers or brands pumping out the same things made by the same overseas worker (to put it nicely) and it's sold (most of the time) by their competitors at a substantially lower price, for the same exact quality....I have NO time for that! I will NOT pay $200 for the same quality dress that is sold at Rainbow (no shade to Rainbow, I rocks with you). What's crazy, is that there have definitely been plenty of times when the less expensive brand won when it came to wear & tear, and did so without strong-arming my damn wallet.

Side Note: This logic, at least for me, is only applied to certain things. I do believe in many instances that you get what you pay for...but based on my experience (and my firm belief), the Hype Beast is real....don't believe it. Style is much more than a price tag, a label, how often you wear something, or whether something is "in trend".

And though this is my only piece from the brand, I've been fairly rough and tumble with this skirt, and it's just something I can see and feel upon touching it that has lead me to believe that (dare I say it) it may have been worth the money *Gasps and clutches pearls*....but if you can find a way to get it on sale ladies so that you too can have great pieces that fit your budget...do what you have to, find a way...stalk your prey.

GET MYNT'ED!

What I'm Wearing:

Sweater from Target. $24.99
Chambray top from Avenue.com. $30 (On Sale)
Leather Quilted Skirt from MYNT1972. $30 (Acquired at a Shop & Swap)
Boots from Charlotterusse.com. $15 (On sale from $45)