Rate My Look- Comfy Christmas Attire

If you remember my style guides to the holidays, you will recall that I recommend a loose-fitting dress for family dinners. In my family, we tend to over indulge around the holidays. Also, most of my friends families are the same way, so if I have a family holiday dinner, followed by a dinner with Beth's family, for example, that's a lot of food to pack in. And I'm not afraid to strap on a feed bag, if you know what I mean. On Christmas Day, I had a delicious (and decadent) breakfast with my parents and brother- homemade crepes and crispy bacon. Yum. (Did I mention I'm from New Hampshire where real maple syrup is not only delicious, it's mandatory?) A few hours later, we cleaned ourselves up to go have an early afternoon "dinner" with the relatives. One of my cousins is a professional chef, so the eats are usually pretty stellar. And because that side of the family is Italian, we manage to incorporate an antipasto course into the beginning of every meal as well as cannoli and lobster tail pastry into every dessert. This year, we feasted on a juicy roast beef with potatoes, squash, and sweet potato casserole (the best I've ever tasted, btw). A few hours later, I was on the road to Beth's house to hang out with her family. Unlike my relatives, dinner at Beth's house is actually around dinner time. I arrived as the salad was being served. I passed on the lasagna course (another Italian family), simply because I genuinely didn't think I could handle it. After a nice long break between courses, we moved on to filet mignon, grilled salmon, asparagus, carrots, and roasted potatoes. Let's just say I was happy to have taken my own fashion advice on this particular holiday:

This dress is nothing new- in fact, it's starting to show signs of wear. I've gotten a lot of miles out of it, so I'm not complaining, but it might be time for a new casual, everyday LBD. The shoes are pretty old, too- they're my favorite back patent lace-up high heel oxfords. They are a great choice for SO many looks. What is new in this outfit is the capelet and the tights. The tights are actually two separate pair- one in a pretty, opaque teal blue and the other is a black lace-y cut-out pattern layered on top. The capelet is one I talked about recently- I purchased it on my recent trip to NYC. It's almost exactly the same as a capelet I admired on Etsy a couple of months ago. I'm glad I held off on that purchase because I ended up saving myself about $40 by purchasing it in Chinatown. Now, before you start lecturing me about supporting artists on Etsy, consider exactly how much of a price difference I had. If it had been a similar price to the Etsy seller, I would have absolutely waited and purchased from them. However, I got the capelet pictured for a mere $12, so I am having trouble feeling too guilty. Additionally, I'd like to point out that the capelet can also double as a drape-y scarf which is helpful when I have to put on a coat: 

Anyway, this may not have been the most inventive outfit I've ever put together, but it was comfortable and warm, two priorities for a cold winter day spent out visiting friends and family. Speaking of warm winter attire, check out my new coat (also purchased on my trip to NYC) that I scored for only $29.99 at Daffy's: 

I've been in love with oversize houndstooth prints lately and this coat is definitely reminiscent of that print. I love the silhouette and the open neckline. Of course, it basically requires me to wear either a turtleneck or a warm scarf. Fortunately, I have several of both. 

Come back soon for more photos of fabulous shopping finds from NYC and elsewhere!