Pretty Prints & Cool Manicure Hacks

Dress, Zara (similar here and here); sunglasses, Dolce & Gabbana (very similar here!); skull necklace, Pamela Love (on sale!); bag, Alexander McQueen (similar here and here); shoes, Christian Louboutin (crazy similar--and way cheaper!--here); tights, Express; wrist band; FitBit Flex; gold rings, Catbird; nails, Essie polish in Merino Cool topped with Sally Hansen Salon Effects French Mani in Gold Cabaret

Well, the weather sucks here in NYC again, so allow me for just a minute to go back in time to an afternoon a few weeks ago when it was actually warm not freezing enough to venture outside without ten layers of insulation. This outfit has been one of my go-to's this season: baggy plaid dress, black booties, and superwarm fleece-y tights from Express (seriously, have you tried these things? Awesome and definitely a polar-vortex necessity). 

This clutch was a gift (I love the stained-glass print for many reasons, not least of which because my dad is a stained-glass artist), and at first I wondered how I'd wear it. But I kind of love it with the busyness of the dress; a bit of clashing in the best way, no? 

And finally, the nails. Here's the truth: I came up with them out of desperation. I had had this base color (Essie's Merino Cool) for several days and it was totally chipped. I didn't have time for a full manicure before this shoot, so I grabbed a pack of Sally Hansen French Mani tips (they're basically nail lacquer strips for just the very tips of your nails). I slapped them on to hide my chips, and voila: no one's the wiser about the wretchedness happening underneath. Well, until I just blabbed my secret. Oops.