The Fall Edit: Outerwear and Ross Giftcard Giveaway!

If you live in a climate where the winters can be bitter, making you…well…bitter in response. Around February, the novelty of freshly fallen snow has worn away, leaving resentment and grayish slush. As silly as this sounds, I am always still excited to wear my winter coat. Living in the Midwest, I decided to make my winter coat assemblage an investment since it is the only piece of clothing people see on me many times. This year, I went a bit overboard to say the least, but hey…we only live once, and if you live where I live, you basically only live in the bitter cold.

The Statement Piece

My family recently went to an Oktoberfest/Antiques Show (truly brilliant idea- lots of kids games with candy and prizes to keep the little ones entertained, beer for the dads, gorgeous antique shopping for the moms). As we strolled down the first aisle, my eyes locked with the most gorgeous coat I had ever seen. I quick-stepped over to it, because my luck would be that another fashion-forward friend would snap it up before I covered the ground. Although the price tag indicated it wouldn’t be coming home with me, I quickly added up all the part time income I had generated as of late and decided I had to have it- a vintage 1960s cheetah print faux fur trench with a nipped waist and wide ebony buckle belt. This will be handed down to Charlotte some day, right? And yes, just for fun, I threw on my leopard heels.

The Classy Classic

I recently attended the pre-grand opening at Ross, a store which opened up in downtown Chicago on Randolph near State. What a fabulous addition to my FAVORITE area to shop! Ross’ motto is Dress for Less, and they offer brand names at 20-60% off department and specialty store prices. As I perused the never-before-touched racks, I spied a hint of white amongst a sea of dark colored coats. Yes, white might seem like an odd choice for a winter coat for a mother of a 3 year old and 10 month old, but that is what Shout wipes and dry cleaning are for. Want to know how much I saved? Retail price for this designer coat is $252. I paid $74.99 (Cue Fran Drescher saying “Oh, my god!”). Check out my full review of the new Ross store on The Little Style File. Make sure to enter the giveaway for a $25 Gift Card to Ross below- it goes a long way! Need to find a Ross store near you? Check out their website here!

The Movie Star

Some evenings, you just want to feel glamorous (they are usually the days where I have been spit up on countless times, changed 50 diapers and didn’t manage to get out of my pjs before noon). We all need a bit of glamor in our lives, whether it be a blinged out coffee cup, a set of pink gardening tools, or a fabulous faux fur. Someone once told me that I needed more “everyday” clothes, that I bought too many special occasion items. Ya know what? Every day is a special occasion as far as I am concerned, and I will wear this to pre-school pick up if I damn well please, thank you very much! Wear clothes that make you feel good, make you happy, make you excited to strut your stuff. Life is too short to be stuck in sensible forever! Guess where I purchased this gorgeous piece of glam? Savers. Faux real.

Now to win a gift card…Ross was kind enough to offer a $25 gift card to give away! To enter, simply fill out the Rafflecopter below AND/OR leave a comment on what your favorite winter coat is! Winner will be chosen at random on Friday, October 31st, US entrants only please. Good luck!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclosure: I was provided with gift cards to Ross and Savers for review purposes. All opinions are honest and my own.