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Middle of Somewhere

An Albuquerque Fashion & Lifestyle Blog

Cozy in a Cardigan

Let me just start off by saying I am completely obsessed with this cardigan! I picked it up at H&M while in San Jose and have worn it multiple times since. Of course I had to hit up H&M in California because until last week we did not have one in New Mexico! Crazy (and sad), I know! In the past I have tended to lean more toward fitted cardigan’s with looser tops underneath, but for some reason this year I am all about the oversized cardigan. I love to pair them with more fitted tops and pants, and of course a pair of boots. I also love the idea of legwarmers or boot socks for fall to up the cozy factor. Vanity has so many cute options for all of your cold weather needs – sweaters, legwarmers, and plenty of items in between. Some of my favorite cardigans include the chevron reversible cardigan and the aztec hem cardigan. I would definitely encourage you to check out Vanity and would love to know some of your favorite Vanity items they have for fall/winter!
Wearing:
H&M Cardigan
Old Navy Leggings
Madewell Slub V-Neck Tee
Legwarmers c/o Vanity
Baublebar Monogram Necklace
Benevolent Jewels Earrings (no longer available)
Sam Edelman Cecile Crossbody 
Enzo Angiolini Boots (old, love this pair of riding boots – great for us wide-calf girls!)
Linking Up With: Style Me Wednesday, Trend Spin, Stylish Tuesday, Tremendous Tuesday, Confident Twosday, WIWW, What Wives Wear, Spotlight Weekly, Style Sessions
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How To Style A Cardigan

(image via Hello Fashion Blog)

Today I am excited to be joined by Stephanie of Lookbook Store to share some great ideas about how to rock a cardigan for fall/winter. Cardigans
are perfect for this time of the year because they can keep you warm and
cozy all day, and are personally one of my go-to pieces. Although sometimes one may think that they can look frumpy or unpolished, but I’ve got to tell you – their
fashion value is heavenly.Cardigans are actually a really important clothing staples for the season of layering. If you’re
wondering how to wear them tastefully this season, don’t worry because there are numerous possibilities.

Oversized cardigans are one of the most loved sweaters by many stylists. They’re very trendy and are perfect as the temperature drops. The downside, though, is that if they’re not styled properly, they can make you look sloppy. So, the key is to make sure that the look is balanced. If the top half garment is heavy then it is best to wear something that
will provide a slimming effect on your lower half so won’t look bulky.

   

If you want to layer your dress for cold days, choose a short or cropped cardigan. A layered look can be very sleek and pretty. A tip for this type of cardigan would be to make sure that its hemline falls right at your waistline so as not to create a disproportionate look.
Another type of cardigan that works best with fitted bottoms, such as skinny pants and leggings is the drape cardigan. A piece of advice when wearing this type of cardigan would be to attempt to stay away from loose-fitting jeans or skirts because it can create the illusion of a wider bottom half (which most of us try to hard to avoid!)
For a quirky and glamorous vibe, choose cardigans that are long. Don’t worry about their hem falling below your knee because they help create a more dramatic effect to your overall look. One of my favorite things about long cardigans is that you can wear them with shorts, short skirts,or dresses, and still maintain a polished look.

 
See how versatile cardigans are? Even the simplest outfit for the weekend can look stylish in an instant. So, if you’re wardrobe misses this type of clothing piece, I must say you need to go ahead and spice it up. Make sure to check out Lookbook Store for all of your outerwear needs, and a huge thank you to Stephanie from Lookbook Store for today’s post.
Linking Up With: Style To Inspire

I Left My Heart in San Francisco

Seriously though… I totally did. San Francisco holds a very special place in my heart. Ever since living in San Jose for a few years, I just can’t get enough of the city. I love visiting, and absolutely dread when it’s time to leave… plus it really doesn’t help when the weather is absolutely perfect when I visit. The day that we flew back to NM we walked from our hotel down to the Ferry Building. We enjoyed our first Pressed Juicery juices, which were so delicious and the perfect treat while we were out enjoying the warm sun. We then decided it would be nice to walk all the way down to Pier 39 because clam chowder was on my ‘must eat while in California’ list (please tell me I am not the only one who plans trips around food!). We had to have walked at least 6 miles that day round trip, leaving us exhausted and hot by the time we needed to head to the airport. As always, I was sad to head back to New Mexico and leave the beautiful Bay Area behind. This was our first trip back in two years, so I am hoping we won’t have to wait as long to return this time. What are some of your favorite vacation spots?
Wearing:
Splendid City Sweatshirt (similar version under $70 here and under $60 from Calvin Klein)
Kut from the Kloth Jeans c/o Blue Jean Baby Clothing
Target Leopard Loafers (old, almost identical Sole Society loafers here)
Rebecca Minkoff MAB Tote
Baublebar The Shoshanna Amulet
Free People Sunglasses
Michael Kors ‘Bradshaw’ Watch
Linking Up With: Style Me Wednesday, Trend Spin, What Wives Wear, Spotlight Weekly. Three-fer Thursday, Thursday Favorites
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Bundled Up At Donner Lake

On our recent trip, my husband and I stopped on our way from Reno to San Jose at Donner Lake. To say this place was beautiful and breathtaking is a total understatement. The lake was perfectly clear and surrounded by snow covered mountains and a gorgeous blue sky. Driving through the snow really got me in the mood for winter… actually more so for Christmas if I’m being honest. I am surprisingly looking forward to coat season, and would love to pick up a new one this year. JCrew Factory has so many coats I love right now, especially this high collar colorblocked coat, plus they’re all 30% off until tomorrow with the code EXTRA30. I was happy that I was prepared for the cold and brought a coat and a beanie along for the trip. While the weather in the Bay Area was nice and warm, the earlier part of our trip in Nevada was much colder. We had never driven through this area before, and I would love to go back and visit Lake Tahoe at some point! Stopping at Donner Lake was not planned, but I am so happy that we stopped to take a look around.
Wearing:
Old Navy Flannel (old, love this year’s boyfriend flannel shirt from Old Navy)
Old Navy The Rockstar Jeans
Old Navy Cocoon Coat (old, similar JCrew Factory coat here plus get 30% off with code EXTRA30)
Handmade Beanie (love this pom-pom version for under $9)
Shy by Sydney Evan ‘Love’ Necklace
Minimal Bar Necklace c/o Shop Layered Up (use code SHOP10 for 10% off)
Target Ankle Boots
Michael Kors ‘Bradshaw’ Watch
Linking Up With: Style To Inspire, Stylish Tuesday, Confident Twosday, Tremendous Tuesday, Weekly Favorites, WIWW, Bloggers Who Budget

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A Walk Through Union Square

I have been a total slacker on my blog this past week and I apologize (because I know you all noticed I was gone). I was so proud of myself before I left for vacation that I scheduled two posts, and then I totally fell off the grid after Monday’s scheduled post. We clearly do not travel often because I was exhausted when we got back! I was so glad I took an extra day off work to recuperate. To say our trip was a blast is an understatement. My favorite part of course was renting a car in Reno and driving to San Jose and San Francisco. We drove through Donner Lake, which was so gorgeous – pictures coming soon! It was so nice to visit our friends, especially since it’s been two years since we had visited the Bay Area last. On Monday night we decided to wander around Union Square in San Francisco, and not surprisingly, we ended up at an Irish pub for dinner (and had the most delicious Irish soda bread pudding ever!) I was excited that the weather was nice and cool because it allowed me to wear my favorite Target oversized scarf. The lighting is not the best on this set of photos, but like I said, I tried to be a good productive blogger while I was gone. I am clearly not a real fashion blogger because I look super uncomfortable in most of these pictures… I felt a little weird standing on a street corner to take pictures, but hey, you do what you gotta do! I hope you all have a great weekend, and I will see you back here on Monday!

Wearing:
Blank NYC Boyfriend Jeans
JCrew Factory Baseball Tee (no longer online, similar colorblock baseball tee here)
Target Oversized Plaid Scarf
Michael Kors ‘Bradshaw’ Watch
Gorjana Mika Necklace
Rebecca Minkoff MAB Tote
Target Ankle Boots
Linking Up With: What Wives Wear, Three-fer Thursday, Thursday Favorites, Fab Favorites

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Black & Gold

TGIF! I hope you all had a great week. I have been looking forward to this weekend for quite some time now because I am currently on vacation! Today I am sharing an outfit that I wore last weekend for a night out to celebrate a friend’s birthday. These faux leather leggings are totally my go-to for going out, especially now as the weather cools down. I have mentioned before that I am not a huge short dress girl, so I love that I can throw on a pair of leggings and not only feel comfortable, but look polished and put together. I clearly have some other favorite items this week, and you may notice a few similarities between Monday’s post and today’s post. I can’t get enough of these burgundy heels that I recently picked up at Target. I originally bought them for my Mad Men themed Halloween costume, but couldn’t help but wear them sooner. They’re really practical and easy to wear all night long, and you can’t beat the under $30 price tag! I hope have a fun and eventful weekend… I know I will, and can’t wait to share pictures from my trip when I get back!
Wearing: 
LC Lauren Conrad Faux Leather Leggings
LC Lauren Conrad Bow Tie Sweater (not available online, similar F21 option here and a tunic option here)
Target Heels
Baublebar Cuff
Baublebar Iced Lariat Pendant
Ash & Willow Sequin Clutch (use code BARutland for 10% off your order)
Clinique Lipstick in ‘Different Grape’
Essie Nailpolish in ‘Bahama Mama’
Linking Up With: Style To Inspire, Confident Twosday, Trend Spin, WIWW

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