There's so much to love about spring, including how fresh all of your spring/summer clothes feel when you pull them out of your closet for the first time. We finally had the perfect spring day in NYC, with "abundant sunshine" (my favorite weather forecast) and a gentle breeze. While this look is best worn in early spring or in fall, I typically don't wear it without leggings/tights because I've yet to find the best shoes/legwear combination to wear it during any other time of year.

Browns have always been a particularly difficult category of color for me to wear, but I feel most comfortable when I mix darker browns with camels. Let's just call camel my gateway brown.

Pony sweater: Torrid

Skirt: IGIGI (similar available here)

Necklace: Avon (similar available here and here)

Handbag: Marni at H&M

Scarf: Marni at H&M

Bracelet: Rebecca Minkoff c/o TRESemme

Watch: La Mer c/o TRESemme

Pumps: Jessica Simpson

Photos by Tara Shashaty

Thank goodness for mothers. In addition to bringing unconditional love (no matter how long it's been since you've done your laundry) and imported presents (there are some things that you just can't get in NYC), they also come in quite handy for taking outfit photos, even at 10pm on a Monday night. My mother and I spent the evening at a pre-holiday dinner with a dear friend - naturally, we didn't think about the need for an outfit photo until it was completely dark outside. Oh well - that's what a camera's flash is for ;)

Funnel collar tweet coat: Avenue via One Stop Plus

Elbow length knit fingerless gloves: Tracy Reese (no longer available)

Black clutch: Christian Siriano for Payless (no longer available)

Jeweled necklace: Forever 21 (no longer available)

Velvet Boyfriend Shirt: Just My Size

Straight leg trousers: Lane Bryant (no longer available)

Leopard flats: Jessica Simpson

Bid on shoes donated by your favorite celebrities, thanks to Piperlime's auction benefiting Souls4Souls, a charity donating shoes to the impoverished around the world.  Check out mules from broadway's Kristin Chenoweth (love her!), nude peep toe pumps from Mandy Moore, black boots from Jessica Simpson, Hollywould mules from Rosario Dawson, as well as shoes from Mischa Barton, Rachel Zoe, Teri Hatcher and many more!  The bidding ends May 13 & 14, so get those bids in now!

There's still time to win a Rakku Shoe Wheel with Style IT and ThisNext. Don't forget how easy it is!

Click here for the full details.

Hurry up, because time is running out. Contest ends February 9, and the winner will be announced right here on Style IT February 10.

 

 

Click here for full details on how to win! 

Come on, admit it. Who doesn't love playing dress up in designer duds?! Now you can too, and win a Rakku Shoe Wheel all at the same time. All you have to do is use ThisNext to recommend what you'd wear if you were to attend New York Fashion Week and tag it Style IT. If you don't have an account with ThisNext, be sure to sign up for one. Enter now, because the contest ends February 9.

Need a little more inspiration? Check out all the items tagged "Style IT".

 

Style IT and ThisNext are teaming up to allow readers of Style IT to win a Rakku Shoe Wheel!

What would you wear if you could attend New York Fashion Week? Style IT and This Next want to know! All you have to do to win a Rakku Shoe Wheel is select the items you'd wear if you could attend the shows, and be sure to tag them "StyleIT". Be sure to sign up for a ThisNext account if you don't already have one so you can participate.

To add to the fun, add beauty products, accessories and undergarments you'd wear. Don't forget to tag your items, because we'll be checking in on you! The official contest dates are from February 2 through February 9. The winner will be announced right here on Style IT on February 10. Good luck!

 

 

 

--Art director of America's Next Top Model, Jay Manuel, has a new gig: Style Director of Match.com. Maybe he can help out Courtney Love? Via Imaginary Socialite

--Mary Kate Olsen leaves the house in a plaid bedsheet, without the Balenciaga torture chambers. Via PopSugar

--Marilyn Manson has found someone younger to clone Dita's look: Evan Rachel Wood. Let the comparisons begin. Via Socialite's Life

--Jessica and Ashlee Simpson looking the same. Are we in for a new sister act? Via X17 Online

--Socialite Ranke, the website that brought Tinsley Mortimer's fame to near pandemonium levels has a new obsession: Kate Middleton. Via Socialite Rank

--Just in cae the first round wasn't enough, DeathByCamera is back for round two with last night's American Idol contestants Myspaces. Via DeathByCamera

--ViewFromTheFourthRow, a blog thats been around a little bit is gaining some serious attention. And it's totally deserved. Intriuge, snark, and gossip all wrapped into wonderful little posts. I can't wait for Fashion Week.

Reese Witherspoon was stunning at the 29th Annual Kennedy Center Honors.  Other celebrities attending included Jessica Simpson and Carrie Underwood.  All three ladies went for understated elegance, keeping the dresses neutral and the makeup simple.

Jessica must be REALLY loyal to her hairdresser.  Jessica Simpson was under consideration to be the face of Miu Miu's Spring 2007, but the title has unfortunately gone to Lindsay Lohan, due to Simpson's dedication to Paves.  A Vanity Fair cover shoot was cancelled because Jessica refused to work with the hair and makeup team the photographers, Marcus Piggott and Mert Alas, requested. "Being the professionals they are, they wanted to bring in their own hair and makeup team, but Jessica said if they didn't use Ken, then she wasn't sitting for the shoot." "Most fashion photographers use their own people - and they certainly don't use Ken Paves, who is considered tacky and amateurish for high-fashion shoots. He's very 'Texas pageant hair.' " Texas pageant hair?  They sure got that right!

--Source:  PageSix