You know those days. The ones where it's pouring down rain and you can't seem to convince yourself to do anything beyond getting out of bed but there's a full day on your calendar. I couldn't find a weather forecast suitable enough to take the MOMA Design Store's Sky Umbrella out for a test drive, but being one who isn't fond of looking gift horses in the mouth, I decided to use it on a sunny day, just because.

As you may not know (and if you do, congratulations!), this year marks the 20th anniversary of the Sky Umbrella, designed by graphic artist Tibor Kalman. Best know for his bold and confrontational pieces, Kalman's Sky Umbrella has become iconic. If the Sky Umbrella has been your sunny companion on a rainy day, you can upload a photo of yourself with it to MOMA's Facebook where they are Celebrating 20 Years of Blue Skies for a chance to win a prize pack from the Design Store.

Outfit details:

Sky Umbrella: MOMA Design Store

Trench: Discovered at Re/Dress (no longer available)

Blue skinnies: Lane Bryant

Flats: Nine West Naughty

Tote: CFDA x eBay (no longer available)

Rope necklace: Target

Striped cuff: Amrita Singh

Photos by Tara Shashaty

Back when Eye4Style and I worked together, she (in her loving way) chastised me for wearing far too much black. Since that day, I will always hear her voice in the back of my head as I get ready for the day. STOP BUYING BLACK, SARAH! I've made a committed attempt to diversify my wardrobe, almost to the point where I now own too many colors and not enough neutrals. What can I say? It's hard to find the balance.

The point is, this spring I have an over-abundance of color and I'm not afraid to wear it. I love matching up shades that feel like they don't normally go together to make the work day a little more interesting.

Neon hoops: Forever 21 (not available online, super similar here)

Sheer top: Lane Bryant (no longer available)

Cobalt jeans: Lane Bryant

Neon satchel: Kate Spade Bond Street Satchel in Flo Coral c/o Neiman Marcus

Colorful pumps: J. Renee (a Nordstrom Rack find)

Rose gold watch: Michael Michael Kors

Photos by Tara Shashaty

Oh colored pants. They're so fun in theory, but when it's 7am and you're actually trying to get dressed for work, let's just say they present a bit of a style challenge. Sure you can wear white or black tops, but when it comes to adding color on top of color, sometimes you can second guess yourself. There's a fine line between bold and wacky when mixing colors, but I always say go to the extreme - you can always dial it back. Obviously in the photo above I didn't follow my own advice, but it's a work in progress. Let's just call it my style mission for spring.

Sunglasses: DKNY (no longer available, similar available here)

Cicada earrings: Topshop (no longer available)

Top: Old Navy (no longer available, similar available here and here)

Pink jeans: Lane Bryant

Handbag: Kate Spade Bond Street Satchel in Flo Coral c/o Neiman Marcus

Oxfords: Fitzwell (no longer available, similar available here)

Photos by Tarah Shashaty

The weekends in NYC are the best kind of unpredictable. You never know where you'll end up, who you'll see or what the weather will be like. Let's face it - everything about New York is unpredictable and that's exactly why we love it. This past Saturday I popped over to SoHo for brunch with one of my friends at Rubirosa (get the vodka pie - you won't regret it). We ate, we drank, we giggled, we bonded. I wish every Saturday could be like that!

When I was editing the photos, I realized that in my eagerness to embrace spring, I went a bit trend overboard. In my defense, however, I've been rocking these two tone oxfords for over a year. I was beyond thrilled to see a similar pair on the runway at Tibi for fall 2012. It's a great feeling when your own fashion instincts are confirmed. Between the nautical stripes, neon accents and the oxfords this could have been trend overload, but the look was broken up by the fur vest and black ankle length pants.

Sunnies: Tom Ford Nikita (no longer available, similar available here and here)

Necklace: Adia Kibur via ideeli, also available via Bauble Bar

Striped tee: Old Navy (no longer available, similar available here)

Fur vest: Michael Michael Kors c/o Lucky Magazine and Lord & Taylor (no longer available, similar available here)

Watch: c/o DKNY (no longer available, similar available here)

Black ankle pants: Lane Bryant

Handbag: Chanel

Oxfords: Fitzwell (no longer available, similar available here)

Lipstick: NARS Velvet Gloss Lip Pencil in Mexican Rose

Photos by Eliot

This holiday season was a little rough (working in ecommerce + family visiting = many, many Jessie Spano moments). so I didn't get around to thinking about 2012 until...2012. I'm not typically one to make resolutions, as I believe that I am a work in progress and my evolution isn't dictated by the calendar. The more I thought about where I'd like to evolve to in 2012, including intellectually and aesthetically, I've found myself gravitating towards the following:

A Return To Pink

Last year, I fully embraced every shade of red, including abandoning some of my favorite pink lipsticks. This year, I'm making a conscious effort to bring back the pink. Some of my current faves:

• MAC's Pink Pigeon lipstick
• MAC's Mineralize Blush in Subtle Breeze
• Old Navy's Satin 3/4 Sleeve top in Fuchsia Fusion
• Marc by Marc Jacobs Memphis Colorblock Top Handle Satchel

A Different Spot

Almost every day, I will end up wearing at least one leopard item thanks to years of pure obsession. While leopard will never leave my heart, it's time to move on to - to polka dots! Here's a few pieces I've had my eyes on:

• Marc by Marc Jacobs Dot Print Scarf (already purchased!)
• Marc by Marc Jacobs Dotty Snake Print Shoulder Bag
• Lane Bryant's Sheer Moon Top

Serious Skincare

There are so many things that I know that I should do to properly take care of my skin, but I fall short almost daily. It's time that I get serious before time catches up with me and takes my sins out on my face. I've been making great strides (though not consistently) with a little help from my friends:

• Kiehl's Midnight Recovery Concentrate and Midnight Recovery Eye
• Philosophy Help Me
• Mario Badescu Oil Free Moisturizer SPF 30
• Artistry Time Defiance Cleanser

Reading Is Fundamental

Don't get me wrong - there's no way that I could begin reading Tolstoy, but it's nice to take the written experience away from blogging and back to the exploration of a story. I'm not one for serious topics, especially in my entertainment, but a few books I've enjoyed reading through lately have been:

• The Hunger Games trilogy (all three only took me four days to finish)
• Bringing Home The Birkin: My Life In Hot Pursuit Of The World's Most Coveted Handbag
• The Secret Of Chanel No 5: The Intimate History Of The World's Most Famous Perfume

What has the arrival of 2012 inspired you to change?

Returning to an office environment has been an interesting experience for me. When I was freelancing and blogging full time, some days I'd get to chill in pjs and save the great outfits for the days when I'd need to be out and about. The office environment, especially at a fashion x tech company, has certainly caused an interesting strain on my wardrobe. There are some times that I get the casual formula right and others...well I fail miserably. But hey - life's all about learning, right?

Outfit details:

Coat: Rediscovered for me by my friends at BKLYN Dry Goods, designed by Enrico Coveri

Fur sweater: MICHAEL Michael Kors, picked up at Nordstrom

White tee: Brand unknown, purchased at Lord & Taylor

Earrings: Lion doorknockers by Kenneth Jay Lane (get a closer look here), purchased on ideeli

Cuff: Safety pin bracelet by CC Skye, purchased on ideeli

Jeggings: Lane Bryant (no longer available)

Flats: Congac and gold cap toe flats, Barefoot Tess

Handbag: Halogen, discovered at Nordstrom Rack

How do you navigate your closet to fit your career?

Some nights you just have to throw on your craziest fur & hop into bed with the hottest brunette that you find...or something like that. Last night was a bit of a whirlwind, with a slew of events & parties all over the city. I opted to pop by the Racked Awards (where my day job was nominated for Shopping Site of the Year), over to the CB2 Eastside opening, and then down to favorite Delicatessen for some maple bacon beignets (which, sadly, have been taken off the menu). Naturally my partner in crime for the evening was the gorgeous - and similarly dressed - Dina from Eye4Style.

My latest obsession, aside from my beloved handbag, is my new faux fur vest from QVC (of all places). I saw it on a model during the QVC fashion show during NYFW and finally brought myself around to purchasing one of my own. After reading through the customer reviews, I knew instantly that I would love the vest for all the reasons the previous purchasers did not. It's such a giant faux animal that it causes men to stare at me strangely in the subway (which I clearly enjoy). It's best worn with Beyonce or Pitbull pumping through your headphones.

Outfit details:

Faux fur vest: M by Marc Bouwer

Black dress: Evans

Red belt: Repurposed from a Lane Bryant dress

Leggings: Teggings by Re/Dress

Handbag: Chanel

Shoes: Fitzwell (no longer available)

I have so much to say - please excuse me if this post is a little verbose. First of all, I've started a full time job again, so things may be a bit slower than normal (and you've probably already noticed my absence). Secondly, this less frequent posting schedule leads me to the second change. My OOTDs will no longer be dated. Gotta snap 'em when I can these days!

This was last Sunday's look, when I officially reentered the brunching world (my first in 10 months) with the fantastic Dina of Eye4Style. Naturally we ate far too much at Beauty & Essex and then slowly made our way to the Style Coalition lounge for a casual Emmys gathering. It was barely cool enough to wear fur, but I didn't care. I've been desperate to rock this vest since I purchased it in early September. Allow me to digress.

On the morning of the first day of Fashion Week (also known as Fashion's Night Out), Lucky Magazine invited us to Lord & Taylor, with the guidance of Suze Yalof Schwartz, to shop the trends complete with a $200 gift card. Who was I to say no? Naturally I headed right up to L&T's plus size floor (one of my guilty pleasures) and immediately to the MICHAEL Michael Kors assortment. And there it was, patiently waiting for me, the last fur vest in my size. Needless to say, I put that $200 gift card to good use (and then some). I'd love to show you the vest on the L&T website, but sadly it's not available online. Should you be interested in picking up one for yourself, head to the store - you'll fall in love.

Outfit details:

Sunnies: Tom Ford Nikita (no longer available)

Vest: MICHAEL Michael Kors, c/o Lucky Magazine & Lord & Taylor

Dress: Avenue (no longer available)

Necklaces: Swarovzki (a birthday present), Twittabling

Belt: Lane Bryant (no longer available)

Tights: One Stop Plus (no longer available)

Wedges: Torrid (no longer available)

Envelope clutch: ASOS (black leather no longer available, other colors here)

Photo by Dina, Eye4Style

Do you ever have one of those mornings where it feels like you're struck with divine inspiration while in the shower? For the longest time, I thought I was so strange for coming up with my best ideas in the shower, until so many others shared they also have a similar experience. Tuesday morning, the idea for this look came to me - in those moments, it made a lot of sense. Naturally, there were moments throughout the day that made me reconsider my choices, however I have to say that moving outside of my comfort zone was such a liberating exercise for me. Be little ridiculous. Mix up some prints. Wear a giant bow. What's the worst that could happen?

Sunnies: DKNY

Scarf: Brenda Novak x Hayden Harnett (styling inspred by the Louis Vuitton eyewear ads)

Striped tee: Old Navy

Printed skirt: Lane Bryant

White studded handbag: Jessica Simpson Collection

Silver Cuff: Ted Rossi (birthday gift!)

Ring: Palladium Deisgn Project

Navy patent flats: Classiques Entier

Lipstick: MAC's Ruby Woo

Photo by Nicaila

Today has been the kind of day where everything just comes together. I picked up my oh-so-fabulous birthday dress from Monfi C (showstopper!) and just had lunch with some very lovely ladies from Napoleon Perdis (seriously  - who doesn't love an Australian?). Tonight I'll be celebrating the launch of a new Cover Girl/Lesportsac collaboration with the one and only Pat McGrath. That Susan Miller was right - today is a fantastic day for Geminis.

After checking out Dina's hilarious OOTD yesterday, I realized that I've never tried the stereotypical fashion blogger pose. So, for today's look I gave it a whirl - and while it's missing my ear to ear grin, I don't mind it!

Lipstick (any good look starts with a great lip): Napoleon Perdis' Aphrodite

Sunglasses: Tom Ford Nikita

Jeggings: Lane Bryant

Peep toe wedges: Me Too (picked up at Nordstrom Rack)

Clutch: DKNY (can also be worn crossbody or as a shoulder bag <3)