Trend :: Poncho

Stella McCartney cozy poncho with hoodie

I have always love ponchos. Did a couple of posts wearing them here on the blog before and I can't get enough of them! To me they are perfect! Let see - beautiful flow of fabric, check. Flattering 3/4 sleeves, check. Able to hide the mid section bulge on the bad days, check. Add variety to the usual conventional sweaters, check. Plus they can be casual and some can be pretty elegant too. Me, I can do both.. I can do any type of poncho for that matter! Send me off to Mexico now ;) 

Boho at it's best! Etro casual poncho 

An elegant cashmere poncho by Ralph Lauren

Something Borrowed

One of the beauties of having teenage boys is, you get to borrow their stuff! Yes, this cool camou flage button down belongs to one of the boys. I thought that it would go pretty well with my favorite cargo pants to wear to a  New Year get together BBQ at a friend's earlier this afternoon.  A pair of comfortable TOMS and Captain's old air-force dog tag finished the look I going for - easy, no fuss and comfortable for the casual occasion! 

Not too bad for something borrowed, no?

:: Wearing ::
Button down shirt :: American Eagles Outfitter  Cargo pants :: Forever 21 Shoes :: TOMS


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Tested : UGG Adirondack Boots

So, off to Amsterdam I went after 20 years and spent the whole week in the fabulous city. I have to say I went prepared. I did my research and it came out the weather was going to be somewhere between 10 and 2 degrees Celsius with almost 90% humidity! (which made it feels like -3 instead) Light rain was also forecasted here and there. Honestly, I can stand cold weather but mostly the dry cold. I was in Paris one year in February and the temperature went down to -2 degrees low and there I was going around town perfectly. It's the humidity that I cannot stand. Just chill me to my bone! 
So for the trip I decided that I needed a warmer, comfortable pair of shoes. And after much consideration, I went with Adirondack Boots by UGG Australia. I was impressed and convinced by the 300 over positive reviews and went ahead with them. The result, I couldn't be more happy with them. My feet were cozy, warm and very comfortable. It got better after a few days of wear. They felt a bit bulky the first few use but once I got used to them, it was smooth sailing all the way. These boots are waterproof, fully shearling lined and come in 4 colors. They can be worn up of cuffed at the ankles into a short boots but I prefer to wear them up like the military boots. These boots have been tested and approved for cold temperature all the way down to -20 degrees, making them a great pair of snow boots. I had a chance to meet up with an old school friend in Amsterdam and she too had the same pair of shoes and couldn't say enough good things about them.
So, if you are looking for a warm pair of boots for this winter, I would highly recommend  these Adirondack boots by UGG Australia. Unlike their sisters the classic unflattering UGG boots (of which I also love!), this pair is stylish  yet they will not fail to keeping your feet warm!  

Quest for The Perfect Cold Weather Parka

Burberry *drool*

The downside (among the many perks) of being in the airline family is the leave allocation. It is not like we can just decide to have a vacation anytime in the year and it will happen. It is the other way around, actually. Captain will be given a block of weeks or days in a year to choose from together with hundreds other pilots and see who gets what. This year we have scattered leave days, a few days here and there and this makes planning for a long vacation a problem. We have been wanting to go to Amsterdam for a while and decided this year will be it and because of the problem with the leave, it has to be in November. 

Now, Amsterdam in November can be quite intimidating with low temperature and  a lot of rain. To tell you the truth, I am not equip to brace this kind of weather. Since I live in Dubai, my outerwear section in my wardrobe is kind of limited. Let see.. I have a long wool coat, a mac or trench for spring, a ski/mountain jacket and few short leather jackets. Now, the wool coat is nice and warm but it is NOT waterproof or water resistant. The trench is too light, so are the leather jackets plus, I will not compromise my Balenciagas in the rain! This leave me with the ski/mountain jacket. I will look really odd walking around the city in ski jacket. Nope, not willing to. 

So I decided it was time to add another outerwear to my closet. So happened I was in new York City for a couple of days last week and off shopping I go for the perfect cold weather, water resistant parka.

Canadian Goose Expedition Parka $845

The 'holy-grail' of cold weather coats/jackets has to be Canadian Goose. Who would know more about cold weather than the Canadians, right? Plus Canadian Goose has been sponsoring expeditions in Alaska, the Everest and even the Arctic so they definitely know their stuff. Hands down Canadian Goose is the best for warm outerwear. I loved the style of this jacket and the color was lovely too (came also in orange and white) plus it was warm alright. It came with the fur trimmed hood (important must have as I hate the look of my head in hats!) but I looked 3 sizes bigger than my real self  in it! Sadly, I had to say no to it because after all I am not going to Alaska or the South Pole anytime soon, just Amsterdam.  Note : Will definitely buy this one when Alaska popped in my travel list!

Sam Hudson Parka $795

This one by Sam was really cute. It was slightly longer than the one from Canadian Goose but lighter. I loved the gold tone hardware and the cute fur trim hood and how tapered it looked . Not as warm as the Canadian Goose but with nice cashmere sweater inside it'll do the job. I was not thrill by the outer material that was made by waxed canvas and the sleeves were quite narrow and that could be a problem for layering. I had to pass.

Mackage Cynthia Parka $1,150

Aaah, this piece by Mackage was a beauty! 10 out of 10! It was filled with down, making it quite warm but sans the bulky look I try to avoid. Also came with the cute fur trimmed hood, leather sleeves with ribbed elastic cuffs to block the cold wind (a plus) and it was very well made. The lack of unnecessary buttons and frills made this jacket looked elegant and expensive.  The problem was, it WAS expensive. Since I made a cap of $1,000 for this parka project of mine, this one here was way out of my league. Bummer!

Rag & Bone Waterloo Parka $ 995

If there was such a thing as love at first try, this would be mine. I was browsing Saks on Fifth Avenue and saw this jacket from far. The first thing that caught my eyes was the perfect green. It was made from nice sturdy water resistant material, no coating or anything like that. To me simplicity is best and this parka has simple buttons with extended leather button holes, hidden ribbed cuffs to block the cold wind and hood with removable fur trim (super!). This jacket was quilt lined and warm enough for European winter months. There were plenty of room in the sleeves area for layering purposes. Priced at slightly below my $1,000 cap, I have to admit looking at it hanging on my closet door, I kept thinking if I made the right decision spending that much. Well, for a well made piece, I think it was an investment especially when my last outerwear purchase was many years ago and it will be many more years before the next one.
So, what is your go-to cold and wet weather outerwear? I would love to hear all about it :)




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