Author Archives: Rae Nudson

green dream

Do you ever dream of a piece of clothing that you wish you had? I don’t even know if this exists, but I’ve been dying over a dark green blazer with some sharp looking shoulders. I’d wear it with some brown round-toed heels and a killer ponytail. This is my what-I-already-have-in-my-closet interpretation of the outfit I imagined. This is also the outfit I layed out for work! Phew, good thing I liked it when I tried it all on. (Loved hearing that some of you guys lay our your clothes, too).

I used a teal sweater I have. Wore it over another sweater and paired with a winter white skirt and my leopard shoes. Came out ok, if  not the outfit of my dreams. 

For night, I added some jeans and a blazer. Voila, party ready. (Jeans and a blazer are a solid party uniform, no?)

Or concert ready, if your friend happens to hit you up around the end of the work day with surprise tickets to a Three Doors Down show. Yes, they are still making music. And yes, it was awesome. Remember all the times your high school self belted out Kryptonite? No? Just me? Whatever, I’m not embarrassed.

Between the marathon, seeing Jeff Mangum, designer shopping (ok, browsing), and surprise VIP concert seats, I fell back in love with the city this week. And, really, when you’re having fun, it doesn’t matter what you’re wearing.

Have a great weekend errbody, as always you can find me at raesdays@gmail.com, on Facebook and @rclnudson.

lay it out

When I am really on top of my organizational game, I like to lay out my clothes the night before. I know this isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, but I like to daydream about what outfits I want to wear when I get stuck on the subway without a book or I’m waiting for a meeting to start or while I’m brushing my teeth, for example. So if during any of these scenarios I come up with an outfit I think I will want to wear the next day, I search through my clothing rack, then through the piles of clothes that may or may not have accumulated in my apartment, then in the dirty clothes to make sure it isn’t lost completely, then decide on a new outfit because that one was dirty, then find what I will wear and lay it out like so:

(I know what you’re thinking: Rae, how do you stay so glamorous and organized? The answer is, you either got it or you don’t, kids)

I used to make sure I could find both shoes for said outfit, but my awesome shoe rack has made locating matching pairs a thousand million times easier, so that’s not an issue anymore. I do iron anything that might need ironing as I’m getting it ready. If I know I want certain accessories, I include them on the hangers.

Ta da! An outfit is born before the morning rush, and, most importantly for me, all the parts to it are located. Hopefully this one will go over without a hitch, and later on I’ll show you how I take it from day to night.

What’s your system? I’d really love to know. Tell me at raesdays@gmail.com, @rclnudson, on Facebook, or in the comments!

winter flavors

I was at the store last night, and there was peppermint coffee creamer and eggnog for sale. I’m not gonna lie to you guys, I like pumpkin-flavored drinks as much as the next person with a pulse, but winter flavors will be first in my heart every time. With this inspiration, I went looking for ways to add some winter flavors to my look.

My accessories, with hints of cinnamon, peppermint, eggnog and gingerbread.

Where do you get inspiration? Tell me at raesdays@gmail.com, on Facebook, @rclnudson, or in the comments!

An ode to scarves. May you have one for your every mood, but especially to cheer you up and keep you warm when it is cold and dark at 4:30 in the afternoon

fall dress

It’s November. Sorta snuck upon you, huh? It did for me. To celebrate fall and the colors of Thanksgiving, I bring you Carolina Herrera.

For work, I went monotone, and I dont feel bad about it. The shape of the dress screams Jackie O glam to me, so I kept lines clean and simple and added a classic scarf and big sunglasses. Also, for the record, the dress has cutouts, but at work at a regular office, make sure no skin shows through, k? A navy blue tank top showing through would be cute, I think.

For a casual excursion I combined lots of lovely fall colors and cozy patterns/fabrics. I’d wear this with a messy topknot and hit the town. But seriously, I’d really like every single one of those items.

ribbons

Hello! A super cute idea came across my Twitter feed the other day. Check out this picture of ribbon as bow tie, via Teen Vogue. So, I appropriated this idea for my Halloween outfit. Let’s be real, I wear a lot of black and you know I love orange, so I probably would have worn this color ribbon even if it wasn’t Halloween, but I thought it was a nice way to be a little festive. Plus I like how orange goes with those turquoise shoes. If your craft closet looks anything like my craft closet, you have several colors and varieties of ribbons to choose from, and I can’t wait to use this trick on other outfits!

For the office, pencil skirt and button up. Monotone with colorful bowtie.

For play time, take it casual with shorts and boots, much like the original bow-tie wearer in the picture.

See a trend you like on the Internet or on the street? Make it your own! Here’s another picture I loved and hope to try out soon with a flouncy skirt and fun pattern.

Show me your bow ties at raesdays@gmail.com, @rclnudson, on Facebook or in the comments! We had some great comments last week about what you keep in your bag, I’ll show you all soon!

Happy Halloween! I dressed up for the occasion—just not in a costume. See where I got the inspiration and how I took this look out of the office tomorrow. In the meantime, hope you are doing something fun to celebrate!

the essentials

When I’m going somewhere right after work, I like to travel light. And you know I like to rock a daytime clutch. There’s only so much you can fit! So when my bag is small but my plans are not, these are my necessities:

As far as make up goes, I take just enough to touch up: mascara, my fave chapstick (Burt’s Bees with pomegranate, it has a lovely pink tint), and Laura Mercier’s mattifying serum. If you have room and want to go glam, I’d throw in some lipstick.

I am also in love with tiny rollerball perfumes. This one (the long red tube) I got when I was working at Victoria’s Secret, but a ton of perfumes come in their own tiny rollerball containers these days. So great for taking with you to freshen up, or for when you hit the gym in the morning before work, or for traveling, or for just cheaply trying all different kinds of perfume. Love.

I also pack a tiny moleskine and pen, for jotting notes, and my headphones, for awesome music, duh. My keys are attached to a zipper pouch, which is the best investment I could have ever made in this city. It holds my keys, gym pass, subway pass, work ID and in a pinch can hold your cash, credit cards and ID too. The other pouch you see is what I use for a wallet when I take a smaller bag and can’t fit a normal-sized one.

In a real pinch, and with a very tiny bag, I’d lose the notebook, consolidate my zipper pouches, and only bring the chapstick. You know, if you must.

Not pictured: my iPhone, which also doubles as my kindle when my bag is too small to fit them both.

Am I missing anything? What are your essentials?

another day, another dress

How I’d style a dress I want part deux.

This Roberto Cavalli dress is stunning all on its own. For work, I like these off-white booties, sort of adds some fun to a glamorous affair. Another gorgeous Roberto Cavalli sweater to throw on if it’s chilly, a necklace to offset your pretty face and a classic Chanel for all your work things.

And if I were taking this dress out on the town?

I’d toughen it up with a leather jacket and clutch. Sparkle with some gold accessories and, trust me, you’ll be turning heads.

What do you think of these combinations? Let me know at raesdays@gmail.com, @rclnudson, on Facebook or in the comments!