The beginning of the year has always struck me as an odd time for fashion. It's generally the coldest time of the year, yet the stores are chock full of resort items or their pastel spring lines. If you're looking for something you can wear now you're generally in the back of the store, pursing what's left of the picked-over Christmas clearance. At this point, I'm looking for warm clothes that hint that spring's coming for a bit of a wardrobe pick-me-up. Was I successful...that's debatable.  Luckily, I did find a few things that met most of my criteria:


Row one // I've been looking at getting a quilted barn jacket and vest for sometime, so these picks from Old Navy and JCP come at a good time and great prices.  I'd prefer to spend more money to get better quality but I wasn't able to really find what I was looking for.  I love critter bangles and I love elephants so I was excited to find this one from Banana Republic.

Row two// I'm totally excited that Vera Bradley is bringing back two of my all-time favorite styles, the Curvy Tote I featured here and the Bucket Bag.  I love this pattern, Clementine as it's so bright and cheerful.  

Row three// This Land's End blouse has lovely rose print and works just as well for work as it does for the weekend.  The watch is from Shinola, which used to make shoe polish back in the day.  One of the few things I remember about my grandfather is his constant saying "He doesn't know sh-t from Shinola."  I've only heard wonderful things about the Shinola watches so I think his saying is now void. The watches are quite pricey, though, so if you'd like something at a cheaper price look at this Marc Jacobs watch or this Kate Spade tank watch with a black band.  Tahari makes the some of the best plus size clothes on the market.  I'm really in love with the ivory & yellow brocade shift.  There's just so many ways to dress it up or down and it can be worn year-round.  I definitely see this dress in my closet soon.