Trench Coat for Autumn Rain

Target khaki trench coat // H&M pastel floral peplum top // Forever 21 tan lace pencil skirt //

Predictions for Payless black pumps // H&M croc print faux leather skinny belt //

Lancome red lipstick in Rouge Baroque // Target clear bubble umbrella //

Photography: Cassandra Morecroft King

For this month's Bloggers Do It Better challenge, our task is to showcase our winter coats. While I recently invested in a long North Face puffy-yet-sleek parka for practicality and preservation of fingers and toes, the fleeting fall days are a great transitional time for light jackets like a trench coat. These are surprisingly water repellant to block out the freezing rain.

This outfit was from an entire year ago (10/19/2012), when the foliage in my neighborhood was absolutely striking. The explosion of fiery colours in the canopy above, reflected on wet pavement - one of my favourite images of fall, with natural confetti decorating the ground. Clear bubble umbrellas always seemed like fun raingear to me and make walking around easier when you can see right through them. They even show your outfit better than traditional opaque "rain-pellants." I tied the belt behind the coat to show off my layers underneath and liked the juxtaposition of the soft pastel flowers and peplum that are usually associated with spring against the vibrant shades of red and gold in the glistening leaves on the ground. Pop on a bright red lipstick and voila, fall workday to date night look.

Click to see more pictures → → →

En{trench}ed Neon

Merona khaki trench coat (XS) // Ralph Lauren Polo royal blue sweatshirt (XS) (gift from Aunt) //

H&M hot pink suede mini skirt with gold zippers (Euro 4) // 

Xhilaration black and white wingtip oxford flats (6) // Taiwan brand dotted sheer tights (M/L)

Photography: JJ

• New favourite place on campus: Yellow gingko trees outside the library in late autumn. They are the perfect shade of golden yellow and you feel like you're in a magical forest.
• New favourite mood: A cafe during a light rain. The smell of sweet coffee is the nicest aroma to hit your olfactory bulbs when you walk in the door

I'M YOUR GOLDEN GIRL. Another one of those I-don't-care-that-it's-raining-all-day-I-will-still-wear-bright-colours campaigns for Tuesday (11/8). Remixed from this summer version of royal blue + fuchsia. Add a practical waterproof trench coat from Target, cinched nicely with a bow belt. Now I know why there's a room in the library called "The Gingko Room" ... used to take naps in there freshman year xD This time of year, it's the most beautiful view on campus. That perfect gingko-path leading to the quad. Remember this early autumn post? The leaves were still so green back then.

Rainy days after 12 hours of sleep call for a hot thermos of coffee and some library lovin'. Thanks to the best boyfriend-photographer, weathering the impending rain to get these shots. My favourite part of blogging is the blabbing part. I always write the content first to get my thoughts and moods down and then reluctantly deal with editing and coding photos later on. Readers, how do you deal with the blogging blues? How do you motivate yourself to keep churning out new content when the more you learn, the more it starts to feel like work?

Wednesday's weather: 45 degrees F and 30 mph winds. FML

Readers - what do you wear on rainy days?

My Dear Watson

Merona trench coat (XS) // H&M brown felt fedora (M) // 

Taiwanese teal tights // Taiwanese camel faux fur heeled boots (36) //

Photography: JJ

"Why is she dressed up as Sherlock Holmes?" must be what my entire university thought as I walked past in this strange ensemble. It was a Monday a couple of weeks ago, and no signs of spring yet to come, I decided to throw on my trench and a newly acquired fedora to top off the outfit. It seems like STL skipped straight over spring and summer to eagerly arrive at fall again. A few daffodils sprouted their green leaves - an encouraging sign. 

I will separate this look into two posts because the trench covers up most of the bright inside. You'll see what I mean in two days. I've found that Target is a great place to look for affordable trends. I got this waterproof (but not wrinkle-proof) trench coat for $50 last fall and wore it most of the season, day to day. It does fall a bit too close to the knee for my height (always jealous of those gorgeous models who bare their legs and the hem of the trench falls 4-5 inches above their knee-cap (Vivian Volkoff in Chuck, anyone?) and I have to double-tie the belt so it won't come undone but for the most part, it's a relatively affordable trench that works over many outfits. Now with my new favourite hat, I can feel extra private-eye. The only question is, where do I find the perfect Sherlock pipe? 

(Smoking is bad and will eventually kill you faster than warranted. Don't do it. Pipes are cool props only).

What do you think about the fit of this trench? Any remedies to make it not look like it's eating me?
P.S. Happy pi day! 3.14159265 not quite as delicious as my favourite pumpkin pie though : )

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