A reader wrote:

Where can I get those Steve Madden knitted boots featured in your article about not getting your best shoes ruined?  Love them!

I love them too! I got those Steve Madden knitted boots three years ago from DSW. Obviously they don’t have those exact ones anymore, but I found their latest version, as well as a few others.

This seems to be the latest version of the Steve Madden boots I have, at DSW in black for $44.95 in limited sizes.

Here is a cute, similar pair from Target, also in black, for $34.95.

This pair from Amazon is available in black, gray, and brown, for $21.99.

I would definitely weather proof these boots before wearing them out in the elements—I just used Scotchgard. Oh, and these are NOT rain boots, even if they are weather proofed. I wore them all over Chicago and other wintery places in the snow. They scrunch down when you’re wearing them, and are super warm and cozy. Hope you enjoy them!

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Technically it’s winter. Even though here in Texas lately it’s been in the high 70s and even 80 some days (sigh) the typical winter colors are everywhere—dark and somber grays, blacks, and other neutrals. I woke up needing a shot of something bright and happy, and not much makes me happier than looking at purses! Looking around, I found a bunch of amazing bags in cheerful colors and prints. I seem to be in a “pink” mood, as many of the ones that popped out are in the hot pink family. Here are my favorites!

LOVE this Mobile Edge pink and brown TSA checkpoint-friendly laptop bag. It’s great because of its cheery striped lining and multiple pockets, it will fit larger sized computers, and you don’t have to take your laptop out at security! Win. (On sale right now too!)

This Kailo Chic Pleated Laptop Tote is available in multiple colors, but I love this brown and turquoise version. It has a specific pocket for the laptop, plus additional pockets for all of your items. The lining is adorable, and it has gotten great reviews.

With spacious pockets, sturdy straps, many color options, and at 50% off for a few more hours, the McKlein USA W Series Briefcase has a lot going for it. The turquoise is my favorite, but the other colors are lovely.

The most interesting bag that caught my eye was this Maggie Bags seatbelt laptop bag. I can’t decide if I like it or not, but it sure is different!

Readers, have you seen any great bags lately?

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It’s happened to so many of us. You’ve landed a job right out of school, and realized you can’t wear yoga pants and tee-shirts to work. Or you just had a baby and need a transitional wardrobe until your old clothes fit you again. Or (as happened to one unfortunate person on a message board I frequent) your husband accidentally dropped off your dry cleaning bag at Goodwill. You need a work wardrobe, and you need it on a budget. The variables increase when your job includes travel. I’m going through this right now, and while it’s fun (hooray shopping!) it’s also stressful having to start from scratch. Here are some tips for getting a business travel wardrobe on a budget, as well as a sample capsule wardrobe to start with. (For more in depth advice, check out my Building a Business Travel Wardrobe series.)

Prepare to spend a little time. Any time you have a budget, you have to spend a little more time planning and searching. That’s okay! It means you will get the absolute most for your money.

Professional, comfortable, and wrinkle-free. These are the most important features of any business travel wardrobe.  Obviously you want to look professional, but comfort is just as important. Any time you spend hours traveling to your destination comfort is key! And once you arrive, you certainly don’t want to waste your precious time ironing.

Shop the sales and outlet malls. Nordstrom has fantastic sales on really nice merchandise.  I also love the sales at Talbots and Ann Taylor. Likewise, outlet malls can have amazing deals. The catch: it takes a lot of time to comb through the rough to find the diamonds.

Sign up for email lists. The best way to find out if your favorite store is having a sale is by email. Before I signed up for Banana Republic’s email list, I never knew they regularly had 40% off the entire store. Talk about a great deal!

Spend the bulk on basics. Definitely spend more on slacks and skirts that you’ll wear over and over again, and less on tops and accessories. Also make sure those items are a neutral color that will go with everything you buy.

Discount stores are great for trends. Target and Old Navy always have fun tops and belts for low prices, plus amazing sales on a regular basis.

For a basic business travel wardrobe, I would start with the following: Read more of this article »

I have spent years working on my travel wardrobe. I have capsules for winter and summer, and enjoy adding to it on a regular basis. So it was a bit disconcerting to realize when I got pregnant that I would basically have to start over, and get a completely new wardrobe. Even more so to know this wardrobe would only be good for about six months, and had to accommodate a growing belly. Here are my tips for putting together a maternity business travel wardrobe:

Use non-maternity pants as long as they are comfortable. There are these miracle things called Belly Bands, sold all over the place, that you can use to hold up your unzipped non-maternity pants. They are great at the beginning of your pregnancy, and some people can use them throughout. They stopped being comfortable for me for a few months, but I have started using them again recently.

Use non-maternity cardigans. As long as you don’t need to button them, your non-maternity cardigans should work just fine. Using them really helped me stretch my maternity wardrobe!

Don’t buy too much at one time. This is a good rule of thumb for all maternity wear—don’t go crazy at the beginning buying stuff, because you just don’t know what will fit you comfortably as you get bigger. I actually found that once I got past 20 weeks and was feeling pretty good, I could wear my non-maternity pants with the belly band again. If I had spent a ton of money on a bunch of different maternity pants, well, it would have felt like a waste!

Dresses are tricky for travel days. I love dresses, and normally love wearing them for travel days. But during pregnancy, because my ankles would swell so dramatically, I had to wear compression socks on the plane. This meant I could only ever wear pants, which involved some planning.

Read more of this article »

For Blog World, I planned my outfits for weeks. I even went on a special shopping trip to get brown tights to go with my dress. Once I had those tights I felt confident that I was ready to go, with my wardrobe figured out. On the first day of Blog World, I got ready, including my tights. As I was walking to the shuttle, something started to feel “off” on my back, but I couldn’t figure out what. As the day went on, it got worse and worse, until I was scratching furiously at my back every chance I got. Finally at lunch I ran off to the ladies’ room, and discovered my new adorable brown cabled tights had a tag, and that tag was irritating the crap out of me. I thought about ripping it off, but was worried I would rip a hole in my tights. Of course I didn’t have any scissors on me. So I just took of my tights and was cold when I went outside to wait for the shuttle. (Pictured: Not the tights I wore, but adorable argyle tights from Target)

This just proved to me, once again, that while it is tempting to get new clothes for a trip, business or fun, it is just not a good idea to wear things for the first time while traveling. What if my dress had been short and I hadn’t been comfortable taking off my tights? What if it were a sweater that made me break out in a rash? Can’t remove that, can you!! Shoes are the worst. I never recommend anyone wear shoes for the very first time on a trip, because if they kill your feet you can’t do anything about it but limp. If you don’t have a lot of time, wear your new item around your house for a while, but even that isn’t ideal. Best thing to do is wear your new item out of the house for an hour or two, to see how it does. Anything awful can be returned, and anything that is fixable can be fixed. Trust me, you don’t want to get caught out with a wardrobe malfunction!!

Happy November! Here in Texas it is finally fall. Or some version of fall. I know some areas of the country are actually dealing with snow right now, and boy am I sending a bunch of good thoughts their way. But here, we are seeing low temperatures in the fifties and highs in the seventies. It’s a very transitional time of year—not quite time for snow boots and coats, but not always warm enough for short sleeves. There’s an added dimension when you throw traveling into the mix. Last week, when I left Texas it was 74, but when I arrived in Ohio it was in the low forties with highs in the low fifties.  Next week I’ll be in South Carolina and Chicago on the same trip. So what is a traveling girl to do? You don’t want to pack too much, but you have to dress for different climates. Here are my favorite strategies for coping:

• Layers. Switching out your layers is one of the easiest ways to dress for the weather. Normally wear a camisole under something? Wear a long sleeved tee instead. One obvious layer is to throw a cardigan over your regular shirt and call it a day. But there are other ways! Layer a thin long sleeve tee under a cap sleeve top. One of my favorite winter outfits is a gray tunic from Banana Republic with a forest green long sleeve tee under it, worn with black pants and boots. But the short sleeved tunic can be worn on the same trip with a camisole and flats instead. And what about skirts and dresses? Add some tights and you will be good to go.
• Color. To get ready for cooler weather, richen up your warm-weather wardrobe with deeper tones. It can be as simple as adding a teal sweater to a lighter turquoise blouse and slacks. Other fall colors are plum, brown, charcoal, rust, and maroon.
• Texture. Instead of regular sleek tights, get some with a little texture in them. I love these subtle dark gray ribbed tights from Target. (And for the weekend, I am definitely getting these awesome fair isle tights.) Same goes with sweaters—use a chunkier knit, or maybe a cable. And of course, this is the time of year for my favorite, tweed! You can find tweed in everything from sweaters to coats to shoes.
• Shoes. Boots are the warmest—we all know that. But they’re not the only warm shoe. Obviously it’s not time for my beloved peep toe flats, but regular flats (or heels, whichever you prefer) with tights can keep you pretty toasty.

My two favorite outfits that can transition easily between seasons are the one mentioned above, and my favorite Boden dress with a long brown sweater belted over it, tights and boots. Either of those can work well for cold weather, or for more moderate temperatures. The additional items needed for cold weather don’t take up a ton of room, so I can still accomplish my goals of streamlined packing. So whether you are going from summer to fall, or traveling in different climates, it’s simple to stretch your wardrobe!

Readers, how do you make your wardrobe move between the seasons? Do you have any tricks for visiting multiple climates in a single trip?

Ever since I can remember, I have been in love with shoes. Throughout junior high and high school, my mom would constantly get on to me about my extensive shoe collection. In college, my roommates were aghast at the precarious mountain of shoes in my closet. And one of the ways in which I knew the Home Warrior was The One (besides how much he loves his dog) is that when he saw my extensive shoe organizing system, he didn’t bat an eye. True love. However, as much as I love shoes, as a general rule I don’t wear heels. Why would a self-avowed shoe fanatic separate herself from the vast majority of fabulous footwear? you ask. About six years ago I fell and sprained my right knee and ankle, and ever since have had some real balance issues. As in, falling on a regular basis with no apparent reason. So, despite my bottomless well of passion, no heels for me. Combine balance issues with constant travel and a lot of work presentations, and you’ve got a girl who has learned to appreciate flats. In fact, I would say that I love flats-cute ones, that is. And contrary to popular opinion, there are a zillion pairs of cute flats out there. Pointy, ballet, peep-toe, simple, bejeweled…. Virtually everywhere you go there is a cute pair of flats waiting for you.

Unfortunately, cute doesn’t necessarily mean comfortable. It baffles me that so many of these shoes, specifically designed to be comfortable, hurt to wear. People buy flats in order to be on their feet for long periods of time, yet shoe manufacturers insist on making adorable ballet flats with absolutely no support. Or they make fabulous jeweled pointy-toed flats with a paper-thin sole. I wore one of these so-called comfortable shoes last week, and could literally feel every rock on the sidewalk on my feet. After complaining to Home Warrior that I don’t care how cute they were, I am throwing these <expletive deleted> shoes away as soon as we get home, he said something so smart. “Why don’t you put some of those gel soles in it? They made my dress shoes way better.” The man is brilliant.

Gel soles are awesome. They are a girl’s best friend, a traveler’s best friend, a presenter’s best friend. Whether you are male or female, wear heels or flats, a home warrior or a road warrior. If you have a pair of shoes that you like, but doesn’t have enough support or cushioning on the bottom, add some gel inserts. There are a ton of varieties that range from padding under the toe to a little extra cushion throughout the foot to full-on arch support. They come in a range of prices, and are available everywhere from shoe stores to Walgreens to Target. My favorites are the classics from Dr. Scholl’s, the “For Her Comfort Insoles”. They are around $12, fit in most shoes, and have saved many a pair of shoes from getting thrown out.

So the next time you wish your shoes were just a little more comfortable, try gel insoles! Trust me, your feet will thank you.

I thought about calling this post “Top Five Travel Necessities: Clothes”, but I realized that half of the items on my list are not, in fact clothes. Hence the title “Things I Wear.” It’s hard to even remember the last time I traveled without all of these items, even on vacation. In fact, the next time I’m having a hard time deciding what to pack, I think I’ll take a look at this list!

Pearl necklace. My long strand of pearls is my favorite necklace—it goes with everything I wear. Seriously. It takes the simplest outfit and gives it a touch of class, making me look more put together than I really deserve.  On my last trip to Manila I purchased a long strand of citrines, and it is rapidly becoming my second favorite necklace.

Cute flats. I am on my feet doing presentations all day, plus running around in airports. Heels don’t cut it, so I have many pairs of cute flats. In the summer, I switch over to peep-toe to keep a little cooler. For the occasional pair that doesn’t have enough support, I throw in some gel soles and I can wear them for days. Loving the ones pictured here: Not Too Coy Franny in Mustard, available at Amazon for $75.

Jersey dresses. Dresses are the easiest way to get ready in the morning—put one on, and you’re done! Jersey dresses are my favorite, as they don’t wrinkle and are incredibly comfortable. The ones I reach for over and over are a simple black knee length, A-line dress from Target (which I got five years ago and has held up incredibly well) and the Everyday Jersey Dress, a recent purchase from Boden.

Cardigans. I have cardigans in many colors, with short sleeves, ¾ sleeves, and long sleeves. A simple cardigan can complete an outfit, provide an additional layer for warmth, and give you a little extra coverage. For a business casual wardrobe, this is a key component. Plus they travel incredibly well and most don’t wrinkle. And they are available virtually everywhere, from Target to Nordstrom, in a range of prices.

Bike shorts. It seems an odd thing to put on a list of necessities for business travel, but I wear them under my dress or skirt every time I travel. This way I go through security without worrying about the pat-down. Bike shorts also make it easier to put stuff in the overhead bin or bend over to get to my suitcase without worrying I’ll accidentally flash someone.

Readers, what are your top five things to wear on a trip? Clothes or otherwise?

This summer, it has been really, really hot in Texas and other parts of the country. This has made getting dressed for work kind of tricky. How do you look professional yet stay cool? How do you walk that fine line between fashionable professional woman and church lady? I have struggled with this since May, and it has really taken that long to refine my strategy and put my summer capsule wardrobe together. The main components are (of course) neutrals: gray pencil skirt and khaki seersucker slacks. I top these with various combinations of blouses, camis, and cardigans. There are a couple of dresses that get supporting roles as well. Finish off the outfit with cute flats, and you are looking good and staying cool! And as a bonus, because I am on a pretty tight budget these days, I got all of these pieces at least 30% off, and none cost over $50. I can literally put together like thirty possible combinations.  My current faves  are the skirt with the pink floral blouse and green cardi, the slacks with the turquoise V-neck and pearls, and the black/white/blue dress with the black cardi and skinny belt.

The pieces:

1. Gray pencil skirt from Old Navy
2. Seersucker Curvy fit slacks from Ann Taylor Factory Store (similar to these Polished Cotton pants, but in seersucker. The only picture I could find is this one from Ebay. Sorry!)
3. Pink floral blouse from Talbots (similar to this one, but in pink)
4. Chartreuse cardigan from Talbots
5. Black short sleeved long cardigan from Nordstrom (I sized down so it would be more fitted)
6. Gray/white patterned tee from Target
7. Turquoise knit V-neck top
8. White tee
9. Black skinny belt
10. Long pearls
11. Tan ballet flats
12. Gray peep toe flats
13. Black/white/blue dress from Target
14. Purple Everyday Jersey dress from Boden

Lately, I have noticed that there is a pattern every time I look at someone at an airport and think, “Love her outfit!” Pretty much every time this has happened in the last three to four months, the woman is wearing some variation of the skirt-blouse-3/4 sleeve cardigan combo. Sometimes it is a dress and cardi, sometimes it’s a skirt-shell-cardi or a skirt-button down-cardi. Sometimes it’s a pencil skirt, sometimes an A-line. But I have decided since the basic shape of this outfit makes me so happy, I am going to start incorporating it into my own wardrobe. Cause if it makes me happy on others, I’m pretty sure it would make me happy on myself too. Here are a few of my favorite individual pieces and combinations I have found.

Since I’m still on a (required) bargain kick, I am super stoked to have found this dress at Target. It is inexpensive, won’t wrinkle, work appropriate, comfy, and super cute. I would pair it with a cardi in black, navy, or blue. Or purple. Or even yellow? Hmmm, the more I think about this the more versatile it sounds! (sorry I’m not able to make the picture work!)

This sateen skirt from Halogen (featured in another fabulous example picture) is well priced, versatile, and lovely.

Banana Republic has a ton of cardigans right now–embellished, plain, long sleeve, short sleeve…. This Ana cardi is a good basic cardigan, available in Apricot and White.

Readers, what is your favorite travel outfit “recipe”?