TJ Maxxing and Relaxing

Giveaways always make me happy and excited, but my recent TJ Maxx giveaway
had this bella feeling over the moon. It wasn’t easy, but I chose one Chicago fashion expert to go shopping with me, and school me in all things related to being chic in cold weather.

The winner — Nikia of ChiTown Fashionista declared herself an expert in cold weather chic. And as soon as we met at the TJ Maxx on Fullerton here in the Chi, I realized — I was in good hands. Nikia knows what’s what! Our first stop — scarves and accessories.

Animal prints and multicolored scarves FTW – I totally bought that striped scarf, and I also managed to find a snakeskin print in brown with gold metallic that adds such richness to my earth toned ensembles. Loving it!

What did I learn from this shopping excursion?

— how to easily tie a scarf
— the kind of thickness I need to look for, when scarf or sweater shopping. Have you noticed how thin ladies’ winter sweaters are, compared with men’s? It’s possible to combine both warmth and style, designers!
— the joys of sweater coats
— and finally, if you see an item that looks like the sort of thing your mom would be mad at you for if you didn’t buy it…buy it. Nikia talked me into getting this gorgeous black and white houndstooth coat which seemed kind of not me at first, but has managed to become a wardrobe essential in no time flat.

Here are Nikia’s final purchases!

I lobbied heavily for the “It Is What It Is” sign. If I was still working in an office, I’d be putting that up on my desk too!

So yeah – there was a segment of the video with me in it as well, but it was long, I didn’t love my look, and I’m going to share my finds with you in upcoming outfit posts. For now I’ll just say — don’t close your eyes to classic patterns. That houndstooth coat is a winner and I never would have guessed it, if I didn’t try it on!

Thanks to Nikia and to TJ Maxx for their generosity and inspiration. Stay tuned for my next giveaway, bellas. It’s gonna blow you away!