Abby Talks Active Wear

Hi guys!

You know my friend Abby knows her accessories, but this month, she's sharing her favorite athletic gear and gym essentials... perfect timing for your New Year's resolution!
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With 2013 resolutions right around the corner, it’s inevitable most of us will be hitting the gym more often than usual.  (Side note: I hate the term hitting the gym, it makes no sense to me.) That being said, it may be a good time to update the workout wardrobe. Here are my faves for the gym essentials:

Tops

Back Burner Tank: If your workout makes you super sweaty, this is the perfect top to keep you as comfortable as possible.

Cardio Party Tank: By far the best material to work out in. Super soft. They rotate their clothing frequently, and this is currently my favorite tank.

Bottoms

gFast Leggings: These accentuate your legs in a totally flattering manner, and they dry very quickly.

InTouch Premium Yoga Capris: These are made to support your hips, which can unexpectedly become very sore after working out frequently.

Undergarments

Antigravity Bra: If you have large breasts, this is the best thing that will ever happen to you. They’re not going anywhere in this bra.

Foxy Lulu Thong: Keeps everything comfortable. Enough said.

InTouch Premium Yoga Capris, Athletica, $69

Foxy Lulu Thong, Lululemon, $12

Antigravity Bra, MICHI, $80

gFast Leggings, Gapfit, $55

SoulCycle Tank, SoulCycle, $44

Back Burner Tank, Lululemon, $58

Ladies, what other workout gear do you recommend? Tweet me @AbbyDraper

Holiday Sweaters... and a Belated Thank You!

Oh hey!

I went to a holiday party this past weekend. Most of the girls showed up in short black sequin dresses and platform pumps. I went the more casual route with a cozy sweater and comfy boots. 

Whatever. I'm dating someone. No need to impress, right? (I mean.. just let me think it.)

So.. here are a couple snapshots of my outfit (and my boyfriend's sweater, also)

Swearer, sparkle skirt, and brown boots. 

Obligatory mirror selfie. I am a fashion blogger, after all ;)

With the boyf in our holiday sweaters :)

Make it your own:

Sweater: American Eagle, $59.95

Skirt: LOFT, $69.50

Boots: Madden Girl, $69.95

Cocktail Ring: The Limited

Bangle: J. Crew, $17.50

Moving on to somewhat more important (and belated news)... I won another Mobbie Award from the Baltimore Sun!!

Last year, I won the award for Best New Blog. Here's the blog post I did on that.

This year, I won for the Best Fashion Blog. I am so flattered to have won again! Thank you to all my readers who voted for GJU each and every day leading up to the award ceremony. I am so thrilled with what GJU has meant to you all and myself so far, and I am excited to see what the future holds. 

For a list of the all the winners, check out this link on The Baltimore Sun.

A White Winter

Just because it's winter, doesn't mean you have to completely rule white out of your wardrobe. As you know, I'm a fan of pushing the everyday boundaries of fashion--- so integrating white into my wardrobe (even past the Labor Day deadline) is one of the rules I'm all for breaking.

Here's one example of how I worked white into my winter wardrobe last year.

Need some more inspiration? Here are some of my favorite winter white looks:

Images: Habitually Chic, The 949 Style Guide, Pinterest

Do you wear white after Labor Day? I'd love to see how, and share your suggestions with my readers! Send outfit pics to GetJessedUp(at)gmail(dot)com

Until next time,

GJU

Holiday Hot List

In other words... things I want.

Feast your eyes, ladies and gentleman, on these perfect (and pretty) picks for the holidays!

Anthropologie, $258

This dress is everything.

Madewell, $20

I must have this ring. In fact, I believe everyone should own a ring with a bulldog's face on it. Because, well, why not!?

Madewell, $28

Silver and gold, with a touch of turquoise. The perfect everyday piece.

J. Crew, $168

These pants are major for the holidays. May. Jer. Tartan is a must have this winter!

J. Crew, $138

Sparkle and shine with this statement necklace. That is all.

Urban Outfitters, $20

Some light reading for your party guests!

You should know... I am accepting donations for any/all of the above :)

What are you picking up for your friends and family this year?

Hope you all had a great Thanksgiving, and have a wonderful holiday season!

-GJU

Crops: 3 Days, 3 Ways

The temperature is starting to get lower, which can only mean one thing: the days to wear cropped pants are numbered.

In the spirit of making my final ankle pant days count, I broke out some of my favorite pairs to wear to work this week. The last three days, I donned three different crops and styled them in three different ways.

Here are my super professional, edited, color-corrected iPhone photos showing off the three complete looks:

Outfit 1:

This look is casual and comfy. A loose crew neck sweater partially tucked into boyfriend cord crops in a bright pop of color makes for an easy, versatile, everyday look. I added a sparkly, feminine necklace and animal print sequin Sperry's to complete the look and add some spunk.

Necklace: LOFT

Sweater and Cords: Gap

Belt: Old Navy

Shoes: Sperry Top-Sider

Outfit 2:

This look is slightly more elevated than the first, given the girly sweater, jeweled belt, and snakeskin pumps. The black sweater is one of my favorite new fall pieces that I'm sure you'll see a lot of here on GJU. I love the cut-out lace peter pan collar-- such a fun take on a classic trend! Distressed boyfriend jeans paired with a green, jewel flower belt and snakeskin heels finish the outfit.
Sweater, Denim, Heels: LOFT
Belt: Talbot's

Outfit 3:
I really love pairing patterned scarves with solid colored blouses and tops. I think it's an easy way to keep an outfit fresh and interesting.. and also add some personality into an otherwise basic ensemble. This scarf is one of my favorites! I love the heart print juxtaposed with the gold plaid pattern. Strappy sandals were a risky choice but I wanted to get one more wear in before it's too cold :)
Scarf, Top, Denim: LOFT
Sandals: Nine West
Bracelet: J. Crew

With winter fast approaching, what are you squeezing into your wardrobe to make sure you get one more wear?

The Time I Cruised to Nowhere Fast

So, I was supposed to go on a cruise to Bermuda, but Hurricane Sandy had other plans for me. Our Royal Caribbean ship ended up staying at sea for all 6 days of the cruise, and three of those days we actually anchored outside of Cape Charles, Virginia. And it rained the whole time.

However, I'm a glass half-full kinda girl. Chris and I made the best of our vacation, and took full advantage of all of the cruise ship amenities: lots of food, drink, and socializing with other hurricane cruise troopers. We had a blast, even though we got no sun and didn't make it to Bermuda.

I wish we'd taken more photos but here's what we did manage to capture on our tropical island vacation to Bermuda nowhere:

A glass of wine before dinner :)

Oops! Half-open eyes, but a decent shot of our outfits.

Since we were anchored during the storm, this dress was fitting :)

One of the formal nights... My boyfriend is handsome in his tux!

The Orpheum Theater was beautiful!

Chris snapped this one before dinner.

Make it your own:

Floral Dress: J.Crew

Brown Wedges: Steve Madden

Dizzy Anchor Dress: J.Crew

Heart Blouse: LOFT

Green Stripe Sweater: LOFT 

Black Gown: Nordstrom

Champagne Dangle Earrings: Cache (Similar)

Even though we didn't make it to Bermuda, I had a great time with Chris and would do it all over again if I could.

I hope that you all stayed safe during Hurricane Sandy.. and for those readers along the Eastern sea board, my thoughts and prayers are going out to you and your families!

-GJU

Life Update!

Well.. it's that time again. A lot has changed in my life over the last few months-- both expected and unexpected changes! I have so much to share with you guys.

Let's get started.

Work: I no longer work in public relations. For those of you who've followed GJU for a while, you know that I got my degrees in Public Relations and Communications, and worked in the field for a few years. A couple months ago, I decided to take a big leap of faith and quit my job in PR. I felt I needed to follow my love for fashion and the world of retail. This is truly the time for me to dig into my passion and see if it's a good career fit. Since late July, I've been a manager at women's retail store, and I couldn't be any happier with my decision to make the switch. Ultimately, I'd like to move up in the corporate retail space. For now, managing a store is where I need to be to really get my feet wet, and to understand the day-to-day retail world. Although I do have in-store experience throughout high school and college, it's not even remotely close to managing a store and having a team of employees. It's been a challenge, and I'm having a lot of fun learning the ropes and discovering my management style.

Life: I no longer have my own apartment. I decided to move in with my friend, who happens to live much closer to my new workplace than I was living before. (Way shorter commute = Win!) She has a dog as well, so now Bruiser has a little dog brother to play with everyday.

Me with my new roommate

Love: I'm officially no longer single. That's right--- this girl is off the market! Some of you may recall a quick mention in a recent blog post that I started seeing someone. Well, happy to report that we're still together, and I'm happier than I've been in a long time. It's true what they say-- don't go looking for love; it will happen when you least expect it. I didn't expect to meet someone, and to feel so comfortable with him as I did. I'm a lucky girl, and I'm looking forward to seeing where this may go...

Here's to continuing to follow my dreams and seeing where this crazy roller coaster called Life takes me next!

Love,

GJU

Make it your own:

Photo one: Shirt, Flower

Photo two: Shirt

Photo three: Sweater

Closet Refresh: Patterned Purchases

I've been a little naughty with my wallet lately. I'm really digging a lot of the new styles I'm seeing in my favorite stores this season... and honestly, sometimes I can't resist a good deal.

My most recent shopping excursion resulted in a handful of patterned pieces, perfect for the upcoming winter and holiday season. Here's what I picked up:

Tippi Sweater, J. Crew, $59.99

Naomi Top, J.Crew, $110

Merino Striped Sweater, The Limited, $49.90

Cassidy Ankle Pant, The Limited, $74.90

Silk & Shine Tee, The Limited, $49.90

Evidently, I was on a roll with stripes. What new pieces do you want in your closet this Fall?

Fall Fashion Inspiration

I'm so inspired by these photos and ready to dress my best this season. Loving mixed neutrals, chunky sweaters, stacked jewelry, herringbone, and blush tones.

Tell me... what's inspiring you this fall?

A little bit country

Sometimes, I feel a little bit country. I think lately my urge to channel the wild, wild west is in part due to my recent cowboy boots purchase.

So... I assembled some fun pieces to wear to work the other day. Here's what I came up with: Loose star ruffle blouse, denim shorts, tights and my fave new boots.

It's sort of an odd combo of clothes but I thought it worked juuuuuust enough to pull it off. Agree/disagree? Thoughts?

Make it your own:

Top: LOFT (Similar)

Necklace: Chico's $79

Shorts: J. Crew $59.50

Boots: Madden Girl (only $59.50 at DSW!)

Tights: Target $12 for a 2 pack :)

Snapshots

It's been a busy couple weeks for me, so my apologies for the lack of outfit posts!! How's it going on your end?

Emmys 2012 Fashion Review

It's that time of the year again, folks. 

You know I love award season. It brings out celebrity's inner fashionistas.. and we get to see their style come to life on the red carpet. We also get to see it die a long, miserable death when they pick a complete dud of a dress. Let's get started.

Note: These opinions and reviews are my own. You are welcome to agree or disagree (or not give a damn either way). The best part about fashion is that we can all have different opinions... but mine are always right :) 

Here are some of the trends I noticed throughout the evening:

Not So Mellow Yellow

I don't love this-- it's kind of plain for an award show, but Julianne looks beautiful as always.

A pregnant Claire Danes glows in this gold, blousy number.

Taking it to more neon end of the spectrum.. I don't dislike.

Loving the pop of color in the earrings. And she's married to Judd Apatow- major brownie points.

One strap paired with a high slit and a little bit of boob overflow make for a fun Emmy ensemble.

Eh.

Her hair's a hot mess and the shoes aren't my favorite but the gown intrigues me.

Pretty in Pastel

Godbless Heidi Klum. When I'm a mom, I'd like to look like this.

In my book, ZD can do no wrong. This light blue gown is gorgeous
and effortless against her porcelain skin!

This isn't good. Julianne has a great body, but there's too much going on IMO. Attention on the boobs,
corseted waist, mermaid fit, embellishment on the bottom, a train, pleats... 

Heavy Metal

Lucy Liu looks pretty, but she also looks like she has a stick up her you know what.
How does she move in that stiff silhouette?

The matching blue strappy shoes are a bad call. I think if Nicole had worn her hair
up in a more editorial style, this look could have been saved.

A metal mini? Not my fave but damnnnn girl! Hot stems.

Then there were the trends I noticed that I wish I hadn't.

Prime Time Prom

I don't actually have a comment for this one. It's that awful.

With the hip embellishment and half up/half down hairstyle, she's ready to go to junior prom.

Mother of the Bride.

Drab and more drab. The most boring prom dress ever.

Table Cloth and Too Much Tulle

Black floral table cloth.

Green floral table cloth.

Too much black tulle. 

Too much white tulle.

Table cloth ripped apart, with not enough tulle. Yuck.

I need to lift my spirits. Let's get back to some of the night's better looks.

Nothing but the Hits

Opulent color, perfect fit for her body, hair off the shoulders. Tina killed this look!

Simple in burnt sienna. Kat looks like a Greek goddess.

Kelly Osbourne has come such a long way. She looks stunning in this Zac Posen purple gown.

Let's have a threesome. For serious.

So.. who was your best and worst dressed of the night? Did you notice any other trends to sweep the red carpet?

Looking forward to your opinions!

**All photos from Huffington Post

Until next time, remember to GJU :)