Turquoise Sunset

Now that is a necklace.

I wore this outfit to the John Sahag Workshop yesterday (my buddy Doug Macintosh gave me some gorgeous highlights*, and Franny did that loose wave on my hair – a look that I liked so much that I’m going back tomorrow to film a little tutorial) and every single person in the salon asked me where I had found my necklace…and then did a little jaw-drop when I said that my husband had picked it up for me at a thrift store.

When Kendrick gave it to me on Christmas Eve I sort of paused for a minute and examined the thing, deciding whether I hated it or loved it (not that I would have told him if it was the former)…and then decided that yep, I love it. Because when you have an accessory this nutty you just don’t need to do anything else, and you look like you made an effort.

Sure, I could have dressed it up with fun colors and patterns (and I will – just wait until I get my hands on it again come May)…but of course at heart this is a summer necklace, so I think the best way to wear it in the winter is by chilling it out with some relaxed neutrals. And so I decided to pair it with some pants that I had made for me in Thailand for about $20, a cozy cozy cozy cashmere sweater, and that awesome wrap, which I picked up at Marshalls last year for $19.

I know that camel and grey are an unusual color combo…but I think there’s just something so soft and pretty about the pairing – like you were just lounging around the house, Michelle-Pfeiffer-in-the-Hamptons-style, and then threw on a few great accessories moments before heading out the door to do something fabulous.

Said accessories, in this case, included a vintage bag that I picked up in Canada for $7, a pair of vintage sunglasses (yeah, the sun was setting, but that’s never stopped me before) that my aunt gave me, a pair of vintage snakeskin pumps that were a gift from Francesca, and some bracelets that I made myself. Total cost of outfit? Maybe $110, all-in.

One thing about big black wraps, just as an aside: I decided to pair them with pale camel and dove grey rather than the more typical white and/or black because I think that huge swaths of black fabric can look either matronly or goth when paired with stark neutrals. And granted, this is more of a daytime look (pretty great for an office, in fact)…but even at night, I’d choose a lighter wrap with a black outfit, and vice versa.