Every once in awhile, you need a good Girls Day Out.

Where Francesca, Goldie and I went for our first just-us-three day (of many, many more to come, since Francesca lives in Los Angeles and, in a few months, will be just a car ride - albeit a rather long one - away from us): to The Village Social in Mount Kisco for a late lunch and to TJ Maxx for obnoxiously bright sweaters, and then for a walk in the woods because there aren't many days like this left in 2014.

Whenever I hang out with Francesca I'm inspired to dress…well, better. Or at least simpler. Even when we're just laying around the house, she's always so effortless and lovely that it makes me want to embrace a similarly less-is-more mentality. And these kinds of easy, timeless pieces - a white knit turtleneck, black jeans, a great felt hat - are actually what I've been gravitating towards for a few months now; when life is extra-busy, it's nice to have things that you can just pull out of your closet and know will look good wherever the day takes you.

Everyone knows that the way to handle the changing seasons is by wearing layers: a tank under a cardigan under a vest topped with a jacket and a scarf, and you’re ready for whatever the weather can throw at you. But layering isn’t just a practical approach to temperature ups and downs; it’s also a fun way to add a little extra color and pattern to your favorite basics.

A trick for adding some interest to your look while keeping your legs warm and toasty: top a pair of black opaque tights with knee-high socks…and then layer a pair of patterned ankle socks on top of everything. (Just make sure that the rest of your outfit doesn’t fight with the print on your socks; a good rule of thumb is to make sure all the patterns that you have on are in the same basic color palette but are different sizes: small polka dots and big checks, for example.)

My mom will be so proud of this post.

Because I finally - finally! - own a practical winter jacket.

What finally broke me: the fact that the puffiness is so slimmed-down that it's just as flattering as a less-practical style, and that it's simultaneously classic and sort of retro-feeling. Oh: and the (faux) fur hood. That broke me, too.