[oomph.] eats. surfers coffee.

weekday mornings are pretty routine when it comes to breakfast, and i'm ok with that...oatmeal, toast with almond butter, fruit and yogurt. but every once in a while, i crave a good different breakfast.

on this day, we headed to surfers coffee, not far from home, for mochas + açaí bowls and decided to try their mochi waffle. it was so good. i tend to associate mochi with sweets and desserts, so i wasn't sure what to expect for a breakfast food, but it had the perfect amount of chewiness and sweetness served simply with honey and a sprinkle of powdered sugar. this time, we shared one. next time, i'm getting my own!

what's something different you tried lately...

a new dish? a new place?

nothing better than that first sip of coffee, amiright?

at first glance, i thought it was a small portion, but it ended up being just enough with a coffee or smoothie. 

this is their medium açaí bowl, perfectly portioned. it comes with honey, granola and bananas...i added strawberries.  

full and happy.

(aloha sweatshirt, bikinibird; Zara leather woven bag; Levi's denim shorts)

shop white sweatshirts:

a week of coats. black velour.

one of my first and favorite coats, this one is both basic (black) and dressy (velour). i love wearing it during the holidays when it's chilly, because the velour gives it a festive vibe. but when the holidays have passed and the weather is a little warmer, dressing it down by throwing it over a sweatshirt and denim cutoffs seems like a viable way to get more use of it year-round.

(suburban riot kale sweatshirt; xoxo coat; express denim; nike air pegasus)

in case you missed it:

a week of coats . military

shop the look:

the little black sweatshirt.

when i saw this sweatshirt (thanks rowena!), i knew it would make a fun addition to my growing sweatshirt collection. paired with [pencil] skirts or pants, i love how sweatshirts can dress down your look, or how you can dress them up with a statement necklace depending how you look at it. either way, it makes the perfect juxtaposition for our casual lifestyle.

starting to feel the pressure with only three days until christmas. i still have a few names to check off my list. even though i start early, i always end up at the malls the week before christmas.

christmas shopping done?

(banana republic sweatshirt (similar);

charles david pact pump c/o; patty's closet skirt)

you might like these:

casual sequins. leggings.

how do you dress down dressy?

throw a sweatshirt on it. or sneakers. or both.

you don't have to save those sequins or velours for parties. i wore these sequined leggings to a christmas party a few years ago, and i always pull them out at the end of the year. it's the holiday season. it's ok to be festive even if you're just running errands. i deem grabbing peppermint lattes with friends a totally appropriate occasion for rocking the triple S...

sequins + sweats + sneaks.

what's one thing you find yourself dressing down each year.

(suburban riot sweatshirt; charlotte russe leggings (similar), nine west sneakers; metallic tattoos via oomph)

shop the look:

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stocking stuffer idea for the kids!

enter to win a love coupon book from Datevitation

get $10 off  + free shipping with code: OOMPH

blaccents 02.

hooray for 4-day weeks.

when wearing light colors, my first instinct is to grab neutral counterparts...nude-ish shoes, tan or gray bag...to elongate and keep the look seamless. but sometimes i love the stark contrast of black accessories, or blaccents as i like to call them. just a couple pops of black here with my nine west sneaks and this cute [faux] leather pouch from love & sunshine.

today and tomorrow will be spent preparing for my 20k (12.4 miles) race on sunday...resting and hydrating. i was going to pass on this one since we just completed the 15k, but i decided to take it nice and slow. it's going to be a hot one, but at least this course is flat.

(kale sweatshirt, suburban riot; paula & chloe necklace;

nine west shoes; love & sunshine bag)

black and white graphic print.

with black and white graphic prints hitting the milan runways,

i thought this graphic print skirt from Patty's Closet would be fun to play around with. i paired it with a sporty sweatshirt to keep it from looking too...mod...and added a bit of color with

my shoes. here's a few other ways i've worn black and white

graphic prints: mean girls, the illusionist, picture this.

what are your thoughts on black and white graphic prints?

would you wear them?

(zara sweatshirt; patty's closet skirt c/o (order by email);

justfab shoes c/o; sonia rykiel bag)

here's a few to try:

a week of red heels. sweatshirt.

i love the idea of a casual sweatshirt paired with dressy heels.

i envisioned a longer, knee-length, DIY denim cutoff (higher the stiletto, longer the hemlines in my book), but i never got around to that DIY. i made do with this pair, but you get the idea behind this casual / dressy juxtaposition.

did you hear about the elementary school clerk in georgia who persuaded a gunman to turn himself in? i'm sure she was hella scared, but she kept her cool and protected the lives of 800+ children. i literally teared up listening to the 911 recordings. kudos to that amazing woman.

what is your favorite fashion juxtaposition?

my favorite is the dark chocolate dipped coconut cookie.

(zara sweatshirt; enzo angiolini heels; JustFab bag c/o;

aeropostale shorts; ray-ban sunglasses)

you might like these:

in case you missed it:

monday's red heels + silk jumpsuit

tuesday's red heels + printed pants

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enter to win a $150 kohl's gift card

enter to win these jewelry pieces from brighthouse baubles

a week of leopard accents. shoes.

leopard shoes are my favorite way to integrate leopard into an outfit. because there are so many different styles of shoes, you are guaranteed to find one that suits your style and comfort level. start by pairing them with basic colors like i did here with black and white, then you can move on to colors and patterns as you feel comfortable. i've even paired them with other leopard prints here and here.

do you rock leopard heels?

got sugar? these were pretty, but super sweet.

(zara sweatshirt; victoria's secret shoes; almost famous denim;

efoxcity claw bracelet c/o)

in case you missed it:

a week of leopard accents . belt