Frye Harness Boot and Watch

Hello fellow fashionistas. It's been a little over two months since I started this journey of collecting all 100 items from Nina Garcia's "The One Hundred." Nina's book describes, in great detail, one hundred items every woman should have in her closet.

Since this journey began, I discover every single day, how much easier it is to get dressed in the morning. I have my "core" items that I know will look great on, and I bring in my own little flair by accessorizing. Every day, at least when I'm not teaching, I grab a great pear of jeans and white Hanes T-shirt. Or maybe a simple black dress that I jazz up with a big necklace. Or perhaps a leopard print dress with a big cocktail ring for date night with Mike.

No matter the occasion, I feel armed and ready to go to any event, at ANY moment. All of this I must credit to the lovely and brilliant Nina Garcia.

Today, I wore several of the items from the book into work. Jeans, trench, cable knit, watch, and Frye boots. Once I came home, I realized I had only mentioned one of these so far- so I pulled out the camera and took some shots of today's look for you ladies!


#33. Frye Harness Boot

I truly enjoyed reading this entry from Nina. Here is a short introduction about the Frye Boot:

"In the 60's, women began to wear Frye boots in clear and bold defiance of restrictive 1950s femininity. They were a boot that meant strength and power, which women were intent on claiming at the time.  High heels took a backseat to these clunky, chunky boots." -Nina Garcia 

Nina goes on to tell how a pair of Frye's even lives in the Smithsonian Institution. How cool is that?!

I am 100% on board for clothing and accessories that support an androgynous feel. It may surprise you that until my early twenties, I hated shopping. HATED. I wanted to be comfortable in my stretchy pants and plain white T-shirts until college came along and I had to learn how to present myself in a professional way, while still maintaining my individuality. I love the look of boots and jeans, a mens watch, and a flirty pony tail with soft makeup. That is what inspired today. 

There are many, many options when choosing a Frye Harness Boot. I recommend trying several pairs on in different styles and colors. It's worth noting that I went a size down from my standard. This pair set me back about $300 at Bloomingdales on Boxing Day. However, I've worn them at least 5 or 6 times since then, and I plan on wearing them very frequently. Take some time reading over this part of Nina's book. The history behind these boots is fascinating and empowering. 

Frye Harness Boot

#94. Watch 

There is something romantic about wearing a watch. Not relying on your cellphone for the time but actually taking a look at your wrist. Who would have thought?? 

I actually own three watches. One is a beautiful Kate Spade watch my Mother gave to me on Christmas several years ago. Second is my work watch, used only for timing exercise, its blue and somewhat ghastly. The last I picked up recently at a going out of business sale in the Men's section. 

Today I was already going for that "masculine" feel so I opted to wear my new men's gold Nixon watch. Here is Nina's take on men's watches, "...Or you can opt for a man's watch. I personally love the look of a man's watch on a woman's wrist. The big, bold masculinity of the design draws the eye to the wrist, one of most feminine parts of a woman's body." 

Plus its ahem SEXY! Dressing with a masculine edge is fricken' sexy. It makes you feel empowered and kind of bossy. I love it. Here is a close up photo of the Nixon I wore this morning. 

Gold Nixon Watch 

I paid 40% less than face value for this watch at the sale, but I believe it retails for around $225. I get compliments on this watch any time I wear it out. It's just fabulous! I recommend having one feminine and one masculine watch in your jewelry box. They make great statement pieces and act as jewelry. Two birds.

I hope you are enjoying my entries for each of these 100 items! It really is changing my life, the way I see myself, how I spend my money, and how I get dressed every morning. My eyes have been opened to an endless world of possibilities! Ladies- take inventory of your closet. Sell what you don't wear or need and start collecting the things that will make you feel beautiful, and stand the test of time. 

Your blushing beauty, 

Miss Ally Jean 

Trench Coat

#86. Trench

The trench coat entry deserves to stand on its own. This will be only about the trench and nothing else.

Breakfast at Tiffany's, Audrey Hepburn. Her in that gorgeous trench coat. So chic, so simple, so alluring. Who didn't want to be Holly Golightly after watching that film? (Minus the smoking)

The Burberry trench coat is something I have wanted to add to my wardrobe for years. YEARS! I purposefully have never purchased a coat in order to truly appreciate the trench when, if ever, it came into my life.

Lucky for me, that day was today! Never mind that I will be paying it off for the next year... my husband agreed to buy it for me if I made a payment plan so currently we have a little trench payment thermometer on the fridge that will take some time to fill up!

I think this part of Nina Garcia's "The One Hundred" was my favorite section of the book. That and the little black dress. She explains the importance of having a great trench coat, and how it can save any outfit. However my favorite part was the history of the trench.

Here is a short excerpt by Nina about the trench;

"Every aspect of the trench coat is purely functional, since it was originally created as a coat for British soldiers to wear during WWI. It is made of tightly woven gabardine, for water resistance. It is long enough to keep the rain out of a soldier's boots. It has a double-breasted closure and straps on the cuffs to tighten when it rains. (...) The coat became a British institution, a film-noir mainstay, and a style staple for both men and women." (p.245)

Did it ever! So many companies make a variation of this original trench coat but the first were in fact made by Burberry and in my opinion, they are the best. They are waterproof, handmade, the buttons are made of horn, the list goes on. 

Pictures of all the Burberry coats can be found here and the specific one I purchased can be found here in the color Stone. I made an "unboxing" video for the coat but I will tell you a bit more. 

I originally purchased this coat in Honey. But after a night of sleep I realized that the Stone was really the color that would stand the test of time. For me at least. The Honey was beautiful too! I will say this is the MOST I have ever spent on a single item of clothing. So take your time picking one out. Ask the person helping you at the store to bring out all the colors, lengths and styles that you are considering. You do NOT want to drop two grand on something you can't see yourself wearing in 30 years. Unless your a wealthy celebrity and maybe not even then.

I hope, with fingers crossed, that you consider investing in a trench coat. It does not even need to be from Burberry. There are tons of different options, styles, and brands to choose from! One quick google search will offer endless choices. I feel very strongly that a good trench coat is an essential part of every woman's wardrobe. That and a good pair of heels, and you are ready to rule the world. 

I have to thank Nina Garcia for finally giving me that extra push towards making the investment. I'm sure you will be seeing many future posts with me wearing the coat! 

In other news I have now entered spending hibernation. A: Because I need to pay off my coat. B: Because there are other things on my "one hundred list" that need saving up for. I do have a lot of the items on the list, because I owned them before I read Nina's book. I will be making future posts on my preowned items and nothing brand new out of the box. But they will be FABULOUS none the less. 

Cheers, darlings! 

Miss Ally Jean 

PS: Here is a link to the video! Yes my hair is messy, whatever!  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ga6QBmPVUAI