it's still winter, y'all

Although much of the blogosphere is currently all "yay spring look at all these off the shoulder dresses!"...it's still very much winter around here! We actually just got three more inches of snow yesterday...

But that means I get to show you guys my amazing new coat! I actually forgot to mention this purchase in my last budget post, but that's because it ended up costing me just a few dollars out of pocket! I've been eyeing up Burberry's coat for a few months, and finally decided to order it...only to send it immediately back. It felt so cheap, and for that price, I do not want my coat to feel like it's from Forever 21. Then I stumbled upon this similarly styled coat from Cole Haan for half the price. With a little patience, it finally went on sale, and with Nordstrom notes saved up and a giftcard, it ended up costing me like $10 out of pocket.

And guys...this coat is amazing. I wore this on our trip to Montreal (where these pictures were taken) and it was perfect. I was very comfortable in the 10 degree weather wearing just this coat and my medium thickness sweater underneath it. I love that it's belted because it gives it a bit more shape (I wear it tied in a bow as you can see below). Even though all the cool girls in Montreal were wearing these complete fur hoods (I've never seen anything like them! Is this a thing everywhere or only in Canada?), I love that this has just a bit of faux fur right where you want it most - around your actual neck! I'm wearing a size large, and I find it fits true too size. If you are interested, I actually found the coat for more than half the price that Nordstrom is selling it for, here at Macy's and here at 6 PM.

Coat: Cole Haan [exact]

Pants: Express [exact]

Sweater: Caslon [exact]

Boots: Vince Camuto [similar below]

Apple watch strap: Amazon [exact]

Hat: similar

And because my black boots are four winters in and badly need to be replaced (there's a hole in one side of the boot and they no longer stay up on my legs), here are eight options that are currently on sale! Which ones are your favorite? I think I like the pair from Jessica Simpson the most!

one | two | three | four

five | six | seven | eight

poncho sweaters are the best type of sweaters

I realized yesterday that when I linked to the times I have worn this sweater on my blog, I've only worn it once on here! Which is crazy, because in real life (which I'm too lazy to document on the daily), I wear this sweater all the time. I love that it's warm without being constricting, and that it's flattering but still allows you to eat as many Christmas cookies as you want. It's the best. 

Other things that are the best? My new watch. Daniel Wellington has always been my go for timeless watches, and over the years, I've grown quite the collection. Their newest collection is the black faced collection, which I think is a great twist on their classic white faced watches. I've had several people ask me about the quality of the watches and I truly think they are some of the best out there - I've had several of their watches for years that I wear constantly, and they look as great, if not better, than the day I got them. I've teamed up with DW again this year to offer you 15% off their full collection of watches. Use code FRANZISKA15, which is good until January 31st! If you buy a watch + cuff combo, you'll get an additonal 10% off. 

Sweater: Nordstrom [similar]

Tee: Loft 

Watch: c/o Daniel Wellington [exact - get 15% off w/ code FRANZISKA15]

Pants: Express [exact on sale]

Boots: Stuart Weitzman c/o Shopbop [save | exact]

My sweater is from last year, and no longer available, but below are six very similar styles. My favorite is the one I just ordered yesterday - I got it in the tan cobblestone color, and can't wait to wear it all winter long. 

one | two | three

four (40% off!) | five | six

the most wonderful time of the year

It's such a cliche, but I just love the time between Thanksgiving and Christmas. The winter weather is just starting, all the good sales are going on, you get to buy presents for all your loved ones, and you get to decorate for the holidays! I love Christmas decorations, and basically insist that we keep our Christmas lights up on our house until mid February. Unfortunately because we are traveling still quite a bit until December, and because CR isn't even back to living at home until January, we are not getting a Christmas tree this year.

Luckily, I still got some of that Christmas tree excitement when we stopped by one of my favorite spots in Rochester, the Pittsford Dairy, this past weekend. They had all of their trees and decorations out, which gave me just that amount of holiday cheer I needed. For our adventures that day, I wore my new Lucky boots - they are a bit higher than normal to the knee boots, and are lined partially with this amazing faux fur that adds a bit of warmth. I thought they paired perfectly with my Woolrich coat. I've long admired the classic American style of the company, and since I've spent the last three years living and working in PA, I'm excited to finally own a piece of this US based company. Thanks to a great coupon code on Shoebuy, I got both for a steal! They currently have a 30% off sale (+ free shipping!) with code DECEMBER30 (some restrictions apply) that runs from now until 12/18/16 (11:59PM). 

Coat: Woolrich c/o Shoebuy [exact]

Sweater: Loft 

Pants: Express [exact]

Shoes: Lucky c/o Shoebuy [exact]

Scarf: Nordstrom [similar]

Thank you to ShoeBuy and ShopStyle for sponsoring this post!

catch ya later

This will hopefully be the last winter pictures of the year! Winter is always hard for blogging - I've always lived in places with true winters, so trying to get pictures in between snow storms, early darkness, and ugly backgrounds, it's always been tough. I think this year was the hardest winter yet though, as I've spent the majority of it in scrubs and/or in the hospital before 7. 

So needless to say, I'm so ready for more sunlight, pretty flowers, and not having to wear boots all the time (as much as I love them). I'm thinking about picking up a few pairs of colorful or patterned flats to add to the mix - something like these floral pointed toe flats that are cute but versatile. I'm just imagining them with skinny jeans and a flowy white blouse. Cute, right?

On a side note, today is Match Day (the day that 4th year medical students find out where they will be going for their residency)! I've been a wreck all day knowing that this is happening in 52 weeks. I'm just so nervous! To any of you 4th years out there - congrats!!! (and please pass along any tips you have!).

Sweater: Nordstrom [cute ruffled option]

Pants: Express [exact]

Scarf: Nordstrom [exact on sale!]

Purse: Michael Kors c/o Shopbop [similar]

Boots: Vince Camuto [exact]

ps. there's a ton of great sales going on right now for winter items. Below are a few coats/sweaters/boots that you can pick up for a steal. My personal favorite is the Cole Haan wrap jacket - it's so pretty!

one | two | three | four

five | six | seven | eight

third times a charm

I actually wore this outfit three times before I managed to get some pictures of it - the first time it started snowing right before I left for work, the second time the lighting in the pictures was way off, and by the third time I wore it, I was just not going to let some extra sunniness stop me. While not my favorite set of pictures ever, I did love the outfit enough to wear it three times within three weeks ;)

I'm on my third day of OB, and it just feels right being there - I love being on a rotation that I've done because I know my place in the care team, I know how I can be helpful (and when to stay out of the way!), and it really has been a great time to work on skills. If you follow along on snapchat (@fhasselhof), you probably heard about how CR and I have completely different schedules right now - he's working in the emergency department this month, and his hours have varied every day, but we basically haven't really seen each other since the rotation started. Good practice for the future, I suppose ;)

Coming up in the next few days will be another review post, mostly about work pants, which are the absolute worst thing to shop for. 

Blouse: Loft [similar]

Pants: Express [exact]

Boots: Vince Camuto [exact]

Scarf: Nordstrom [exact on sale!]

Watch: c/o Larsson & Jennings [exact]

Lipstick: Clinique [exact in fab pop - review here]

ps. now that it's warmer out (it was 70 today!), there are so many great winter items on major sale! Below are three pairs of boots that are 35-45% off the original price. My pair of boots is on sale too, although I could totally pick up that classic pair of Vince Camuto boots below - so pretty!

one | two | three

out of the loop

Hi!

I have felt soooo out of the blogging loop these last few months. Between wearing scrubs all day, and being sick the past few weekends, I haven't had any opportunities to take blogging pictures ( / even wear real clothes). I know many bloggers hire photographers and take a bunch of pictures at the same time, but a part of me is just way to lazy! It's hard enough to come up with one outfit, much less five at a time. How do you do it, bloggers? 

Anyway, today is officially my last day of wearing scrubs for the next four weeks! I'll miss ya, adult pjs for work, but I have found they make me exponentially more lazy - I wash my hair at most twice a week, I wear less make-up, and I maybe eat a little more just because who notices when you wear baggy mens clothes all day? But...my attending on the next rotation is always really well dressed and put together, so I'm excited to feeling a little bit more put together myself. Maybe I should start by getting those roots fixed...yikes! Let's just pretend I did it on purpose, mmkay? 

Vest: J.Crew Factory [exact on sale!]

Shirt: Loft 

Pants: Express [exact - review here]

Scarf: Ann Taylor [exact]

Boots: Vince Camuto [love this similar pair - that back!]

Watch: c/o Larsson & Jennings [exact]

i get it from my mama

I loved this outfit, partially because my new poncho is so darn comfortable, but mostly because it reminded me of something my mom would 100% wear (I'm sure she's actually worn this exact outfit and I'm just copying her). When someone asks me who my style inspiration is, my answer is always the same - my mom! She has such a knack for putting cute outfits together, pairing unexpected pieces with one another, and just always looks so nice. While I've somehow turned into the "go-to fashion girl" in my family because of my blog, she's really the person who knows what she's doing.

I'm just faking it for the internet ;)

Poncho: Nordstrom [exact]

Tee: Banana Republic [similar on sale]

Pants: Express [exact]

Boots: Vince Camuto [exact]

Purse: Coach [mine is vintage from Etsy - it is called the Willis bag]

Watch: c/o Daniel Wellington [exact for 50% off!]

Bracelet: gift from my friend Lizzi [very similar]

My poncho has been popping back in and out of inventory, so below are three options at three different price points. Which one is your favorite (and also...who is your style inspiration?)

save | spend | splurge

all staples, no flash

I'm in the process of writing a "what are my closet staples" post, and I realize now that that every single item in this outfit is in that category. From my second pair of ponte pants to cognac boots to a neutral oversized scarf, these are items I grab for over and over again. While they aren't always the most exciting items, they are the ones I'm most loyal to!

Blouse: Banana Republic [cute similar on sale]

Pants: Express [exact - review here]

Boots: Vince Camuto [exact]

Jacket: Old Navy [similar below]

Scarf: Nordstrom [exact]

Watch: Michael Kors [save | exact]

and because my Old Navy coat is older and no longer available, here are three options in three price ranges. I think my favorite is the spend version, which comes in three colors and is marked down!

save (<$25) | spend (<$100) | splurge (< $200)

ps. sorry for the lack of pictures where my head isn't chopped off or down - it was super windy this day, and my camera died within a minute of taking pictures! but with a lack of days to take pictures currently, I still wanted to share this set of pictures because I loved the outfit :)