Bella Rus!

Photographed by: Daniella Guzzo Photography

#whatruwearing: Cream Sweater Dress: W118 by Walter Baker | Brown Velvet Coat: Value Village | Boots: Ralph Lauren, Winners | Ushanka Hat: Unknown

There’s something about pulling on a big cozy knit and a great pair of boots that makes Winter feel more like Winter!  I mean, who doesn’t like a good cozy sweater?  Especially when the cold starts setting in
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Outfit Details:

 Knits, fur and luxurious fabrics like velvet, were all over the runways for Fall/Winter 2014/15.  For this week’s look, I pulled on this wax coated, sweater dress from W118 by Walter Baker.  What I like about it is that it can be styled with leggings, or as I’ve styled it here, with black above-the-knee, leather boots.  We’re pretty fortunate with our Winter months here in Vancouver; they’re fairly mild and we can get away with wearing dresses without Jack Frost nipping at our tush.

To keep my legs a little warmer, I layered on this STUNNING floor length, vintage, brown velvet coat, which I scored at Value Village 3 years ago —  TREND ALERT!!  (get inspired on Pintrest)  I mean, honestly…how dramatic!  I feel so powerful when I wear this piece and especially love the gold button details and high collar; it’s very military looking.  And to top it all off, I’m wearing this spectacular ushanka hat; which comes in handy for those cold days where you want to keep your ears warm.  It’s so chic and makes me feel like a Russian Princess, even though I’m Italian!

Ushanka Hat:

The Ushanka hat is the quintisential winter hat!  It’s a traditional, and very stylish, Russian winter hat with ear flaps. The ear flaps can be tied at the top of the hat, or to at the chin to protect the face and chin from the cold elements.  The word “ushanka” means “with ears” in Russian.

Makeup:

Face: Make Up For Ever Face and Body Foundation #32 | NARS Bronzing Powder “Laguna”

Cheeks: Nars “Desire”

Eyes: MAC Powerpoint Eye Pencil  “Engraved” | L’Oreal Voluminous Mascara

Lips: MAC “Russian Red”

As the band Cake sang it back in 2001, “I like a girl with a short skirt and looooooong jacket!”.  In fact, this song, along with my gorgeous coat and hat, was the inspiration for this week’s style post!  On a side note, you should check out Side One.  They do a killer rendition of this song!

xo,