My other favorite F-Words: Floppy, Funky, Faux & Fun

Floppy Hat: American Apparel; Faux-fur Frock: RAGA; Stone Necklace: Madewell; Gold Necklace: J.Crew; T-Shirt: Old Blink-182 Band Tee; Bag: Marc by Marc Jacobs; Jeans: AG; Maroon Suede Heeled Booties: Vince Camuto; All photos by: Kristine Constantino

Nothing says "Winter's coming.." quite like faux fur and suede booties paired with hats that cover the entire face. 

A question I routinely get asked about my outfits is: "How do you put it all together?" The answer is unfortunately very unequivocal and simple, unlike most everything else in life. There is no sorcerous ritual, no closet computer (a nod to Cher), it is as easy as picking a statement piece and working from there. My humble opinion is that each outfit needs a statement piece, sometimes even more than one. This piece can be any article of clothing or accessory, as long as it draws in the eye, is more captivating than other parts of the outfit, and reflects your fun personality to some degree. Example: My faux-fur creature of a jacket.

Now to the funky & fun: Something about floppy hats is intrinsically 70's to me. The age of funk. I searched the world over for an excellent floppy hat. I always came up empty until I was in LA, happened to have consumed a few too many mimosas, and stumbled into an American Apparel in Manhattan Beach. Not exactly a recipe for making stellar purchases (I also bought $18 sunscreen), but when you know you know.  

Suede, the fabric of November, December, January. Don't let anyone tell you different, you heard it hear first. Maroon goes as well with gold in the festive months as Marc Jacobs does with creative direction for Louis Vuitton year-round. A match so perfect, you cannot imagine what one is like without the other. You don't want to either. 

Cheers to turning our backs on 2014 and looking forward to 2015. A quote from one of my favorite authors:

There are far, far better things ahead than any we leave behind.
— C.S. Lewis