Dahlia Lynn Lane Giveaway: WINNER

We have a WINNER for the Dahlia Lynn Lane 'Agatha' giveaway!
Lucky Melissa, from Savvy in San Francisco - shoot me your details because this beauty is coming to a home near you.

Enjoy her!

dear court + hudson: serious style

Outfit 1. Blazer | Blouse | Skirt | Pumps

Outfit 2. Cropped Jacket | Shirt | Belt | Pants | Pumps

Outfit 3. Blazer | Sweater | Trouser | Booties

Brights + Patterns

They key to wearing brights is ensuring that the pairing is grounding to keep things profesh in the workplace. Here we were able to incorporate a fun print in our grounding color of navy. Adding in the classic lines of a tailored blazer, simple pumps and a longer (but on trend!) hemline ensures things stay prim!

Mixing Prints

The key here is to pick prints in similar color schemes so the eye is not instantly drawn to an overtly flashy element of your outfit. Start simple with cremes, beiges and black with a pop of color in the shoe. Keeping the shoe structure basic allows you to take a fun fashion risk. Pairing the cropped trouser with high waisted trousers = two trends that can be reworked for nights out with friends as easy to style separates. 

Colorblocking

Corporate colorblocking can be done. You just need to remember to keep your color palette muted. A well fitting trouser and blazer mimics a suit structure, but allow yourself to add a splash of color in the middle. The law world will forever be changed! 

Oui Oui!

(hat: ASOS - same shape, but has a feather | jacket: Hollister - similar | boots; Boutique 9 c/o Shop It To Me | tee: GAP | denim: c/o James Jeans | scarf: handmade | earrings: c/o Bauble Bar | bag: Tylie Malibu - similar)

This outfit was actually my snow day ensemble from this past Saturday. After spending much of the morning doing some work, I was grateful to head into the city for a yummy meal at Cotto and gab sesh with one of my favorite people, Ms Caroline. Dinner was followed by drinks to bid farewell to two of our very close friends. It's always so hard to see people go, for selfish reasons, but I know they're on to bigger and better things!

So with the combination of snow and slush I knew I wanted to be comfortable whether I was outside, inside or kicking up my heels listening to live music. And what better way to feel perfectly chic than channeling the french, in my own way of course. A pair of simple black pants (with secret shaping pockets!), a classic striped tee, and a punch of color (always!)

Naturally we always want to be a little snazzy, so donning my new favorite pair of chandelier earrings seemed appropriate for a bit of sparkle that wouldn't get lost under all of my cozy layers.

PS. Don't forget to enter the Dahlia Lynn Lane giveaway if you'd like pretty little Agatha all to yourself! Friday is the deadline!

Pastel Winter

(blazer: Club Monaco - similar | sequin top: vintage - similar | pants: Forever21 - similar | pearl necklace: c/o Bauble Bar | bracelets: Forever21 + c/o Bauble Bar | shoes: Kensie - similar) 

When it comes to winter wardrobe "rules" I feel like the more you push the envelope, the more fun you have with what you wear. Take today's outfit for example. I never would have considered pastels in the winter before starting this blog. But I'm absolutely in love with this ensemble I put together. Feel free to disagree, as we all have our own preferences, but I love the mix of color, texture and sparkle. It accurately sums up all of my favorite things in one look.

I partnered with one of my favs, Bauble Bar, to concoct a few outfits with some pieces their fashion director selected for a few bloggers to each uniquely style. Today is my day, so go check out my Inspired Style feature and get a sneak peek of tomorrow's outfit as well. If you had to pick one outfit that sums you up, what would it look like? 

Red + Purple + Dahlia Lynn Lane = GIVEAWAY!

(sweater: GAP - love this similar version | pants: Zara - similar denim version | hat: Target | necklace: Dahlia Lynn Lane | shoes: Jeffrey Campbell - similar)

Hello lovlies, did we all enjoy the weekend? With a little bit of snow in the forecast in NYC for the weekend, Jon and I woke up to a beautiful view Saturday morning. But with snow comes what I like to call, "fashion blogger difficulties." How am I supposed to prance around in my heels with cold, slushy snow on the ground? And you think people stare when you're taking outfit photos? Well just wait until you do so with bright cropped pants and bare ankles! Even the little children looked at me like I was nuts.

But you didn't come hear to listen to me babble, you want to know about the giveaway, right? I have been a huge fan of Dahlia Lynn Lane for quite some time. Jessica creates gorgeous custom pieces that always have me swooning. And lucky for one of you, I get to GIVE ONE AWAY!

Meet Agatha. Isn't she a stunner? Agatha is a beautiful mix of vintage chain, rhinestones and pearls. And I love her. But she's looking for a new home with one of you! How do you take her home?

Here's how:

Step 1: Follow Dahlia Lynn Lane on Bloglovin

Step 2: Follow court + hudson on Bloglovin

Step 3: Leave a comment below when you've completed the above - and don't forget to include your email!

I'll be picking one winner on Friday 1/27!

be present

matthew kavan brooks

I am a big believer in the power of positive thinking. I may not always follow my own advice, as it's hard to not give in to the overwhelming amount of negativity that exists in this world, but after having a long conversation this week with a friend I think Friday deserves a little bit of perspective for the weekend. 

I'm more than ready for this weekend - with another big to do list to tackle and a promise to have a few personal style posts up next week (as well as another appearance from everyone's favorite husband, okay, well maybe just my favorite!) 

PS. My friend Grace clued me in to a new-to-me blog, VMac + Cheese, and she has an AMAZING blogging series up called Mini-Alt Week that covers a lot of great topics and tips from bloggers all over the space. I loved it so much I had to call it out. Check it! 

winter brights

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7

We've hit the middle of winter. You know that period where it's just cold, people are bundled and scurrying quickly from one destination to the next. It's also that time when you look in your closet and reach for the biggest coziest sweater you own. For most of us that's in some form of neutral - black, grey, beige.

I've been trying hard this winter to balance the need for comfort and blending into the grey daytime sky and have been attempting to infuse more color in hopes to ward off the winter doldrums.

What keeps you going cold day after cold day?

(And yes, I would wear this very outfit above, head to toe, all at the same time!)

dear court + hudson: conference woes

(Dress: Ruche | Bracelet: J Crew | Necklace: Bauble Bar | Bag: ASOS | Shoes: Nine West)

I've been getting quite a few questions from readers asking for advice on things ranging from what to wear for a particular occasion to how to layer. That being said I'd like to introduce a new weekly column to c+h called "dear court + hudson" answering some of your questions. Have your own style question? Email me at courtandhudson@gmail.com.

When "fashion nerd" came to me asking about what to wear to her tech conference she was stressed over conforming to her industry. In my opinion there are few instances where you need to sacrifice your personal style for your job (ie. uniformed positions).

So fashion nerd, you say you like color? Wear it! But consider HOW you're wearing it. Keep the silhouettes tailored and classic. If you're jewelry and dress are bright, round your outfit out with neutral pumps and handbag. In a room full of people, you're sure to stand out for ALL of the right reasons!

Earn Your (Gold) Stripes

One of my resolutions for court + hudson (and there are many!) is to start integrating more design, decorating and DIY content into the site. So as we move full speed ahead towards the housewarming party and finally feeling settled, we've got quite the project list to tackle. With 12 foot ceilings and lots of eggshell white walls I knew moving into this apartment meant two things: I wasn't painting, but I needed to. So what's a girl to do? STRIPE!

Naturally I hit up Home Depot and made a beeline for the paint wall in search of the perfect metallic gold. Thanks to Ms. Martha, we found the perfect shade - Precious Metals in Hazel. Let's get striping!

Measure and re-measure. We drew out a diagram on paper first. Ten Stripes at 11.5" each. Keep the stripe closest to the ceiling the lightest color to avoid minimizing the visual height of the wall.

Tape off the stripes one by one. How do you avoid paint seepage? On the inside of a "Paint" stripe run your nail or pad of your thumb firmly down the whole length of the wall. Only do this on the inner part of the tape closest to where you'll lay down the paint. This seals in the "Paint" stripe, but leaves the bottom half of the tape a little looser for easy pull up.

Get bored. Do a little shadow dance.

Step back and admire your handy work. Make sure the lines look even. (Could you imagine?) Mark which rows will take the paint so you don't get confused. And remember if you're painting even width stripes, "Paint" stripes should be wider than "Non-Paint" stripes. If they're not, then your measurements are off.

Get Ready. Set. Go! Stir it up, and paint away. Hi hubs!
A few tips:
1. Use a thin angled brush to paint the top + bottom tape of a "Paint" stripe prior to going over with a roller to ensure you're getting a thick, saturated straight line when that tape gets pulled off.
2. Always paint down from the top of a stripe and up from the bottom to avoid paint seepage.
3. Rolling should be up and down as well.

Before you know it, you've got stripes! (Still wet here, but roller marks minimize as the paint dries) To ensure you get the straightest possible line, only wait until the paint sets up to take the tape off. If you wait too long you risk paint sticking, pulling, or ripping away with the tape - all bad things.
Tip: Pull the tape down and at an angle for optimal results.

Ready for the result?

Weeeee have stripes! It took a little patience, a little planning and a tall husband - but it's done. And I love it! Have no fear, there will be some fun art up there in a few weeks for a complete reveal!

busy bee

Life has all of a sudden moved into high gear now that the holidays are officially over and people have finally come to terms with the fact that we all need to move on. Myself included. If you follow me on instagram or Twitter then you know I spent the majority of my weekend "home improving" as we have set a date for our housewarming party! More to come on some of the fun projects we put together - including the pipe shelving you can see a bit of above.

So rather than an outfit post of my LOVELY painting attire, I figured we'd start the week off with a bit of organization - my trusty "to do" list. I'm sure we all struggle with it, but I'd love to know - what tips and tricks do you use to best manage your time? What do you do when you're feeling overwhelmed?