Boots with the fur

Kate Spade shirtdress, faux fur collar coat, cedar street harmony bag c/o

Cole Haan Marina boots (30% off w/ FRIENDS30), Nars lipcolor in "shanghai express"

As much as I like my bright colors, sometimes an all-neutral palette can feel the most classic. For the second half of my collaboration with Kate Spade New York, I styled this taupe and black pairing for the oncoming chilly season. I find the easiest way to elevate neutrals is with elements of texture, such as a luxe faux-fur collar, satiny bow tie, or tall suede boots.

I've been wearing this convertible handbag (6 colors; previously reviewed in this post) often and a few ladies on social media asked if the pink one would be limited to spring/summer wear. I actually think light pink can be very cross-seasonal and love it in cooler seasons paired with neutrals like taupe, camel and grey!


I also mentioned in my last post that Kate Spade's sizing can be rather petite-friendly. My bow-back dress from there in size 00 was a snug fit with no alterations needed, and I've also tried on several more that fit similarly. Just look for styles that are more fit and flare and where the waistline looks like it hits a little higher up on the model.

For more straight-cut pieces like the ones I chose for this post, I found the shoulders to fit in a size 00 with the sleeves requiring shortening, typical of regular sizing. For this woodland plaid bow shirtdress I used my favorite trick of tying a skinny belt around the waist and folding a few inches of material over the belt. This essentially creates a blouson waistline and also adjusts the length of the overall piece to your liking based on how much material you fold over. You can wear a dress like this to work with pumps and then "shorten" it for a night out.

The weight of this wool-blend coat is very heavy and the details and finishing remind me of the quality of my Burberry ones. The only alteration here was to shorten the sleeves by 2 inches. I also love some of their iconic bow-collared coats that I saw in-store but not yet online.

Thank you to Kate Spade New York for partnering on this post!