A few months ago, some friends and I were celebrating a good friend's birthday when the topic of Halloween came up. One person suggested that we should all dress up as someone else in our fraternity and guess who is who. I thought that idea always seemed like fun. The premise is to find a few key characteristics of a person's personality --let's be real, their aesthetic-- and dress up as them. We went around with examples of what each person would be. Then it came my turn. One friend suggested that my aesthetic was wearing Zara and neutral colors. I would say that's a pretty accurate description of myself but at the time I was pretty bashful. All I could think was "Zara? I mean I love their clothes but I do shop at a lot of other stores." It's surprising how quickly it came to my friend's mind but now I understand her perspective. On any given day, lo and behold, I am wearing at least one piece from Zara. Okay. You got me. I can't help it since they fit petite women so well.  It can become challenging  to find boots and other items that mold to my proportions. I know I'm not alone when I proclaim my love for Zara's over the knee and knee high boots. These boots hug petite ladies calves and thighs in ways other boots do not. This means I have to pull my Zara boots up less than the average boot leaving me more time to enjoy myself wherever I am.

This year, I opted for some flat knee-high boots instead of the widely popular OTK boot. A few years ago I did pick up their kitten heel OTK boots, but I wasn't reaching for them as much as I hoped. This year I hoped to redeem myself. Hence, my deviation from the OTK altogether. I figured a different style may yield different results. I think so far this season it has been successful. I think that I reach for these boots a lot more. The top of the boot can be tightened to prevent the boot from sinking and overall the quality is great. In order to protect the faux-suede exterior, I did apply a water & stain resistant spray that you can easily find on Amazon. This is hands-down the best way to prevent any shoes from staining. I even apply a few layers to my white Adidas superstars & after some tough love and lots of mud they are still white after cleaning. The spray really makes the shoe's exterior impermeable to water to an extent.

I paired these boots with an oversized sweater from, you guessed it, Zara. This knit is soft and luxurious; definitely a heavier sweater that most. I purchased it in a size Small and as you can see it's long enough to get away with as a dress when paired with tights. For the amount of runs I gather in a given pair of tights due to my clumsiness, the price point and quality of Primark's tights cannot be beat. I made sure to add a belt into the mix to keep my overall shape. It's terribly easy to get lost in a swathe of material making a belt a great addition.

This outfit is perfect for dinner with friends or even when you're lazy but want to look remotely put together. Sometimes life gets to you but that shouldn't stop you from looking in tip-top shape. With a few quick details to dress up the look, I was out the door no time. A few simple accessories can transform even the simplest of outfits. So even when life gets crazy, you can seize the day and rock just about anything. Hope that this motivates you to put your best food forward no matter the circumstances.

Until next time,

Christine Celine