Gold in Bloom

If you hadn't noticed yet, gold jewelry is back in fashion in a huge way. In the past I had favored silver or white gold, but recently that has all changed. I have personally found myself radiating to all kinds of golden jewelry over the last few months and have come up with quite a collection. Whether it's chunky gold bracelets, rose gold watches or little delicate flaxen treasures, there are so many ways to successfully sport this trend. 

Long story short, I decided to do a mini photo shoot with some of my most favorite finds, hidden within the blooms of our rooftop garden. Since this trend will be all over this spring and summer, I thought it appropriate to use a background full of flora. Hopefully these pieces will inspire you to jump on the gold-accessory-bandwagon too! Below, I have listed where I bought all of my gold jewelry. Although most of the pieces were random finds, you can always look for something that is similar in style in a store near you, or perhaps even online. [You can also view these photos in a gallery by clicking here.]

1. leather studded bracelet - street vendor in SoHo 2. stone neclace - ann taylor 3. button bracelet - vintage shop in Athens, Ohio 4. egyptian ring - Houston, Texas 5. black ring - mall in Columbus, Ohio 6. & 7. chunky gold bracelets - vendor in midtown Manhattan 8. whistle and watch necklaces - vintage store in Columbus, OH called Cinda-Lou 9. winged necklace - street vendor in SoHo 10. zipper necklace - vintage store in Columbus, OH called Cinda-Lou 11. watch necklace (see above) 12. plastic and gold bracelet - art gallery in Columbus Circle 13. utilitarian bracelet - Madewell 14. 'flute' shaped necklace - Madewell 15. rose gold studded watch - Macy's

Combat ready

It's 100 percent official... I've fallen for and personally adopted the combat boot into my wardrobe. AND, I highly recommend that all of you follow suit. Long have I lusted over the combat boot trend... and recently I have been going back and forth on the idea of buying a pair for myself. Just a few days ago I made the leap and splurged on a pair. I fell in love with them as soon as I tried them on! Even though I'm not the tallest person in the world, the boots still look great and I've gotten loads of compliments on them in just the two days I've worn them out. I decided on a black pair that has a sort of "worn-out" look to them - which I love.

Perhaps what I like most about this trend is that it is so different from what we have been seeing in shoes, especially in women's shoes. I like the androgynous feel, the militaristic inspiration, the ability to wear flat, leather boots with a dress or feminine outfit, and I like the laced up, sometimes slouchy appeal that this trend is bringing to the table. The bottom line is that it's different.

I found my boots at, of all places, Aldo in my local shopping mall. And, to my surprise, they actually had a good selection of combat boots to choose from, for men and women. The great thing about these boots is that they are versatile: whether you want to lace them up, lace them down, get them with studs or contrasting laces, let the tongue of the boot flap over or curl the sides down (on both boots or just one), anything really goes - and all options look great! So far, I have preferred to keep mine semi unlaced with the tongue flapping over on both boots. So whether you are looking for a pair of winter or fall boots, or just something new, I would advise you to snatch up a pair now while you still can... I have a feeling that this trend is about to pick up a lot of speed.