ThredUP Skirt + Thrifted Cardigan

For part two of my collaboration with ThredUP, I wanted to get a staple piece that I knew I would get a ton of use out of. I'm committing to shopping smarter, and buying versatile pieces that will last me is a key part of that. So instead of getting yet another polka dot skirt or another cream lace dress (though trust me, I was this close), I went the safe route and got a gray skirt. Some may say boring, I say smart. Turns out, it was a great decision, as this gray H&M skirt fits seamlessly into my wardrobe. It goes with virtually everything I own, and its a-line shape makes it ideal for fitting with my vintage-inspired, feminine aesthetic. It also was a good excuse to bust out this Modcloth burgundy top and thrifted cardigan, both of which I've neglected for quite a while. Thank goodness for (affordable) basics, right?

It was raining the day that Jon and I took these photos, so we improvised on our deck. Luckily, our apartment as at the very end, so we didn't have to deal with people walking by us, and we somehow managed to take two sets without any nosy neighbors coming out to shoot us weird glances. I'm surprised at how well this location ended up being for a last minute fix, and I wouldn't mind using it more often for days when we're too lazy to walk any further than our front door (which, let's face it, is all the time). It's nice to be able to enjoy the rain AND take outfit photos.

Don't forget to use the code HANDM50 off first time orders up to $50 on H&M pieces at ThredUP. If you're lucky, you'll score a skirt just as cute as this one.

Green Plaid Button Down + White Dress

I'm finally moving into a new apartment on Thursday, and I can't even begin to describe how happy I am to get to say that. Actually, I can. This will be my fourth time moving in the past year and a half or so, and it will be the first time since then that I'll feel completely comfortable where I'm living. When I graduated college, I moved back home with my parents, as most do. In February of last year, my parents sold that house and moved to the house on the lake an hour away from Orange County that you see in so many of my photos. Still struggling to find a full-time job after my internship had ended, my brother and sister-in-law kindly took me in temporarily, and I moved into my brother's office, which they had converted into a bedroom with a pull-out couch for me. Right as I was moving in, I was lucky enough to get hired for a full-time job, and I started planning to get an apartment. Three months later, none of my friends were looking for roommates (and frankly, I wasn't sure about the prospect of ruining a friendship by living with a close friend), so I searched online when I had saved up a bit. I found two roommates through Reddit, and we moved into a fairly nice three bedroom. Finally, I thought, a place of my own.

If you've followed my blog or my Instagram posts, you know how that turned out. One of the girls turned out to have a husband who had recently gotten out of prison and made a scene whenever he showed up; the other was a slob and a total hoarder with a dog who wasn't house trained (by that I mean, he peed on my bed and she never offered to help clean it). As luck would have it, they both hated each other after not long. The cops were at my apartment more than once, and I did everything I could to mind my own business and be home as little as possible. After I came home one night to find that the cops had been called and one of them had kicked a hole in the other's door, I searched for a way to get out. With what little money I had, I found a room to rent with a very nice family and the intention of staying for a short time. They've been wonderful, but it's not my home and their dogs bark loudly every time I enter the house, making it difficult to be in the kitchen without drawing too much attention to myself. 

Nine months of saving money later, I'm finally finding a real home. No living with scary roommates, being in someone else's way, feeling like a burden, or finding ways to avoid being at home. This time, I get to live with my best friend who I'm in love with and in a place that's just ours. It's impossible to talk about it without getting ridiculously cheesy or sentimental, but as you can tell, things have been a whirlwind for me since the start of 2015. The idea of settling into a place with my favorite person and getting to put my own things in the kitchen and living room is impossibly dreamy to me. We found cute one bedroom in a safe area, that's fairly central to Orange County and the perfect distance from our friends and work. Am I avoiding packing to write this? Yeah, of course I am. Is it worth it to get to gush about my excitement? Absolutely it is.

Roses

I'm behind on blogging and don't have time to write much, but hey, here's an outfit I wore a couple of weeks ago. I've since got my hair trimmed and have gotten sick, but other than that, things are pretty much the same. I've decided to cut back to one cup of coffee a day since my caffeine addiction was getting out of hand, so I suppose that's the biggest news with me. I'm also spending most of my time apartment hunting, and I'm hoping to find a place soon. I mostly just want to decorate, but that's to be expected. I'm ready to finally have walls to hang my Arrested Development and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind art prints on.

Side note: why hasn't anyone told me that it's been too long since I've worn this dress? It's unacceptable, but I'm making up for it.

Let's Chat with Tiny Mountains + A Giveaway

It's been a while since I've introduced you to another Etsy store through my "Let's Chat" feature, but I'm more than pleased to bring you a new one today. Meet Tatiana of Tiny Mountains. I was immediately drawn to the gem and stone jewelry that Tatiana makes since she has a knack for using rich materials to create easy to wear designs. They're pieces that not only go with everything, but are also great conversation starters. Tatiana was kind enough to send me this ring (which you can also see in Monday's post) and pin, and she's also being kind enough to treat one of you lucky readers to a beautiful pair of earrings and a bobby pin. Enter to win after the jump, but first, get to know Tatiana and Tiny Mountains a bit better.

How and when did Tiny Mountains start?
Tiny Mountains didn't exactly start, it kind of slowly (painfully slowly!) emerged from my need to design, to be my own boss, and to wear something different. And it's still emerging -- I do not see it as a completed project, there is always room for improvement, a need for a change, be it branding, packaging, design, etc. I'm never content, and I always doubt what I do.
But initially, of course, I wanted to make my own jewelry. Does it ever start any differently? I didn't like what I was offered at the shops, and I wanted to make what I liked. And I like my jewelry wild and spiky. So that's what I did.

What are some of your favorite materials to work with?
Minerals and rocks are my favorites. I like them plain, I like them shiny, I like them clear and I like them opaque. I am not a gemmologist, nor am I a believer in healing properties of crystals, so basically I'm just a person who likes shiny things. Hm, is it too bad?

Rainy Day

I was about to say that that was an unexpected week hiatus from blogging, but looking back, I really shouldn't have been surprised. I had planned on a week of Parks and Rec posts (R.I.P. favorite show), but things got pretty crazy and blogging took a backseat. To make things easier on myself, here's what I've been up to:

• Had that Parks and Rec finale party with my friends. We ate calzones, waffles, and we cried all the tears. It was perfect.
• One of my oldest and best friends, Kyle, was in town after getting out of the Air Force, and I spent most of the week with him and my other friends while he was here.
• As I've most likely mentioned, my parents are selling the house that I grew up in, and it finally came time to get out this weekend. Since I need to save a little bit more money before I can get my own place, and since my parents are moving to an area that's a little farther from Orange County and LA than I'd like, my brother and sister-in-law have graciously taken me in temporarily. My friends helped me move my things on Saturday, and now I am officially in a new place! I'm having a bit of a rough time leaving my childhood home for good, but fortunately I love the new area that I'm living in (it's a different city, still in Orange County) and I get to see my niece and nephew all the time now. I'm incredibly thankful to my brother and sister-in-law for letting me stay in their beautiful house for the time being.
• Lastly, and most wonderfully, I officially got a job! I had two interviews last week, and it went so well that they offered it to me the same day as the second one! It's with a company that does customer service for high end fashion retailers and designers' websites. It's not exactly what I envisioned myself doing after graduating, but for a first job that will help me pay the bills and get into my own apartment, I'm incredibly happy to have found one that's at least related to what I studied and in an office filled with wonderful people. I should be starting next week, and I can hardly put into the words the amount of relief I feel after months of searching. I can't wait to have happy things to talk about again. Thank you all for your support during the job hunt!

Go Sports

I don't have much to say because I'm writing this late on Sunday night, and I'm going to crash at any moment. If I haven't made it obvious yet, I did not watch the Super Bowl yesterday and instead went to the movies. When you're not a sports fan, Super Bowl Sunday is the best for going to normally crowded places. A couple of friends and I saw Selma finally, which completely lived up to the hype. I won't get into all of the politics surrounding the film concerning the Oscar nominations, but now that I've seen it I can finally offer my opinion and say that it was fantastic. I was mostly impressed by the cast, and all those reviews about David Oyelowo's performance being incredibly were correct. It was much more satisfying than watching a football game in my opinion, but then again, most things are. 

I got this dress on Wednesday from Urban Outfitters with a gift card I had gotten for Christmas. I don't really have money to buy things right now, but it was nice to have a much-needed shopping trip with my friend Casey. Most of my time is spent surrounded by guys (like being at a party where I'm the only girl the night I wore this on Friday), so it's nice to have a little girl time every once in a while, even if I am bad at making girl friends. I loved how this dress paired with this cardigan, but I'm pretty excited to wear it without a belt and with a lace bandeau underneath during the summer.

More Plaid

Can you tell that I'm having a bit of a plaid moment? I'm not sure why, but I've been drawn to the pattern recently more than I ever have. I don't think I owned a single plaid item until this past fall, but now I can't stop buying it. My most recent plaid addition to my closet is this green button down that I picked up from H&M while perusing South Coast Plaza last week with my sister-in-laws. I had been on the lookout for a plaid button down or a lightweight flannel for a little while, and I couldn't resist the color of this one. 

My favorite part of this outfit, though, is the necklace, which my good friend, Nataly, made and gave to me. I actually met Nataly through blogging a couple of years ago (which is crazy to think about now), and we became real life friends when we realized how close we lived to each other. She's since stopped blogging regularly and moved to LA to attend UCLA, but we still try to see each other when we can. She recently started making and selling these wooden necklaces on Instagram for only $5, and I immediately claimed two of them. We met up for the loveliest breakfast in downtown Fullerton last week, and she gave me the necklaces wrapped in the sweetest package before we wondered into some adorable shops. If you want one of your own, make sure to check out her Instagram, @art_fawn.

The Aftermath

I haven't posted in a week, but where do I even begin? Things have been pretty crazy lately, but in the best way possible. My Christmas was great and filled with family, friends, good food, wonderful gifts (and maybe a shot of whiskey or two that I was forced to take with my family). I really could not have asked for a better day. The next day, my brother, sister-in-law, and their three kids flew in from Illinois, and my whole family met them at the airport. They're staying with us until Saturday, and I'm ectastic I am to have them here. I got pretty used to seeing them once a week while I lived in Illinois, so it's been tough not having seen them since May. Since they couldn't be here on Christmas, we had a second celebration on Saturday when we ate more great food and opened more presents with them. You can only imagine what it was like having five kids and babies (all under the age of 5) opening up presents and playing together. 

Things got a little crazier yesterday when one of my coworkers got hurt at work, and I had to drive her the ER. She's fine other than a minor concussion, and I was happy to help her, but I was pretty bummed that it meant missing out and meeting Kristian while she was in LA. Hopefully she'll be back though since it's always a treat getting to meet a blogging friend in person who you've known online for as long as I've known Kristian. 

As for the outfit, this is what I wore on Friday to get coffee with my friend Alena, who's visiting from Austin, and to the airport later. It's been much colder than normal here (even though it's still considered nice in normal parts of the country), so I got to put on this sweater that I haven't worn since I was in the Midwest. I don't know about you, but I'm really loving winter whites and grays at the moment.

Not Enough Lace

Is there such a thing as too much lace? I choose to think not. I definitely didn't need this green lace dress, but I certainly didn't think twice about it when I picked it up at H&M during my Instagram takeover with Brea Mall. Had I been shopping with my own money, I might have taken a step back and thought about all of the other lace dresses I own in effort to convince myself that I should leave it at the store. However, with a free gift card in hand, it was almost too easy to throw it on the cashier's counter and make it mine. Although, if that story (of shopping on the mall's dime and throwing caution to the wind) sounds like fantasy, just know that the trip started with me getting a zipper stuck in the dressing room. Wait. I don't think you understand. In the very first store I went into that day, I got the zipper stuck on the very first thing I tried on. Really stuck. So stuck, in fact, that I had to ask the dressing room attendant (who was a dude) if there was a woman working who could help me because my friend hadn't gotten to the mall yet. If that story doesn't sum up most of my experiences, then I don't know what does. 

Side note: the last time I took pictures in front of this beautiful house, I got a few comments asking if I lived there. Sadly, I definitely do not. My brother and sister-in-law live in an adorable neighborhood, and Elyse and I have been wandering around the nearby streets lately to take photos. This house is right down the block from theirs, and it apparently sold for more than $1 million. We've yet to see who lives there, but it's possible that they've watched us take photos in front of their house multiple times. I'm pretty sure they couldn't blame us though.

Faking It

Oops. I somehow accidentally let a week go by in between blog posts. I have to admit that it was partially due to laziness, but the sudden heavy rain didn't help when it came to taking outfit photos either. In all honesty, though, I was pretty excited about the weather. I've always loved the rain, and we've been experiencing a bit of a drought in California, so it was much needed. Plus, the drop in temperature made it possible to throw on tights for once and pretend like I live in a place with seasons. I can't lie; it wasn't exactly cold when I took these pictures, but I've decided to just go with a "fake it until you make it" attitude in terms of getting dressed. If I dress like it's cold enough for layers, then it will feel cold enough for layers...right? All of this isn't to say that I'm complaining at all. Trust me, I'm extremely happy to be having a California winter this year, but I'm selfish and entitled so of course I'm going to complain about the beautiful weather. I'm terrible that way.

As for what you missed in my life this past week, the most exciting thing to happen was that I got to take over Brea Mall's Instagram on Thursday as you might have seen. I was contacted by their social media department after they came across my blog, and I was given a $150 gift card to mall and three hours to Instagram my shopping experience. I basically grew up in that mall, so it was incredibly exciting for me, especially since I already did most of my Christmas shopping online and pretty much got to go on a mini shopping spree for myself. I can't wait to take outfit photos in everything. 

Madeline

I've been saying this for a while, but September is going to be an exciting month for me. Much to my surprise, however, the excitement started a little earlier than expected. Yesterday, my brother and sister-in-law welcomed their new baby daughter, Madeline Elisabeth, into the world, and I was fortunate enough to get to meet her soon after. I absolutely adore being an aunt (I have two nephews and now three nieces), so I'm overjoyed at her arrival. Both my sister-in-law and the baby are doing wonderfully, and I already can't wait until I get to visit them again this week. Forget everything I've said about feeling weird about moving back home. Obviously it's all totally worth it just for this. And other things, of course, but mostly this.

I got woken up pretty early by my parents (after working three 7 a.m. shifts in a row) and then spent almost all day at the hospital, so I wanted to change into something that I felt good in before I left the house later last night. This dress has been another all star of my summer wardrobe, and it has yet to fail in making me happy and being comfortable. This outfit is simple and very typical of me, but it's one of those ones that I just really enjoy. Feel-good outfits are always important to have, even if they do include cardigans that you talk yourself into wearing when it's 80 degrees. I'm pretty confident in saying that I don't think I've ever regretted wearing a cardigan, even in the middle of summer. Cardigans forever.

Well Red

One of these days I'm going to learn to write my posts ahead of time instead of late at night the day before, but until then, here's a short Friday post for you. I got coerced into going out for a couple of drinks with two of my best friends on a Thursday night (when I'm writing this), so I'll leave you with this:

1. I picked up this H&M dress for $10 at Buffalo Exchange recently, and I've been wearing it nonstop. It's flattering, comfortable, and in the best color. 

2. These sandals have barely left my feet since I got them, which I think is pretty understandable.

3. I am all about the cateyes this summer.

4. If you couldn't tell, I've been having a really good time with all of my friends at home. I did try to fight going to the bar last night in favor of going to sleep early, but I'm happy they convinced me to go. 

5. My internship is still going great, and I love that I've been given more responsibility. It's a little challenging, which I like, and I'm already learning a great deal about PR and social media. 

6. I'm so happy with the response I got from my pop culture post. I was a little nervous about posting something not even a little fashion related, and mostly nervous that no one would care, but it was so great to read your comments on it. I love that everyone who read it picked out something different from the post that they also liked, and I really hope I convinced some of you to watch/read/listen to something new. I definitely plan on making it a weekly or bi-monthly thing. 

One Cool Katz

Will there ever be a time when the cat dress isn't appropriate? I just don't think I'll ever get enough of it. I don't even care that a ton of bloggers have it and that it's not even unique at this point; I love it. Of course, the Katz pun never gets old either. Spring is still hit or miss around here, so I ended up layering it on Wednesday. It was 30 degrees and snowing one day, rainy the next, extremely windy the day I took these photos (which explains my hair), above 50 degrees yesterday, and it's supposed to be in the 70s this weekend. Spring in Illinois is so much fun. Each day is a new surprise. 

As for real life things, I'm still just winding down the semester. We're training all of the new people at work, and I'm slowly starting to turn over responsibilities to the new editor-in-chief. It's weird, in a good way. I've also been trying to spend as much time as possible with my brother, sister-in-law, nieces, and nephew here. My youngest niece, Hattie, is getting so close to crawling, and it's adorable.

 I know that I write a lot about starting the transition from college student to real adult, but would anyone be interested in some personal/lifestyle posts about it? I have to do a project for class about what I wish I had known as a freshman, and I'm thinking about turning it into a blog post. I really just look for any excuse to ramble about my life

The Break to End All Breaks

Whether it's on the blog or in my every day conversation, I talk a lot about my dread when it comes to growing up. Graduation is right around the corner, so I'm (understandably, I hope) slightly freaking out about all of the changes that are about to happen in my life. Amid the freak outs, though, I got to cling to one last shred of childhood last week: my very last spring break, or rather, my very last break ever. So even though I'm still going crazy about the fact that I don't know what the future has in store for me past May (I like to have things planned, yo), I took this as an opportunity to just enjoy my time and embrace my California roots. Well, for the most part. But more on that later.

As I mentioned before, my friend Katie came home with me for the week. She's always wanted to visit California, and I love playing tour guide to my home town, so it was a jam-packed week. We didn't get to go to Disneyland like I had hoped since it's crazy expensive, but we did eat a ton of good California food and whatnot. I took her to a few of my favorite places in Orange County like Balboa, South Coast Plaza, and the Orange Circle, and we made a trip to LA one day for some shopping on Melrose. The best part, though? I finally got to meet Ashley and Erica in person there. Ashley shopped around a bit with us for a while, and Erica met us all for lunch. It was so easy to talk with them since it felt like I had known them forever, and they were just as sweet and funny in person. Want proof? Check out my Instagram or the Flock Together Facebook page. 

Winter Yellows

I'm still feeling the winter blues, so I decided I need this yellow dress and white sweater to brighten things up for me yesterday. With only a little more than a week left until spring break, though, I can't say that I needed it much. Knowing that home is so close is enough to get me through the day. I can almost taste the In N' Out burgers. 

Honestly though, things have been pretty stressful lately, but what else is new? I've been applying for jobs and internships like crazy, but I've yet to hear back from anyone. I know it's still pretty early, but I probably won't stop freaking out about it until I find something. The good news is (and you've seen these if you follow me on Instagram), I finally got around to putting some effort into making creative resumes and I now have three pretty ones that hopefully will catch employers' attentions. I'm way too excited about designing resumes. You guys have no idea.

Happy Thoughts

I've been stressed out lately. It's my last semester of college, and between the seven classes I'm taking in order to graduate, work, a side job (more on that later), job hunting, this blog, and trying to make the most out of my last semester with all of my friends here (some of whom I'm not sure when I'll see again after graduation), I'm struggling to stay sane. So instead of venting or feeling sorry for myself, here are some things that are making me happy at the moment:

• This jacket, which makes me feel like kind of a badass
• The fact that I get to go to Chicago next week on the school's dime for a conference
• California for spring break is really only a few weeks away, and Katie is coming with me
• Phone calls from my best friend, Whitney, who listens to me vent from across the country
• A handwritten note mailed to me from the mayor telling me how much he loved and appreciated my column that I wrote on supporting small businesses
• Texting Parks and Rec .gifs with Whitney and another one of my best friends, Adam
• Getting to make cookies and play Mario Kart with my nephew, Hayden/watching my niece, Harper, do cheers/making my baby niece, Hattie, laugh/getting videos of my nephew, Jackson, saying hi to me from California
• It's getting slightly warmer
• It's fashion week
• Having a day off because of Lincoln's birthday and spending it having a Star Wars marathon with my friends Aaron, Garrick, and Brittany
• Knowing that Jenn will be in town this weekend
• Seeing how far some of my editors have come in their writing and reading great articles from them
• Listening to Neutral Milk Hotel after a long day
• Realizing how seriously funny my friends are
• Getting to talk to my friend Kylie, who's studying abroad in Australia, thanks to technology
• This
• This
• The blogging community, which is made up of the most supportive women 

The Katz' Meow

It really hasn't been that long, but I miss blogging. I know I've been able to post a couple of times over the past few weeks, but it's hardly been enough. Dead week and finals week consumed my life, and I've barely had a chance to take photos or comment on my favorite blogs. Fortunately, I had my last "final" (it wasn't a test; I just had to show up, but the professor wasn't even there) this morning, and break is about to begin, so I'll have more time from now on. A few of my good friends are graduating, and I'll be gone from all of my Illinois friends for a month, so any time not doing homework or studying has been spent with them. This whole being at home for a month thing is pretty bittersweet. On one hand, I'm sad to be away from all of my friends here, but on the other...it is freezing here. California weather cannot come soon enough.

I took these photos yesterday while on a coffee date with Katie and Lexi, and we all almost froze to death taking them. I'm so happy to have them here since they're two of the only people on campus who would stand outside sans coats for a few minutes just to take pictures of our outfits. I decided it was time to break out the cat dress again, and when I realized that it had been forever since I donned a feminine collar, I knew I needed to fix that. This dress really is a great layering piece, which means that I'm going to have to see what else I can do with it soon. Side note: since just about every blogger on the planet owns this dress, does anyone else think it's time for some sort of link-up? 

P.S. Please shop my closet for some cheap clothes so I can afford to buy all of the Christmas presents I need to get!

Can You Say Fall?

I probably say this about once a month, but this is my new favorite post. It just captures the essence of fall so perfectly — something that I owe to both Mary and my school. Last week, on the way back from taking a different set of pictures and grabbing dinner, we passed by this spot and immediately both said we had to take photos there next. Fortunately, Sunday happened to have the perfect fall weather, while I happened to wear red and mustard by complete chance. Sometimes I forget how pretty my campus actually is, but one look at this lawn reminded me. I mean, seriously. How is it possible for fall to be this gorgeous? I feel like all of the leaves are going to turn brown and fall off when I wake up tomorrow as if this was all one big cruel joke.

Now that I've gotten my millionth love letter to fall out of my system, I can talk about this outfit. I've mentioned before that I'm a member of a couple of swap groups on Facebook where we people swap clothes they're trying to get rid of for permanent keeps. It's usually hit or miss, and I often find myself having to reswap items because they fit weird or don't look right. Somehow, though, after a string of multiple unsuccessful swaps over the summer, I got my hands on this Modcloth dress. I honestly didn't think the owner would be interested in swapping me for this, but somehow she was just as interested in one of my dresses as I was in this one. You guys. It has polka dots and a couple holding a red umbrella printed all over it. Talk about a gem of a dress.

Copy Cat

I definitely have at least two or three sets of photos featuring different outfits that were taken before this set, but I couldn't wait to share this one. The dress arrived on Wednesday afternoon, I wore it yesterday, and I need to share it with the world today. No regrets. 

I'd actually seen this dress a bunch of times on other bloggers before — mostly Jenna, though — and it was love at first sight. For those of you who don't know, my last name is Katz, and anything with cats on it is literally calling my name (okay, not literally, but the joke still works). I actually had the opportunity to borrow Jenna's dress since she posted on Flock Together, but I ended up getting for myself for a couple of reasons. Jenna's dress is a small, and I ended up trying on one when I was in H&M a few weeks in that size. Unfortunately, the small wasn't working for my bust, and there weren't any mediums. I've been checking the site almost religiously to see if it was still in stock in my size since then, and I finally just decided that I needed it for myself. How could a dress this perfect not be in my possession? I never want to take it off.

In Plane Sight: How I Dress for Traveling

Though I still have a few more sets of pictures that my sister-in-law took (that are much better than these), I just flew back to Illinois on Saturday and I wanted to share a little about how I dress for traveling. Since I'm a plane every few months going back and forth between California and Illinois, flying has become second nature for me. However, even sitting in the airport for two hours, on a plane for four hours, and in a car for three hours (a typical day traveling to where I live in Illinois) can't force me into sweats. Here are my rules for dressing comfortably for travel, without sacrificing style:

1. A comfortable dress with a defined waist — Everyone has things that they're most comfortable in and dresses are mine. I feel much less restricted and more relaxed sitting in a dress on a plane than in anything else. I always make sure to choose one that moves easily, but has a defined waist so that I don't have to worry about taking off a belt when going through security. This white Francesca's Collections one is perfect because it's lightweight and has a tiny, hidden bit of elastic around the waist. 

2. Heavy shoes — This one is always a little tricky because I like to wear heavy shoes so that way I don't have to pack them, but I also want to be comfortable. This rules out any heels that I might pack (which usually isn't very many), but also my most comfortable pair of flats. I usually stick to a boot that's easy to take on and off. I always overpack, so making the weight limit with my suitcases is a constant struggle. Wearing my boots on the plane allows me to eliminate some extra weight in my luggage.

3. Some sort of layer — Like the shoes, this serves two purposes. I like to wear something a little heavier so that way I don't have to pack it, but it's also because it gets cold on the plane. I just got this denim jacket last week and I'm a little obsessed. I've been wearing it with everything lately, and it was just the right kind of layer for the plane.

4. Glasses — I usually wear contacts, but since I take such early flights, I try to sleep a little on them. This also eliminates any worry of contacts drying out or anything of that nature.

5. Skip the accessories — It's always a little strange for me not to be wearing any rings, but it's not worth the hassle of taking them off for security and potentially losing them. It's possible to stay stylish when traveling, but keeping it simple is best.