The notion of a dark winter wardrobe crashed as hard as the snow on this chilly Aspen day.

Winter threads should not be synonymous with darkness! Just because it takes an extra eight minutes in your hot morning shower to motivate, or an extra layering piece is required, or an extra slice of pizza requested, does not mean that darkness should prevail in this chilly time!

In fact, often the lighter the winter wardrobe, the chicer the look. 

Take for example, my mix-and-match of an off-white and grey faux leather and fur coat, mixed with a grey hat, stark white jeans, and a blush pink sweater. Each of these hues scream St. Barth's summer vacation! Yet, it works for winter... very well.

Test your devotion to chic winter style by investing in a wardrobe that will keep you classic from season to season. A year-round pair of perfect white jeans will do just that!

Oh, and hi! My Rebecca Minkoff booties that I'm wearing here, and haven't taken off all winter (and don't plan on taking off for all spring/summer either) are now 50% off here!

This is a 180 twist from a typical Elshane lewk. An oversized sweater, swing skirt (stretchy for the 33 week bump thankfully) and some knee high booties isn't my typical approach. But as the weather warms yet February still deems winter attire, I found this look to be the perfect compromise. 

I added the fur bag as one last ode to cold weather, before my furs and knits and such go deep into hibernation. See, although you may be itching for spring, it's important to utilize the remainder of your winter wardrobe regardless of the weather. Why, you ask?

Soon enough, as the flowers start to sprout and the nights warm into spring, the need for these cold weather items will be completely exhausted. Finding new and "lighter" ways to wear these pieces is key for these remaining winter weeks. You'll thank yourself in the end-- for when real spring comes, you'll have a fresh crop of unworn clothing to wear!

Have you tried white on white for winter yet? It's a must-- especially right now when your closet is starting to look like an unappetizing rotation of chunky knits and denim. 

And don't be afraid to mix all of those spare neutral tones lying around your closet. You can see from my lewk that my nude handbag pairs perfectly back to my stark white jeans and off white sweater. I didn't think twice about throwing together different tones, and you shouldn't either!

There are no rules in monochromic fashion -- let 'er all blend in!

Growing up in New York, fur was always a big part of the fashion culture. There was rarely a negative stigma behind the choice, in fact, it was pretty universally deemed chic, chic, chic. For me, cold weather is all about the fur coat. It's luxurious and fancy and fabulous and sexy and royal and haute and... feel free to throw in any other words to describe its regalness!

Point? Yes, I do wear fur. And I have a dog that I love, and I definitely follow many more pet Instagram accounts than human Instagram accounts, and I eat meat, and I wear leather shoes, and I always donate to pet charities. 

And I'm perfectly ok with all of that. No need to explain any more. I'm really sorry if I offend anyone who's against fur.

If you feel the same way about fur as me, then I have a great new fur resource for you. It's called ML Furs, and it's based in Denver, Colorado. I recently discovered their website on my trip to Aspen. 

I especially love their fur accessories-- it's something that's pretty new in this fur game. This hat is similar to the hat I'm wearing in these photos (the hat I'm wearing is about 7 years old from DVF, so unfortunately it's no where to be found for sale these days)!

But, I'm all about these wild fur headbands now, anyway. They're very affordable, and very statement snow bunny chic! If you don't own any fur but want to take the leap, this is a great first step...

This 7 month baby bump is getting in the way! It has become fun to dress these days, figuring out new ways to attempt chic-land while steering clear from any maternity store. So far, job successful!

This white shirtdress is something I'd easily wear to work back in my New York City days as the publicist for Diane von Furstenberg. I love how effortlessly chic it reads. Nowadays, my job in LA consists of running around town pulling samples for photo shoots as a fashion stylist, so the opportunity to wear a bosslady shirtdress is few and far between. 

Power-dressing, as I'd call this look, is as easy as the dress you throw on, and the accessories you choose to match. These boots, for example, are a little less power ranger, and a little more princess pretty. It's fun to mix the serious nature of the shirtdress with a whimsical shoe. Maybe not the perfect shoe choice for those board meetings back at DVF, but for a casual day in LA, the shoe fits the bill!

The vest is the final touch on this look. If you know me pretty well, you know I have a strong distaste for vests in general. It takes a lot to put me in a vest. I steer very clear of leather, denim, and other vests, as I typically find them to be too trendy and "trying". But this clean camel vest made the cut... it up'd the style ante just that much more. She took the look from basic b*tch to badass bossy boo!

Taylor and I had so much fun in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico on our little holiday beach getaway. {I refuse to call it a babymoon because it sounds a bit cheesy, but yes, that's exactly what it was!}

Something about this trip was different from all others. We've explored the world together, from Istanbul to Paris to Hong Kong to Thailand to Tokyo to London to Capri to Rome, and the list goes on and on. The truth is, we're sort of travel snobs in the sense that unless it sounds utterly wild and "map sexy" (yes, I just made that up but I hope you understand what I mean), then we're not interested. Case in point? Another trip to Mexico just wasn't on our to-do list radar. It sounded a little too ordinary.

But fate had it that we actually booked a trip to Hawaii for this same week (which actually fell within our Mexico list of not that exciting-- don't even ask why!), but five days before our trip, Dengue Fever started spreading throughout the Hawaiian Islands. Because of my pregnancy, my doctor urged us to cancel our trip. So, with four days to spare, we re-booked a quickie to the easiest destination possible from Los Angeles-- a direct 2.5 hour flight to Puerto Vallarta to plop down at a charming boutique hotel on the beach for a week. "Map sexy?"-- we thought not-- but it worked.

And did it ever-- we look back as this being one of our best vacations yet. There's something so memorable about simplicity which I often forget. This speaks not only to my trip (wake up, eat, beach, sleep, repeat) but also to fashion and lifestyle choices I am trying to make. I always gravitate to the "map sexy", the different, the unique-- but this trip made me realize that simplicity is just as special, as well. 

I hope to remember this lesson this year as I make choices in all aspects of my life. I will never sacrifice my penchant for the out of the ordinary, but I do wish to make strides in being OK with being beige as well. I guess the compromise would be... NUDE FRINGE!? ;)

Also, in this new year, I urge my readers to comment more on my blog posts. I have been loving the feedback I have been receiving from some of you-- it really makes my day! If you like, or hate, or have anything to say or suggest about a particular post, I would love to hear your comments! 

Well that sums up 2015. A perfect Pucci mini, a little pot belly, some Chiquitas serving it up on my earlobes, and a fresh slice of lime. Couldn't have planned it any better myself!

This lewk sums up resort on fire in my mind...and the only way to jump into 2016!

Wishing everyone a happy and healthy New Year, and cheers to a fabulous 2016 ahead!

What's a trip to a Sunday flea market without perusing booth after booth of woven rugs, vintage jewelry, and dip-dyed cloths? {Insert flashing red caution lights here}: Must dress the part when diving into a sea of other people's junk... and a mini dress, knee high socks, and turban will always do.

I found this ALC dress on sale (you can have it here), and it's the perfect dress to hide a growing bump and a regular skinny gal 6-pack like my good 'ol self! Basically, it's a dress fit for all body types! Score.

I actually purchased this wild vintage necklace about 5 minutes before we started shooting this post. If you can even imagine, I dared to dress for the day without a necklace. It must have been fate-- looking back, the lewk just isn't complete without this chain of armor around my 'lil neck.