Well, it’s sprung sort of. There’s pollen everywhere and warmer temperatures (sometimes) but that’s coupled with fall-like cool temperatures and spring rain. All of that can make going out for the evening a challenging undertaking when it comes to getting dressed.

While my winter scarves can work in those situations where it’s quite chilly outside, they aren’t so helpful when it starts out warm and only gets slightly cold over the course of a day.

This was the situation I encountered recently. It was a beautiful spring day (from my window). There was sun shining and it looked very warm and cozy but when I stepped outside, I felt a discernible chill in the air. However, the bright sun made the chill pleasant. So I brought reinforcements since I knew I’d be outside for the day. I popped my Zyrtec (gotta love those warm weather allergies and I’m one of the few people actually allergic to the sun. Weird, I know), grabbed my jacket and the pretty blue and green patterned Fraas Mystical Coast Scarf.

Since I was outside, I left my jacket in the car but I took my light scarf and wrapped it around my purse. Because it’s not as heavy as my winter scarves, it fit nicely and was very easy to carry. And boy did I need it later! The temperature dropped as the bright sun went down but the day was still rolling along. I wrapped my scarf around my neck and carried on.

It was great to have and the blue and green color pattern was a nice pop of color to add to my outfit. I look forward to wearing this scarf through the summer months to deal with those random cold snaps even if they take place inside where they have a tendency to go heavy on the air conditioning at times.

Visit www.fraas.com for more info.

Naomi Watts in Armani Prive and Kelly Rowland in Donna Karan Atelier.

These two ladies get my best dressed for the night. When I saw their dresses, they immediately got my attention for all the right reasons. Both ladies are properly highlighting their best assets in a very classy way.

Robin Roberts looking stunning in Marc Bouwer.

I am a long time fan of Robin Roberts but when I saw her Oscar dress, I was stunned into pleased silence. She is glowing in this blue dress and looks so wonderful and healthy.

Zoe Saldana in Alexis Mabille.

Zoe sometimes takes risks at awards shows that I don’t support. I am a big fan of her as an actor but I’m not always a fan of her fashion choices. This dress is a great choice. It still falls in line with her stepping outside of the box but in a way that works.

Charlize Theron in Christian Dior Haute Couture.

Charlize can often do no wrong on the red carpet. In the past she has taken some risks that didn’t pay off but in this white number with her super short hair, she is classy, edgy and elegant. Fabulous!

Halle Berry in Versace.

I’m not always a fan of dresses like this but I saw it and immediately liked it. Halle looks flawless and stands out in the best way possible.

*photos from www.huffingtonpost.com

I’ve heard women say, “I’ll work on changing my eating habits and lose some weight and then I’ll start working out.”

In my own quest to be more healthy, I’ve found that when diet and exercise are combined, the results are much more effective and long-lasting. So when I embarked on my personal journey to a more healthy lifestyle, I did some soul-searching and realized that in order for me to maintain a steady workout routine I needed to be constantly working towards something. I found out about mud races and other physical challenges and saw that as a great way to inspire myself to stay fit and have a consistent stream of goals to work towards. I did my first mud race last May and am planning on doing Warrior Dash again this May. I found out about the 30 Day Cardio Challenge and saw it as a great way to jump-start my year and force myself to eat better and adopt a more rigorous, regular workout routine.

The 30 Day Cardio Challenge is the brainchild of Rahman Grayson A.K.A. Mr. Shut Up and Train. He is a physical fitness trainer based in Atlanta and he created this challenge to get more people working out and eating healthy. It’s a free challenge where for 30 days, he emails you daily fitness challenges and you have a different nutrition goals to eat clean.

Here is my before and after information:

After doing the challenge, I feel great. I am more toned and in better shape. Plus, I have a new commitment to eating more clean and working out 5 times a week. I enjoyed the workouts and they were all very reasonable while being challenging. Visit www.mrshutupandtrain.com for more info and to sign up to be alerted for the next challenge. Plus, he has great workout videos on his website to get you going and if you are in the Atlanta area and looking for a trainer, you should contact him.

I’ve been sharing these tips since 2008 and have learned a lot along the way. So now I’d like to hear from you. If you would please fill out this quick, anonymous survey, I would really appreciate it.

I’d love to hear from you. How do you work to stay authentic in your interactions with others?

Well, now everyone can be so lucky. One thing about boutiques is that they don’t often have the set up to support selling their pieces online. If they do have a website, it’s often more of an online business card or a way to showcase their collections but you ultimately have to visit the store to actually shop there.

Last year, I met this fabulous lady named Janelle Jolley who was creating the answer to all of our boutique desires. It’s called Sidewalk District and it gives us the ability to browse and shop at local stores – boutiques, home décor, gift or pet stores – anytime, anywhere: from a phone, laptop or tablet. How cool is that? As soon as I heard the idea, I’ve been waiting with bated breath (I’m never sure what that is exactly but it fits here so I’m going with it) to be able to sign up.

The time is here! Sidewalk District is about to launch its private beta in February. I’ve already signed up and I wanted to share it with you. Be the first to experience this wonderful project. Visit www.kickoff.sidewalkdistrict.com and sign up before the launch so you can be one of the first to experience Sidewalk District.

Initially I was just listening to her do the hot topics and not really watching the screen. I looked up and noticed her outfit. It was super cute. Then as I walked towards my closet to figure out what to wear for the day, I had a burst of inspiration. I would take my summer dress and do something similar to what Wendy was wearing. Here’s what she was wearing:

Here’s the link to the description of her outfit:

http://www.wendyshow.com/2013/01/10/pure-collection-11/

And this is what I put together:

For my outfit, I wore a sleeveless dress under a black cardigan with a red belt and black tights. I wore two wooden bangles as arm candy and motorcycle boots. I’ve been doing a 30 day cardio challenge (post about that coming soon) and I’m just way too sore for heels right now so I am working flats or low heels into all of my outfits.

So tell me. How have you adapted your summer pieces for the cool, winter months?

Share!

Last year, Clueless Fashionista began to slowly make some changes to make things more lifestyle oriented around here. After writing this blog for the past 4 years, I realized that the journey to being more stylish and beautiful was much more holistic than I originally thought. It not only involves being more knowledgeable about fashion, makeup and beauty concepts. It also involves being more confident, self-aware and positive. So with that in mind, I’m also expanding the topics that I cover in the Ladies Let’s Talk series. I plan to discuss things like fitness, self-confidence, relationships, self-esteem and other lifestyle related things. With that being said, here is the first in a short series of videos about being your authentic self.

My New Year’s gift to you is permission to be your authentic self. Enjoy!