Fuzzy Wuzzy Was a Bear...err Vest

Have you heard Jenilee mention how I am the self proclaimed comfort queen lately? Well if not, take this as your reminder. When I felt how soft this vest was I knew it was going to be living in my closet soon. I first saw it up north at a local shop and held on to it as my dad and I perused the store. But being the bargain hunter I am, I typically always check other online retailers before an in-store purchase to make sure I am getting the best deal.

So, needless to say the vest did not come home with me that day. It was $50 more in-store than what most of my go to gear stores had it listed for. (Steep and Cheap, Backcountry, Moosejaw I’m looking at you!) To be honest, I can’t remember which store I purchased it at now but I believe it was Moosejaw and it was worth the wait for the discount I got.

I am a longtime Patagonia lover and I blame this solely on my mama. She found a winter jacket deeply discounted at their store in Chicago while visiting our brother and it somehow had long enough sleeves for her. We have had various North Face jackets/fleeces/ quarter zips in the past but it was pretty clear we were settling with the fit. We had two options with them: Size up and wear a boxy item that the sleeves still barely reach or buy a mens and sacrifice the fun colors. Anyways, somehow that jacket is mine now because she is the best and our family has really settled into being team Patagonia.

This vest feels precisely how it looks-like a blanket. You are literally wearing blanket around with you all day and it is glorious. When thinking about how I wanted to portray this vest the first things that came to mind are how many different ways I have worn this. I have gone extremely casual, semi dressy and worn it just for overall warmth while surviving winter in Wisconsin. I picked two of my favorite looks for today but if y’all like the idea of this post and want to see more of this specific outfit or any others remixed please ask! We are happy to show you anything we post in different variations or on each other etc.

Let’s dive into the details of this outfit shall we? The first outfit could practically be my up north uniform in the fall: Lululemon Ultra High Waisted Wunder Unders, a flannel, SmartWool socks, my duck boots and of course my Los Gatos Vest. Seriously, I could live in this outfit and typically I do.

These boots have gotten me through so many rainy camping trips, cold dewy mornings, and the weird slush stages of snow here in Wisconsin. If you are looking for a pair of boots that are a little bit more budget friendly than Sorel’s (I love those too) these may be a great option for you. I will say you do sacrifice some warmth with these which is why I wear my wool socks but they have never let moisture in. The flannel is one I grabbed a few years ago when Old Navy started making them in tall (praise!) but they still have so many similar options. These leggings are pretty new from Lulu and when I read the words ULTRA HIGH I was in. sold. Sign, sealed, delivered they had to be mine. I am in love with how high they hit on me! And obviously the vest! I love the texture it adds to any outfit, it comes in some delicious colors and you pretty much need it!

The second outfit is a common errand running outfit for me. Full disclosure: I definitely only put this on to show all of you this day, but it is something I do absolutely wear. This striped shirt is also from Old Navy and I loved it when I got it. However, as we were shooting this day Jenilee pointed out that not one but BOTH armpits have holes in them. I am not impressed with the quality at this point but sometimes you get what you pay for I suppose. These are older booties from Franco Sarto that have been put to good use for years (Jenilee and my mom both have them also!). And to no one’s surprise the Madewell jeans are on FULL rotation and are still as comfortable as ever.

Side note: Did you know Madewell recommends only washing their jeans once every ten wears? What do you think about this? To be honest, I am totally and 100% in support of this but some people find it gross.

Anywho I hope you love these remixed outfits as much as I do! Please let us know if you want to see more of this type of post, we want to provide the content y’all are looking for.