Cocoon in Pastel Pink

Oversized cocoon coat is white hot this season. You just can't avoid it in fashion blogs or mainstream stores. This simple boyfriend cut gives you a polished yet laid back look that makes winter layering piece of cake.

Being petite, I don't want to indulge on a cocoon coat as I look way better in a more slim cut silhouette. So I searched up and down to find a bargain piece, until I saw this Express cocoon coat in pastel pink. This coat is so light that I don't think I can survive the brutal Northeast winter in it. But this light texture and soft color do make it a refreshing alternative to my dark sober winter wardrobe on those relatively warm days. When I walked into the subway station at rush hour, this coat stood out so beautifully among the famous New York black.

In summary, it's not the warmest wool coat you'd expect, but it feels soft to the touch and on the body. It feels more like a trench coat in terms of warmth. If you live in an area with mild winter, you may find more mileage in it.

Coat: Express Textured Cocoon coat  in light pink (more colors, thicker version from JCrew)

Sweater: JCrew (also seen in this post)

Pants: Club Monaco

Boots: Cole Haan

Sunglasses: Karen Walker Super Duper Strength

Treadmill or Outdoor?

最近纽约太冷了，实在不想拍照，就码点字吧。今天详细讨论一下跑步入门问题之一：跑步机和路跑，哪个更累/更减肥？

对这个问题最简单的回答是：在其他条件相同的情况下，这两者的运动消耗差不多，减肥效果也差不多。

1996年英国University of Brighton的研究人员发现：当跑步的配速(pace)在不超过每英里8:03的情况下，跑步机跟路跑得消耗相当；当配速增加到7:07或更高的情况下，跑步机会略为轻松，因为风阻更小，只要你把跑步机的坡度提高到1%，这个差异也就消失了。

很多人可能不同意了：“我在跑步机上跑得不费力，可是一上路就累趴了，这两者怎么可能一样？”

我想问的是：你路跑的时候有没有用带GPS的心率表？有没有精确控制速度？能不能保证路跑的速度跟跑步机是一致的？如果没有的话，这两者根本就不是一回事，没有可以比较的前提，谁都知道100米冲刺的速度通常不能维持400米。

在没有速度控制的情况下，人对速度的感知通常来自身边事物的参照。路跑的时候，人往往会不知不觉地提高速度，因为在较为广阔的环境中，人会感觉自己的位移更小速度更慢。这跟在游泳池里觉得自己游得很快，可是在平静的湖面感到对岸怎么也游不到是一个道理。既然路跑的速度快了，人自然也疲劳得快。

又有人会说：“我正好相反，在路上怎么也跑不累，跑步机上十几分钟就要完蛋了。”

在路跑和机跑速度一致的前提下，这种现象是心理疲劳造成的。路跑有不断变化的风景，而机跑则相对乏味，于是便容易厌烦，这是个mental challenge。

长期严格控制速度进行跑步训练的人，往往能克服这种心理疲劳，也能精确控制速度，他们会告诉你这两者的消耗其实区别不大。

当然，路跑的情况还是要复杂得多。大家都知道，匀速跑比变速跑更省力，平地跑比上下坡更省力。所以，如果你路跑的线路路况复杂，上下坡较多，或者红绿灯较多，路跑都会比跑步机更有挑战性。天气也是影响心率和消耗的重要因素，尤其是酷暑季节，路跑消耗会比在空调房里更大。不过，这些都属于“其他条件”，超过了“在其他条件相同的情况下”这么一个讨论的前提。

Red Leopard

It felt like winter this weekend in NYC, and I decided to pull out my down coat. To brighten things up, I wore a red leopard sweater dress, a new purchase from Express, under it. I didn't even remember how many years have passed since I stepped in an Express store last time. That said, I am pretty happy with my purchase. It was soft and cute, although a little too short even for business casual. After all we do need a little bit color and fun occasionally, right?

Dress: Express Red Leopard Print Sweater Dress (also available in gray)
Down Coat: Burberry Brit (current season, similar available in Nordstrom, Bloomingdale's, Saks)
Boots: Cole Haan
Purse: Rebecca Minkoff Mini Perry Wave Embossed Leather Satchel in burgundy
Sunglasses: Karen Walker Super Duper Strength

Burgundy and Green

This is just an experiment of paring burgundy with green. Unlike the risky red and green combo, these two dark muted colors seem to go easily with each other. The warmth of burgundy adds more fun to the cool sober green shade, and together they form an elegant polished look. What do you think?

Shirt: Rugby (discontinued)
Skirt: Banana Republic
Coat: The Row (similar in black, also like this)
Sunglasses: Karen Walker Super Duper Strength
Booties: VC Signature by Vince Camuto
Purse: Louis Vuitton Damier Hampstead PM

Burgundy

Rich dark burgundy / wine is a fashion staple that consistently remains a truly classic color, especially in fall/winter. The deep tone works well with a range of other hues, and instantly adds a degree of sophistication to your outfit.

Burgundy goes easily with black and white. When worn together, these three colors lead to a refined and effortlessly chic look. Black forms the neutral basis of your ideal outfit. Burgundy serves as an understated dose of color, and white offers a needed bright contrast to the two darker hues.

Various shades of brown plays up burgundy's classic appeal. Darker brown shades blend well with burgundy, while lighter browns and tan tones serve as complementary contrast.

Burgundy also looks great with a range of blue shades. Burgundy and navy is a timeless color combo: let navy serve as the base of your outfit and add burgundy accents. Because navy and burgundy are both deep, rich tones, keep accessories neutral so they don't compete with your clothes. Another color in the blue family that goes well with burgundy is turquoise. Burgundy base with a pop of turquoise makes a pleasant eye-catching contrast.

Metallics makes burgundy modern chic. Gold brings out burgundy’s warmth, while silver gives you a perfect, cool contrast to the deep red. When wearing burgundy with gold or silver, stay classic by keeping accessories simple.

BTW this Rebecca Minkoff Mini Perry Satchel is my new love. Perry bag is a marriage between the classic Givenchy Antigona and the cool 3.1 Phillip Lim Pashli, at a fraction of their price. This mini Perry is big enough to hold my everyday nonsense plus winter accessories such as a scarf and a pair of gloves. I can see myself carrying it a lot this season. :)

Trench coat: Burberry London
Silk scarf: Hermes
Purse: Rebecca Minkoff Mini Perry Wave Embossed Leather Satchel in burgundy (here, here, here, here)
Leather armwarmers: Vince Camuto