Outfit Details:

Ann Taylor Coat, Turtleneck, Pants & Heels c/o

Spending so much of December in New York City has made the holiday season even more magical than usual. The city comes alive in a whole new way as Christmas approaches! Along with the over-the-top store window displays and the roasted chestnut aromas wafting from street vendors’ carts, my favorite thing about Christmas in New York so far has been the tree lots that popped up, seemingly overnight, all over the city. We frequently take different routes when we walk between our apartment and our office so that we can get to know the city a little better, and the first time we turned the corner to find a sidewalk covered in pine trees, I felt like I was on the set of a Hallmark movie. We couldn’t resist picking up a tiny little tree, and sure enough, setting it up made our apartment feel more like home than ever.

I’ve mentioned before that Ann Taylor is one of my all-time favorite sources of workwear–I’ve relied on their polished, feminine offerings ever since I landed my first office job back in college. Something else I love about their brand, though, is how seamlessly the pieces can transition from the office to whatever I may have going on after work. Lately, we’ve had a few holiday parties and cocktail hours on our calendar, and when it comes to Christmas parties big or small, I love dressing for the season in festive red. For one Friday that had us going straight from the office to a friend’s home for a casual gathering, I wore a red cashmere turtleneck with a pair of navy velvet pants–velvet is one of my favorite fabrics to wear this time of year, and these pants couldn’t be more comfortable or flattering.

My red bow pumps made this classic look undeniably party-ready, but at the same time, they were perfectly appropriate for work, so I didn’t have to carry around a change of shoes all day. To help me get into the holiday spirit from the moment I stepped out of the office door, I opted for a red coat to complete my look…plus, it was the easiest coat to find on our friend’s coat rack late in the evening when it was time to bundle up and head home.

Thank you to Ann Taylor and ShopStyle for sponsoring this post.