Style Post: Winter Wear

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I love winter! But now that my favorite part of the season (the holiday season) is over, the temperatures are starting to fall hard and fast. Brr!

It's getting colder than ever, but that's no reason to hibernate indoors for months on end or to forgo anything resembling style in favor of massive muumuus and anything else to keep us warm. 

Especially in winter, with its short days and uptick in colds and flus dragging the general mood down, I like to wear bright colors to add some cheer to every day.

A big new Primark just opened in Boston this past fall (or possibly already in the summer) and I found this bright yellow sweater there! It's the perfect amount of pep for a grey winter day and it's warm, too. 

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My Favorite Things to do on a Cold Day!

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The polar vortex is returning!

I still remember the iconic day of polar vortex-dom for me last winter - we decided to go to brunch, completely failing to check the weather forecast and relying instead on the beautiful sun shining in on us from my window. We bundled up - it was winter in NYC, after all - and made ourselves on our way, only to be greeted by a blast of icy cold air the moment we stepped outside.

But this is brunch, guys, and we're not quitters.

Luckily, I lived really close to the subway station, so getting on the train wasn't a problem. On the other end, however, our brunch destination of choice - we had decided to try Siggy's Good Food at 292 Elizabeth Street in NoHo - was a bit of a walk from the subway. That, or I had terribly misdirected us, as would not be atypical of my navigation skills.

...I'm going to go with Siggy's just wasn't close to the subway.

It took us over thirty minutes to make it from the subway stop to Siggy's. We stopped in every third or fourth storefront to huddle for warmth, before sprinting a bit further down the sidewalk. Our longest stop was in a very heavily perfumed Hollister, where we tried to see if we could zip ourselves into one coat for more warmth. It turns out, two people trying to wear one coat do not have an easy time staying upright. That failed.

Anyway, finally we arrived at Siggy's, a hipsterish cafe well-suited to the neighborhood and run by alien-loving hippies, and had a delicious, and most importantly, warm, brunch. I drank so much tea.

Follow me on Instagram @danaikadzere for more photos of my eats and adventures! 

I chose the Splendid Raw Slaw Salad with Sesame Kale and Cabbage. I'm incredibly picky about dressings and if it isn't amazing, I don't want it. I really liked the dressing that came with this salad. Whoa!

I also quite enjoyed the alien smiling down on me from the wall and, most of all, thawing out near the roaring fireplace.

Still, going on a let's-find-the-new-brunch-spot adventure isn't what I'd recommend as a typical polar vortex day activity, especially when temperatures are so low that my roommate took a "cold day" (think: 'snow day') off from work last week, because he refused to leave the house. Here are some cozier alternatives!

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How to Celebrate the First Advent

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The first Advent is already this Sunday, November 27!

On years like this one, when Advent comes early, it always feels like we go straight from feasting on turkey and pecan pie to going full-on Christmas. I'm not complaining!

I've always celebrated Advent and loved it. It was an especially big deal to my mom, because she's German and the Germans do Adventszeit right. The thing that first comes to mind for me about Advent is the Adventskranz!

My mom always made ours herself, but you can buy them if you don't have much time or aren't so crafty. It's traditionally a wreath with four candles - one for each Sunday of Advent. One candle stands for hope, one for love, one for joy, and one for peace. You light one candle each Sunday and try to live that virtue even more that day!

By Jasmine

So tomorrow, the first Sunday of Advent, is all about honoring hope. People who celebrate (as I plan to again this year, after having the lowest key Christmas ever last year) will light a candle (traditionally purple, thought white, gold, and red are also common) - the Candle of Hope, also known as the Candle of Prophecy.

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Recipe: Avogolemono Soup

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Greek food is one of the most popular cuisines and for good reason. There are so many great flavors in Greek food!

I shared a spanakopita recipe a while ago (if you haven't tried it yet, do it!) and today we're continuing our Mediterranean culinary adventures with a delicious, simple to follow avogolemono soup recipe!



The tart flavor of lemon works wonderfully with the creamy (from eggs) soup base for a fun spin on chicken soup! It's warming, flavorful, features simple ingredients, and makes a great starter or side to a full Greek meal.

Alternately, you can add a little more chicken to the soup and pair it with warm, freshly-baked pita bread for a light meal. Read on for the recipe!

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Recipe: Potato Leek Soup

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I had a really cool opportunity to travel to Paris for 2.5 weeks last month for work!

I missed having Christmas with my loved ones (and New Year's, but I don't care nearly as much about that), which was really sad and hopefully won't happen again, but the experience was amazing.

Parisian architecture is beautiful, the city of lights sparkled and shined despite the atrocities earlier in the fall, and visiting the museums and Eiffel Tower was really great! Parisian food was also a really interest culinary experience.

But after 2.5 weeks of eating out every day, I couldn't have been more thrilled to return to my kitchen! Since winter finally hit in January (it came so late this year) and I had just returned from France, I couldn't think of anything more fitting than potato leek soup.



Read on for a simple, but delicious, recipe for Potato Leek Soup. It will sweep you away to a rainy Parisian afternoon!

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My Style: Winter Wear

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I love Christmas and all things Christmas, so December is by far my favorite month! 

But December is also the month when it starts to get truly cold - sometimes that's November, but we had a surprisingly mild November this year.

I'm staying fashionable and warm with eShakti this December! They're a custom women's fashion site offering sizes 0-36W and customized clothing.

Ordering was super easy and I loved that they wanted (and used) my measurements to create a jacket perfectly suited to my figure and how I like my clothes to sit! 

I sometimes find that this style of coat has boxy looking shoulders that are too big on me, but the custom sizing took care of that.

I really love how it fit and loved how speedily it was delivered.

I would definitely order from them again, especially because they also sell skirts, dresses, tops, etc. Check them out on Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram to stay on top of the latest styles and promotions!

Use the coupon code 'livinglearningeating' for 10% off your purchase of regular priced items on their website from now through January 20, 2015!

Photography by Ashley Alleyne.

Makeup by Niyla Iman. 

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What Living in NYC is Like, According to Disney's Frozen

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I'm a New Yorker now, guys!



So maybe the cost of living in the city doesn't make me quite as euphoric as Olaf on a summer day...

...though there's an interesting parallel between Olaf's delusional love of warmth, despite how bad it is for him, and my love of NYC, despite how bad it is for my finances.

Overall, however, NYC is a wonderful city for young professionals. We're energetic and can deal with some hard work, sleepless nights, and budget-necessitated instant ramen-centric diets.

There are a lot of things that are unique to life in NYC, but here's a quick list (courtesy of some adorable Frozen GIFs) that touch on what living in NYC is really like.

When you first get a permanent address in Manhattan and are like YHEEEEEEEEEEEEE.

I've been wanting this (and saying it would happen, even though my parents laughed at me for imagining I could predetermine my future so early on) since elementary school. I feel like NYC is the one place where that's really not uncommon - people dream of moving here all of their (too-young-to-move-yet) lives.

When you realize you're going to be mildly claustrophobic for a while, but umpteen-million roommates is worth living in downtown.

When you first try to navigate the subway to get to work.


When you discover the map function on your smartphone and EVERYTHING IS AWESOME.

When you get your bills for the first time and realize your paycheck disappeared.

When a rando tries to sketch on you in the line at your corner bodega.

When you try to make friends without the aid of school/classes/extracurriculars. 

The day after you go to your first all night dance club.


When you finally meet some friends who are just as lost (and hilarious) as you.

And that's it for now. I've only lived here for a little over three weeks, so....stay posted. 

Who knows what will happen next? It's NYC, anything could happen.

What is your favorite Disney movie?

Do you want any of the same things now as you did when you were a kid?

Who is your favorite Frozen character?

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My Style: Neon

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It's been a while since I've done a style post so it's time for another one to celebrate the return of spring (after that freak temperature drop and strange cold precipitation on Thursday - you know you're in Boston when it's not abnormal to drop 35 degrees almost overnight)!

Photographer: Kaylan Tran

Makeup Artist: Leslie Ives

Hair Stylist: Teri Stylez

Model: Danai Kadzere

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Happy (retro) Valentine's Day!

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Happy Valentine's Day, everyone! Holidays are a great time to dress out of the box - like this fun retro style!

Halter dress from ModCloth, petticoat from Miss Brache.

Photography by Katy Silverstein of Bowker House Photography.
Makeup by Maria Cristina Ochoa.

Have a wonderful Valentine's Day and spread the love!

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My Style: Boston Harbor

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Here are some photos from a lovely shoot by the Boston Harbor earlier this winter. Enjoy!

The main takeaways? 

1) A cropped sweater over a skirt makes for a chic but quick and comfortable outfit. It also lets you transition your warm weather favorites into the winter.

2) Color accents make an outfit pop. All black can be grim, especially when the weather is gray, but one or two strong colors can make a real impact.

3) Matching either lip color or eyeshadow to that accent color ties a look together seamlessly, without taking it overboard (as would be the case if your whole face matched your accent piece).

4) A bold accessory, like my earrings (best seen in the second to last photograph) is enough. You don't need to be dripping in bling (please don't)!

5) Check out the hidden gems in your neighborhood! Can you believe that I hadn't been to Boston Harbor, though it was right across the river, during all of my time at Harvard? I'm a senior, guys *facepalm*. 

This shoot finally brought me there and it's a wonderful place for an afternoon of exploring!

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