How I fail to look fully cute or ladylike in winter

I don't consider myself to be a vain person, but I like to look nice when I leave the house (unless it's Sunday, when showering is putting forth enough effort for the day.)

Looking cute in summer is easy, but winter provides a few more challenges, thanks to the cold and snow. In Wisconsin, I drive everywhere, so looking cute is easier because I don't have to worry about public transport or much foot travel. When I moved to Chicago, someone told me, "in winter, you sacrifice how you look to stay warm."

This was a foreign concept to me, so I ignored her, and boy did I pay for it. Now when I buy coats or boots, I always ask myself if they will survive a Chicago winter. If not, I don't get them. My stepmom is routinely horrified by the "unfashionable" items I purchase because they're "durable." My usual response is, "they may not look that cute, but they will keep me warm."

But in the essence of staying warm over fashionable or ladylike, I started thinking about the fashion/etiquette faux pas' I commit regularly in winter and I decided to make a list:

• Pant leg tucking - I don't want to ruin my pant/jeans legs with the snow/salt, so I tuck them into my boots and, gasp, the pant's aren't skinny leg, so I have a mild Pied Piper look going

• Public nose wipe - I get a runny nose easily and I don't always have the time/ability to reach for a tissue (especially on the bus), so I just use my hand, sometimes more than once to wipe away snot. Yes, I know, it's gross. It also looks like my hand is feeling up my face

• Scarf flap - I actually saw in a fashion magazine in a "tips about wearing a scarf" article that having the tails peek out from the bottom of your coat is a big no, no. Too bad I don't care and routinely look like I have a crotch flap 

• Pick a color - I am a routine offender of not having a matching hat, scarf and gloves. If I'm lucky, the hat and scarf match, but not always. I hate being that matchy-matchy and sometimes, I grab for whatever accessories are closest to me, thus resulting in a color-blind-like palette of color when I go out

So that's my list. I feel cleansed now that I've said it out loud. And anyone that judges is free to come visit Chicago, especially when we get pummeled by snow and see how you feel. Several ladies learned last week that Uggs are not appropriate snow attire (but I still love them!)

Does anyone else have similar winter fashion shames? 

Well the holidays are almost upon us, so I will be taking a few days off to be with family and try to hone my cooking skills (pictures forthcoming!)

Although I'll be away from the blog, I will be tweeting my way through the next few days, which will be full of FAILs, inappropriate comments and forced family bonding. So if you don't already, follow me on Twitter for the full adventure.

I hope everyone has a happy holiday and I will be back shortly. I will definitely want to hear what Santa brought everyone!