Throwback Thursday: Macy's Thanksgiving Parade

Happy Thanksgiving America!

Today is the day of no regrets and multiple food comas! Yes, another year flew by and here we are celebrating Thanksgiving once again. For this special occasion I wanted to throw it back to last year's Macy's Thanksgiving Parade which I had a pleasure to experience. Even though New York City is rather cold (um...freezing) at this time of year, I recommend braving up and heading to the city to be a part of this special event. I assure you, anybody who thinks a parade is for kids, is wrong. Sure, it takes effort to get up early to find the best spot to watch a parade from and a strong will to stand in a crowd for hours, but it is all worth it. Because what can be better than starting a day (especially a holiday one) off right with some music and dance?

Macy's Thanksgiving Parade has been around for decades, today New York City is kicking off the 88th edition of the event. Parade starts at 9 a.m. at Central Park West from 77th Street to Columbus Circle along Central Park South to 6th Avenue, down 6th Avenue to 34th Street along 34th Street and ends at Macy's Herald Square. 

There's always celebrities, performers, marchers, floats and giant balloons. To make sure you get a good viewing spot you need to show up at the scene as early as possible. Before 6:30 a.m. is ideal. Because last year I didn't arrive until 8 a.m. or so, I decided it would be best to head uptown thinking there won't be as many people over there. I can't imagine finding an empty spot anywhere down from 6th Avenue to Macy's Herald Square. We ended up on the corner of W 66th Street and Central Park West and it was definitely a good place to be. If you have money and good organizational skill s, though, I would recommend booking a hotel with a group of friends to see a parade from the top. Although it's probably not the same experience to see balloons from the top rather than from the ground up, it sure would be more convenient to skip the crowds. One way or another, you are guaranteed to have loads of fun.

 Jimmy Fallon and the Roots (and my beloved Big Bird).

Fall Out Boys.

 Kristin Chenoweth.

It is also important to have something planned for after the parade is over. It would be a good idea to think of an exit route in advance to make sure you don't get stuck in a crowd or get lost in general. My advice is to find a good spot to warm up, eat, drink and watch the rest of the parade on TV. And after you're done wining and dining, head back out to enjoy the city's skyline. 

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!
You better be hungry today ;)

P.S. To find more information about this year's Macy Thanksgiving Parade go here:

http://social.macys.com/parade/

STEAL OF THE WEEK: Forever 21 fall staples

So about that outfit I mentioned in my recent post (here). It mostly consists of Forever 21 pieces, which usually, ummm - always - means AA. Affordable & Adorable. If you're on a budget like me, this is THE place to go. I get ask about what I'm wearing a lot and my answer is usually Forever 21 (to the point when it's kind of embarrassing). I mean, you can basically assume I always have something on from that store, I like it so much. Forever youuuung y'all!

Fall staple #1: A jacket. What can I say, I love absolutely everything about that piece.

Color: a darker tone of green perfect for the current season.                                           

Style: off center front zipper - if I could have it in all my jackets, I would.                       

Details: faux leather sleeves. Add an interesting twist.                                                    

Price: total bargain - $12!  

I wrote a post about this particular jacket last winter, so you can read more about it (here).                                                                                         

Fall staple #2: thigh high socks. Like I mentioned in my previous post, you can trick people into thinking you are wearing over the knee boots, if you simply pair your knee high boots with these socks. I swear, from a distance it is hard to tell a difference. And even if you can, so what? It still looks adorable. The ones I got were only about $6 and are definitely something I would recommend to everybody. You can find similar ones here and here.

Fall staple #3: knee high boots. I'm obsessed with them. Such a good score. More about them (here).

Sorry, had to squeeze some goofy photos, too.

Gray knit sweater is from H&M (another wonderful affordable option for your shopping spree). 

Lacey shorts were also a bargain and I found them at TJ Maxx. $14? Talking about a steal!

Few other great fall jacket options from Forever 21 (off-center front zipper only!):

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

How to make your boots look longer

Today let's talk about fall favorites. One staple that seems to stand out this season (or in fact, anytime fall comes back around), are so called over the knee boots. What to look for when choosing the right pair?

It may seem crazy, but there's so much that goes into considering what will work best for you, it simply just takes time finding the right ones. You want a leather pair? Suede boots? Heel? No heel? Tight fit? Loose? The list goes on. For a petite person like me, I thought maybe those boots were not for me. After all they will cut my legs off in weird proportions, I'll just end up looking even shorter. Well, that is not necessarily the truth. Like I said, it all comes down to the right fit. I know I need a little bit of a heel, not too high so I can easily run wild. Although those OTK stilleto boots look just stunning, I know I wouldn't get a good use out of them.  I need to stand on a stable and secure heel if I'm wearing any. The last thing I want is to trip or worry I'm going to break my short legs. Leather (faux?) or Suede? It's a matter of preferences, this time I was looking for the latter one specifically. Black, brown, grey? Although it would be lovely to own a pair in each color, I can never do bad in black shoes and those are the ones I feel the most comfortable in. Fit? I tried different kinds and believe boots that are too loose make me look as if I was drowning in them. They don't have to be skin tight, too. After all you may want to wear them with jeans or pants as well, not only dresses and skirts. One more thing is the length of the boot. Yes, they are called over the knee for a reason, but again, there's just so many options to choose from. I tried one boot that ended just in the middle of my knee and another one way over it at the same time. I stood in the store for a good while not being able to decide which ones I liked best. They both looked great, although they were totally different. I had to make a decision eventually, so I went with a pair I thought I would get the most out of. 

Yes, this post is about me obsessing over OTK boots. But since I chose the shorter version, I guess I shouldn't be calling them the same. Here's the thing, though. I'm only 5'2, so shoes that are under a knee for a tall person, go higher in my case. I also needed them to be useful creating many different outfits, so I don't have to worry when they don't fit in my jeans or are too tight.

To make your almost over the knee boots look longer, just get a pair of thigh high socks in the same color and voila, you created an illusion. Not only it looks sexy and fun, it is also so comfortable and practical, you're gonna want to live in them.

Okay, so I'm sure now you want to know where these beauties are from. Nowhere else but Forever21! Duhh. It's no secret this is one of my favorite stores. It just never disappoints. I've been eyeing different pairs of boots on their site for a while, then finally decided to stop by the store and check them out myself.

You can order them here (note: free shipping today!):

And did I mention they are under $40? Yes, you "heard" it right. 

Another OTK Forever 21 pair for the same price here.

P.S. I'll write a separate post about the whole outfit next. It is just too good to not be mentioned. So many staples and only $100! Stay tuned!

MY INSTAGRAM ACCOUNT

Hello! Happy Friday!

Today all about that Instagram. I don't know if you noticed (Gosh, I hope you did), but shortly after I established my blog, I followed through with Instagram (@shenaniganska). Though a little skeptical in the beginning (thinking how in the world am I going to keep up with all of those social platforms), I also became a fan of it. Not going to lie, it is helpful when blogging or just looking for inspirations. OR just simply staying updated with whatever that's going on in your friends/family (yes, celebrity, too) lives. This or that, one or the other, just wanted to give you a close up of my profile. What you find in there is a quintessence of this blog. My daily shenanigans.

Here's a closer look:

 Traveling. Big one. It's a part of who I am and a huge part of my Instagram account.

All things pretty. That includes sunsets. Duh.

 Selfies, anyone? You're a fan, too. Just admit it.

Mirror outfit selfies, too.

Aaaaaaaaaaand of course foodie.

These and many, many more other pictures all in one place for your convenience up on:

@shenaniganska

You're welcome.

Oh, and don't forget to #follow that #Polishgirl ;)

Throwback Thursday: fall in Washington, D.C.

Let's go back in time, shall we? It's October 2012 and Washington, D.C. is looking more beautiful than ever. I'm here with my Polish friend from college (American Studies) and we couldn't be more excited to finally be in the place we read so much about at our university. Kinda crazy to be able to experience things on hand, when just a couple months ago coming to America was all just part of a dream. Or maybe I should say part of a plan.  It's been a complicated operation but my oh my, how worth it!
Back to D.C., though... It was only my second month in America, but 5th big city I had visited so far.

6 months later I went back to it to admire cherry blossoms sprouting all over the place, but that's a story for another post. My point was: spring or fall, winter or summer, this city is always worth paying a visit to. See for yourself ;)

White House looking fine.

Did you spot Washington Monument yet?

with my beautiful friend Anna

Here's to hoping winter will hold off for a while, so we can enjoy those stunning colors a little longeeeeeeeeer...