Golden girl.

I'll admit that I've been shopping pretty frequently lately, but admittedly I'm shopping for a different lifestyle. For the last four years, my "professional" attire centered around skinny jeans and western snap-button up shirts. And lots of black and grey cashmere.

I'm not only shopping for the Chicago weather, but also for more versatile pieces that I can adapt to my busy lifestyle. On a Friday, I might have work meetings all day, take a cab to meet my husband and in laws for dinner and then meet up at an Old Town pub with friends. Or represent the museum publically at a convention/social/networking event and then meet my husband for a show. Add a cardigan, lose the jacket or change shoes... that's the kind of versatility I need in my closet right now.

What's an easy way to dress up or down a basic sweater? Rock it in metallic!

I purchased this sweater from Banana Republic on Friday:

I'm planning on wearing it with a black Theory pencil skirt and black knee high dress boots for a modern professional look.

I think it will also look great with my AG-ed vintage Premiere cut jeans tucked into knee high brown wedge boots too for a casual dinner date look!

To really finish the look and up the glam factor, I'm planning on wearing it with a teased ponytail and these Marco Bicego hoop earrings from Saks:

...And with this sparkly coral hued lipgloss with golden shimmer to it by Yves Saint Laurent:

In years past, my versatile pieces tended to be high quality basics that I could change up with bold accessories. I still buy high quality basics (because they last longer and you can mix-and-match more often) but I found myself overwhelmed with a sea of black and grey. I definitely needed the pick me up that comes with the fun, trendy pieces too!

The stores are filling their racks with metallics, sequins and feathers for Holiday. Are you feeling glamourous a little early this year?