This time of year always makes me reminisce about the origins of ROMYNA – for those of you who are first-time readers, this is the badass moniker that friends and family use when referring to me and Ro. If you don’t know, now you know. It all started in the reading room of Tulane’s law library in 2008. I spotted HIG (that was my nickname for him, which stands for Hot Indian Guy – subtlety has never really been my strong suit and I call ‘em like I see ‘em) in the library, furiously studying and pounding energy drinks in his go-to basketball shorts and Tampa Bay Buccaneers tee. Two days later, someone introduced us at a law school sponsored event and that, my friends, was the jump off.
I used to hate Valentine’s Day. This, however, was before I met Ro. It was also before I realized that this day in the middle of the gloomiest month of the year – unless you live in Texas – “TEXAS FOREVER” – gives you an excuse to eat a disgusting amount of chocolate, squeeze your loved ones, be unabashedly mushy with you PIC AND wear pink. Or dusty rose for those of us who have a hard time wearing color. My go-to outfit always consists of all black everything – maybe because it makes me feel a little bit edgy, maybe because it is just so damn flattering or maybe because it usually allows my accessory game to shine. EITHER WAY, wearing color, especially PINK, isn’t really my jam, and sometimes, a girl just needs a hallmark holiday to nudge her to think outside the box.
This year, I turned to Forever 21 for some outfit inspo. I may not be 21 anymore but I’d like to think my spirit animal is still in her 20’s so it totally gives me license to shop there. Shhhh – please just let me have that one. PLUS, I can’t really pass up cozy sweaters under twenty dollars – a deal is a deal. When I received my order, everything in the box was 50 shades of pink so I suppose I was really a woman on a mission to inject some color into this V-DAY. GOALS.
Let’s get serious. This sweater is a MUST HAVE. It is literally the coziest thing I own. Not only did I wear it to our Valentine’s Day dinner at MF SUSHI (the chefs here would make Jiro proud) but I also curled up in it to watch an eight-hour marathon of Broadchurch the day after. BTW, that show is literally AMAZING & if you don’t have any plans for V-DAY, I suggest you watch it. NOW. Distressed denim is a no-brainer & I didn’t say that I could eliminate black entirely from my wardrobe. ALSO, let’s take a moment for these shoes. They are, what I like to call, a heel/bootie hybrid and I fell in love at first sight. They are deceivingly comfortable – though you wouldn’t know it from the hello kitty band-aids I’m rocking on my toes -wounds give you character people, and soon, these toes will be stronger and ready to rock these shoes like they were meant to be rocked. I promise you, in these heels, others will look at you and wonder how you are so put together – they won’t know it’s just the power of the SHOE! Don’t worry – it will be our little secret.
So, what is the recipe for the perfect February 14th? Acquire said cozy sweater, slap on a red lip, and turn up 112, Jodeci or Boyz II Men, depending on what decade you were born in. A little fruit dipped in chocolate also never hurt anyone. Major key alert. HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY FRIENDS!
oversized sweater/ booties/distressed denim (similar)/baubles/sunnies (20% off today – treat yo. self.)