Reversible Scarf + Windowpane Coat

SCARF: Burberry (currently 33% off and available in three other colors!) |  WINDOWPANE COAT: Helene Berman  |  SKIRT: Theory  |  TURTLENECK:   Nordstrom Collection  |  TIGHTS: DKNY  | PUMPS:  SJP Collection  |  LIPS: Nars (Bansar)

As the ticker on my top right-hand sidebar indicates, Christmas day is frighteningly soon. You can check out my complete holiday guide here, but today I thought I’d share another favorite gift idea—a classic scarf like this Burberry beauty.  You get extra bang for your buck with this one because it’s reversible—burgundy and black on one side with camel and black on the reverse.  I’m a huge scarf fan in general, because it completely reinvents the simplest of outfits, but it really makes for a fantastic holiday gift for the fashion-loving lady in your life for the following reasons:  (1) a square scarf like this is trés trendy; (2) it’s something she’ll have forever; (3) it’s the very definition of versatility and can be paired as easily with a formal or work-ready outfit like this one as it can be with ripped jeans and a t-shirt; and (4) it doesn’t require you to make the dreaded sizing decision that you’re forced to make when buying other clothing items (nobody wants to spend Christmas day in the doghouse).

On a separate note, as you may have noticed, I’ve recently updated my top navigation bar, re-organizing my “Office Style” section—which of course is the primary content area of this blog—and also adding a few other categories so you can easily access the occasional posts I do that speak to other areas of the working girl’s life—fitness, beauty, wedding, etc.  I’ve received a few notes about this (for those of you who follow me on snapchat [username: maryorton] I had to rant there about a particularly outrageous comment I received yesterday), and just wanted to clarify that it does not signal a larger content shift on Memorandum.

If you read the blog everyday, you know that my focus continues to be on office style and how the working girl can incorporate fashion into her life seven days a week—not just on nights and weekends when we’re out of the office.  At the request of innumerable readers, I’ve also enjoyed sharing the occasional off-duty look or lifestyle post (like yesterday’s wedding post) that speaks to other aspects of the working girl’s world.  Keeping a healthy work-life balance is important, so I like to occasionally produce content here that underscores the idea that you can have a successful career and a healthy personal life.  Whether it’s how to fit a workout into your work week, travel tips, or wedding planning ideas—I’m always writing from the perspective of the working girl.

However, just to be clear, work style is and will continue to be the bread and butter here!  With the exception of yesterday’s wedding post, each of the previous posts in the past week have included office style content—especially last week’s post on my working girl wardrobe staples!  So, if you stumble upon a post where I show how to wear something multiples ways in and out of the office, what my favorite beauty products are, or how I planned my wedding, rest-assured, more work wear posts are just around the corner and the office style core of Memorandum isn’t going anywhere!

Happy Thursday!

This post was produced in collaboration with Nordstrom.