October crush list

With the seasons changing and rich hues starting to become the norm again here's a few items on my list that I've been lusting after.

Handbag: Elisabetta Slouch Handbag at Marks & Graham (free monogramming, too!). I've been wanting a brightly colored handbag and this seems to fit the trick. Plus.. made in Italy and the ability to have my initials? Yes please.
Boots: Kasia via Target. These Frye lookalikes at more than half the price might make me order them to see if they fit any differently than the $300 version.
Leopard flats: Vivian Calf Hair flats from Land's End. Because everyone needs a good pair of leopard print flats. I have these in black and they are one of my most comfortable pairs of shoes.
Gold stacking ring: Threadbare yellow gold ring, Catbird NYC. I've recently become into the idea of stacking rings, and this gorgeous gold one fits the bill.

What are some things that you've had your eye on?

A new outfit favorite

While shopping this past weekend at both Target and the J Crew outlet I picked up another gingham shirt and a black pullover sweater. I feel as though I've been waiting all week to wear this outfit and I've decided its a new favorite of mine. The weather is pretty overcast and chilly here today so I'm glad for the layers and extra added bit of warmth as I try not to freeze in my office.

See what I mean about this new favorite outfit thing? Maybe I just need to go back to simple outfits that I feel comfortable and confident in. Such as this one.. that I have to try not to wear every day.

Are there any pieces or outfit combinations that you just feel the most confident in?

Button down: Target (exact)
Pullover: J Crew Factory (exact)
Necklace: Forever 21 (exact)
Jeans: Seven for all Mankind
Shoes: Gap

And linking up with Mix and Match Fashion for  What I wore to work today!

 

Cozy plaid

And just like that autumn is officially here. While we had amazing weather this past weekend I'm now grabbing for any warm and cozy sweater to bundle up with. I hope everyone on the East Coast who has dealt with Sandy is doing okay.

Yesterday I wore my new Zara sweater I got in Italy and I'm so glad I added this to my bag. I could see myself even pairing it with a belt next time around.

Sweater - Zara, Plaid shirt - Target, Jeans - Banana Republic

I have to admit that I'm really digging the braided action going on with this sweater. And the sleeves are just a tiny bit long which allows for me to cover my hands when I'm walking to work in the morning and its brisk out.

I also love plaid. Perhaps it goes back to having to wear it as part of my school uniform growing up (prep ingrained in my brain) but seriously, I love plaid. There used to be a time in my life when I rocked plaid pants (we won't go there though). I'm contemplating a plaid blazer - specifically this one. Thoughts? Or is it too outrageous to wear?

What's your thoughts on plaid? And Happy Halloween - hope you have a fun and safe day! :)

Falling for autumn

First off, as today being September 11 I think we should all take a moment and just pause to remember what happened on this day 11 years ago. I can tell you exactly where I was, what I was wearing... so to those who lost their lives and to everyone affected, I will not forget.

September is already 1/3 over. I can't believe DH and I have been married for a month. We leave for our honeymoon in 19 days (still doesn't feel real). We finally purchased a new point and shoot to take with us and I'm already thinking about having to pack two suitcases and leave one in DC since we'll be back 6 weeks later for another bar mitzvah.

Autumn is definitely in the air in San Francisco - I'm starting to think we might not have a summer afterall here. But I'm loving sweaters, boots, and skinny jeans.

Sweater from target

I got this adorabe fox sweater from my mom for my birthday. I thin he's pretty cute. Although someone though he looked like a cat, I don't mind that either.


Skirt: JCrew, Sweater: Gap, Denim shirt: Nordstroms

I also think yesterday was the last day to wear my floral print skirt (and also, the weatherman lied. it was not 70 degrees yesterday) so this sweater became my best friend yesterday. And it has elbow pads! Another thing I love, elbow pads. 

I also have to say that I think OPI's You don't know Jacques is my new perfect nail color. And really, I have all 5 fingers. It's a great neutral that I'll probably wear all autumn and the first bottle of nail polish I ran out and bought in ages.

This past weekend I also went through my wardrobe and reorganized everything. I'm glad that I can now see exactly what I already own because really, honestly, I don't need any more clothes any time soon. Except for maybe a striped long sleeve shirt to replace the ones that finally wore out. My next thing to tackle - my sock drawer. Because for some reason, they all don't seem to match.

Anyway. Here's to autumn, and the return of cozy sweaters, boots, football Sundays, and family.

Gingham with red and blue

Hello Wednesday, I'm so glad you're here and it's no longer the first half of the week. The low clouds have finally lifted here in SF and there's sun out, but in the shade it's still on the chilly side. I decided to pair red with blue today and this is what I got...

Scarf: H&M, Jeans: Wet Seal, V Nec: Gap, Necklace: JCrew, Gingham buttondown: Target

Since I sit under the air conditioning for at least 8 hours a day I usually have to bundle up, hence the massive scarf. And it doubles as more warmth when the walk to work in the morning is a bit chilly.

I have to admit that I'm really loving chunkier statement necklaces. While this one isn't exactly huge it's still a fun piece. I think I might start looking for more to dress up outfits and give me the ability to remix and add pizzaz to something that I might shove back into the depths of my closet.

Renegade Craft Fair is also coming to San Francisco this weekend and with Saturday as my free day I'll be taking some time to go check it out.


Today's wedding count is at 24. Holy cow - where has this year gone? Tonight I'm heading up to a stationary store to get our colored escort cards. I've decided to do varying shades of color to designate meals. Between my aunt, cousins, mom, sister, and myself we're going to handwrite the approximate 205 cards for my guests. This weekend I also have another hair/makeup run trial with my gal pal/hair and makeup stylist.

So - what's some of your favorite outfit pairings when you want a few minutes of extra sleep in the morning?

48 hours in Philadelphia

11 hours in flight ..5042 .. and 48 hours later we've returned from a foodie wedding filled weekend... and here's my wrap up.

Friday night we landed in Philly an hour late (boo) and we were taken out to dinner at one of Stephen Starr's restaurants (think of him as the Michael Minna of Philly). We dined on an array of family style dishes with the highlights being the foie gras muscles, lobster fried rice, and beef short ribs. We topped it off with cocktails (try the white peach sangria) and the chocolate bento box for dessert.

Cherry water ice

After that, FH decided that he wanted a cheesesteak so off to South Philly we went. We tried Gino's and its definitely different (i have come to learn the difference between chopped vs not chopped, and I'm a chopped fan).Make sure you know whether you want it "wid" or "widout" prior to ordering - with or without onions for us out of towners. Another seemingly Philly thing was water ice. I'd NEVER had it before and I tried cherry. It was so good, especially with the humidity.

Independence Hall

Saturday morning we slept in a bit because of the time change and then we wandered about old town Philly. I have to be honest with you - I'd never been to Philly before so I had no idea what to expect - but the old part of town is just gorgeous. It reminded me of Boston. It's truly a town rich in US history - the brick buildings, cobblestone streets, and frequent history sights of interest we came upon just led to the charm of this town. Independence hall was just gorgeous, despite the work being done to the outside.

And just across the street is the liberty bell. Not going to lie - I didn't wait in the line that was about 400 people deep.. but did snap this photo at one of the windows. See? Liberty bell without the line.

After all this walking FH and I were parched, so we decided to try a local brewing company and headed over to Triumph Brewing Co, which was like a brewpub. Huge amount of beers on tap and you can see where they actuall brew the beer upstairs. Try the avocado fries with a cold beer and life is good.

We followed the Delaware River walk back home and decided to try another cheese steak place on the way back to the house... and Shank's delivered. So yummy, definitely try this if you love a good cheesey gooey cheese steak.

Mandatory outfit shot - top: Zara, jeans: target. IT'S CATS. I mean come on. If this was longsleeved I'd buy it too..

Saturday night we headed over to an old estate called Andalusia. It was simply stunning. The weather, the location, the vibe of the wedding, cocktails in an english garden, dinning on the banks of the river - it was just perfect. The bride was simply gorgeous and if our wedding is even half as gorgeous as theirs then we definitely did something right. We danced until 12:30 before getting on a bus to go back to downtown Philly and had a sing a long with the others on the bus.

Yesterday before our long flight home we had brunch at a little cafe before walking back toward downtown. We rested and then had dinner at Philly's newly opened Shake Shack. Yes - the one in NY is now in Philly (please come to SF next!). We had gelato, a drink on the square, and then before we knew it we had to head to the airport.

Coconut gelato

And that wraps up an amazing weekend! I'm exhausted today due to all the flight delays and the time change but so happy for our friends who got married, and even mroe happy to have discovered a new city. Until next time, Philly, keep it real.

Where to eat:
Buddhakan, 325 Chestnut St, Philadelphia.
Gino's Steaks, 1219 South 9th Street  Philadelphia,
John's Water Ice, 701 Christian Street
Triumph Brewing Company, 117 Chestnut Street
Shank's Steak's, 901 South Delware Ave at Pier 40
Shake Shack, 2000 Sansom St
Capogiro Gelato, 117 South 20th Street
Rouge, 205 South 18th Street,



Things to see:
Independence Hall & Liberty Bell, 41 N 6th Street  Philadelphia
Delaware river walk
Andalusia
Rittenhouse Square
Avenue of the Arts
Little Italy

June Challenge

So, my whole idea of a shopping ban for May didn't go so well. I finally got fed up with my color lacking wardrobe and set out to purchase some items that would brighten things up a bit.

And bright my wardrobe has become. The May roundup:

JCrew: Biennial Satchel in red. Striped bow flats. Red eyelet pencil skirt. Mint green tippi sweater and modern red vneck (coming Monday, eep!). I really can't wait to pair the stripes with the red eyelet pencil skirt. And I have to say, of course, all the items were on sale. Huzzah!

Nordstrom: Frenchi blazer in cobalt (for 28.90!), polka dot blouse, and my much lusted after Sam Edelman spiked flats.

Gap outlet: Mint green tank, cobalt sweater, kelly green skinny jeans. (linked to similar items).

Via polyvore

Target: White cropped jeans (!), pink tunic, and The Webster patterned tank (never would've thought to get this, but its adorable).

Photo via polyvore

And perhaps the big finale, from Neimans, the Tory Burch natalya wedge in black.

Which friends, leads me to a shopping hiatus for the month of June. And perhaps July. I used the word banned for May and that just seemed to spurn my need to shop. And with two weekends away this month, I'm hoping I can reign it in.

So far, the responses to my new clothing items have all been positive. I've gotten a lot of compliments from coworkers and it makes me feel more confident in myself and what I'm wearing.

Outstanding items to get at some point: Tweed jacket.

That's it for now.... have a fantastic weekend!

Living in color

After looking at some of my recent work clothing selections I decided it was time to liven things up a bit. I'm a bit tired of looking like a nun or someone who is twice my age. So I took it upon myself to purchase a few items to brighten up my wardrobe.

I got this yellow checkered shirt from the Gap during their big 50% off sale a few weekends ago. I think the final price came to about 11.00 so I didn't feel so bad buying it. Plus who doesn't love checkered print?

I picked up this awesome royal blue skirt from Target this past weekend. I'm really digging skirts lately, and tights make everything more bearable with the rain and cold we've been having lately. I think it's a great item for me to start wearing to work as I branch out of greys and blacks. Target, 18.00.

Another skirt (can you tell I have a problem?) from Banana during their 50% off promo a few weekends back. I love the pattern on this - and it also comes in blue, too! I love that I can make this dressy enough for work but I can even dress it down - perhaps for one of my bridal showers?

Photo via BananaRepublic.com

Another colorful find were these Abby ballet flats from Banana. With the sale they came to just under 40 so I figured why not? And let me tell you - they are so comfy! I don't have very many pairs of flats in colors other than ... well... some form of black. I love how these instantly bring a bit of color to even the most mundane of outfits. Abby flats in store and bananarepublic.com

Photo via gap.com

I also decided that I wanted a pair of blue colored jeans. And I swear it took me forever to find a pair. I got these from the Gap and love the color. Plus they are so, so soft! Another buy that I got from the friends and family sale. Gotta love discounts! Gap jegging jeans, in stores and online.

Photo via wetseal.com

And the last bright item that I bought was a pair of red jeans. For some reason it took me a few weekends and multiple websites to find them. And low and behold I found them at wet seal (of all places). Of course, a belt is mandatory since they are a bit more low cut but the color is PERFECT. I love them and am definitely going to get a lot of wear out of them. And the best part? The price! Only 19.50. Online and in stores.

Whew! What have you gotten lately that's brightening up your wardrobe?

Also, while I might not be posting as much due to things being hectic, I am still reading/commenting. I'm hoping to find a better blogging/work/life balance soon  :)

Jason Wu for Target Haul

I got up early. I shopped. I conquered. I came home with just about everything I wanted from the Target that Lori of Part-time fashion for a full-time life and I went to early Sunday morning for the Jason Wu release.

People were pretty civilized - althoughthe first three people together in line cleared out 1300 worth of clothes and accessories in one go (okay, so I stalked the register and watched their total add up..). The only item I didn't snag was the black pleated skirt, but I think that I might be able to get that anywhere.

 Milu cat tote - 39.99. I adore this, probably more than I should. The fact that its raining today made me think twice about bringing it out because I don't want it to get ruined. I have to admit its much more sturdy and less flimsy than I was expecting.

 Milu silk scarf - 19.99. Have you met my other cat scarf, the Hermes Cave Felem? Think of this as its much more plentiful cousin (and no, nothing compares to the Hermes silk scarf). Regardless - this thing is HUGE. I really wasn't expecting it to be this big! But I love it.

Here's a close up of some of the different cat poses on it.

Milu shirt - 19.99. I have to say that I was pretty surprised by the sizes in this line. The picture shirt is an XS. An XS! I don't think I've picked up anything that size in well, ever. I did nab a small as well to try on just to see the difference in them at home when I didn't feel like I needed to watch my back.

So that's about it for now... I think my mom may have been able to swipe me an item or two from her target. And if you didn't already know then I'm sure now you are aware I'm a crazy cat lady.

See? Crazy cat lady.

So.. if you made it out to your target or had luck online, what did you get from the Jason Wu line?

Weekend Review

A little hard to believe that its already 7:20 on Sunday night - where did this weekend go?  Here's some shots from this weekend...

My friend Nikki walking the runway at a Mary Kay/White House Black Market event. Her hair and dress were outstanding!

Pretty pumps that may or may not have hitched a ride home in a shopping bag...

My work outfit on Fridayin the newest section of my office. Sweater and striped buttondown, Madewell. Jeans and shoes, Banana Republic.

Hipstamatic photos from a bar called The Owl's Nest on Friday night with friends. Loved the lighting in the place!

 Not quite sure what's better than a Louis Vuitton cupcake... If only all cupcakes came with a Vuitton bag as a cherry on top then I'd be happy!

Grey suede pumps that may or may not have also stolen into my bag today.... decisions! 

Hope everyone had a great weekend - January is almost over! I'm so excited to move toward another new month and see what February has in store. Plus... its a short month, the super bowl is coming up, and how about that Jason Wu collection for target that's being released on Sunday? (Get ready ladies, I'm first in line!)

The great cape caper.

So I have to admit that I've fallen for the fall trend of capes. I think I've found one that works for me. But the only problem? How the heck do I wear it!

Ladies, suggestions are welcome... I purchased the above J Crew cape for a fab price during an instore sale. But I'm so stumped as to how to pair this. I love how the model is showing wearing it on the website... but does that actually work?  (size x small still available at jcrew.com).

So this post isn't totally boring, here's me rockin my first ever mustard item. Graned its mixed with grey, but hey, its a step, right?

Vneck striped sweater: target. Watch, Michelle. Necklace: Tiffanys. White tshirt: Lacoste. Pants: Gap

Also, apologies for the crappy bathroom shot. But by the time I get home in the evening all the light is gone and indoor shots with a flash aren't that great.

Also, for any of you bay area girls... Rebecca Minkoff sample sale this weekend! Thanks to Paulina over at The Gore Princess for posting a heads up about this - plus she runs a pretty awesome website, too. Details at thegoreprincess.com and also refinery29.com.

Keep your eyes pealed for a guest post from yours truly over at tokkiandoliver.blogspot.com in the next coming days, too!

Happy Wendesday!