Halloween and Pet Costumes!

Happy Halloween! Halloween is probably my favorite holiday, although I love all holidays. There are certain traditions and rituals that I preform every single Halloween. For example, carving a pumpkin. I am probably too old for this tradition, but it brings out the kid in me. I'll be 100 years old and still carving pumpkins!

One other ritual, and this one is my favorite, is the opportunity to dress my beloved pets in embarrassing costumes. What is cuter than a dog in a costume? Especially a Springer Spaniel in a costume! Since this was William's first Halloween with us, we had to introduce him to the pet costume tradition in style. I picked these costumes because they compliment his personality at this stage in his life. First, the devil outfit.  He is certainly a little devil, (but what puppy isn't) wreaking havoc on everything. Second, the "jaws" costume. William is in the biting stage, and it's like having a little shark around most of the time. Just look at his ferocious teeth in the one picture! As you can see, William really enjoyed dressing up. If only he could go trick-or-treating for dog biscuits!

 William's Outifts

Devil Costume: 99 cent only store: Shark Costume: Target

Pretty in Pink and Stripes

Today I am wearing one of my favorite skirts which features one of my favorite trends, stripes. Although to be quite honest, I don't really see stripes as a trend. Stripes are classic right? Apparently the "trend" of stripes (in the form of the Breton striped shirt) goes back to French fishermen and was later popularized in the 20's by the likes of artistic types such as Gerald Murphy (wealthy expatriate and more notably the inspiration for Dick Diver in Fitzgerald's Tender is the Night) and artist Pablo Picasso. I read this information somewhere in a lengthy article about the history of stripes and now I can't remember where the article came from. I am getting old apparently. However,  in trying to track down the article,  I did find a guy whose entire blog is dedicated to Brenton stripes, but I digress.

I am glad that designers are finding ways to reinvent the stripe and make it fresh, new and modern. Such is the case with the Kate Spade "Jubilee Stripe Piper" skirt which I am wearing today. Although my husband doesn't think it's entirely modern, as he told me that my skirt was reminiscent of the 80's this morning. He says that about a lot of my wardrobe. I guess the skirt is a little 80's. Anyway, in honor of the totally 80's element of my skirt, I am titling this post after the iconic 80's movie, Pretty in Pink since my shirt is pink.

Shirt: Old Navy, Skirt: Kate Spade, Belt: J. Crew, Shoes Butter for Anthropologie

Bright Lights Big City

Last night my husband and I went into downtown L.A. to see another play. This time we saw Seminar, staring Jeff Goldblum. In many ways this last week mimicked our first week dating because during that week we watched a play by David Mamet (Glengary Glen Ross) and also a play featuring Jeff Goldblum (The Pillowman). We saw these plays while living in New York and the rest was history! As you can see I have moved from big city to big city.

To match the festive downtown scene and the bright lights of the city, what better skirt to wear than the Kate Spade "City Lights Lilith" Skirt? I received several compliments on it from some of the other theater goers sitting in our section. I decided to pair the skirt with red accessories, including a fashionable belt from Target and red Christian Louboutin Simple pumps.

Below is a view from Pete's, the restaurant we dined at before the show. If you want to have the best fries you have ever had in your entire life, go to Pete's. They make blue cheese fries which are to die for! We have eaten here on occasion and asked for an extra order to go because they are that good. If I am ever put on death row, I think my last meal will include a heaping pile of Pete's cheese fires.

This is the Barclay Hotel which is situated across the street from Pete's. Apparently, Henry Huntington stayed here while he was waiting for his "little" place in San Marino (now the Huntington Library) to be built. The Barclay is now apartments for single resident occupancy. It is sort of amazing that a business tycoon such as Huntington stayed here. If only there had been a Pete's at the time, he could have also shared in the cheesy goodness of their fries. You missed out Huntington, but I guess your palatial estate and exquisite art collection makes up for it.

It's the Great Pumpkin, William Van Winkle!

Today we took William to a nearby park, which features an annual pumpkin patch and hayrides during the month of October. The park is situated on a working orange grove and there is also a restored Victorian house on the grounds. William was very excited to see all of the pumpkins and a little tired/thirsty. It was about 90 degrees here today, so he was panting all over the place!

While at the park, a couple of people who stopped to pet William told us that they used to have English Springer Spaniels too. As one man (a previous Springer owner)  said of William who was at the time jumping all around and getting twisted in his leash, "He's a typical Springer!" I have noticed that people who have owned this breed before can bond over stories of the breed's "craziness" and "Velcro" tendencies.

One of my favorite features of the pumpkin patch at our local park is the animals that they bring in. This year they had a pen with a few sheep, goats, and two pigs. The animals were all really interested in William and followed him around, watching his every move. William's puppy socialization checklist includes meeting goats/sheep and farm animals, so now I can check that off. Thank goodness! Here is William making friends with a sheep.

This is the restored Victorian house I mentioned early. As you can see it is quite small and modest. I would love to have a tour of the inside of it sometime. I don't think William would be allowed in!

Musical Chairs

The whimsical print of the Anthropologie canvas chair skirt had me sold. Another quirky print to add to the collection! Who can resist these sketches of vintage chairs? I paired this skirt the a navy polka dot blouse from H&M. Again, I am trying to experiment with patterns and prints. What better way to do this than mixing chairs with petite dots?

The Anthropologie canvas chair skirt is still available in stores, so I will offer some sizing advice. The skirt runs small to tts in my opinion. Here I am wearing a size 4, which fits perfect. If it were any smaller it would be too high on my waist and too small. Now that this skirt is on sale, plus an extra 25% off you can pick it up for a song! It's a perfect skirt to transition into fall with. I am anxiously awaiting to pair it with some tights and a sweater when the weather cools off.

You may notice an English Springer Spaniel guest star in one of the photos. William is eating grass, although it looks like he is sticking his tongue out at the camera. Typical Springer Spaniel!

 

Shirt: H&M, Skirt: Anthropologie, Shoes: J. Crew, Watch: Coach, Dog: English Springer Spaniel!

Snow Cat, Copy Cat

I stole this look from the J. Crew catalog. If that's a crime, then sue me! I know a lot of bloggers are criticized for being "unoriginal" and copying from the J. Crew catalog (aka "style guide" as J. Crew likes to call it) but if something looks good, why not copy?

I found the J. Crew boy shirt in "snow cat" at my local J. Crew store for a mere $17 after all discounts. Now that was a steal! This isn't normally the type of print I would gravitate to, but for the price it beckoned me to try something different. I saw this shirt paired a while back in the catalog (sorry, style guide) with the cafe capri pants in warm jade. Just as a side note, how are these pants considered jade but the color of my pencil skirt in the previous post is also classified as jade? This doesn't add up. Anyway, I love the combination and decided to recreate it which is what you see here.

Just on a side note, if you would also like to be a copy cat and need sizing advice on this shirt, it runs big! I found this with all of the J. Crew boy shirts be it in silk or cotton (this one is cotton). I am wearing a 00 here and it fits fine. The cafe capri pants also run a bit big. I am wearing a size 0 here. Hope this helps!

On a side note, below  is what I wore out last night with my husband to see the play November by David Mamet. I added a J. Crew lavender cashmere sweater to shield myself from the cold Los Angeles nights which dip all the way into the sixties. Anyway on our way out, while I was in the bathroom, my husband saw Eva Longoria who was most likely there to see her costar on Desperate Housewives Felicity Huffman. I was impressed that my husband was able to report her choice in bag as, "a black Birkin in Togo leather, most likely 35 or 40cm." I have trained my husband well in the identification of handbags!

 Shirt: J. crew, Pants: J. Crew, Sweater: J. Crew, Shoes: Christian Louboutin, Bag: Chanel

Jade and Spade

I can't get enough of J. Crew's "retro jade" color for fall. In fact, I love this particular hue so much that I bought both this no. 2 wool pencil skirt and the wool cafe capri pants in the same color. If they make anything else in this color, I'll probably buy that too!

The things that is so great about this particular color is that it compliments so many other colors and also adds a cool vintage flair to any outfit. So what better pairing with my retro jade no. 2 pencil skirt than a little Kate Spade? Jade and Kate Spade appear to be an incredible combo! I am not quite sure of the name of this blouse, as it is a few years old, but it is certainly one of my favorite Kate Spade pieces.

 

 

Sweater: J. Crew, Blouse: Kate Spade, Skirt: J. Crew, Shoes: J. Crew, Watch: JLC

Weekend Wrap Up

On Monday everyone always asks, "What did you do this weekend?" Well, this is my answer in visual form. I sort of look at my blog as a diary of my style, but also my life and what I do on a daily basis. I hope that I can look back at my posts and fondly remember salient aspects of my life, therefore this post is not about fashion or style, but a view of my weekend. These pictures are connected in no way whatsoever although they do feature three things I love: old houses, fat dogs, and rich chocolate cake!

This is a house I stumbled across on my way to my local library. This is embarrassing to say, but I sort of got lost going to the library and went down the wrong road, thus discovering that this house was just a block away from my intended destination. I was instantly drawn to the Greek Revival style of the house which seemed a bit out of place amongst the sea of craftsman style houses in this particular area. I parked at the library (fearful of a ticket as parking is library only and I was taking a sojourn) and then went on a little walking tour of the area. I even discovered a small museum which I never knew existed across the street. I think some of the best things in life come as a result of random accidents!

These pictures are of the Basset Hound Club of Southern California's Annual Picnic which we went to this Sunday. You may ask, "Why are you at a basset hound picnic when you own a English Springer Spaniel?" Well, the answer is that I am in love with Basset Hounds. They are super cute as you can see from the pictures. They also look great in costumes, such as the dog in the egg and toast costume featured above. The only problem with the breed is the excessive drool, which I really wouldn't want all over my Louboutins, if you know what I mean. We actually took our dog William to see the basset hounds. He wasn't quite sure what to think of them!

Also on Sunday, I made dinner and dessert for my father in law's birthday. Here is a strange fact: my husband's dad and my dad were born on the exact same day and year! I made this Bourbon chocolate bundt cake because my father in law and I share two things in common: our love of chocolate and our love at shopping at the 99 Cent Only Store. The ingredients for this cake didn't come from the 99 Cent Only Store, but the cake was so good! In fact, I now want to open my own cake/pastry shop. I am providing the recipe for the cake which I found through a fellow blogger and is adapted from the New York Times. Did I mention that this cake has Bourbon? I am now officially addicted to cooking/baking with Bourbon!

Chocolate Bourbon Bundt Cake:

2 sticks (8 oz.) unsalted butter, softened, plus more for the pan
2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for the pan
5 oz. unsweetened chocolate
¼ cup instant espresso powder
2 Tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder
1 cup Bourbon, rye, or other whiskey
½ tsp. kosher salt
2 cups granulated sugar
3 large eggs
1 Tbsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. baking soda
Confectioners’ sugar, for garnish (optional)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325°F. Grease and flour a 10-cup-capacity bundt pan (or two 8- or 9-inch loaf pans).
In a heatproof bowl set over – but not touching – a saucepan of simmering water, melt the chocolate until just smooth, stirring occasionally. Let cool.
Put espresso and cocoa powders in a 2-cup (or larger) glass measuring cup. Add enough boiling water to come up to the 1 cup measuring line. Stir until the powders dissolve. Add the Bourbon and salt. Let cool.
Using an electric mixer, beat the butter until fluffy. Add the sugar, and beat until well combined. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the vanilla extract, baking soda and melted chocolate, scraping down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula.
With the mixer on low speed, beat in a third of the whiskey mixture. When liquid is absorbed, beat in 1 cup flour. Repeat additions, ending with the Bourbon mixture. It may seem like there is too much liquid, but don’t worry; it’s okay. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan, and smooth the top. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, about 1 hour and 10 minutes for a bundt pan. (Loaf pans will take less time; start checking them after 55 minutes.)
Transfer the cake, still in its pan, to a rack. Unmold after 15 minutes. Brush with copious amounts of Bourbon. Cool completely before serving, garnished with confectioners’ sugar, if you like.

Note: This cake tastes even better on the second day, when the intensity of the alcohol mellows a little bit.

Yield: 10 to 12 servings.

Color Block Party

Color blocking appears to be a big trend lately. It's everywhere! I think certain designers such as Kate Spade were on top of this trend before it became so wide spread. Tonight I am wearing my Kate Spade "Esti" skirt which features color-blocking in purple and (orange-ish) red.

This skirt always reminds me of my Springer Spaniel, William because I bought it off of eBay the day we came back from Kentucky with him last spring. This was one of those Kate Spade pieces which I loved from a few years ago, but never purchased. When I found it in my size on eBay, I knew it had to be mine! Luckily the auction ended the day we came back from our trip to Kentucky. I took that day off from work to help William acclimate to his new home. What puppy wants to be left all alone, away from his mother and his "Old Kentucky Home" after a long plane ride? The vet appointment which was recommended within 48 hours of getting a new puppy was during the end of the auction, so I packed up William in his crate and placed a bid before walking out the door. Luckily I won the auction and William really hit it off with our vet.

 

Skirt: Kate Spade, Blouse: Ralph Lauren, Shoes: Christian Louboutin, Bag: Chanel

En Plein Air

This week I discovered a new artist, Edgar Payne. Discovering new artists and adding to my repertoire of  knowledge about art and art history is a passion of mine. It is a passion I wish I had more time for!

My fascination with Payne all began last Sunday when I watched a PBS special on his life and work. Payne piqued my interest due to his diverse subject matter, including an obsession with California and the Southwest. He painted everything from the Grand Canyon to the Swiss Alps in an impressionistic style, using the outdoors as his studio. The technique of painting outside is referred to by the French expression, "en plein air." The "en plein air" approach to painting was utilized by many of the French impressionists including Monet, Renoir, and Pissarro.  I love impressionism and was thus inclined to do a Google search on Payne. What did we do before the Internet? The search revealed that Edgar Payne and his work was in my very own backyard, at the Pasadena Museum of California Art. With only a week left to see the exhibition, "Edgar Payne: The Scenic Journey," my husband and I decided to make a visit.

I like to dress for the event, so I wore the Anthropologie Artist Rendering Dress from Odille. It was the perfect dress for the occasion due to its depiction of of an impressionistic landscape which could easily be displayed in a museum alongside Edgar Payne.

Due to the subdued neutral color palette of my dress, I wasn't quite sure which bag to wear. Most of my bags are either black or bright hues. I selected the Epi Alma in Menthe for this outfit. The green or "Menthe" color as Louis Vuitton prefers to call it was a perfect match with my dress.

I am providing some images of the work of Edgar Payne. Most of these were on view during the exhibit at the Pasadena Museum of California art. Enjoy!

 

The Eyes of Dr. T. J. Eckleburg

But above the gray land and the spasms of bleak dust which drift endlessly over it, you perceive, after a moment, the eyes of Doctor T. J. Eckleburg. The eyes of Doctor T. J. Eckleburg are blue and gigantic — their irises are one yard high. They look out of no face, but, instead, from a pair of enormous yellow spectacles which pass over a nonexistent nose. Evidently some wild wag of an oculist set them there to fatten his practice in the borough of Queens, and then sank down himself into eternal blindness, or forgot them and moved away. But his eyes, dimmed a little by many paintless days, under sun and rain, brood on over the solemn dumping ground.    
 - The Great Gatsby

The multitude of eyeglasses that grace my shirt are reminiscent of the symbolic, looming eyes displayed on Dr. T. J. Eckleburg's billboard in The Great Gatsby. Although there are some differences between the two. First, the spectacles on my shirt are blue, not yellow. Second, the glasses on my shirt do not look out over the wasteland of the Valley of Ashes, they look out over my backyard. In all fairness, the backyard does start to look like a wasteland sometimes after William goes to the bathroom. It is sort of a literal dumping ground for him!

If you are an optometrist or if you just like quirky prints like me, you can find the blouse I am wearing at Forever 21. I bought it this summer and quickly fell in love with the print. My husband says the shirt has a clear 80's vibe, which I agree with. Clearly a little bit more upbeat than Ol' Dr. T.J. Eckleburg.

My shoes, which my husband suggested when he saw the shirt, are the 100mm Simple Pump from Christian Louboutin in Jade. These are my highest heels. To be quite honest, I am still adjusting to walking in them. I better be careful, lest I step in some of William's contributions to our very own "Valley of Ashes!"

Blouse: Forever 21, Skirt: J. Crew, Belt: J. Crew, Shoes: Christian Louboutin