Unleash the Hounds!

I'm not sure how I came across this Basset Hound sweater from Tommy Hilfiger. All I know is upon seeing the big Basset on the front I was sold. I secretly (okay, not so secretly) love Basset Hounds. Like the sweater, I'm not sure how this love affair with the breed began, but nonetheless I can't get enough of them. My husband and I talked for a while about getting a Basset Hound as somewhat of a foil to William. William is slim, whereas Bassets are, for lack of a better word, fat. William is fast and full of energy, whereas Bassets are slow and take their time with everything. Well, you get the point. For quite sometime we considered adopting an older Basset from a rescue organization with the intent of not only giving a loving dog a great home, but also we had the idea that maybe the more "mellow" habits of the Basset might rub off on William.

While I might not have a Basset Hound (yet), for now this sweater will have to do. It's pretty cute if I do say so myself. I paired it with some Hunter rainboots to add to the English (French?) country feel of the ensemble.

Chef, blogger and Basset owner Ree Drummond aka "The Pioneer Woman" has a funny blog entry about this sweater which you can find here here.

Sweater: Tommy Hilfiger here

Shirt: Thomas Mason for J. Crew 

Jeans: Old Navy "Rockstar"

Boots: Hunter "Lady N" Tall Rainboots

Post-Turkey

Originally when I started this blog I thought it would be a mix of fashion and cooking, however I realized that when I cook I am seldom in the mood, nor do I have time for documenting the process on film. Timing is everything when it comes to cooking and taking a bunch of pictures isn't always convenient. Yesterday I intended to document my Thanksgiving meal which I made entirely from scratch, but this never came to be. It was hard enough to keep prying in-laws out of the kitchen, let alone to take pictures while cooking about eight things at once. To add to the mess, when my husband pulled out the turkey from the oven, some of the turkey drippings spilled all over the floor making for a slippery situation. It's too bad that William wasn't around because he would have had a field day with the drippings! Alas, amongst the chaos there was no time for a perfect picture of my roast turkey.

So instead of recapping the meal, which was quite yummy, here are a few pictures of what I wore for Thanksgiving. The dress is from Anthropologie and it goes back a few years but I love the fact that it looks like two separate pieces even though it is one dress. The belt is from Nordstrom and I thought its cranberry color would be a perfect match with the cranberry sauce I made for the meal.

So I didn't really do any Black Friday shopping on the actual day. After all the turkey and hassle of yesterday it was nice to just sleep in on a rainy morning, however but I did make a few purchases the day before. It seems like this year Black Friday wasn't just a day, but an entire week with most retailers. Pretty soon it will be a month starting in October.  Below you will see some of my most recent "near" Black Friday acquisitions:

1. Michael Kors Leather Moto Jacket (A Nordstrom Rack find)

2. J. Crew Garnet Flame Shirt 

3. J. Crew Ratti Geo Print Shirt

4. H&M embellished sweatshirt (reg. $49.95, but I payed $12.95!)

The Countdown

It's almost Thanksgiving and I have been making a list and checking it twice in preparation for making a Thanksgiving feast for the whole family. Not that I mind. I find cooking to be a very creative endeavor that in many ways is quite therapeutic. Plus, my husband's family often botches the cooking in some way, so this ensures the possibility of having something edible for dinner. The one thing I do hate is some of the last minute shopping (and normally I love shopping) and the horror that results from finding that a store is out of that one ingredient that you think you can't live with out. For me this ingredient was candied ginger which I needed for my Turkey Brine. I went to four stores yesterday and still came up empty handed.

While tonight I am going to start making some dishes in advance, such as the cranberry sauce and some gravy, today was spent getting a head start on some pre-Black Friday deals. We had a nice lunch out and then I ended up finding two very nice leather jackets at Nordstrom, which were on my wish list. Black Friday it seems has turned into a Hobbesian nightmare of people trampling one another, so I am happy to skip the hassle even if I am going to pay a few bucks extra. The J. Crew factory still has the corduroy "toothpick" pants I am wearing today discounted 50% along with some other good deals, although for the most part they looked pretty picked over already.

So what is in store for your Turkey Day? Will you be braving the crowds for Black Friday or recovering from a food coma?

Pants: J. Crew Factory Toothpick Corduroy

Sweater: J. Crew (old)

Bag: J. Crew Edie in Casablanca Blue

Necklace: Kate Spade

Bracelets: J. Crew and Forever 21

Not Just for Kids

I have a confession: I sometimes shop in the kid section of stores. I've done this since college because, let's face it, some of the kids stuff is really cute and it's cheap. Most kids tops in size L or XL fit me just fine. The bottoms are a little bit more tricky since I am about 5' 9" so I usually don't bother with skirts and pants.

Last week when I was in Target I passed by the kids department and I couldn't believe how adorable everything was in anticipation for the holidays. Plus, all of Target's Cherokee brand clothing was buy one get one 50% off. Spying this leopard print cardigan I took it and a few other sweaters with me to the adult section to try on for fit. (I didn't want to be the strange lady trying stuff on while little girls were shopping with their moms.) This sweater ended up being $9. Score!

So this makes me wonder how many adult woman are guilty of doing the same things? Have you ever bought anything from the kids dept. for yourself? Do you have any other embarrassing shopping secrets? Do tell!

Sweater: Cherokee/Target

Shirt: J. Crew Silk Boyshirt in "Heartthrob"

Jeans: Target

Boots: Louboutin "Cate" ridding boot

Bag: Chanel Cerf Tote

Channeling Old Hollywood

Hollywood isn't anything like it used to be. For example, if you visit Hollywood and Highland, home of historic theaters such as the Egyptian, Grauman's and El Capitan you will find tons of tourists, gaudy souvenir shops, a lot of trash and a few men dressed up as Spiderman or Jack Sparrow running around trying to make a buck off of people having their pictures taken with them. But I like to remember Hollywood the way it used to be during its golden age, with impeccably dressed movie stars and gorgeous architecture.

Today we went to see the Hollywood Museum which is admittedly a huge tourist trap, but it actually contains an interesting glimpse into the bygone years of starlets and the movie industry when it was at its peak.

In the spirit of Old Hollywood, I thought I would dress up a little bit and what I wore ended up channeling the 1940s. Below I am wearing my Anthropologie "Stilt Strider" skirt with a parade of flamingos and Madewell polka dot sweater. Tucking in a sweater is sort of a new concept for me, but I thought it added a more "polished" effect. To top everything off I paired my creation with a clutch from Lauren Merkin.

H

The Hollywood Museum occupies what used to be Max Factor's makeup studio. Opened in 1935, this salon is where all of the starlets, including Marilyn Monroe and Lucile Ball, had their makeup and hair done. Decorated in Art Deco style, this salon also features a unique color scheme. There are four main rooms, each one having a color scheme designed to compliment a particular color of hair. Blondes have blue, Redheads green, Brownettes have some form of peach, and Brunettes have a room clad in pink.

While my hair used to be very blonde, with time it has turned into more of a dirty blonde/light brown, so I started off in the Brownette room, which to be quite honest did make my hair look pretty great. I guess Max really did know what he was doing!

The pink room featured a contraption known as the beauty calibrator that is supposed to find flaws in your face that are invisible to the naked eye. Once your flaws have been identified the make up artist can work on concealing them. Personally, this just looks like a Medieval torture device!

The rest of the museum is dedicated to costumes and artifacts from television shows and movies. They have everything from Micheal Jackson's Bad outfit to Marilyn Monroe's Cadillac to artifacts from silent films and beyond. Below you will find a picture of the outside of the building, which must have been pretty impressive to walk into if you needed to buy some makeup or have your hair done by Max Factor.

Oh, and one more thing. You can't go to Hollywood without taking a stroll down the Walk of Stars. I walked a little bit, taking a gander at the names as I strolled. It's sort of amazing how many people are recognized and how many I have never heard of (or perhaps just don't care about). Phil Collins was among the most exciting of those that I encountered.

Skirt: Anthropologie Stilt Strider 

Sweater: Madewell "Spotted Snowfall"

Clutch: Lauren Merkin

Shoes: Pink Studio
Bow Belt: Kate Spade

Looking for Leather

Over the last month or so I have become obsessed with leather. It all started with looking for the perfect black leather skirt. I had the perfect black leather skirt about a decade ago which I bought from Macy's. It was pleated and about knee length. Well, I have no idea what happened to it. It's somewhere, but right now that somewhere is unknown which is too bad because it would have been so "on trend" for fall. Also the prices for leather skirts seem insane to me. This is especially the case for the numerous pleather, faux or now the more fashionable sounding "vegan" leather. $300 for a skirt made of fake leather seems insane to me, but they are out there.

Ebay just happened to be a great option in my search for a leather skirt and it has fostered somewhat of an addiction. This leather skirt is from Ann Taylor LOFT. I purchased it new from eBay for $35 shipped. The leather is thick, soft and buttery... yum! For that price I was able to buy a leather skirt in plum and cognac too. The plum skirt retailed for a few hundred dollars from Saks and I was able to snag it for $37, again on eBay. All in all, the three skirts added up to way less than one regular price skirt from a department store.

Now my leather obsession has led me to search for the perfect leather jacket. If you have any suggestions for a great moto style leather jacket I would love to know. It's next on my hit list!

Leather Skirt: LOFT via eBay

Sweater: H&M

Shirt: Quincy Tartan J. Crew Boyshirt

Tights: Simply Vera Wang from Kohls

Mary Jane Flats: Miu Miu

Journey of the Husband

These pants are the result of an epic quest known as "The Journey of the Husband" in which the hero (husband) leaves the safety of the known world of manly things (i.e., cars and guns) into the unknown world of women's clothing in search of the holy grail or in this case, pants.  He returns from his quest a more knowledgeable man who has faced great obstacles (other female shoppers' and store clerks' awkward stares at a man buying women's pants) and ultimately gains the love and affection of the lady (his wife) through his valiant deeds.

Well, to make a long story short, I bought these pants at Target in a size 6 because that was the smallest size available. The 6 fit okay, but seemed a little baggy. So I searched online and found them in a size 4 near my husband's place of work and requested that he go to Target to buy them. In an effort to appease me, he ventured on this quest and returned victorious with the size 4. Huzzah! Thus, we lived happily ever after and I have a cool pair of grid pants from Target!

 Pants: Target/Merona Tailored Ankle Pants in Athens Blue here

Embellished Sweater: Ann Taylor Loft

Shoes: Kate Spade Go Taxi Flats

Ironing Out the Details

Although I enjoy shopping online, I don't enjoy the aftermath of receiving an item of clothing that has been folded over and over and then stuffed into a tiny envelope. The wrinkles can haunt you forever and some creases never seem to quite come out. This was the case with the J. Crew Factory Stretch Wool Peplum dress. I can't complain too much about the wrinkles, though, as this dress came out to be around $40 after J. Crew granted me a price adjustment. I think I was able to get most of the pesky creases out with some careful ironing.

In regards to other happenings, we are also ironing out some of the details of getting our belongings back after a break-in last month. I am happy to report that the majority of our stolen items were recovered. Over the last two days, now that the investigation is over, we have been claiming them from the police. The only exception is my beloved Prada Car clutch which was sold by the thief to an online luxury bag company and then bought immediately by a customer of the website. (This customer apparently had great taste!) I am working to get my clutch back, but in the meantime I am just thankful for all that was returned. Although not everything was returned in perfect condition, as with the dress, I can't complain! 

Dress: J. Crew Factory Stretch Peplum in Red Chili here
Shirt: J. Crew Boy Shirt in Snowcat 

Shoes: J. Crew Ballet Flats

Bracelet: J. Crew Factory Hexagon Bracelet here

Bow Necklace: Forever 21

Blackwatch Invasion

Lately I've found that plaid, especially what's referred to as "Blackwatch" plaid is launching a full scale invasion on my closet. Today I wore these Marisa plaid ankle pants from Ann Taylor LOFT featuring said Blackwatch fabric. As I was writing this post I started to wonder where the epithet came from. A simple web search and a click on Wikipedia answered all my questions. What did we do before the Internet where troves of information is just a click away? As I suspected Blackwatch is the name of a traditional Scottish tartan. What I didn't know is that it represents the Black Watch infantry battalion of the Royal Regiment of Scotland. The name was believed to have come from the color of their uniforms, but others speculate it came from the soldiers "black hearts" or the battalion's efforts to prevent "black mail".

Well, there's much more to read if you are so inclined. I wonder if Ann Taylor's Loft ever considered the history of this particular pattern of plaid? It sort of reminds me of the scene from The Devil Wears Prada where Meryl Streep's Anna Wintour inspired character launches into a diatribe on the origins of one particular shade of blue.

For sizing I took my normal size two in the Marisa Ankle pants. I found that the fit was perfect and these will definitely get quite some use this Fall/Winter, although probably not for any military invasions!

Pants: LOFT Marisa Plaid here

Shirt/Blouse: J. Crew Factory (on clearance in store)

Shoes: Marshall's 

Bracelets: Groopdealz and Forever 21

My Sapphire Slippers

I think I need a nicotine patch to get help with my smoking slipper addiction! Smoking slippers are elegant yet casual and oh so comfy. Given these qualities it is impossible to resist their menswear inspired allure. To top it off they come in a tantalizing range of fabrics and styles ranging from velvet to plaid, studded to spiked, and embroidered to bedazzled.

I decided to try the J. Crew Darby style smoking slipper from J. Crew to feed my addiction. When my size popped back up on the website for navy glitter I was thrilled to give them a try and add to my growing mountain of smoking slippers. I took my regular size 7 in these and they fit like a glove. A sparkly glove nonetheless.  Wearing these eye catching/blinding sparklers did garner a few "Michael Jackson" jabs from my husband, but I just brushed those off. Not everyone loves sparkly things as much as I do. I think females are just naturally inclined to gravitate towards the glitter and shiny objects; it's in our DNA.

 So while I might not be able to kick the smoking slipper habit, at at least it is a stylish addiction!

   Button Down Check Shirt and Pullover: J. Crew 

Jeans: Old Navy

Shoes: J. Crew Glitter Darby Loafers 

On Ponte

I've been pretty "up" on fashion and "in the know" since I first fell in love with the idea of designer clothing back in middle school. I still remember the specific moment when my love, perhaps shallow, but a love nonetheless crystallized on a trip to the Big Apple. I spent countless hours in Manhattan as a child visiting my grandparents in the city, but somehow, all of a sudden, the store windows on 5th Avenue seemed to come alive and entice me for the first time on this particular trip.

So after spending so much time as a "student" of fashion, after spending hours laboring over the pages of Vogue and countless moments drooling over store windows, how is it that I am still learning about the vernacular of fashion? Usually if such a category comes up on Jeopardy I am the know it all, but certain words such as "Peplum", "Midi" or "Ponte" are entirely new to me and I wonder if this has more to do with what is on trend right now as opposed to by lack of knowledge on the subject.

This Ponte striped dress from Target is one of my first "Ponte" pieces in addition to a peplum top this summer from J. Crew. I am not sure if I entirely get what the difference is between Ponte and other similar cotton fabrics, but it does have the perfect amount of stretch and comfort which I desire. I paired this dress with an embellished button down from Kohl's. The shirt from Kohl's "Elle" line is a dead ringer for J. Crew and at $19.99 (plus a coupon) you can't beat it if you can still locate it at your store.

I wore this outfit last night to go out to a dinner that I thoroughly enjoyed. A nearby university, Cal Poly Pomona, has a restaurant on campus that is run by students enrolled in their management and hospitality program. Working at the restaurant is the final course (pun intended) for many students, and they offer a tasty prix fixe menu for dinner for a reasonable price. Usually the food is very good, the service is friendly, and you get to write comments at the end about your experience! This visit last night held an extra special surprise though...

Daymond John of NBC's Shark Tank fame was in attendance at the restaurant and giving a talk at the university during our visit. I saw the menu with John's name on it and we inquired of the student maitre d' about Daymond's presence.  He looked carefully looked around, and responded with a slight nod, as apparently this was a very hush hush dining event. When we were escorted to our seats Daymond's signature diamond stud earring could be seen from across the room and blinded me...what a rock! Well, this is probably stupid to anyone who doesn't watch Shark Tank, but I am a fan, so it was quite the celebrity sighting!