Chic Places

As the story goes every September (now October too) we are doing our best to find Fall. It’s not easy no matter where you live, but particularly for those of us in warmer climates who still crave a chilly morning and that brisk air in the afternoon. Just as we found ourselves here, at this quaint trattoria in town searching for a breeze to cool down the big warm bowl of gnocchi I couldn’t help but order! Ice in my rose, à la piscine as they call it in France, attempting to fi

Think London pink meets Beverly Hills chic. Formerly known as The Montage Beverly Hills, is now The Maybourne. But regardless it’s a property worth visiting despite the brand or namesake. An impressive hotel with Mediterranean features commonly recreated in Southern California like the round arches, red tile and terra cotta exterior, I do find it odd that they imagined a British themed interior but whatever. Similar to the Mondrian Hotel in West Hollywood, this property will

I may have just found new favorite restaurant; which in LA is near impossible for me because I’ve been almost everywhere over the last decade here and have garnered a well established set of places I love with absolutely no intention of budging on! But this new gem, called Violet , might just be the little bistro that could seeing as I found a way to not just go once, but now twice in the same week straight. Luckily it’s nearby and was as perfect for date night with my boys

My favorite place in California, the charming town known for it’s fairytale-like cottages, European flair and magical alleyways. Did I forget to mention it’s by the sea? A seaside escape just two hours south of San Francisco. The sleepy small place with beautiful rugged beaches and Monterey cypress trees that stole my heart years ago on my first visit with my mother up the California coast. We ventured to so many beautiful spots but the most picturesque of course was here. Ca

Finally there’s an appropriate term for the underpinnings of my classic style! Encouraged by breezy beach sunsets, clambakes and chilled white wine, well planned dinner parties in the garden, an affinity for upscale SUV’s and poodle mix dogs, embodied by the emotionally and physically layered women portrayed in Nancy Meyer movies, alas, #CoastalGrandmother! And despite the clarity of the term one doesn’t have to be “coastal” or a “grandmother” to embrace the style mantra that

Any Italian restaurant is likely to make you a cacio e peppe upon request, however, a spritz cocktail is not always guaranteed, at least not in Brentwood, Los Angeles! I’ve lived here my entire Los Angeles life, aside from a tiny stint in neighboring Santa Monica before bringing Arthur back. There are so very many reasons I love Brentwood but the fact that Italian restaurants completely overpower the dining game is just the icing on the cake, or shall I say truffle shavings o

Shop Italia

Ciao ciao, cin cin, we are spritz-ing in the Pacific Palisades! As you know my love for all things Italia have only grown stronger since living abroad in Verona and returning back with Arthur to Positano and Capri. As eager as I am to continue eating my way through Italy I am more than grateful for the chance to keep my Aperol infused spirits alive and well with yet another Italian restaurant that certainly tops the chart. Angelini is a well established eatery located farther

For many un-fun reasons this won’t be a big summer of travel for me so I am doing what I tend to do best, wanderlust from afar! Top 10 Italy Escape Photo credits // @italia_vivi @nicolecalogiuri @andiamoconnoi_ @bsvalentinaC No. 1 Verona A nd the ladies over at Bond and Grace , a female owned publishing house and art shop, seem to have the same idea here given their great love for traveling back in time in the very best of ways, transporting us through that of a classic st

Fun fact, we almost stayed at this chic little hotel reminiscent of Palm Beach in all it’s glory yet set in the Caribbean on the little French island of St. Barts . The only barrier being that the reservation was non-refundable, hence why we choose Villa Marie instead. And while I was very pleasantly surprised with our choice, I’d be lying if I said I wouldn’t want to stay in this little pink boutique hotel again next time. Thus it was high priority for me to find any r

We came to St. Barts as an extension of our trip to Florida for a wedding , excited for a our first big getaway from Parker and eager to explore the buzzy island. We arrived on the little plane a bit shaken by the rainy weather and steep landing, but happy to find our hotel’s valet waiting for us with a big smile and bright personality, in addition to two substantial yellow striped umbrellas. As he drove us up and into the rolling hillsides that make up this teeny island

Shopping for St. Barts was extremely exciting given I wasn’t fully confident we’d make the trip. I’ve been wanting to visit this chic little island for so long and there were oh so many hoops we had to jump through to make it all happen from childcare for our bébé, to covid testing, to booking multiple flights and coordinating international travel for the first time in a few years; it was a lot! All the details on how to get there, here . (also feather dress pictured above,

I’ve been wanting to visit this chic little Caribbean island for years! Saint Barthélemy, commonly referred to as St. Barts, is a slice of fanciful heaven in the French West Indies, a territory of France known for being absolutely fabulous. Everyone speaks French and everyone working in hospitality is from France, essentially making St. Barts a tropical version of Saint Tropez. The island is small and exclusive, most likely because it can be challenging to get to {how to get

St. Barts, aka Saint Barthélemy, is a small Caribbean island in the French West Indies famous for its chic set of jet setting visitors and upscale accommodations. In addition to being a glamorous and buzzy island, part of the exclusivity remains it’s limited modes of entry, the steep dive into the island on a ten seater plane and even steeper hotel prices! And especially if you’re like us and don’t live on the East Coast it’s a much longer stretch of travel, hence why I jumpe

The good news is I made it down the mountain in one piece. …I did take the orange net with me. And I can guarantee you I looked good doing it. Well we made our first trip away from le bébe two hours away and into the snow of all places! Big Bear has always been in the back of my mind since moving to Los Angeles ten years ago . I was baffled a place like this could exist so close to the year round sunshine. Snow just two hours away? Skiing just two hours away? I’m starting to

My mother is a New Year’s Day birthday baby, making each January 1st since the age of sixteen dare I say- challenging. But this year I have a baby so suffice to say I was more affected by the mound of mac and cheese my husband made and lack of sleep staying up past midnight the night before this time around. And fresh off our trip to Palm Springs my mother I snuck out for a little celebratory lunch at the most resort-worthy of destinations in Los Angeles and a favorite of min

Well I knew this year’s resortwear guide would likely hit different, as last year’s required a not so effective coverup {pun fully intended} of my now eight month old delight. Le bèbè and le covid which will never sound chic no matter how many French words you put with it, have been perhaps the biggest barriers to finding sun in an exotic locale these last few years. But don’t you fret. I live in Southern California, thank goodness. When I asked my mother if she’d rather

Tis’ the season of sweaters! Especially in LA when it takes quite some time for the beloved coat. Of course it’s hard to tell here in sunny Los Angeles, but the time for something chunky and warm is right given the low temps in the morning, shady afternoons and windy evenings making us all a little more prone to a warm drink at home. This was Parker’s first excursion at one of my favorite spots in Los Angeles, Hotel Bel-Air where the swans swim as you enter and music plays i

My recent trip to Chicago was overbooked and busy in the best of ways. Following a redeye flight I rushed to my rental car and zoomed into the city for an early morning shoot on the Gold Coast before meeting my lovely little sister Becky at the AIRE Ancient Baths in River North for some early birthday celebrations. Like most cool things these days I found this special spot on Instagram and instantly felt relaxed thumbing through photos of its candlelit pools, subtly aligned a

Well we managed a little night out on the town to celebrate my birthday just the two of us, even though we had meant to go with another couple, but plans changing appears to be the new theme of 2021. I set us up at Avra, which is the closest you’ll get to a Mykonos Beach Club in Southern California, located right in the center of Beverly Hills. It’s quite a place, buzzing about with people who like to dress, see and be scene while they munch on pricey appetizers. The food is