Chic Places

Brentwood : My home since first moving to Los Angeles almost 7 years ago, is obviously my favorite area to live in Los Angeles. It’s a very quiet, mostly residential neighborhood, with only a few commercial areas. It’s residents consist of mostly young professionals, moms in yoga pants, families and beautiful dogs. You won’t find a cool new restaurant opening every couple weeks or a selection of nightclubs to go out in – in fact Brentwood really doesn’t have many people com

U nder the Mexican sun… one of the things I love about vacation is exploring new places but this one was straight relaxation, with the addition of many margaritas and quesadillas. My fiancé (omg did I just say that?!) and I went to Cabo for a friend’s wedding and it was quite the time spent poolside, reapplying multiple layers of 50 SPF and wearing lots of ruffles. I just can’t stop the ruffle train, I think almost every outfit had at least one and I will continue to keep w

Summer in Positano is quite a lovely experience. My love of Italian culture goes way back, even before studying abroad in the very quaint and beautiful Verona, but rather when I made the bold choice to shy away from the typical French and Spanish classes in high school and opt for Italian. I had obviously already loved the food so why not learn the language? Especially growing up in Chicago, which had a rich Italian community, mostly visible to us by their amazing cuisine th

As you may know , I am in full on study mode right now preparing for my licensing exam. Is it just me or does studying make people more creative? I find that when I am bored or forced to pay attention to something of little interest my mind tends to wonder into all sorts of arenas, most of which tend to involve a pool and a margarita. While studying at home has been cozy with all this LA rain and cool-ish temps, I can’t help thinking I would be better off changing up the loca

I spent a long weekend in Vail, Colorado, a charming ski town a couple of hours outside Denver. My boyfriend and I rented a house with a bunch of his friends from high school and it was quite the party I must admit! Imagine lots of fireside games, cocktails, and hot tub dips after day trips to the mountain. As a very beginner skier I didn’t have the easiest time navigating Vail mountain, but I will say my performance starting out was way better then later! I think after lun

Nobody does beach art quite like Gray Malin , and once again, he has completely knocked it out of the ball park with his very recent collaboration with the Coral Casino Beach Club in Santa Barbara . The series just screams summer and is perhaps another accurate portrayal of California dreaming. I love the coral and pink tones against the very bright blue sky and pool. Like all of Gray’s art, taking a look just immediately transports you into somewhere absolutely beautiful,

And they’re instagrammable too… Every city has its restaurants, museums, landmarks, and hotels that give you some insight into the people and culture. But one of the things I love to do in a new city is visit the cafes and coffee shops, the place where people kind of dwell, work, meet, who live in and take part in the creation of the vibe of the city. Los Angeles has an interesting coffee scene as so many of it’s residents are freelancers, writers, bloggers or fall under the

Piggy Vacation… Yes, you read right, we took a vacation, with a cute little pig (aka my boyfriend’s frenchie) Pierre, in my absolute favorite town in California, Carmel by the Sea . I’ve been to the very quaint and cozy destination many times, but this was my first time bringing a dog and I must say, he was very much welcomed! If you have been to Carmel, the little slice of California heaven just about two hours south of San Francisco and neighboring the equally as beautifu

The bright colors just make me so happy to look at. All I can think of is what statement earring to wear with my bathing suits and loose dresses at night. It’s been a long hard year and hopefully you all have some rest and relaxation planned in the near future. I was just in Miami and felt all the good winter vacation vibes inspiring this guide. For the many lucky warm-weather bound I have compiled a big list of all the best vacation essentials. Just looking at all the bright

I can’t express how much I absolutely love New York City . Perhaps it’s because I’m from Chicago, which many say is very similar to New York in terms of landscape, architecture, food and weather, but I think it might also have to do with my love of fashion, art, Olivia Palermo and the ability to find the best of the best within 30 minutes. New York is in some ways the most important city in the country, or maybe I’ve just been in Los Angeles for too long . NYC was actually at

The pink coat… has been a staple of mine since I was thirteen and ordered a hot pink one from Delia’s , the CATALOGUE , literally after filling in the last page with the item numbers and mailing the request. At that time pink wasn’t as popular, but thankfully Legally Blonde came out shortly after, making me look like the young fashionista I always knew I was deep down. As you can see the trend still continues and both my mom and I are fully on board (see below). After getting

It’s the most wonderful time … of the year! This month’s M List is dedicated to the many fun things I am excited to do this winter. Los Angeles might not seem like the most Christmas-like city but people do in fact get excited for the holiday season and the good weather tends to help us celebrate just a little more outside. So aside the many holiday parties and actual celebrations are the more exciting days leading up, when we are perhaps the most hopeful and excited, the th

A pretty pink peacoat … makes the dreary sweater weather in New York so much more bearable, I’d imagine. I was secretly happy about cooler temps during my stay in NYC last week, as they appear to be fleeting in Los Angeles. When I planned for this trip I really wanted layers and fortunately this coat is thin enough to lay nicely over a thick and cozy sweater, without being bulky. Mine is from last year but I linked a very similar and reasonably priced option here . Its also

Well, well, it’s FINALLY sweater weather here in Los Angeles, aka 65 degrees, and I am fully embracing fall now; even outside my air-conditioned office. And to me the fall season always has my style leaning more towards menswear; baggy sweaters, blazers, darker colors like blues, greens, and brown, and of course, a staple men’s watch. I have always loved a ‘borrowed from the boys’ look and an oversized watch is one of the chicest ways to add it in. I have been searching the

To be honest, I wasn’t really a fan of Monte Carlo. There were so many people elbowing to catch a glance of a celebrity kid driving a flashy sports car in a ridiculous shade of yellow. It was obnoxious and tacky in my opinion. But I will say, I was thoroughly obsessed with what I found just west, in Monaco-Ville , the old town Monaco. This charming little village is covered in pastel hues and beautiful little shops, churches and restaurants. Strolling around town is a perfe

All’s well that ends well, and unfortunately all good things must come to an end. I’m full of literary quotes today apparently. But yes, my favorite season has ended. And instead of being sad to see it go, I am excited for a little bit of change, God willing in Los Angeles. I know, I know, I’m being ridiculous saying these things when I live in never ending summer – but summer is more then just a temperature range. Summer signifies the time we take to relax, enjoy, and have

When the moon hits your eye like a big pizza pie that’s amore… one of the dreamiest places I’ve been in Italy, w e have visited so many wonderful places on this trip, but I’d be lying if I said I’ve been to a more romantic place in quite some time. Le Sirenuse is a luxury hotel situated right in the center of town in Positano. We came for a sunset aperitif where I had my first spritz of the trip, followed by a very lovely dinner in their beautiful dinning room. The Italia

Summering in the south of france… was truly as lovely as it sounds. The weather was beautiful, the people were chic, the places were fabulous. Everything really was as romantic, pretty and laid back as you would imagine it to be and I feel so grateful I got to go, already planning my next trip back, but assuming you go before me, here’s a guide to everything wonderful on the côte d’azur! Enjoy! { strolling the magnificent view from the gardens at Villa Ephrussi de Rothschil

Boun pomerrigio! An aperol spritz is more then just a popular drink in the afternoon in Italy, it’s a lifestyle. When I studied abroad in Verona, Italy, I quickly learned within a week of living there that Italians take their happy hour very seriously. And an afternoon aperitif is quite important to them. Whenever you order a spritz they always bring out snacks to accompany it; chips, nuts, olives – America, please take note . It’s just such a nice way to separate night

When I found out our trip to Europe would be starting in Lisbon I will admit that for a second I thought, “wait where is that and is it part of Spain?” But after a little research I quickly realized Portugal was just a small country nearby with some very interesting history and I can see why everyone loves to visit. For anyone considering a visit to Europe, I highly recommend starting in Lisbon as it’s the most western part of Europe, only a 6/7 hour flight from Boston. Lisb