Classic Style

As someone who absolutely loves an opportunity to attend to the details, this guide has a lot of room in my heart. I’m sure you probably know somebody similar, who cares about whether or not the coffee table book stack coordinates in color and size, who wants the right mix of decor on the mantelpiece and can spend a minimum of three hours reorganizing a coffee table. Even those who aren’t as detail obsessed as myself can appreciate a beautiful way to layout cocktails and appe

Let’s just stay in… this was my favorite guide of them all to create because if I had to identify my favorite part of the holiday season it would likely be the time spent at home, cuddled up on the couch, by a warm fire, sipping a hot drink, reading or watching something great. I have lots of memories being a young kid in Chicago, staying in where it was warm and spending time with my family and friends. I loved the decorating, the baking, the books and the cozy pajamas. I lo

Keep it classic… is my style mantra and many others too. Gift giving can be tricky, especially for the important people in your life, but these are all items that almost every woman with style is likely to love. Colors like camel and black can be far from boring and stuffy. { no. 1 | no. 2 | no. 3 | no. 4 | no. 5 | no. 6 | no. 7 | no. 8 | no. 9 | no. 10 | no. 11 | no. 12 | no. 13 } -MGN

Here we go again… Gift Guides for the holiday season are going live starting today! This year I will be dispersing them individually each week instead of one overwhelming guide all at once. I decided to start with my monogrammed guide as anything personalized tends to take some extra time to order. Which is honestly one of the reasons I love receiving monogrammed gifts, because the thoughtfulness behind them is always there. It also makes me feel extra special to have somethi

There’s a cheese plate for every season… And this is mine for this fall! My new obsession this time? Figs! As you might remember from my fall cocktail post , figs have been the most perfect accent to any autumn dish or drink. Obviously I am not the first one to figure this out but I am glad I finally got with it. And for a cheese plate it’s a wonderful addition due to it’s natural sweetness. I have always seen lots of fig based spreads in the cheese section of the market and

Oh so cozy, was how I felt in my yummy new teddy coat on the red-eye to New York. It was the only favorable part of the whole flight experience given I just cannot sleep on planes unfortunately. Like everyone else I have been seeing these coats everywhere, on everyone, and I finally decided I needed to be snugged up too, even in Los Angeles. { pink teddy coat | cream turtleneck sweater | jeans |  captoe pumps   similar } And I honestly struck the jackpot with mine ; it’s

I think New York City is now my favorite place in America to visit, Miami comes in as a close second. I would love to have an extended stay at some point, perhaps a month to fully feel like I have lived a little life as a pseudo New Yorker. Hopefully at some point I will get the chance to do this and perhaps replicate it in a few other destinations too; most importantly in London/Surrey so I can basically repeat the plot of the beloved seasonal classic, The Holiday. But for m

What happens when two of your favorite things come together? Well obviously magic, like when the fabulous lifestyle photographer Gray Malin shoots at the iconic Beverly Hills Hotel ! This series got me quite excited and eager to splurge on some beautiful new art. Gray really channelled the timeless glamour of an era in which we all love to revisit upon stepping onto the Hollywood inspired red carpet when you pull up. Surely Gray caught all the most picture perfect moments

A nice night in, is something to be cherished. The older I get, the wiser I become about my precious time at home. Anyone else prefer happy hour at home or brunch and dinner in your own kitchen? Don’t get me wrong, I love to get social and frequent all the fun spots for food and cocktails, but my drive for running to all the new hotspots or going out for just the sake of it has deteriorated. Perhaps it’s age or just a personal preference, but one thing is true for us all, we

These are the details I live for… I was recently in New York and we quickly stopped for a glass of champagne at the cutest little French spot, Petite Boucherie.  When we sat down at the bar and the waiter handed us a few menus I noticed the most adorable yellow tassel dangling from the menu. For most people, including the ones I was with, this is an easily overlooked and even seemingly unnecessary decorative detail. But for me, it’s just another beautiful reminder of how the

It was a truly magical evening last weekend, attending a beautiful wedding at the esteemed New York Public Library. The venue alone had me quite excited, as like many people who grew up on the Sex and the City idea of New York couldn’t forget the place Carrie had intended on marrying Mr. Big, who looking back I see major issues with, but that deserves another post in itself . That dream obviously didn’t pan out for shoe loving Carrie but I can assure you it did for this lovel

Finally , my favorite season for dressing is here. As much as summer truly is my favorite season, I can’t help but get excited for autumn weather.  It’s more fun when there’s more you can do with so many layers and accessories. But for the most part I just always want to wear a sweater. So from my last few weeks of searching for all the goods of the new season, I’ve rounded up all my favorites for you. Enjoy! { 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 } { 1 | 2 | 3 | 4

My trip to NYC.  Arthur and I are headed to New York soon for a wedding and I can’t be more excited. I can’t wait to see the changing leaves, run through central park and hopefully experience some legitimate Fall weather. I of course have a list of places to eat and things to do but I think I am just most excited to experience the energy of New York City. It’s such a different lifestyle and pace than Los Angeles and reminds me of a much bigger and quicker Chicago.  2. So many

A simple autumn cocktail, just brut champagne and a fig to garnish. That’s it everyone, what else can I say in this post? Let me try. Why do I need to get so festive, even if it’s just adding a simple slice of fig in my champagne glass? Because I just love the repetition of the seasons. As I have attempted to articulate many times before, I think there is something so comforting about knowing what to expect. It’s as if the changing of the weather and the traditions we attach

Tweed is essentially the chicest clothing material. Harking back to Coco Chanel’s infamous two piece suits and the jacket that remains one of the most timeless style pieces in American fashion. For some, tweed might seem a bit old school or too thick a material to enjoy, but I will forever keep wearing anything reminiscent of what I consider one of my most basic style obsessions. Fortunately it seems to have survived the test of time and is no longer only accessible at a Chan

Of the many tasks I have planning my upcoming wedding, finding a great source for all things paper is becoming more and more important on my to-do list. I am old fashioned when it comes to correspondence, like talking on the phone and saying thank you on paper or writing something thoughtful for a friend on their birthday. So as much as I love online invitations for some things, I certainly won’t be using anything digital for my wedding. From the invitations, save-the-dates,

Fashion week in NYC just commenced and of course I wasn’t there but it was such a fun thing to watch over the last few days following influencers on Instagram bounce from show to show and share such beautiful content. I loved searching through all the stunning looks on Vogue Runway , which if you aren’t familiar replaced Style.com and is the one stop shop for every season’s looks. You can either download their app or go straight to Vogue’s website and it has everything. I h

Last easiest way to decorate a table… is with these little retro prints I found online! They are both memorable and super economical. My very good friend Emma just left Los Angeles to our hometown of Chicago to start her next chapter and so of course we couldn’t let her leave without a proper send off. If you’re not familiar, Emma and I moved to Los Angeles together, right after finishing college to start our adult lives. It was a big undertaking but also an exciting one, whi

Why just have cake? For my birthday this year I knew I’d be having a few smaller celebrations rather than one big party, so of course I needed a few options for dessert. And since I have been gathering ideas lately for my wedding Pinterest board, I’ve been reminded how much I love macaron towers. They are just so beautiful and I actually found a DIY post to make one at home. So I decided I’d try my hand at it and it’s fairly simple to do. The only issue I ran into was keepi

Having my cake, eating and drinking it too? This year I had a small lunch with some friends before another party to celebrate turning 29 years old. As you may already know I have been drinking brut rosé a lot more in place of wine or a cocktail because it’s delicious and basically has no sugar in comparison to other wines and most champagne or other sparkling wine varieties. It’s also doesn’t hurt that it’s a perfect shade of pink. So when I found out the restaurant that I wa