Classic Style

This weekend I hosted some girlfriends for dinner and drinks. I know these girls from working as a therapist and we all happened to earn our professional licenses  this year and so of course we needed to celebrate! And as you know I love any excuse to get creative, so I decided to do a little garden party theme this time given it’s summertime. Starting with the most adorable invitation from Paperless Post , I couldn’t help myself , despite inviting only three people! Aside

I just said goodbye to the apartment I have been living in for 7 years. My entire time so far in Los Angeles has been here, in the only place I have ever called home in the city of angels. And now, I am moving in with my fiance in not so far away Santa Monica and I must say, it’s been quite the send off. Obviously there are many good things about this move. The most important is starting a new chapter with Arthur and his adorable little frenchie, Pierre. Second, Santa Monica

We all need to beat the heat it’s summertime and now the 4th of July! So I figured it’s only right to debut my first “chic eats’ series post with a new warm weather classic, the basics’ beloved frosè. It’s extremely easy to make, thanks to this amazing recipe I found from Abby Capalbo for Style Me Pretty. The only thing I changed from the original recipe is use of a grapefruit garnish, in addition to the a sprig of lavender. Another option would be to use a strawberry, wh

My favorite season and therefore also the inspiration for the majority of everything I love. Anything that gives an idea of summer is what I try to surround myself with all year round. I love the blue tones and bright splashes of color people wear on the beach and I try to decorate and dress that way as much as possible. { 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 } Some stand outs this year is definitely everything Rebecca de Ravenel creates. I was desper

Eat: A little beach Mexican spot I used to frequent a lot just reopened under new ownership as Tallulah’s in Santa Monica and it’s darling. The owners also did other favorites of mine like  Cassia ,  Ester’s ,  Sweet Rose , and  Milo + Olive , all of which I love and highly recommend. I went with some friends on a Sunday so I didn’t get to try the margs but the fish tacos and guacamole were delicious. It’s been redecorated to include all the necessities for hip LA crowd, flo

Birthday celebrations are always so fun but I must be honest when I say that finding a good gift is tough for a number of reasons. A lot of my friends live far away and I am not always eager to spend time at the store or drop a ton of money on a gift I’m not so sure they will like and then ship it all the way to Chicago. Even for local friends I’m often the one signing the card in the car, late to dinner after circling for parking for 20 minutes to avoid the valet. And while

See :   The Gospel According to Andre , full disclosure, I have already seen it and it was FANTASTIC.  I had always known a good amount about Andrè Leon Talley as a fashion icon and major player at Vogue but I never quite understood the depth of what he represented and did for not only the culture of the fashion industry but the culture of America. I really encourage any person too see it, even if you’re not that interested in fashion but rather just interested in seeing the

Summer’s coming, hence the beach parties are starting. And just in time for Memorial Day I have another fun beach picnic setup for you to recreate this weekend. Last Saturday was my fiancé Arthur’s birthday and so of course I did what I love to do, elevating the simple things in life. So when he asked for a fun day at the beach, I answered.  We had about eleven friends join us for the day and it worked out great. I probably won’t recreate this for the long holiday weekend but

It’s a fizzy and fabulous cocktail that I absolutely love! Combining all my favorite spirits in one refreshing drink, the French 75 is comprised of gin and champagne, with a lemon twist. It’s a perfect remedy for a warm summer day or nice aperitif on Saturday night. I happen to drink them all year round but it certainly pairs best during the summer. Not every bartender will know what you’re talking about when you order one, so be prepared to give them the scoop, after you mak

So I PASSED MY EXAM!  Make your therapy appointments now because I can finally practice independently, just kidding ! Passing this exam means I’m officially able to practice as a therapist, which I’ve been doing for about four years now, but under a supervisor’s license. Now that I have passed this exam, I will be able to have my own practice and operate a bit more independently. If anyone else has had goals that require a licensing exam, I have so much empathy for you. I’m

There’s just nothing that compares to wearing white, and I’m not talking bridal. I’m trying to think how far back my obsession goes, but I can say for certain, it’s the chicest statement a person can make. Some of my favorite staples being a crisp white collared shirt, a structured white blazer, a summery little white dress. And of course the other classics you can’t go wrong with, white denim, white bikinis, white ruffles. They all get me and I get them back! Despite the rul

My mother is the hardest person to shop for. Anyone else have this problem? She and I have very similar taste, which is why I am still so puzzled that she ends up exchanging at least 90% of the gifts I give her. That is why last year for the holidays my sister and I decided to change it up a bit and get her a more experiential gift. That gift was a personal shopper so she could politely decline someone else’s ideas. And the result was perfect; she LOVED it and I think has eve

Go: On a bike ride, LA weather permitting, possibly on the beach or around Santa Monica. I love ridding around Montana avenue, always with the hope of grabbing a slice of my favorite peanut butter chiffon cake from Sweet Lady Jane! I t’s also the perfect time to start sunset beach picnics, and you know how much I love those . EAT: A girls night out at Sunset Tower Hotel . It’s an iconic piece of Los Angeles history, perched above the city on the famous Sunset Boulevard and

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

It’s the trend I swear I won’t tire of! Hence my second post itemizing all the statement earrings I’m currently lusting over right now, a few of which I had to grab for myself. It’s like irresistible candy for a five year old. Ever since Rebecca de Ravenel created the lovely Les Bonbons the statement earring trend set afire again and I couldn’t be more satisfied. For anyone heading on vacation or just over the cold-ish, rainy-ish weather I recommend stepping it up with so

Trench coats, pastels, lattes, macarons, rainy afternoons, wellies, florals, embellishments, pink, violet, mint, rain boots, umbrellas, skirts, grey skies, long walks, warm afternoons, fresh flowers, melting snow, bike rides, drizzle – all the many things I love about Spring. It’s also another chance to yet again, feel a bit rejuvenated with work, friendships, style and purge! { image source} I love cleaning out all the stuff I’ve held onto and even though I tend to do this f

Spring means many things, flowers coming back into bloom, melting snow, rainy afternoons, taxes and if you’re in your 20s or 30s you are most likely entering into another wedding season. What started a few years ago for me as a wedding here and there has now become a full blown reality, with about four weddings already set for this year and four last. { dress | green tassel earrings } And I must say I am quite excited for all of them, it’s a really sweet feeling to be incl

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

My desk is my sanctuary and my favorite place to be in my apartment. It’s where I am most productive, most creative and most cozy, especially on a rainy day like today. And so I love gathering both functional and beautiful things to place on it and keep me inspired. One of the things I was missing was some type of calendar I could glance at quickly to stay organized and visualize my upcoming month. Hence, the very lovely, wanderlust inspiring around the world calendar   by L