Black & White Is Right!

I feel like black clothes often get forgotten during the summer. They are left to collect dust while  the bright colors debuted.  Well I am here to defend my staple go to color and say Black IS a color!!  Also, it can be summery when paired with the right ensemble.  One of the things that there is no lack of in my closet is black.  Don't get me wrong, I love and insist on pops of color in my wardrobe repertoire,  but this particular color NEVER goes out of style!  

That being said,  one of the many things that really compliments black is white.  With this outfit I wore a black top with a precious ruffled back to add an extra  feminine touch.  I paired it with my white jeans, black sandals, black purse and white accessories. 

Sunnies: Chanel

Top: Impeccable Pig

Necklace: Alexis Bittar

Purse: Chanel

Jeans: J Brand

Shoes: Chanel

The ruffled back sold me on this top!

Earrings: Kendra Scott

Ring: David Yurman

Bracelet: David Yurman

Sandals: Chanel

Xoxo,

B

Baby Blues

This outfit is perfect for summer and has the right amount of sass and prep.  And if you know me, you know I love ALL things preppy!  These Chambray sandals are too much.  I can't deal with how cute  and  versatile they are.  They go with everything  (colors and outfit options)  They would even be cute with a sweet sun dress.  This baby blue dress shirt is one of my favorites things in my closet.  It's so versatile and you can dress it up or down.  I can't fail to mention the cut…it's amazing.  It's slim fit and divine, I simply adore it.  Every girl should own one! Let's get to the best thing about this ensemble…the Kendra Scott necklace.  OMG, I'm obsessed with it and how many things in my closetI can pair it with.  It goes with EVERYTHING!!!  Coincidently these pictures were taken in front of Kendra Scott, right after I made this lovely purchase.

Sunnies: Chanel

Shirt: J Crew

Pants: J Brand

Bag: Chanel

Necklace: Kendra Scott

Shoes: J Crew

Nail Polish: Butter brand, "Trout Pout"

Xoxo,

B

Traveling Girl

Wow, posting for me has been very rare lately.  I've been throwing myself into my volunteer work and loving every minute of it.  That leaves little time for blogging after you factor in the taking care of the husband and house thing!  Last weekend we went to the Hamptons for a birthday of one of our dear friends.  It's a tradition at this pint and it's a whirlwind each year.  Unfortunately I didn't get any great blog photos except for the first few that we took while we waited at the Airport in NYC.  I can tell you one thing for certain, the weekends ensembles were very East Coast and preppy.  Which happen to be two of my favorite combinations!!

Here is the full look, then it's broken down below.  This outfit was so incredibly comfy yet super cute!  BTW, I overpacked as usual:) 

Sunnies: Chanel

Top: J Crew

Necklace: Alexis Bittar

Bangles: David Yurman

Earrings: Kendra Scott

Ring: Kendra Scott

Pants: J Brand

Sandals: Chanel

Suitcase: TUMI

Carry on: Louis Vuitton

Necklace: Alexis Bittar

Arm Candy: David Yurman

Earrings: Kendra Scott

Ring: Kendra Scott 

Sunnies: Chanel

Earrings: Kendra Scott

Ring: Kendra Scott  

Warning: below is a picture of my feet, the are scary ugly, not for the faint of heart...you've been warned!

Sandals: Chanel 

Here is a pic of my husband and I before heading out to dinner with the group.  This outfit may be one of my favorite going out ensembles!  I had a couple of full body shots but this one shows the vibrant blue the best. :) Not pictured are my nude heels with this little number.  Our friend Lauren and her sister co-founded the "Party Skirt".  It comes in several different color and length options.  You can find them here.  They are a Canadian based company that is ALL about empowering women :)  LOVE IT!

That is all I have for you today!

Xoxo,

B

Spontaneity Is the Spice of Life!

Sorry it's been a few days since my last post.  We have been changing cities almost daily since being in the South of France, so there's rarely time to blog!

Here we are, heading to the train station in Paris.

Sunnies: Chanel
Scarf:  Shop in Paris
Top: Zara
Bangle: Hermes

Since my last post,  we have visited Nice, Cannes & St Tropez.  We rented a sweet little 1956 Mercedes SL 190 and have been cruising to nearby hot spots!

Cruising our ride to the city of Grasse to visit the Fragonard Perfumier Museum!

Sunnies Chanel

Earrings: Chanel

Scarf: Tory Burch

Trench: Burberry

Top: J Crew

In Cannes!

Bikini: Vix

When Chris and I travel,  we are known for driving an hour or two away from our hotel to a cool spot and deciding to stay with nothing but the clothes we wore to town! Yesterday, we drove to St Tropez and laid out on the beach all afternoon.  We then decided to stay the night.  It's an hour and a half away from our hotel in Nice,  so staying the night sounded more fun than driving back at the end of the day!

In St Tropez

Fedora: J Crew

Top: Zara

Pants: Nordstrom

Beach Bag: Bought in a shop in St Tropez

In St Tropez

Bathing Suit:Vix

Fedora: J Crew

Sunnies: Chanel

Luckily St Tropez is known as a tiny city with big city amenities.  They have to be with the kind of people that frequent there. So since all we had were the clothes on our backs, we had to do some shopping to buy all of the comforts of home for the night.  Unfortunately for Chris,  I'm not low maintenance!

By the end of our shopping trip  to buy toiletries, perfume, makeup, clothes & undies, it was time to shower and hit the town.

We enjoyed a late dinner and walking through the tiny streets of this vintage town!

We woke up to the most beautiful ocean view and had breakfast over looking the Mediterranean!

St Tropez, view from our room.

After that, we headed back to Nice to catch some sun and spend the day on the beach here.

In Nice

Bathing Suit: Robin Piccone

Back in Nice.

We found all of this amazing Sea Glass!  I was obsessed,  the ocean just happens to producer glass in all of my favorite colors!:)

Off to bed now,  I'm sun burned, tired & we are heading to Monaco and Italy tomorrow!  After that,  we are heading home to see our furry babies!! 

Xoxo, 
B

Queen of Versailles & Maison Chanel

Today we woke up early to go visit Versailles.  It was quite the place.  Seeing the Hall of Mirrors in person was really neat.  They are restoring the fountains and a portions of the Palace.  I honestly could have done the gardens alone and skipped the inside!

Our main reason for going was to ride bikes through Versailles.  That was worth the trip alone.  The weather was warm and sunny.  Not a cloud in the sky!  It was like something out of a dream!  Drinking champagne and enjoying a picnic on the great lawns of this grand palace!

You may recognize my dress?!  I'm all about repeating outfits,  just switching up the jewelry or shoes.  Even just changing your hair can change the look of an entire ensemble.  Last time you saw me in this I dressed it up for our restaurants opening.  This time I wore my cork peep toe flats and a cardigan with my hair half up.  It changed the look entirely.  It couldn't have been a better outfit for visiting such a grand place (in my humble opinion;))  I wanted a timeless look with a touch of class!  I may wear it again in Monaco,  I'm on a lengthy vacation and options are getting slim at this point!!

Sunnies: Chanel

Clutch: Christian Louboutin

Cardigan: J Crew

Dress: Moulinette Soeurs

Shoes: Stuart Weitzman

Now can we please get to the BEST part of our day (for me)?!  I got to go to the House of Chanel.  Here,  I am photographed sitting on the famous steps up that go to the second floor of her apartment!  She walked up and down these steps every day!  Pretty freaking spectacular getting to pose on them like the great Mademoiselle Coco Chanel!!!  A little history lesson,  when Chanel first began,  she was a hat maker.  The House of Chanel is the same place it was when she first began: 31 Rue de Cambon!!

This is a picture of the Happiest girl in the world!!! :-)  

After this,  we walked to three different Cafés and had a glass of Bordeaux.  Then enjoyed a break in the shade on some lush green grass.  Now we are back at the hotel about to grab dinner.  Tomorrow,  we head to Nice (the South of France)!  Our Tour de France officially commences at 6 AM! Au Revoir!

XOXO,
B

Vintage Wine, Buildings & Clothes

So apparently I was too tired to post this yesterday.  I wrote it and saved it but didn't finish it.  So this and my previous post are out of order....sorry!

Today we went to the Louvre, stopped by some water fountains on the way. 

Sunnies: Chanel

Shirt: J Crew

Trench: Burberry

Belt: Hermès

Ring: David Yurman

Jeans: J Brand

Shoes: Tods

Purse: Tory Burch

Sport Coat: Bonobos

Shirt: J Crew

Pants: Bonobos

Belt: 1901

Shoes: Zara

You may not see it,  but that's a picture of me at the Louvre taking a picture (towards the right).  Chris is quite artistic when he wants to be!

After the Louvre,  we stopped in at Didier Ludot at Palias Royale (vintage shop that Roger buys Rachel's present in on the Rachel Zoe Project), ate lunch at a cute outdoor restaurant called  Muscade Palais Royal right by the vintage shop. 

Then we went to Fragonard Perfumier and got some fragrances that you can only by here and in Nice.  On the was we saw the Opera House.  A highlight for me was the Hermès Flagship store.  It was the biggest one in the world.  Floors and floors of gorgeous hats, scarves and Purses!  By this time,  we were super tired so we grabbed a pedi cab to take us back to our hotel.

We rested up for a short while,  then went to Le Bistro Marbeuf for dinner.  It was more of a local spot.  I'm not sure why,  but I seem to finish every bite on my plate here.  Must be the amazing food.  It will be hard to eat in America after eating here.  

FYI:  for those of you who have food allergies....they will possibly be better if not non existent here.  I can't have dairy, sugar or corn.  They don't put corn or corn syrup in anything here.  Food is extremely unprocessed and pure.  Even the chicken tastes differently. My mouth waters just talking about it! Mmmmmm!

Anyway,  then we retired to our room,  I took a very HOT bath and now I'm going to bed. Sooooo sleepy! Bonne unit!

XOXO,
B

Key to my Heart!

Today was an incredible day!  The weather was perfect.  It was so warm that I got to wear a dress.  

We went to Notre Dame,  right in front is the padlock bridge where you and your soul mate put a lock and throw your key into the Seine River!  

It was super romantic.  Then we enjoyed lunch and wine outside of Notre Dame.

Hat: Target

Sunnies: Chanel

Earrings: Chanel

Dress: Glam

Purse: Tory Burch

Arm Candy: David Yurman, Hermès

Watch: Michele

Necklace: DKM Designs

Belt: J Crew

Shoes: Gianni Bini

After that, we went to the Musée d'Orssey.  Then we went over to the Eiffel Tower to take a break under the trees.  We rested under there a few before going back to the hotel to change for dinner.

We took this picture before dinner,  I'm missing my dogs and one of them is named Winston.  There happens to be a Harry Winston in the ground floor of our hotel.  So this photo had to be taken in honor of him!

Sunnies: Chanel

Necklace: Tasha

Watch: Kate Spade

Purse: Tory Burch

Arm Candy: David Yurman

Cardigan: J Crew

Blouse: Lush

Camisole: Zara

Jeans: Joe's

Shoes: Stuart Weitzman

We had dinner at Chez Francis.  After dinner,  we moved tables and enjoyed a glass of wine before retiring to our room. 

Tomorrow we are going to Versailles so we have to get to bed early!  Bonne unit!

Xoxo,
B

30 in Paris

Yesterday was my 30th birthday....what a day!!

I felt as though I was dreaming,  everything went flawlessly,  even my favorite songs played on the radio while I was getting ready!

Unfortunately I didn't get a single good picture of a full outfit on my phone yesterday!  I was too distracted by the many things going on.

We started the day off with room service overlooking the Eiffel Tower.  Then we went shopping,  directly across the street from our hotel (The Plaza Athenée) the street is lined with high end fashion, Louis Vuitton, Chanel, Valentino...the list goes on!  Then we wandered over to Champs-Élysées,  this is the road with the Arc de Triumph.  On this road is one of my favorite sweet stops...Ladurée!  It was a destination on our list for sure! OMG,  so delicious and beautiful.

Then we walked over to find my Aunts old apartment, which is right across from the Arc, she lived here about 10 years ago. 

There's Chris posing in a picture for her.  From here we walked over to Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré.  This street is known as being one of the most fashionable streets in the world.  It has the top designers of the world: Christian Louboutin, Dior, Lanvin, Chanel...the list goes on! 

After that we worked up a hefty appetite and had lunch at a chic Parisian spot called L'Avenue right by our hotel!  Holy poached Salmon,  that place was delicious.

Then we came back to the room and took an afternoon nap.  It was much needed after all of the walking and staying up late the night before :)! 

Then I woke up and got ready for my birthday dinner.  Luckily it was a good hair and makeup day,  I needed it to be for my birthday ensemble!

Again,  I didn't get a full body shot on my phone, but you can get the idea:

Earrings: Chanel

Necklace: J Crew

Dress: Ted Baker

Shoes: Christian Louboutin

Clutch: Christian Louboutin

I'll post a better picture once I arrive back in the states.  

We hoped into a car and it took us right over to the Eiffel Tower where we were met by an employee of the restaurant.  We were then escorted to a private elevator and taken up to the top to enjoy our dinner at Le Jules Verne. It was the BEST meal of my life.  It even tops French Laundry in my book!  The view was breathtaking and every thing from the wine, to the service to the food was perfection!  We took this picture when we were leaving the restaraunt...

After dinner we came back to the hotel and had another glass of wine in the hotels ultra chic corridor.  

We retired to our room and enjoyed a few laughs and more wine!  The wine here is so good but I never seem to get typsy, it's the strangest thing!  So that was my perfect 30th birthday.  It was such a milestone birthday that could not have been celebrated in any better way for me! 

We're off to explore the city! Bonjour!

Xoxo,
B

Our Last Day in London..

Today was our last day in London.  Tomorrow is the 60 year anniversary of the Queens Coronation.  needless to say there is a lot of Pomp and Circumstance among us. We got to see the trooping of the colour (we were told it only happens once a year), we went to Hyde Park, Chelsea and Knightsbridge!  

We spent most of our day at Harrod's shopping.  I was in heaven, it was 5 entire floors of heaven.  Neat fact, they just opened the largest Christian Louboutin store in the world inside of Harrod's and they actually have sizes in stock!!!  

I introduced Chris to Zara Men today!  I think I've created a monster;)!  He is really excited that they have such great stuff at such great prices.  He fits in so perfectly here.  It's been fun watching him enjoy fashion the way that I do!

Today's Euro outfit was very similar to the other day,  different blazer, hat and necklace though!  It was another gorgeous day today.

Fedora: Target

Sunnies: Chanel

Necklace: J Crew

Chambray shirt: J Crew

Silk Camisole: J Crew

Blazer: Zara

Bangles: David Yurman & Hermès

Watch: Michele

Jeans: J Brand

Shoes: Tory Burch

Purse: Prada

Scarf on bag: Hermès

Xoxo,

B

Fish 'n chips and Penny Loafers

We slept in until 11:30 today,  needless to say we got a very late start!  We still got a lot accomplished.  We saw the Tower of London, London Bridge, Trafalgar Square and St Paul's Cathedral!  This is where Princess Diana and Charles married.  Those of you who know me,  understand how big of a deal that was for me:)!  We finished off our afternoon by grabbing lunch at a pub with the best fish and chips in London at The Golden Fleece Pub.  It came out with a green substance and I got excited and said "Honey look, guacamole!"  He and the server looked at me like I was an idiot.  Then my husband sweetly informed me that guac was a Tex Mex thing and that the server had no idea what I was referring too!  Turns out it was "mushy peas"!  Well it was delicious!  All of it:).

Today was the first sunny day in two weeks!  So I wore a thin cashmere sweater and equally thin cropped mint jeans paired with pennies!  Perfect outfit for this gorgeous warm day! Here I am in front of the very doors the Princess Diana walked through to become a princess 32 years ago!

Earrings: Kendra Scott

Sunnies: Chanel

Sweater: J Crew

Belt: Hermès

Watch: Michele

Crossbody: Tory Burch

Bangles: David Yurman

Jeans: J Brand

Pennies: Tods 

Xoxo,

B

Leaving on a Jet Plane

The day has finally come....we are headed to the airport for our Europe trip! I'm so excited that I hardly slept last night.  

When I dress for the airport I never wear sloppy clothes.  I always do comfy but still don't look like I just rolled out of bed! Wearing Juicy & Uggs to the airport looks too Paris Hilton wannabe for my taste. I'm not trying to look like Daddy's Princess!  I think it's important to look stylish and classy because you never know who you will be sitting next to on your flight.  Our last flight had 4 A-B list celebrities within a chair from us.  

It probably stems back to my obsession with the 50's.  People used to dress up to fly,  it was a privilege!  I like to carry on with that tradition!

Our first stop is London, so to pay homage I am wearing my Burberry summer scarf!  Cheesy I know,  but I love everything British (I'm an Anglophile)!

I'm a bit of an over packer,  but managed to fit everything for a 3 week trip into one 27" suitcase, a hat box and a tote!  Impressive,  I know:)!

Stay tuned for daily posts of our Euro travels!! 

Sunnies: Chanel

Earrings: Pearls

Cardigan: J Crew

V neck: American Apparel

Scarf: Burberry

Watch: Michele

Leggings: J Crew

Flats: Tory Burch

Trench: Burberry

Luggage: TUMI, Vintage Samsonite hat box

Xoxo

B

It's Friday, I'm in Love…with Red!

It's Friday, I am grabbing lunch with a girlfriend and then we are going to have a girlie day.  I wanted to be causal but cute, so I am wearing my super comfy boyfriend jeans and tee shirt.  To add some pizazz to this casual look I paired it with red lips, red heels and a statement necklace!  Nothing says fun and sexy better than red shoes, lips!  To dress it down & keep it dressier than flip flops, do the staple ballet flats.

Remember if you do red lips, go easy on the eye makeup!! 

Tee: J Crew crew neck

Necklace: J.Crew

Jeans: AG Tomboy

Shoes: Manolo Blahnik
Lipstick: Chanel

Xoxo,
B

Feeling Parisian

I have the best husband, he is taking me away to Europe for my 30th birthday.  I have obviously been counting down the seconds to when we leave and of course learning the beautiful French Language.  We leave in 12 days.  So today, in honor of our upcoming getaway,  I decided to wear a Paris inspired frock.  The Parisians are known for their stripes and of course for the color red!  Even better, stripes and red are tres chic this season in the states.

Red Lipstick: Chanel

Striped Shirt: Zara

Earrings: Vintage Chanel

Red Skinnies: Joe's Jeans

Sandals: Gianni Bini

Watch: Michele

Arm Candy: David Yurman

I'm being a bit more American with the red lips and coiffed updo (Parisians are very simple and often try to look like they didn't try at all, with messy hair and al la natural makeup).  However, red lips make me feel sassy and it's a top knot kind of day.  BTW, I promised a top knot video to a friend last night, so stay tuned for how I do this simple style.   I really wanted to add some killer heels with this look. I'm running errands today so heels are highly impractical. For even more ideas on how to wear stripes this season:

And of course the always gorgeous Olivia Palermo!

Xoxo, B