Sass Up Your Tee

For those of you that follow my blog, you know I am stickler for J Crew.  One thing that I love more every year are their statement tees.  They usually have a common phrase or something cute and girlie written on them.  I always have a hard time passing them up.  Right now they have this precious tee that says "Kiss" in eleven different languages!  I love LOVE so this one is right up my alley.  

It's a super soft slightly see through material, so I layered it with the vintage J Crew crew neck tee and rolled up the sleeves to add a barrier layer and add some dimension to the look.  Then I threw on this amazing necklace (I have the matching bracelet but decided against it for this look) some pink shorts and I was ready to hit the town. 

To go out at night with this same layered tee & necklace sequence, I would just throw on a pair of skinny jeans and some sassy heels, grab clutch and go!  For the single ladies out there, wearing these tees always gives guys a reason to talk to you, it can turn into more of a conversation piece than a fashion statement.  

Tees: J Crew

Shorts: J Crew

Sunnies: Chanel

 Earrings: Forever 21

Necklace: J Crew

Clutch: GiGi New York
Ring: Kendra Scott
Bangles: David Yurman

Shoes: Tory Burch

Xoxo,

B

Tees & Stripes

Black and Whites stripes are all the rage right now.  One problem I have heard many ladies encounter is how to wear them.  I got these striped jeans at "Bee Hive" a local boutique and thought they would go brilliantly with my Celine tee that my husband and I bought while visiting Paris last month.  Celine stores are a dime a dozen over there and full of everything beautiful!!!  I saw this tee and had to have it since it's so versatile and so incredibly soft!

I paired the jeans with this tee for the obvious reason that it too is black and white.  Then I put it with a bunch of gold and black jewelry and voila!  I have also seen these jeans with flowy white tops and pops of color.  A lot of girls are wearing them with neons, if you have some…go for it.  I am a pretty conservative dresser and neon is not a color that I have a plethora of in my wardrobe.  This outfit is about as edgy and "hip" as it gets for me!  Although, I have started to wear knuckle rings, which to me is super edgy!  It's important to step slightly outside of your comfort zone when pulling together the perfect ensemble.  However, if you are too uncomfortable, you won't carry yourself with the confidence it takes to pull it off and you will seem as awkward as you feel!  I don't ever leave the house until my gut tells me it's a good choice.  I'm a fashion weirdo!

Tee: Celine Paris

Jeans: Bee Hive

We forgot to shoot a close up of my necklaces so here they are off the neck!

Necklaces: Gold/Black Necklace, Zara and the Gold Wolf Necklace, Nordstrom

Watch: Michele

Bangles: David Yurman

Purse: Prada

Nail Polish Color: Butter "Trout Pout"

Ring with stones: Kendra Scott

Knuckle Ring: Nordstrom

Bangle: Hermes

 Shoes: Christian Louboutin "Rolando" black patent pumps

Xoxo,

B

American Girl

July 4th is quickly approaching and happens to be one of my favorite holidays.  I still get teary eyed when watching fireworks synchronized with "America The Beautiful". 

Since today is July 1st,  I thought I would show my patriotism and my excitement with my outfit choice!  Can we talk about this linen anchor tee shirt?  I was obsessed from the minute I saw it in the store!  I love all things nautical during the summer.

My husband finally got around to fixing my light in my office so the lighting in my pics is much better now:) I also wore my new haircut straight for the first time since cutting it.  What do you think?!

Top: J Crew

Shorts: J Crew

Belt: Hermès

Watch: Michele

Shoes: Tory Burch

Xoxo,

B

Channeling Princess Grace

Yesterday we drove to Italy (my motherland) and drive to Grimaldi.  it was beautiful but didn't look much different than the South of France.

Dress: J Crew

Belt: BCBG

Scarf: Hermès

Car: 1956 Mercedes SL190 ;)

After Italy,  we ventured back to Monaco.  I love this city,  under our hotel were all of my favorite shops. (Prada, Cartier, Chanel, Hermès to name a few...)  We did some shopping and exploring before going to dinner at le Vistamar on the Terrace of the Heritagehotel.  It was a beautiful ending to our Eurotrip!

Sunnies: Chanel

Dress: Madewell

Belt: BCBG

Scarf: Hermès

Shoes: Stuart Weitzman

So we woke up in Monaco at 2:30 AM this morning and just landed in Chicago it's 2:30 PM Chicago time and my body thinks its 10:30 pm!  We have a three hour layover,  then we are off to Austin!  By the time we get to bed I will have been awake 24 hours....Cannot wait to get home, see our dogs and sleep in our own bed!  Europe was amazing but so happy to be back on US soil!

We took this pic leaving the hotel early this morning.  My travel outfit...

Top: Twenty

Leggings: J Crew

Shoes: Tory Burch

Super comfy but ultra American with my sailor stripes;)!  Too tired to type anymore.  I'll be back to blogging about fashion as soon as I get some rest! 

 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

Oh Paris....

***I posted this on Sunday but apparently it didnt post!***

Bonjour! We took the Eurostar to Paris today! First of all, the train station in London was gorgeous. I had never been on a train before,  and this one goes 150 feet below the English Channel.  Needless to say,  I was a bit nervous about this.  it ended up being a really neat experience. A big shout out to my Aunt Valerie for her French language learning materials,  I actually know enough French to get us around thanks to her!

Jacket: Burberry

Chambray Shirt: J Crew

Earrings: Kendra Scott

Jeans: J Brand

Shoes: Tory Burch

Purse: Louis Vuitton

Bangles: David Yurman

When we checked into the hotel,  everyone seemed to know we were here celebrating my 30th birthday.  The concierge was even acting funny,  when we got up to the room I finally understood why!  Chris surprised me with the most breathtaking view of the Eiffel Tower, strawberries and champagne!  How lucky am I?  This is our view for the next week...

I don't have much fashion to discuss today.  I threw on a pair of dark denim J Brand cropped jeans and my J Crew chambray shirt, trench and Tory Burch ballerines.  Nothing exciting,  just comfy travel wear.  In my Europe look book (I make one for every trip),I only packed this shirt for one outfit but have worn it three times already!  Proves my previous post about chambray to be spot on!  Off to take a nap,  been awake since 2:30! Au Revoir!!

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

Woke Up In London Yesterday....

One of my favorite songs is "Good Life" by OneRepublic.  The first phrase of the song is: "Woke up in London yesterday
Found myself in the city near Piccadilly"!  And it's pretty cool that I'm actually singing it and its true!  Our Hotel is even on Picadilly Street in London! Hence the reason behind the title of today's blog post!

All right,  on to the good bits... This morning my husband had an epiphany.  What's that you ask?!?  Well,  that I was right!!  I'd been telling him he needs to buy a raincoat for our trip.  Yesterday, the afternoon rain got him pretty good.  Not me,  I was wearing my Burberry Gaberdine trench.  Burberry doesn't mess around,  I was dry as a cotton ball! And once he saw that everyone who lives here owns one,  he was sold!

So the first place on our list today was the Burberry Flagship store (the largest in the world)!  I was in heaven,  however,  we were shopping for Chris.  He ended up buying himself a gorgeous navy blue get up!  Lets just say that he got excited when the afternoon rain hit today and he was sporting his new water resistant frock!

I felt a bit edgy this morning after sleeping off our arrival.  So I threw on my staple chambray shirt and popped on a fedora!  Below was my ensemble,  the picture was taken inside of the Burberry store just in case anyone wants a peek at its glory!

On a side note:  please forgive the photo quality of my blog post pictures while we are away.  I'm doing all of the posts through my phone!

Fedora: J Crew

Necklace: J Crew

Gray Jersey Blazer: Zara

Chambray Shirt: J Crew

Bangles: Hermès & David Yurman

Watch: Michele

Jeans: Joe's

Shoes: Tory Burch Ballerinas 

Purse: Prada

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

Cork Obsessed

Cork isn't just for your wine bottle!  I first fell in love with cork accessories when I was about 9 years old.  My grandmother (whom I inherited my "sense of style" from) had a pair of cork Salvatore Ferragamo kitten heels and I was amazed that they could make a shoe out of corks!

Over the past few years I have slowly been able to buy my own cork goodies.  And to my surprise, this year , it's everywhere!  One of my staple stores, J.Crew has a ton of it this year.  I bought his stuff in early Spring but I am pretty sure they still have most of it!  My favorite cork "thing" are my Stuart Weitzman flats, seen below.  I originally bought them for our trip to the Hampton's last summer.  What says East Coast better than cork flats??  Some designers  (even my beloved staple, Louboutin) make a shiny cork, which I personally don't care for,due to it's lack of authenticity!  Cork isn't supposed to be shiny, it's supposed to be dry and rustic looking, it's cork!

Cork is a fabulous way to add  a touch of class to any outfit in the Spring, Summer & Fall!  Here are some of the many things you can buy in cork!  Please excuse my lack of hair and makeup today, we have an event this evening and I want to stay "fresh faced"!

Shirt: J. Crew

Dress: Express

Earrings: Tory Burch

Watch: Michele

Monogram Necklace: DKM Accessories

Arm Candy: Metals David Yurman Cork, J. Crew

Clutch: J. Crew

Flats: Stuart Weitzman

Cork iPhone Case

J. Crew bangle, as photographed on me above.

Love these cork wedges!  

I actually have this belt from J. Crew, it looks great with dresses and jeans!

This is the clutch I am holding above from J. Crew.

I bought this gem from American Apparel of all places!  Who knew that they too do East Coast style!

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

Casual Sundays

Sundays are a great day to frump around in your gym clothes or PJ's.  However, if you need to get out and risk meeting your future husband or even better...Ryan Gossling (you never know in Austin), it's important to look your best in an effortless way.  Here are a few Sunday casual outfits that are not only super comfortable but they are effortlessly chic and timeless.  May not be something you would go out on a date in, but definitely appropriate for grocery shopping, a relaxing movie night with the girls or a quick run to your favorite department store!

Left: Scarf-DSW, Earrings:Tory Burch, Top-Zara, Jeans-Citizens for Humanity, Shoes-Tods Driving Moccasin, Watch-Michele, Arm Candy-David Yurman 

Right:  Earrings:Tory Burch, T-Shirt-American Apparel, Belt-Hermes, Jeans-AG Jeans, Ballet Flats-Tory Burch

As you can see, effortless hair is part of the look: hair tousled from the night before is on the left and beach waves are on the right.  (I will be sure to blog about how to get great beach waves later :))

On the left I am wearing very fitted (fancy word for tight) cropped denim with a loose fitting top and a fun scarf for a fun "I just threw this on" look. And some super comfy yet timeless black penny loafer drivers in kid leather.

On the right I am wearing a low cut v-neck fitted tee (to add a little sexiness to the boyfriend jeans). Also my reversible black/brown belt with light gold hardware that I mentioned in my previous post.  The boyfriend jeans are long and just rolled up Huck Finn style (but way cuter than Mark Twains fictional friend) Paired with plain Tory Burch flats (with no iconic medallion on them)  They are comfy like house shoes and don't scream..."I'm wearing Tory Burch with this super simple outfit!"  They let you be high maintenance without looking it!

Throw on a chic cross body bag and some great aviator sunnies and hit the mall!!