House Party

Topshop Dress
Christian Louboutin Peep Toe Pumps
Navy feather clutch purchased in Paris a few years ago

I blogged about Apartment 58 a couple weeks ago when I first went there for drinks with a friend. I absolutely love this place and their fabulous events. Last Saturday, they had a "House Party" event where they took over the downstairs restaurant for a two level party. It was the first one they threw, but I thought it was very well done. The DJ was great and the crowd was lovely as usual. I couldn't find anything to wear, so I broke down (such a difficult decision let me tell you ;) and bought a new dress from Topshop. I chose a tan peplum minidress with cap sleeves. I love the simple chic look because it makes playing with accessories so much more fun. I wore my Stella & Dot Pegasus necklace, amrita singh bangles, and red Christian Louboutin peep toes to complete my look.

Also, I joined Apartment 58 this week! I can't wait to share many more posts about the events and people I meet through this really cool club!

Watch the Throne London

Part of the reason I had to rush back to London after my brother's graduation was to make it to the Watch the Throne tour that Monday night. I was so excited to finally see the show since I missed out when they were touring in the US. We missed Rihanna who performed with Jay and Kanye the night before, but the show was still awesome! I loved like every second of the show including Kanye's random soft rock interlude in the middle of it. I'm so glad I finally got to experience the show!

Mason dress
Aldo heels
Marc by Marc Jacobs clutch

I wore the white dress I purchased on Shopbop a month or so ago. I love the high to low or "mullet" hem on this dress. The dress is long sleeved, but the material is REALLY thin, so it's perfect for spring/summer. It's super airy, so it billows as I walk which is kind of cool...I felt so Marilyn Monroe. I don't think I'd wear this on a windy day though! I wore beige strappy stilettos and my purple bow clutch to finish the look. I love love love this dress and can't wait to wear it again!

Here are some pics of me and my love at the concert!

Jet Setting Fabulously

Post London to Atlanta flight

The picture I instagrammed and tweeted

Traveling clothes for my flight from BWI to ATL

Landed in Atlanta!

I know it's been quite a while since I've posted anything new, but I've been busy busy busy! I travelled back stateside to spend some time with my family and watch both my father AND my brother graduate. My father received his masters from Georgetown, and two days later my brother received his BA from Morehouse College. I was back Stateside for 5 days, but it felt like much longer. I flew into Atlanta on Tuesday afternoon, went to dinner with my brother and father Tuesday night then flew to Washington DC on Wednesday morning. As soon as I touched down I drove to Virginia where I had a tasting with the caterer for the wedding then off to a happy hour with my mother and aunty. Thursday I spent most of the day in a Bobbi Brown masterclass before heading to another happy hour with my father's Georgetown classmates. Friday morning I watched my dad receive his masters before jet setting back to Atlanta where I attended my brother's baccalaureate, helped my mom run a trunk show, watched my brother graduate and headed back to the airport to fly back to London. I tweeted a picture of myself when I touched down in Atlanta talking about my jet lag. I didn't look nearly as tired as I was...thank God. I got a few requests on how I managed to look refreshed right off a nine and a half hour flight. So...here are my tips for keeping it fresh when you feel like crap!

1. Stay hydrated! I cannot emphasize this enough. I drank 2 liters of water on the plane. Yes, I had to get up to pee like 100x but I didn't feel like a dry corpse when I touched down at my destination either. This is important not only for your skin and well being, but also because flying causes bloat which water will flush right out! Who wants to look like Kirby when they step off the plane?! Not me!

2. Don't forget to stretch your legs and walk around. This is so important for health and vanity reasons. You're actually supposed to get up every 30 minutes or so to avoid blood clots. I usually get up every hour or after a movie. Getting up will also keep your ankles and feet from swelling from the immobility for so many hours! 

3. Pack cleansing facial wipes in your carry on. I don't care how much water you drink or how many little walks you take up and down the aisle on that plane, you will still feel dirty when you land. I keep my Simple facial cleansing wipes in my tote and wipe down my face when they finally announce we're descending. I don't wear makeup on long flights (I look like a hot, oily mess when I land if I do), so no worries about leaving a streak of mascara down my cheek!

4. Wear comfy but chic clothing. I always wear leggings, a jersey top and flats when I travel. That is my travel uniform. I can avoid pat downs (unless of course my underwire sets the metal detector off...I mean really?!) and breeze through security in this outfit. I keep jewelry to a minimum...watch and earrings. All other jewelry I keep in my carry on and put on when I get through security if I want some more. I like traveling in my Toms because they're comfortable, but super easy to slide on and off. I ALWAYS bring an oversized sweater since the plane is typically freezing. It's nice to be able to just throw something on to keep warm. I hate those blankets they give you. I can't be convinced they're really clean...

5. Touch up when you touch down. Once I arrived at my destination I dabbed a little concealer under my eyes and applied a few strokes of mascara. Despite my best efforts, I needed a little help keeping my eyes looking big when I got to baggage claim!

Well those are my travel trips to live by. Nothing really complicated or groundbreaking. Mostly common sense.

What are some of your travel rituals?

Brunch at Ottolenghi

Top purchased on Gilt a long time ago
American Apparel Legings
Diane Von Furstenburg Flats
Prada shades
Badgley Mischka bag

Yay for more sun! Casual day. Casual fit. Leggings, short sleeved sweater, flats and I'm good to go for a good brunch. I purchased this sweater on Gilt like 2 years ago, but hardly ever wear it. I love it because it has pockets and pockets make everything in life sweeter. Obvi.

We live in a really wonderful area with tons of cute shops and eateries, but I'm often wandering around different areas of the city for entertainment for some reason. I've decided to make it a point to explore places in my own area as well. Saturday morning-ish, my hunny and I went to Ottolenghi in Islington for brunch. I love this place! They have delicious looking pastries in the window along with a counter for take-away in the front. The seating is communal with long tables stretching to the back and some tables for two along the sides. Unfortunately, we weren't able to get our own table, but sitting next to strangers wasn't quite as creepy as I thought it was going to be. I had a spinach quiche with a barley and fennel salad and a side of hummus. My hunny opted for the beef. This will definitely be a regular spot for us. Perhaps we can even get there before noon one say to have some of their breakfast. The reviews online say that the french toast is to die for.

Bread board - sourdough, foccacia, cornbread 

Beef

Spinach quiche

T.G.I.F.

Banana Republic Tee
American Apparel Leggings
Open faced shawl purchased 3 years ago
Mark and Spencer by Badgley Mischka
Badgley Mischka Bag
Amrita Singh necklace

The sun came out for the weekend. Thank God! I was starting to lose my mind. I should have worn color for the occasion, but my nails were neon so that should count for something. I met some friends at Nandos for a catch up session so I kept it casual. I felt a little like a hippie, but I kind of loved it...

I broke out the silk scarf turned turband because I kind of missed rocking that. I've decided I'm not saving that for bad hair days anymore. I also broke out my open faced shawl which I purchased in Paris a few years ago. I always wear it with heels because I feel like it swallows me when I wear flats. It just looks a little too dowdy.

Anyway, I loved this look and I was so pleased that it was finally warm enough out to wear!

Black Out

Banana Republic Blazer
American Apparel Dress
Hue tights
Betsey Johnson pumps
Stella and Dot Necklace

I didn't get too creative - just LBD, blazer tights and pumps. I added a statement necklace and headed out the door! It's amazing how one piece of jewelry can change your whole look. I was chatting with my friend about it and she made the comment that if we switched jewelry we could change each other's whole outfit. Such a true statement. The necklace I chose definitely gave this fit a little more chic. What do you think?

Thursday night I met a friend for drinks at a members-only club called Apartment 58. It's a really cute little place with a great concept. Members can go in to work by day and party by night. Aside from the full bar, it is set up like an apartment. It has a very loungey feel to it. They have several members only events including linking up with clubs around the city for members to go to after a few drinks at the apartment. Last week they went to the W and I went along. I had a lovely time, and I now plan on joining the apartment! 

It's worth mentioning I had a "celebrity" sighting: Mark Morrison. If you don't know him by name (I sure as hell didn't) he sang that song "return of the mack" like 100 years ago. He was sitting at a table at the W when we saw him. He still has groupies, but unfortunately they're the same ones from 20 years ago...they just got older. Yikes.

Birthday Lunch Dates!

Gray and misting most of the day. I got home feeling like a wet puppy.

Banana Republic Blazer
Oasis Jeans
Diane von Furstenburg flats
Marc by Marc Jacobs bag

Wednesday was my hunny's birthday, and since he works 3904294 hours a week we ended up doing a lunch date in lieu of dinner or birthday surprises. We went to Bukowski's which is a little burger place in Shoreditch. The burgers were really good. Not too greasy or heavy or short on flavor. I would definitely go back.

Despite it being really gray out (shocking I know) it wasn't too chilly which was better than the alternative. I wore my cobalt jeans with a blazer and flats for a nice lunch with my hunny. Laid back, but still chic.

Back to Basics

Obviously this necklace I found in Shoreditch is becoming one of my everyday pieces. 

Halogen Jacket
H&M tee
Joe's Jeans
Jeffrey Campbell booties
Kooba bag

I'm not a super trendy girl. I love love love my basic pieces. I'll throw in a color block or some other trend I'm into at the moment, but for the most part I love my basics. Blazers, simple silhouettes, lady-like dresses...that's my thing. I called this post back to the basics because this outfit definitely speaks to my personal style. I paired black skinny jeans with a white long sleeve tee, taupe jacket and peep toe booties for a fun day of shopping. My hunny's birthday is tomorrow, so I spent most of the afternoon on Oxford street looking for a gift. I spent easily 85% of my time in Liberty which I am pretty sure will be my Nordstrom while I'm in London the next few years. Between the lovely salespeople, vintage building and adorable stationary section, I didn't know what to do with myself. I can't wait to go back. What a wonderful place. I felt so Holly Golightly à la Breakfast at Tiffany's.

Oh yes...I almost forgot. The sun came out to play and it got up to 63 today. I was a very happy girl!

Sunday Funday

Bought this top a couple years ago at a Saks outlet
Oasis Jeans
Steven by Steve Madden flats
Kooba bag

Sunday was really casual for me. An old family friend was in town, so I went to meet her for drinks and dinner followed by a movie with my hunny. Has anyone seen the Avengers yet?! I really enjoyed it! Definitely one of the better super heroes movies in a while. 

Despite the temperature dropping to the upper 40s (un-freaking-real) I wore my fuchsia jeans to try to bring some spring to yet another gray day in London. I braided my hair yesterday to create some loose waves, unfortunately they mostly dropped in the damp weather. (womp womp)

The weather is supposed to improve this week, so hopefully I can get out to do some fun things. I'm dying to get to Borough Market and score some super fresh produce and have some tea and macaroons at Laduree in Harrods. Be on the lookout for some fun posts this week!

DVF in the W

Diane Von Furstenberg Mini Dress
Sam Edelman Lorissa Pumps
Stella and Dot Necklace

I spent last night partying it up at the W with some friends. It was an awesome night with great music and a laid back vibe. I drank way too much, but still dragged my ass to a cycling class this morning. Go me!

I was so excited to break out this DVF mini wrap dress I bought last year in Palm Springs. I love leopard print (clearly) and pink is my favorite color so this dress was basically begging me to take her home when I first spotted her. I love love love myself a wrap dress, but this one just pops. I paired it with beige Sam Edelman studded pumps to make it just a little more badass. I wore my Stella and Dot "sierra" necklace (obviously quickly becoming one of my faves) to complete the look. It's not really warm enough for bare legs, but after a few glasses of champagne I hardly noticed!

I did remember to take a few pictures of my accessories as requested, so here's a closeup of my tic toe rings from JewelMint and my little gold arm party!

Stella and Dot "Sierra" Necklace

Tic Tac Toe Rings from JewelMint

Kenneth Jay Lane link bracelet
JewelMint Bow bangle
Christian Bernard Watch

More Prints at the Coffee Festival

Vince Leggings
Ferragamo Flats
Patricia Nash Bags 

I know it's been a while, but I've been busy being domestic most of this week! Anyway, Saturday I spent most of the day at the London Coffee festival. The weekend was just full of fests for me apparently! I wore a flowy leopard print top, leggings and flats for such a laid back event. 

Beautiful London weather

 Despite it being a coffee festival, I ended up sampling more tea and chocolate than anything else. I guess this is England after all. The weather was trash all day Saturday, but thankfully the festival was indoors at an old brewery. We ate lunch at a street food festival they had going on in the same building. I opted for La Creperie de Sophie which was AMAZING. I had a crepe with eggs, ham, cheese, and spinach. I have got to get back to France some time soon. I loved their food so much. I eat more french food here than I do British!

Flipping Crepes

La Creperie de Sophie

Spinach

Nom nom nom!

Overall, it was a really awesome event with tons of yummy things to sample!