The next item on the list of The One Hundred is a caftan.
I own one for a little pool-side fashion, but if you watch the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills you know they are totally acceptable as “real” fashion too!
I just have to share my new raincoat with you!
It is from Banana Republic, but I can’t find it online. Maybe it is still in stores? I hope so! PiperLime has a similar one. It even has gold buttons (my favorite thing about the trench!).
I have never gotten more compliments from strangers on an article of clothing – I think it is something about wearing such a bright color on gloomy, rainy days which is, of course, exactly why I bought it!
so bright and fun!
What do you wear to brighten up a yucky day?
Forgive the quality of the photo. My fiance is the only person I know who is completely incapable of taking a decent photo. He looks great in them, he just can’t shoot one! So I just had him snap a quick one with my iPhone. His lack of photographic skill is the main reason I almost never do “what I’m wearing” posts. Maybe I should invest in a tripod!
Quick side note: I am standing in front of our Hale Navy accent wall! I wrote about it before we started painting and I have to tell you, it was the best decision ever! If you are considering a dark accent but are over red or gray or brown – consider navy! It looks so crisp with our light gray walls and white curtains!
(Someday I will get it together enough to share some before/after photos of our condo… someday)
Is there anything more snuggly than a cable knit sweater? I think not!
I have owned dozens of classic cable knit sweaters and my two go-to brands are Ralph Lauren and J.Crew who make excellent preppy versions. They speak to the Blair Waldorf in me! In fact, I love them so much that my little pupster has one:
cutest thing ever
Now I know what you’re thinking: “Jennifer, it is practically April! I am NOT going to wear a cable knit sweater!” To you I say two things: 1.) you don’t live in San Francisco, ’cause it is about to get chilly here and 2.) I have a solution for you!
How perfect is this sweater from J.Crew. I have two linen cable knit sweaters from J.Crew from many seasons ago and I LOVE them! The coverage of a sweater but so light and breathable!
But maybe we should dig a bit deeper. I know that Nina Garcia specifically recommends a cable knit sweater, but what else can we cable knit?
I have decided to bring this little series back. I think that the only reason I was pure laziness – and that is never a good reason to stop doing something!
Have you ever heard of Nina Garcia? You must have! She is the amazing Fashion Director for Marie Claire (previously at Elle) and has written four books on fashion and style. One of my favorites is “The One Hundred”. This book is the “guide to the pieces every stylish woman must own.” It is a great guide for how to build the ultimate closet. One of the things I love most about this book (and Nina Garcia’s style advice in general) is that it can be tailored to anyone’s personal style, be it American-Classic, Boho, Glamorous, whatever.
You really should pick up a copy of the book, her advice is amazing! It is also available on the kindle!
I got through her first thirteen. They were:
Bangles part one and Bangles part two
So, let’s keep the party going! Stay tuned for the next installation (we’re onto letter “c”!)…
A “rickey” is a cocktail with spirit + lime juice + seltzer water, one of the original cocktails. It was first made with bourbon but the most well-known version is a Gin Rickey.
During a recent span of gorgeous warm weather here in San Francisco I was looking for a tasty, refreshing cocktail that was slightly more interesting than a vodka soda. My fiance fancies Moscow Mules so we keep Rose’s Lime Juice in the house (side note, just saw a TON of mixers I want to buy on the Rose’s website!). I didn’t have any gin on hand and didn’t want a vodka-based drink, so a bourbon based Rickey sounded like just the ticket!
It was surprising light and tasty! It has a little tang, a little fizz and a little bite! If you like the taste of bourbon, I would highly recommend it for a nice warm day.
This week (okay… month) has been rough. It is almost over… but not quite.
Tonight feels like a night to kick back with an ice-cold beer and this adorable little guy (I am calling him Ollie) would be the absolute best way to crack one open.
For $22, this little splurge will pick my week (okay… month) right up and start April off on the right foot!
Pick up one for your self at High Street Market
*this is a long one – but Jo Malone deserves the blog space…
I fulfilled one of my dreams…
(that this is a dream of mine makes me feel a little shallow)
For years I have wanted a Jo Malone scent. But I always feel a little intimidated at the Jo Malone counters in Bloomingdales. As though the sales people know that I am a pretender… know that I wear lesser scent brands (I mean, whatever, I wear perfectly nice stuff!). Plus, there are too many fragrance options. I don’t really know where to start.
I always ASSUME I will love the Orange Blossom perfume and I never do. Yet I pick it up first every time. I should know better!
This weekend I was feeling pouty and underwhelmed with my life. And it was pouring. San Francisco is not really that beautiful in the rain. It is gray and cold and still crowded and there are deep puddles and kind of gross. So, I decided to trot off to Nordstrom and treat myself to the Chanel foundation I have been dying for (that story is for another post!).
Having purchased my foundation, I noticed the Jo Malone counter. And it was empty! No other shoppers to push me and no clerks to intimidate me!
And what did I do? I tried Orange Blossom again. Dumb. Still don’t like it. But, this time I didn’t move on to the MAC Counter as I usually do. No, this time I picked up Nectarine Blossom and Honey (love! Might be my next purchase). Then I tried Grapefruit (do not love). At this point a sales person came over to help me.
I asked her which was her favorite scent and she said that she wears Red Roses. She must have noticed the look of terror on my face because she immediately said “roses aren’t a scent for everyone though, try this one!” and handed me Wild Bluebell.
I would never have picked this bottle up. Which is strange because one of my favorite books, I Capture the Castle, features bluebell perfume. And I have always wanted to be a winsome heroine living in an aging castle in the English countryside during the 1930s. I am so glad I tried it. It is amazing.
Wild Bluebell smells fresh and delicate. A little sweet and crisp at the same time. There is a hint of something green combined with a bit of watermelon at first and I definitely get soft white flowers.
I am NOT a floral perfume person but this is so lovely.
Go check it out at a Jo Malone counter or online!
On a whim I recently bought Essie Luxe Effects in Set in Stone.
I thought it might be fun for toes but got bored the other day and tried it on my fingers over Aphrodite’s Pink Nightie by OPI.
It was turned out to be SO fun! Sure, you have to manipulate the glitter a little bit for even coverage, but I will definitely be reaching for this again and again! What this quick photo doesn’t capture is the almost rose-gold gleam my nails had with just a quick glance. So pretty!
Set-in-Stone + Aphrodite's Pink Nightie
The Old Fashioned is a classic cocktail – thought to be THE original. The original cocktails were just liquor + bitters + water, exactly what this drink is. In fact, the name “Old Fashioned” comes from the turn of the 20th century when American bartenders started to create other cocktails and someone in search of this type of drink would need to order an old fashioned-style cocktail.
These are so simple to make but it can be incredible hard to find a bartender who knows how to make a good one. Many bartenders make the mistake of muddling the fruit or not using bitters. I learned to make these at the amazing Bourbon and Branch Speakeasy here in San Francisco. This is the place to go for amazing Bourbon drinks in a gorgeous setting with the best bartenders in the industry! I took my fiance to a private cocktail (mixology) course here and loved every second of it!
The Old Fashioned is easy to make, easy to drink and perfect for watching Mad Men. Don Draper would definitely approve!
One note before we start… Ice cubes can make or break the drink. Those little chipped cubes they use in bars and that come in bags at the grocery can be the kiss of death to a great cocktail. I recommend using a BIG ice cube. Without going into too much detail about the physics of surface area and melt time, it won’t water your cocktail down as quickly, preserving the taste you are working so hard to create. I HIGHLY recommend these ice cube trays – worth every penny!
On to the mixing:
