Pop!

Hope you have your party shoes on for New Year's Eve tonight!  I can't wait to celebrate with friends and drink some bubbly.  Here's to 2012! 

 

*images from here and here

Merry Merry

Merry Christmas to everyone!  Even though it's not snowing here in Delaware today, I loved this picture because it felt like the snow was Christmas wishes going out to all.  Hope your day today is wonderful and full of holiday surprises! 

*image via pinterest

Friday's Favorite Look 12.23

It's almost Christmas, and I am definitely in the Christmas spirit!  I couldn't help but choose a red dress for today's look, partly because I have the perfect red dress to wear on Christmas eve to a few parties and to church.  I arrived home yesterday to visit my parents and can't wait to see family and friends.  Wishing everyone safe travels for the holidays!  (And get out your most festive looks... it's the perfect time of year.)

*image via pinterest

Saturday Shopping: The Mission

On Saturday afternoon, I was determined to finish my holiday shopping once and for all.  Stop one was the post office to mail some gifts to family.  Stop two was local favorite Mission Cheese, to buy a gift certificate - if you haven't been there, I highly recommend that you head over for some delicious cheese flights and a glass of wine... it's fantastic!  Stop three was go-to boutique Mira Mira, to ooh and aah over stunning new pieces... I decided to save my spending for gifts, but it was fun to browse!  Stop four was fabulous boutique Dema, where I knew I would find some great jewelry gifts for friends, and ended up with some must-haves for myself! 

 The jewelry I bought, top two pieces by Stephanie Hoffman and bottom two by Wendy Mayes

 

A better view of the Stephanie Hoffman jewelry I bought

While I was in the store, I was lucky enough to meet Stephanie Hoffman herself.  Her colorful and creative jewelry really impressed me, and it was tough to choose which pieces to buy.  She explained that she loves to make her pieces adaptable and adjustable, with different lengths of chain and clasps that can adjust.  She was at Dema to deliver more stock in some of her best-selling styles, and the necklace above was one of them.. what great timing!  She also had some cool necklaces that mixed knit chains with metal chains... really unique pieces, like the one pictured below.  

  *photo courtesy of dema

Christmas Date Night

Every year, my sweetheart and I like to have a Christmas date night - a night to celebrate the holidays just the two of us, in between all the holiday parties, shopping, and getting ready to travel to see our families.  This year we had a lovely dinner at Delfina, one of my all-time favorite restaurants in San Francisco.  And it was the perfect way to wear my second Rent the Runway dress, as mentioned in my last post.  Enjoy the pics below from our night out...

 My second RTR pick: an Adam red ruffle cocktail dress.

 I layered the dress with my J.Crew velvet blazer and black tights.  

 Beautiful holiday decor at Delfina

Enjoying our delicious dinner and champagne!

All Dressed Up in Rent the Runway

Last week I showed you my top picks from Rent the Runway for my boyfriend's holiday party.  Well, my dresses arrived on Thursday and they were a success!  In fact, it was a tough decision which one to wear, because I liked them all.  But the final choice was... the long black gown from Badgely Mischka!  This dress was truly worth renting - something a little above my usual price range to buy, but the perfect glamorous gown for a night out.  Here are a few pictures from our evening:

 My sequin foldover clutch from Halston Heritage

 Holiday bow tie

 Brian's festive holiday socks

Enjoying the party!  

As I mentioned above, it was a tough choice between the 2 dresses that I liked best.  So my boyfriend had a genius idea... wear one for the party, and then wear the other on a Christmas date night on Saturday!  I knew I had him around for a reason... Stay tuned tomorrow for pictures from that evening too.   

Friday's Favorite Look 12.16

Today's look is all about color... this refreshing color combo in the middle of winter made my heart beat a little faster.  Of course I love orange, and paired with a navy coat and brighter blue bag... perfection.  Jessica Biel wears a Jenni Kayne coat with a top and pants from Chloe. 

 *image courtesy of who what wear

Anthropologie Gift Guide: One for You, One for Me

Anthropologie has long been one of those stores that get me in trouble... I want everything in the store.  So when shopping their gift guide, I couldn't help but choose gifts for others and for me! 

This bracelet is so great for anyone that is into technology!  I have a friend that always gets the newest tech gadgets and is very "plugged in"... this beautiful bracelet would be a hit.

I gave these as a housewarming gift to a friend and realized that I loved them too!  They are useful in any kitchen, and look great as a gift with homemade goodies inside.   

I am so into slippers lately!  What could be more cozy than tucking your tired feet into these cute and colorful ones??

I love giving monogrammed gifts - they are so personal and give something extra to everyday objects.  I would love a mug like this for tea or coffee at the office!

I discovered that Anthropologie has vintage books for sale!  It's one of their more expensive gifts but so very special.  And I love the birch bookshelf they come in! 

I was very impressed by some of the special sections in the gift guide: one of a kind gifts, monogrammed gifts, and 20 days of gifting.  The last one has giveaways each day, so check it out to win!!  

Holiday Heels

These shoes say "Happy Holidays" like no other - the red suede, the gold heel and sole, the sparkly embellishments on the top.  It's all perfect!  This shoe is part of Marc Jacobs' 10th anniversary collection... what a way to celebrate!

*image courtesy of shopbop.com

Holiday Cards

Giving and receiving holiday cards are among my favorite things during the holidays.  I usually make my cards, but this was one of those years when I saw a card in the store that just seemed like the one.  I had a busy November so I was glad to go with this fabulous card instead of making cards this year.  

I hope your holidays are off to a great start!  I finished most of my shopping this weekend, as well as wrote most of my cards, so my list is getting shorter.  And holiday parties are in full swing! 

J.Crew Gift Guide: Gifts for Him

Continuing with shopping of some of my favorite gift guides this season, today I am shopping J.Crew.  And in the spirit of giving, I am focusing on gifts for him.  Him being boyfriends, husbands, dads, brothers... whoever the men are in your life! 

The Slamdunk - this classic button mock is an easy gift, great for anyone on your list!

The Stocking Stuffer - of course he needs the watch first, but it's a great way to add some color to a basic watch.   I bought my boyfriend this watch last year and he loved it!

The Techie Gift - it seems like everyone is getting an iPad these days.  This case is simple yet colorful.

To Keep Him Cozy - I just bought some fantastic slippers like this for myself from Old Navy so these are definitely on my list for others!

The Splurge - this leather weekender is a really great men's bag!  Simple yet sophisticated and big enough for weekend trips. 

How about you?  Have you been doing much shopping - any great gift ideas for men?  I just kicked off my shopping on Sunday, but have lots left to do!

Holiday Experiment: Rent the Runway

This year I am trying something new as I plan my outfits for holiday parties.  My boyfriend's company has a big fancy holiday party every year, and I decided it was the perfect opportunity to try Rent the Runway!  I have heard great things about this site from friends and co-workers, and was excited to try it out.  After many hours of pouring over the site and loving many of their dresses, I narrowed it down.  Here are my top picks, which I ordered to try:

An elegant long black gown from Badgley Mischka

 Really feeling red this season - this flirty Adam dress is so cute! 

Love this one-shoulder silhouette from Nanette Lepore. 

Honestly, there were so many choices that I had a few runners-up too... here they are as well.  Maybe for my next event! 

Sophisticated navy sequins from Tibi

I love this painted look from Rachel Roy

I will be sure to report back next weekend after I get the dresses and go to the event.  I hope one of them works!  

Friday's Favorite Look 12.2

This week in Who What Wear, I spotted (no pun intended) the below look from Joanna Hillman, of Bazaar magazine, in her Zara leopard coat.  The whole post was on animal-print coats, near and dear to my heart because I just bought one that I love from Old Navy!  I love the versatility of this look - just because it's a printed coat doesn't mean you can't mix it with stripes or other prints.  I have had fun mixing mine in with casual and dressy looks. 

*image courtesy of gastrochic