Outfit: Mad for Plaid

When: Thursday, September 26th, 2013

Where: Malibu Beaches with Alex

Alex and I have been working our butts off at your respective businesses, working for each other at those businesses, and  planning a wedding. We finally had a morning off and decided to take the half day and head to the beach. 

Fall has come but apparently Los Angeles didn't get the message. Not that I'm complaining -- heading to the beach at the end of September is amazing -- but I could really use a cool breeze, a cup of cider, and a pumpkin muffin right about now. To get me in the fall mood, I tuned in once again to the Coast to Coast Challenge. As one of my fellow instagrammers noted, it's like having your mom pick out your outfit in the morning. The theme of the day was plaid, which I could not be more thrilled about!

This printed plaid dress is one of my closet favorites. I was so thrilled when my look appeared on the Coast to Coast site again! Good to know the world loves this dress as much as I do. I topped off one print with another, as I am want to do. I love this polka dot blazer -- it is light enough for these faux fall days when you want more coverage, but don't want to sweat that comes with it. I finished off the look with yet another print: leopard! Something about that animal print really screams Autumn to me. I'm so looking forward to heading out east next month! Hopefully I'll get to wear some layers and see some fall colors, too!

| Dress: Maple via Anthropologie |

| Jacket: Soto Sherman Oaks |

| Shoes: Rocketdog via Marshalls |

| Bag: Vintage Coach :: Similar |

| Necklace: Kate Spade |

Closet Staples

BOTTOMS.
1. Two pairs of skinny jeans. One in a dark wash and one in a light.
     These are great go-to pieces for almost anything! Wear them casual on weekends, dress them up for a date, style them professionally for work.

2. A pair of printed pants.
     Printed pants have all the appeal of comfortable sweatpants, with a little something extra. Perfect for those lazy days when you want to wear jeans and a tee, but with a little oomph!

3. A nice pair of trousers.
    Every girl should own a real pair of pants -- something professional and polished. These don't have to be stuffy, but should be in a neutral color like grey or navy, and fit properly.

4. A maxi skirt.
    I can't say enough about maxis! Perfect for those summer days when you forget to shave your legs, or for those crisp fall days when you want to feel cozy. The right maxi will make you feel breezy and free while looking oh so chic.

5. A pencil skirt.
     Seriously. Get a few of them -- they go with everything and always help to pull an outfit together.

6. A circle skirt.
     This fun, flirty style is super classic. Made for swing dancing in, a full circle skirt will put you in the happiest of moods!

7. A romper.
    Not really bottoms, or a top, but both! Just get one and you'll see why I love them so much!

TOPS.
8. A white button down shirt.
     This doesn't have to be plain and boring! Pick one with some interest, but classic enough to stand the test of time.

9. A clean white and black tee.
     Two basic tees in two basic colors are indispensable! You will wear them with everything, all the time.

10. A peplum top.
     This may sound trendy, but a peplum really dresses up what might otherwise be a basic tank. There are so many ways to style a peplum top, you could wear it every day of the week, easily.

11. A chunky sweater.
     A nice, cozy, thick sweater is great in the fall and winter. Pick a neutral color and you'll be able to wear it with many different outfits.

12. Cardigans or crew neck sweaters in every color.
    I love layering a cardigan over a dress for a bit more coverage and warmth, plus they complete and outfit so perfectly! The same goes for crew necks. You'll want one in every color to go with every single one of your outfits.

13. A sheer black button down.
    I actually own two of these -- a sleeveless and a long sleeve version. I layer them under sweaters and dresses with the collar sticking out, over tanks, and tuck them into skirts and jeans. Honestly, one of the most versatile items in my closet, once you have one you won't know what you ever did with out it!

14. A neutral blazer.
    Black or grey are my favorites. You can pick classic suiting fabrics, but I love a jersey one. It feels like a sweater, but looks so polished!

15. A leather jacket.
    Leather doesn't always have to be black. Pick a fun color to stand out, or a different neutral like beige, blush, grey, oxblood, etc. Mine is forest green and I love it!

16. A jean jacket.
    Denim is great for all seasons. If you'd wear it on your legs, why not wear it on your back?

17. A cute winter coat.
    Especially if you live in a cold climate, having a fun winter coat will brighten up your whole look. Choose one in a unique color, or with an oversized collar or fun buttons. You're going to wear this piece a lot, so make sure it's not boring!

DRESSES.
18. LBD. LWD.
    The Little Black dress is an obviously closet go-to, but I think a Little White Dress is just as important! Having a dress in a basic color that you can style many different ways can be a life saver on those days when there is "nothing to wear" and your running late.

19. An easy day dress.
    I am the biggest dress proponent. I have almost 200 different day dresses -- I basically live in them! Having at least one that you can throw on and go is great.

21. A maxi dress.
    See above for my maxi skirt recommendation. The same goes here... You can live in a maxi dress! It's a one piece outfit! A slouchy one in heather grey will go for miles!

22. The going out dress.
    Go crazy. This dress should make you feel amazing! Pick prints, cutouts, lace, sequins... anything that makes you feel like a dancing queen.

OTHER.
23. A classic swimsuit.
    I might have a slight swimsuit addiction, but if I could only have one, I would choose a strapless maillot with some ruching and possibly a floral print.

SHOES.
24. Pumps in black and nude.
      Once again, you'll wear these all the time. You just will. 

25. Black ballet flat.
    I live in my black flats. They are comfortable, go with everything, and I can slip into them in a second!

26. Cute sneakers like keds.
    I love the look of casual sneakers with a dress. A canvas shoe looks great with jeans, too.

27. Pop of color shoe.
    These shoes should be fun! A red wedge would be fab!

28. Cute, almost dressy sandal.
    Let me emphasize that flip flops do not count.

29. Comfortable wedges.
     Wedges are a great alternative to a true heel. When you want the height and dressy effect without the pain, a wedge is a great substitute.

30. Over the knee boots.
     Get a flat pair and wear these all winter with tights, leggings, dresses, jeans... everything!

31. Ankle boots.
      Especially hot right now, ankle boots can be born any time of the year. A leopard print boot is always cute!

BELTS.
32. A black one and a nude one that will fit at your hips and at your waist.
     I. love. belts. I could wear one with every single outfit. They define your shape and keep your pants up at the same time!

33. A red belt.
      You'd be amazed how often you'll wear this.

BAGS.
34. A black crossbody.
     Great for traveling, or a night out at the club, it should be big enough to hold your wallet, phone, keys and a tube of lipstick, but small enough to remain light.

35. A red handbag.
     Wear this with an all black outfit and watch heads turn!

36. A nude tote that will fit your laptop, etc.
    Try to find one that is slightly utilitarian, but still stylish. It's always great to have a bag that can carry all your crap without looking crappy.

37. A printed or textured bag.
     Having a unique bag to switch out from your regular one will brighten any look.

38. Tiny going out bag like a clutch.
    For those times you want to carry hardly anything. Get a fun one with sparkle or interesting hardware. A wrist strap is always a plus.

JEWELRY.
40. A perfect watch.
     I can not function without a watch. Finding a color neutral one makes it possible to wear mine every day.

41. Everyday stud earrings.
     Diamonds or pearls are great, but my favorite are labradorite!

42. Simple charm necklace.
     A great little gold charm adds just enough interest to an outfit without going overboard.

43. Stackable bracelets.
     You'll want a few of these to mix and match.

44. Thin rings.
     Wear them all on one finger, or spread them out across your hand, a simple stack of rings can really make an impact.

45. Statement necklace.
     Big, sparkly necklaces are so the norm now, they should hardly be called a 'statement' necklace! Get one and wear it all the time.

46. A couple great pairs of sunglasses.
    Pick a pair that's right for your face and then get a variation on that just for fun. Protect your eyes!

UNDIES.

47. Nude underwear that match your flesh tone.
     I wish I only had nude underwear in my drawer! These should be invisible even under the sheerest white pants.

48. A nude strapless bra.
    See above. No one wants to see your neon green bra at a formal event.

49. A multiway bra.
     NuBra is a stick on bra that make it possible to wear even the lowest backed dresses. Finding a bra with removable straps that can attach in different ways is also a plus.

50. Bombshell lingerie.
    Just a little something to make you feel amazing!

Outfit: Bold Eclectic

When: Tuesday, September 17th, 2013

Where: Studio, Errands

As I mentioned in a previous post, the Coast to Coast Challenge has really helped inspire me to dress my best lately. Yesterday's jumping off point was Marc Jacob's bold eclectic style. As a long time MJ fan, I was super pumped about this challenge, and I'm even more excited to announce that I made it on the C2C page today! I am so thrilled to see my photo up there! Skip over there to see the other amazing looks that made the cut!

One thing that I've always loved about Marc Jacobs' designs is the unique mixing of prints and fearless use of color. I don't always dress so boldly, but it felt great to step out in bright summer colors that I layered for fall.

While it still feels like summer here in LA, I am itching to slip into sweaters and tights. Because it was still too hot for that, layering a high-low hemmed dress over a button down shirt at least gave me that fallish feeling. I'm really starting to look forward to my trip to Boston this October! Can't wait to actually dress for the weather!

Shirt and Necklace: Forever 21 | Dress: Urban Outfitters | Shoes: Elizabeth and James via Marshall's Rings: Soto Sherman Oaks | Watch: MARC by Marc Jacobs

Outfit: The Wedding Planner

When: Tuesday, September 10th, 2013

Where: Our wedding venue!

This week, wedding planning has kicked into high gear. We picked a wedding planner to help us out, blocked off hotel rooms, all the while I've been furiously working on my wedding dress and bridesmaid dresses. Once a month, our wedding venue hosts a little mixer. We stopped by for drinks and appetizers and to see the place lit up at night. It was such a fun opportunity to get dressed up, and even though Alex and I were pretty overdressed for the occasion, we had a great time feeling glammed up and imagining what our wedding day will be like.

I brought out this beautiful Rebecca Taylor and curled my freshly colored hair to celebrate. Wearing these high heels for the two hours we were there, however, made me realize that I'm definitely going to need to change out of my wedding heels into flats at some point on the wedding night.

Dress: Rebecca Taylor | Belt: H&M | Shoes: Pablo Garcia | Bag: MARC by Marc Jacobs

Rosh Hashana for Two

I do love a good holiday! I love Alex even more for being Jewish because that means I get double the holidays (or probably even more)! My favorite part of holidays is celebrating with food! Even though we aren't religious at all and I generally don't understand the meaning of most Jewish holidays, I really enjoy embracing the flavors!

I am really guilty of cooking for a crowd even when it's just us two -- so I've put together my favorite Rosh Hashana recipes that will feed two people, and -- let's be honest -- provide some leftovers. I just can't help myself!

Below you'll find recipes for: Brisket, Hamentaschen, Challah Bread, Matzo Ball Soup, and my favorite Jewish holiday self-made tradition, Mangochewitz. Yum yum!

If you're going to be doing all of your Rosh Hashana cooking in one night, I would start with the brisket because that hunk of meat needs to cook for hours!

Ingredients
3 lbs of brisket
salt and pepper
Oil for cooking
1 medium yellow onion, sliced
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1/3 cup ketchup
3/4 cup water

1. Cover the brisket liberally with salt and pepper.

2. Heat a pan to medium high heat with oil. Brown all sides of brisket, about 2 minutes each side.

3. Remove brisket from pan and place in crockpot. Add onions and garlic to pan and cook until barely browned.

4. Add remaining ingredients to pan and stir to combine.

5. Pour sauce over brisket into crockpot. Set on high and cook for 2 hours, or until meat is soft. Serve with mashed potatoes and broccoli.

Next, I would recommend starting with the Hamentaschen because the dough needs to chill as long as possible.

Ingredients
1/2 cup canola oil
1/2 cup orange juice
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
3 eggs
1 cup sugar
4 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
3 teaspoons baking powder
jams and fillings of your choice (I used seedless strawberry jam, apricot preserves, and nutella)


1. Preheat oven to 350.


2. In a stand mixer, cream together oil, juice, butter, eggs and sugar. Once it has come together, add flour, salt, and baking powder. Mix to combine.

3. Remove dough and wrap in plastic wrap. Place in freezer. Allow to chill for at least an hour. While you're waiting, you can start working on your challah!

4. Once the dough is chilled, remove and divide into 4 equal parts. Roll out on a WELL floured board to about 1/2 inch thickness. Using a small bowl, cut out 3 inch rounds. Place on a parchment paper lined baking sheet and fill with about 2 tablespoons of your favorite filling. Pinch three corners together.
 
5. Bake for about 15 minutes. Let cool and enjoy!

Yields about 24 cookies. (I know, that's way more than two people can eat!)

 I love this challah recipe because I've modified it to only need kneading once! So easy!

Ingredients
3/4 cups warm water
1 teaspoon active dry yeast
3 tablespoons honey
1 1/2 tablespoon oil
2 eggs
1 teaspoon salt
2 1/3 cup flour

1. Heat the oven to 375.

2. Pour the warm water into the bowl of a stand mixer, and sprinkle the yeast on top. Let sit for about a minute.

3. Beat in honey, oil, 1 egg, and salt.

4. Add the flour in one cup at a time and mix until combined.

5. On a well floured work surface, knead dough until it is no longer sticky, add flour as necessary.

6. Place dough in a greased bowl and let rise for about an hour or until doubled in size.

7. Punch down dough and divide into two equal pieces. Split each piece into three pieces and roll into tubes. Braid the dough and them form it into a ring. Repeat for other half.

8. Place on a greased baking sheet. Beat the second egg and brush a little onto the top of each loaf. Bake for about 30 minutes or until just golden brown.

Yields two 6 inch round loaves.

Ingredients

1/2 cup matzo meal
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon parsley
2 eggs
1 tablespoon oil (or rendered chicken fat!!)

6 cups chicken stock
1 chicken breast, cubed
1 carrot, sliced into half-inch pieces
2 stalks of celery, sliced into half-inch pieces
1 parsnip, sliced into half-inch pieces

1. Combine first six ingredients and put in the refrigerator to chill.

2. Put last five ingredients into a medium sized pot. Boil until chicken is cooked through.

3. Take chill mix out of the fridge and form into 1 inch balls. Drop into boiling soup, and -- very important!! -- cover and keep covered for 20 minutes. This will insure that the matzo balls come out fluffy and light!

4. Ladle into bowls and enjoy!

Ingredients
1 part mango lemonade
1 part gin
3 parts manichewitz kosher wine

1. Put all that stuff in a glass over ice. Garnish with an orange. Drink responsibly.

Outfit: White on White

When: Tuesday, September 3rd, 2013

Where: Studio

After blogging an outfit a day every day straight for a year, I decided to give myself two whole days off. It was weird looking into my closet and letting myself wear anything. I didn't have to worry if it was a good outfit, if it was trendy or cute, if I had worn one of the pieces too recently, or if it made me look fat. I just put on whatever I wanted. And since it's been over 100 degrees this week, jersey mini dress and sandals was my outfit of choice!

Lately, I have been loving the Coast to Coast challenge. You can read all about it here, but basically, every Tuesday and Thursday, they give out a theme and ask their followers to put together their best outfits based on it. If you're lucky, you might just get featured on their blog. I haven't had such luck yet, but I'm hopeful! These challenges have really helped to motivate me to dress my best, as well as given me outfit ideas to go off of.

This Tuesday's theme was Black and White (and classy). Since it it way to hot outside to wear black, I decided to go for head to toe white... With tiny pops of black. Man, I felt good in this outfit. The wedges and flared jeans made me feel tall and thin, which is always a good thing. I loved the way this sheer blouse looked over a white tube top with a sparkly necklace over the whole thing! It felt very now... Very on trend. Which I don't often get to feel because I haven't been shopping in eight months. But that's another blog post!

I won't be posting daily outfit photos anymore -- it's just been too much of a time commitment for me. But, I will be blogging still. You can look forward to, among outfit photos, more recipes, home projects, nail art tutorials, and pictures of my dog! Not to mention, I'm getting married in (exactly) four months! Prepare for wedding photo overload!

 Blouse: Forever 21 | Tube top: American Apparel | Jeans: Seven for All Mankind

Shoes: Sam & Libby via Target | Belt: H&M | Bag: Vintage Coach | Necklace: Vintage via STA