My Travel Essentials

It was very tough for me to pack for 2 months -- I wanted to bring everything! I decided to scale back on clothes (because obviously shopping in Paris is at the top of my to-do list) and instead bring a few of my travel essentials. Here are some of my go-to items for traveling:

1. A fedora or hat to protect my sensitive (read: pale) skin. I have this one and wear it all the time. (Asos: $57)

2. A Turkish bath towel for spontaneous picnics. The bonus here is that they're light and easy to pack in your suitcase and purse. (Amazon: $25)

3. Sunglasses - my go-to pair are these classic Ray-Ban Aviators. They look good with both casual and dressy clothes. (Shopbop: $150)

4. A bag to carry all of your belongings. My Cambridge Satchel doubles as a work bag and day bag, which is perfect for this trip. The 15" version holds my huge Macbook and all other essentials. (Cambridge Satchel Company: $190)

5. A soy travel candle to make our corporate apartment feel cozy. In my opinion, there is nothing homier than fresh flowers and candles. (Amazon: $55 or this one: $30)

6. We've had sporadic rain showers every day since arriving, so I'm really happy I brought my umbrella. Mine is from J.Crew but I love this tiny version for traveling. (Orla Kiely: $50)

7. A scarf to feel very French and to double as a head scarf when it rains. (J.Crew: $30-125)

8. These Converses are hands down my favorite shoes for traveling. I've always loved the look of Converses, but the originals have thick soles, which feel clunky. These are a slimmed down version and they feel effortless and cool with no socks. As much as I'd love to walk around Paris in heels (how do they do it?), I need some support. :) (Zappos: $55).

9. Finally, a travel journal, so you never forget the name of the cute little brasserie that you went to! (Rifle Paper Co: $15).

What are your travel essentials? xoxo

Party Dress

Our holiday party is at the Exploratorium this weekend. It recently reopened at Pier 15 in the city, so I'm excited to check it out. I normally shop for my holiday party dresses online, but it snuck up on me this year and I completely forgot about it. I ended up buying this dress at Anthropologie this weekend, which I think I'll pair with this necklace. What are you wearing to your holiday parties? xo

Anthropologie Swimwear

Lucas and I are putting together a honeymoon registry, which has me daydreaming about our November honeymoon in Hawaii. Anthropologie carries the most gorgeous swimsuits, so I may pick up 1 or 2 for our trip. Here are a few of my favorites: {1, 2, 3, 4}

Summer Platform Sandals

My favorite summer trend has to be platform sandals. The best thing about platforms is that they are tall, so they make your legs look long and lean, but they also have relatively flat soles, so they are super comfy and you can walk in them all day.

My two favorite pairs are:

-Tory Burch Almita Sandals

-Swedish Hasbeens Braided Sky High Sandals

What trends are you into this season?

Spring Wish List

I realize that most of the country is still under snow, but in San Francisco, the weather has been delightful. The last two weekends have been perfect: sunny and 70! The warmer weather makes me excited for my August bachelorette party to the beach and my honeymoon to Hawaii in November. Here are a few of the things on my spring/summer/vacation wish list this year:

-1. This adorable one piece - Tory Burch ($225).
-2. Cat eye sunnies to feel glam - Stella McCartney ($225).
-3. Straw fedora to shield my face from the sun - Old Navy ($12).
-4. A DVF iPhone case in a bright pattern - DVF ($40).
-5. Swedish Hasbeens in poppy, because Hasbeens are hands down my favorite summer shoes - ModCloth ($220).
-6. Nail polish in bright, Spring colors - OPI or Essie ($8-15).
-7. A sweet, pastel watch - Kate Spade ($195).
-8. A straw clutch, which will transition well from day to night - Boohoo ($36).

Blog Love: Poise & Pen

Hi lovely people. Happy Friday - the weather is glorious in the Bay Area and I cannot wait for this weekend! Just wanted to take a moment to share my dear friend Haley's new blog, Poise & Pen. She's super stylish and her friend Babs creates illustrations of her outfits. Check it out! XO

Pup Marketing Campaign

This is too cute not to share.  This morning, Refinery 29 posted about Where I Was From, a Brooklyn-based online store, and this genius marketing campaign where they dressed up an adorable pup in their clothes and accessories. His little face is so sweet, it breaks my heart...such a nice break from too-skinny models. Bravo!

Prabal Gurung for Target

I'm a big fan of the designer/Target collaborations and I have a few pieces from both the Jason Wu for Target and the Missoni for Target collections. The new Prabal Gurung for Target look book seems fun, colorful, and young, and flipping through it makes me so excited for warmer weather. Here are a few of my favorite looks from the look book via Teen Vogue.

On another note, I've been really bad about blogging the last few weeks. The weeks after the holidays are a bit of a bummer, and it's hard to feel inspired. Still, I've had some pretty great experiences recently, including an amazing trip to Lake Tahoe last weekend with my co-workers, so I'll be posting more often. XOXOXO

Vera Wang's Fall 2013 Bridal Collection

Vera Wang always has the most exquisite wedding dress collections. I'm thrilled to be wearing a Vera Wang gown in my own wedding next Fall, but I'm currently dying over her new Fall 2013 line. You can see more of the new bridal collection over at In Style. 

PS - the new Fall Temperley and Jenny Packham bridal collections are also amazing.

Wedding Shoes: Flats or Heels?

One of the fun parts of wedding planning is the dress and shoe shopping! I found my dress last week and now I'm beginning to look at shoes.

Since then, I've been debating whether or not to wear heels at my wedding. I'm normally a flats kind of girl, and I want to feel comfortable on my wedding day (check out these beautiful Vera Wang flats). Still, there are so many gorgeous bridal heels on the market (like these or these) that it's a tough decision. While there is no huge hurry for me to decide, I'll need choose my shoes before getting my dress altered.

So I'd love to hear, what type of shoes did you wear at your wedding? Did you choose comfort or style? XO

Fall Boots

"Indian Summer" is about to hit San Francisco, which means the best weather of the year! Although we get our warmest days from September to November, I can't help but anticipate fall boots season anyway. I just picked up these Coach ankle boots and I can't wait to bust them out. On Wednesday, we're heading to NYC for a week, so here's to hoping the weather is cool!

Michelle Obama's Stunning DNC Outfit

Did you watch the DNC speeches tonight? The Julián Castro and Michelle Obama speeches were both so inspiring and well delivered. The First Lady's speech was outstanding, but it was impossible not to notice her outfit too. She really wowed in this Tracy Reese dress and J.Crew heels.

DIY Ombré Glitter Nails

This weekend, my BFF, Kristina, came to visit me in San Francisco. While she was here, we painted our nails in this ombré glitter look. Below is the step-by-step tutorial, if you'd like to try it.

What you'll need: 
-A base color (you can use any color but we used Tickle My France-y by OPI)
-A sparkly, metallic color (we used Glitzerland by OPI)
-A glitter polish (we used an older polish, but this Grow Up Already by OPI seems really similar)
-A top coat

{PS - those of you who know Kristina will appreciate Punschka, who is featured in this picture!}

How to accomplish this look:
-Paint two coats of your base color and let it dry completely.
-Paint a swipe of the sparkly, metallic color at the top of each nail and let it dry completely.
-Starting at the top of each nail, take the glitter color and brush downwards. Be sure to ease up on your brushstroke towards the middle of each nail. It might look a little thick at first, but the top coat will help to smooth it all out.
-Paint a top coat and let it dry completely.
-If you'd like, paint a 2nd top coat (I did mine the next day!) to smooth it out even more.

That's all there is to it! We chose this nude and gold ombré combination, but I think it would be adorable in other colors too. 

Our sparkly nails were perfect for our girls weekend in San Francisco. 

PS - here is one other take on ombré nails that I'd love to try soon. Happy Labor Day everyone! XO

Stella & Dot Necklace

My friend hosted a Stella & Dot party at the office and I picked up a few pretty things. My favorite buy is this On the Mark necklace, which I got in gold vermeil. It's dainty and feminine and great for layering. I also picked one up for Kristina, my Maid of Honor, to show appreciation for all of her wedding help.

Kate Spade Sweet Spot Necklace

Just made a major impulse purchase and bought this Kate Spade necklace. Since I plan on wearing a simple, strapless wedding dress, I thought it might be fun to wear a statement necklace. If I don't end up liking it with my dress, I can always wear it for a rehearsal dinner or shower!

Loeffler Randall Fall Shoes

Eva Stacked Heel Bootie:

Joanna Welted Oxford:

Nanette Cap-Toe Bootie:

While I never want summer to end, I'm looking forward to boots season. Have you seen the new Loeffler Randall fall shoe collection? All of the shoes are to die for. Here are a few that are currently on my wishlist.

Michelle in Louis

My favorite look from the Oscars was definitely Michelle Williams in Louis Vuitton. She missed out on the Best Actress award but definitely won on the red carpet. I love the color, the simple accessories, and the cut is perfect for her body. {Photo: Getty Images via MTV}.

Emma in Marchesa

It is no secret that I have a total girl crush on Emma Watson. I love this look from the 2011 MTV Movie Awards after party. She looks stunning in this Marchesa dress and with her coral lipstick. Wingardium Leviosa, am-I-right? {From stylebistro}.

Megan Miller Nail Polish

Isn't this nail polish so pretty? I love the colors and the packaging. $14 at Anthropologie.

Oscars

My favorites of the evening were definitely Michelle Williams and Mila Kunis. Mila's Elie Saab gown is perfect - the color, the cut, everything! Michelle looks gorgeous in Chanel - her understated style here is classic and beautiful!