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Rent the Runway Gowns

July 21, 2015

I recently received word from Rent the Runway that they wanted me to pick any two dresses off the site to enjoy and take some pictures.. And let me start by saying that it was not an easy task! RTR offers hundreds of gorgeous dresses ranging in formality from poolside hanging to Oscar party. I went with a couple of fancier choices, as I don’t often have the occasion to wear gowns, so why not!

Gown – Nha Khanh c/o Rent the Runway
D’orsay pumps – Sam Edelman
Clutch – vintage sunglass case (I added the crystals)
Crystal link bracelet – J. Crew – similar
Rings – LA finds

I love when my photographer tells me a joke in the middle of shooting 😛
Overall, this dress fit me perfectly, everywhere except the length! I would have been happier if it was maybe 2-3″ longer. I believe they do offer this dress in a longer length, and in that case, it would be extraordinary for a fancy holiday party.

Next up, was this gorgeous and surprisingly comfortable ruby red gown from Badgley Mischka. It flowed so beautifully as I walked and I almost didn’t want to take it off! I actually ended up wearing it out to dinner with the boyfriend after this shoot!

Gown – Badgley Mischka c/o Rent the Runway
Bag – vintage
Necklace – LA find – similar

Photos shot by Holli Zenko.

I will of course disclose that Rent the Runway sent these dresses to me to wear at no cost. I have been using their services for over a year now, and am a member of their Unlimited membership program. More on that here. Any time I’ve had any type of issue (from a dress that doesn’t fit to shipping delays), their customer service associates have always been incredible. Their selection is amazing, as I mentioned, and includes day-to-day and date night pieces, along with those drop-dead-gorgeous gowns.

Dinner at Bellatrix

July 21, 2015

For the first of Mark’s birthday festivities, we headed to the French fine dining restaurant, Bellatrix, located in Palm Desert, CA. I grabbed a few quick shots of our food and of the gorgeous scenery.

The braised honey BBQ shortribs with veggies and cauliflower puree was to die for. Seriously, I could eat this meal every week. Highly recommend.

Mark ordered the macadamia-crusted sea bass on shredded veggies and thoroughly enjoyed it.

How gorgeous is the interior? It felt so grand and luxurious. I would love to attend a holiday party here! Or hey, maybe I’ll throw one 🙂

Enamored by the views of the Classic Club golf course.
Dress – H&M – similar/similar
Necklace – eBay – similar

Metallic bag – Loeffler Randall

Palm Springs Weekend

July 20, 2015

I always like to plan something extra special for my boyfriend’s birthday, and this year something told me to pick Palm Springs! Some may think me crazy, Palm Springs in July, and yes it was hot, but entirely bearable! I wanted to pack a lot in to our two days out there and Mark had a great time, which all I can hope for 🙂

We started the morning off with breakfast at Serrano inside Casino Morongo. I ordered my standard of eggs benedict and it, and the service, were both outstanding.

I basically had to break several traffic laws to make it to the Living Desert to make it in time for the giraffe feeding. I knew it was something we absolutely had to do while out there. We both love animals and are all about the hands-on experiences.

After the zoo, we freshened up a bit and headed to Chi Chi’s at the newly renovated Avalon Hotel, formerly the Viceroy. I was super excited to try out this menu, after looking it over online. We were not disappointed and I would certainly return for the tasty bites and the California-casual chic vibes.

See what I mean? Gorgeous and relaxed. I could spend all day here, lounging around this room, around the pool, etc.

We checked in to our hotel, enjoyed a couples massage, went back to the room to shower and get ready for a lovely dinner at Trio in downtown Palm Springs. We shared a bottle of wine, a couple of entrees and dessert. After all of that indulging, we felt like walking around for a while, and we were in luck, because it was market night! We stopped in to one of my favorite Palm Springs haunts, Las Casuelas, for a round of drinks (for him a classic marg, for me, a Paloma.

I’m sad I didn’t get a better shot of this show-stopper, from designer Gabriela Cadena. It was a tiny but snug up top and around the waist, but the fabric on the bottom was so incredibly gorgeous, I got loads of compliments on it.
Gown – Gabriela Cadena – rented
Bag – vintage
Heels – Gucci

The next morning, we craved nothing more than to sip on a bloody Mary poolside while catching up on some reading.
Sarong – Mara Hoffman from the Box of Style

After that, we packed up, checked out, walked around downtown for a while then sat down for a late lunch at Lulus, another of my must-go-to’s in Palm Springs. Then began the shortish drive back home, but not without a stop at the Desert Hills Premium Outlets, known to locals as Cabazon, where I picked up a few gems at the J.Crew outlet.

Leather envelope bag
Iridescent stone necklace
Jewelry dish
Cuff
Chevron bracelet

I was hoping to find some new skinny jeans for summer, but no such luck.
We were wiped after shopping for a few hours, so we happily headed home where our puppies were waiting for us and we went to sleep at 8:00. Party animals haha.

Simply Stylist – Social Media

July 19, 2015

This post should have been completed long ago, my apologies for not getting it up sooner! I’ve been really enjoying the events being put on by Simply Stylist, ever since attending their Fashion & Beauty Conference earlier this year. Recently I attended the monthly session focusing on social media, hosted by the extremely personable, entertaining and knowledgeable Ashley Torres of Pursuit of Shoes. She touched on every major social channel and how to make the most of each, and got in depth on photo editing. I learned so much and have been implementing these tools every day since! After the session, the boyfriend and I headed to lunch at The Little Next Door, a cute little French place not too far from the Grove, then for shopping at the Santa Monica promenade, and finally, to the Grand Tasting at the Santa Monica Pier.

With our extraordinary guest speaker, Ashley Torres from Pursuit of Shoes.

Dress – Rachel Roy (rented)
Floral bomber – Forever 21
Heels – Matisse Footwear
Clutch – Ela Handbags
Midi rings – Forever 21
Square ring – similar
Pyramid bracelet – Banana Republic – similar
Wire-wrapped bracelet – The Crowned Crane – similar
Cage bracelet – Nectar Clothing – similar
Dragonfly necklace – Kyle Chan Design– similar
Stone necklace – Kyle Chan Design – similar

Near the end of her presentation, Ashley announced that we would be practicing the fine art of the #flatlay. I grabbed a couple of items from TopShop and arranged them with some of the things that I brought with me, to the keep the color palette simple. I didn’t win the contest for “best flatlay” but I was pretty happy with the outcome.

After the session, I met up with Mark and we headed over to The Little Next Door, a casual brasserie located on West Third. I can’t say many good things about the service, which at times ranged from lazy to just plain rude and insulting, HOWEVER, the food was incredible. I would go back for the food alone and just ask for a different server 😉

Ahi tartare with pita slices.

Fresh, crusty bread with olive oil & balsamic, and a cup of carrot ginger soup. Yum.

We had some time to kill after perusing the vendors on the Santa Monica Promenade, so we stopped in to the Ristorante al mar for a couple of cocktails. Not a bad view, right?

After a quick outfit change, I was all ready for the Grand Tasting. Not my favorite dress that I’ve rented from Rent the Runway, but it was perfect for the warmer temperature.
Dress – Badgley Mischka (rented)
White sandals – Steve Madden
Tassel necklace – LA find

After the tasting, we still weren’t feeling satiated, so I hopped on my handy Yelp app and scouted out an awesome spot called Bacaro LA. It was the sweets that we were after, but will absolutely be back to explore the rest of their menu.

Presenting the brown butter cookie dough and homemade bread pudding. OMG yes.

Overall, it was a fantastic day with my love. Improving my craft, enjoying some fantastic food, and taking in the sights with my favorite person.
😀