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Monday at the Mansion

September 6, 2016

Last week, I had the pleasure of visiting one of the most lovely properties in my hometown. The proprietors, friends of my photographer, were gracious enough to invite us in to their magnificent manor and serve us a home-cooked meal. We took a few moments to explore the grounds, and I was overwhelmed by the views and verdant landscape. We figured what better time to take a few shots of my look for the evening; a lace & satin cocktail dress, suede kitten heels, and some diamonds around my wrist to celebrate Monday at the mansion.
On another note, I wanted to share some fantastic news. I’ve been working on several collaborations that I CAN NOT WAIT for you all to see! First up is a post on how to wear white after Labor Day, which will be up tomorrow, featuring a work look that is perfect for the impending cooler weather, featuring selections from retailer Simply Be. After that, I’ll be working on a couple of posts featuring some amazing LBD’s from Maggy London, and how to take them from day to night. Soon I’ll be shooting some transitional summer-to-fall looks highlighting gorgeous jewelry from Ronnie M, a local line of handmade wrap bracelets with stones and beads. I love being able to share items from lines that I already shop, and brands that I believe in.

Dress / Anthropologie // Heels / Ivanka Trump // Necklace / J. Crew // Clutch / vintage // Bracelet / Wilson’s Jewelers // Ring / LA find // Glasses / Warby Parker

Shot by Holli Zenko Photography.

Polka Dot Midi Dress

August 23, 2015

Another fun piece from the I Heart Ronson line at JcPenney!
When it’s as hot as it has been in, I long for lightweight printed dresses and bare sandals (not to mention, my hair off of my neck!) to keep me cool. I found this dress recently on JcPenney’s website and knew I would love it for running around town, although with a couple of tweaks, I could totally wear it to work.

Midi dress / I Heart Ronson for JcPenney // Crossbody bag / Rebecca Minkoff (similar) // Studded sandals / Dolce Vita // Necklace & purple stone ring / vintage // silver midi ring / Forever 21 / braided belt / similar // Glasses / Warby Parker

Photos by Holli Zenko.

Geometric Wrap Dress and JC Wedges

August 5, 2015

I thought I would finally share an outfit on here before letting it loose on Instagram! This cute little get-up was worn to a dinner with my photographer and then a short stroll around town.

Geometric faux-wrap dress -thrifted- similar Beaded necklace – vintage-similar Wrap leather clutch – vintage-similar Cut-out wedges – Jeffrey Campbell Glasses – Warby Parker Belt – JcPenney Ring – LA find

The dress, necklace, and clutch were all found at Scarlet Threads Consignment sale, the event I volunteer and sell at. The total for the three was less than $30! The shoes, however, were purchased along with several other things during the Nordstrom Anniversary sale. I saw one of my favorite bloggers, Alyson Haley at Sequins and Things, wearing them and she had mentioned how comfortable they are. I did not find that to be the case, and have since returned them (and am still recovering from all of the blisters!)

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.
😀