I remember Halloween

Happy Halloween
at the 2011 Tompkins Square Dog Costume Contest

[miniature husky as a butterfly]

[shiba inu as a bumble bee]

[pomeranian as lady gaga]

[french bulldogs as dogzillas]

[dachshund as a football player]

my Missoni

{Missoni for Target pouf}

I think I ordered my pouf a good week or two after the Missoni craziness.  It was never sold out and I think it's still available on the Target website.   I can see why no one ordered it-- the photos on the Target website make it look small and cheapy, but in person the size of the pouf is pretty substantial, the shape is quite unique for a pouf, and the material is much better quality than I expected.  I couldn't be happier with my $99 Missoni pouf!  Not to mention the aqua and white color combo is exactly what I was looking for for my living room.  I would seriously buy one in every color if I had a use for them...

iDone it...

... and iLove it!

comfy knits + statement bottoms

All the cool people are doing it. I think I should, too.

{Columbine Smille}

{J.Crew}

{Wendy's Lookbook}

{Zara}

{fashiontoast}

{Sincerely, Jules}

Fall Favorites

While on the calendar it is officially fall, the weather here in socal has taken a u-turn back to summer.  With temperatures nearing the 90s this week, most people are basking in the last warm days of the year.  But I'm secretly wishing for crisp cool days where I can enjoy all my fall favorites: scarves, comfy knits and pumpkin flavored everything.

1.  Starbucks - Pumpkin Spiced Latte

2.  F21 - Knitted Colorblock Sweater
3.  Piperlime - Mia Tracey
4.  Deborah Lippmann - Single Ladies
5.  Zara - Two-Tone Leopard Print Scarf
6.  J.Crew - Heather Carbon Tights

Happy Birthday

{Deborah Lippmann's Fashion + Happy Birthday}

Wine Gallery

 

{fresh burrata, proscuitto di san danielle, roasted red peppers, baby arugula, 

toast points, finished with a touch of balsamic reduction}

I really need to make it a point to come to the Wine Gallery more often. The wine selection is great for such a small place, and their list of California wines, something I'm at least a little familiar with, is even better. The service is always good (as with most places in Corona del Mar), and surprisingly, the food is AWESOME.

This was my first time trying the Cade Napa Cuvee Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley, which is a Bordeaux style Cabernet Sauvignon and it was delish.  It really is my kind of wine - fruity, full bodied, smooth, long, finish.  YUM!  I had never heard of Cade Winery, but apparently it is Napa Valley's first organically farmed, LEED Gold Certified Winery.  Seems like it might be an interesting winery worth visiting next time I'm in Napa, which I hope is sometime very soon (I swear Napa is like Disneyland-- no matter how many times you go, there are always a million more places you still have yet to experience)!  

{crostini toast points topped with roasted shiitake mushrooms & 

goat cheese over a brush of truffle oil}

 {beef sliders topped with vermont cheddar & white truffle ketchup}

ABC's Happy Endings

{ ABC's Happy Endings, WEDNESDAYS 9:30|8:30c}

I'm so excited that one of my new favorite shows, Happy Endings got picked up for another season. I want to promote this show to as many people as I can because I love it and would be sad if it got canceled. Think "Friends"-ish but a little more weird and random, and less politically correct. To me, the dialogue is similar to Cougar Town and Scrubs, with quick witty jokes every 20 seconds, keeping me constantly entertained. The editing perfectly accentuates the comedic timing, and the actors in the show are all great by themselves and it's really difficult to choose a favorite. The writers are clever and creative, even though it's basically the same premise as Friends, keeping every episode pretty fresh.

One of my favorite scenes is the one embedded above. Penny (the goofy, crazy, "Phoebe"-esque character) is forever single, and just met a guy she's interested in, but he's a "hipster" so Max is teaching her how to fit in with his friends.

I don't know if anyone else will find this funny, but I couldn't stop laughing at this clip (if you watch the whole episode it's funnier, but this still cracks me up):

I also love Jane, who plays the anal, obsessive, control freak, "Monica" character, but better. I couldn't find any of my favorite scenes of her online but here's one:

I also found some reviews of the show from LA Times, NY Magazine, and this other website if you're interested in reading more about the show.

back to the islands... again

 {I always have to capture the amazing view when arriving}

 {beautiful wedding at the fancy Halekulani Hotel}

{last bento on the plane ride home}

Petite Sizing

{Ann Taylor - Overlapping Placket Long Sleeve Blouse}

At 5'-2" tall, I definitely consider myself "petite."  Ironically though, I only own a handful of petite-sized garments.  I attribute this mainly to the fact that most retailers/brands do not carry petite selections; and I also find that when I do come across a petite item, the proportions are short and wide, and overall ill-fitting.  Ann Taylor, however, is known to be petite-friendly and almost all their styles are available in petite, especially online.  So during their recent 40% off everything sale, while putting this blouse into my shopping cart, I found myself not knowing what size I should buy.  Since this blouse is an online exclusive, and I could not try it on in-store, I did the only logical thing, I ordered four of them!

{top to bottom - 0P, 2P, 0, 2}

As it turns out, Ann Taylor petite sizing is quite petite!  The 2 Petite is about half a size smaller (all over) than the 0 Regular.  This is how they fit:

0P - Shoulders too narrow, sleeves a little short, length too short to tuck in.

2P - Shoulders slightly too narrow, sleeves fit perfectly, length too short to tuck in.

0 - Shoulders fit, sleeves a little long, length perfect to tuck in.

2 - A little big all over.

I kept the 0 Regular, and returned the rest.  Another puzzling petite "miss" for me.  Does anyone else find that petite-sizing is too short?