Fabulous Friday

It is a big day. No, there is no news about a real baby, but this baby (just in case you are not 100% sure what I'm talking about, I'm talking about the blog) is turning six months old today! I have to celebrate my own labor of love. And I have truly loved every moment of it. Happy Birthday, my little baby. You were not so pretty when you were born, but you're getting cuter every day!

This weekend we're heading to Arizona for a wedding, and while the celebration has nothing to do with this momentous milestone, I'll have a glass of bubbly in honor of It's Like This, and you should too!

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Nina Garcia Inspiration

Nina Garcia, the fashion director of Marie Claire magazine, has collaborated with Bauble Bar to showcase some trends in jewelry. She highlighted four trends as seen above.  I did a little trendspotting of my own to see how Nina's picks were being rocked on the streets of London Fashion Week. Check it out.

Some ladies were bejeweled:

Or sporting chain link inspired patterns...

Or colorblocking...

And others worked minimalist ensembles...

Do you need some of this style in your life? How about some budget buys to get your own version of these looks.

For the ladies looking to bejewel themselves...

old navy skirt - j.crew cords - nina's jeweltone pick - old navy blouse

Or for a woman who doesn't mind being chained down...

zara chain blazer - nina's chain pick - zara dress

Or perhaps a little colorblocking is more your speed...

gap thick stripe sweater - nina's colorblock pick - gap thin stripe sweater - j.crew shoe - j.crew colorblock sweater

And if you're more of a minimalist...

j.crew dress . vegan "leather" peplum (i die) - nina's minimalist pick

Go get your shop on!

Note: At J.Crew right now: 25% OFF & FREE SHIPPING ON ORDERS OF $150+ WITH CODE STYLE25.

fashion week photos: Bauble Bar - 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 - 8 - 9 - 10 - 11 - 12 -13 -14 

Dah-ling...

My dad always calls my mom "Darling." In fact, he calls lots of people darling. He's British. When I saw this sweater, I immediately thought of my dad and the fact that the J. Crew Spring 2013 collection is perfection. How do they get it right every time? Well, darlings, I can't wait until some of these pieces are mine!

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Don't Get Any Ideas...

Dearest readers,
I never want you to leave me. Don't even think about it. But, I have to pay a moment's homage to the gals who make me want to be a better blogger. Beautiful style in spades. These creative and inspirational women made me want to do this and to do it right. Now, ya'll can look, but you better not stray.
Love,
Mere

To the woman who started it all...Ms. Erin Gates over at Elements of Style. I know, I know. I have already written about her, but she got me hooked on reading blogs, and we wouldn't be here today without her.

 Love her style. Love her house. Thinking of buying this bookcase.

Up next is my decor inspiration: Jamie Meares of isuwanee. My couch is via Furbish, her boutique, and without that boutique, I would have very little to blog about.

The picture perfect Blair of Atlantic-Pacific has provided me with endless fashion inspiration. This weekend I am finally wearing that Tibi dress she showcased this summer. Can't wait. 

I am in complete awe of the way that Emily Schuman of Cupcakes and Cashmere has built her brand. Amazing. She is quickly becoming a household name. By the way, I think her hair is looking particularly great these days.

And speaking of hair. I am hair stalking this San Francisco chick, Krystal. I may or may not have gone to her hairdresser...and gotten her haircut. I can't help that I know a good thing when I see it. Love her blog: This Time Tomorrow.

And relatively new to my blogroll, but no less beloved are the terrifically talented young ladies of Design Darling (Mackenzie's boutique is curated perfection)...

...and Ashely of One Fine Day. Her graphics are amazing. I must learn her ways.

Thanks to each of these awesome women for keeping me on my toes, keeping me striving to improve my blog, and keeping me well dressed and well decorated.

erin: 1 / 2  

jamie: 1 / 2 

blair 1 / 2 

emily: 1 / 2 

krystal: 1 / 2 

mackenzie 1 / 2 

ashley 1 / 2

Monday Musings: Emmy Style

So Sunday night was the Emmy's! And the boobies were out to play! Wowzah.

Christina, Morena, Amy, Zooey, Kat, Heidi, and Emily all brought their A (C/DD) game.

Now, I'm no expert, but I was seriously underwhelemed by the gowns. Really disappointed. When I love someone as much as I love Lena Dunham, I want to cry when I see her making unconscionable fashion choices. Lena, for reals, girl? Nice haircut. And the makeup, also working. It's just the dress. So not worthy of this stellar gal.

Ok. Mayim Bialik has no excuse. She has already appeared on What Not to Wear. Stacy and Clinton made her over and gave her their rules.

And yet she wore this dress. She has clearly thrown the rules out the window. She needs to have her What Not to Wear Visa revoked. Stat. 

Next up: People who looked lovely in ugly dresses.

Tina Fey rocked the oxblood trend. She herself looked beautiful, but I am not impressed by the dress. I honestly never thought I would be admiring Kelly Osborne. Seriously, when did she get that bod? Dang! She is downright skinny. I think matching the hair to the dress was a bold choice. Not my favorite. And then we have Michelle Dockery. I don't like her dress, but she is just so pretty. Appreciate, ya'll. 

Next up: The winners of the night! (And I am writing this before I actually know who won, so we are only concerning ourselves with the style winners, which is all I care about anyway.)

I could never wear this color, and I'm not even sure I like this color, but these lovely ladies rocked it like nobody's business. Clare Danes is pregnant! How glowy is she? I just want to be her. And Leslie Mann accented the lemon with that beautiful turquoise color. Good choice.

J. refers to Jessica Pare as "Zou Bisou Bisou." He thinks that's her name. She looked killer in this dress. So classic. So elegant. Nailed it. Gretchen Mol also looked stunning. How amazeballs are those shoes? Love them! Ginnifer Goodwin channels old Hollywood glamor with her adorable pixie cut. She is also rocking some sweet kicks. These lovely ladies were the gold standard in my eyes.

All in all, not the best night fashion has ever seen. Too bad I wasn't there. I would have kicked it up a notch. Bam. Happy Monday.

images from people!

Fabulous Friday

Magazines make me feel bad. They always have. I read them anyway. I believe Albert Einstein said that insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. I guess that makes me insane. I never had magazine subscriptions...until recently. When I started this blog I decided that I really needed to be in the know, and what better way to be in the know than to subscribe to a load of fashion and design mags?

A few days ago, I was at the gym reading an unnamed glossy, and I came across an article about breast cancer. Usually the articles that make me feel bad are about diets or what celebrities (don't) eat. This one was about how to reduce your risk for the big "C."

Now you are probably thinking cancer = feeling bad, but I was thinking cancer = not about dieting = score. The article listed four things that you can do to help yourself: exercise, maintain a healthy weight,  limit your drinking, and give birth before your mid-thirties. These all seem like very reasonable and intuitive things. But, I am suddenly pumping it out on the elliptical in a complete frenzy.

About exercise: "About five hours of brisk walking a week is ideal...you don't have to be a marathoner!" Um, five hours of brisk walking a week sounds like a marathon to me.
About maintaining a healthy weight: "The less fat cells you have, the safer you are." Ah!!!! Pump faster!
About drinking: "If you have more than one glass of wine in an evening, take the next few days off." Shoot.
And the baby thing...well let's just say that thirty is breathing down my neck like a beast.

Suddenly I'm thinking about how I can possibly fit in a few more hours of walking a week, I'm mourning my soon-to-occur abstention from wine, I'm thinking that I need to drop five to ten, and the baby thing...yeah.

Then I realize I am insane.

It is a well known fact that more often than not, beauty magazines make us feel ugly.

My mom often says that blogs remind her of magazines that come everyday. I think that's a great analogy. But, I don't want to be that kind of magazine. I hope that when you read this blog you feel anything but ugly. In fact, I hope you feel fabulous. Really fabulous. Super duper fabulous because God knows there is enough crap out there to make even the most fabulous among us feel like a failure. This Friday, have two glasses of wine, only walk half a mile, and toast to your own fabulosity cause there is no judgment here.

gwen. cameron. michelle. reese. mariska. katie. rachel. julia

Cozy Time

One thing I really miss about the east coast is the beautiful weather that accompanies the changing of the seasons. I love fall. I love the foliage and the smell of mulled cider. I love pumpkins and decorative gourds (yup, I am one of those people who love decorative gourds, and if you are like me, you must read this article). I miss the chill in the air that starts to crop up around this time of year. So, I thought I would collect some images of beautiful homes and decor that make me think of lighting a fire and snuggling up with a warm drink and a good book. I am so excited to be taking a trip to DC in October where fall will make an appearance, but until then, this will have to suffice!

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Fall Wish List: For Him

j.crew classics

My brother is almost as much of a shop-a-holic as I am. He, too, keeps a running list of things he needs to enhance his rapidly expanding wardrobe. He is an absolute J.Crew addict who tries to cultivate a retro, rugged prepster vibe, and sometimes, only sometimes, ventures out to other classic brands. But mostly only brands that collaborate with J.Crew. He put together this list of his must buy items for fall for the men who read this blog. You know you're out there. No shame, boys.

He breaks it down for ya'll by category. According to Christian (and I am not sure how much of a fashion expert he is, but I really liked his picks, so we are just going to suspend our disbelief), every man needs a Fair Isle sweater, a pair of boots, a slubby (and preferable terribly overpriced) henley, a sweater with elbow patches (seriously, he is obsessed), and a classic jacket.

red wing chukka . red wing wabsaha . barbour sapper . crewneck . standard henley . coalminer henley . cardigan . fair isle

Fall Wish List

j.crew fall campaign

I am always in the process of mentally chronicling things I want to add to my wardrobe. The changing season certainly means that stores are filled with new colors, and textures, and all sorts of goodies to stay chic and on trend as the weather changes (or not because it doesn't really here). This is what is calling to me for fall:

I am mad for a leather jacket, and this one is actually reasonable and incorporates the still popular peplum style. While I am not a huge fan of black leather, this one is feminine enough for my taste. 

Loving the nerdy chic looks provided by some tortoise shell specs. Theodora and Callum makes blanket scarves in beautiful Navajo prints. Can it get better than that? My sister owns this Marc by Marc Jacobs bag, and it is terrific. Great size, easy to carry, and hard to get dirty! Perfect for city living. While I think these gorg booties would be a bit on the high side for daily wear, they are so beautiful. So, so beautiful. This gold necklace is elegant simplicity.

While I already own a Barbour, I own the city fit cut, which is very slim. I think that this classic style is perfect for SF. It is never that cold, and this is boxy enough to fit a cozy knit underneath. And speaking of cozy knits...

And that's what I'm liking this fall!