Stripe It Up!

Tuesday will mark the first day of fall, but it still feels like summer in New Orleans. Yet, the hot and humid weather hasn't deterred me from getting into the fall spirit. In the same way that squirrels hoard acorns before winter, I hoard candles. I've already stocked up on far too many "Spiced Cake," "Autumn Leaves," and "Sweet Pumpkin" candles from Pier One over the weekend. My apartment unfailingly smells like pumpkin pie, which explains my fall-inspired outfit (as well as the incessant sugar cravings I've had all day). 

Mixing prints can be tricky, and if done incorrectly it may inevitably look tacky. I broke down all the essentials on how to mix prints here, but they key idea is making sure to stay in the same "color family" and size range. I thought these stripes complemented one another, making the outfit more whimsical as opposed to nautical. 

If I had to pick 3 must haves to transition my summer wardrobe to fall, it would be the following:

1) Motorcycle leather jacket - What the denim jacket is to spring is what the leather jacket is to fall clothes. It's warm enough as layering piece and adds just enough "edge" to any outfit. I bought this particular leather jacket about 5 years ago from Urban Outfitters (similar one here) and I think it has only gotten better with age. 

2) Ankle Boots - A good ankle boot can easily transition a summer dress or midi skirt into the fall. I also love to pair them with boyfriend jeans, trousers (like I did here), or a short skirt and leggings as I did with this outfit. Most of the time, they're comfortable enough to be worn all day and can be easily slipped on or off. I'm embarrassed to admit this - but I have ankle boots in patent black, brown leather, suede camel, and leopard. Obsessed? Guilty. 

3) Black leggings - I feel like this is a no brainer. Leggings should be as much a staple in your wardrobe as underwear. This is the solution to those days when it's too cold to wear that cute summer dress...or that short skirt/romper/shorts/jumpsuit/whatever for that matter. Didn't have time to shave your legs? Don't sweat it - just wear these babies and no one but you (and perhaps your disappointed husband) will know. 

There's a tie for honorable mention between faux leather leggings and this burgundy wool felt hat, both are perfect for fall. For the days when I need to run errands around the city, but still want to be comfortable, I like to throw on a knit sweater over faux leather leggings and ankle boots. The outfit looks pulled-together and I find it is as comfortable as wearing yoga pants and sneakers.  

While I love to ogle at full-glam makeup looks on Insta-stars like Amrezy or Lilly Ghalichi, I noticed that most runways for Fall 2014 did the "barely there" makeup look. Truth be told, unless I am going to a big event like a wedding, I feel clownish wearing that much makeup. Isabel Marant, Gucci, Stella McCartney, and Balmain all agree. These were just a few of the many top designers that had a resounding less-is-more motto. Luckily, to emulate the look it's as easy as it sounds. With just a little eyeliner, mascara, blush, lip balm -voila - you're ready to go!






This particular necklace has sentimental value to me because it's my mom's from her college days in the 70's. I liked how the colors tied the outfit together. 





Much love, 

xoxo

Outfit Details:

Top: Zara (old) 

Skirt: DailyLook Striped Bandage Bell Skirt

Jacket: Urban Outfitters (old), similar one here

Shoes: Steve Madden "Penelope" Booties

Leggings: Topshop Black Opaque Tights

Necklace: Vintage

For the Love of Prints: The Black and White Maxi

Happy Friday!

I wore this outfit a couple months ago while I was in Washington D.C., but I didn't have a chance to blog about it until now. I have to admit, this is is probably my favorite maxi dress hanging in my closest at the moment. Here's why: 

1) The print: I love a unique twist on classic prints, particularly when it's polka dots and stripes. I thought the combination was different, yet subtle enough to be a classic dress. There's a fine line between having a unique print and being fashion overkill. I like to think this outfit is the latter. 

2) The style: I am finicky about sleeveless clothes. Until I have arms like Jada-Pinkett Smith or Michelle Obama, I'll probably continue sticking to sleeves. The long-sleeves and gold embellished buttons at the wrist give it that signature style that I'm looking for in a maxi. In addition, as a wrap dress, it is figure-flattering for almost any body type. 

3) The material: 100% pure chiffon. Unless you plan of shelling out hundreds of dollars for designer, the majority of dresses hanging in popular retail stores are often made out of polyester (womp womp). Maybe it's a sign that I'm getting older, but I'm starting to prefer quality made material in my clothes...things like pure silks, chiffons, cotton, etc. 

4) The price: Of course saying #3 does come with a price, but I didn't have to burn through my wallet with this dress. Can you believe it was only $70? 

5) Comfort: The key about dressing for comfort is that the outfit can be worn all day. When I wore it in D.C., I knew I was going to wear it all day and night. When I wore it again this past weekend, I was able to transition it from brunch to dinner by only changing my accessories (I kept it simply with earrings and a wrist chain for my daytime look). The material is also light and airy, which is perfect for those humid New Orleans days and nights. 

I have a feeling I'm going to have this dress in my closest for a looooooong time!

Wishing you a lovely weekend ahead, 

xoxo

Outfit Details:

Dress: Brown Sugar Collection Black and White Chiffon Dress

Tank: Urban Outfitters

Shoes: ALDO

Caramelized Garlic, Mushroom, and Goat Cheese Quiche

This past weekend I scored major daughter-in-law points by winning over the hearts - and stomachs - of my in-laws. The pressure was on because 1) I had never cooked ANYTHING for my in-laws (microwaving doesn't count, right?) and 2) my mother-in-law is a master chef. I mean, she has quite a following when it comes to her cooking to the point where she even conducts cooking classes during her spare time. As a result, I decided to pull out the big guns and make the same dish that had won over my husband years ago when we were dating. Basically, this quiche validated my cooking in his eyes and has been cemented as one of his favorite brunch dishes (pats self on back). To back-track a bit, earlier in our relationship we competitively tried to see who could out cook the other. You got to love a man that can cook though! He's better at creating intricate dinner entrees, but we collectively agree that the breakfast/brunch category is all mine. The inspiration behind the dish? I wanted to recreate a quiche I had tried while traveling through London a few years back. For you foodies, it was at Nopi, one of Yotam Ottolenghi's landmark restaurants...and it was life changing. I was able to find Ottolenghi's original recipe in his cookbook, Plenty, but I modified it a bit. Here's my adapted version: 

Ingredients

I box (13 oz) Pepperidge Farm Puff Pastry sheets, defrosted
2 medium heads of garlic, separated and peeled, but do not crush
1 1/2 cup sliced portobello mushrooms
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tsp fresh rosemary
1 tbsp chopped fresh thyme (save some sprigs for garnish)
1 tsp chopped fresh chives 
1 tsp  salt
1 tsp fresh ground black pepper
4 oz soft, creamy goat cheese (chevre)
4 oz hard goat cheese (gouda)
3 large eggs
6 tbsp of creme fraiche 

Directions:

1) Roll out puff pastry/dough into a 13-inch circle. Fit puff pastry into an 11-inch round ceramic pie dish. Place a parchment paper round on top of puff pastry or crust; top with pie weights or dried beans. Transfer to refrigerator; chill for 20 minutes.

2) Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with foil and set aside. Transfer tart shell to oven and bake for 20 minutes. Remove weights and paper and bake until pastry is golden, 5 to 10 minutes more. Remove from oven and set aside.

3) Place garlic cloves in a small saucepan filled with water. Place saucepan over medium heat and bring to a simmer; simmer for 3 minutes. Drain and return cloves to saucepan. Add olive oil and place saucepan over high heat; cook, stirring occasionally, until garlic is fried, about 2 minutes. Add the mushrooms, balsamic vinegar, and 1 cup water; bring to a boil and immediately reduce to a simmer. Let simmer for 10 minutes. Add the rosemary, chopped thyme, chives, and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Continue simmering over medium heat until most of the liquid has evaporated and garlic is coated in a dark caramelized syrup, about 10-15 minutes more. Remove from heat and set aside.

4) Break the soft goat cheeses and grate the hard goat cheese into the quiche shell; spoon garlic cloves and syrup over cheese. In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, creme fraiche, and remaining 3/4 teaspoon salt; season with pepper. Pour egg mixture over cheese and garlic filling, making sure the cheese and garlic are still visible.

5) Transfer tart to oven and bake until tart filling is set and top is golden brown, about 45-50 minutes.

6) Remove from oven and let cool for about 5 minutes before serving. Garnish with thyme sprigs and enjoy! Side note - it can be reheated, but is best straight from the oven and served warm.

The consistency of the quiche will be creamy as seen below. 

Here's the finished product! I decided to make homemade croissants, maple chicken sausages, a colorful fruit salad with dragon-fruit, strawberries, blackberries, kiwis, pears, bananas, and blueberries, and fresh squeezed orange juice. You will never drink store-bought OJ once you juice your own...it's so much better and healthier too. Hope you enjoy it as much as my family and I!

Bon appetite, 

xoxo

Altuzarra for Target: Go Get it...NOW

I have no problem admitting my strong love-hate relationship for mega-chains (ie WallyWorld, Sams, Costco, etc). I hate the corporate monopoly they symbolize, but I can't help but get suckered into their convenience for one-stop shopping. I mean, where else can I get a tire, 2% organic milk, pillows, and a birthday card at 2 AM? What I do with those items at 2 AM is my business, but I digress. Among the American super-chains, my favorite has always been Target, or Tar-jay if you're fancy. But it has to be said that my bias isn't that it is cleaner and more efficient than its counterparts (which it is), but rather for an unlikely characteristic - fashion. As a result of the economic recession 4-5 years ago, high-end fashion designers collaborated with Target to create affordable, but fashionable street wear. Fashion designers like Missoni, Rodarte, Proenza Schouler, and Prabal Gurung are just a few who have brilliantly put their own stylistic design on outfits that are under $100. To add to that list...take a deep breath...is ALTUZARRA. 

In honor of Altuzarra for Target dropping in stores TODAY across the nation, I thought I'd dedicate this post to Joseph Altuzarra - the creative mind behind the collection. Whenever I'm in New York, I always find myself oggling at Altuzarra in Bergdorf's, Opening Ceremony, or Barney's. He states that the creation of his designs, "...was born out of the desire to make the sophisticated woman feel seductive, strong, and confident." There is a Sophia Loren...or for the more contemporary...a Sophia Vergara-esque feel to his clothes. The kicker here is he's only 30 years old. For those that may not be familiar with Altuzarra's designs, let me show you a brief preview of what he just unveiled last week at New York Fashion Week:

I am a lady that loves anything striped. Add sleek lines, tailored suits, and pencil skirts to the mix and you have my favorite work wardrobe...but it's not just for the working woman. His clothes are wearable, sophisticated, and can be easily transitioned from a day at work to a night about town. I could already picture myself in one of his striped pencil skirts hanging out with my friends at some downtown lounge. Out of his entire collection, however, my favorites had to be the leather gladiator-style dresses and skirts. Well done, Joseph Altuzarra. 

Back to Altuzarra for Target though, I'm surprised you haven't jumped in your car yet. I already have my eye on a few pieces:

Trench coat? I can never have enough of these...so yes, check. Velvet suit...eh, why not? Check. Cleavage-bearing burgundy wrap dress? The first thing that came to mind was Valentine's dinner. Granted, I may be jumping on this 6 months in advance, but still... check! Black-on-black-on-black...check, check!

It doesn't help that all of these pieces are under $100. This is how I justify it in my head, "I mean...if I were to buy this one dress at Barney's it would be quadruple the price, so why not buy all 10 things hanging off my arm right now? Makes total shopping sense to me. Bargain!" 

For those that might be more rational than yours truly, here's the site to check it out ahead of time to avoid impulse shopping - Altuzarra for Target.  Most importantly - enjoy and be fashionably fierce! 

xoxo

Back to Black (and Blogging)!

My sincere apologies for my month-long hiatus and lack of posts dear readers! I pinky promise not to get so behind in the future. Here's what I have been up to in a nutshell:

My semester back at the university has officially started and I'm teaching a new Middle Eastern literature course. So far it has been fun and thought-provoking, but on the flip-side it pushed my blogging time to the side...sigh. When I'm not nose-deep in a book, I've been traveling almost every weekend...Chicago, D.C., and Houston more specifically. 

I did - however - do some fall shopping while traveling and I'm looking forward to sharing my finds with you guys shortly. Even though it's still 90+ degrees here in New Orleans, that doesn't stop me from getting excited about my favorite season of the year. 
Vogue's September Issue, pumpkin spice latte's, crisp air, Thanksgiving, trench coats, booties, and incorporating more leather & tweed into my outfits are all reasons why I absolutely love the fall season. 

Speaking of booties - here I am wearing one of my favorite shoes with these 80's throwback trousers. As soon as I saw these graffiti-inspired pants I was sold. I'm a big fan of street art/street artists. My husband even proposed to me by having a graffiti artist create a whole mural asking, "Will you marry me?" in the Marigny area of New Orleans (some of the best graffiti can be found there btw). These pictures were taken as my husband and I scouted the Jackson Avenue area after brunch. I particularly loved the eye. But back to the pants - they're lightweight and could easily transition into my fall wardrobe paired with a knit-sweater and leather jacket. I wore a body chain under my crop top for a little extra glitz. 

Hope you enjoy, 

xoxo

Outfit Details: 

Blazer: Topshop

Crop top: Nasty Gal

Pants: Nasty Gal "Get It Write" Pants

Necklace: Nasty Gal "Drop It Low" Body Chain

Shoes: Steve Madden "Penelope" Booties