One Special Night with Sophia Webster Evangeline

Last week was our 19th Meeting-versary.  We consider that day even more special than our wedding day because our meeting was so by chance and lucky and just filled with kismet and serendipity.

So special shoes were in order.

If you want to stand out in the best way possible, wear winged shoes.  People cannot get enough of them.

I paired these with a pastel-ish shift dress from Anthropologie:

And used a white and gold faux snakeskin clutch I've had for ages.

Here are a few better views...

As you can see, I was having the best time.   I have to say I'm lucky.  I'm still having fun after nearly 20 years together. I wish the same for anyone else who wants that.

: )

Ensemble du Jour - Labor Day Dressing

Yesterday we had a lovely day off and spent it trying a new restaurant and leisurley browsing at the nice mall in Charlotte, South Park Mall.

I decided to wear a dress I had not had an opportunity to wear yet - my JCrew sequin stripe dress.  I love the heavier knit and the marine shades of the multi-sized sequins scattered in an ombre pattern.

I paired this with my cobalt Celine Luggage tote - always a handy size to carry.

For shoe, I'd thought about wearing my marine sequin Louboutins but decided to be more neutral and tie in with the color of the creme fabric.  I ended up wearing my lacy Enzo Angiolini Eamaxino peep-toes.

Found a few cute tops for Fall, which I'm eagerly anticipating!

Hurry up cool weather!

Ensemble du Jour - Color and Stripes

I didn't realize that it was going to be so chilly in New York (or in NC for that matter) in mid-May.  I'm so glad I ended up packing my vintage red trench.  It was the perfect weight, went with everything, is a great bright color and waterproof!

I wore it paired with my new JCrew Maritime dress and Franco Sarto sandals plus a woven belt from Target.

The best part of this dress, aside from the comfy slightly-heavyweight fabric, are the side zippers.   I love having them totally unzipped to make the dress even swingier.

These sandals are also perfect with the dress.  A great neutral contrast to the bold colors.

Say it Three Times

If I say  "Prada" three times, will they magically come to me a la their Beetlejuice inspiration???

Prada Stripe Mary Janes - $595 at Saks Fifth Avenue

Speaking of Spring

Here's what's speaking to me for spring: casual stripes, fancy sparkly jewelry, satchels, cuffs and oxfords.

JCrew is killing it with all the stripes.  I got the sailor stripe top in black/linen and I've ordered the Maritime dress below.

Oh, and guess what showed up last week?  A Poochie Pink Cambridge Satchel!  It will be perfect to add a pop of color and to carry around my iPad.

Although I prefer Fall over Spring, I am excited for bright skies, flowers and color!

Ensemble du Jour: 1-9-11

We sort of had a date night today.  We went to see the Winston-Salem symphony play  Finlandia by Sibelius and Rimsky-Korsakov’s Scheherazade, so I got to wear one of my party dresses. 

I don't believe in restricting clothes between work and play but some dresses I think are a mite too short for the office.  Maybe they are, maybe they aren't but I play it safe.

But I love this little Neapolitan-colored dress from Lulu's. I actually wore this same outfit to the IFB Blogger's party, but we were running around so much I didn't get any pictures. That time I wore it with black tights, a longer belted cardigan and patent heels.  Here I changed it up with a shorter cardigan, white tights and black velvet peep-toe slingbacks with sweet bows on the front.

Here's a better look at the dress...

And the shoes...

First outfit post of the year, so we're starting off on a fun note!  By the way, I can't believe it's only been one week since I've been back in the office.  I'm ready for another vacation already!



Taking Stock

I usually need to get a few cardigans and sweaters each Fall.  I end am able to hold them over for a few years but I wear them a lot and they tend to get worn out.  I usually go to Target for some basics in solid colors and then JCrew for nicer v-necks. 

But this year, I'm not shopping at Target.

I stopped spending my money there when they stopped supporting people's rights by funding anti-LGBT rights politicians.   Now I don't support them.

So I've spent my money elsewhere.   I am looking for more more independent sources but also bought a few items at Gap. 

I'm finally getting to wear my olive green items (outfit post to follow).  I found a great olive sequined top that I wore under my jacket from YOOX and this cardigan is going to be the lighter version of that.  Plus, it's a great green to pair up with all sorts of colors.

V-neck sweaters are what I wear all winter long.  I got this in charcoal, purple, navy and tomato red.

Cowlneck is my second favorite neckline.  I'm sticking pretty close to my palette of greys and blacks but I like the fun stripe too.

I was smitten by these stripes, especially the black and white one.  Usually I buy argyle but I think I OD'd on argyle so I'm backing away this year.   These are especially comfy as I'm wearing the navy/red one right now with a denim skirt, navy tights and lace-up mid-calf boots.

I searched out a good promo code online so I got all of these for a pretty big discount.

How do you stock up for Fall? 

Ensemble du Jour - 6-23-10

More pink and green but this time it was leaning towards the preppy side, I guess.

This really is one of my favorite skirts.



It's hard to tell but the fabric is a tiny green and white stripe which is then embroidered with a beautiful hot pink pattern on the front.

I paired this with a white knit v-neck top and white patent tassled heels from Charles David.

I even put on a wide headband with large green and white stripes but I can only wear them for a short while. I end up getting a massive headache, sadly.

I think white shoes get a bad rap. I don't know why. I love white shoes, especially in patent.

I mean, how classic and classy are these?

The top is from Target, the skirt from Anthropologie (ages ago) and the heels are Charles David, also from 6+ years ago.

Go Go Gilt! - Marc Jacobs Perfection

Sometimes you fall in love and you have to follow your heart.

I went for a quick peek at the Marc Jacobs items on Gilt (click for invite link) and found myself instantly smitten by an adorable dress.



Black and white stripes, scalloped edges, multiple tiers and tiny velvet bows.

So ruffly and perfect I had to have it. Luckily I had some credits. The sale just started and there are a bunch more cute dresses there.

Go Shop!!!

Asheville Weekend Outfit at French Broad Chocolate Lounge

We had amazingly gorgeous weather here this past weekend. We've been testing the dogs out at new boarding places so, since we didn't need to rush back to pick them up, we decided to take a drive over to Asheville. The skies were blue, it was cool but not cold and the leaves were perfectly red and gold everywhere.

We really adore Asheville. And we have to always eat at least one meal at Laughing Seed Cafe. If you haven't been, please make a point of going there.

Instead of wearing the typical jeans and a sweater, I grabbed my new stripey dress from Anthropologie and, even though it is a great Summer dress, when it's paired with grey tights and a cozy over-sized cardigan, it's perfect for Fall.

I always end up with few goodies to bring home. This time it was a new tee from Circles & Squares, they have the cutest prints and the softest shirts, a moleskine from Malaprop's bookstore and some chocolates from French Broad Chocolate Lounge.

Sheer silliness....


I kept the jewelry simple - a vintage Trifari owl necklace.

The bow on this actually ties in the back but since I was wearing a sweater, I tied it in the front so it would show. I did have a pair of black gloves I bought on my honeymoon and so I used my vintage mock croc bag.

For a workday I would wear this with heels but to traipse around the hilly streets Tibi flats are more in order.

We've been wanting to check out the French Broad Chocolate Lounge for a while. Named after a local river, this place is cute and filled with amazing chocolates, drinks and pastries.

We got two liquid truffle hot chocolates. And this is real hot chocolate in the French style, not hot cocoa like you normally get in America.

We of course had to bring some of their truffles home, especially because they make vegan ones with a coconut milk ganache. They are decadent and I'm inspired to do some ganache experimentation of my own now.

I also bought some new chocolate bars I've never tried before. I'm always on the lookout for a new brand to obsess over.

Another wonderful day in one of our favorite cities.