An ongoing love affaire with all things fashionable, tasty and fun

Posts tagged “brunch

MCLV Style File: Flower Power

Welcome to another Style File post – Our last outfit breakdown was a killer patterned black & white dress that Poppy Delevingne wore to Berlin Fashion Week and this time we’re going to check out a bright, fun outfit that’s a great way to transition to colder weather now that Fall 2012 is upon us.

{Lovely Pepa}

Throwing a floral blazer over a skirt & top combo is a great idea, it takes this from a basic Summer look to an eye-catching, colder-weather appropriate outfit that can easily be adapted to suit your style and the pieces that you have available in your closet.

The extras for this look are especially great – The long, layered necklaces, chunky bracelets, and oversized gold mens watch are lovely but that handbag is what really stole my heart.

{Indulgence to Savvy Shopper – Left to Right: Lc Lauren Conrad Floral Blazer – $50 (sale) @ Kohl’s, ASOS Premium Floral Print Blazer – $55 @ Asos.comTall Co-ord Floral Blazer – $130 @ TopShop}

The key to this look is the floral blazer, finding one that suits your coloring and shape may take some time, but it’ll be worth it since this is such a great piece for Fall.

{Indulgence to Savvy Shopper – Left to Right: Rachel Roy Quilted Wrap Skirt – $175 @ Zappos.com, Vince Camuto V-Neck Wrap Dress – $100 @ Shop The Shoe Box & BCBGMAXAZRIA Silk Ruffle Flounce Draped Skirt – $60 @ 6pm}

You could try a sweet blue wrap skirt for this look or you could opt for a cobalt dress and achieve a similar silhouette. It’s the bright colors and eye-catching accessories that make this look work so you don’t need to stress about copying it piece-for-piece.

{Indulgence to Savvy Shopper – Marmen Cross Necklace – $250 @ Urban Outfitters, House of Harlow Diamond Cross Necklace – $60 @ Designs By Stephene & Multi Row Cross Necklace – $20 @ Asos.com}

Whether you’re a fan of delicate necklaces or chunky, gold jewelry or silver, wearing a single chain or layering multiple pieces – There’s something fun in this style to suit your personal taste!

{Indulgence to Savvy Shopper – Vince Camuto Gold Boyfriend Watch – $175 @ Dillard’s, Gold and White Links Boyfriend Watch – $55 @ Asos.com & Merona Silver Tone Extra Large Boyfriend Watch – $20 @ Target}

A boyfriend watch is a funky alternative to a cuff or bangle, it adds a masculine touch without taking your look straight to made-for-the-boys territory. Gold or silver, embellished or plain, there are tons of options out there.

Curious how I would interpret this look using pieces that I have in my wardrobe? Tuesday’s MCLV Style: Factory Girl post was actually inspired by this look from Lovely Pepa!

{You can shop similar pieces by clicking these hyperlinks: Floral Blazer – Pim + Larkin from Piperlime, Pleated Black Mini – Zara (one of my favorite pieces in my wardrobe, true story), Ankle Booties – Rebecca Minkoff from Shopbop.comFloral Top – Anthropologie, and Jewelry – All from Sasha Maks Vintage

As you can see, you can mix this look up, change colors, and adjust the jewelry to create something fresh and unique, a look that is all yours!

You can also check out past MCLV Style File looks below:


MCLV Style File: Poppy Delevingne

Welcome back to a new Style File Look!

It’s been a while since I put together one of these posts, but this recent look from British model & fashionista Poppy Delevingne really caught my attention so I’m here today to share it with you.

{Poppy Delevingne shot by Altamira: Models Off Duty}

What I love about this look is that it’s chic and well put together, but it’s also exceptionally versatile. It could easily go from a daytime look to nighttime, just as well as it could go from a Ladies Who Lunch outing to – well – Fashion Week in Berlin.

{Inspiration Board on ASOS Fashion FinderLace patterned dress, Marnie Leather Belt from Boticca, Black Marano Glitter Clutch by Anya Hindmarch & Pink and Slate Combo Stingray Sandals }

You could put together a similar look to this one by either belting a fun printed dress or combining separates – From the same brand or you could get creative and mix n’ match different patterns.

 

{Indulgence to Savvy Shopper – Left to Right: MaxMara Studio Uruguay Dress – $475 @ Matches Fashion, Tahari by Arthur S. Levine Belted Ruffle Dress – $130 @ Nordstrom  & Dorothy Perkins Black & White Print Dress – $50 @ Dorothy Perkins}

This is also the type of look that could translate easily from black & white to color quite well, you just need to make sure that you’re sticking with a subtle pattern, a bold print and bold color together will make the look overly busy.

 

{Indulgence to Savvy Shopper – Left to Right: Alexander Wang Drape Front Print Silk Dress – $295 @ Nordstrom, DKNY Royal Blue Belted Swing Dress – $190 @ StyleBOP.com & Young Threads NYC Inc. Flame of Reference Dress – $75 @ ModCloth.com}

{You can shop similar pieces by clicking on the hyperlinks above and visiting the various store websites}

What’s your favorite part about Poppy’s fun look for Berlin Fashion Week? The subtle all-over pattern or the way she paired an understated Hugo Boss frock with fun, modern grey heels and a hippie-chic silver necklace?

{Click on images above to visit the original source}

You can also check out past MCLV Style File looks below:


Celebratory Weekend

This past weekend was a once in a life time celebration for my family – My baby brother, who happens to be the only male cousin, celebrated his recent engagement. He and his adorable fiance drove (drove!!!) up from Albuquerque for a week in California which ended with three days of non-stop celebrating in San Francisco.

The festivities began Friday night with our longtime tradition, dinner at our favorite North Beach spot, Don Pistos. The chips & salsa are amazing and we always gorge ourselves on them long before the food ever arrives, the tacos and seafood specials never disappoint, and their sangria is top-notch. Which is very important in a restaurant.

Ceviche tacos, carne asada, fried calamari, fish tacos, wine & sangria, and unpictured (eaten too quickly…) veggie tacos for me.

Why do boys never tire of trying to scare you?

After leaving dinner, totally stuffed as always, we walked past Washington Square Park and headed to another fun North Beach spot, the always lively brewery Rogue which has great outdoor tables and a huge beer list.

How cute is my future sister? 🙂

I’m always exhausted on Friday nights, the week always seems to come crashing down on me riiight around 7pm, so I made my life easier and just threw on a little black dress and some killer gold jewelry for our Friday night out.

V-Neck Dress – Mink (from the North Beach boutique Annabella’s), Heeled Sandals – Ralph Lauren, Lariat Necklace – Vendome (from the Sasha Maks Vintage Jewelry Trunk Show), Bracelets – JewelMint & Vintage, and Ring – BCBG {Click on the hyperlinks above to visit sites where you can find similar pieces}

For the main event on Saturday the rest of our family joined us for brunch and bottomless mimosas at a little hole in the wall bar/restaurant in North Beach called Tiernan’s Irish Pub.

And yes, I ate sweet potato fries for brunch. Completely worth it.

Comparing bling with fabulous friends – An important part of any good outing

Most of our extended family departed after brunch wrapped up, so those of us who remained walked over to the beach at Ghirardelli Square for some celebratory bubbly and a toast with a killer view.

Fashion highlight? Realizing Sean had been wearing my little pink running socks from Victoria’s Secret with his new Banana Republic dress shoes all day…

And what did I wear for this fabulous event you ask?

Zara Zara Zara

Striped Blouse – Zara,  Royal Blue Shorts – Zara, Shoes – MaddenGirl, and Zebra Print AviatorsPiperlime {You can shop similar pieces on ASOS Style Finder or click on the hyperlinks above to visit websites where you can find similar pieces}

In conclusion, it was an amazing, sentimental, crazy fun weekend, and now I feel like I need to sleep for a week to recover. 🙂

How was your weekend?


Goodbye Leavenworth

 

I’d like to take a moment to lament & say au dieu to my beautiful Russian Hill apartment.

 

I adored that apartment’s period details, high ceilings and amazing light, as well as the building’s gorgeous facade.
 
But the time had come for me to say goodbye to the leg burning hills and find a new apartment. Somewhere flat. :)The cats were not quite as excited as me to move to North Beach though… The new building has none of the classic San Francisco characteristics that I’ve always looked for, it’s a squat, modern building with carpets and mirrored closets. So why did I make this move? The building is walking distance to work, is located in a great neighborhood and has a pool, gym and sliding glass doors in the living room that lead out to a courtyard.

But my favorite part? There’s space for all my very important goodies.

A giant walk in closet

With room for purses, shoes and my dresser in additional to all of my clothes

There’s room for the cats to play…
 
 
And there’s even enough closet space for my new roommate…
 
 
And what did I do to celebrate this move?
 
 
 
Bottomless mimosa brunch with one of my favorite people, of course.
 
Look out North Beach, here I come!
 
 

MCLV’s Style File – Miranda Kerr

Welcome back to MCLV’s Style File for a breakdown on this great low-key outfit spotted on Victoria’s Secret model and busy mom Miranda Kerr in Australia a few weeks ago.

MirandaKerr

What I like most about this look is the high-low combination. The striped dress is stylish but casual and comfortable, the blazer is well-tailored and adds a bit of structure, and the red bag is an eye-catching splash of color that completes the look.

See below for some affordable picks for these pieces:

{Left to Right: G-Star – $78 @ Asos, French Connection – $78 @ Bloomingdale‘s & Swell Paula Dress – $55 @ Swell}

Depending on your mood you could rock a casual black and white striped mini like Mrs. Orlando Bloom, go for nautical-inspired navy & white stripes, or even pair a striped maxi dress with the rest of these pieces.

{Left to Right: Classic Blazer – $98 @ GAP, Boyfriend Blazer w/ Striped Cuff – $98 @ Asos & Cuffed Blazer – $80 @ Victoria’s Secret} A cropped or fitted blazer, boyfriend blazer, or even a casual rolled sleeve blazer would all work well in this outfit. You can follow Miranda’s lead and go for a classic black or navy blazer, but I think that a neutral tan or grey would look lovely as well.

{Left to Right: ADELAIDE Leather Chelsea Ankle Boots – $80 @ Asos, Sofft Cadence – $110 @ Shoebuy.com & Nina Bold – $50 @ Shoebuy.com}

You can give your look a sassy twist with a pair of flat ankle boots or lace-up heeled Oxfords, or you could even try a simple pair of black ballet flats depending on your personal style and – of course – how far you’re planning on walking.

 

{Left to Right: Longchamp ‘Le Pliage’ Medium Shoulder Tote – $100 @ Nordstrom, Contrast Colored Quilted Handbag – $65 @ Oasap & Kate Spade New York Tote – $175 @ Piperlime}

I know that these bags are a little pricier than the other pieces that I picked out above, but they’re all quality pieces that you’ll really be able to hang on to. I’m a huge fan of Longchamp’s Le Pliage line as well as simple Kate Spade totes, there’s really something for everyone in this eye-catching hue!

You can also check out past MCLV Style File looks below: