Birthday Bonanza
This past week I celebrated my thirtieth birthday and it was a pretty spectacular experience that included a family dinner at one of my favorite restaurants in San Francisco (restaurant review upcoming), a trip to Sonoma, wine tastings, and a weekend in Glen Ellen with my family & friends.
Here are some highlights from my birthday weekend!
{My colleagues are so amazing – I’m a lucky girl!}
{Wine tasting, delicious food, fabulous views – Living the DREAM}
{We’re a fashionable crowd}
{Speaking of lucky…}
Thank you to all of my friends & family who helped make my 30th birthday weekend so amazing & memorable – I appreciate it more than I can say!
MCLV Style: IFBCON Day Two
So far I’ve gotten around to sharing with you my adventures at the IFB Conference in New York last week, as well as what I wore on the first day of the festivities, so today I’m here to share my outfit for the second day of the conference.
{You can shop similar pieces by clicking these hyperlinks: Leather Trimmed Skirt – See by Chloe, Leopard Print Collared Blouse – Zara, T-Strap Heels – Zara, Gold Spiked Bracelet – Asos.com & Gold Studded Bracelet – Forever 21}
{If you like this look you can HYPE it on Lookbook.nu}
Check out more outtakes from this shoot here – just log into Facebook to view
I actually flew home in this and was impressed by how comfortable the whole outfit was – That’s not an easy flight and an uncomfortable top or bottom can make it all the more miserable. I’ve definitely regretted more than one outfit over the years!
Do you dress up when you travel? It’s something that I’ve always done, because of my old-school love of formality and because I used to have to dress up to travel for sports. I like to be comfortable, but I definitely put in some effort, what about you?
Looks of the Week
This week has gotten off to a unusual start – And since I was so excited to share the Styling 101 – American Girl post, I suppose I’ll just have to make it Looks of the Week Wednesday instead of Monday. But regardless of the which day of the week it is, this is always the perfect way to inspire a week of creativity, fun, and great fashion.
Enjoy!
While this sweet vintage dress is a great find, I have to say that I especially love how this look was styled – Those studded booties, shopper tote, and hat are great choices to make this look one-of-a-kind.
Could this possibly be a great combination of pieces? The retro-silhouetted floral Summer dress is fabulous, those gingham heels are KILLER, and I love the trench and handbag. Well well done!
Wow. Just – WOW. I love that red & white polka dot blouse paired with the fabulous gold accessories and basic cuffed jeans. That spiked necklace is killer!
I love a good black & white look and this one is anything but boring. The skirt is fabulous and one-of-a-kind, and I adore those pointed toed ankle strap pumps. Too cute.
As you’ve probably picked up, I have a great many opinions about a great many things. Many of them things I have no right to have an opinion about whatsoever. Like mens pants. But as far as I’m concerned, these rolled khakis are the perfect pant for Summer. Khakis in lieu of slacks make my eye twitch, but this whole look is fabulous – Love the woven shoes, love the bag, love the simple, clean jewelry choices.
If you said ‘animal print shorts’ I might cringe but these shots are great. It’s a fun, retro look with great detailing and a relaxed overall vibe. Well done!
I love the basics that make up this look, and I love the details. The gold-tipped collar, subtle print on the pants & top, and the color scheme are all great and suit her to a T.
We all know how much I love skulls, so you can imagine that this look immediately caught my attention. But I also love the warm tones mixed with the black, studded, rock n’ roll pieces. Parfait!
I adore a good layering look, especially since we’re heading into Fall and I live in a city known for its temperamental weather. This look has the added bonus of having a killer combination of colors and prints. The flowy white knee-length skirt is the perfect background for the green striped t, leopard print blazer, and adore pink heels.
Love this look as much as I do? Well now you can shop these pieces and put together a similar look for yourself as Summer transitions into Fall and you need to start layering your looks.
{DKNY Pull On Pleated Skirt, Loila Clothing Stripe Zone Top, Lucky Brand Jeans Sweater, Kendra Scott Jacey Pendant Necklace & DV by Dolce Vita Notty Heels}
{Click on images above to visit the original source}
What’s your favorite look of those above? Are you ready to give up your Summer duds for some layering and fabulous outerwear for Fall 2012 and Winter 2013? I have to admit, I’m really starting to get into the mood for cooler weather!
A Very Sonoma Weekend
This past Saturday we ventured over a fog covered Golden Gate Bridge to spend the day in Sonoma house hunting, shopping, and indulging in a little gourmet fare and wine tasting.
After house hunting in the sweltering heat we headed to one of our favorite outdoor dining spots on Sonoma Square, Centre du Vin, which is the restaurant downstairs in the charming old school Ledson Hotel.
An order of moules frites and a glass of vino were just what we needed. And I have to say, I think that moules frites might be the perfect order for us – Sean gets his seafood craving satisfied and I get the salty, delicious carbs. Everyone wins!
After that it was time for a little vintage jewelry shopping at Filigree Estate Jewelers followed by a highly successful trip to the Sonoma Wine Shop. The SWS was highly recommended to us and not only did we have time for a fun little tasting, we were also able to pick up a great bottle of wine for Sean’s father’s birthday.
Two birds. One wine shop.
You can check out my fun skull print blouse & fabulous new Givenchy bag in Tuesday MCLV Style post to see what I was wearing for our Saturday adventures.
Today I’m starting a fun new project with Sasha Maks Vintage that I’m just dying to share with you all – So stay tuned for photos from my first modeling attempt!
Be sure to follow me on Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook for real time updates and pictures!
- Instagram – You can follow me on Instagram @moicontrelavie
- Twitter – You can follow me on Twitter @moicontrelavie
- Facebook– You can LIKE my Facebook page here
MCLV Style: Skulls & Givenchy
I adore San Francisco during the Summer – Blue skies, crisp air, and a slight breeze – It’s Summertime perfection as far as I’m concerned. But every once in a while I give up my moderate weather and venture into warmer territories. You wouldn’t think of Sonoma as a hot climate, but it can get pretty toasty during the summer.
The answer to this fashion conundrum? Mini skirt!
{Skull Print Blouse – People’s Market from Asos.com, Tiered Black Mini Skirt – Juicy Couture from Bloomingdale‘s, Heeled Sandals – Nine West, Large Nightingale Satchel – Givenchy from Barney’s NY, Chainlink Chanel Bracelet, Sapphire & Diamond Art Deco Engagement Ring, Bow Pendant, and Gold Locket – All Vintage}
{You can HYPE this look on Lookbook.nu, shop similar pieces on ASOS Fashion Finder, or click the hyperlinks above to shop comparable pieces and visit store websites}
Check out more outtakes from this shoot here – just log into your Facebook account to view.
I absolutely adored this skull print blouse when I saw it on Asos.com and knew that it would a fun addition to my wardrobe. It’ll work well with a blazer for Fall and I liked how it paired with this tiered mini skirt over the weekend.
Stay tuned for more pictures from our trip to Sonoma this past weekend, an exciting accessories guest post from yours truly, and news about the new love of my life!
Do you ever mix things up with a fun print or bright color? What’s your favorite statement piece in your closet – Accessories, article of clothing, or jewelry?
Weekend Adventures
Over the weekend this little city girl escaped San Francisco for a weekend of wind, water, and family at dreamy Fallen Leaf Lake near South Lake Tahoe – Virtually the same weekend as last year actually.
After a short stop in sweltering Sacramento we headed up to the breezy, welcoming mountain air of Tahoe. I’ve been visiting my family’s cabin on Fallen Leaf Lake since I was a baby and it holds so many memories.
Day-long hikes gone awry with their destinations never discovered, swimming in the freezing snow-melt lake, climbing up waterfalls, boating on the lake in everything from a canoe to a kayak to a Sun Fish sailboat, and even flipping one of the boats & getting stranded at the opposite end of the lake with a friend.
Needless to say a jolt of excitement and anticipation always thrills through me as soon as I can see the distinctive roof top and the vacation actually begins.
And this was an especially fun weekend as the boy and I joined my parents, aunt, uncle, and grandparents at the cabin for a relaxed weekend of hikes, boat rides, reading on the deck, vino, and huge family meals. I mean the amount of food, not the number of people by the way. 🙂
How was everyone’s weekend? Do you like to get out of your hometown on occasion and relax in the country or are you a city mouse through-and-through?
Summary Saturday
For this Summary Saturday I want to share some of my Instagrams from the past week or two with you all. Everything from jewelry and clothes to snacks and vegan recipes – Enjoy!
- Instagram – You can follow me on Instagram @moicontrelavie
- Twitter – You can follow me on Twitter @moicontrelavie
- Pinterest – You can follow my Pinterest boards here
- Facebook– You can LIKE my Facebook page here
- Lookbook – You can see my Lookbook looks here, you can FAN me to get an email update when I post a new look, or you can HYPE my looks if you like them!
Have a great weekend!
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 Aviators – Piperlime {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?
Weekend Wonderland
I have to admit that I look forward to family events like a little kid on Christmas Eve, and luckily for me this past weekend was my dear Auntie’s birthday party.
The Queen’s Jubilee celebration if you will.
Oh what a night.
We celebrated with a stylish catered dinner party in her beautiful backyard which turned out to be a mini family reunion with champagne toasts & heartfelt speeches, pink nail polish comparisons, pets, pets, pets. Oh, and an enthusiastic dance party on the patio.
When the camera came out my cousins made jokes about needing to smile and look their best for pictures since they could end up on this blog. They kept shouting “blog” instead of “cheese.”
Gotta love having such an accepting & supportive family!
As it turned out all of the cousins all wore dresses to the event. From left to right: an embroidered cream strapless midi-length dress, a brightly patterned one-shouldered dress belted at the waist, and a sweet purple sundress paired with a white lace jacket.
And pink toenail polish.
Quite the stylish group of ladies if we do say so ourselves. 🙂
I wore a black & white floral Anthropologie top tucked into a black pleated Zara mini skirt, a cropped Aqua blazer, patent leather Oxford booties, and tons of gold necklaces & bracelets.
Do you like to be social over the weekends or just kick back and relax at home? If you enjoy the occasional outing, do you like to get dressed up or take advantage of being away from work to relax your personal style?
Moi Contre La Vie 