Pseudo-Suit+Textures

Photos courtesy of Sung Shin

Tweed jacket-Tory Burch

Faux leather shorts-F21

Blouse-Express

Gloves-Neiman Marcus

Shoes-Pour La Victoire

Sunglasses-Stella McCartney

Today's outfit inspiration comes from NYFW Fall 2012. One of the take home messages I got from NYFW, which finished wrapping up a couple of weeks ago, was that tweed and textural mixing will be huge for fall. I guess I got lucky when I unknowingly purchased my tweed jacket over early winter;)  

Wearing a bow and a tweed jacket together translates as ultra feminine so I wanted to bring a little bit of edge to the outfit by pairing it with leather shorts for a bit of juxtaposition. I normally wouldn't think to automatically put leather and tweed together but one of the things I love about fashion is that it inspires you to think outside the box. 

What are some ways you like to juxtapose elements of clothing?

Weekend Snapshots

This weekend I...


1. Was invited to a 'Media Maven and Mimosa' spring trend preview event at Neiman Marcus in Tysons Galleria, VA. They graciously provided breakfast and mimosas while they explained and showed spring trends that will be huge for 2012. Florals, pastels, neons, tweed, clutches, and yellow (the new neutral, referred by Ken Downings) are where it's at this spring. Get on it people.

2. Met with Melanie for dinner at our favorite Korean fried chicken place (BonChon) to catch up on life happenings. Good food+good conversation= good night.

3. Unexpectedly scored Le Creuset items from TJ Maxx for a great deal! I imagine making hot appetizer dishes in these...yum. I was debating between yellow and red and decided to buy the red colored ones. I'm such a sucker for red.

4. Finally took the plunge and bought the Louis Vuitton leopard scarf. I've been lusting after this scarf for over a year now because of the hefty price tag on it and decided to take advantage of Saks Fifth Avenue's reward point system they were having last week and buy the scarf. It's beautiful, soft, and luxurious and am excited to start debuting her in my outfits for you. I see this as another investment piece because leopard is here to stay, indefinitely.

5. Came across a dog recipe that I will be making today. It's my dog, Mandu's bday today (!!!) and he will be spoiled even more then usual. If these treats get the Mandu stamp of approval, I will be posting this recipe for you guys soon!

How was your weekend?

The Cape

Photos courtesy of Sung Shin

Cape-Alice&Olivia

Shirt-Theory

Pants-Banana Republic 

Shoes-Pour La Victoire

Hat-F21

Sunglasses-Stella McCartney

So I have a slight obsession with coats/jackets/blazers. The one thing I love about having four seasons where I live is that I have an excuse to buy coats;) I bought this cape last year after my sister convinced me to buy it because I was initially a bit unsure if I would really wear it. I'm so glad she did though because I love how it's so different from the rest of my conventional looking coats. You can't tell from the picture but it come with sleeves so you have the option of adding another layer to whatever you're already wearing. The cape is also designed so that if you don't feel like doing that, the sleeves won't hang and show. It's a win win situation;)

Is everyone ready for the weekend? My weekend will consist of working, meeting with friends for dinner, and an event at Neiman Marcus I was invited to that I'll share with you on Monday in my weekend updates=) Regardless of what your plans are, I hope you do something fun and relaxing and I'll talk to you on Monday. Have a great weekend.

Red+Stripes

Photos courtesy of Sung Shin

Sweater-Banana Republic

Skirt-H&M

Leather jacket-Andrew Marc

Shoes-Pour La Victoire

Is it me or does it feel like February flew by? Pretty soon we'll be entering March in about a week and half which is kinda crazy. This winter has been very mild (with the occasional blast of cold weather), compared to what the DMV area experienced last year and hopefully it will continue to stay that way. When the weather is cold and not bitter cold, I like to either wear something thick such as a sweater or wear lots of layers underneath a light coat and vice versa. Today I chose to wear a warm sweater and pair it with a leather jacket, which has just enough thickness to keep me warm with the mild winter temperatures we've been having. I love leather jackets because they have just enough of a rugged look to it that can help downplay the girliness of an outfit.

I felt like this outfit didn't need any jewelry because the bold red sweater worn with the stripe skirt would be sufficient. Sometimes I like to keep the overall look simple and unadorned so I can let the clothes be the focus of the entire outfit.

Hope you're having a great week so far. Thanks for stopping by=)

Weekend Snapshots

This weekend I...

1. Traveled to Orlando, Florida to attend my good friend's wedding. I stayed at the Orlando World Center Marriott which is probably one of the biggest hotels I've ever stayed at. Whenever I travel, I like to bring my gym shoes in case I have some time to get some fitness in. Fortunately, I did have some time to work out so bringing my sneakers wasn't a waste of space in my luggage. For the wedding ceremony, I wore a red cocktail dress and brought my trusty Chanel clutch.

2. The wedding took place outdoors and it was a traditional Indian ceremony. My friend looked absolutely beautiful and the guests were given bubbles to blow at the end. Another good friend of mine from DC also attended the wedding and let me borrow her sari for the reception.

3. The reception set up was gorgeous. The centerpieces were made of ice sculptures and the whole night was a fun celebration of the couple. The bride had this amazing drummer play throughout the reception and he would play beats along with whatever song the DJ played at the moment. I want that drummer for my wedding.

How was your weekend?

Chambray+Tweed

Photos courtesy of Sung Shin

Chambray shirt-Old Navy

Tweed jacket-Tory Burch

Pants-Banana Republic

Purse-Chanel

Shoes-Pour La Victoire

Sunglasses-Stella McCartney

Bracelet, ring-David Yurman

Several posts ago, I wore my newly purchased tweed jacket: http://nomnomblingbling.blogspot.com/2012/01/classic-tweed.html Since then I've been wearing it nonstop and most recently I paired it with my chambray shirt. I mentioned that pairing the tweed jacket can be a bit tricky because it can have the tendency to make you look older, especially when you wear it with trousers. I wanted to look formal but unfussy so I downplayed the look by wearing the jacket with a chambray shirt. By itself, the chambray shirt has a very casual look to it, and when you pair it with something a bit formal like a tweed jacket, both pieces play off each other well. I also couldn't resist adding a punch of color from my purse;)

Do you have any suggestions on how to wear a tweed jacket more casually yet still look semi-formal?

Winter Accessories

Photos courtesy of Sung Shin

Blazer-Alice & Olivia

Sweater-Banana Republic

Skirt, Hat-H&M

Bag-Hayden Harnett
Sunglasses-Stella McCartney

Shoes-Via Spiga

Last year around December, I took a trip to Vienna, Austria and was greeted with a winter wonderland. The Christmas markets were breathtakingly beautiful and festive, the food was amazing, but the weather was blistery cold. Vienna is a very walkable city that doesn't require taxi rides/subways to get around in, but during the time I was there, it snowed unexpectedly on most of the days. At that time I didn't own any winter hats, so the first thing I wanted (and needed) to find was a hat to keep me warm. I walked into a nearby H&M while exploring the city and was immediately drawn to this hat because it had flaps to cover my ears (function rather then style was more important to me at that point) and I loved the faux fur element to it. I ended up paying about $15 for the hat and served its purpose because I wore it constantly throughout the trip=)

The east coast was greeted with below freezing temperatures a couple days ago which prompted me to take out that hat. It's not exactly the most fashionable winter hat to wear like those big, floppy ones you see in clothing shops and magazines, but wearing it with a fitted blazer versus a winter coat can help it look casual chic.

Do you have any winter accessories that help adds a bit of style to your outfit?

 

Weekend Snapshots

 This weekend I...

1. Started to re-read The Hunger Games, in preparation for the movie out next month (!!!) because I forgot parts from the book since it's been awhile from the time I originally read it. So excited for this movie. So excited.

2. Took out some winter accessories after the sudden blast of below freezing temperature we had over the weekend. Mother nature wasn't playing around this weekend.

3. Ate lots of not so good for you food with my sister and the boy (on separate occasions). My sis and I usually have late night get togethers every month where we catch up over unhealthy food to gossip about what's been going on in our lives. It's very therapeutic for me because nobody will understand me like she does (the bond between sisters is a special thing) and I'm going to miss that when she moves to NYC this summer to start her anesthesia residency.

4. Bought and painted my nails with Essie's "play-date." One of the spring trends I'm looking forward to is pastel colors so why not start introducing that trend with nail polish? I think that makes sense.

5. Picked up a copy of the latest issue of the Food Network magazine because the cover was basically screaming the boy's name: chocolate.

How was your weekend?

NomNom: Rice Crispy Heart Pops

So, Valentine's day is coming up in 4 days. That's like, soon. The men got lucky this year because they have the whole weekend to plan something for their significant other if they're a last minute planner. I don't fall under this category because I have a somewhat Type A personality and like to plan ahead and know my schedule ahead of time (minus the occasional surprises). Yeaaa I don't have the 'go with the flow' type of attitude and I blame that for growing up as an East Coast girl. The boy is from California so he's quite the opposite but that's...cool. I dunno.

The boy likes chocolate so I've been racking my brain as to what kind of fun Valentines day themed dessert I could make him and kept staring at my heart shaped cookie cutter for inspiration. Yea, I know...as if the cookie cutter would speak to me.

I initially thought of baking heart shaped chocolate chip cookies but then the idea didn't really stir my soul. I was mindlessly going through some celebrity gossip website last week (I'm a celebrity gossip knowledge queen--ask me who's dating who and I'll tell you in a heartbeat) and they featured several Valentines day themed recipes. I came across one that made these cute chocolate covered rice crispy pops and well I was sold.

Sometimes I swear the food gods just shine their light on me and answer my food prayers. It's easy, tastes delicious, and is super cute! Win!

I mean, they taste like you would image it to literally taste like..rice crispy treats covered in delicious, melted chocolate. Buuut I wanted to use good chocolate chips for this recipe. Don't get me wrong, I like and usually use Nestle chocolate chips when baking cookies but since I knew I'd be covering a big surface area (yea, that's the nerd in me talking) with chocolate I decided to spend a little more money and buy Ghirardelli milk chocolate chips. Oh my, please use these. They taste so smooth, rich, and creamy that I may have ate 20 or so chips along the baking process.

I think any dessert that has a stick in it is automatically deemed as cute. Cake pops? Cute. Marshmallow pops? Cute. Rice crispy pops? Cute!!

On another unrelated note, I have some big news to share with you! The March issue of Elle magazine, which is on news stands now featured some of my outfit posts on an article written about Washington, DC fashion. So exciting!! I'm feeling very, very humbled that they would notice little ol' me and include me in their article. My awesome photographer friend (who now has a website up and running!) and I try to work hard to (hopefully) give you quality content, so to be recognized from a nationally well known fashion magazine is extremely rewarding. When I started my blog 5 months ago, I never would have imagined  that I'd be featured in anything, let alone a popular fashion magazine that I actually read myself.

As always, thank you so much for reading. Whether it be from occasionally grazing through or being a follower of this little blog, I am extremely thankful for your support.

Ok, ok, enough of all that sappy talk. Now go make those super easy rice crispy pops and enjoy them while reading that Elle magazine! Yea! Have a great weekend.

Recipe (adapted from www.koreanamericanmommy.com)
1/2 Stick unsalted butter
1 package of mini marshmallows
8.5 cups of Rice Krispie Cereal
24 White sticks about 5 inches long
1 package of Ghirardelli Milk Chocolate Chips

Procedure
1. Heat up a large pan and melt the butter over medium/low heat. Add the marshmallows and melt completely. Combine the rice krispie cereal to the marshmallow/butter mixture and mix thoroughly.
2. Line a 9x13 pan with parchment ot wax paper and place the rice krispie mixture and spread out evenly. Press down firmly and evenly. Allow to sit for about 10-15 minutes at room temperature.
3. Grease a heart cookie cutter and press down evenly on the rice krispie mold and remove the heart shaped rice krispie treat. Take your stick and carefully pierce the bottom of the heart shaped rice krispie and stop when you have about 2.5 inches of stick remaining. Press firmly on a flat surface with your palms on each sides of the heart to secure the stick. Also, press the sides as well.

4. Microwave the chocolate chips in 30 second increments until completely melted.
5. Dip the heart into the chocolate sauce and using a butter knife smooth out the surface also removing access chocolate. Place on a lined baking sheet and allow the hearts to set in the refrigerator for about 15-20 minutes.

Yellow+Blue+Red: Snow White Inspired

Photos courtesy of Sung Shin

Sweater-J.Crew

Dress-Urban outfitters

Purse-Chanel

Scarf-United Colors of Benetton

Hat-F21
Ring, Bracelets-David Yurman

Shoes-Pour La Victoire

It's no secret that I love to recycle my clothes and try to style pieces of clothes I own in different ways for various looks, which is exactly what I did with this blue dress. I bought it a year ago at Urban Outfitters for $15 and was immediately attracted to the color (and the price tag). I haven't worn her much this year so I was thinking of colors that would marry well with the blue. The other day I saw an image of Snow White and noticed the colors she wore in her dress had blue, yellow, and red and was inspired to incorporate that with my dress and style it as a "skirt";)

My style is usually inspired by images from fashion magazines, colors from art work, or other bloggers but sometimes the unexpected inspiration will come along such as today's.

Do you find inspiration from unexpected images?

Weekend Snapshots

This weekend I...

1. Dined at District Kitchen for the first time with several of my friends. It was our first time trying out this restaurant and all 14 of us enjoyed it. The interior has exposed bricks all throughout the restaurant which gives an industrial look to it, which I love.

2. Bought an orchid thing-a-ma-jig from T.J. Maxx. for my bathroom. Ideally I want my bathroom to have a spa like feel to it and thought this orchid would give a sense of serenity. I love finding random home stuff at that store because it can be a treasure hunt with a very affordable price tag.

3. The boy took me to see La Cage Aux Folles at the Kennedy Center. Unlike me, he's not really into musicals but he said he liked this one haha. It's the story of a gay couple who have a son that wants to bring his fiancee and her ultra conservative parents home to meet them. Along the way there are entertaining and funny adventures the couple has to encounter.

4. Finally had the chance to finally wear this necklace I bought from Neiman Marcus a couple months ago out to dinner. The iPhone picture does it no justice on how it looks in real life. It really is such a gorgeous piece.

5. Overdosed on sushi with the family. Enough said.

6. Dined at BLT Steakhouse with the boy. They gave complimentary popovers and chicken liver pate to start with and both were delicious. I ordered the filet (which was cooked to perfection) and the truffle mash and well, let's just say I was savoring each bite of the mash. I mean, it's truffle--how can anything taste bad when adding truffle?

7. Received home made gummies from a good friend. How amazing is that?

How was your weekend?

NomNom: Chocolate Covered Pretzels

February is finally here and before we know it, that lovey dovey holiday called Valentines day will be around the corner. Whether you have a significant other or not, it's a day to appreciate the loves in your life and make them feel extra special. Making something for that special someone doesn't have to involved numerous ingredients (unless that's what you wanna do) but can be broken down to being simple, cute, and still be tasty, which is where these chocolate covered pretzels come in.

I've always loved chocolate covered pretzels because of the sweet and salty component it has but it can be overpriced at the grocery store for what you're actually getting. Why spend money on that (save it for nail polish!) when you can make these yourself? I'm almost embarrassed to call this a recipe because it's just so easy. There are only 3 ingredients involved. Just three. If you're really lazy you can just use chocolate (which would make it 2!!) and opt out of the sprinkles, but, hey this is for valentines day so we have to step up our game a little.

I used Lindt's chocolate but you can use any white chocolate.

Make sure you tap of any excess chocolate...otherwise you will have a gooey, chocolatey mess..hmmmm...

Photos courtesy of Sung Shin

Now I know Valentines Day isn't for another week and a half but I figure it doesn't hurt to start thinking about what you wanna do. I have another super easy recipe fitting for Valentines day (heart shaped and all) I'll bake and post for next week but in the meantime, I tested this on the boy and he really enjoyed it so this was a win for me!

Package them individually in a cellophane bag and give it your honey, friends, parents, or whoever else you wanna impress. Just don't tell them how easy it was;) Have a great weekend.

Recipe

Bag of pretzels (I used rods but feel free to use regular shaped pretzels)

White chocolate

Sprinkles

Wax paper

Procedure

1. Microwave your chocolate in 30 second increments then stir. They won't melt entirely so put them back in the microwave for another 30 seconds.

2. Dip your pretzel in the bowl and using a spoon cover the area of the pretzel you want. Gently tap or hold it an angle so excess chocolate drips off.

3. Sprinkle the chocolate area of the pretzel while it' still wet over a plate, so you don't get sprinkles all over your work area.

4. Gently sit them on wax paper and let them rest so the chocolate hardens. You can put them in the refrigerator to speed up the hardening process or if you're in a rush.

Casual Layers

Photos courtesy of Sung Shin

Sweater-Banana Republic
Chambray shirt-Old Navy
Jeans-Gap
Vest-North Face
Shoes-Pour La Victoire
Necklace, ring-David Yurman

Happy February! For some reason I feel like this winter season is flying by or maybe I feel like that because the past couple of months have been incredibly busy for me. No complaints here though, because I am counting down the days until spring=)

During the winter, I love wearing layers underneath sweaters for the extra warmth for those blistery, cold days. Layers gives you the ability to work with different colors, patterns, or textures to add a little flavor to that sweater, shirt, or whatever else you are working with. I usually wear a button down shirt underneath a v-neck so the collar of my button down will show, but I decided to add a button down under a cowlneck sweater. The collar doesn't show on these type of sweaters but the shirt peeks through other ways (the sleeves and the bottom of the shirt) so it gives an unintentional but really intentional look;). I added a vest as another layer of warmth because I wanted the sleeves to show and wearing a coat would cover that up. 

Do you have any fun ways to add layers to your outfit?