Author Archives: Carly

Glittering Gold for Fall 2011


A classic trend in evening wear, and one that was a star for me on the Fall 2011 runways was the abundance of muted, but still glistening gold.  In a variety of textures the gold that walked the runway was more tarnished, aged, and organic without losing any of it’s sparkle.

Golden Girls: Monique Lhuillier, Jenny Packham, Donna Karan

An obvious choice for evening wear, these gold pieces are glamorous and include an additional element of sophistication so as to never be compared with your Bat Mitzvah dress.

Here are some ways to wear gold that says fabulous, not flash.

Golden Era, Fall 2011

Source: Gown, Dress, Dress, Dress, Fringe Skirt, Patch Skirt, Tiered Skirt, Pump, Bow Clutch, Clutch, Earrings

What do you think?  Gold digging for Fall 2011?

Make an Entrance


I have been known to try to make an entrance, and well, friends, if there is ever a day to do it, it is your wedding day.  Let’s be real here, on that day you are the star and the star should arrive in a pretty major way.

The dress, veil, glam hair and makeup certainly help, but the aisle set’s the stage.  Here are some of my favorite settings to make that entrance for the beginning of “Here Comes the Bride…”

Major! Abundant Ceremony Space in Greens and White in Indonesia by Nefi

Classic New York by Christian Oth

A Curtain Moment, by Birch, Photographed by Lisa Lefkowitz

An English Garden Wedding for Kate Moss

Dum, Dum, da Dum…. Which style would you be wishing for?

Wear White, Cream, Ivory After Labor Day


Today is the first day after Labor Day, in otherwise known as the day after the last day it is socially appropriate to wear white.

I scoff, balk and laugh at that rule.  White is a neutral color, and in shades of cream, vanilla, and ivory it an essential for winter.  Fall/Winter White speaks to the dreamy life that Michael Kors has created for the luxe urbanite enjoying city living, and that Ralph Lauren has perpetuated for the girl who dreams of a mountain home and a ride on her own horse.

Do not be afraid of white for fall.  Here are some great ways to use white as a neutral all year round.

White is All Right, all year long

 Source: Stripe Sweater, Skirt, Booties, Sweater, Denim, Loafers, Sweater, Cords, Slippers, Dress, Boots

Tips to wearing white in winter:

  • Pay attention to fabric: this is not time for lace, eyelet, linen or cotton
  • Pair with neutral: white pairs beautifully with camels, golds, grays, black, and saturated navy, reds and greens.
  • Keep it clean: the beauty of this look is how it crisp it plays.  No one likes dingy whites, no matter the season.

 

The Last Long Weekend of Summer


What did you do this weekend?  Did you have one more getaway, a cookout, lazy days at home?  I feel like we did so much this weekend, without doing anything major at all – and sometimes that is just the perfect kind of weekend.

Mark and I went to Equinox on Friday night, without Barack and Michelle.  I don’t think we’ll go back.  Lovely service, and ambitious food, but nothing to write home about, not even much to write in the blog about…

On Saturday there were these delicious gluten free blueberry pancakes…

Healthy Breakfast Pancakes

I also had a wonderful afternoon with my girlfriends from AU – you might know them from here.

Jaci, Me, Cara and Liz circa 2003

We went to lunch together, just the four of us, for the first time in years.  We talked about nothing, or everything, and it was great.  We also visited our alma mater, American University.  Then we went off campus to the DC Brau brewery to taste some local beer.

On Sunday Mark and I started our day with Yoga District, which is quickly becoming  our new weekend tradition when paired with the Bloomingdale Farmer’s Market.  Sunday afternoon we took time for our regular errands with trips around town and ended our evening with a delicious family dinner at Mark’s mom’s house.

On Monday we got up bright and early to stage a WSD home, which will be on market very soon!

We also drove around town to see the other WSD properties in their various stages of construction.  Then yesterday afternoon Cara and Jaci came over for some more laughter and story telling.  Some people can make you laugh about nothing at all; these are those people for me.

Then we ended our weekend and the last long weekend of Summer the same way we started it, with our very good friends, Jon and Kristin, and a delicious dinner of grilled fish, shrimp vegetables and wine.

What did you do this weekend?  I hope it was lovely.

Deco for Fall 2011


I have always loved the art deco aesthetic.  Growing up in South Florida it wasn’t uncommon to take a day trip to South Beach and see the old art deco hotels (Colony, Raleigh, National) and go to the Art Deco Show on Ocean Drive.  Similarly I have had the opportunity to play dress up in, and admire the jewelry of my nanny and nana who have collected in this style for many years.  So, it was quite a delight to see it on the Fall 2011 Runways.

The look of the art deco style is draped silks and fabrics, a dramatic but skinny v-neckline, sleek hair, dresses galore, sparkle, and large often geometric bejeweled bracelets, rings and earrings.

My favorites from the runway:

Deco for Fall: Ralph Lauren, Tracy Reese, Naeem Khan

What is lovely about the art deco style is that there is simplicity in the silhouette but not without making a statement.  Even a simple black dress can make a bold statement with this kind of execution.

So, lucky for us (me!) J.Crew has done a fall collection of art deco inspired jewelry with Lulu Frost, a jewelry brand founded in 2004 by Lisa Salzer.  Here are some of my favorites for your jewelry box.

Lulu Frost for J. Crew

And should you wish to try the art deco style, here are some favorites for your wardrobe:

Deco for Fall 2011

Source: Sheath, Tank, Dress, Mini Dress, Pump, Tank Dress, Kimono, Top

More trends coming soon!  Are there trends you want to see visualized?  Do tell in the comments!

Plum Wedding Inspiration for Fall


We’re quickly approaching fall and that means for autumn brides the planning is down to the details: choosing the just right color, for their just perfect day.  I am finding a lot of inspiration in the heavily saturated tones from the Fall runways.  A major standout is shades of red.

I have assembled an inspiration board with colors based on the beautiful colors of a plum, from the inside of light golden yellows and oranges to the outside skin of deep red.

Plum Fall Wedding Inspiration

If I am may say so myself, I love this inspiration board. I love that it is natural and earthy without being “granola” – not that there is anything wrong with that.  It playfully dances around the traditional color palette of autumn leaves, but has a sense of elegance and sophistication even though there is a kaleidoscope of colors at play.

So, what do you think?  Does this make you excited for fall?

Source: Gown, Bridesmaid, Flower Girl, Cake, Earring, Stationery, Bouquet, Plate, Drinks, Centerpiece

Black Magic for Fall 2011


It’s time to get ourselves ready, and by ourselves I mean our closets, for fall.  I have already made a visual wish list for Julie, and now I am working through my favorites themes from Fall Fashion Week 2011.

The pervasive theme for fall was bold and highly saturated color, however, we would be kidding ourselves to think that fashion would abandon the non-color, color black.

My favorites from the runway:

L - R: Ralph Lauren, Elie Tahari, Milly by Michelle Smith, Michael Kors

On first glance, they have nothing in common beyond their color.  But look further… There is movement, exoticism, layering, something special.  This is not your basic black. This is high-powered, glamorous, strong, fierce and sophisticated.

And, I’d like to think, that when paired together well, these pieces exude that same kind of magic.

Black Magic - Fall 2011

Source: Maxi, Shift, Shirt, Tee, Pleat Skirt, Legging, Maxi Skirt, Jacket, Cape, Necklace, Cuff, Cuff

More color coming soon!  Are there trends you want to see visualized?  Do tell in the comments!

Fall at Home


Believe it or not, this post has nothing to do with my clumsiness, we’re here to talk about capturing fall (the season) at home.

In a post-Earthquake, and post-Irene Monday the air was a little bit cooler, the sky a little bit more overcast, the realization that fall is near that much more real.

This fall, in addition to some swoon-worthy fashion pick-ups, I am thinking about decorating at home.  I am trying to strike the right balance between being seasonal and looking like I decorate for each season.  There will be none of the following: scarecrows, jack-o-lanterns, skeletons, candy corn welcome mats.  Come on, people, don’t we know each other at all by now?

This is the idea:

Pottery Barn

For the kitchen I am loving these lovely screenprinted tea towels.

Studio Patro Tea Towels

I love that these textiles really convey emotion and a tactile sensory experience.  Hi, I’m Veruca Salt, and I want all of them and would love to give these as gifts.

I think this is a very clever idea for lighting a Rosh Hashanah table:

Apple Core Candles

And at the end of the day, I’ll cozy up with this to keep warm:

Cashmere Throw Blanket, Williams Sonoma

Fall just seems like such a lovely, cozy season.  Are you getting anything new, or hoping to, for your home?

Hungry for the Weekend


Well, it has been a pretty crazy week in these parts.  On Tuesday we had an earthquake, yes we live in DC, and this weekend we’re settling in for a hurricane, yes, we still live in DC.

Earthquake Devastation

A funny story about “The Earthquake,” a 5.9 with relatively very little damage: in my office building they were handing out ice cream sandwiches and bars as an end of summer treat.  My colleague and friend, grabbed one as we evacuated the building.  An ice cream sandwich just isn’t her kind of snack, she’s more of a farmer’s market girl (yea for foodie friends!), but she made me laugh when she said, “hey, I just survived an earthquake – you only live once!”

So, with that in mind – indulge this weekend, enjoy the comfort of friends, family, and home cooking, and stay safe.

If you, like me, are hungry for the weekend please, enjoy these links:

Have a delicious and safe weekend!

Triple Chocolate Cupcakes – Gluten Free/Dairy Free


Sometimes you just have to do your sweet tooth a favor, and by favor, I obviously mean indulge its cravings and drown it out in chocolate.  That’s pretty much the deal with anything that is triple chocolate, like these triple chocolate cupcakes.  I made them for a family gathering, because I wanted to accommodate everyone’s dietary restrictions, even if cupcakes typically fall outside of a diet.  And, the beauty of these cupcakes is that, even though they are dairy and gluten free, they are awesome!

Triple Chocolate Cupcakes
adapted from Elana’s Pantry, which is an amazing resource for anyone exploring GF baking

Ingredients

¼ cup coconut flour
¼ cup cocoa powder
¼ cup vegan chocolate chips
¼ teaspoon kosher sea salt
½ teaspoon baking soda
3 eggs
¼ cup canola oil
½ cup agave nectar
Set oven to 375 degrees

Here’s the thing, with gluten free baking you might come across ingredients that seem a little “ehh” or just plain weird.  Frankly that is how I felt about the coconut flour, mainly because the smell and taste of coconut reminds me of a bottle of Banana Boat, but this high in fiber flour has no such smell or taste. So fear not!

Moving on… In a medium size bowl combine the coconut flour and coca powder, salt and baking soda.

In a separate and larger bowl, blend the oil, eggs and agave.  Then slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet, and add the chocolate chips.

Scoop about 1/4 cup of batter into muffin wrappers and bake in a 375 degree oven for 20 minutes.  Check with a toothpick to make sure they are done and fully baked.

While the beautiful and very chocolatey cupcakes are cooling, get to work on the frosting.

Vegan Chocolate Frosting

Ingredients

3/4 cup dairy-free spread (Earth-Balance is also soy-free)
2 2/3 cups powdered sugar
6 tbs unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tsp vanilla extract

In a medium sized bowl mix the coca powder, and powdered sugar over the spread with a spoon.  Add the vanilla and then use a blender to fully incorporate and achieve the soft, whipped consistency of butter cream, you know without the butter.

Pour yourself a big, BIG glass of milk/soy milk/rice milk/almond milk and enjoy!