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I've been getting such encouraging feedback {and making pinterest friends!} since having joined applevintage's Pinteresting link-up, so I've decided to renew it for a few more weeks of wish-list worthy posts.

As always, my Pinterest boards tend to be centered around clothes & jewelry-related, what can I say? Those are my iiiiiinterests. As the weather cools down, I'm realizing how unprepared my closet is to stay cute "{and sparkly} for the coming winter months. Cue leopard print & sequins!





1. 'Working Girl Bag,' aka the most stylish tote I've seen thus far.... 2. black & turquoise Kendra Scott earrings 3. the most awesome & sparkly accessory--Anthropologie 'Zowie' Scarf 4. bright green striped camera strap 5. I need a leopard jacket, immediately. 6. fun purple Minnetonka 'Kilty' loafers


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This one is from the summer, hence the insane tan we're all rocking. And no, we did not coordinate our jewelry: it just happened to work out that way. I'm the arm on the right, wearing a vintage jade bracelet, bronze & rust-colored wrap bracelet from Madewell and my favorite Jet Set watch in horn by the genius Michael Kors.

In the fashion vault of history, MK will go down from his 'Jet Set' line of timepieces. It seems like everyone I know owns at least one watch from this line...for good reason. They come in every single color, and in varying face sizes and levels of b-l-i-n-g. If you don't have one, check 'em out. I'm not usually a watch girl, but I've worn mine almost daily and I'm nowhere near getting tired of it.

xox,

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After a five-day weekend of recovering, eating, and shopping, it's finally time to head back to work. Ugh. Here's a quick peek into my life. 



Getting all my wisdom teeth out {and snapping secret photos of my x-ray} required some serious grocery shopping at my favorite Whole Foods. Never one to let me down, the store had upped their cute factor since my last visit. Not only had they begun to decorate their Christmas trees and set up stuffed animal penguins, but they've also got some new gift cards in stock: fun colors and pun-ny greetings like happy hollandaise, for the halibut, hugs and quiches...how adorable?

Last week's visit to see 'The Muppets' midnight showing in Georgetown also ended up in some serious window shopping at Barney's, drooling over the rows of Alexander Wang 'Rocco' totes. Nothing like an Elf marathon to fall asleep to, with Simba by my side. Whatta goof. 


xox,

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As a child of the '90s, I remember fondly watching re-runs of the Muppet show before bed. Miss Piggy was my always favorite, for good reason. Another thing I like? Jason Segel. So naturally, shit hit the fan when my close friend and fellow J.S. enthusiast found his twitter account had a very excited announcement:








So after five minutes of high-pitched screaming and hysteria at Moss House, we snagged our tickets online. {It wasn't that easy, but we eventually got them.} Fast-forward to Tuesday night, 10pm. After a mini-detour, we were able to snag pretty good seats and even got some free posters while we waited for the 12:01 showing, introduced by the one and only Marshall Erikson Jason Segel. By quarter-til, our bladders were suffering, which would choose to be a sign from fate: my friend came back from the bathroom frantic and flushed, convinced she had seen JS from behind, busy taking photos before the screening was about to start. 5 minutes of pep-talk and we got the courage to leave our seats in an attempt to "bump into him" in the hallway. 

A minute sooner and we would have made physical contact. If only. He entered the theater as we tried to exit and for a brief shining moment, I was 6 feet away from JS, making babies eye contact and wishing I had thought to shower that day. C'est la vie. Eventually he made an appearance with his team, and spoke to us about his own childhood experience with the Muppets, his work in reviving the Muppets movie and writing the script. Not only was he as adorable as he is on television, but he posed for photos with some very lucky {front-row} fans. 
I won't lie and pretend that I wasn't That Girl: I spent $12 in hopes of seeing JS, but I stayed for Kermit & Miss Piggy. I love those two together, which may explain a lot about my romantic history... If you haven't seen the Muppets movie yet, you've got to. Dispite the chair-kickers who sat behind us {don't you hate those?!} the movie was hilarious, adorable and full of great musical numbers. Okay, cue photos of sassy Miss Piggy & Jason Segel, just for kicks.


I think Miss Piggy looks just like Stevie Nicks in the wedding photo, bottom left, don't you think? Gotta give the girl pig credit for staying in style for all these years!


xox,





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Happy Black Friday to everyone! I'm currently sitting at home with a mouthful of gauze. No worries since I prefer to do my shopping in bed when I can, especially since I'm rocking some serious chipmunk cheeks.

That won't keep me from posting today's Friday Finds, which centers around my recent trip to NYC: what I wore and what I bought. Get excited.




Sunday was such lovely warm weather, so I decided to pair a a cranberry colored silk shirt dress {a thrifting find that had been floor length before a serious hemming-session} with black boots and tights. We braved the city jacket-less but I brought along with my favorite gray & white infinity scarf, just in case.
My high school BFF is lucky enough to live in a gorgeous apartment in the middle of Hell's Kitchen, so we were in close proximity to visit the Fashion District and start our shopping spree in Times Square, eventually making our way to Rockefeller Center. {Unfortunately, Tina Fey was M.I.A.}




A very conveniently placed LOFT resulted in a serious bling upgrade: thanks to a massive sale, I was able to snag a jeweled golden chain cuff, two simple stretch bands and a white & gold striped infinity scarf. Say what you want about Ann Taylor, LOFT never lets me down when it comes to the frosting. {How to Lose a Guy references will be appreciated here.}


This cuff matched my outfit perfectly--so clearly a sign from the fashion gods. I am obsessed with how perfectly it matches my dress and my favorite watch. It was too good a deal to pass up, and I was too excited not to wear it out of the store. I'm not the only who does that, right?





The rest of my sparkly loot will be making an appearance soon, with a more gold-themed outfit. Funny how everything seems to match each other. It took me longer than I'll care to admit to realize that the lightweight tan and gold striped scarf was actually an infinity scarf...and once I did, I was smitten.


A little retail shopping later and it was time for me to head home, but not without one more, less organized shopping stop....






Having felt a bit a bored during my latest thrifting adventures, and unable to afford anything at the lovely store windows I was tempted by, I had decided that (time allowing) NYC would be the perfect place to take my second-hand shopping to the next level: pay by the pound! After extensive research a quick yelp search, I came across Green Village, a warehouse of  clothing and furniture located in Brooklyn that fit my budget: pricing was $2/lb {with a 5 lb maximum.} So off we went, in search of buried treasures in the land of the hipsters.




Luckily for me, my thrifting partner in crime was down for the challenge, and so, two non-New Yorkers went off in search of adventure! After a bit of difficulty navigating the freeways of Manhattan we made our way into Brooklyn and found what we were looking for. Furniture was pilled inside and out of the two-story tall warehouse with many rows of blazers, winter jackets and various clothing by the front entrance. As you can see from the photos above, this place meant serious business and required lots o' patience to find what you had come looking for.






























When visiting larger thrifting stores, it's a good idea to walk around the place: get your bearings, and figure out which sections strike your fancy and which ones you could care less about. We were there for clothes and accessories {surprise, surprise} and decided to avoid the back rooms filled with scrap metal and furniture. After a an hour of digging through racks and scanning of the section of bags & boots, we tallied up our damage. To our disappointment, the pay-by-the-pound deal only applied to the piles of clothing in the back--a dimly lit area that was too cold to spend much time in. Instead, we opted to pay tag price for the more select pieces from the front racks. My only purchase was a good one: a light brown, unapologetically Birkin-style tote with a faux-croc embossed flap and fringe. Totally awesome at only $12.

It's a perfect handbag size: not too big to be cumbersome, but large enough to hold what daily essentials. Plus, the inner dividers will hopefully keep me more organized than purses of the past. I can't get over the fringe detail on the front and the embossed "Biki" label which reminds of: a. '70s era Biba fashion, and b. the manufacturers not-so subtle acknowledgement of the Hermes "Birkin" silhouette that this bag so clearly emulates.


All in all, my Sunday of shopping was a success! I've still got the pay-by-the-pound bug and am searching for more stores that offer it, just a little bit closer to home.

xox,



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Happy Thanksgiving-Eve! 
While many of you may be starting to prep for your turkey dinner, or setting off to see family, I am sitting at home nursing my swollen jaw and recovering from a quadruple wisdom-tooth extraction! 

Going into surgery this morning was a little nerve-wracking, but with the help of some laughing gas, I made it through to a reward: a delicious chocolate milkshake! In a fit of last-minute insanity, I decided to take my teeth home as a keepsake.  Of course, Pinterest had many tooth-related crafts, mostly involving gold paint. Perhaps the painkillers are getting to me, but the idea of turning them into jewelry is seems very intriguing.

So as you may have guessed, this week's Pinterest post is dual themed: pesky wisdom teeth-turned adorable projects & Thanksgiving food and fun!




Right column, from top: pillar candles decoupaged with leaves and colorful tissue paper, pilgrim puppies, cheesy bacon mashed potatoes (which are the best soft food, ever.), gold dotted glassware and adorable mini-pumpkins wearing vampire teeth.

Middle, from top: adorable tooth t-shirt, and a delicious chocolate pecan pie that I'll have to wait to enjoy at a later date.

Left, from top: gold and white refrigerator magnets, a necklace of gold teeth (are they real!?), a vintage pin-up witch, and the most personally appropriate some-e-card I've seen thus far.


How are you all spending your Thanksgiving? Any good recipes or decorating websites to share? My friends and I intend on having our own dinner later this weekend and I plan on going all out!

xox,


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Let's get this week started off with another installment of instagrams, brought to you by the letters D-C & N-Y-C. {Poor attempt at Seasame Street humor, anyone?}

The past two weeks have been quite busy for me, and full of exciting travel adventures. I spent this past weekend wandering the Big Apple with some friends of mine and snapped tons 'o instagram-worthy photos! Combined with a few snapshots of the city I'm lucky enough to work in commute through, I figured they were finally worthy of a Monday post. Without further ado, I give you a brief look into my camera roll!



Top: lovely winter store displays featuring rainbow spools of thread at Madewell, & yummy fromage at Dean and Deluca, both spotted in Soho.

Middle: the fountain of the Corcoran art museum, and leaving the waitress a love note {AC loves LY} on her tip, at Wednesday District Trivia.
Bottom: shiny shoe dilemmas spotted at DSW, and my best attempt at packing light for a trip to the Big Apple.


Happy Monday! (have you linked up yet?! you should!)

xox,

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Happy Saturday to all my lovely readers! I'm happy to say that I'm spending this weekend in New York City for an autumn adventure before I head off to Paris in a few weeks. I am so looking forward to catching up with some good friends and enjoying a work-free weekend. 

Is there anywhere I should make sure to see during my short-but-sweet visit? Recommendations are welcome!

xox,

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Pardon the Michael Scott reference, actually, don't. This edition of friday finds features my new favorite winter coat: a brown & tan tweed A-line jacket. I love the enamel buttons on it, which inspired me to pair it with a burnt orange sweater {with similar buttons!}





Detail shot; i'm obsessed with these buttons and how well they match my sweater!





No label on the jacket except for this mysterious label from Neiman Marcus...a store exclusive perhaps?



jacket: vintage// sweater: banana republic// jeans: 7 for all mankind// necklace: thrifted// boots: random marche aux puches find


xox,

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google This week will mark my second week linking up with 'pinteresting Wednesdays' and sharing my latest internet obsessions of the fashion persuasion.

Last week's board was blatantly thematic, this week is much less so. I'd classify this weeks' as "feminine/pink/textures." {That's pretty normal for me, though.}

Here's what I'm obsessed with lately. Thoughts?!








1. La Tour Eiffel, Paris, France. See you in two months. 2. Badgley Mischka 'Randee' Heels 3. wooden toy sewing machine  4. state prints on dictionary pages 5. Mod Cloth 'Raise the Curtain' Dress 6. Kate Spade 'Charm' Heels 7. Paint-dipped pine cones 8. Boutique 9 'Nexxie' Heels


Have you joined Pinterest? It's amazeballs. Find me, and we'll pin.

xox,

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{Disclaimer: today's post is my thinly-veiled attempt at being more like Mindy Kaling. Home girl is 
a-w-e-s-o-m-e. I would also like to stress the point that I am in no way being reimbursed for this post. I wish I was: pay me in clothes, pay me in gum, I ain't picky! But forreal, this is only my honest & humble opinion.}


File this one under, "brands you should know love." I've been lusting after Joie from afar (ie: online) but never been able to afford their lovely pieces. That all changed thanks after an epic thrifting spree at the end of July, and I can now finally call myself the proud owner of an awesome Joie thermal & silk top. {As such, I feel like a post of such crazed fan-girl status is appropriate. Let's begin.}



is a brand out of California that creates chic, wearable pieces in great colors and silhouettes. Without a doubt, they are one of the very few brands I would want to fill my entire closet. I have yet to not want  a piece that they've designed. 


Their philosophy is simple; "the JOIE girl enjoys wearing casual comfortable clothes accented by luxurious fabrics and details inspired by her travel throughout the world."


Side note: I've been getting into this new game, "if you were a {food/fabric/item of clothing/dessert}, you would be a _______." For example, if I were a fabric, I would be an awesome purple and pink striped lurex sweater spotted at the thrift store last week. If my friend Amanda were a sandwich, she would be an avocado and bacon sandwich. Do you see where I'm going with this? 


I have a point, I swear. What I'm saying is: if I were a brand, I would be Joie.


via {sb}
The ten {10} looks above are a few of my favorites from their latest collection--lots of loose and figure flattering pieces, in lovely colors & textures. I'm loving their take on a draped v-neck silhouette {seen as both a cranberry dress, and an ivory blouse, above} along with their delicate silk off-the-shoulder tops.

Furthermore, Joie makes a silver sequin top look less like a walking disco-ball & more like a sophisticated shiny blouse. Not that I don't love disco balls...


And a leather skirt that doesn't look like, well, a leather skirt? Joie has it locked down. They've styled it with an equally as simple-yet-chic striped tank which makes it {almost} work-appropriate.

Finally, proper fashion respect must be paid to their version of this winter's most fashionable outer-garment: the cape. Their black wool version with leather trim & toggle closures {seen at center bottom} is the perfect fall coat. The muted color makes it everyday wearable, while the shape and details give it a certain je ne sais quoi that only fashionistas would attempt to wear. It's tailoring gives it a streamlined fit--avoiding any ressemblance to maternity wear. And really, isn't that all we can ask for in a jacket with no sleeves? 


Any other Joie-lovers out there?  


xox,

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This week was full of fun, and food and abc fam. {the crucial 3 Fs.}

Here's the low down (from top left): caprese salad & white wine at Vapiano's, my lovely cat Simba, Ron Weasley courtesy of abc family's Harry Potter marathon, electric fan at Chinatown metro stop, turkey-shaped butter sculptures at Giant, amazing green cowboy boots spotted at the Village, nom-tastic sushi dinner!


Have any good instagrams to share? Join my link-up & rock my lovely button! {Link & info at the bottom of my post, here.}



photobucket


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I've never understood short-sleeve sweaters or crop tops; why would anyone want cold arms during sweater season? Who would pay money for a too-small shirt and willingly bare their midriff?

Of the very few shopping rules that I follow, these two, very sensible thoughts have dictated many of my purchases over the years. That is, until I found a striped & cropped, short-sleeve sweater during my last thrifting spree that changed my mind forever. Ah, the power of stripes! 


Against my better judgement, I snagged this top thinking that I might get inspired. Cue thrift purchase numero deux: a lightweight chambray tunic in the perfect shade of blue and the perfect length to layer under my new striped purchase. C'est parfait!






chambray blouse: thrifted // sweater: thrifted// leggings: Under Armour// suede boots: Steve Madden 


I particularly love the subtle difference in thickness in the stripes on the sleeves from those on the torso! Embracing the comfort value of autumn outfits, I paired it with favorite matte leggings and suede wedges boots {us short girls can use every extra inch!}


P.S. don't forget to check out the new additions for sale: Splendid, Lily Pulitzer, See by Chloe, and Max Studio!  


xox,

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I've finally narrowed in on an SLR: my heart is set on a Canon Rebel T2i!

Why do you care? I've added more clothes to my closet in an effort to save up for the pricey but lovely camera! Shoot me an email with what you want {or make your best offer}... it's that easy!

I'm resorting to using K. Wiig GIFs to get my point across...


Any bloggers out there with advice in buying an SLR? I'd love your suggestions!


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googleLast week, I joined Pinterest. I'm obsessed. It's like tumblr meets my {unorganized} bookmark folder meets the folders/binders section of Office Depot. So, i'm jumping on the bandwagon and posting my weekly favorite finds & linking up with vintageapple. Here's to a making some new blogging {& pinterest} friends!
The theme of today's post is 'heavy metal.' My bookmark bar & recent pins have been {not-so-subtly} been telling me that I & my closet are in the mood for some seriously shiny accessories. Not sorry. {Never sorry.}




1. Del Toro Slippers, 2. Rolex Gold Pink Watch,  3. Marc by Marc Bow Bracelet, 4. Pour La Victoire Bordeaux Tote, 5. ModCloth Elation Dress, 6. Florence + Machine Ceremonials, 7. Carolina Clover Monogram Necklace  


What are your newest obsessions? Haaaave you met Pinterest? Let's pin some things together.

xox,










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In the spirit of stretching out this weekend as long as possible, I'm posting my instagrams from this weekend! {Oh, for you Washingtonians...It's DC Foto Week, so let's celebrate by taking even more photos!}



This weekend was full of colorful and oh-so lovely scenes. Being a self-proclaimed iPhone junkie, I snapped pictures and added a little instagram magic. Bonus points: I just joined followgram...have you done it? It's great!

I'll admit to being a little picture-happy on my very first insta-themed post, so I'll explain: {from top-left, clockwise}
chinatown, dc;
second-hand books i scored at the local library book sale;
Hello Kitty headband courtesy of Target dollar-bins;
white chocolate pretzels;
rainbow rows of Yellowtail wine;
red Starbucks cups {means winter is coming};
sitting under a paris Métro sign at the Sculpture Garden




I want to see what everyone else is up to, so I've started an instagram link up! Follow me and grab a sticker, it's just that easy. Then link up to me with your instagram picture posts and maybe we can start up a few followgram friendships along the way! {Make sure to link back here.}




Grab the code to get started: 











xox,


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about me.

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the (almost) daily posts on style, inspiration and design from a parisian-in-training.

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      • week four: so pinteresting
      • snapshot: arm party
      • instagrams: take 4
      • i love my: jason segel/muppets
      • friday finds: faux birkins & bangles
      • week three: painfully pinterested
      • instagrams: take 3
      • Happy Saturday to all my lovely readers! I'm ...
      • the need for tweed
      • week two: so pinteresting
      • i love my: joie
      • instagram: take 2
      • blue stripes and white stitches
      • I've finally narrowed in on an SLR: my heart is se...
      • week one: so pinteresting
      • instagrams: take 1
      • friday finds: olive ferragamo flats
      • i love my: date lab
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