Mango

Tomorrow I will be on a plane headed to New Orleans for a cruise! I'm very excited, and only a couple days ago I was talking about how I prefer to not forgo fashion for a day of traveling.  These ads for Mango are so fresh and just make me want to jetset.  They also make me wish there was a Mango store somewhere close to me.   Hope you all have a great week!

Matthew Williamson for Macy's

Macy's has always been my go-to department store.  I've gone there since I was a little girl with my mom (back when it was Marshall Field's)  and it's just one of those places that has always been easy to shop at.  So when I heard Matthew Williams was guest designing for Macy's own Impulse line, I was ecstatic.  I've loved Matthew Williamson since I discoverd him while living in London in 2008.  His colorful, boho looks exude a sense of easy glamour that will be perfect for summer.  Williamson describes the line's muse as: "She wants to be exuberant, show her personality, doesn't want to be a wallflower. ... These are clothes to get noticed. They are highly coloured, highly printed." 

Dresses in the line will cost anywhere from $50 to $120 with specialty pieces being around $300 and Williamson assures fashionistas that the quality factor will be displayed through his sense of details and craftsmanship.  And these are dresses that are meant to be partied in.  Williamson told the Associated Press that these are not dresses meant to be worn to work,"I feel like the collection has a sense of escapism."  And that, my friends, is perfect for spring.  The line debuts April 13th.

 PS Macy's Impulse line has another special guest designer this fall - Karl Lagerfeld.  NBD.  

Airport Chic

I plan outfits religiously. When I know an event is coming up, generally the first thing I think about is what I'll wear.  Traveling is no exception.  I was never a fan of the whole, "Let's wear sweats on a plane so we'll be comfy" trend.   I admit, I did it once or twice, and I'll probably do it again, but I  love the idea of getting a little gussied up to go to the airport.  You see so many people from around the world, it's fun to look your best.  In Nina Garcia's book The One Hundred she talks about how going to the airport used to a special occasion - you wore your best comfy clothes to take on a day of travel.  She suggests bringing back some of the glamour with a cashmere cardigan, scarf, tote, and sunnies.  Below are some celebs that nailed the look I'd love to accomplish.

Sienna Miller

Miranda Kerr

Rachel Bilson

Kate Moss

Nicole Richie

Kourtney Kardashian

And I'm off to plan my traveling outfit - I'll let you know what I come up with ;)

Whispies & Beach Hair

Kate Moss in beach hair.

Brigitte Bardot might just be the Queen of Beach hair.

Claudia Schiffer rocking messy waves before it was a trend.

So just last week I mentioned how in love I am with the slightly messy, beachy, and almost frizzy hair that models and fashionistas have been wearing lately.   It puts me in mind of Kate Moss (the early years) when she made fashion headlines for showing up on red carpets looking flawless - with the exception being a head of hair that looked...well, post-coital.   This further backs up my argument that fashion should be interesting - who wants to look at a girl who is perfect?  How boring.   That's why I'm excited to try beach-worthy, slightly messy hair with my most polished of outfits.  After doing a little research, this is what I found out about achieving the look.

DIY Sea Salt Spray: I found a very cool way to make your own salt spray to get your hair the perfect texture for messy waves.  In a clean spray bottle, combine 8 fl oz. water, 1 tsp finely ground sea salt, 1/2 teaspoon conditioner, a dab of cheap hair gel, and shake until mixed.  You can experiment with this too by adding different essential oils. It all depends on your hair type - if you have a sensitive scalp add ylang ylang, if you're skin in naturally oily try some tea tree oil. I found this recipe on Glamour.com and will definitely be trying it!

Frehs Out of the Sea:  My hair is stick straight, so to get those messy waves, I have to put in a lot of effort.  I start with damp hair and spritz on a texturizer (like the one above) or I use Bumble and Bumble Surf Spray.  Then I braid my  hair in about four or five braids, making sure I start braiding at the top of my head.  Then, to avoid looking like Medusa, I pin the braids to the top of my head.  I let them air dry. Once dry, I gently unravel the braids.  I apply some hair powder (I use Big, Sexy Hair Powder) to my roots.  I sort of massage it in and lift at the crown.  I'll also play with the hair around my face (divide the pieces, curling them slightly around my finger) to try and get them to a little separated and achieve some "whispies".  Then I'm good to go.

A Lil Fancier:  If I want to dress the look up, after I do my whole routine (above) I'll take a 1 1/2 curling iron and slightly curl the strands around my face.  I wind my hair around the barrel of the curling iron and it creates a "ropy" effect that although still messy, looks a little more put together.  If you have naturally frizzy or curly hair, this can eliminate some frizz as well.  I'll also finish the look off with a hairspray that's light and allows hair to move - I love Moroccan Oil's Luminous Hair spray.

Moroccan Oil Luminous Hair Spray, $27
Big Sexy Hair Volumizing and Texturixing Powder, $11
Bumble and Bumble Surf Spray, $23
Pantene Pro V Flat to Volume Shampoo and Conidition $4.56 each

Spring-Time Soup

For me, spring is a hard season to cook for - in winter, there's comfort food, in the fall there's everything apple or pumpkin based, and in the summer, I want a light menu with all things fruit and vegetables.  Spring is a sort of in-between for me - although I'm over casseroles and heavy dishes I'm still wanting something a little lighter that keep keep me warm on a chilly evening and leave me feeling full.   When I was flipping through my Moosewood cookbook, I found a soup that met every requirement I was looking for in a recipe that night - it was warm, healthy, and comforting.  And when I made it, it didn't disappoint - the flavor was incredible and the combination of vegetables made for a delicious medley.    Below is the recipe - I halved it and my only complaint was that there were a few too many noodles.  A little chicken added to the recipe would also be delicious.

Ingredients:

2 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup chopped onions
1 small carrot, peeled & minced
1 celery stalk, minced
1 teaspoon dried thyme (1 tablespoon fresh)
1 teaspoon dried basil (1 tablespoon fresh)
1/4 cup of water
6 cups basic vegetable stock
3 fresh or canned plum tomatoes, chopped
1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen lima beans
1 pound fresh asparagus,cut into 1 inch lengths
1/4 cup spaghetti broken into 2 inch lengths
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 1/2 cups frozen or fresh green peas

Directions:

In a covered soup pan on low heat, cook the garlic, onions, carrots, celery, thyme and basil in the water until the vegetables have softened, about 10 minutes.  Add the vegetable stock or broth and the tomatoes and bring to a boil.  Add the lima beans and asparagus and return to a boil.  Stir in the spaghetti and cook until al dente.  Add the salt, lemon juice, and peas and cook for about five more minutes.  Serve hot.

Animal Lover

Amanda Seyfried's shoot in April's issue of Elle is in a word - remarkable.  Not only does she look flawless, she's holding a plethora of baby animals. The combination of her couture clothing, striking beauty, and the cuteness of all these critters has me on sensory-overload!  Very Brigitte Bardot, wouldn't you agree? (think blond beauty kissing a fawn.)  And, just a side note - I'm loving the whispy frizziness that has become so in as far as hairstyles go, it looks so natural and beautiful, I'm going to have to figure out how to get my stick-straight hair to do that.  The shoot was styled by Joe Zee and photographed by Alexei Hay.

Might Be A Bit Early, But...

I know, I know, all I do is talk about how excited I am for spring and warm weather and bikinis - but J. Crew's Fall/Winter 2011 ready to wear collection has me a teensy bit excited for fall.  They have MASTERED the mismatched/vintage vibe I've fallen in love with.  Take a look below...