casual style

Classic casual outfit and pop of turquoise

 in Bay Area Fashion / General Fashion  tagged casual style / outfits / proenza schouler / sweaters by

classic black turtleneck sweater outfit classic casual winter outfit idea pop of color with black turtleneck sweater proenza schouler medium tote in turquoise proenza schouler tote and turtleneck sweater proenza schouler tote with casual outfit

Pictured: Sunglasses: Chanel / Lipstick: Chanel Melancholie / Earrings: Kendra Scott / Sweater: Banana Republic / Scarf: Monki / Ring: Beau Bijou / Nail Polish: Nars Night Creature / Handbag: Proenza Schouler / Jeans: Gap / Booties: Rag & Bone

The weather this winter has been on the cool side. It has been so refreshing, after all the drought weather we had experienced here in the San Francisco Bay Area over the past few years. I look back at last January, and I was already wearing some spring pieces! There were even a few days when I wore short sleeves, a skirt, and sandals! Yikes! Not very wintery 😉

Since we have been enjoying cold weather, and rain (yes!!!), I have been reveling in the chance to actually wear warm clothing! In our long, lost winter, I have found a turtleneck sweater, jeans, booties, and a blanket scarf, make the perfect go-to outfit on a casual day. The classic casual outfit above, has been getting quite a bit of a workout lately!

Although I love having the chance to bundle up this winter, sometimes the constant cloudy weather can be a bit dreary. In order to combat the grey days, I have been wearing this Proenza Schouler tote from their resort 2016 collection quite often. The bright turquoise really pops against the dark colors in my winter wardrobe. I love being able to wear a little bit of sunshine on a grey day. That is the great thing about accessories, you can wear the next season without sacrificing comfort. Love that!

I am the type of person who will purchase something in multiple colors if I love it; a shopping trick my Mom taught me when I was a child. This turtleneck sweater from Banana Republic is comfortable, classic, cozy, and comes in a ton of colors! So, I splurged and purchased it in the pale pink, black, cobalt, and light blue. You can see the light blue styled here. If you are looking for a classic turtleneck sweater at a fabulous price, I highly recommend this one!

The jeans I am wearing are Gap’s skinny jeans. I own a pair in regular, medium wash, and also black. They are comfortable, offer a great fit, and are great quality. If you are looking for go-to skinny jeans for your closet, this is the pair! I love that they are priced waaaaaaaay under $100. It is hard to find great quality jeans, that fit well, under $100. I hope they come out with more color washes for spring!

Lastly, these booties are so comfortable! Rag & Bone makes this pair of booties every fall. They have classic colors, and variations of neutrals which are fresh and interesting. My pair is from fall 2014, and is a dark charcoal with a vintage wash. You can invest in these booties knowing they are in style every year, since they are a classic style. I love owning classic pieces I can find on store shelves every year; it makes them feel new every season! If you order a pair, order a half size up from your usual size. I ordered my pointy toe shoe size, which is 9.5. I usually wear a 9.

What are some of your favorite classic casual outfit pieces for cold weather?

Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk in the winter

 in Bay Area Fashion / General Fashion  tagged banana republic / casual style / lifestyle / outfits / tory burch / winter 2016 by

bench surfer santa cruzsanta cruz beach in winterwinter amusement park outfit idea bumper cars in waiting santa cruz beach boardwalk scenepotato on a stickwinter boardwalk outfit ideaboardwalk at nightboardwalk at night in the winter

Outfit: Sunglasses: Chanel / Earrings: c/o Laurel Burch / Lipstick: Chanel Mighty / Sweater: Banana Republic / Ring: Kendra Scott / Nail Polish: Chanel Sunrise Trip / Handbag: Tory Burch (on sale!!) / Jeans: Gap / Shoes: Rag & Bone (sold out, also love this pair and this pair)

Over Christmas break, we took the kids to the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk. Winter is a great time to go to the Boardwalk because there are less crowds, significantly lower lines, and you can really maximize your day; since you are not spending it in long lines!

The Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk in winter has reduced hours, and not all of the rides are open. On the day we went, the Boardwalk was open from 12pm-5pm. We arrived at noon and stayed until about 5:15pm. It was a full day, and loads of fun!  There were about twelve rides open, so in addition to going on rides, we played mini golf, and a few carnival games.

The food at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk is always fun too. Can you believe the potato on a stick my daughter is holding in the photo above?! It was like potato chips on a stick, but fresh! They make the potato on a stick right there in front of you, so you can see it is fresh; and I would like to think it is healthier than potato chips from a bag at the super market. The kids also ate french fries; and I enjoyed a delicious hot cocoa made from Ghirardelli Chocolate, yum!

The favorite ride of the day for my kids were the bumper cars. I think they went back on the ride close to ten times! There were a lot of people riding the bumper cars, yet there wasn’t a line, so it was easy to keep going back on the same ride. It was the perfect amount of people!

If you are interested in heading down to the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk in winter, be sure to call first and see how many rides are open. You will also want to check the hours. They do offer a reduced daily rate during the winter, which is nice.

What are some places you like to go to in the winter because there is less of crowd than in the summer?

Casual New Years Eve outfit

 in Fitness / General Fashion  tagged casual style / fitness / gap / H & M / jill milan / new years style / outfits / swarovski / valentino by

new years eve outfit idea casual new years eve outfit idea vegan handbag on sale casual holiday outfit

Pictured: Sunglasses: Chanel / Lipstick: Chanel Melancholie / Earrings: Kendra Scott / Necklace: Tasha (on sale!) / Sweater: H & M / Jeans: Gap / Handbag: c/o Jill Milan (on sale!!) (vegan!!) / Bracelet: Kendra Scott / Nail Polish: Chanel Vamp / Shoes: Valentino

 New Years Eve for me, over the years, has gone from full blown formal party, to casual New Years Eve for me. When I was in my 20’s and single, my friends and I used to wear sparkling dresses, and attend parties or events to ring in the New Year. Now, as a Mother of three, I keep New Years low key by either spending it with family, or attending a casual house party.

It can be hard to navigate that fine line between over dressed party attire, and too casual, daytime attire; when putting together a casual  New Years Eve outfit. I was thrilled when I found this sparkling sweater at H & M, Santana Row. It is a basic v-neck sweater with side slits that can be worn with jeans, leggings, or a slim black skirt. I decided it was perfect for the holiday season!

In addition to being perfect for casual holiday gatherings, I plan to wear this sweater on Christmas, and also as my casual New Years Eve outfit to celebrate 2016! It is a thin sweater, so it is easy to wear in a heated home with a simple tank top underneath. Love that!

As we head into 2016, I want to share with you my New Years Resolution! Now this may sound cliche, and I guess it kind of is, but my New Years Resolution is to lose fifteen pounds.

I never shared this struggle on the blog when it happened because this blog was still a hybrid online magazine slash blog. Now that I have transitioned it to my personal fashion, style, beauty, and runway report blog, I want to share with you more personal aspects of my life.

In 2012, I was sick and placed on bed-rest following a miscarriage, for three months. I was depressed sitting on the sofa over the beautiful, warm summer months. While my children played in the pool, I sat on the sofa inside watching them. The only time I got up from bed, or the sofa, was to sit at my desk and write a blog post.

Bed rest was difficult for me. I am used to working out at the gym five days per week, playing tennis with my friends, swimming for fitness and fun, and running around with my children. So, to ease the pain, I ate ice cream. A LOT of ice cream. Well, thirty pounds in three months later, I was on a mission to regain myself.

I counted calories, and worked out diligently. I lost the thirty pounds and was back into a size four. It was fabulous! Then, in the fall of 2013 I started homeschooling my middle child. She has ADHD, DMDD, Dyslexia, and a 170+ IQ. Needless to say, a traditional public school is not the right environment for her.

There are schools out there for kids like my daughter, but they all start at sixth grade. So, I decided to homeschool her until sixth grade, at which time, we will decide where to send her for school, or if we should continue homeschooling her.

She is extremely artistic and would like to be a fashion designer when she grows up. She already has a sketch book, and a business plan!

Since I started homeschooling my daughter, I have not been a regular visitor to the gym. Instead of five to six workouts per week, plus tennis and swimming, I am down to three workouts; if I am lucky. Due to this change in my activity, I have gained fifteen pounds, and gone up to a size six. I believe most of this weight is in my thighs. Ugh!

In my quest to get back to my normal weight, I will be talking about fitness routines, and fitness gear here on the blog in 2016. This will not reduce the amount of fashion, style, and beauty posts I publish each month. The fitness articles will be in addition to my current content; and an added bonus!

If you are working on losing weight, or you are a fitness guru, I would love to connect with you! Please let me know in the comments below or on social media. Thank you so much for all your support over these past few years, and I look forward to bringing you the trends from the runways, beauty reviews, and Silicon Valley style, in 2016!

Thank you for reading, and stay fabulous 😉