STLFW // project:design!

The first day I was in town for STLFW, I flew in, got to the hotel, met my lovely roommate, and then we got ready to head out for our first night of festivities.  There was a blogger dinner planned at Basso, which was right next door to the hotel, so we grabbed a few outfit photos and then headed down for dinner.  The dinner was amazing and the restaurant was an underground, den-like venue, which made for a nice, intimate setting, despite there being about twenty of us.  It was fun meeting the group of bloggers for the first time and filling up on amazing food and drinks.  There was a happy hour planned for after dinner, but we had the option of attending the Project:Design! runway show, so Jackie and I decided to skip the happy hour and go out to the show instead.  I'm glad we did, because no one else decided to go to happy hour anyway and we ended up getting front row seats to the show!!  

 

You can see the collections from the show in their entirety here, but I also grabbed some shots of my own and wanted to share a few of my personal favorite looks and designers from the night.

My favorite designer from the Project:Design! show was probably Lauren Bander.  The first look with the crop top and maxi is just perfection.  The collection had a sophisticated bohemian vibe to it, just right for spring/summer.  I would totally rock that bottom look too.  So breezy and fresh.

 

Another favorite was Abaya Dake.  I loved his use of bright colors, geometric patterns, and the incorporation of bold, ethnic prints.  Overall, it's just a really fun collection that has a playfulness that isn't too self aware or pretentious.  

 

 

Black by Maria Silver was in my top three favorite collections.  There were fun, "fashion-y" pieces mixed with a lot of super wearable pieces.  This first look is definitely very wearable, and I'm dying over the last look.  I want that crop top like whoa, mostly because I have high waisted black jeans that would complete the look perfectly.

 


Which collection is your favorite? Click through for a few more collections from Project:Design!
Fouché Couture




Elise Lammert
 
 


Q Liu

 

maker's mark

One of the big events we got to go to while in St. Louis for fashion week was the Industry Night presentation.  I was pretty excited to attend, because there were a couple designers showing whose work I really enjoy.  One of those designers was Eva Franco, which was exciting because I have a couple Eva Franco dresses, including the one I'm wearing in this post (and this awesome one too)!  One of my favorite memories from the weekend was taking photos in the runway at the Industry Night presentation before the show started and having Eva herself run up and join me!  It's not often you get photobombed by the person who designed your dress!!  Before the runway show I was hanging out sipping on wine and Eva's mom came up to me and we chatted for a bit.  She was adorable and clearly so proud of her daughter.  She showed me photos on her iPhone of this dress hanging at multiple Anthropologie locations where she'd seen it in the store.  
If I remember correctly, this dress is the #1 best seller at Anthro right now!  I paired it with black tights and some black heels to go out for a lady date the other night, so it's going to be a great winter date night option too!  The fabric is super substantial and structure is architectural in a feminine way.  Fun and funky!  I bet you could even style a collared long sleeve shirt underneath with the collar poking out the top for an eclectic outfit!  Maybe even with some colored tights.  Black and white clothes are so fun to play around with because color-wise they're a blank slate.

 


dress/courtesy of eva franco :: shoes/courtesy of modcloth :: necklace/francesca's jacket/modcloth :: bracelet/courtesy of musana jewelry :: photos by Julie

8 fall food ideas

Fall is one of those seasons that has such distinct flavors, which I think is one reason cooking during fall is one of my favorite things to do.  Last fall I went mad for soups, but there are so many other treats and dishes that are perfect this time of year, so I wanted to share some of my favorite recipes from past autumns. 

Pumpkin is an obvious major flavor this season, so it pretty much goes without saying that there are a couple pumpkin recipes included.  One of my favorite treats from last fall was Pumpkin Cupcakes with Maple Cream Cheese Frosting.  So decadent and screams "fall."  I'm hosting a little fall party at my house this weekend so I think I'm going to make a mini cupcake version of these big ones.  Since they're pretty rich (especially the frosting), a mini cupcake will be the perfect bite size for a party with lady friends.  

MOAR PUMPKIN.  I love these pumpkin cookies with maple icing.  The frosting is really what makes them.  The pumpkin cookie is light and fluffy, but the frosting has that crunch, plus the maple flavor, that just makes them pop!

Last fall we harvested a bunch of apples and had to come up with ways to use our surplus of apples and I'm pretty sure I made at least two batches of this applesauce.  It's basically not worth it to me to get store bought applesauce anymore because this stuff is just so much better.  Plus, it's super easy to make!

Hi there, pumpkin again.  This time in the form of a smoothie/milkshake type temptation.  I think technically this is a smoothie, but I think of smoothies as more fruity and "healthy," but this is basically dessert.  But, come on, so is a pumpkin spice latte and everyone drinks those on the daily so....

I made this drink earlier this year, but something about bourbon and rosemary feels fall to me.  I mean, somehow you have to warm yourself as the temperatures start to drop.  Sipping on a rosemary old fashioned sounds like the perfect way to do so.  If I had a fireplace, I would have one of these in my hand, while curled up in a quilt, sitting on a fur rug... blogging.  Blogging is romantic, see?

Ginger is a year-round favorite flavor for me, but it seems like ginger gets more popular during the fall and winter.  Make yourself a batch (or two) of this Ginger Liquor to last you through the season.  It tastes great on it's own, but it's also amazing in mixed drinks as well!

Get your comfort food on!  I think one reason I love soup during fall is that I just want warmth inside me, and hot liquids just seems like the most efficient way of doing just that.  This mac and cheese has the same effect, with all it's melty, cheesy goodness.  

Ditto what I said about mac & cheese, except beef stew.  Because beef stew.  So good.  Plus, it's a crock pot recipe so you can have it cooking all day and ready for dinner with minimal effort.  

STLFW // rungolee luncheon + presentation

Last Thursday I was invited to a lunch and presentation for

Rungolee

at the designer,

Anjali Kamra's

, beautiful home in St. Louis.  I went with a group of other bloggers who were also in St. Louis for St. Louis Fashion week, so it was nice to be there with other ladies I knew, and it was truly one of the most wonderful events I had the pleasure of attending during STLFW.  The event started off with a bit of mingling and some drinks with a mini introduction, during which Fern Mallis (creator of NYFW!) said a few words.  I have to say, I felt a bit like a wedding crasher.  I'm at an event with Fern Mallis?  It was a bit surreal.

We were lucky enough to get good weather, since the forecast called for thunderstorms all week, so we got to have lunch out on the back porch.  The tablescapes were so gorgeous.  Everything I aspire to when I have parties in my, relatively, tiny home.  Lovely fabric napkins in pretty prints, gold chargers, fresh flowers.  The food was equally as amazing, created by local chefs, and absolutely delectable.  I probably would've had four helpings if we hadn't been whisked away to check out the collection.

After we'd eaten, we headed upstairs to Anjali's workspace, which is probably the size of my entire house.  I can't imagine what a pleasure it must be to be able to create in such a light and inspiring space.  We got to flip through racks of Rungolee items and I was impressed with the sheer volume of pieces she's created, as well as the level of detail in each and every piece.  So many were covered in beautiful embroidery, which is one of my favorite details in clothing, however sorely underrepresented in my current wardrobe.  Much of her design work draws inspiration from her Indian roots, and she does it in a sophisticated and attentive way.  Much of the creation of her clothing is actually done in India by couture artisans who create the hand sewn, embroidered, beaded, and woven elements in each piece.

After we explored the workshop and pawed our way through racks of Rungolee pieces, taking care not to

actually

drool over them.  We went back downstairs and were met with impeccably styled models lounging about, modeling Rungolee pieces.  Having only been to the standard runway type presentation, this was new for me, and I actually liked this way of presenting clothing items more.  I've seen photos of similar presentations but have never been to one myself.  It's a great way to see the clothes up close, rather than on a model stomping by at breakneck speed.  I do love runway shows and getting to see the clothes in motion as the model walks, but this was a much more realistic way of showing how the clothes would be seen in real life.  The models quietly cycled out of the room one by one to go put on a new outfit and reenter without fanfare, returning to their station, acting "natural." Anjali's incredible home was the perfect backdrop for the clothes, and while most of the outfits were much too fancy for my own everyday personal style, the individual pieces were very versatile and definitely something I could see myself styling.  

Before we left, Anjali gifted us each a scarf in a fabric

similar to this top

 (mine is white and green).  As scarf season is upon us I was pretty excited to have such a lovely, and practical, token from the afternoon's festivities.  Huge thanks to

Rungolee

for inviting myself and the other bloggers in attendance!  You can check out some of the Rungolee items we saw

here

, and they're also on

facebook

 and 

instagram

!

make it work

So, this outfit was something I came up with while packing and scheming outfits for this last week in St. Louis.  The top is actually a scarf that is just tucked into my jeans, which makes it totally backless.  I second guessed my decision to wear this when I put it on before heading out, but I decided to just go for it instead of playing it safe.  Since I felt so naked with nothing on my back, I wore my favorite quartz pendant backwards.  It didn't provide coverage, per se, but it did make me feel like there was at least something back there.  Looking back, I actually ended up wearing pretty much all black and white outfits, which is out of character for me.  Usually it's prints and colors and all sorts of madness, but I liked the simple palette with a few bursts of color here and there.  So brace yourself for more black and white because apparently St. Louis sucked all the color out of me.
It's always funny to be around a group of other style bloggers.  Everyone is so, well, stylish!  There were a couple outfits that I just wanted to steal off of other girls' bodies.  Not creepy at all, nope.  Since we all traveled around in a big group, and sometimes would all file out of one big bus, we were a bit of a spectacle.  It is fun to be among bloggers, though.  Everyone understands all the idiosyncrasies and behaviors that "normal" people see as odd.  Taking photos of everything, doing outfit pictures, instagramming all the things.  It's silly, but it is nice to be around people who "get" what you're doing.  

  top(scarf, similar)/gift :: jeans/courtesy of modcloth :: shoes/courtesy of lulu's bracelet/courtesy of musana :: necklace/courtesy of adorn by sarah lewis purse/some boutique in NYC :: photos by Jackie
Last night I discovered that there is a hole in these pants right on the butt!  I'm slightly devastated because I'd been looking for ages for high waisted black jeans and these ones fit like a dream!  It's right smack dab on the center of my butt right by the seam, so I'm not sure how I can salvage it, any sewing type folks out there have a solution?  I'd rather not have to give these up just for one small hole, but being a hole in the butt, it's not something that's easy to ignore.  I wore them home on the plane, and Dan told me there was a hole in them a few hours after I'd been home, so I'm not sure how long I was walking around with a hole in the butt of my pants.  So it goes.