Seasonal Shift

I've heard an awful lot of complaining about Daylight Savings time this year, and I can't understand why. Sure, it's a little darker in the mornings (but I don't wake up that early anyway, so no problem there) and of course I don't like being robbed of an extra hour of sleep, but I was back to normal by Tuesday, so that doesn't seem like a big deal either.

The trade off for the minor inconvenience is a whole extra hour of sunlight in the evening! Why would anyone consider that to be a bad thing? That later sunset gives me a whole new lease on evenings, I no longer want to be in pajamas by six p.m., I might actually want to go out and do something. Furthermore, come July, if the latest the sun set were 7:30, wouldn't that be awfully upsetting? Don't we all live for those long summer days? Just me? Fine.

Meanwhile, I'm ready to shed my winter blacks and pull out all the white. Yes, I wore white jeans in California, but the white handbag has just come out of hibernation and I couldn't be happier.

       

The Rundown

Fringe Hem Sweater Rachel Comey similar
White Jeans Gap
Nareen Block Heels c/o Vionic
Micro Perry Satchel Rebecca Minkoff c/o Shopbop
Loyce Earrings Elizabeth Cole c/o Shopbop
Opal Ring T by Tahari similar
Petite Double Moonstone Ring c/o Moonstone Magic
Sunglasses "Meteor" Ray-Ban c/o TJMaxx

Linking up with  Style on the Daily

Small Things

Now that I've been home a week, I've had a chance to appreciate all the little things I missed while I was away. Seeing Chloe, driving my own car, washing my hair -- having lived my whole life with soft water, I didn't like how my hair felt after being washed in California's hard, mineral rich water. Sprawling out in my queen bed is not on the list, because I share it with Chloe and she takes 75% of it. But getting fun things in the mail is on the list, and I arrived home to a package from Ana Luisa, the high fashion jewelry brand where you can find both classic and quirky pieces, all under $100.

I chose these 14k gold plated mobile earrings because they were my ideal combination of something a bit different, but still easy to wear. They are super light weight and comfortable to wear - while the material used for the posts is not noted on the item description, I can say it did not bother my ears. Ana Luisa promises to only use high quality metals and durable gold plating, so I imagine these will be a shining part of my collection for years to come.

      

The Rundown
 Black Cable Knit Sweater Banana Republic similar
Jeans Banana Republic
Cream Funnel Neck Teddy Coat Loft similar
Black Pumps "Natalie" Naturalizer 

Bag "Lewis Drive Michela" Kate Spade similar
Leather Pom Matine

White Beret Amazon
 Mobile Earrings c/o Ana Luisa
Thin Gold Ring Etsy via Ellyn Blue Jewelry

Linking up with Pink Sole's How I Fall

Second Time is the Charm

I've reached the end of the California photos. For my last weekend in Los Angeles my brother flew out to celebrate my sister's birthday, and we had a fun sibling weekend. I think the last time just the three of us spent a day together was probably a decade ago in Boston.

On Friday we drove to Malibu, my brother rented a Mustang convertible and even though it was still a little too cold to have the top down, we did anyway. Driving through the windy canyon roads, taking in the views, hoping the rain would hold off. We stopped for lunch at Neptune's Net, where I'd recommend sticking to the basics, like fish and chips, and be forewarned, there are no proper restrooms.

As we crawled through traffic on the way back to L.A., the sun broke through for a bright moment, and since we were driving down Abbot Kinney Boulevard at the time, I suggested we take a quick detour to the canals, partly because my brother hadn't seen them yet, but mostly because I wanted to take outfit photos before the rain came and stole my chance. Clearly the sun didn't stick around, but I'm happy this Joie maxi dress finally got photographed. I'd actually purchased it specifically for my previous visit to California last September. While I did wear it on that trip, it was out to dinner on my last night, and the blurry iPhone photos never did make it to the blog.

On Saturday it poured, we spent the day wandering around LACMA, which was so huge that after four hours we still hadn't seen it all, but were too tired to continue. It would have been fun to take photos at Urban Lights in the rain, if only because it was a rare moment that the popular art installation was deserted. If only I had thought to bring my umbrella - but who thinks it's going to rain for eight weeks in southern California!

Saturday night was an early one, then I was up at 4:30 a.m. for my flight home, back to the snow I'd so happily left behind. But spring is nearly here, so I know I can't complain!

       

The Rundown

Black and White Maxi Dress Joie similar
Denim Jacket Gap similar
White Mules "Bianca" Target
Black Straw Bag Zara
Versailles Earrings  Julie Vos similar

Fatima Bracelet c/o Gorjana similar

Sunglasses "Meteor" Ray-Ban c/o TJMaxx
Nail Color "Caviar Bar" Essie

Linking up with

Jeans and a Teacup's Flashback Friday (one year ago today)