Single Ladies

this is for all the single ladies, all of the girls who have loved with their whole heart only for it to be broken, who recently saw their ex pop up on facebook with their arms around another girl, and to all of the gals who went on a wacked out date this last weekend only to make them think they want to swear off men for good.

i have experienced all of this recently, all of it, for better or for worse. 

for the first time in basically like a decade…i am single. yep, i know, insane right? almost all of my 20s have been wrapped up in one guy after the next. seriously, what was I thinking??

but in a lot of ways, that’s me. i wear my heart on my sleeve, i care deeply, always bring the joy (as skinny buddha has taught me) and as my friends have been known to give me grief, “i love being in love.” i fall hard. what can i say? i have passion. no apologies here. ;)

but here i am, for the first time in a really long time, single. and not going to lie, just saying it out loud is awesome and makes me smile.

i don’t have to worry about someone else. i get to spend some time doing what i love, figuring out what else i love and what i don’t love. it is not about someone else’s mood, job, or plans in life. but instead, what’s my plan? what do i want? what makes me happy?

i'll be honest, i am a generally happy person, confident and comfortable in my own skin but i can’t honestly say that in my adult years, i haven’t looked to my job or boyfriend to define my day-to-day feelings and happiness. tough to admit but it's true. so im going to work on that and for those of you who can relate to this, here are my thoughts:

1). to all my single ladies, do you, dance around in your underwear, put your time and energy into the people in your life that really matter, workout, plan an adventure and listen to celine dion (it’s all coming back to me now).

2). to all of the girls who have loved with their whole heart only for it to be broken, “forgetting people who hurt you is your gift to them; forgiving people who hurt you is your gift to yourself.” give yourself a week, month tops, cry it out, eat whatever you want but that’s it. don’t give him another moment’s thought. (thanks manders ;)

3). to all who recently saw their ex pop up on facebook with their arms around another girl...this is a tough one, f*** em. nothing is as it seems and you can convince yourself he has changed, you can think that his problems aren’t hers, or he magically has grown up in the short time since his arms were around you but you and i both know, a picture doesn’t amount to any of that.

4). and to all of the gals who went on a wacked out date this last weekend only to make them think they want to swear off men for good…don’t. i have been on more dates in the last few months than i would care to count and each one is teaching me just a little more of what i want and what i don’t want. think of it as doing a little homework, just a little research but with cocktails. ;)

xx,

s

p.s. this post is dedicated to my amazing girlfriends, skinny buddha, and to my sisters who are always just a phone call, glass of wine, dance party or a gchat away from being there for me. (AW, BY, EM, KD, KJ, KM, SW) 

(picture via pinterest)

Fairy Godmother

we have a fairy godmother. yep, a real live fairy godmother. she is as beautiful inside as she is on the outside... a modern day chanel, always dressed to perfection. classy would be an understatement to capture her effortless style, elegance and paris chic fashion she exhibits each and every day. never without a red lip, her signature haircut and pearls, she embodies that timeless glamour that belongs in the fashion history books with the likes of jackie o and audrey hepburn.

as girls, she would take us shopping at christmas time where we could pick out an outfit of our choice. imagine being 12-15 years old, going into bloomingdales and trying on all of the things you only wish you could have?? it was magic. just like that, she made each of us feel so incredibly special. 

now as women, she still sprinkles us with her fairy dust whether it's her unconditional support and advice on love, life and our careers or the vintage hermes scarves she passes down to us for special occasions. she empowers us to be strong women, never to settle for anything less than our dreams and always shoot for the stars. she has given us our modern day cinderella moments. 

this last friday night was no different. we went to her house for a closet clean out. the wine and bubbly were flowing along with our friends calvin klein, chanel, hermes, luca luca, and escada...it was an unforgettable night of dress up, fashion, girly laughs, and dancing (roar!).

even cinderella needed a little help...extra special thanks to our fairy godmother for outfitting us in everlasting style and love. 

hope you enjoy these moments as much as we did.

 

 

xx,

k, s, & c 

p.s. can you spy the skinny buddha??

 

(photos taken on c's iphone)

Three to Rock

are you in love with the leather craze like we are?? we're currently obsessing with how leather is being used to accent everything from paneled leather dresses and skirts to the trimming on fall and winter coats. it adds a little bit of edge to even the classiest, most feminine outfit. seriously, what's more fun than rocking out in a leather jacket? here are our picks for the season...

c's pick - rag & bone's bowery jacket

s's pick - cusp's layered ponte/leather jacket

k's pick - cole haan leather jacket

xx,

k, s, & c

(photos via rag & bone / cusp / bloomingdales)

Sweet Potato Gnocchi

my husband and i love to cook. so much that s has asked me how we find the time to do anything else. to be honest, sometimes it doesn't leave much time for other things, but it’s what we enjoy doing. it's fun, relaxing and a great way to tune out. for us, there's nothing better than a great bottle of wine, a delicious home cooked meal and some good tunes (most recently... pandora's vampire weekend station).

last saturday's menu: sweet potato gnocchi with kale, sage + balsamic brown butter

wine pairing: california pinot noir

check out this recipe and more in richard blais's try this at home.

ps. another must try - his vegetable lasagna. untraditional (as are most of his dishes) and absolutely delicious! right, c?! #stys

xx,

k

(photos taken by k)

Oh Romeo

“when he shall die, take him and cut him out in little stars, and he will make the face of heaven so fine that all the world will be in love with night and pay no worship to the garish sun.” -juliet

uh yea, whether it's leondardo dicaprio or douglas booth...we agree he will make the face of heaven so fine, that the whole world will be in love with night... :) 

we can't even begin to count the number of times in middle school we watched baz luhrmann's romeo and juliet together. k had the movie poster on her wall and we would find ourselves listening to the soundtrack on repeat...des ree's kissing you...that pool scene. oh yea, our crush on leo was epic and of course only grew with titanic. but it all started with romeo. 

so although we're all a little older now, we are excited to check out the latest adaptation of romeo and juliet being released friday with hailee steinfeld and up and coming actor douglas booth. not sure if it will live up to our childhood shakespearean crush, but at least we are old enough to drink roadies in the movie theater. #stys

xx, 

k, s, & c

p.s. who is bringing the popcorn and swedish fish?

(photos via imdb)

Three Things I Learned From Diane Keaton

1).  "Home is a place where when you knock on the door, they have to let you in."
2).  "I want to be necessary to someone."  
3).  "Now will be then but then will never be now." 

this last week, the lynn sage cancer research foundation hosted their annual fall benefit at the chicago hilton. it was nothing short of fabulous. this incredible group of amazing women started lynn sage in 1985 after they lost their friend, daughter, mother from breast cancer...let me tell you, their energy, love, and passion is contagious. 28 years later, they have raised over $27 million dollars!

the afternoon was kicked off with a purse auction...what better way to raise money than 1,100 women in a room bidding over vintage chanel, YSL, Hermes, louis vuitton?? it was fantastic.

the keynote speaker for the luncheon was none other than the beautiful, witty, captivating Diane Keaton...she had me the moment she walked into the ballroom. she looked fabulous. she was rocking a fitted black leather blazer cinched at the waist with a belt, a classic sleek pencil skirt, her trademark glasses, and 5 inch leather booties that to our surprise immediately took off the moment she got to the podium, apologizing that she just didn't feel right with them on once she got up there. her candidness and "here i am" first impression was beyond memorable. it drew you in. she was real, quirky as can be and someone you no doubt wish you could grab a glass of wine with. as soon as she started talking i knew she was someone special even well beyond the diane we have seen and loved in annie hall, father of the bride, the godfather, and something's gotta give...

she related many of the stories from her memoir titled, Then Again, all very open, honest, and an intimate window into her thoughts and life. i highly recommend picking it up so you too can learn a few things from Diane Keaton. #stys

xx,
s

chicago sun times splash article

diane purchased two fab purses - vintage louis was one of them ;)

to-die-for vintage chanel - if only...

diane's second fab purchase - love the polka dots of this miu miu

i officially have a crush on the 

late walter mathau...read p. 263 of Then Again

p.s. october is breast cancer awareness month, remind all the women in your life and consider donating to lynn sage cancer research foundation.

(photos via s's insta / Then Again, Diane Keaton)

If Only

 

 

i will always remember my first kate spade bag my dad got me. it was steel grey with a black label and white lettering. it was the ultimate throw all in bag that i vividly remembering taking to all after school mall dates with my girlfriends. i haven't stopped loving kate spade's growing empire since. 

if only i could live in kate spade's fashion campaign this season... i would. i dream in fashion collections (currently dreaming of burberry prorsum s/s '14) and this one just did me in. did you see this video? yeah, it's the 2 park avenue beau bag that i plan to make mine but also the upbeat music, leopard pants, that CITY backdrop, and the kind of fun i'd like to emulate in my every day*. why not, right?! i don't expect people to understand the excitement i get when i see a kate spade e-mail in my gmail inbox or the reason i have a weakness for all things classy & feminine with a major appreciation for delight in the details (ahem this bangle). for me fashion has always been fun and that is exactly what this campaign is to me - pure fun. it also embodies all that i feel when i visit nyc (my 2nd fav city to chicago), which is perhaps why i've watched the campaign's video countless times.

the collection gets me that much more excited to plan my outfits for the coming months. they have a knack for designing things i can wear out to a business lunch, but also feel great in for a night out. colorful, bold, but sleek. no one in my mind does it better than kate spade....if only... 

xx,

c

(photos taken from pinterest, kate spade)

*julia i know you understand the feeling of this! ;)