The Seven Dwarfs as You Have Never Seen them Before

I have to show you this. My daughter received a pack of rubber figures representing Snowflake and the Seven Dwarfs from my parents. I haven't read her the story yet as she's too young and also because I remember that I was still scared to death a week after reading it for the first time when I was little (I think that I couldn't quite make sense of the poisoned apple and I had my first perception of mortality). Funny that my parents sent this, they must not be aware of the scary effect that the story had on me.
Anyway, she doesn't know what a dwarf is, let alone Snowflake, so she calls them "Messieurs" (Gentlemen) and "Dame" (Lady).

This morning she was playing with my jewelry while I was typing on the computer and when I turned I saw what she had done with the Seven Dwarfs and Snowflake. Jewelry Holders! I swear that she came up with this by herself, I think she is an artist:




I would actually use them as jewelry holders but and I'm not allowed to touch the creation ...

I have a very busy weekend ahead of me (we invited friends at home tonight AND tomorrow) so I won't probably be back on the blog before Monday. Have a nice weekend everyone!

Husband's Birthday Dinner Outfit (plus, latest Splurge)

I have mentioned before that last Tuesday was my husband's birthday. To celebrate we had an early dinner at one of our favorite French restaurants in the city, Benoit, which is also kind of kid friendly (but I guess that every restaurant is becoming kid friendly these days).

I would have loved to wear the jacket + tiered ruffle skirt outfit of my previous post but it was unseasonally cold and just about to pour when we were ready to leave. So this is the outfit that I wore instead:



Featuring Jcrew Georgia cardigan in warm blush, ruffle tissue tank in natural, Cafe capri in black. The Georgia cardigan is a good alternative to the warmer Michelle and I really like this color for the evening but I must say that it can't be worn closed with the tissue ruffle tank, there is just too much tissue. I put a little bit of effort in the jewelry:



It was a lovely evening but my daughter, who is usually very good when we eat out, started to say "Andiamo?" (Can we go? in italian) as soon as we arrived at the restaurant and she didn't stop until we actually left. Life with kids...

And now, the shoes. The shoes that I'm wearing in the first pic are not the ones that I wore Tuesday night for the simple reason that I bought them yesterday (I wore my Tory Burch black Reva instead).
Yes, I splurged again on shoes but these are really worth it plus summer sale season is open and I always buy a pair of designer shoes during the sales. I normally buy much later in the season, around my birthday which is in July, because that's when one can find very good deals, but I'm afraid that this year the inventory is going to be much lower and I have an "average" size (a 7) that sells out quickly (I wish I wore a 35.5, lucky you 35.5 ladies).
They are Miu Miu and I have been eyeing them for a very long time. When I got a flyer in the mail from Chuckies, a high-end NYC shoes store, saying that they were having a private sale starting yesterday I knew that I was going to splurge on these. However, even with the % off, the price came with a shock. I mean, I knew more or less what the sale price would be but I always hope for a miracle at the register when buying expensive shoes. Like the price marked isn't the real price and in reality they are much cheaper. Or the SA makes a mistake. Or they were in the wrong box. I always hope because it actually happened to me to pay much less than expected (of course I didn't investigate, by scare that the SA would find out too that it was a mistake).

Anyway, I paid what I paid but I'm absolutely convinced that they will be a classic in my wardrobe. They are luxurious (because of the stones) and wearable at the same time (because they are flats). Here they are:



Like the Reva, they have an elastic all around, but I love that they are open-toe. I also like that the color is between gold and bronze, so it's easier to pair than the pure gold. The stones are absolutely stunning and best of all ... they are my size. Here are in my feet (with the Nars nail polish that seems to be made for them):



They are final sale meaning that I can't return them, so if you really don't like them or think that they are not worth the splurge, please don't comment!!! I mean, you don't have necessarely like what I like but I have just spent a considerable amount of money in these and I'm not sure that I'm ready to hear that I made a mistake and consequently change my mind.

Do you plan to buy earlier this sale season or are you going to wait for the prices to drop further?

The JCrew Tiered Ruffle Skirt: Styling Ideas

I hope that you're not going to yawn at this one, since this skirt has been around for a while and got many reviews when it came out.
The most frequently used term in the blogosphere to describe this skirt has been, I think (I mean, not that I have counted), "fun". It is indeed a fun skirt when you try it on. However, the price wasn't so fun and at $148 I had to pass as it is clearly something that I'm not going to wear that much.
When it went on sale (the last days of the Mickey card I believe) I wasn't paying attention and my size sold out very quickly.

It was around my daughter's birthday and you know when an idea crosses your mind and then you can't shake it off? Now I really, really wanted to wear this skirt at my daughter's upcoming birthday party. After calling every store in the city I was almost sure that I wouldn't find it any longer and guess what? The morning after ordering the Crewcuts dresses for my daughter it popped back on the website in my size. So I grabbed the phone (the SA was kind of talkative and I was like "It's a popback, can we get to the point before someone else snaps it so I don't have to go on another crewsade?" and ordered it among other stuff with one of the free shipping codes, hoping that it would actually ship.
It did, although it didn't make it in time for the birthday party. So, once the immediate excuse to wear it gone, I had a try-on session to see if I could wear it in my day-to-day life.

With all those tiered ruffles I think that the key is to keep the top simple, so I tried it with a perfect-fit tank:



OK, this is maybe too simple but I would wear this outfit for a stroll in one of those hot summer evening (with flip-flops instead of the disco sandals that I'm wearing in the pics). I throw on the tissue ruffle cardigan in slate and it looked surprisingly nice (I mean, I wasn't overwhelmed by ruffles):



Then, I tried on the ringspun scoopneck tee that I had ordered along with the skirt to get the free shipping. I had planned to return this one but I immediately liked it and couldn't part from it (I have already worn it twice with the surplus matchstick grey jeans and got many compliments):



Another tee option that I had in mind is the ringspun abstract maze tee (the real name, I found out reading the new catalog, is "sunbleached crinkle flower") that I've blogged on last week:



I really like it, what a great tee.
Now, for a more elegant look I think I have the perfect jacket. It's strucured heavy-silk jacket from an italian brand (Vicini) that I splurged on last year. I don't own many jackets but I think that this one is edgy and classic at the same time and was worth the splurge:



Buttoned and with the skinny belt in silver it's perfecty put together. Where are the cocktails?




I'm sure that I can find some other tops to wear with this skirt but I think that this is enough to make me that I'm going to keep it. I actually can't wait to wear it. Too bad that yesterday it was too cold because it was my husband's birthday and I would have loved to wear it at the nice restaurant where we went to celebrate (just the three of us).

Do yoiu own this skirt? Do you wear it "relaxed way" or do you dress it up? Which one of rthese outfits do you prefer?

A New Obsession: the Theory Frivan Romper

While I was at Bloomingdales on Saturday morning to see if they had any Longchamp pliage on sale, I couldn't help stepping by the Theory stand in the women's clothing department. If you have been following this blog from the beginning you might know that Theory is one of my favorite brands after Jcrew. I own several (at least ten) items (almost all summer clothes) from Theory that are all great and never go out of style. The thing is, I never buy Theory in store at full price as their prices tend to be CRAZY but I'm lucky enough to live in NY and I always try to go to their sample sale which is held twice a year (in the same location than this year's Jcrew sample sales, with the difference that one can try clothes on).

Anyway, I was browsing the Theory racks when I stumbled upon this romper. Being on the petite side, I've always dismissed jumpsuits as something "not for me" but I had never considered a shorts jumpsuit. Actually I didn't even know that such a thing like a romper existed (I mean for people older than 24 months).
This one, not only existed but had a crisp, ageless look that reminded me of Cameron Diaz in the latest Vogue (did you see it? Isn't she amazingly chic and cool in those organic clothes?)
It comes in white/white, white/kakhi and I believe black/black. I would have loved to try the white on white but it was sold out in my size, so I tried the white on khaki. The fitting room was very dark and these are the only two pics that are not too blurred:





In the pics I'm trying a 0 but actually the 2 looked better as the shorts weren't as fitted. I didn't take a picture though.
I really felt good in it and I think that it's something that I could wear for years to come (I was about to say until I'm 70 but I'm not sure that I will want to show off my legs when I'm 70), what you would call a good investment. I now that people tend to consider winter clothes (coats and jackets) as worth-the-splurge-good-investments but I simply like summer clothes so much better. I always find myself spending much more for summer clothes than winter ones; if I really like a summer dress I go for it, while I can debate for months before buying a turtleneck or winter dress.

Now there are two problems. First is the price: this retails for $295. Second is: the the Theory sample sale was last week and I didn't go (on purpose this time) and now I'm really kicking myself for not going (even if they don't have all the styles and typically not the very last ones).
I would really love to get this but I don't know if I can wait for it to go on sale. The other solution I'm thinking about is to return all those Jcrew clothes that I'm not 100% sure about and get this one instead. So stay tunes for many "returnable items of the week".

What do you typically splurge on? Do you prefer summer or winter clothes?

Memorial Weekend Outfits

So as promised I took pics of my Saturday morning outfit that I got many compliments on:



Featuring Jcrew giraffe-print shorts, Zara shirt from many years ago, Kate Spade "fish" slides fom last summer, Jcrew Thompson tote (I really need to get started with Polyvore). Actually I think this looks even nicer in real life. I had initially put on a Gap navy ribbed tank as a top but the shorts are very short and I felt a little bit naked (especially for the subway), so I changed for the Zara shirt and felt much better.
The day after we went to one of our favorite restaurants for lunch (it's greek but quite upscale and it has a nice terrace with teck furniture). I decided to wear my Monterey skirt for the first time, with a Gap tee for a total "khaki" look:



I think that this outfit came off quite nicely, thanks to the touch of color of the necklace:



This is a necklace that I bought some time ago at Laila Rowe, along with the double-strand turquoise bracelet that I wore with the Havona in the Bermuda pics. The prices are already very good (from $15 to $28) but they were (and I think they are still) having a "buy one, get another one at half price" promotion, which makes these a real steal as they are made in real stones (like the Jcrew ones) and not plastic. I you have a store near you, I highly reccomend having a look. The colors are beautiful and it's difficult to just pick two (or four) items. They also make a nice girlfriend present.

Not that anyone noticed, but my self-made pedi with Nars polish in Orgasm complemented the look and I want to show it here (it also gives me the opportunity to make a close-up on the KS slides that I bought on super-sale last year and wear all the time):



The rest of the weekend was disrupted by the fact that my daughter developped a vaccine-induced fever (I'm normally pro-vaccines but I regretted giving her the shot just before the weekend, even if this is the first time that she has a reaction whatsoever), so we had to cancel our dinner plans for Sunday and we spent almost the rest of the weekend at home. Sometimes it's good to have an excuse to just do nothing, especially for my husband who works a lot and is hyper-active during the weekend (he can't stay half an hour without doing something). So my yesterday outfit was pijamas and an old tee shirt, nothing that I want to share lol.

I hope that you had a great Memorial Day weekend. Isn't it great that summer is finally here?

Coming up: a new obsession (non-Jcrew)

How is your Memorial Day weekend so far?

Hello everybody, I just wanted to write a quick post to wish you all a wonderful Memorial Day weekend, even if the first day is almost gone. I meant to post something yesterday but I got caught up in errands and my hubby came home eerly from work, so I didn't even turned the computer on until now.

We are staying in the city for the weekend, just seeing friends and relaxing. I vowed to stay away from Jcrew this weekend as I placed two Internet orders a week ago and bought the only thing that I kind of "need" at this point two days ago (the lightweight Oxford tunic, review coming up next week). Plus I'm kind of disappointed in the new catalog, I think we had enough of ruffles and I was hoping for some bright colors and prints.

This morning I went to Bloomingdales for a change of perspective on clothes (I tend to go to Jcrew and other few neighborhood stores only) and also to see if they had sales on Longchamp bags as I need to replace an old white "pliage" that is now almost gray.
The sale wasn't that great (and no sales on the bag that I wanted to try) but I got a ton of compliments from sales people and customers on my outfit. I was wearing the giraffe-print shorts (first wear) with an old Zara short-sleeved shirt (gray) and Kade Spade "fish" flats. I should have taken a picture of the outfit but I didn't, so maybe I will do it a posteriori tomorrow and I will post it next week. So, that did my day and I didn't buy anything because I felt so great. My husband says that it's normal that sales people compliment you because they want you to be in a good disposition to sell you stuff, but we ladies know to make the difference between someone trying to flatter us and a genuine compliment, right? And those were definitively compliments!

Sorry, no pics today.

Have a wonderful rest of Memoral Day weekend!

Two New JCrew Ringspun Tees

OK, I'm officially on my way to become a JCrew ringspun tee collector (an euphemism for addict). I don't know what it is but I feel compelled to buy a JCrew tee as soon as see a new one in store and this happens especially with the ringspun ones.

So yesterday I stopped by my local store to return one of the dresses that I bought for my daughter and my eye was caught by a new ringspun tee that I immediately fell in love with. It's another "silk flower applique" tee but the color combination was just beautiful and I had to try it on:



Detail of the flower:



It retails for $42.50 (the style # is 16911). I saw it also with the flower in a papaya color (it's a little bit more elegant) but the "pacific" blue is such a nice color for the summer, especially with a little tan like I have in this moment. I tried a small because I find the crewneck ringspun tees to run a little bit small (compared to the scoopneck ones) but I could have sized down (I didn't try the XS though).

On my way to the register I noticed another tee laying on a table. This one is not new (I think it's called the abstract "maze" tee) but I had never seen it in navy before, only in ivory and grey, that I didn't like (BTW, check the hilarious review by gigiofca in this post). But in this color it looks like a totally different tee. I grabbed it without even trying it on because I have been looking for a replacement of a similar tee (with the same contrasting colors and tissues) that I bought many years ago (in fact I think that it was my first purchase in the US) at AX (incidentally I have to say that I was very excited about AX when I arrived, because in Europe, at least in Italy and France, we only have the high end Armani collections and Emporio). I have worn this tee many, many times to go out in the evening but since my body shape has changed after the baby it doesn't feel right any longer (basically I'm a little bit wider in the hips and it has become short for this fact if you see what I mean).

Anyway, this is the new "maze" tee in navy:



I bought a XS in this one as I wanted it to be fitted and because it's in a dark color the sheerness is not an issue:



Luckely I had something else to return so I could buy the two of them. I know that I'm going to wear the second one a lot, I'm less sure about the first one because the creamish color is not easy to pair with after all as it can't be worn with white which is a bummer. On the other side I'm sure that it's a tee to impress so even if I end up not wearing it everyday it's fine.

Have you seen these new tees in store? Do you like any them? Do you like the maze tee in this new color combination?

Returnable Item of the Week: the BR "Lounge" Cardigan

You have been so helpful with my recent shoes dilemma, that I have decided to ask for your opinion each time that I need to return something but I'm not decided about it. Maybe this will even become a "weekly" post, since I buy enough stuff that I can return at least one item per week.

This week the questionable item is the BR "Lounge" cardigan (item 646386), pictured below:



It retailed for $79 and I bought it some time ago for a great price ($41.99). I used to buy a lot at the Gap and Banana (but especially the Gap) because of their 90-day return policy. A three-month span allows you enough time to find out what you really like and what you won't wear, while it's more difficult in a month, especially if you buy ahead of the season. In fact if I had to add another shopping rule it would be "Don't buy too early in the season" because you might not like it any longer when the time has finally come to wear what you bought months before. But of course the risk here is regretting not buying it if the style solds out.

Anyway, I have to make up my mind on this, since the ticket is almost "expired".
It's a sweatshirt cardigan with a tie instead of buttons, shawl collar and kimono sleeves. I bought it mainly to wear it with summer dresses and especially this one that is one of my favorire dresses EVER:



It's a DVF dress that I bought two years ago at a Barney's warehouse sale. I had just returned to work after my maternity leave and I bought a size 4. I should have bought a 2 (the 0 in DVF is too small for me) but besides the fact that from time to time I have to look down to check if my boobs are still inside, it doesn't look too big. I wear it a lot in the summer during the day but I was looking for something to wear it with in the evening. This cardi had the perfect mix of coolness and elegance but I forgot that the dress already has a belt, so I can't wear it belted under the cardi. This is how it looks with the two ends of the dress' belt tied and left down (I mean without making a bow out of them):



The workaround goes unnoticed and I like the result. With a small clutch it could be a real nice evening outfit (with heels instead of flats).
Here is the cardi with another dress:



So, why I'm debating if returning it or not? Because I'm not sure that I'll get a lot of wear out of it with anything else than this dress (and maybe another one or two). The thing is that I'm not sure that I like it with pants. For exemple, with black jeans:



I like it better with white jeans:



It would look great with rolled-up vintage slim-fit jeans (that I don't have), flats and some very simple jewelry. I saw a girl wearing it this way and she looked effortlessy chic. But it looks like I can't reproduce the same effect with the clothes that I have. Or maybe I'm being overly critical, I don't know.

So what do you think? A keeper or not? I should also add that I regretted not buying the Jcrew similar cardi last year (or it was 2007?) I would like to hear from you, especially if you own this cardigan or the Jcrew one!

My First Crewcuts Order

Yesterday was my daughter's second birthday (we spent it at home due to bad weather) but her birthday party will be this coming Sunday and it was only once we were back from Bermuda that I started to think to her outfit for the occasion. The plan was to visit the Soho store this week, which is the only store in NYC to carry the Crewcuts line, and buy the first Jcrew dress for her birthday (I admit that this is a birthday present for me more than for her)!

Well, guess what? When I called to check the opening hours, I found out that the Soho store was closed for renovations and will reopen this Saturday. Saturday I will definitively be too busy with the preparation of the party to go shopping plus it seemed a little bit too last minute even for me (I am one of those people who, no matter how early they start something, they always manage to finish it at last minute, not to say late).

So the only option left was to order from the Internet/catalog but it was already Tuesday and by the time that I made my choice and was ready to order it was Tuesday night so I was feeling a little bit anxious. Anyway I called and ordered three dresses because I wanted to be sure to have enough options. I didn't want something too dressy (the party has an Elmo theme - she just loves Elmo) just a cute little dress that she will be able to wear to playdates and in the summer evening if not at the playground.

I place my order and ask about the 3-days express delivery because I wanted to be sure that the dresses would arrive by Saturday, but the SA told me that even choosing the 3-days delivery my order would only arrive the next Tuesday and this would cost me $21! Now, I don't want to use the term Crewless because the lady (actually a girl if I have to judge from the voice) was very nice and seemed to knew very well their stock even if she was clearly unfamiliar with their delivery options. I asked her twice if she was sure because I never used the express delivery before and one week didn't really rhyme with "express" to my ears; so in the end I just went with the free standard shipping because it happened in the past that my orders would ship much faster than expected.

I went to bed (and dreamt that we were going out with the Obamas, not sure if Jcrew was the connection between me and the Obamas, but it's very likely, even if I don't remember Michelle's outfit in the dream!) and the morning after I saw in the order confirmation email that a sales tax was added to my order, when in the state of NY we don't pay the sales tax on clothes with a value below $110.
I wasn't really upset, I just wanted them to admit the mistake and refund my credit card. While I was at it I explained the situation with the Soho store closed and the fact that a week for an express delivery didn't seem a proof of a good customer service.

I'm going to post the reply because I think that this is a good exemple of what Jcrew should respond to their customers who complain about an order:

Dear Emanuela:
We sincerely apologize for charging sales tax on your recent order. A credit of $5.78has been credited back to your American Express credit card. This credit will appear within one or two billing statements. Your order shipped from our distribution center on May 13, 2009 and may arrive in time for her birthday party. Regular shipping normally arrives in four to seven business days. The UPS tracking number for your package is: 1z6v86420357354008.
We are sorry to hear that you were unable to purchase your daughter's birthday dress from our Soho store, due to the store being renovated. We regret the confusion about our express service. Our 3-day express service for an extra $7.00, guarantees the delivery of an order within three business days. The 3-day express would have guaranteed your package to arrive on Friday 15, 2009. We also offer a 2-day express that guarantees delivery within two business days for an extra $15.00 charge. Saturday express delivery is also offered for specific zip codes for an additional charge of $25.00.
For the inconvenience, we would like to offer a free regular shipping on your next order. If you order by internet, please email us your order number and we will credit the shipping. If you order by phone please refer to order 1012283701.
If we can be of further assistance, please let me know by responding directly to this email or through my contact information which I have provided below.

I think that it was supercool from their part that they have not only expedited the shipping on my order without any additional cost (my order went out in 12 hours) but also offered me free shipping on the my next order as an apology.

Anyway, the package arrived today. I was super-excited and when I opened it I had another pleasant surprise: my first hand-written "Mickey card" with their "committment to their loyal customers statement". I don't know if they add this to all the orders that are shipped out because I haven't ordered from the Internet since the holidays but it was nice to receive it:



Maybe this means that I made to the select list of customers and will receive the Red card the next time?
Back to the package, this is the first dress that I opened, as it is the only one in the misty lavander color that I LOVE on my daughter (I think it's the best color for her):



It is a very simple shift dress (in fact it's called "Girl's cotton ruffle-neck shift dress, item #14811). I tried it on my daughter and as expected her blue eyes almost turned to lavender while she had it on. I love it and I will surely keep it but it runs a little bit big and I'm not sure that it will make a good party dress.

The second one is the perfect party dress and for a mere $35:



This one is called "Girls' cotton courtyard dress" (item 12924). It also comes in Misty Lavender but unfortunately it was sold out in a size 2. This is my fave but I don't see many other occasions when she could wear it as we don't have a courtyard lol.

The third one, the "girls' cotton courtyard dress" (item 12924) was disappointing. I choose the Sweet cataloupe color as this one didn't come in lavender:



Besides the color (that I'm not sure I like for my daughter), it isn't very well made IMO. It looks like the sewing around the waist is going to crack up after one wear and it's the same price than the courtyard dress. Not worth it to me, this one is going back (unless I try it on my daughter and she looks so cute in it that I decide to keep it).

So as of Friday night the candidate for the party is number 2. However, I have also bought a "birthday girl" tee (with a cupcake) and a little ruffle miniskirt at Gymboree today (they are having a 30% off F&F event, if you need a code let me know), so I'm going to decide at the last minute. Maybe I'm even going to involve my husband (I'm sure he will choose the cupcake tee).

Have you ever bought Crewcuts? Did you have an experience with Customer Service at Jcrew that exceeded your expectations?

Dear Havona (part 3: IRL pics of Bermuda)

So, in case you were wondering, I did come back from Bermuda (sigh), I'm just late with the posting and catching up on everyone else's blogs as this is a crazy week for me (yes, even stay at home moms can have crazy weeks, although I agree that it's a different crazyness from the crazy weeks at work) bacause tomorrow is my daughter's second birthday and I have to plan everything for her b-day party on Sunday, which I'm clearly behind in doing because you know how it is when you're back from a vacation, even short: tons of laundry, the mess that you left before leaving to clean out, etc. My Internet connection is not collaborating either because it has been VERY slow and I had to start over twice. All this to say that this post is going to be shorter than I would like, but better short than nothing at all.

Back to our trip, we had a FANTASTIC time and the island was beyond expectations. If you live in the Northest, it's perfect destination for a short vacation. First of all, it's only a 1.45 hours hop from NY; second, the high season goes from end of May to September, which makes Bermuda a much better vacation spot than the Caribbean where it's too hot in the (our) summer; third, it's truly BEAUTIFUL and the beaches are among the most amazing that I have ever seen. The only problem is that you cannot rent a car, so be sure to stay in a hotel with a lot of amenities and possibly a shuttle service to the main beaches/major attractions if you don't want to be stuck or wait hours for the public bus (which apparently is not very reliable in the summer months).

But enough with your travel agency reccomendations, even if is the only kind of advise that I can give you. I surely can't provide any packing tips because my suitcase was full (and I mean FULL) of clothes that I didn't wear, except for the Havona and the two outfits that I had carefully put together around it.
The thing is, I didn't expect to spend so much time on the beach. I don't know what I was thinking when I packed but I looked at the forecasts and they weren't very encouraging (showers and T-storms for four straight days) so I took many long-sleeved cardi and shirts because I wanted to be sure not to be cold. On the other hand, I didn't pack ANY cover-up or sundress in the eventuality that the forecasts would be wrong (can you believe it?) and I took only two t-shirts with me! Plus, I brought too many evening outfits, but this wasn't my fault because I thought that we would dine out every night, while we only went to the restaurant at the hotel the first night and then we dined at our friend's house on Friday and Saturday night (we had three kids and it was easier).

Anyway, I survived my suitcase catastrophe and spent 4 wonderful days. I'm going to share some pics but I have to warn you that they are family vacation pics, so they are what they are.

The first two days, before moving to our friends', we stayed at the Elbow Beach hotel, which is part of the Mandarin Oriental group. My husband's company paid for it, so I have no idea of how much the room could have costed but it was surely on the expensive side.
The hotel has a main room building on the top of the hill with the pool, two restaurants and a bar (with an exceptional view), plus many smaller "cottages" spreaded through the beautiful grounds that go down to the beach.



Our room was located in one of the cottages closest to the beach:



As I said before, the first night we left our daughter with a babysitter and had a romantic dinner at the hotel's beach restaurant, which, by the way, is the only restaurant where you can have dinner on the beach in the entire island!
I wore the Havona for the occasion, with white long pants and a Jackie-style cardi that I bought at Ann Taylor Loft (where I normally never shop) a few days before leaving. I had read about this cardi on the Three Sparrows and Some Sparkle blog but I forgot about it until I happened to walk by a ATL store in my neigborhood and saw that they were in promo (1 full price, 1 free) and that it came in a turquoise that looked exactly like the turquoise in the Havona. So I decided to give it a try and it turned out to be the PERFECT cardigan for the Havona for $19.50 (MMM, if you're reading, this is for you)! So, thank you Sparrow!
I was dying for my husband to take a picture of the entire outfit but I didn't want to ask because he would have immediately guessed that it was for the blog and I wasn't supposed to think about the blog. I didn't want to ruin it, so I shut up and this is the only picture that I have to show you (you can't see the bottom but you get to see my face for a change):



It was almost dark when the picture was taken but I can tell you that the Bermudian turquoise sea was the perfect backdrop for the Havona.

We spent the day after playing and relaxing on the beach (it was very sunny and warm and I got a nice tan), then we checked out and went to our friends'. We dined at home with the kids, so no outfit to show.
On Saturday we went back to the beach (the kids were very excited) where we spent most of the day. Our friends are member of a tennis club with private beach and a restaurant with a view to die for:





As I said I didn't pack any sundress or cover up but luckely I had my goldfish tee and the seaside chambray shorts (one of the best buy ever) so I managed not to look like a complete moron (please excuse my daughter in the picture but is the only one that I have where you can see the tee):



We spent a cozy Saturday evening at home talking and drinking wine after the kids went to bed but for Mother's Day our friends had a planned a magnificent brunch in the garden of their villa (they hired a catering service and everything was just perfect) and I wore the Havona again, this time with JCrew shorts and Tory Burch thongs. I had tons of compliments on the outfit and even my husband, who normally rolls his eyes when he sees that I'm wearing something new, was impressed:



My daughter was adorable in a Gap chambrey dress, but she falled just few minutes after this pic hitting her forehead very hard and that was the end of it for her (she passed out exhausted after much crying):



In any case we were leaving soon (our flight was in the early afternoon) so we reluctantly went back to our room to pack the last few things and get ready for the ride to the airport.

We really had a fantastic time and I can't wait to go back. I've also felt definitively in love with the Havona and I think that I will wear it in many different occasions for years to come.

Have you ever been to Bermuda? Would you consider it for a vacation now?

My Gift for Mother's Day Has Arrived

Mother's Day has a special meaning to me as my daughter was born the day after Mother's Day 2007 but my labor started on the day before, so I like to think that I became a mother on Mother's Day, even if technically it isn't true. What a better way to celebrate?

Anyway, one of the good things of motherhood is that we are the ones who get the presents on Mother's Day. Last year I had a Jcrew "coupon" (hand-written by my hsuband, something like "Coupon valid for an item of your choice at Jcrew"), but this year I had the opportunity to buy an expensive perfume that I wanted for a very long time for a third of the price, so I told my husband that I would take care of it if he didn't mind (he didn't, I think that he thought that the trip to Bermuda was enough as a present).

I was expecting this perfume as my birthday present last year (it's from a French "parfumier" not very well known here, Annick Goutal), as my mother in law, who lives in Paris, was staying with us for the summer and I thought that my husband had "ordered" her a bottle from Paris because I had left several clues. I was so disappointed when I found out that there wasn't any perfume hidden in her suitcase for me (when she told me I still couldn't believe it and I asked her to show me the suitcase. She was speechless...) that I cried like a child in front of her, I had a real breakdown (I know, it sounds so childish and stupid, but I'm an only spolied child and I alway got surprise presents for my birthday).
This happened on my bday, so it was too late for my husband to run and buy it (it is sold in a very few places, like Saks) and my bday was a real disaster, especially because he hadn't ANY OTHER present for me ...

So, a few weeks ago I received an email from one of the several online sample sale sites I subscribe to, Editor's Closet, informing me that they were having an Annick Goutal sample sale and they were selling a "L'Eau d'Hadrien" gift set with a 50 ml bottle of parfume and a small sized bottle of body cream and shower gel for $39!!! The perfume itself normally sells for $85 at Saks, so I immediately clicked on it and bought it, even if I had sworn to never buy again from this site because I had a very bad experience the time before (ten days after my credit card had been charged, I found out that not only the items that I had ordered hadn't shipped yet but that one of them, the most expensive, wasn't even available. They refunded me but still, what were they waiting to tell me?)

But this time everything went smoothly and the package arrived some days ago. I opened it because I wanted to be sure that it was what I had ordered and also because anyway I couldn't bring it to Bermuda, where we are spending Mother's day...

The gift box itself is beautiful, black with golden butterflies:



I have already found a place in my bathroom (which has golden fixtures) for it as it's the perfect size to store my necklaces, that were crammed in a smaller box.
Here is the content:



Eau d'Hadrien is the perfect summer fragrance to me, the smell (a "combination of lemon and grapefruit underscored by basil and cypress to capitalize on the burst that citrus can give to fragrances") reminds me of the Amalfi Coast, where you can find the most beautiful lemons ever.

My daughter loves creams and perfumes, she always wants me to put some on her, but of course I don't want her to smell like an old lady. For the time being I let he play a little bit with the bottles:



For those of you who are mothers, are you expecting a surprise present for Mother's Day or did you buy something for yourself? I would like to know what's on your wish list!

This is my last post before Mother's Day as I'm packing for Bermuda and I'll leave tomorrow morning very early. I'm not sure that I will have time to reply to your comments by I will surely do when I'm back!

Happy Mother's Day everyone!

My Love Bird is Dead, so I bought a Goldfish (tee)

Around a month ago, the first Sunday that the weather was nice enough to go outside without wearing a coat, I had the bad idea to wear one of my favorite, if not my favorite, tee under my fleece hoodie jacket to go to the park. Really, I don't know why I wore this tee instead of just a plain tee since we couldn't even SEE it under the hoodie and my husband was dressed very casual, I guess that I was just happy to be able to wear it again after all those winter months.
The tee was a Tory Burch "Love bird" tee that I bought myself last summer as a birthday present (I'm a summer girl). It retailed for $90 (or maybe $97) but I got it for half the price and I simply LOVE(D) the fabric (it's the same cotton than the Jcrew cut-flower applique tee but less clingy) and the bird (which wasn't printed but embroided with a dark brown thread). Plus, I bought it at the Tory Burch boutique itself knowing that it was for my birthday, which made the shopping experience quite special.

I use the past tense because that day of a month ago my daughter was playing with the zipper of my jacket and a little piece of fabric got trapped in the zip. For the life of me I couldn't take it out, the zip wouldn't bulge. I called my husband and neither he could have the best of it (he is very good with his hands). So, at some point, I just pulled the tee and the hoodie apart and made a BIG HOLE in the tee.I mean a big hole, not something that you could hide or sew.
I can't do a BEFORE and AFTER because I don't have pics of the tee before the accident but the pics of the AFTER speak for themselves:





I couldn't be mad against my daughter (as my husband put it, it was my fault for letting her play with the zipper), poor thing, and life went on, I changed myself (put on the plain tee this time) and went off to the park.
But the following days I realized that I really missed my love bird, so I decided that I had to replace it with a new one. I immediately went on ebay to see if could get the same one, but I had no luck. I also checked the Tory website but it was longtime gone.
If I couldn't get my love bird back, I needed to find something similar but after many trips to Jcrew, Old Navy and the Gap (and even more high-end stores) I was desperate. No graphic tee could ever replace my love bird!

Then, one day, I made an encounter with the Jcrew "golden fish" tee. OK, it isn't the same thing but I had a "recognition" feeling when I saw a L in a store like I had finally found the successor of my love bird. I hadn't paid much attention to this tee when it came out because 1) I still had my Love bird 2)I was much more excited by the zebra beaded tee that came out in the same release. Plus, having paid $68 for the zebra I wasn't in the mood for putting any money in another tee.
Of course it was sold out in my size and the fact that I hadn't seen any other in my numerous trips to Jcrew lately made me think that it was sold out everywhere in the city, so I did it a "we will find it" right away with the red phone and two days after I received an email by Jcrew that told me that they had found it and would ship soon.

More than 10 days later the package arrived and, no mistakes, it was my goldfish (should I say "golden goldfish"?). It was funny to see that it came from a store in Carmel, CA (the store label was printed on the box), almost as if they had fished it out of the ocean for me.

I haven't worn it yet but here it is:





I was a little bit afraid of its sheerness, especially after seeing a girl in the subway wearing it with (I guess) a black tank under it (the effect was horrible but I can understand that she didn't have any other underwear on hand to wear, it happens). It is sheer for sure (it's in slub cotton) but I bought a S instead of a XS and wearing it with a nude bra or tank it's OK.

By the way, I still wear the love bird tee around the house. My daughter must have been a little bit shocked by the whole zipper situation because now she always wants me to put on the "tee with hole". I just have to remind myself that it has a hole when I venture outside the apartment to throw the garbage!

Do you have a story like this one, where you watched one of your favorite clothes die young? Do you have the fish tee?

Help Me to Decide What to Keep (Part 1: shoes)

OK, I've realized that I've spent WAAAY too much with the red card. As if the red card wasn't enough, I went to Lohemann's yesterday to buy a new bra (and keep away from Jcrew and any last-minute temptation) and came out with 3 pair of shoes (and no bra, of course)! And I'm not talking about $15 shoes! The less expensive costs $89and the more expensive $179. But these are Sigerson Morrison shoes that retailed for $450! And I LOVE Sigerson Morrison, especially the summer collections, I always try to go when they have the big summer sale (sometimes in July) but the problem is that even at 50%-60% off most of them are still uber-expensive.
However, I didn't want to spend $390 in shoes, so now I have to return at least one pair before my husband notices on the Amex receipt, two pairs would be better, but really, I can't decide, they are one more beautiful than the other. So, I need a little bit of help here.

Here is the first pair, the less expensive. This is the only pair that I kind of "need", to replace a pair of Steve Madden silver slip-ons that bite the dust at the end of the summer last year. I have two golden sandals, but I need a silver pair after I finally decided to return the JCrew crystal capris of my post here (I came to realize that even if they had crystals they still looked like beach flip-flops and in no way like evening shoes. So, I'm still dreaming about those Giuseppe Zanotti...).

Here they are on the floor:


And on my feet:


I'm not sure that the pics make them justice, they are less "bold" than they look and they will look great with summer dresses.

The second pair is a pair of flat that reminds me of the Marc Jacobs "mouse" flats. I think that they are adorable but I'm not sure if I can wear these with many outfits. This is the pair that I'm less sure about, maybe I don't love them THAT much but I love the IDEA of them:



On my feet:


And the last pair, the more expensive ($179 but I had a 15% off coupon). OMG! I can't believe that these eneded up at Lohemann's. I kept an eye on them all the season last year and I couldn't get one pair on sale (they were gone in my size after the 30% off markdown, which wasn't enough). There is a catch, though: they are a half size too small (I'm a 7 and these are 6.5). I don't think that it's really a problem (the lenght is just fine, as Sigerson Morrison shoes tend to be long) but I have to say that they are a little bit snug (I didn't feel it in the store but only at home) and I won't do a marathon with these.

Floor view (did I mention that I need a pair of silver shoes?):


Air view on my feet:


Oh, please don't tell me that I have to return these ...

This is urgent as I have to decide by tomorrow morning and your input is much appreciated!