$300 Orient Watch Giveaway

In the last few years, I haven't been much of a watch person. But that all changed recently when I "came into" a snazzy black ceramic one. Am suddenly as obsessed as I was with my Swatch Pop Watch when I was 10.  

My mom aka THE BITER is too. When we were in NYC,OF COURSE, she ran out and got a similar one. F that little cutie.

Now it's your turn to be a big ole copy cat like my momma. Thanks to Orient Watch and their Sapphire Crystal collection, one lucky winner will win a watch priced at up to $300. Of all their watches for women, these are two of my favorites. 

To be entered, just leave a comment below with your name and email address before next Monday the 24th at 5 pm PT. Good luck!

EXTENDING THE DEADLINE UNTIL FRIDAY AT 5 PM!

On My Promotion, New Bag and Blogging

Gawd, I've missed bloggy blogging. The last few weeks have been bananas. Mostly consumed with first preparing for and then surviving and finally recovering from 10 days in NYC for work. And somewhere along the way, when I wasn't quite expecting it...I happened to snag a promotion at work. Woop woop.

Ended up being PURRfect timing. Meant I could do a little celebratory shopping during my Big Apple trip. Work hard, shop hard, right? Meet one of the delish products of my celebration at Bendel's: Rebecca Minkoff's bow crossbody bag. I luvre her mucho. Still hearting all things crossbody. Think the look is young and hep and forces me not to schlep so much shit around.  Makes me think about what I need more carefully.




Which brings me to an interesting/awkward/important subject that I feel like addressing so indulge me, por favor. A few weeks ago at a lovely dinner with new blogger friends, we discussed how blogging has become big business with many of the well-known fashion bloggers getting agents. During that dinner, I was also made aware of  bloggers sharing stories about going into debt to keep up appearances on their blogs!!

 Both stories didn't sit well with me. In fact, they've been making me feel a little weird about blogging. I mean, I get it, blogging IS weird. It's this weird exhibitionist thing to do that's very "HEY LOOK AT MY LIFE." And, yes, there's a natural fit for brands to position products thrown in the mix. So I get where the pressure and the perception and the commerce and the marketing all converge for the perfect pretty profitable storm.

One real issue for me is that blogging feels like it's shifting from a place of self expression and authenticity to a place that's focused on pushing an agenda or keeping up with the Joneses. Makes me sad that plaforms that can be so empowering for real women are morphing into just another commodity...just another place to inflict glossy veneers of fakeness on each other that create separation not connection. Or even worse: maybe blogs are influencing a new generation of women to think that having things is more important than having things to say. God, I hope not.

That's why I  just wanted to say that blogging for me remains about having a creative outlet, about creating a place where I found my voice again...as a storyteller and yes, fashion lover. In blogging as in life, the goal for me has always been to share and learn. I want to inspire and be inspiring. Not only with how I dress but by how I go about being a smart, funny, driven, crazy and imperfect woman on the planet. 

And I suddenly feel the need to be more explicit on a topic that not enough women talk about openly: fiscal responsibility. I think it's important, if you are reading my blog, to know that I work hard for what I have. I have had a job since I was 14 years old. I have also had a mortgage and a 401K since I was 23. I have had a Mr. Diabolina for quite a while too. And while he is a BFD professionally and will spoil me on birthdays and holidays, the majority of things I feature on this blog, were bought for me, by me, in cash money, honey. No credit card debt or daddy of any kind required.

The life that I blog is the culmination of 18 years of hard work in school and a decade of busting my ass professionally. Plus, there's a healthy dose of luck thrown in there too. I am lucky to have been born to a woman who is extremely smart about managing AND enjoying her money...and who taught me to be the same way. Lucky to have found a partner and a core circle of friends that I have known for more than a decade, who are ambitious and make me want to do more, be more.

And, say what you will about this point, but I feel lucky to have been born in this country. Despite the shenanigans in DC and on Wall Street and our culture of consumption, this is still one of the best places on earth to be a woman with a plan. Period.

Often, while I blog, I marvel at the opportunities I have and think about my cousins in Guatemala. They are so educated and so hard working and yet they struggle so fundamentally to get ahead. They live in a country that just doesn't afford them the opportunities we have here. That the luck of the draw can determine the trajectory of one's potential seems so crazy unfair to me but I am crazy grateful for the hand I drew and I try to give back.

So that's a whole lotta rambling about the perception and realities behind blogging. I don't know that any of this matters to you. But it matters to me that you know I think about it, the responsibility of all of it, not just the pretty pictures ;)




The Inspiration

Target for Missoni: Blogger Dinner at Fig and Olive

The Scene

During FNO this year, I finally met one half of East of Highland. Haven't developed a girl crush that quickly in a while. She is as funny and smart as she is beautiful and lovely. Hearts.





Same deal with another pretty kitty twentysomething blogger she's friendly with named Pursuit of Shoes. Finally made a dinner date to meet her IRL last week. Can't believe we didn't do it sooner. I mean there aren't that many blogging Latina Trojans with shoe obsessions out there. Loving her ambitious and delicious face.

The other half of East of Highland rounded out our brunnette blogger coven. Adore her TOO. She's a friend of one of my favorite friends and just good people. What a foursome---my poor lady boner! We gabbed for hours: about our full time jobs and our part time blogging, about our boys and the bloggers we love to hate and of course, about  fashion. We had a truly wonderful first date. Hope it's the first of many.

The Food

We met at the gorgeous newish Fig and Olive in WeHo...the night after President Obama was there!!! Swear we had the resy before him. You know how brunette covens do ;)



Started with the olive oil tasting

Our fave:

BEEF CARPACCIO $14

Filet mignon, 18 year old balsamic vinegar

baby arugula, parmesan – Truffle Olive Oil
 

MEDITERRANEAN CHICKEN SAMOSA $13

Chicken, cilantro, Greek yogurt, bell pepper

scallion – Harissa Olive Oil

Also had a few plates that we sucked down too quickly to photo

SEA SCALLOPS & TRUFFLE ARTICHOKE TAPENADE $16

Seared sea scallops, truffle artichoke, arugula

pine nuts with aged balsamic - White Truffle Olive Oil

SALMON CEVICHE
Orange, Grapefruit, Lemon, Cilantro


CHOCOLATE POT DE CRÈME
Crunchy Praline Financiers & Vanilla Cream

WARM CARAMELIZED APPLE TART

Crisp Puff Pastry with Caramelized Apples, Vanilla Ice Cream

A+ of a meal. But really the beautiful company made it.

The Outfit
Missoni for Target top
Ann Taylor leather skirt

The Accessories
Louis Vuitton earrings
Marc by Marc Jacobs clutch
Valentino heels
Fashion District necklace

The Grade
B+

The Commentary


Three words: Missoni for Target.

Three more words: WHAT A FIASCO.



The minute I saw THAT spread in Vogue, I started preparing mentally and financially.

I wanted every accessory, home item, article of clothing I saw.  Even the super garish stuff. I mean it all cost less than a regularly priced Missoni scarf.

But, ugh, so did every other fashionista who can't afford oodles of regularly priced Missoni. The pop up shop in NYC sold out in just a few hours.

And the next day the demand for the designer line crashed the Target site for over 24 hours.

I showed up at the Target near my office, early but not early enough. It was cleaned out. Actually, women were hoarding carts full of zigzag. I had to make a decision: Was I going to be THAT lame lingerer, waiting to pounce on cast offs...at Target...in Burbank.

I am no lame lingerer and decided to take my chances with the website. Miraculously I found a few windows of up time and snagged whatever I could. Among the first to arrive is this little gilded goodie. Loving the fit and the quality. Timeless. Added the necklace to funk up the classic feel of the top and the prim length of my leather skirt (another purchase from my early 20s.) 

Felt like an older, rounder Margharita cousin...on a dime.



Paired the top with the Valentinos for our blogger dinner

Think they fit right in with the young hot chickadees.



The Inspiration