If The Shoe Fits…

While I know I’m not the only girl in the world that has an absolute obsessive crush on Kate Middleton,  I can’t help but think she has such a classic, sophisticated style, poise and beauty that few modern girls possess.  
I have often thought that her understated shoe selection always seem perfectly suited for her subtly elegant ensambs and recently learned that her secret for stylishly simple shoes is London boutique L.K. Bennett.  
nude pumps I, nude pumps II, strapy heels, wedges
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L.K. Bennett has a fairly new boutique at the shops at 900 N. Michigan, here in Chicago, and I popped in recently feeling defeated after the months-long hunt for a perfect black patent pump.   L.K. Bennett’s  Sledge pump was a quick and easy winner.  [Happens to be the same style of Kate’s often worn nude pumps.]
And how could I pass up these cuties [on sale, no less]!  
While I am a mere commoner, I must say I feel a bit like royalty in my new pumps, thanks to L.K. Bennett!
[image credits] shot by me unless otherwise noted

Easy Entertaining – Savvy Shortcuts

My baby brother was able to pop by for lunch recently.  I love an excuse to catch up as much as I love fixin’ the boy a hearty lunch – one that I know he appreciates. 
Unfortunately, this visit, I didn’t have a spare minute to plan anything fancy or fussy and completely winged the creation.  But, with a quick trip to the grocery you can pack a picnic lunch, like we did, [or a simple weeknight dinner] in no time!
Turkey Club with Sweet Herbed Aioli

For the Spread:
1/2 cup low-fat mayonnaise
2 tablespoons stone ground mustard
3 tablespoons peach preserves
1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme

The other fixins’:
2 slices of italian artisan bread
2 tablespoons delish olive oil
1/4 cup fresh baby spinach leaves
1/4 fugi apple, very thinly sliced
1/2 avocado, thinly sliced
2 strips bacon (I like oscar meyer’s pre-cooked bacon because it is super thin, always crispy and ready in seconds)
1 red onion, sliced 
1 tablespoon brown sugar (I use splenda brown sugar)
1 slice provolone cheese
1/4 lb deli turkey, very thinly sliced or shaved

And here’s what to do!
To make the aioli, mix ingredients, set aside
Drizzle the bread with olive oil and throw on the grill for a quick toast, leaving lovely char marks
Drizzle the sliced red onions with a little olive oil and add to a hot non-stick skillet
Sprinkle with a dusting of brown sugar.  Flip onions.  Onions are done when there is a slight char and caramelization
Spread 2 slices of grilled bread with the herbed aioli
Building from the bottom:
Add the spinach leaves
Apple slices
Bacon
Avocado
Turkey
Onions
Provolone cheese
Throw the open-faced sandwich on foil and add to the still-warm grill to allow the cheese to melt
Top with second piece of bread, slice sandwich on a diagonal 
For a picnic, I wrap each sandwich half in parchment paper, pack with a side of pretzels, crisp grapes and a cookie.  For dinner, I serve with a side salad and ice cream for dessert!
We loved this sandwich – I will for sure add it to the ‘in a pinch‘ rotation!
[photos shot by me]

Green with Envy

The dreamy midwest weather has left my heart aching for more than a 4×8′ balcony with a city view – longing for a yard to create a verdant, green landscape of lush loveliness.  
Perhaps a ‘lil something like one of these will do:
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Lately I am loving a landscape vibrant with greenery – so fresh and crisp!   [Oh yes, and requiring a third or fourth career to help fund the projects!]

For Ladies who Lounge

Clients are often looking for something special for their girls [and something to look fantastic in photos!].  Thankfully, we’ve made it through the matching rhinestone velour sweatsuit stage and have embarked on prettier, more sophisticated ways of dressing our bridesmaids in loungewear.  
I was turned onto Plum Pretty Sugar by the lovely Katie Kozlowski and think their incredibly feminine  patterns are just darling! 
[images via]

Signs of Spring: Floral Fragrances

Much of the country is experiencing significant signs of an early spring.  Fresh warmer-than-expected breezes, the subtle hope of an emerging crocus, buds growing fat  in anticipation of steadily warmer temps, the shedding of layers for doubly long walks.
And baby lambs, frolicking on the snowless lawn, of course.
Along with daylight savings comes longer days and wishful thinking of a winter that uneventfully transitions into a smashing success of a spring.
Some of my favorite early spring flowers are now more readily available in flower markets and bucket shops and I can’t help but come home with arm-fulls of the beauties every now and again.  Some flowers are quintessentially spring, iconic in their sweet scents.
Fresh lilac has an understated fragrance, hardy woody stems and hues varying from pale white to dusty pink to grape or periwinkle.  Make sure your water is crystal clear and after giving the branches a fresh horizontal cut, snip the end with a vertical slice to allow maximum hydration.  This is a great trick to help with the longevity of your blooms, but if your vase is not perfectly clean it allows bacteria to attack the flowers quicker.
There is nothing subtle about the intoxicating scent of blooming hyacinth.  The wonderfully potent aroma can add life and hope to any room.  These hardy bulb flowers have petite bell-shapped blossoms gathered along each fatty and spongy stem.  Cluster them together in an old trophy or singly in a vintage jar.   
I am not quite foolish enough to think that winter has left us Chicagoans for good, but even a simple vase of fragrant spring flowers gives me the courage to dream of what’s [hopefully] just around the corner.
[image credits] lilac clockwise from top left: 1, 2, 3, 4, perfume, hyacinth from top left 1, 2, 3, 4

Delish

Love love LOVING the rose flavored macarons at my favorite cafe/bakery/coffee shop, Floriole, right now!
They have honestly perfected quite a few flavors (salted caramel, coffee, lavender), but my favorite to date is hands down the subtle rose.  The menu changes every couple of days so I hope you’re able to sample these beauties sometime soon!
[photo by me] 

Kara’s Obsessions: L’Odyssée de Cartier

I simply can’t get enough of the stunning [visually and musically] 3+ minute commercial that takes viewers on an international fantasy journey of Cartier’s 165 year history of royalty and luxury.  The short film starts with the iconic panther in Paris and visits places such as India, China and Russia. 

…I haven’t fallen as hard for a commercial since Miss Dior Cherie’s ad by Sofia Coppola…

So gorgeous.

Words to Live By

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Off to a client wedding at an absolute favorite Chicago venue, The Ivy Room!  We have a dream-team roster of vendors and an adorable couple – one that we’re all thrilled to be celebrating today.
Have a great weekend!

Oscars 2012 – Red Carpet Review

Still feeling the effects from the heaps of fancy flavored popcorns and movie-themed martini’s from last nights’ Oscars get together?  We watched every moment and to be quite honest, the Oscars seemed sublimely safe.  The fashion was fairly simple with few take-your-breath away hits, equally few dramatic misses, and was really just chock full of lovely, but eh, looks in my opinion. 
So, here is my recap in order of adoration!
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Oh my.  Gwyneth Paltrow was my true favorite by a mile.  This read as fashion, without crossing the line.  The simple silhouette of her custom Tom Ford gown and matching cape looked smashing on her long, lean figure.  Her simple hair, make-up and jewelry let the dress do all the talking.  I am a cape girl – wearing them forever – and I loved how fashion-forward and fresh her look was.
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Her dress was equally chic sans cape, with asymmetric interest at the neckline and a hint of architectural volume with the cap sleeves.
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While Giuliana Rancic was merely there for E!’s red carpet coverage, I thought her Basil Soda gown was stunning and read very Old Hollywood with a super flattering and lovely [deco-inspired?] neckline.  While her hair was a bit severe and I would have loved to see a hint of volume, I thought her look was more interesting than many.
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Some people criticized darling Emma Stone saying that her Giambattista Valli Haute Couture gown was too similar to a previous Nicole Kidman look, but I think this dress was dramatic and beautiful on her.  It wasn’t a sleepy safe option and was one of my favs.

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Cameron Diaz always looks so bronzed and beachy and yesterday was no exception.  Her Gucci Premiere gown was stunning, perfectly snug on her svelte figure.  I love the pale hue and the slight metallic interest but was mesmerized by how the dress seriously floated as she walked.  Perfect for a presenter.  [Would have loved to see something different with her shaggy bob…perhaps pulled back?]

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Milla Jovovich looked beautiful in can-do-no-wrong Elie Saab.  Loved the slight sculptural look to the shoulder.


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Glenn Close looked stunningly age appropriate in Zac Posen.

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Rooney Mara’s Givenchy Couture gown [custom made by Ricardo Tisci] was fashion forward and a striking choice.  Almost more alluring and more interesting than beautiful?


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Octavia Spencer looked beautiful in neutral Tadashi Shoji.  Beautiful!

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I have such a crush on the talented, sweet and humble Michelle Williams – she is such a lady!  While her Louis Vuitton dress is unwaveringly lovely, it read red on screen and in print, but she was describing it as coral??  I think I would have love loved this if it were a more noticeably unique hue.  I also thought the tiny bow brooch  detail actually watered down the look, a bit.  I also didn’t prefer her short, almost choker-of-a necklace [even if it cost millions!] 
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While it wasn’t obsess-worthy, Rose Byrne’s Vivienne Westwood sequin gown was young and stylish and quite beautiful for the stunning star.

I am sad to say that Fashion Week seemed to wow more than the Superbowl of Fashion, itself: The Oscars.  What was your take?