Weekend Update - 10/31/2011

{a last-minute diy halloween costume}

Boy, what a doozie of a weekend. Friday was a whirlwind going straight from work, to crashing the 'Business of Fashion' conference at Fordham Business School, then to watch the Cardinals win the World Series (yay) followed by a Halloween party at the Hudson Hotel where MC Hammer made a surprise appearance (yup). The snow/sleet/rain/ice Saturday served to pump the brakes and slow down the rest of the weekend. I've never in my life experienced such awful October weather but a 4-hour long birthday brunch at Harry's Cafe helped ease the blow. Sunday, while still chilly, the weather shaped up for a late-afternoon brunch at Back Forty and later napping / pinning (quickly addicted) while the boy watched football. Another big week this week with work trips to Charlotte and Boston, where I'll be seeing two of my favorite people. Happy Halloween!!

{fall table decor at Harry's Cafe}

{the birthday girl at her 30-person brunch}

{warm quinoa w/ poached eggs, mushrooms, kielbasa & butternut squash}

{bacon soup w/ poached egg...amazing}

Happy Halloween Weekend

Absolutely ecstatic the weekend is upon us. Have a couple Halloween parties, boozy birthday brunch and a bunch of other errands to run in advance of another week of work travel...all in the midst of a potential October snowfall?! Physically and mentally unprepared for such nonsense.  Hope you all have a great weekend!

Soho Stroll

 Boots - Frye / Dress, bag, tights - Forever 21 / Jacket - Express / Bracelets - Forever 21, Madewell, H&M, Anthropologie

Another recent Forever purchase (out of stock online), this navy/cream striped dress that I paired with navy cable knit tights, heather gray socks and my favorite boots for a brisk Sunday stroll in Soho and a build-your-own eggs benedict brunch at The Cupping Room Cafe. Yum. Highly recommend.  

{BYOEB at The Cupping Room}

Cutie Kiddies

Pic sources: unknown, Breakfast at Zara's x 3, JakandJil (I've seen this last little girl on the street and creepily tried to sneak a picture of her)

A couple of my girlfriends from home have little girls that I constantly find myself wanting to buy clothes for on my [weekly] shopping trips to Zara. At first I thought it was because they were minature but really there is some adorable stuff out there for kids...and I'm jealous. Can I get that sequin dress in a size 6, please?

Warm Weather Work Wear

Vest, mustard shirt - Forever 21 / pleated skirt, bag - vintage / wedges, belt - Zara / glasses, bracelets - H&M / watch - Burberry

There isn't really much to 'update' you on after working all Friday night / Saturday and a Sunday of sleeping/brunching so we'll just jump right into this week's outfit post. The craziness ensues this week with a two-day trip to Boston, charity gala, day full of meetings in Connecticut and another event Friday night. Hope you had a nice weekend!

Maxed Out

Lucky Brand Wedges / Forever 21 vest. tank, maxi dress worn as skirt

I transformed this dress (first seen here) into a skirt to squeeze one last look out of this maxi while it is still warm enough. Pretty safe to say I've maxed my use out of this dress. And I'm completely maxed out after an excruciatingly long work week that is unfortunately going to spill over into the weekend. I wasn't even able to see this lovely lady yesterday and the Cardinals lost last night. Alright, done being a downer. It's FRIDAY!! Any fun plans for the weekend? 

Leather & Knit

Forever 21 sweater vest, tank, leather shorts & ring  /  Lucky Brand cutout wedges  

I wore this outfit a couple times when the weather was slightly warmer than the cold / dampness of the last couple days. Good thing is it can easily be winterized by putting tights and long sleeves on underneath.

xx,

Shanelé

Fall Super Food

So last week The Real Mean Girl posted about a lentil salad she had seen floating around in the blogosphere and inquired about other ideas for work lunches. I've pretty much ruined myself on salads after eating them for the last 4 years and all the places around work are getting old. Therefore, I present to you, my Fall Super Food recipe. Cheap, easy, healthy and actually really good, if you ask me. While there isn't any meat, the lentils and kale do a nice job of filling you up. Plus, it keeps well so one large pot lasts for a couple meals.

Ingredients:
1 cup Trader Joe's Harvest Blend (red quinoa, red & green orzo, couscous, mini garbanzo beans)
1 acorn squash
1 cup lentils
2 handfuls steamed kale
1 cup corn
Kraft Light Asian Seasme Dressing


{Cut acorn squash in half and scoop out middle. Bake at 350° for one hour. Steam 8 oz kale for 10 minutes.}



{Simmer one cup 'Harvest Grain Blend' for 10 minutes, steam one cup lentils and sautee one cup of corn kernels until slightly blackened.}



{peel and cube baked acorn squash}

{mix everything together in one large bowl and add as much Light Asian Seasme dressing as your little heart desires.}

Black-n-Tan

Sweater - Forever 21
Booties, wool shorts, sunglasses - H&M
Watch - Burberry

I wore this outfit for a Saturday out and about and pretty much lived in this sweater, which I posted about last Friday, the rest of the weekend. So comfy and perfect color combo for fall. These H&M booties have found their way into my regular shoe rotation. The low chunky heel makes for easy city walkin'. 

xx,

Shanelé

Weekend Update - 10/17/2011

{window shopping at a new shop that opened on my block}

Welcome back after what I hope was a great weekend. So happy fall is [hopefully] here to stay. The cool temps made for a pleasant weekend in the City consisting of a lovely Saturday brunch/pedi/shopping trifecta and Sunday Brooklyn Vintage Crawl, a little cooking and watching two of my favorite sports teams - Cardinals & Bears - pull off big Ws. Busy week coming up with a charity gala Tuesday, too many meetings to count and a very special guest coming on Thursday. Have a good one!

xx,

Shanelé

{my favorite row of houses along Washington Square Park}

{storing all my receipts in a Ladurée bag that was too pretty to toss}

{thicker scarves ready and waiting for the cooler weather this week}

{baked acorn squash with butter, cinnamon and brown sugar}

Fall Forever Finds

Outerwear: 

Jacket with Leatherette Sleeves - $44.80 (It's no Alexander Wang or J. Crew but close enough for <$50)

Wool Cape with Leatherette Piping - $39.80 (capes are everywhere in NYC recently)

Drawstring Utility Coat - $44.80 (I have this exact coat from H&M last year...one of my faves)

Longline Blazer - $29.80 (wardrobe stable)

Vests: 

Bomber Vest - $32.80 (A coworker asked if this vest was real leather. True story)

Faux Fur Trimmed Vest - $24.80 (Own it, great layering piece)

Faux Fur Vest - $29.80 (Own it, looks better in real life than in photo)

Faux Fur Front Sweater Vest - $22.80 (own it as well. Perfect amount of fur for warmth but not too much that makes it hot). 

Sweaters:
Knitted Colorblock Sweater - $19.80 (own it, love it. It's under $20. What are you waiting for?)
Sequin Mesh Panel Sweater - $19.80 (similar to a J. Crew sweater from last season)
Cable Knit Sweater - $19.80 (Love the pop of color this would add to a fall look)
Crop Textured Sweater - $22.80 (I purchased this yellow pleated skirt, out of stock online)


Tops:
Sequined Scoop Tunic - $34.80 (surprisingly this doesn't look cheap at all in person)
Floral Lace Top - $19.80 (can never have too many lace tops)
Shimmery Metallic Raglan Top - $15.80 / Foldover Bodycon Skirt - $6.50 (simple, comfy, classic gray & stripes)
Fitted Striped Dress - $22.80 (mock turtleneck a la Steve Jobs, nautical stripes = personal favorite)

Bottoms: 

Herringbone Pattern Shorts - $22.80 (reminds me of these)

Wool Blend Skirt - $17.80 (have yet to see in person but just like it)

Striped Bodycon Skirt - $11.80 (more stripes, more love)

Ankle Zip Leatherette Pants - $27.80 (this was a risk I was willing to take. Will let you know how it works out when package arrives)

Accessories:

Velveteen Headwrap - $4.80 (so cute)

Frayed Plaid Scarf - $8.80 (I have a thing for plaid)

Antique Brass Nail Polish - $2.80 (Favorite color at the moment and have had this on my nails for 7 days sans chip )

Pyramid Stud Bracelet - $4.80 (will fit well with my other arm candy)

Handbags:

Faux Fur Handbag - $29.80 (purchased online, we'll see how it looks in person)

Faux Reptile Handbag - $27.80 (love the hunter green / reptile combo)

Two Tone Leatherette Bag - $34.80 (can't go wrong with camel and black)

Faux Fur Trimmed Handbag - $22.80 (clearly have a thing fur fur as well)

After a six-week Forever 21 boycott this summer, they have really been sucking me in as of late. Here's a sampling of my purchases over the last week...all but 13 of these items to be exact + others that are out of stock online (PROBLEM). Thought I would share with you all now because stuff goes out of stock and new arrivals come in essentially every hour. By the time I post outfit pics it will surely be gone. So, I'm not proud of it...to be marketing for a Company that wouldn't return a boat load of items ONE DAY after the non-sensical 21 day return policy...but I simply couldn't resist.

Forever 26,

Shanelé

**Note: Apologies for the blurry photos...will have them updated by end of day!**