Weekly Window Shopping

J. McLaughlin Jenn Top in Bangle Stripe

I love the tie waist trend that I've been seeing on a lot of tops and dresses this season. The tie adds a flattering shape to the top, and I can never say no to blue and white stripes. This top would look great with shorts as well as pants or capris, so it can easily carry you from spring into summer. 

Tuckernuck Honoria Dress by Shoshanna

I am in love with the embroidery on this dress, it's so delicate and beautiful. This dress would be great for a date night, cocktail party, or evening wedding. It's a dress that definitely stands out from the crowd. This dress just gives off the vibe that the wearer is sophisticated and worldly.

J. Crew Going Out Blazer in Lemon Jacquard

No one does a fun printed blazer quite like J. Crew. I love a cute fruit print for the spring and summer, and this blazer definitely fits the bill. Paired with a nice navy pant or pencil skirt, this blazer could be worn to the office, and it would look great with a navy or white sundress for a brunch or date night look. The best part is that it's 40% off right now!

Brooks Brothers Eyelet-Trimmed Striped Cotton T-Shirt

Who doesn't love a good striped t-shirt? Brooks Brothers took a classic and elevated it with the eyelet trim on the sleeves. This is a fun and feminine take on a timeless piece. This is the kind of t shirt that would be so easy to throw on with navy or white shorts for a day at the beach or just running errands at home. 

Madewell Embroidered Pull-On Shorts

I love a good soft, breezy, elastic waistband short in the summer, and these definitely fit the bill. These cotton shorts look incredibly comfortable and light for spring and summer. I love that they're navy, because navy is my go to neutral, and the embroidered polka dots are just so cute. These would look great with a white, cream, or light blue top.

2015 Capuchon Carignane

This weeks wine is a different vintage of a wine I tried in late January. The 2015 vintage tasted dramatically different from the 2016. The 2016 was bright, fun, and easy drinking, with a bit of complexity sneaking up on you, whereas the 2015 was much more brooding of a wine. I actually think I liked the 2016 better. I got this wine from Winc, and it's from the Mendocino Valley of California. The wine is a California take on a Rhone style wine, and it's not a bad substitute.

You may have noticed in the top left picture that there are bubbles in the wine. This isn't because the wine is carbonated or anything like that, it's because I took the picture immediately after I had poured the wine into the glass through an aerator. I think I've mentioned using an aerator before, but I haven't delved into all the benefits of them. In a nutshell, aeration gets more oxygen into the wine. There are other ways of aerating than pouring through an aerator. Swirling your wine in the glass aerates it, as does just leaving the bottle open for a bit before you drink it. This is commonly referred to as letting the wine "breath." I like using an aerator, because it's easy and quick. I can open a bottle of wine a few minutes before I want to drink it, and not worry that it won't have time to aerate before pouring a glass.

The science behind aeration is that two processes are actually happening, oxidation and evaporation. Evaporation is important because during the wine-making process compounds that detract from, instead of enhancing, the flavor and aroma and the wine can make their way into the wine. This is a normal side effect of wine-making, but we still want to counteract that if we can. These not so great compounds evaporate much faster than the ones that give wine its delicious, juicy, and complex flavors. So speeding up the evaporation process at the beginning gets rid of some of the bad flavors and leads the good ones behind. The oxidation process does something different, it softens flavors in the wine and released aromas. This can lead to a more balanced tasting wine.

I aerate most of the red wines that I drink, but it's not something that needs to, or should be, done to every wine. I typically buy red wines that are less than ten years old and are in the $15-$35 price range. These wines can generally really benefit from aeration. Aeration can make your $20 wine taste like a $50-$60 wine. It just makes the wine taste better. I took a sip of the Capuchon Carignane before aerating and it just tasted flat, boring, and a little too bitter. After I aerated it, there was a larger variety of aromas coming from it and it tasted more balanced. It's a wine that really benefited from aeration. I wouldn't aerate a delicate older red wine though. Instead, I would open it a little early to let it breath and swirl it in my glass for a little bit before drinking. A wine like that doesn't benefit from a faster aeration process, it needs it much slower and gradual, otherwise the wine can be damaged. I also wouldn't aerate most white wines, some full bodied French whites, like a White Bordeaux, can benefit from aeration, but the vast majority of whites don't need it.

The type of wine glass you use can also help with oxidation. My fiance and I got these wine glasses as an engagement present and we love them so far. They're bigger than my usual red wine glasses, so there's more open space between the top of the wine and the top of the glass, and the top of the glass has a larger circumference. Both of these things help get more oxygen to the wine as I drink it, and like aeration, makes the wine taste smoother.

























I've spent a lot of time writing about aeration, I'll move on to the actual wine now. This wine had strong pepper and tobacco aromas, with a hint of red cherry and strawberry. I could tell from the smell that this wine wasn't going to be as fruit forward as the 2016 vintage, and I was right. When I drank the wine the red cherry and strawberry notes were a bit stronger than they smelled, but they were quickly overshadowed by the back end notes of pepper, tobacco, a hint of dirt, and a hint of cinnamon. I mentioned earlier that this wine was more brooding than the 2016, but it almost tasted like it was trying too hard to be brooding. I wished this wine had been a bit brighter and that the fruit flavors could have shone more.

I drank this wine after dinner, by itself. I had shrimp for dinner, so I didn't want to drink the wine with the shrimp, because they would not have paired well together. I think this wine would go well with a cheese and charcuterie plate; with some prosciutto, salami, or smoked gouda. It would also go well with a heavier chicken dish, like chicken teriyaki. I'm not sure that I would buy this wine again, but I'll definitely finish the bottle.

























Aerator: Amazon.

Wine Glasses: Kate Spade.

Seersucker Before Easter

Two weeks ago I was on Spring Break from law school. A lot of my friends traveled abroad to Europe and South America with their significant others, but unfortunately, my fiance wasn't able to get that week off from work, so we made do and kept close to home by going to Wilmington for the second weekend of my Spring Break. We got lucky with the weather that weekend. It literally snowed in North Carolina this weekend, I was shocked because it hardly ever snows here in March, but two weekends ago we were able to get a hint of spring, and I was able to break out a sundress and sandals.

I broke a few "fashion rules" with my sundress though. My dress is a Vineyard Vines seersucker dress that I absolutely love. It has a tie front waist, which is incredibly flattering on anyone who is even somewhat of an hourglass figure. It nips the waist in, which gives the dress more shape to it. However, many Southern women would likely get up in arms over the fact that I wore seersucker before Easter. In the South, Seersucker before Easter is like white pants before Memorial Day in New York. Traditionally, it's simply not done. Seersucker it a very traditional Easter fabric, Vineyard Vines has this dress featured in their "Easter Shop" right now, and Easter marks the start of the Seersucker season. But I broke the rules, I just couldn't wait to wear this dress for another month. It's such a cute and breezy dress, perfect for an afternoon spent walking along a river front. In addition to the flattering tie front, it also has pockets. I think most women agree with me that pockets immediately elevate any dress to the next level. If I can put my phone in my dress pocket and have it still be flattering, I can't pass up that dress.

























This was also the first weekend of the year that I wore sandals. I thought about wearing boat shoes, but seersucker just begs to be paired with open-toed shoes. These sandals are currently on sale at Jack Rogers, and they are incredibly comfortable and will go with almost any summer dress. I'm very particular about sandals, and these meet my specifications. I like a strap in between my first two toes, and a strap around my ankle. I feel like flip flops are too casual and like they're about to fly off my foot whenever I take a step, so I don't love traditional Jack Rogers sandals. Instead, I found these ones, the pattern in the center of the sandal in very reminiscent of traditional Jacks, but the actual shoe feels much more secure. These shoes are going to be as staple in my wardrobe this summer.

This dress is so cute that I didn't feel like I needed to over accessorize, but the v-neck just begs for a simple necklace to be worn with it. This Kendra Scott necklace seemed like the perfect pairing. The subtle sparkles of the necklace complimented the classic seersucker material very well.

I wore this outfit on our first afternoon in Wilmington, and it was the perfect outfit for walking along the riverfront and stopping for a drink to enjoy the view. My sandals were comfortable for walking and my dress was fitted enough that it didn't become too rumpled with the light breeze coming off the water. We stepped into a wine bar for dinner, and this dress was a great balance of casual but dressed up, that fit perfectly with the ambiance of the wine bar. This dress has been selling out incredibly quickly, and I'm not surprised because it's an easy summer staple.

Dress: Vineyard Vines

Necklace: Kendra Scott

Sunglasses: Sperry (similar)

Watch: Michele Watches

Shoes: Jack Rogers

Weekly Window Shopping

Talbots Party Bows Crewneck Sweater

This spring sweater is absolutely adorable. I'm a sucker for bows and there are so many on this sweater. I love that there are so many colors of bows, because they give you a lot of options for pants colors I would pair this sweater with navy pants and gold or beige ballet flats, but it would also look great with yellow, pink, or light blue pants.

Lilly Pulitzer Jane Shift in Resort White Mocean Lace

I have the Jane shift in a plain royal blue, and I love it. It's less fitted than the typical Lilly shift and it's so easy to dress up or down. This version of it would be great for Easter, graduations, a bridal shower or just date night during the summer. The lace isn't your average lace, when you look at it closely there are starfish-like shapes in the lace to add a pop of Lilly fun.

Draper James Polka Dot Skirt

I'm picky about skirts. I generally prefer a dress to a skirt, so a skirt has to really jump out at me for me to want it. This polka dot skirt jumped out at me. I love the layered detail of the side "slit" and the easter egg blue shade is perfect for spring. I would wear this with a simple white top and nude sandals or wedges. Or, if I was feeling bold, I would pair it with a navy and white striped top and mix patterns.

Tory Burch Nadia Dress

I love Tory Burch shoes, handbags, swimwear, and jewelry, but the clothes can be really hit or miss for me. this linen dress is a hit. This would be a great work to date night/happy hour dress for the spring and summer. The linen fabric is great for staying cool during the warmer months, and it has pockets! Who doesn't love a dress with pockets? For work I would pair this with simple gold jewelry and nude pumps, and switch it up with a fun patterned heel and a bright lipstick for evening.

Vineyard Vines Combo Stripe Sleeveless Knit Dress

Vineyard Vines has been killing it with their dresses this season, and they added a few more this past week. This striped dress is perfect for summer. It's cotton and is easy to quickly throw it on and go. It go from lunch, to the beach, to brunch with the girls. If you're looking for a more casual, every day dress, this is a great choice.

2016 Corsiero Nero

This week's wine comes from my fiance's NPR wine club subscription. It's a 2016 Corsiero Nero made from Nero di Troia grapes. This wine comes from Southern Italy, specifically the heel of Italy's boot, and the grapes are named for the town of Troia. This town has a rich and interesting history. It is said that this town was founded by the Ancient Greek hero Diomedes, after he destroyed Troy in famous Trojan war between Troy and Greece. Diomedes founded about a dozen cities in Italy after the Trojan war, and he refused to send his cities into battle for Aeneas. Instead, he wanted to live peacefully Italy. I don't blame him, if I could relax in Southern Italy with good wine being made all around me, I wouldn't want to disturb that.

The town of Troia's history isn't just interesting for Ancient Greek buffs, it also says something about the Nero Di Troia grape. The grape isn't native to this part of Italy. The grape is from the Adriatic area, and Diomedes would have sailed up the Adriatic sea to get to Southern Italy after the Trojan War. Legend is that Diomedes brought the Nero di Troia grape vines with him after the fall of Troy, and replanted them in his newly settled kingdom in Italy. Needless to say, this is a grape that has been around for a looooong time.

























Sorry if you're not interested in Ancient Greek history, I'll move on to the actual wine now. If you like Cabernet Sauvignon, you'll like this wine. It's big, bold, fruity, oaky, powerful, and it packs a punch. When I stuck my nose in my glass of wine I picked up notes of bold red fruits; raspberry, dark cherry, and strawberry, and also notes of violet, a hint of vanilla, and oak. I could tell just from the smell that this was going to be a big wine, like a Cabernet Sauvignon or a Touriga Nacional. When I took a sip, that impression was confirmed. I picked up even more fruit on the front note, blackberries and blueberries with the red fruits, and there was definitely an undercurrent of violet to the fruit notes. On the back end, it was a bit spicier and smokier than I expected based on the smell. The vanilla note played well off the smokiness, and the oak was there with some pepperiness and a bit of a tobacco note. This wine was well balanced with strong tannins. This wine is very in your face, but in a good way. I really enjoyed it.


I paired this wine with a plate of spaghetti and meatballs in marinara sauce. I grew up learning how to cook from my very Italian mother, so whenever I'm drinking Italian wine I like to eat Italian food with it. This wine would also go well with a steak or with some smoked gouda.

Feeling Nauti

Last week was my spring break, and I spent most of the week visiting my fiance at his place, and then we went to Wilmington, NC for the last weekend of the break. My fiance lives one town over from Swansboro, a very small and cute beach town in North Carolina. It's at the very southern edge of the Outer Banks, and it's not nearly as popular as most of the major beaches and towns in the Outer Banks, but it's a cute place to spend a day or an afternoon. I just love being on the coast and getting nice views of the water, so I appreciate that he lives so close to a beach town even if it's small and not too popular of one.

We went into town one afternoon to get drinks and appetizers after he got off work. There are a couple restaurants with patios that overlook the water, and I was really hoping to be able to have a drink outside with a view, but it was just so windy that I'm pretty sure our cocktails would have blown away! Even though it was sunny enough to be a nice day, the intense winds just made it so cold that we had to sit inside. The wind made it a perfect day to wear this sweater though. It's a great sweater for a cold day at the beach. The stripes give it a very nautical vibe, which makes me almost want to only wear it when I'm near water, but it's also a pretty warm sweater. This would be a great sweater for a somewhat chilly summer night on the beach, paired with navy shorts and boat shoes. It's a pretty relaxed fit, and it's very comfortable.

The wind was so strong that I actually needed a jacket it addition to a sweater. I've written about this jacket before. It's a great spring and fall jacket, it's light but warm, and the neutral color goes with almost anything. For me, it's a more casual alternative to a trench coat.

With an outfit like this, I would usually wear a pair of boat shoes or loafers, but I decided to try something new for me, and wear sneakers. Outside of my running shoes, I can't remember the last time I bought a pair of sneakers, but these ones caught my eye as I was browsing the Nordstrom shoe section. They have gold thread woven into the cream top of the shoe, which gives it a subtle sparkle without being too glittery or over the top. I wear mostly gold jewelry, so the shoes play well off my jewelry. The scallop details are what really sealed the deal for me though. I love scallops, and these help make the shoes feel more pretty and feminine, instead of just being basic sneakers.

Jacket: Madewell, also available at Nordstrom.

Sweater: KJP.

Jeans: Madewell.

Sunglasses: Sperry from a few years ago, similar available this season.

Earrings: Kate Spade.

Bracelet: KJP.

Purse: Kate Spade last summer, similar available here and here.

Shoes: Jack Rogers.

Weekly Window Shopping

Lilly Pulitzer 4" Dahlia Short

For me, navy shorts are like the jeans of summer. They're versatile and can be worn with any top. I personally don't love denim shorts, so navy shorts in other materials are my go to. I absolutely love the scallop hem on these shorts, it's a fun and feminine touch. I also like the length of these shorts. 3" shorts tend to be too short for my booty, so something a bit longer is greatly appreciated. 

J. Crew Women's 1984 Rugby Shirt in Stripe

J. Crew is bringing back a preppy classic with this rugby shirt. I prefer the black and beige combo over some of the brighter color combos that this shirt is offered in, because it gives sort of a modern feel to the 80's style staple. This shirt is easy to wear with blue or white denim and a pair of ballet flats or loafers.

J. McLaughlin Camino Dress in Faux Suede

This dress is great for that in between weather, when it's not winter anymore, but it's still too cold for a sundress. It can be worn to work, or for a night out with a date or your girlfriends. The silhouette is very classy and timeless. I would love to pair this dress with beige or nude booties and a trench coat.

Tuckernuck Emi Heels by Loeffler Randall

I usually prefer a wedge over a heel in the summer, but these block heels look like they would be just as comfortable. The scallop straps really caught my eye on these heels, they add such a fun twist to a classic nude sandal. These would be great to wear to summer weddings, they would go with almost any dress color.

Madewell Tie-Back Mini Dress in Gingham-Play

Gingham is everywhere as my favorite stores and brands are gearing up for spring and summer. I love how this dress has two different sizes of the classic gingham print, it makes the dress a little bit more interesting than all the other gingham dresses out there.

2014 Rully Premier Cru Preaux Rouge Burgundy

This weeks wine is a French Burgundy made from 100% Pinot Noir. My fiance got me this bottle for our anniversary. We were at our favorite wine shop, Wine Authorities, and he told me to pick out any bottle that I wanted. Nothing says love like a bottle of wine lol.

You may have noticed that I referred to this wine as a Burgundy, and then said what varietal it was made from; instead of referring to the wine by the varietal. This is common for Old World wines, especially in France. When talking about wine, Old World generally refers to Europe, and New World refers to North and South America, Australia, and New Zealand. This wine is an Old World wine from Burgundy, France. Burgundy is the region of France that the wine is from, it's in eastern-central France. Burgundy is known for growing Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and Gamay grape varietals. This particular Burgundy wine is made from Pinot Noir grapes. If this was a California wine, it would referred to as a Pinot Noir, named by the grape varietal, but in the Old World, region is thought to be more important to the character of the wine than varietal. This is because the Old World really emphasizes terroir.

Terroir is somewhat of a difficult concept to explain. It's the idea that the ground and the earth of a certain place greatly impacts the wine that is grown there. Terroir encompasses more than just the soil though; it also refers to the climate, the elevation, the traditional farming practices, the other crops grown in the area, and any other factors that can impact the environment that the wine is grown in. Terroir is a French term that loosely translates to the sense of the place. I think the best way to understand terroir is to taste a series of wines from the same varietal and vintage, but from different countries and regions. You will get a sense for how the same grape varietal can taste dramatically different based on where it comes from. For example, I've noticed that California Pinot Noirs tends to be a bit spicier, while French Pinot Noirs tend to be more floral. This is a very broad and basic example of how terroir effects the wine. If you really want to get into it, you can taste wines from different regions of the same country or state to see how even smaller changes in geography can have an impact. For example, a Pinot Noir from Napa Valley is going to taste different than one from the Central Coast of California.

So how did the terroir impact how this wine actually tasted? When I sniffed it I picked up on the floral and earthy notes that are common to the Burgundy region. It smelled like violets and soil after it has rained, with a hint of blackberry and cinnamon. When I took a sip, the fruit flavor came forward a little bit more, with some dark cherry notes in addition to the blackberry, the the violet and earth notes were still the stars of the show. There was a slight end note of cinnamon and pink peppercorn. This was a well balanced wine, with medium acidity and low-medium tannins. I drank this wine over two nights. The first night, my fiance made Coq au Vin to pair with it, and they went together incredibly well. I was so excited to try the pairing that I forgot to take a picture lol. The second night, we drank it with a pesto pizza. It was still a good pairing, but not as good as the first night. I would also recommend pairing this with a penne and vodka sauce, or a prosciutto based appetizer.

Kate Spade Surprise Sale

Hey guys, I know I don't usually do a post on Tuesdays, but there's a Kate Spade Surprise Sale currently going on, so I decided to put together a list of some of my favorite picks from the sale. You can enter the sale through this link, or from Kate Spade's facebook page. The sale goes until Thursday at midnight (EST), so don't miss out on it! Kate Spade is one of my favorite brands, and I absolutely love their Surprise Sales, there's always some really great stuff at a pretty low price for Kate Spade.

Milton Lane Saffiano Small Lanie

This purse is absolutely darling for Spring. I love the laser cut pattern and the buckle details. The size is perfect for carrying your wallet, sunglasses, phone, and a lipstick or two. I'm strongly considering getting this purse for myself, I love it so much.

Hazel Court Mason

This bag is a great mix of professional and cute, it would make a great work bag. The beige and black together is such a classic color combination, and very sophisticated. The black edges and black bow add a touch of classy glam. This bag can easily go from the office to happy hour or a date night.

Riverside Street Ostrich Emmie

I love the color of this bag, this blue is perfect for spring. It would look great with a white or navy dress. I also love the texture of this bag. It's an easy way to add a pop of fun to any outfit. 

Mikas Pond Lacey

I bought this wallet during a previous surprise sale and I love it. It has 12 card slots so it can easily fit any and all credit cards, loyalty cards, and identification cards. It has multiple slots for cash, and a little zipper pouch that's great for coins. I also love this wallet because navy is my go to neutral, and this wallet just feels so simple but elegant.

Full Plume Peacock Studs

I was thrilled to see these earrings in the surprise sale. Kate Spade does the cutest novelty lines, but I usually can't justify the high price tag for something that I will likely only be able to wear with a handful of outfits. I absolutely loved the peacock line from last spring and was hoping to pick these earrings up on sale, but I didn't ever see them go on sale, until now! These earrings would be great with simple outfits that feature blue and white. I have a plain navy dress and a plain light blue dress that these earrings will look great with.

Linear Graduated Ball Earrings

This style of earring is very popular right now, and with the sale you can great a high quality pair for a great price. I love that these earrings have a glass stone as the top ball, it adds a glamorous touch to the already fun earrings.

Pearly Delight Double Pendant

This necklace is simple, classic, and elegant. It would be easy to dress up or down; with a black dress for a fancy date night out, or with a simple button down and jeans for a day running errands. I love anything with pearls, and this necklace fits the bill.

Pearly Delight Bangle

Let me say it again for the people in the back, I love anything with pearls. This bangle would look great stacked with other gold bangles, or stacked with a watch. It would also be very elegant alone, paired with pearl stud earrings.

Metro Scallop Watch

I've been considering getting a black watch for the past few months now, and I think I'm going to bite the bullet on this one. The scalloped edge of the face adds a pretty detail, but it's a simple and clean enough look that it can be worn in a professional setting. Gold and black together are such a timeless combination.

Scallop Tweed Dress

A few weeks ago I included a gray tweed version of this dress in my weekly window shopping post, so I was pleasantly surprised to see it in the surprise sale. This dress is work appropriate with a black blazer and black pumps, but take off the blazer and you're ready for an elegant date night.

Hydrangea Double Layer Tank

Hydrangeas have been one of my favorite flowers ever since Blair responded to Little J that the flowers in her penthouse were hydrangeas. They're such a beautiful flower, and this tank puts a bit of an edgy twist on the classic flower (well, as edgy as Kate Spade can be lol).

Ikat Tile Stripe Umbrella

We've seen a lot of rain in the past few weeks, and I'm sure there are many more spring showers to come. A cute umbrella can cheer up a gloomy day though. I love blue and white together, so this umbrella immediately jumped out at me, and the wooden handle is so classic and old-school, I love it.