Peacockin' Around Town

This past weekend I visited my fiance and took a small break from studying non-stop for finals. He lives in a somewhat rural part of North Carolina, and it's nice to get away for a weekend every so often and enjoy the slow and quiet. We had a bit of a day date on Saturday. He had a work barbecue that we stopped by for a little bit, and then we went to see Avengers: Infinity War. We make a point to see Marvel movies together in the theater when they come out. Marvel movies are some of the few movies that we're both excited to see, so we like to make a date out of them. The movie was incredible with some twists that I was not expecting. If you haven't seen it yet and you're even remotely interested in Marvel, I highly recommend seeing it as soon as possible.

Since we were just going to a barbecue and the movies I decided to keep my outfit pretty casual. This striped navy and white t-shirt is my absolute t-shirt that I own. I love the classic stripe combo, and it's made from an incredibly soft jersey-knit material. It literally as comfortable as a pajama top. I also love the subtle detail of the neckline. The stripes on the neckline are at a different angle from the rest of the shirt, and it makes the simple t-shirt just a touch more interesting. I paired the t-shirt with white jeans for a classic summer outfit. I could see myself walking barefoot down the beach in this type of an outfit, and I love how the white of the jeans plays off the white stripes in the shirt. It's such a crisp look.

Since I kept my outfit relatively simple, I decided to have fun with my accessories. I love Kate Spade novelty earrings. Earrings and small and subtle enough that it's easy to play around with fun shapes and colors without them taking over the whole outfit or becoming too kitschy. I got these peacock earrings during the last Kate Spade Surprise Sale. I have an Ebay link to them at the bottom, but keep an eye out for the next few surprise sales because they'll probably pop up again. I find myself pairing these earrings with simple navy tops and dresses, which I have a lot of. The blue jewels in the peacocks look good with other shades of blue.

I also brought out my new pair of white sandals for one of the first times this spring. I find that t-strap sandals are generally the most comfortable style for my feet. I love these in particular because they have small bows at the top of the t-shirt, which adds a fun and feminine touch. The soles of these sandals are a squishy quilted material, which make them comfortable to walk around all day in. There was no break in time for these, I was able to throw them on and spend all day in them right out of the box.

The finishing touch on my outfit is the wicker bag. I featured it last week as well, but it's such a fun bag that I couldn't resist including it again. Carrying a wicker bag just feels like summer and makes the day feel a bit more summery. I'll be carrying this bag around all season this summer, and I can't wait to take it to the beach and for weekend trips.

Top: Draper James

Pants: Loft

Purse: J. McLaughlin

Shoes: Nordstrom

Sunglasses: Sperry (similar)

Earrings: Kate Spade

Watch: Michele Watches

Bracelet: J. Crew Factory

Weekly Window Shopping

Gal Meets Glam Samantha Dress

The Gal Meets Glam dress collection debuted last week and it's what dreams are made of. All the dresses are gorgeous, feminine, and great quality. I picked up a few shirt dresses, but this Samantha dress also stood out to me. I love this shade of blue, it's perfect for spring and summer, and it looks great with the white stripes. The bow is really the focal point of this dress though. It adds the perfect amount of sweetness to the dress. This is a great brunch, date night, and vacation dress. 

Tuckernuck A Line Mod Top by Emerson Frye

I am loving this chambray top. It has hidden hook and eye closures in the neckline, so you can adjust how deep the v neck is. You can keep it open for a fun and flirty look, or close it up a bit for a more conservative office-appropriate look. The cut of the top is extremely flattering, and it would look great with white jeans or black pants. Wearing a simple top like this, you can get playful with your accessories, I would pair it with some fun novelty Kate Spade earrings or a brightly colored pair of Kendra Scott drop earrings.

J. McLaughlin Riviera Linen Dress

I noticed the other day that 75-80% of my summer wardrobe is blue and white, so I've been on the hunt for other colors lately, and this dress fits the bill. Linen is such a classic summer fabric, so breathable and casual. I love the cuffed sleeves on this dress, it makes it look very put together. Paired with some nude sandals and a wicker bag this dress would be perfect for roaming around town or grabbing dinner while vacationing in a week town.

J. Crew Flutter-Sleeve Wrap Top

I love a good striped top for summer, and this one is a little different than the other ones that I own. The flutter sleeves and the tie waist add some pizzazz to this top, and the waist definition is very flattering. I can picture myself wearing this top with rolled up jeans and brown sandals, walking around downtown eating an ice cream cone from a local shop.

Lilly Pulitzer Alivia Dress

Lilly Pulitzer just released their summer line yesterday and I'm dying over this dress. I love the mix of the seersucker with the white lace, two such timeless and feminine fabrics that come together so well. This would be a great Derby dress paired with a fun floppy hat and a mint julep in hand!

Baron de Seillac French Sparkling Rose

This week I have another wine to try from the Wine Feed, a new wine bar and bottle shop in Durham. A tried this wine in a series of sparkling wines they had to taste during their Grand Opening, and I liked it so much that I decided to buy a bottle. This is a sparkling rose from the Provence region of Southern France. It comes from a family winery, one of the few family owned wineries currently making sparkling wine in Southern France. The grandfather started experimenting with making sparkling wines in his garage in the 1940's, and the winery has grown from there and been passed down to a younger generation.

What makes sparkling wine sparkling? Regular wine undergoes only one fermentation process, but sparkling wine needs two fermentations. The first one is to make the wine, like a typical wine fermentation, and the second fermentation makes the carbonation. There are six different methods of conducting the second fermentation, and they produce different kinds of sparkling wine. Most French sparkling wines use the traditional method. In the traditional method, the carbonation that takes the wine from a regular wine to a sparkling wine happens entirely in the bottle. After the first fermentation, yeast and sugar are added to the wine, and it gets bottled to begin the second fermentation. As the yeast ferments inside the bottle, carbon dioxide is created as a byproduct of the process, and it's trapped inside the bottle. The carbon dioxide is what makes the wine bubbly. After the yeast has fermented and died, it stays inside the bottle for the aging process. The dead yeast help develop the texture and "mouth-feel" of the wine. Once the wine is done aging, the bottle is turned upside down so that all the dead yeast settles at the neck. The bottle dipped into freezing liquid, which cause the dead yeast to all freeze together in the neck. The bottle is then opened, and the frozen yeast shoots out. Small amounts of additional wine and sugar are added to fill the bottle after space is left from the yeast being removed. And that's how sparkling wine is made using the traditional method. I won't go into the other five methods of making sparkling wine today, but look out in the coming months as I plan to try a sparkling made with each different method.

























This wine was delightfully refreshing and crisp. The scent notes were very subtle and faint, but before I tasted it I smelled a hint of strawberries and some minerality, kind of like the smell of a pebble path after it rains. When I tasted it the notes came through stronger. The same light strawberry note was up front, with a subtle floral note as well. The minerality came in much stronger on the back end, along with a subtle biscuit note and a light flavor of butter, kind of like when you buy lite popcorn at the grocery store. There was a hint of butter, but it didn't have the richness and fullness of a buttery chardonnay. This was a well-balanced dry rose, and the bubbles lasted a few days. I didn't finish the bottle the night that I opened it, and it was still delightfully fizzy when I opened it up again two days later.

I drank this wine with a light dessert of strawberries and french macarons. The bubbles and the minerality played wonderfully off the airy and sweet macarons. This would also be a great wine to enjoy with a feta and watermelon salad, or before dinner in place of a cocktail. This was a great value for a sparkling rose, and I would definitely buy it again.

Whimsical Wicker

Every Wednesday my favorite craft cocktail bar in Durham, Alley Twenty-Six, does Waikiki Wednesday. They have tropical drinks on the menu and you can order coconut shrimp as a snack. The bartenders wear Hawaiian shirts and leis, and they select one of the tropical drinks on the menu and if you order that drink you get a lei as well! Last week, I had been cooped up in my apartment for the past few days studying for finals and wearing nothing but leggings and t-shirts, so my friend and I decided to get dressed up and take a study break at Waikiki Wednesday. The bar is called Alley Twenty-Six because it backs up to this adorable brick alley.

It was incredibly warm in Durham last Wednesday, were fully in the swing of spring now, so I took the opportunity to wear a fun dress and sandals. I got this Lilly Pulitzer dress last summer, and it's one of my favorites. It's swingier and more free-flowing than most Lilly dresses, which makes it incredibly comfortable and flattering, even when I'm chowing down on coconut shrimp! I love the ornate details around the neckline. Navy and gold are always a winning combination for me, and with this neckline I can keep the rest of my jewelry pretty simple.

I'm really excited that spring is here to stay, because I have finally been able to start carrying my wicker bag within the past week or so. A wicker bag for the spring and summer is whimsical and timeless. The neutral color of the wicker goes with almost any outfit, and it instantly gives off a fun and festive vibe. I've seen a lot of wicker bags around that are smaller or have unique shapes, but I love how practical and classic this bag is. It has room for my wallet, sunglasses, cellphone, lipstick, kindle, and more. I like the slightly rounded shape, but it's not too trendy of a shape so I'll be able to carry it or many seasons to come.

This was also only the third or fourth opportunity I've had to wear sandals since it's gotten warm again. I love these Jack Rogers sandals. The style of classic Jacks are so fun and such a style staple, but I have a personal aversion to flip flops. I prefer my sandals to be secure on the back of my foot. When I wear flip flops I just always feel like they're going to slip off while I'm walking and I never feel quite comfortable in them. I'm so glad that I found these sandals, because the style and design gives a nod to the classic Jack Rogers look, but they have a strap around the ankle to keep them secure.

Dress: Lilly Pulitzer (similar)

Shoes: Jack Rogers

Purse: J. McLaughlin

Bracelet: KJP

Earrings: Kendra Scott

Weekly Window Shopping

Nordstrom Tahari Floral Embroidered Eyelet Shirtdress

Shirt dresses are such a classic piece, and this one is so elegant and feminine, and perfect for spring and summer. This would be a great dress to wear to watch horse races or a polo match, or to wear to brunch or an upscale summer barbecue. I love the length of this dress, midi dresses are very in right now, and I think shirt dresses are the best style of midi dresses.

J. McLaughlin Letty Bell Sleeve Dress in Gingham

Navy gingham and ruffle sleeves, what more can you ask for? This is a great office to happy hour look for the summer. You could wear it with a nude pump or flat to work, and with sandals on the weekend. 

Tuckernuck Wicker Basket by Hat Attack

Wicker bags are a must for late spring and summer. They're so fun and charming for the warmer seasons, and I love the size and shape of this bag. I've seen a lot of wicker bags that don't look particularly practical, either they're small or have an odd shape so it seems like it would be hard to carry everything you need in it. This bag, however, could fit all the essentials, and then some, while still being an adorable bag. 

Talbots Floral Row Crewneck Sweater

This light sweater is absolutely darling for those windy spring days where it's too chilly for a tank-top. The floral design is a colorful and feminine addition to a classic striped sweater, and the bell-sleeves add a final touch of fun.

Madewell Embroidered Story Top

This top is a classic blue and white combo. The embroidery is reminiscent of a timeless blue and white ginger jar. Since the embroidery is only on the shoulders and hem, a statement necklace would look great with this top without it being too busy. The lightness of this top is perfect for the spring and summer.

Château La Bourrée 2015 Bordeaux

I bought this week's wine at a new wine store that just opened in Durham, The Wine Feed. They've had a location in Raleigh for the past few years, but a few weeks ago they opened in Durham as well, and last weekend they hosted a Grand Opening event. One of my friends and I went on Sunday early afternoon for a sparkling wine tasting, and we were very impressed by The Wine Feed. It's a bottle shop and wine bar, and it was a great place to spend a few hours on a Sunday. The bar set up is huge, my guess is that 25-30 people could sit at the bar, and then they have about 10 small tables inside and 10 outside for people to sit at, and two couches positioned in front of a fireplace. I wish it had opened months ago, because I would have loved sipping on a glass of red wine while sitting in front of the fire.

The bottle shop section of the space was a bit smaller than I was expecting, but they had a wide and varying selection, from $12 rose to $125 Bordeaux, it would be difficult not to find a bottle that interests you. When I walked into The Wine Feed I was expecting to do the sparkling wine tasting and maybe buy a bottle of sparkling if any of the ones I tasted really interested me. However, I liked The Wine Feed so much that I stayed longer and bought more bottle of wine than I was anticipating. I ended up trying a dry rose flight as well, and loved every wine in the flight, and when I perused the bottle shop, I couldn't limit myself to just one bottle. I ended up picking up two bottles of sparkling wine (one being a sparkling rose), a bottle of one of the roses that was in the flight, and this bottle of Bordeaux, because who can say no to a reasonably priced bottle of Bordeaux? If you're ever in the Raleigh/Durham area, I highly recommend stopping by The Wine Feed.

This Bordeaux was only $18, and it gives you a lot of bang for your buck. It's made by Jean Francois Meynard in the Cotes de Castillon region of Bordeaux. It's a blend of Merlot and Cabernet Franc and it's well-balanced. When I sniffed the wine after pouring it I got strong dark fruit notes; blackberry, dark cherry, and currant, and I got the scent of cloves and oak on the back end. When I tasted the wine, the tasting notes matched the scent. It's a very jammy fruit forward wine, I also got notes of strawberry, blueberry, and dark raspberry when I tasted it, but it's well balanced with a strong oakiness on the back end, and notes of vanilla and tobacco in addition to the clove. It's a very smooth and well-balanced medium-bodied wine. The tannins are soft but noticeable. It's a very strong and bold Bordeaux.

I paired this wine with chicken parmesan. The wine played well off the tomato sauce, but I think a richer meat would have been better with it than the chicken. This wine would be great in the winter with a hearty bowl of beef stew, or with spaghetti bolognese. I really enjoyed this wine, and would definitely consider getting another bottle of it.

Busy Bee

Today I have my last day of law school class ever. I went straight from college to law school, so I've been in school for the past 22 years straight. It's crazy for me to realize that I will never take another class in school again. It's been a whirl-wind last few weeks, and it will continue to be a whirl-wind until finals are over and graduation rolls around. In the past few weeks my classmates have realized that we won't all be together for very much longer, so we've been trying to cram in as much fun, social outings as we can while still juggling starting to study for finals. Some of us are sticking around the Durham area for the summer to study for the Bar Exam, while some of us are going home for the summer or moving to our new cities a few months early. After consistently being in school for the last 22 years, I'm looking forward to entering the working world this fall.

One of my closest law school friends and I decided to do a little photo shoot to commemorate the last day of classes. The law school sign is a favorite spot to take pictures, but somehow I had made it three years without any pictures with the sign, so I needed to rectify that. It was the perfect spring day for a photo shoot. The temperature was in the mid 70's and there was a light breeze. I had on my favorite spring jacket, my scalloped trench coat from Draper James, but I really didn't need it, it was so nice out. I love the scallop details around the waistline and the 3/4 length sleeves on this jacket. It's perfect for spring and early fall.

My chambray top is also from Draper James, I love their spring line this year. They have lots of timeless silhouettes and classic fabrics. This top is so soft and comfortable, the chambray material is great. I love that the ruffled sleeves add a bit of fun and feminine flair to an otherwise simple top, and the high v-neck is perfect for wearing a pendant necklace with it. I paired the top with white jeans, but it would also look great with black pants, or patterned shorts or a skirt. It's such a versatile top that goes with pretty much everything besides blue denim.

I'm obsessed with the white jeans that I'm wearing. They're from the Loft and they're the signature curvy fit. The Loft's curvy fit is great for anyone with an hourglass figure. I had when pants that fit in the thighs and hips end up gaping a ton at the waist, or when pants that fit in the waist are squeezing the life out of my thighs. These pants are designed to fix that problem, and they do a great job. The fit my waist and hips with no gaping or squeezing. They're also a thick enough material that you can't see through the white denim at all. I hate when you can see the outline of the pockets through white pants, and these don't show anything.

My favorite part of this outfit though, was my earrings. I've said before that I find Kate Spade's novelty lines to be pretty hit or miss, but I absolutely love these bee earrings. They're perfect for spring and summer. When I was considering buying them I showed them to my fiance and he told me that I should get them and where them "whenever we're drinking on a roof or patio this summer." They're so whimsical and fun, but the colors are neutral enough that you can wear them with a lot of different outfits.

Jacket: Draper James

Top: Draper James

Pants: Loft

Shoes: Tory Burch (similar)

Earrings: Kate Spade

Watch: Kate Spade (similar)

Weekly Window Shopping

Kate Spade Hyde Lane Gingham Small Riley

Gingham is everywhere right now and (not surprisingly) my favorite version of the print is navy and white. Gingham is such a classic spring and summer print, and I love that it's so popular this season. This bag would be a great casual summer bag. It's very reasonably priced for a Kate Spade bag. It would look great with simple outfits like jeans and a white top, or a white dress.

Vineyard Vines Eyelet Bell Sleeve Top

This blouse is the perfect dreamy but structured spring blouse. Eyelet never goes out of style for spring and summer. It's such a fun and feminine touch to this blouse, and I would love to pair it with a pair of salmon or mint pants.

Brooks Brothers Tropical-Print Cotton Sateen Shirt Dress

This dress makes me want to go on vacation to Florida or the Bahamas. I just love how fun and colorful this dress is. I want to sit in a wicker chair drinking a Mai Tai while on vacation in this dress. The print and the cut of the dress give off such a fun retro vibe, kind of 50's housewife but updated. The fit and flare style of the dress would be incredibly flattering on anyone, especially those of us with hourglass figures. 

Tuckernuck Overcheck Soft Touch Jersey Dress by Circolo

Navy and white again, I can't resist. This dress is so versatile. You could wear it into the office in the summer with a pair of nude pumps, or out on a date night or brunch with some cute sandals. I love the checked pattern here, it's so crisp and timeless.

Steve Madden Irenee Ankle Strap Sandal

I love how popular chunky heels are right now. They're so much more comfortable than stilettos and still give the added height. These shoes would be great for wedding season coming up. They would look great with a blush or mint green dress, or if you're not at a wedding, with a white dress. I would also wear these with white jeans to drink on a patio or roof in the summer.

2015 L'Atelier du Sud Red Blend

This week's wine is from my most recent Winc box. It's a blend of Grenache, Syrah, and Carignan from Costieres de Nimes in Southern France. L'Atelier du Sud directly translates to The Southern Workshop, but in France an atelier usually refers to an artist's or fashion designer's studio. So my using the word atelier is the name of the wine, the winemakers are telling us that they view winemaking as an art, rather than a science or a technical skill. I would agree with the characterization of winemaking as an art for non big-box winemakers. A lot of cheaper wines that you see at the grocery store are science, not art. They are made in a way designed to make them taste the same year after year, no matter where exactly the grapes are coming from. They often are pumped with additives in order to maintain a consistent taste each year. In this way, big-box winemaking is a technical skill, the goal is uniformity instead of allowing the grapes to speak for themselves.

Smaller estate winemakers, and large winemakers who value the subtle differences in wine based on terroir (region, climate, soil etc.) and vintage make art. They let the grapes tell them how the wine should taste instead of forcing the wine into some pre-set flavor profile. They make wine that can speak to the drinker, that can tell the drinker it's story. Wine can tell you what kind of soil the grapes were grown in, how much sun they got, if it was an early or late harvest, and so much more if winemakers treat making wine as an art and let the grapes make the decisions. This isn't to say that there's not a lot of science and technical skill that goes into winemaking, the processes are still just chemistry at some level, but when winemakers move beyond that level, the wine can become art.

This wine was earthier than I expected when I opened it. When I sniffed it, I got fewer fruit notes than I anticipated. There was a subtle dark cherry note, but stronger notes of violet, mushrooms, and the smell of dirt after it rains. This wine smelled rugged and a little rough around the edges, in a good way. The taste was similar to the smell. When I tasted it I got a slight fig note along with the dark cherry, and I also got notes of thyme and rosemary along with the mushroom, violet, an dirt notes. There was also a subtle oakiness to the wine, and it had lovely mild tannins.

I paired this wine with a chicken sausage wrapped in a puff pastry like dough. I think I could have paired it with something more robust and meatier. This wine would be great with lamb, pork chop, or a rich mushroom risotto. If you're looking for a wine that will make you feel like you're drinking it in a rustic barn in the French countryside, then this wine is for you.