How Annoying Are: American Apparel Ads?

Ok, so all you bloggers out there know what I'm talking about.  We follow The Sartorialist, and Garance Dore, and other fashion blogs out there, and what happens as soon as we click on the link to those blogs? BAM!  an American Apparel ad is in our face.  Actually, it's more like a scantily clothed young girl in our face.

What's up with that?!  It's really disturbing.  These girls, and yes, they are young girls, are wearing see through garments that barely cover their ____________(fill in the blank...) and I'm supposed to want to shop at this store?

It's also really annoying because the girls are posing in different positions and are actually moving in the ad, so it looks like you're watching a video of a teen taking her clothes off, when really you're checking out a very decent fashion blog (this does not look good at work!).

Arg!  Trust me, if I ever get to the point where I have ads on FWC, I promise not to have American Apparel ads....they're just wrong.

Our Foodie Valentine's Weekend

Mike and I celebrated Valentine's Day all weekend long by cooking, eating, and drinking good wine.  Saturday night we made white lasagna with spinach, mushrooms, ricotta and mozzarella cheese and a creamy bechamel sauce.  It was divine. 

This morning Mike made french toast with a loaf of brioche we bought and a side of smokey bacon.  Again, it was divine.  Tonight for dinner, we're having steak with grilled vegetables and a nice chianti.  I can't wait.

Here are some pictures we took of our delicious meals:

Lasagna right out of the oven...nice and bubbly!

Brioche french toast with butter and maple syrup.

Bacon goodness.

Hope your Valentine's Day is as good as my weekend was!  Enjoy!

I'm beat.

Can't wait until March 1st. (See post below).

Also, happy Chinese New Year.

So does anyone know where to find the best mofongo in Puerto Rico?

Puerto Rico, Here we Come!

It's booked!  We're going to Puerto Rico in March, and I'm so excited!  The warm breeze, the soft sand, and a pina colada in each hand!

Now, what to pack, what to buy??  I definitely need a few new bathing suits, and maybe a nice colorful tunic to wear as a cover up by the pool.

Whenever I think of beach and sun, I think of Calypso.  I love their dresses and tunics, and I'm really loving their kaftans. They're all so ethereal and flowy.  I love how the color palette this season is a little more muted than in the past.  I love wearing whites and light pinks and yellow when I'm sunkissed and tan.

On the other hand, there's Trina Turk.  Bright happy colors abound!  I also really love the nautical look right now.  I can see myself strolling down the streets of Old San Juan with my floppy straw hat and a blue and white striped top and white pants on, and my red flats of course!

Here are some of my favorite looks:

Calypso tunic

Calypso kaftan

Trina Turk sailor tank

Trina Turk Acapulco Gold tunic

Yay! I seriously cannot wait!  Where do you shop for a beach vacation?

Seattle Shopping

Over the weekend Mike and I were in Seattle for his best friend's wedding.  As you know, wedding weekends are chock full of fun stuff to do with the happy couple, so Mike and I only had a few hours on Friday morning to walk around town and do what we do best -- SHOP!

When I think of great shopping destinations, Seattle doesn't usually come to mind, but the past two times we've visited, I have been overwhelmingly surprised by the cool independently owned boutiques that are popping up all over town.

The three stores that stand out in my mind so far are, Ketch in Ballard, Butch Blum in downtown Seattle, and of course the Flagship Nordstrom, also in downtown Seattle.

I'll start with Ketch.  Definite cool vibe in this boutique. Brands like Rebecca Taylor, Joie, and WHIT are what attracted me to the store.  They also carry Michael Stars tees and jean names like Seven, James, and J Brand.  Also awesome jewelry. A lot of hammered gold and silver earrings and necklaces, which I'm really into right now.

With a completely opposite vibe there's Butch Blum.  This place feels more like Barneys with adorable Delman ballet flats, amazing dresses and tops by Jean Paul Gaultier and Moschino, and the most fantastic Blumarine coats.  They also have a pretty stellar men's selection with Zegna and Armani suits and ready to wear apparel.

Last but certainly not least, the Flagship Nordstrom.  What an amazing store.  Elegant and inviting, bright and warm.  The sales people are friendly but not pushy, and make you want to buy whatever they're selling.  They also carry Chanel, which most other Nordstrom's don't.  This gave them many bonus points!

Overall, a great and super fun shopping experience in Seattle.  I'm still deciding whether to buy this Blumarine coat with a chinchilla fur collar from Butch Blum.  It's 50% off, and I save tax when having it shipped -- cha ching!

Lovely

I recently fell in love with Valentino's Spring Collection 2011.  The clothes are feminine and playful, yet still sophisticated and elegant.  There are a lot of earthy tones like camel and celadon, and there's a lot of lace, which I love!

Not to mention that I am completely obsessed with the Rockstud line of bags.  They are amazing.  I tried on the smaller one in black and it made me swoon.  I have to admit though, that I was not and am still not a fan of the Rockstud t-strap that everyone was wearing at the fashion shows.  See below.

There's just too much going on here

But the Rockstud bag collection is a thing of beauty!  Here's the one I got my eye on:

I love the stud details and the clasp. Comes in black too!


Well, my 31st birthday is only 5 months away!  I'll keep my fingers crossed...

It's Thursday and I Need a Drink!

When the ball dropped and 2011 arrived, Mike and I made a resolution to detoxify our bodies for one month.  This detox entailed avoiding all dairy, alcohol, refined sugar, and caffeine.

Needless to say, we lasted about one week.  What we've done instead is try to stay away from alcohol and refined sugar (notice how we dropped the caffeine and dairy) throughout the week.  And, the weekends are fair game and we can eat and drink whatever we want.

My question is, does Thursday count as the weekend?  Please say yes.  Here's why: I don't ever feel like I need to have a drink on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, or even Sunday, but when Thursday rolls around I need a big ole glass of wine.

Maybe it's because the week is almost over and I'm exhausted from work.  Maybe it's because the tolerance for my job and all the stress involved comes crashing down towards week's end.  Hell, maybe I'm just programmed this way.  Whatever it is, it's Thursday and I need wine. Period.

The only question now is, red or white?