When in doubt, stripes

(These photos at J.Crew from last month—I’m a little behind.)

I do love stripes. But in my case, stripes are more of an accent than the main event.

J.Crew Carrie cami in stripe // Anthropologie cardigan (old) // J.Crew necklace // Gap skinny pants

I don’t own a Breton tee. I've tried them on many times, even taken a few home from the Gap and J.Crew, only to return. Apparently I will never be French cool.

But I do own a striped makeup bag, umbrella, and wallet. I couldn't resist the teal stripes. Or being matchy matchy with the decor at Sweet Jesus 4 Life. 

J.Crew makeup bag // J.Crew umbrella // Kate Spade wallet

I also couldn't resist the navy stripes at J Crew recently.

It is a little weird that I don't have a Breton tee. They're simple and chic and look good on everyone. But if I've learned anything about my own personal style, it's that I don't need to and shouldn't force myself to wear something just because everyone else is. I can love the look of the striped tee on other people (and I do), and leave it at that.

Anthropologie on Queen St West

My tastes have been moving away from Anthro recently so I haven’t been in a store (or on the website for that matter) in ages. I’m so out of the loop I didn’t even know that a new store opened in a converted church on Queen St West (a hipster area of Toronto) in December until I stumbled upon it while looking for the Kit & Ace store. Not a bad coincidence, since I had a Christmas gift card from Will in my pocket.

I didn’t buy anything (nothing caught my eye, so the gift card will keep), but the store is gorgeous and so Anthro it hurts.

It’s perfect, right?

On the inside, exposed brick with a view of the TD Canada Trust across the street.

This did catch my eye, but a tulle skirt is completely impractical for me.

Can I live here?

So many Santas (and Christmas indulgences)

It’d be better if there were snow on the ground, but it’s pretty cool. It’s a street in Toronto where 45-50 houses (nice houses, this is an affluent part of the city) have 14-foot inflatable Santas on their front lawns.

 

I struggle every year to get into the Christmas spirit, but this helped!

Every year Will and I like to treat ourselves to a nice dinner at Christmas, so we went to momofuku daishō. This is what I wore:

The light wasn’t great in the restaurant, but here’s a sample:

The dry-aged beef tartare was AMAZING.

Hanger steak ssäm

Roasted rice cakes with spicy sausage, Chinese broccoli, and tofu (essentially Asian gnocchi, so good)

I had this milk bar cookie for breakfast this morning:

Followed by some Soma chocolate

Hey, it’s Christmas, it’s time for indulging.

I haven’t done a lot of shopping recently, but I celebrated my new job with this J.Crew necklace (no longer online), at 70% off:

I’m heading to Boston tonight to spend Christmas with my sister, brother-in-law, and my nephew puppy. Lots of puppy pictures to come on my Instagram. I hope everyone has a good one!

Forever 29

So today is my 36th birthday, and my first reaction is OMG, when did I get this old? (Not that it’s old. Not at all. I just don’t think of myself as that age, at ALL.) So from now on, I’m 29. Forever 29!

(I think I can still pass for 25. I still get carded occasionally.)

This year, with all the crap going on (sorry, don’t mean to be cryptic about it, but I definitely don’t want to talk about it today), I wasn’t much in a celebrating mood. I didn’t care if I didn’t do anything to mark the occasion, or if I got any gifts (although my sister is getting me this gorgeous necklace and I’m not complaining), but I gotta wear a pretty dress.

Banana Republic Marimekko Collection Siirtol Siirtolapuutarha dress // J.Crew Factory Clare Cardigan // HIlary Druxman necklace // Tory Burch Reva flats

Funny story about this Marimekko Siirtolapuutarha print: I saw it as an iPhone case in Copenhagen airport on my way home from my European adventure last September, but it was almost C$60 and way more than I wanted to spend on an iPhone case at the end of an expensive trip. So when I saw the Banana Republic Dress, I pounced.

The length on the dress might be a little inappropriate for a 36-year-old, but it’s fine for a 29-year-old, right? The Marimekko collection sold out so fast, I could only get a petite size, and even though I’m 5’2”, I’m usually more comfortable in regular sizes. I might let the hem down to get another ¾ of an inch.

Since it’s a Thursday, it’ll just be a quick dinner and gelato with Will, then a proper birthday meal on Saturday (pizza again, it’s my favourite). More food photos coming up this weekend/early next week.

Chicago: My turquoise trip

I’m dubbing my Easter long weekend trip to Chicago my turquoise trip because practically everything I saw, wore, and bought was some shade of turquoise/teal/aqua. But not what I ate. That would be gross. Even I draw the line at turquoise ice cream. (Although I think that’s actually mint and it’s just the light making it look blue.)

the view when I crossed the Chicago River, walking from the L train (which I took from Midway Airport to the Loop) to the hotel

I hadn’t been to Chicago since 2009, so it was nice to be back. Great city. The people are so friendly! As a jaded, surly Easterner, I was at first surprised and then embraced it completely. Great city. Unless all you know of Chicago is Chicagoland, in which case you might think you’ll be shot the moment you arrive and it’s a terrible place and why would you ever want to visit? (*cough*Will’s mom*cough*)

And now onto the highlights of my trip, including the food, shopping, and turquoise things. Fair warning: heavy on the photos.

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Packing a weekend trip into a small backpack:

I’ve seen kids going to school carrying bigger backpacks than that.

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Dinner at Xoco by Rick Bayless:

Guacamole, tortilla chips and salsa, the Milanesa torta, and churros with a chocolate shot for dipping. The guacamole and chips and salsa were amazing. I don’t know why they were so much better than any others I’ve had before, but they were.

Blurry deliciousness

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Cloud Gate at Millenium Park (i.e. The Bean):

In theory, this must have been a weird idea. A giant reflective bean in the park! In practice, it’s amazing.

Underneath the Bean. Can you spot me and Will?

And the requisite close-up selfie of the two of us. (Note the teal sneakers and teal T-shirt!) We had a really nice weekend together, we’ve both been so busy at work (him more than me, but we’ve been busy), it was nice to spend time with each other.

It’s also gorgeous at night. I’m a sucker for twinkly, sparkly lights.

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The Chicago skyline:

 

I love the architecture in Chicago. People say it looks like Toronto, but it doesn’t. Chicago is so much nicer. (Sorry, Toronto.)

 

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The Chicago River obliged me by being bright turquoise:

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Lunch at Frontera Grill (also a Rick Bayless restaurant):

Tortilla soup, Will’s street food platter, my duck carnitas enchiladas, and Mexican vanilla bean ice cream with homemade cajeta (goat milk caramel). The soup was amazing. The ice cream was amazing. Everything was amazing. I ate way too much and honestly felt a little sick afterwards.

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Lake Michigan also obliged me by being turquoise:

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A day of shopping:

As much as Will and I love to spend time together, we also love our time apart. So Friday was the day he went to do what he wanted to do, and I went shopping. I took the L to the Lakeview neighbourhood specifically to go to the Splendid store, and just to be in a neighbourhood I’d never been before.

I was looking for a Starbucks and instead found a DAVIDsTEA (Canadian chain expanding!), which just happens to have a teal colour scheme.

I was thinking of buying this because it’s teal (I was very committed to the theme), but I could just get it at home.

In the changing room at Anthropologie, wearing a Baublebar x Anthropologie necklace.

Splendid tee (purchased at Christmas in Boston) // Club Monaco scarf // Soia & Kyo trench (2008) // marc by marc jacobs Preppy leather Hillier hobo // lululemon wunder under leggings // adidas kicks

The turquoise purchases:

Baublebar x Anthropologie Seastone necklace, J.Crew flower fan necklace, Splendid 3/4 Sleeve Shirting Top in Bermuda, Crate & Barrel Market Mini Bowls

Oh yeah, and this:

(which I can’t seem to find online. It’s similar to this, but it’s simpler than that.)

I spent some time on the crazy busy Magnificent Mile, but I found this little oasis just off of it to stop and catch my breath.

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Ice cream for lunch:

I happened upon a Jeni’s Ice Cream store in Lakeview, so of course I had to have ice cream for lunch. I’ve heard about Jeni’s for a while and always wanted to try it.

Salty caramel sauce )I might have taken some home if I weren’t travelling with carry-on luggage only), goat cheese with red cherries ice cream (I love anything with cherries), my cup of goat cheese with cherries and brown butter almond brittle, with amarena cherries and a waffle chip on top. It made for a great lunch. 

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The Publican for dinner:

It’s a gastropub in the meat-packing district, so it’s really hip and trendy and not usually the sort of place we go. My sister recommended it though, so we tried it. Will didn’t like the trendy communal tables (he likes more elbow room) and our waitress was annoying, but the food was really good. I’d go back just for the food.

Spicy pork rinds (like Doritos but way better!), grilled duck heart crostini, half charcuterie plate (half!), and a full taste of three types of ham. Not pictured: a beet and burrata cheese salad, and a gem lettuce salad with crispy pig ears.

I thought we’d end up with tiny plates of poncy food because our waitress thought we hadn’t ordered enough (we ordered 6 dishes, all appetizers), but the plates were huge. The half charcuterie plate was more than enough for two. I guess it was the Midwest’s version of small plates? (Not complaining.)

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This lime curd tart:

At Xoco again, the last thing I ate before I left. I could have eaten 3 of these. (The impending lime shortage makes me cry inside.)