I love seafood-especially oysters in the half shell. While I love going up to San Francisco to legendary places such as Waterbar and the like-it can be a bit of a trek when the craving suddenly hits you. Thankfully, a fantastic oyster bar-Forthright Oyster Bar & Kitchen-just opened up in Campbell, CA and I had to check it out.

Set in the center of a shopping plaza you wouldn't think this was the stage for a modern, artisanal restaurant that reminds one of Brooklyn. However, Forthright Oyster Bar & Kitchen is full of urban character-rather than suburban hum-drum. They label themselves a "neighborhood urban eatery focused on sustainable seafood dishes." (Read: Hipster, if you like hipster. Or refined and unique if you don't like hipster). ;P
Tip: Forthright is very popular for only being open just 2 months-so I recommend you make reservations through Open Table ahead of time if you can. 

The Filoli Estate-an early 20th century Georgian style country house and gardens, about a 30 minute drive south of San Francisco-is a historical gem in the Bay Area.

The stately country house once served as the location for Hollywood's Dynasty. The downstairs is open for public viewing and is so grand it's like I could see the all tea parties, balls, and hours of gossip while polishing the silver that happened inside those walls. It sits in the middle of sixteen acres of formal gardens made up of sculptural hedges, rows of flowers, pools, ponds, and some of the most lovely landscaping possible. Beyond that the estate is made up of an overwhelming 650+ acres of land covered with orchards, fields, and wild Northern California countryside.

I'd definitely recommend taking a day to visit if you enjoy historical houses and grand gardens.

Have you ever been to the Filoli Estate and/or gardens? What did you think?
If you haven't been, would this be something you'd look forward to? 
Would you rather go when they have an event or on an off day where there are less people and it's in its natural state? 
Have you ever been to a historical estate, such as the Biltmore Estate? What did you think? Do these pictures remind you of your historical estate visit somewhere? How does it compare? 
Do you ever daydream of living in a "Downtown Abbey" style world? Do you think you'd be part of the "upstairs people" or "downstairs people"? 
Do you ever get inspiration from older houses or gardens for your own home? 

So there are more than a few trend trains that I haven't been jumping aboard this year (some being sleepwear as daywear inspired fashion, David Bowie boots, Gucci's furry mules, non/ironic logo t-shirts, or the lace up everything trend...). One I wasn't immediately in love with was the slip trend. That is, until now.


Originally the slip dress trend reminded me of my earlier attempts at fashion in 90s (those pictures didn't survive the move shockingly. Aww, darn!). A little too "lingerie inspired" from my memory. Trends can be hard enough to pull off sometimes. Trying to pull off a daytime look that is already inspired by lingerie is just down right difficult if not impossible. Rather than pursue #TBT with the overly sexual slip dress trend of the 90's I decided to go with a modern cut silk dress. This already gives it several degrees of separation from the bedroom.

If I were to wear this look for evening I would dress it up with nude heels, choker, and clutch bag (very a la Kardashian). The modern daywear slip dress is meant to be fun and casual. Pair yours with sneakers or mules to keep it grounded as an "on the go" look. To even further the comfort layer yours with t-shirts or over skinny jeans or leggings. I was using this outfit to transition from day to night so I wore it with casual wedged mules and minimal jewelry to marry the two elements of slinky and casual.

You'll be seeing me try several looks with this dress over the next few months as I transition it from summer to fall. For now though, you can consider me jumping on the caboose of the slip dress train at the very least.

Get the Look: 

Dress: Lou & Grey Luster Wrap Dress $89.50 (RIGHT now it's on sale for $54.99 plus an additional 40% off!)
Shoes: Kenneth Cole Reaction White Edge Fun Leather Wedge Mule (Sold Out; See Similar Here)
Rings: Madewell mon petit pavé ring $15 and mon petit curved pavé ring $15 (on sale right now for $10.50)
Purse: Bay Area flea market find (Similar $25 Target Blush Crossbody Bag Here) 

Would you wear a slip dress? What fashion trends you are loving right now? Are there any you are either completely over or were never into in the first place? Any trend forecasting??? Please share! I'd love to hear. 

Filoli Gardens had long been on my Bay Area Bucket List when I heard of their "Step Back in Time" 1920's garden party. As the name suggests, guests are encouraged to travel back in time to enjoy Filoli as it once was at its grandest. To celebrate the roaring twenties there is live jazz, dancing, food and drinks, and a period style party-all with a very Downton Abby flair.

We dressed up for the occasion: my boyfriend wore garden party attire and my friend and I transformed into a flappers. The majority of guests were also dressed in period clothing-from suspenders, headpieces, gloves, and umbrellas. If that wasn't spectacle enough the house and stunning grounds were open for us to explore at our leisure, along with a courtyard collection of ~1920's cars. The staff were very knowledgeable about the history of the estate and did a very convincing job of pretending to be Filoli's 1920's household staff.

The whole experience reminded me of Governors Island's Jazz Age Lawn Party-one of my favorite annual events when I lived in NYC. Overall it was a very fun Friday night. However, I think 5-8pm is not enough time to be able to enjoy all that was offered. I hope in the future they move it to a Saturday so they can open the estate earlier (leaving your guests wanting for more is a good problem though!).







Advanced Purchase Required:  
Member's Ticket: $40
Non-Member's Ticket: $45
Free Parking
Phone: (650) 364-8300

Get the Look:
Headpiece: Anthropologie floral dress sash (I had a jeweled headpiece but it just didn't look quite right, so I got creative with what I had already)  (See similar) 
Jacket: Vintage (My great-grandmother's from the 20's) (See similar) 
Dress: H&M (bought it years ago for the Jazz Age Lawn Party when I lived in NYC and just keep wearing it over and over again for every flapper party/event). (See similar) 
Shoes: Anthropolgie's Pasquale Trotta Suede Party Heels (See similar:Black/Pink/Nude)
Necklace: Vintage (See similar) 
Nails: Butter London "Deepest Red" (See similar) 


Have you ever been to a historical party (such as the Governors Island's Jazz Age Lawn Party) or historical estate (such as the Biltmore Estate)? What did you think? Do these pictures remind you of your experiences there? How does it compare? 
Do you ever daydream of living in a "Downtown Abbey" style world? Do you think you'd be part of the "upstairs people" or "downstairs people"? 
Do you wish you had more opportunities to dress up today like they used to for dinner or parties? Or just to play dress up in flapper clothing? 
Have you ever been to the Filoli Estate and/or gardens? What did you think? 
Would you rather go when they have an event or on an off day where there are less people and it's in its natural state?

It's summer, and you want to wear your new FANTASTIC open toed shoes and celebrate the warm weather-but 10 minutes into the garden party your shoes are starting to feel less fantastic and more fatal. Your options are to take them off and walk around like barefoot barbarian or to hobble around begging the goddess of shoes to kill you and end the misery. No bueno.

I have gotten so many blisters from stupid shoes in my life (especially in repeat spots) that I'm surprised parts of my feet haven't turned to leather. Horrible as that would be-part of me is going, "Actually, that would solve all my problems. Either they wouldn't get blisters anymore from shoes in those spots OR these extremities turn into hobbit feet and I can do away with all shoes forever!!!" MWHAHAHAHAA.

Ahem.

To avoid hobbit syndrome and/or wishing death I've put together a collection of tips and tricks for being able to wear your fantastic shoes AND still keep your tender feet happy and healthy.

1. Don't Buy Bad Shoes: First step to preventing issues is to not buy crap shoes. If they're especially strappy or have pieces that will rub against your skin try to get leather or natural material shoes. Manufactured materials wear faster and can leave your feet exposed to raw materials that rub and irritate the skin. Bonus Tip: For heels look at how close the heel is to sole. The closer it is the more uncomfortable and harder to walk it will be.
2. REALLY Try On Shoes: Shoes that feel comfy for those 30 seconds you look at them in the store mirror may not actually feel all that great when you get home and have to wear them for longer than it took for you to take out your credit card. Walk around in them at the store for a while. Stand in them in one spot. Do they hurt? Do they slip? Do the balls of your feet feel bad after standing in place (think of all those cocktail hours where you want to listen to whatever Sarah is saying, but all you can think of is how badly you want to sit because standing sucks in heels)? Really try them on in the store and get a feel for their comfort and contour to your feet.
3. There is No Such Thing As Breaking Shoes In (sort of): For the most part, shoes that you have to "break in" means they don't fit you. Exceptions would be leather or other goods that actaully do need to soften and weather a bit to form a shape. Those shoes will take on the shape/groves of your feet (but this can be a case by case scenerio). Also, keep in mind that if you are shopping earlier in the day your feet won't be as swollen as they will be at night. READ: So if they are snug earlier in the day when you're shopping and you think you can "break them in" then you will be miserable wearing them for evenings or all day occasions. Think about if the shoes have the room and give for when your feet swell. Because swell they will! Time of day, standing around, summer heat, eating salty foods, or drinking are all contributing factors to your feet's size throughout the day.
4. Corn Cushions for Toes: This is perfect for both preventative and post blister care. If you have a particular area that you know that one pair always gives you blisters (my baby toe is often the target) put a self sticking corn  cushion where the blister would potentially pop up. If you already have a blister it can be too painful to wear certain shoes with just a band-aid. The cushions give some relief if you put it directly over the blister and cover it with a band-aid to double secure it. Find ones like the Dr. Scholl's seen here.
5. Use Pretty Much Any/All Dr. Scholl's Blister/Foot Care: I get a lot of blisters or just skin rubbed completely raw on the back of my foot where my Achille's heel is (ironic, I know). Using Dr. Scholl's Blister Treatment or moleskin over areas that get a lot of friction helps SOO MUCH. You can also put the moleskin directly onto the shoes and cut them to size for reusable relief. Cannot. Stress. How. Great. Find these and others like them here

• Clothes 
• Accessories (jewelry, shoes, scarves, purses, hats, bags, belts, sunglasses, gloves, etc)
• Make Up (if it's in really nice condition or new) 
• Board Games
• Books/Cookbooks 
• Decor/Home Goods 
• Plants/Gardening Tools/Pots
• Holiday Decor
• Craft Supplies
• Art
• Kitchen Supplies (Dishes, flatware, glasses, pitchers, teapots, blenders, etc) 
• Bedding/Linens

1. Put numbers in a hat and have each guest pick one to determine the order
2. Guests can pick three items per turn to keep the swap moving 
3. After a certain max number of items you'd like to set for the swap (we chose 6-9) all the leftovers can be bagged for donation.*

Outfit:

Maxi Skirt: Ann Taylor (Also available on Shop Spring) 
Shirt: H&M (similar at Ann Taylor) 
Earrings: Vintage (similar at J. Crew) 
Sandals: Dolce Vita (similar at Nordstrom) 

Get the Look & More Pineapple Inspired Goodness: