A Messy Closet, Cute Outfits & Real Talk
A forgotten laptop, an Indian restaurant, dancing granddaughters, caviar sliders, and leopard pants styled three ways…sometimes the universe just hands you the weekend you didn't know you needed.
I left home on Friday around mid-day to visit my daughter and her family in Richmond, Virginia. I was having a great day and so excited to get to there to have dinner with my daughter, her husband and my sweet granddaughter! We ate at an Indian restaurant (I love Indian food) and it was absolutely delicious! When dinner was over, it had gotten a little late and Stella needed to go to bed, but first, she gave her mom and I quite a performance as she danced around so joyfully to the Nutcracker ballet album (her favorite) and it made my heart happy to watch her…so innocent and free to dance and laugh and be her beautiful self!
Stella went to bed and I went back to my hotel…happy and filled with anticipation for the weekend ahead! I washed my face and put on my pajamas and was ready to hop in the bed with my computer to write a blog post for Saturday morning only to realize I had forgotten my computer! I called Baldy who answered his phone and said…”it’s right here”! Well, my first thought was holy s**t…what am I going to do and my second thought was…”there is nothing I can do, so I’m going to bed and I’m going to get up and have a wonderful day with my family”…which is exactly what I did!
For several weeks (or longer) I had kind of been “putting it out there” that I needed a day off…sometimes, the burnout is real and here I was, getting that day off that had asked for (go figure)!
We had such a wonderful day on Saturday…I met my daughter and her sweet family for brunch at Can Can Brasserie and we had so much yummy food…pancakes, quiche, French fries, eggs Benedict and hot cappuccino! I had the great honor of sitting beside Stella who is so adorable and sweet and very chatty! I do have the most amazing grandchildren!
After brunch, we walked around…going into Creme de la Creme which is one of my favorite home decor boutiques, a truly fabulous toy store and a small independent children’s bookstore (I’ll have to get those shop names for you). After that, it was time for Stella to have a nap so she went home with her dad and Rebecca and I shopped a little more. We then took a break and had a glass of wine at the cutest wine shop called Celladora, and then went to the Christian Siriano and Ashley Longshore Exhibit which was beyond fabulous and very timely (if you know Ashley Longshore, you understand). I dropped Rebecca off at home and spent a little more time with Stella before going back to my hotel to get ready for dinner.
My daughter and I had dinner that night at a fabulous restaurant called Lillian (hello Caviar Sliders) and had a chance to talk and catch up. It was a lovely evening and I slept so well after a wonderful dinner and great conversation. I said my goodbyes this morning and headed home without one single concern about my computer!
On the way home, I listened to my mentor, Melanie Ann Layer on YouTube and felt so inspired and excited for everything I still get to learn and to live in this life! Right now, even though I want to keep up with what’s going on in the world, I find it so comforting to know that I can still feel uplifted and inspired to grow and contribute my time and talents.
There is only so much any of us can do right now and that feels heartbreaking and frustrating…but what we can do is to make sure we don’t forget that we were put on this earth to share our individual gifts and shine! And…what if in doing so, we gave others permission to do the same?! When I watch my grandchildren, so innocent and perfect, I only want the world to be a better place so they don’t have to grow up trying to understand things that no adult could ever explain or understand themselves and should never have to!
It was raining when I left my hotel this morning and the very kind bellman there helped me get my bags into the car and chatted with me as he did. It’s so nice to connect with people you meet along the way and learn about their lives.
I enjoyed the drive home and when I arrived, my sweet pups were there to greet me (Baldy was visiting with his dad) and I could only think about just how blessed I am. I wish that feeling for everyone in the world…and my heart breaks for those who are suffering. It is unjust and infuriating!
Ultimately, what a weekend away without my computer taught me was this…I absolutely love what I do! I love that I get to share my life, be creative, work with amazing brands and use my voice in the best way I know how to speak out! This blog will continue to be a mix of everything I love from fashion, to food, to travel and family. I will also not ever be quiet about caring and advocating for people who don’t have a voice and speaking out about the atrocities that are going on right now!
In this time of great chaos, it is important to remember that a light is being shined on things that were cloaked in darkness for too long. It may seem unbearable at times, but until that light is shined and everything is out in the open, nothing can change. Old systems and ways of doing things are no longer working and I’m confident that great change is coming…we just have to keep speaking up for what is right!
It always feels a little strange to transition from writing something very heart felt and important to talking about what I’m wearing, however we do all have to get dressed each day!
So…I’m wondering if you’ve seen enough of my leopard barrel jeans from Cabi? They are so unexpectedly versatile and I keep thinking of new ways to style them! In the photo above, I’m wearing them with a green cardigan from American Vintage, a crew neck tee and my new leopard sneakers! This is such a great everyday look that will keep you warm and it’s so much fun!
And, for this colorful look…I’m wearing a cropped tweed jacket from Hunter Bell with a white tee underneath, a spring trench from Anthropologie, Veronica Beard jeans and white bag, an older pair of Roger Vivier pumps (also love love these off-white ones or these gold loafers) and of course, my pearl necklace from Julie Miles! I didn’t purchase my Hunter Bell jacket and the trench I’m wearing to go together…but it was such a happy and unexpected surprise when they did! I love the bright colors for spring and will be wearing these pieces in as many ways as I possibly can!
And one more look with the pants… this entire look is from Cabi. I will say that I’m being awfully nice to Cabi as I can’t use affiliate links for their site, but I love this look so much that I just couldn’t keep it to myself! The denim jacket (I also purchased this one) is beyond cute and white blouse (similar here) is perfect to start wearing now and into spring as it gets warmer. I decided to add my leopard booties because you can never have too much leopard! My bag is from Polene Paris (similar here) and I can’t link that either (what am I doing here?)
I’m adding a boutique below with links to similar items but I think this look would be fairly easy to recreate with pieces you already have in your closet!
And lastly…my photographer and I have both been very busy lately and are catching up on shooting content, so that’s why I’m sharing these selfies taken in my messy closet.
When I got home from Richmond today I decided to get my closet cleaned up and organized as I was unpacking my suitcase and it feels so good! My closet is a special and important space to me…a haven containing clothes and items that I love and are a reflection of me! When it’s messy, it feels as if I’m not honoring myself if that makes any sense. I want getting dressed to be a creative and enjoyable endeavor each day and when all I’m looking at is a mess, that becomes difficult.
It looks much better now, but I’m still working on a bit of editing so stay tuned!
I hope you all had a great weekend and didn’t miss me too much during my self imposed break!
I wrote a Substack today that talks about this topic in a bit of a different way with a few pictures from my trip!
Thanks so much for reading today!
~XOXO Suzanne