The Mister and I just got back from a trip to California last week. He travels quite a bit for work and I tag along for the good destinations when I can. We spent two days in San Francisco then drove across the Golden Gate Bridge and up Highway 101 to Calistoga in Napa Valley. A packing post will be up on the blog soon, so I won’t go into what was in my suitcase, but wanted to share my favorite look from the trip. After a red-eye back into D.C. followed by a days long Napa hangover (totally worth the pain) I am now recovered from my zombie like state and finally sharing this “wearing it then” post. Available pieces are in the Shop page.
The last day of our trip we went on a wine tasting excursion to three vineyards: V. Sattui Winery, Turnbull Wine Cellars, and Cakebread Cellars. With these types of activities where it’s a laid back vibe and mostly outdoors, you first and foremost want to be comfortable. Having been on many a wine tastings in Virginia I have my own vineyard wear look down pretty well. When I’m dressing for traipsing through the vines and picnicking on the grounds sipping local vintages I go for a look as casual cool as I can get. This typically involves light denims and linens, soft cotton t-shirts, an A+ layering piece in case of a heavy breeze, and my favorite french girl accesories. Because whenever you’re trying to be effortlessly cool… you go French. The only reason I didn’t have linen on hand here is because sadly it doesn’t pack well.
The t-shirt was a last minute switch. The Mister bought it for me in San Francisco and I was dying to wear it, so I swapped out my original top for this and I really love how it turned out. A recent discovery, Marine Layer makes exquisitely soft t-shirts that look and feel fantastic. Striped t-shirts are basically white t-shirts to me, so this varsity stripe adds a nice sporty striped variety to my collection. The white jeans are also somewhat new. I got them on sale at Gap for $7.00. Unfortunately, a member of our party had a red wine mishap and turned the crisp white shade of my pants into a purple mess. Fortunately, they were still available online so I snagged another pair because I love them so much. Mid-waisted and slightly loose on the leg they’re a very modest cropped wide leg denim style. If you’re hesitant about that style but want to experiment with it, give this pair a try and check out my post on the cropped wide leg trend for styling tips.
The sweater blazer was my third piece for the day. We toured the wineries and it was a bit chilly inside the cellars so I brought it along to throw over my shoulders inside. With soft merino wool and a nice tailored cut this fuzzy blazer is a great addition for any fall wardrobe. It’s available in grey and navy if you fancy a look.
I’m totally into the handkerchief neck tie trend, and have every intention of wearing it for forever. Further details also in an upcoming post 😉 . The neck tie adds an extra element of refinement, and for this look I chose a neutral scarf to blend with my white/black monochrome palette. I finished with a pair of chambray espadrilles wedges. I am a big fan of espadrilles, wedges, and ankle straps so these are a summer favorite of mine. I went back and forth between these or a black pair, but decided on these because the light blue added a gentle touch of color to a black/white outfit. And then the hair. I’m only mentioning it because it was a total accident but turned out to be my favorite element. Sadly I can count how many times I’ve brushed my hair in the last week on one hand (with fingers to spare.) But sometimes I think it works out. I’m so simple (lazy) about my hair that often my favorite do’s are ones that happen when I’m really, really not trying. I was getting ready to put a little make up on and threw my hair up in this half bun thing and thought… hey that looks cool. So it stayed. Moral to the story, throw your hair in the air like you just don’t care. 🙂
And there you have it. Bisous!