The winner is...

The winner for the $100 Shopbop giveaway is...


 wrigsbee1212!! 


 Congratulations! Please email me your contact info at lequaintrelle@gmail.com


 Thanks everyone for entering!

Things From Around The Web

    Finally a website where you can publicly shame your dog (but still not be able to get mad at them because look at that face!)

50 ways to tie a scarf  just in time for fall.

Some great pictures of Endeavour's final flyover over LA. (I admit, I cried watching the live news coverage of it SO SUE ME.)

More historical footage that made me cry this week. 

The Key to Parenting: Not Wanting Kids

My sister emailed me this at one in the morning where I proceeded to laugh hysterically by myself in bed.

Places my heart would be content.

A compilation of people walking into things.

I have an on-going joke on my instagram where I take candid pictures of my brother doing ridiculous things. I call it Look at this A-hole. It now has a Twitter.

Happy Autumn!

Happy first day of fall! While summer definitely has its perks, it feels like it was just never-ending this year. Miserable heat waves and uncomfortable humidity, I am so ready for you to go. Autumn is by far my favorite season. If there was a magical place like Narnia, but instead of winter it was just perpetual autumn, I would go there and never come back. Even though everyone tells me that in California we don't have a true autumn, or rather, autumn doesn't really appear until well after Halloween, I still love it. Give me sweaters and scarves and boots and I am a happy girl. All I want to do is bundle up and drink hot chocolate and eat pumpkin pie. Is that too much to ask for? So even if I do have to wait several more weeks until autumn truly arrives where I'm at, I still have my scarves and boots on deck and ready for action at a moment's notice.

Book Report: Revolutionary Road

"Intelligent, thinking people could take things like this in their stride, just as they took the larger absurdities of deadly dull jobs in the city and deadly dull homes in the suburbs. Economic circumstances might force you to live in this environment, but the important thing was to keep from being contaminated. The important thing, always, was to remember who you were." 

I notice that every once in awhile an idea or concept or feeling or whatever pops into my head and I become completely enthralled with it. I start to watch TV shows and movies and read books that have to do with it until I get my fix on whatever it is I want to know/feel/act like/learn about. A couple weeks ago I got this weird feeling that I wanted to read about life in the 1950s American suburbs. Or perhaps the disillusionment of how perfect everyone seemed to have thought it was. Immediately Revolutionary Road By Richard Yates came to mind. I had already seen the Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio film adaptation and I really enjoyed it. I bought the book years ago and it had just sat on my bookshelf while other books took priority. Now after finally reading it I have no idea what took me so long.

If you haven't read the book or seen the movie, it's about a young couple Frank and April Wheeler who, like everyone else in the post-war 1950s, move from New York City to a Connecticut suburb to start a family. After two kids and several years at a mind-numbing job in the city, the couple starts to get restless and nostalgic about what their life could have been like--or could still be like. April comes up with the idea of packing up and moving the family to Paris. To her, Paris is where people really live life, unlike Connecticut where people just go through the motions of a life they think they're suppose to have. The book chronicles what happens when the couple tries to achieve this life that they think they're missing out on, and trying to keep it together when things don't go according to plan and everything starts to unravel. 

To me, one of the most amazing things about this book is that it was published in 1961. It wasn't published 50 years later when time had passed and people had forgotten what it was really like, or when nostalgia of the good ol' days had crept in with its rose-colored glasses. It was contemporary for its time--truthful and honest about how people may have felt while trying to adjust to this new concept of "suburbia" and this new way of life. The country was prospering but there was still a new generation of young people who were trying to find their spot in it all.  They were torn between living a life of passion and adventure, traveling and experiencing all that the world had to offer or succumbing to the "Leave It To Beaver" lifestyle of backyard barbecues, PTA meetings and bridge games.

The thing I loved most about this book is the dialogue between characters. A lot of the time when you read books from 50 years ago, the dialogue seems so unrealistic, that you couldn't imagine anyone ever talking that way. But this book is the complete opposite of that.  April and Frank's conversations and arguments are so believable that you could apply it to any couple today and it would still seem relevant.  And isn't that the ultimate feat? To have something still be relevant half a century later?

I was completely engrossed with this book, not being able to put it down and still thinking about it once I did. It was one of those books where I would read something, my jaw would drop and I would immediately think "I need to discuss this with someone." It was a book where you just wish someone was reading it right there next to you so you could look over to them and say, "Can you believe that?!"

So if you're looking for a book to read, a book to take you to a different era that still feels eerily familiar, that lets you eavesdrop on a couple that is both passionate and delusional, and that makes you love and hate the characters simultaneously, then I cannot recommend this book enough. And if you have already read it: what did you think about it?   Did you love it or hate it? And what are you reading now?

A Few of My Favorite Things

1. Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee. I've mentioned this on here before, but I can't help that I love it so much. If you don't know what it is, it's a weekly web series by Jerry Seinfeld where he and another comedian go out to get coffee. If you've ever wondered what two famous comedians talk about when they're together, this series answers that question. You, as a viewer, are essentially just a fly on the wall to two extremely funny people's conversation. New episodes come out every Thursday but there are only a couple more episodes left. I would highly recommend catching up on them if you haven't already.


    2. My Stella & Dot off-center cross necklace. I have a couple of different cross necklaces, but this one is my new favorite. I wear it literally every day. I know that sideways cross necklaces have been around for awhile now, but this one can be wore with the cross sideways or up further so it's right-side up but off-center around your neck. I just really like the different design of a traditional necklace. It's also dainty so I can wear it with everything, and it's sterling silver, which is a major plus. Bottom line: it's pretty much the perfect necklace.


      3. Demi Lavato's skin. Have you guys been watching X-Factor? I watched it the first couple nights, and all I got out out if was how perfect Demi Lavato's skin is. I haven't been this obsessed with someone's skin since Cate Blanchett in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. Yeah, yeah I know that it might just be a really good makeup job, but regardless, it's flawless. And next to Britney Spears, it's looks even more perfect. Don't get me wrong, I love me some Britney, but it always looks like she slept in her makeup or she just got done crying. Or maybe that's just me. It's probably just me. Does this post make my jealousy look big?




4. Coin Dozer. Let me just preface this with saying: I do not play games on my phone. Other than my previous addiction to Angry Birds, I am not one to download game apps. My co-worker got me onto Coin Dozer though. There really is no point to the game other than to try and knock coins off of the ledge with other coins and win prizes. Not real prizes, but fake game prizes that help you, essentially, knock more coins off the ledge. I don't know what it is about it, but wasting my free time playing this ridiculous game has become one of my favorite things to do lately.



So those are just a few of my favorite things as of right now. But I'm always in the market to become obsessed with new things, so what's your guys' current addictions?

Win a $100 Shopbop giftcard for Vince Clothing!

With summer coming to an end isn't it time you got your closet ready with some new clothes for fall? And how much easier would that be with a $100 giftcard to Shopbop to get you started? You could stock up on anything from Vince clothing to Elizabeth and James coats to boots from Freebird by Steven.

All you have to do is comment below by Tuesday September 25th to be entered to win! This giveaway is open to international entries as well. Don't forget to fan Shopbop on Facebook and good luck!

Hat Trends for Fall

                     CHECK THE BEST HAT TRENDS FOR FALL- 2012

 A great addition to your attire for the evening, hats can be both trendy and protective. For centuries women have used cloth to cover their heads out of tradition, culture or maybe just to protect themselves from the heat or cold and this has developed over the centuries into hats. Today hats have become an important fashion accessory that most women can’t go without. With the release of the Fall/Winter 2012-2013 hat collections, more women just couldn’t go without a hat to fit their evening look. The following is a list of the different kinds of hats that are in style this season, with a few tips on how to wear them with your dress:

                                                             Image Source: http://makeupandbeauty.com/

• FEDORA HATS 

Fedora hats were initially designed for men in the 19th century, but later it evolved into a hat type for both sexes. This is a hat that goes with anything and everything, looking great for anyone. It would give you a feminine look if worn with a printed dress or a rough look when paired with trousers and a shirt. Fedora hats would bring style and class to your outfit.

                                                   Image Source: http://www.lookbookfashion.com/

•  FUR HATS 

 Fur hats are a perfect choice for the winter as they not only protect you from the cold but are also beautiful and luxurious. A popular type of hat among women of all ages, the fur hats come in a variety of colours that are designed to attract attention. Fur hats are most flexible when it comes to wearing them. You can pair it with nearly any style of outfit and footwear.

                                                       Image Source: http://www.glamcheck.com/fashion/ 

•  CLOCHE HATS 

A hat that is all feminine. Cloche hats bring you a great attractive and sexy look. This season brings back the cloche hats from the 1920s that made women look most graceful and beautiful. A cloche hat would look its best with woman dresses like skirts, trench coats and chic coats and is a great choice to add to your outfit for weddings and parties.

                                                             Image Source: http://fashion2012-2013.com/ 

• TOP HATS 

 Top hats that were worn only as an accessory with drama costumes, has made its way to the hat line this fall. Although it cannot be called a versatile hat and cannot easily be paired with anything, it would definitely look good for an opera or a themed party. Remember to never pair a top hat with a tuxedo.

                                                         Image Source: http://www.loveandcowboys.com/

•  COWBOY HATS

 Bring a little western touch to your attire by paring your outfit with a cowboy hat. This season is all about paring your cowboy boots and cowboy shirt with a pair of cowboy hat to finish your look. Remember to wear them with bright cropped jackets and leather gloves or any outfit with zippers. Also make sure to use edgy accessories.

                                                          Image Source: http://fashion2012-2013.com/

•  GAUCHO HATS 

Gaucho hats can nicely compliment any women’s feminine look, they are stylish and exquisite. Although a gaucho hat cannot be paired with all kinds of dresses and cannot be worn to all occasions, this season’s hat line brings gauchos as an experiment to the fashion world. Gauchos look best when paired with strapless cocktails and trouser suites. As you have seen this fall brings you a line of great hats. Rather than just plainly following the above advices, always bring in an element of your style and creativity when it comes to wearing a hat. Only you know what suites you the best.


 Author’s Bio – Suzy Walsh is fashion expert and stylist with ‘The House Of Elegance Fashion’ and has contributed to some of the prime fashion blogs of the globe. She has an innate sense of fashion and is known to offer the best style picks for her readers.

Stella and Dot

I wanted to announce that I've decided to try something new and become a  Stella & Dot independent stylist. A lot of you probably have already heard or know about Stella & Dot, but if you don't, it's a jewelry company that allows you to sell the jewelry online and by hosting trunk shows. While I'm still just starting off, I'm really excited about it. I've ordered quite a few pieces already and love all of it. They have everything from simple, everyday pieces to fun and quirky statement pieces. I'd love for you to check it out for yourselves and let me know what you think!

Words of Wisdom Wednesday

Things From Around the Web

Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee is my new favorite web series. Does it get any better than Jerry Seinfeld and Larry David?

Winning the Olympic vault, 56 years apart.

 I'm a woman but not, like, a proper adult or anything.

Celebrities read mean tweets about themselves. Matt LeBlanc had me cracking up.

 If you've ever wondered what it's like to go to the Westminster Dog show... on acid.

What you've always wanted to say to people who respond to texts with "K."

Why Ryan Lochte is the best Olympian on Twitter. (6 & 18 had me dying)


Mr. Wizard being a dick to kids. 

I may or may not have bought this shirt, but this one is just as accurate.

If you wanted a mental image of Olympic divers on the toilet: here you go.

                                            Hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

Image: High divers from the 1908 London Olympics

Words of Wisdom Wednesday

727

  Dress: thrifted skirt: Old Navy sandals: Victoria's Secret Earrings: Forever 21 Bracelet: Stella & Dot


Other outfits you've seen these pieces:

Words of Wisdom Wednesday

Pigs Fly

 (Shirt: Kohls Skirt: Ross Belt: Wet Seal Sandals: Victoria's Secret)
 

This was right after I got back from getting my nails done. I'm the kind of person that likes to go to the nail shop to relax and have someone else do my nails when I'm too impatient and lazy to do them myself. The thing I hate about nail shops? The ladies talking to me. Don't get me wrong, I'm nice and all for having a conversation with someone, but I can't stand small talk or when someone feel like they have to talk about something. I promise you, I am completely fine reading my US Weekly in silence. Also, I hate it because they always try to up-sell you with something and I am the biggest pushover that agrees to whatever just so they'll stop talking. So I pick out my color and the lady's doing my nails and she starts telling me about how people are painting one of their nails differently and I should try it and blah blah. I've tried this trend before, I'm so-so on it. I don't think it looks that great on me, but whatever, I agree to let her do it, if I don't like it I'll just fix it when I get home (I brought a color from home). She asks me what color I wanted for the different nail. Thinking what might look good with coral I tell her, "just do white" She mumbles something I don't understand and says, "No, I do brown. It'll look better." I don't have the heart to tell her that it's going to look awful, but she ends up figuring it out anyway when I see her wiping the brown off my nail after she painted it. Then I hear, "Okay, this look better.." I look down and all I have on my nail is single coat of white sparkle. Granted, it did look better than the brown... but it looked like I just completely forgot to paint one of my nails. So went home and changed it to this:



Disco inferno! I sort of love it even though I kind of wish the sparkle was on the ring finger instead but IT'S JUST NAILS I'LL GET OVER IT. If you're curious the coral color is Essie's "Tart Deco" and the sparkle is Essies "Set in Stone".

Other outfits you've seen these pieces:

Recap

 
 
 
    Just in case you don't follow me on Instagram, here is what I've been up to.