Friday's Fancies

Hello hello, happy friday everyone! I am now blogging to you from Melbourne, Australia. We landed earlier today after what might be described as a marathon of a flight. For those of you with little ones, you'll understand what it's like traveling anywhere with them. Now add to that 20+ hours in the air, 10+ hours of transit and travel, the crossing of 8 time zones and the sudden change from summer to winter. Let's just say I was quite relieved when I heard those two front wheels hit the tarmac.

Now that I've landed, I can't wait to get back to my usual blogging schedule. I'm dying to catch up with everyone and see how you're all doing. I'm sure I've missed so many great posts this past week. Thank you for continuing to visit me even though there hasn't been much activity lately. If you're interested in seeing what life is like down under, I will be snapping away on instagram @jeneechen. For now, a few pictures from life this week. xx Jenee C.

Spending quality time with my sister baking, laughing and eating. These were meant to be passionfruit yoyo's but they looked so cute open instead of sandwiched that we decided to leave them that way.

Miss mini-me fast asleep with her sunnies on. Keeping a low-profile so she gets to nap in peace. Little did she know it made for adorable photos.

We do not have a Whole Foods in our town, the nearest one is an hour away (sad face). I make sure I visit every other week to stock up on whatever fresh produce is in season. These beautiful figs go so well in soups.

Putting together a few colours to bring with with me that would transition well from summer to winter to spring to summer and back to winter. Yep, I will be experiencing all 5 seasons in the next 4 months.  

I love surprises but best of all, I love watching my kids faces light up at surprise visits from daddy when we're out at the park.

Wardrobe Diaries: Silver Accents

As much as I love gold jewelry, sometimes it's nice to take a break and wear head to toe neutrals. I'm really loving silver accents for fall this year. The sweethearts at Karen London sent over this gorgeous hammered silver collar and I may or may not have been wearing it religiously ever since I got it.

Actually neutrals and I go way back. There was a time when all I'd wear were shades of grey and black and white. Architects are known for dressing head to toe in black. Being the young eager Architecture student that I was, I didn't want to upset the stereotype. These days I'm much more open to different styles and shades. Though neutrals will always have a special place in my heart, there's also a little room for brights.

{ paul & joe sister dress worn as top also loving this and this . zara leather skirt . zara sandals old . collar necklace thanks to karen london . r+j clutch . chain bracelet thanks to karen london . ariel gordon thin bangle . jgood cable bangle . michael kors cuff . longines watch . diamond necklace and bracelet gift }

In My Suitcase

This week I have been quite absent from the blogosphere. The kids and I are about to embark on a four month trip to Australia so things have been a little hectic in this household. My wonderful sister has kindly traveled 30 hours from Melbourne to Nashville (yes, that's how long it takes!) so I wouldn't have to fly alone with the kids. We depart in less than a week, yikes!

Instead of my usual friday's fancies this week I thought I'd share with you a few outfits I've packed in my suitcase. I choose classic pieces that could easily be mixed and matched together. I also stuck to the 5 piece rule, where I choose only 5 pieces from each category. This helps me be extra selective and ensures that I don't pack. Plus, it's a good reason for me to do extra shopping at my destination.

1. Outerwear
This is my favourite category of clothing. I've packed all my classic go-to pieces here. My classic trench coat, leather jacket, denim jacket, blazer and my all time favourite houndstooth cape.

2. Pants
I've tried to be as diverse as possible with my pants selection. Again, adhering to the 5 piece rule. In my suitcase I have my black coated jeans, floral ankle jeans, distressed skinny jeans, red ankle pants and a pair of sweatpants.

3. Bottoms
Along with pants I also included an array of skirts and shorts. My picks are, black leather skirt, floral midi length skirt, chiffon shorts I bought in Australia the last time, denim shorts, and my pink highlighter skirt.

4. Tops
With tops, I tried to keep things simple and neutral picking out pieces that would work well with all my outfits. For instance, the sleeveless stripe blouse, classic white shirt, silk purple blouse, chambray shirt and a black ballet tee. I won't lie, sticking to 5 tops was incredibly difficult, I may have to make an exception so I can add a few basic tees and tanks.

5. Dresses
I love wearing dresses, they are the easiest way to look put together. It's probably against my better judgement to leave behind all my maxi's, sundresses, casual dress and only bring with me special occasion pieces. Out of everything in my closest I decided to pack my feather cocktail dress, a stripe tweed dress perfect for weddings, a deep red dress for date nights, a corporate looking dress and a black leather dress with lace sleeves.

6. Sweaters and Cardigans
Okay so I probably don't need the sweaters, but if I'm going to be taking outfit photos at my destination, it's better to have some on hand just in case. In my suitcase I have a white cable knit, black knit, and pink stripe knit. I've also packed a mint cardigan and a black peplum cardigan.

Wardrobe Diaries: A Pop of Neon

I am not much of a neon person and have sucessfully steered clear from the trend all year... that was until I came across this colourblock knit from J.Crew. The bright yellow paired with the muted grey was just too pretty to pass up. Being a knit fabric, it really softened up the neon and eliminated any hints of safety wear that I usually associate with it.

These studded shorts, thanks to Sugarlips were the perfect bottoms to pair with the knit. I actually think these shorts and top were made for each other, don't you? I love how the pop of yellow brings out the subtle brass studs. To finish off the look, I threw on a denim jacket and an oversized tote in a similar tone to vertically tie the outfit together. 

{ j.crew knit top no longer available similar here and here . j.crew factory jacket similar here also loving the vest version . shorts thanks to sugarlips . cole hann tote . david yurman chevron cat-eye sunglasses . michael shannon pumps . bracelets by j.crew, jgood, ariel gordon, amrita singh, tiffany & co } 

Friday's Fancies: Storage Solutions

I'm always interested in seeing how other people organise their beauty products and accessories. Everyone has their own creative and unique approach. The most interesting and pleasant solutions I find usually turn out to be the most simple and low tech. Today I thought I'd share with you some of mine. Happy friday everyone!

I keep my nail polishes and lipsticks in little fish bowls. Everytime I stick my hands in to pick out a colour, I feel like a kid at a candy store. That's why it's only fitting to also keep some real candy alongside. 

My husband bought me this tiny wooden elephant in Thailand. It was one of the first real vacations we went on. I keep my wedding rings on it when I'm at home. 

My proudest piece of furniture is this makeshift shoe rack from an old cd/dvd rack. The unique shelving for cd's makes it perfect for housing heels. I keep my occasional wear shoes on this rack, and keep my day to day shoes on another shelf in the garage.

I once read that a pair of birds in the bedroom brings peace and happiness to the marital pair. Now I am far from being superstitious but figured if I was going to decorate anyway, it might as well be with pieces that are meaningful. Plus these birds are really good are holding my watches and bracelets.

The most pragmatic solution of the lot is how I keep my costume jewelry. They hang from velcro pieces on a specially designed jewelry holder I picked up from The Container Store. This simple, inexpensive purchase makes picking out accessories so much easier. Plus my kids love to look at all the bright shiny things. The velcro pieces are surprisingly strong too and have deterred my kids more than once. 

An Airborne Air Show

Before you begin reading I must warn you, this post is neither fashion nor food related. In fact there's nothing very feminine about it at all. Today's post is a little bit different. I thought I'd share with you a glimpse into the 'camo' side of {camo meets couture}.

If the title hasn't given it away yet, this blog post is about an air show. Okay, you're probably rolling your eyes right now but this isn't your typical run of the mill show. These are pictures taken at the annual air show on our Army base. Sure, there were planes somersaulting in the sky but this air show was focused more on celebrating the military, especially the Airborne division than it was about showcasing different types of aircrafts. After all this year marks the 70th birthday of the 101st Airborne Division (Screamin' Eagles). Enjoy!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Location: Fort Campbell, Kentucky.

Wardrobe Diaries: Beige and Black

I love wearing simple ensembles in interesting textures. Textures play a big part in my personal aesthetics and it reaches into all aspects of my life, from household decor to architectural design to fashion. It's just such a great way to add interest to an outfit without attracting too much attention. Whenever I see a simple piece made in an interesting texture I can pretty much guarantee that it will end up in my wardrobe. For instance, this blazer. I love how it takes the classic two-toned blazer and gives it a completely different feel in chiffon. To contrast the delicate nature of the jacket, I paired it with these coated black skinnies. The ankle zips add just the right amount of edge to the overall outfit. To keep things from looking too matchy matchy, I finished off the outfit with a tweed and sequin bag.

Now if you break this outfit down once more, it just comes apart as a simple ensemble of jeans, t-shirt, and blazer.

 

{ LC for khols blazer no longer available other great chiffon blazers here, here and here . target t-shirt . zara pants similar here and here . coach crossbody bag . nine west pumps }