Ray Ban Aviators

Despite my ever growing sunglasses collection, there's one style that I always turn to and that is the classic aviator. It's a style that has this inherent coolness factor that's unmatched by anything else on the market. When it comes to aviators no brand is more iconic and synonymous with the name than Ray Bans.

Since it's first debut back in 1936 (thank you Wikipedia) not much has changed over the years. The classic tear drop shape is still unaltered, the lens has the same slight convex shape to eliminate glare from all angles and the famous thin wire frames are still bendy enough for you to salvage them if (or when in my instance) your toddler decides to sit on your glasses.

There's so much to love right? But the true bee's knees is that these sunnies were once designed with only pragmatism in mind and have since turned into absolute style icons. Now 80 years later and we're all still wearing them like it's nobody's business. 

Pictured above: Ray Ban aqua mirror lens and Ray Ban black frame polarised version.

Wardrobe Diaries: Sweatshirt, Skirt and Stilettos

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One of the best trends to emerge in recent years has to be the glamorization of loungewear. Who knew looking stylish could be oh, so comfortable! With the plethora of boyfriend jeans, sweatpants, wedge sneakers, baseball caps, duffle bags gracing the fashion scene, it's hard to ignore the fact that comfort wear is here to stay.

Most street style looks combine loungewear with some other form of urban wear. Think leather, camo, drapey neutrals and lots of black. While I adore the edgy minimal approach to making sweats look chic, I also love the idea of glamming things every now and then with flirty feminine pieces in the brightest of colours. With Spring on the horizon, here's a few things I'll be wearing to get me through these last weeks of winter- a comfy sweatshirt, long line pencil skirt, pointy toed pumps, leather wrap bracelet and my beloved Trio.

So tell me readers, when was the last time you wore sweats out of the house? Have you also caught the comfort bug? 

{ wearing: gap sweatshirt . asos pencil skirt . vince camuto pumps similar here or splurge here . ted baker collar . celine trio crossbody bag . michael kors 'slim runway' watch . bracelet thanks to house of gemmes }

Friday's Fancies

Happy friday folks! And just like that February is almost over and what a crazy month it's been! New York Fashion Week, London Fashion Week, monster storm on the East coast, the launch of Vine App by Twitter, Chinese New Year, Valentine's Day and how can we forget Taco Bell's viva young commercial during the Superbowl. All of this in the shortest month of the year. I'm still reveling from my birthday celebrations and quite certain that I've already met my cake quota for the year.

So tell me readers, how did you spend your February?

Absolutely ecstatic when I received this little ray of sunshine in the mail from my mum and sister. Doesn't this butter yellow colour just conjur up images of cupcakes and lemon meringue? I can't help but envision trays and trays of pretty pastel cupcakes scattered across my kitchen floor while I'm standing by my new mixer with a spatula in one hand and the tail of my Marchesa in the other. Is it obvious how much of a Tim Walker fan I am? 

As if splurging on a little birthday treat wasn't enough. I was pleasantly surprised when I opened my mail to find the sweetest little thank you note from the wonderful staff at Nordies. That just goes to show, true style stems from the heart.

Throwing my first brunch of the year with ample sweet treats and sushi. None of which are very brunchy but together makes up the perfect feast, a healthy main followed by decadent dessert. Oh and let's not forget the most important component of brunch- champagne! 

I don't know why people frown upon child labour. Little hands are wonderful for peeling garlic! These little pungent balls of fun have been wonderful at keeping my kids entertained for no end. All of a sudden my little energizer bunnies are transformed into focused little workers.

By now every blogger I know has now some form of Prabal Gurung for Target in their closet. When you look at it you understand why it was such a popular collection. Punchy graphics in wearable styles at an affordable price, this may just be the best designer collab Target has put together. For me, the best part was the shoes. Every style was a nod to it's designer doppleganger making it affordable to achieve runway looks for the every girl.  I only wish they didn't sell out so fast. 

Crispy Parmesan Edamame

They say simple is often the best and when it comes to cooking, no truer words were ever spoken. With the promise of Spring on the horizon, these days I'm all about simple delicious fare where the produce really shines through. Like this recipe for oven roasted parmesan edamame. Not only is it healthy and delicious but it takes a total of 30 seconds to prepare, how's that for easy! I love roasting up a large tray to have on hand whenever I'm craving a snack. They pair great with an ice cold glass of beer, and unexpected guests are always delighted by the sight of having something homemade to nibble on.

So next time you're pouring butter over popcorn for movie night, why not give this healthy alternative a try?

 

Crispy Parmesan Edamame

Ingredients
1 tbsp olive oil
1/4 tsp sea salt
fresh cracked pepper
2 tbsp grated parmesan (more if necessary)
1 bag of frozen edamame

Method
1. Preheat oven to 400F degrees and line baking tray.
1. Open a bag of frozen edamame and spread onto baking tray in single layer.
2. Pour olive oil and lightly toss to coat evenly.
3. Season with sea salt, fresh cracked pepper and parmesan cheese. Lightly toss to coat.
4. Bake for 10 minutes. Slightly cool and enjoy!

Wardrobe Diaries: Birthday Ballerina

They say you're only ever as old as you feel. This weekend I turned another year older, and while I don't particularly feel my age, the rest of me begs to differ. Tiny fine lines are starting to show, little aches and pains where there once was none and I'm pretty sure I've even began shrinking.

So to celebrate, I did what any fun-loving girl faced with the realisation that her youth will soon be over, would do. I threw on the girliest pink dress I could find and twirled and twirled till my feet ached and heart raced. It was just what I needed to remind myself that age is but a number. Besides it's never too late to live out your prima ballerina dreams.

Here's to growing old gracefully!

{ wearing: asos tutu dress . luchessi cap toe heels . mossman pastel necklace .  beaded topshop clutch } 

Valentine's Greeting

Happy Valentine's Day readers! Thank you for all the love you've shown this little blog throughout the past year. I just love sharing with you my inspirations, ideas and general musings. I don't say it often enough, but thank you so much for visiting and I hope you've enjoyed your stay. Here's a little something from my home to yours. xo

Just in case you were interested in putting together your own little photo shoot, I've included some pics of the backdrop setup below. Everything you see here cost me a total of $6 and 20 minutes to make. The hardest part (as any mother of tots) can attest to is making your kids stand still and cooperating. After a lengthy two hour teeth grinding ordeal, I gave up and settled on these pics. Sure, I couldn't get a decent pic of the two of them together, sure most of the pics turned out blurry and sure their eyes were closed in half of the shots. But little imperfections add character right? Or so I tell myself.

Wardrobe Diaries: Black and White

As much as I love playing dressing up, there's nothing quite as alluring as a simple black and white outfit. Especially one that involves a white button down and black trousers (or some variation of it). It's smart, sophisticated and never outdated.

In this case, my white button down involves a luxurious silky designer shirt with a playful cape detail and some skin tight leather leggings. A classic black and white uniform provides the perfect backdrop to showcase my latest shoe obsession, these metallic silver sandals. I love the slight hint of skin they lend to an otherwise covered up outfit. Finishing off with a dash of colour on the lips, a structured tote to offset the flowy shirt, and a bright white mani/pedi.

Simple as it may be, I think I've just found my new favourite outfit. That just goes to show, they don't call them classics for nothing.

{ wearing: tibi shirt now on major sale . kookai leggings similar here . asos sandals . zara tote available online in mini version . nail colour blanc by essie . lip colour violet crush by estee lauder }

Friday's Fancies

Signing off early this week in preparation for Chinese New Year. I'm anticipating a day filled with frenzied cleaning and non-stop cooking in time for the traditional New Year's Eve feast on saturday. To anyone else out there celebrating, I hope your weekend is full of good food, good company and lots of red pockets (in the sense that you'll be receiving and not giving, ha!). Here's a few photos to sum up the week. Happy friday!

A new read my wonderful cousin sent over for my birthday, accompanied by the sweetest note. After a quick flip through and I am already mesmerized by Coco's photos and Karl Largerfeld's original drawings. 

Welcome to music city, Nashville. This is one of my favourite views of the city seen from the interstate. It's amazing what a glorious sunset does for the city and the soul. 

Absolutely in love with opaque white mani's lately. They not only match with absolutely everything, but is also flattering on all skin types and provides the perfect contrast to your outfit. The perfect non-colour, no? The colour here is Blanc by Essie. 

Highlight of this week was taking the kids to watch their dad parachute out of a c17. This was the first time they've gone to watch where they were actually aware of their surroundings. Needless to say, the rest of the day was filled with excited chatter about planes and parachutes and dad. 

I recently came across giant-sized Pocky at my local asian supermarket and let me tell you, my world has completely changed! 

Basil-Seared Salmon with Vegetable Orzo

A couple of weeks ago I took the kids to our local Rainforest Cafe for a bit of a treat. While I really wasn't expecting to be wowed by the food there, it came as a pleasant surprise when they served up a delicious basil-seared salmon with one of the best tasting orzos I've ever had. My taste buds immediately went into overdrive as I tried to deconstruct the recipe with each bite. By the end of the meal I had managed to narrow down the basic components but was still missing a few I'd need to recreate the dish. As usual, quick google search solved all my problems. Turns out, the basil-salmon at Rainforest cafe is so popular that their chefs had whipped it up for daytime tv.

My version is quite close to the original with some minor tweaks. I've made a few substitutions to better suit homecooking (who has lobster broth just lying around?) and additional seasoning to kick things up a notch. This dish is not only delicious and healthy but takes less than 30 minutes to make. Best thing is, my kids absolutely eat it up and that rarely ever happens.

 

 

Basil-Seared Salmon with Vegetable Orzo and Crispy Salmon Skin

Salmon:

1 piece fresh salmon

4 basil leaves (or enough to coat salmon)

1/8 tsp cracked black pepper

1/4 tsp sea salt

1 oz. olive oil

dash of Mediterranean seasoning (optional)

Orzo:

1 tomato diced

1 zucchini chopped 

1/2 red bell pepper chopped

1/2 yellow bell pepper chopped

1/2 small onion chopped

3 cloves garlic minced

1/2 lb orzo pre-cooked

4oz. clam juice

1 tbsp chopped basil

pinch of salt and black pepper

1 tbsp grated parmesan cheese to serve

1. Bring large pot of water to boil, add orzo, cook till al dente, drain and set aside. 

2. Remove salmon skin and rub salmon with sea salt, fresh cracked pepper and/or additional seasoning of your choice. Season salmon skin with a pinch of sea salt and fresh cracked pepper.

3. Lay basil leaves over non-skin side, heat non-stick pan and add olive oil. 

4. Gently lay salmon with basil side down onto the hot pan and sear for approx. 2 minutes (depending on thickness of fish). Flip salmon and sear the other side for 2 minutes. Transfer to 450F degree oven and continue cooking for approx. 4 minutes. 

5. Sear salmon skin in same pan over medium-low heat until crispy.

6. Using the same pan, remove excess oil. Add fresh olive oil and brown garlic and onions till fragrant.

7. Add vegetables to pan and continue cooking till almost cooked through. Add orzo pasta and clam juice, continue to simmer till broth is reduced by 50%.

8. Stir in chopped basil, salt and pepper and parmesan cheese. 

9. Serve with crispy salmon skin on the side.

* recipe adapted from Rainforest Cafe's original 

Wardrobe Diaries: Winter's Uniform

Ever since I arrived back from Australia earlier last month, it dawned on me how little of my closet actually gets used. The five months away forced me to become creative, mixing and matching the handful of clothing I had, while shopping trips became scavenger hunts for versatile pieces that could work in any outfit. The whole experience was surprisingly soothing, turns out we really don't need that  much at all.

This leads me to the outfit in this post. For the past month, this red duffle coat and leopard slippers have become my unoffical winter's uniform. I grab it when I'm running errands in a hurry just as much as when I'm dressed up for a lunch date. Leopard and red is not only a classic combination, but also neutral enough to work with just about anything. As part of my spring cleaning for this year, I'm planning to apply the same 'less is more' approach to the rest of my wardrobe. It's about time a makeover happened.

I'm interested to know if any of you have an unofficial winter's uniform? Do you sometimes find yourself wearing the same thing again and again? 

{ wearing: madewell duffle coat . zara leather skirt similar here . kookai turtleneck similar here . florsheim leopard slippers also loving this . tory burch tote . brooks brothers gloves . necklace thanks to karen london }