BLAZER,SKINNY JEANS & A TOUCH OF PINK : VALENTINE'S DAY OOTD

 

Happy Valentine's Day! It’s also a Monday! So here’s my OOTD, with another installment of “Workwear Chic.” And yes, it’s an outfit I created by shopping my closet. 

I love jeans and I love Blazers! Throw in a pink or red top and some fun shoes, and you have an outfit which can take you from the staff meeting to the classroom party of your kiddo and then off to dinner with your significant other! Kept the accessories minimal by pairing my classic gold hoops from @eb.and.co to pair with the golden buttons on my double-breasted Blazer from @express ! If you loved my outfit, then feel free to shop my post, from the options mentioned below. 

How are you celebrating Valentine's Day ? Let me know in the comments. 

SHOP MY POST: 

1

SILK & LEATHER: VALENTINE'S DAY OOTD

When Valentine’s Day falls on a Monday, you think of “Workwear Chic,” as your aesthetic! It’s always fun to come up with new combination for pieces I already own. Outfits which are mom-bod friendly and don’t require spanx earn special brownie points in my book. And this is a perfect example, of an outfit which will take me from my Monday meetings at the workplace to the happy hour with hubs right after! 

I love repeating outfits, more so my favorite pieces. This outfit is a classic example of how silk can pair well with leather. You have feminism with a touch of edge. Since I am petite, I have been loving the trend of ankle crop pants and mom jeans. They are a good break from my regular skinny jeans. I paired my outfit with some pink leather earrings from Nickel and Suede and white leather boots! If you loved my outfit, I have linked either exact options or similar ones, for those items which are old. 

SHOP MY POST:

3

DUSTY ROSE : MY VALENTINE STYLE

Valentine's Day is almost here. And we haven't quite decided what we are doing this year. We usually go out for a cozy dinner. Or a brunch if Valentine's Day coincides with a weekend. Cherish each other's company. What are your plans this year? Being foodies, we love to try out new places, on special days. Valentine's Day usually has us at some romantic spot in town, clicking our glasses of bubbly.

Which also means, I need to plan my outfit. I decided to go shopping. But rather than hitting the mall, to scope out a V-Day deal, I shopped my closet. I have been wanting to do that for quite some time now but didn't get the time. Picked out quite a few clothing items and paired them in some new combos. I must add that I love the new combinations.

It was a choice between Reds or Pinks. I decided to rest the Reds, as I feel I have overdone them throughout the last Holiday season. So the choice was with my stash of pinks, blushes, and roses. One of my favorites is this Dusty Rose crop top, which I had picked out for Fashion Week, quite a few years back. I love this shade of pink as its so cool toned. I am a warm toned person myself, so anything which is cool toned, compliments me pretty well.  I styled it with a Window Pane Midi Skirt, another oldie from my closet. Some Nude Shoes, and some Pink Lips, and we were all set, weren't we? I carried forward the cool tone of the Dusty Rose top in the cool-toned Pink Lipstick- Kat Von D - Lovesick. Just a touch of Turquoise statement earrings to compliment it all. Pinks and Blues always go well together, don't they!

Here's wishing all of you have a great day of Love with your loved one!

SHOP MY LOOK :

1

BLUSHING FOR BLUSH : VDAY OOTD

Is it just me, or is everyone , desperately waiting for Spring ? Valentine's Day was just around the corner and it was a perfect opportunity to bring out some Spring colors. I love my monochromes , but pastels have a way of touching your heart . We have been having quite fluctuating temperatures here in the Midwest,which made it all the more easier to lose some of the multiple layers, we are otherwise bundled in.

Chunky knits are an eternal favorite of mine. And I might just have a bit too many of them, in my current rotation of clothes.

Valentine's Day is after the color of love. There are years, when I bring out the reds, but this year, I decided to go with a dusty rose. Blush was after all +Pantone 's Color of the Year for 2016. The sweater is chunky, yet has a lacy knit, which gives it a more romantic vibe. I paired it over a white button down. And I wanted to juxtapose the soft romanticism of the top with some something tough. Hence came my new Ripped Skinnies from American Eagle Outfitters . I loved the rips, the season's latest hemline, and undoubtedly the fit.

For my accessories, I wanted to keep them simple. My Prada Cat Eye Shades are a classic, and I love bringing it out ever so often. Its an investment piece, by all means, The red tone of the glasses were a great pair with the rosy sweater. My Nude Pumps , with kitten heels, are perfect, for Mommy runs, which always happen before a date night. And my old pink handbag from Coach.

SHOP MY LOOK :

0

HAPPY GALENTINE'S DAY LADIES

Valentine's Day is just around the corner. The day doused in 50 shades of Red and Pink and all things Passion. The reservations are made, and the gifts are in place, baby sitters are booked in. A Date Night with your significant other. February 14th in all its glory . My plans are similar to some extent. But its my pans for the evening before, which I thought I might chat up about .

Galentines' Day . February 13th. A day dedicated to your girl gang. Amy Poehler, might have coined the fancy moniker in Parks and Recreation, but the tradition of spending a dedicated to your friends, has been around. Honoring friendship, is always a special tradition.

If I was hosting a Galentine's Day Party for my Girlfriends, here's what I would do :

1. Dress Code : Red and Pink

2. Candles, Flowers , Confetti :
Setting the right mood for any party is a sure shot way of making your guest feel comfortable. Twinkling lights of the aromatic candles set around the room, pretty flowers and even some confetti, will have your guests in the right spirit soon enough.

3. "Hey Mr. DJ, put on the Music."
Which party is complete with music. And when its a night for your girl friends, let the Power Ladies of Music tak eover. Adele, Queen Bey, or  even the Spice Girls for a trip down memory lane.

4. Think Pink, when it comes to Something to Drink :
Virgin : Pink Lemonade
Alcoholic : Pink Champagne on Ice(Yes,she said it ), Raspberry Martini

5. A dessert table with the sweetest treats.
Chocolate, chocolate and more chocolate is never a bad idea. Champagne pairs pretty well, with a chocolate covered strawberry, if you didn't know. And for a doughnut loving soul like me, its the perfect evening.



6. Cue up my favorite Romantic Movies on the TV. Netflix and Chill can be a favorite for a Gilrs Night In.

7 . DIY SPA and Mani Pedi Stations for my favorite girls.
Biting into some chocolate covered strawberries, sipping on some Bubbly, watching the chocolate boys on the TV and having a spa date at home. It all sounds too good, right.

8. Last but not the least , engaging in some face to face conversation. Catching up. In today;s world of calls being by speedy texts, meet ups being replaced by Face Time, meeting up with friends in person, is very precious and much needed.

9. Or you could play dress up and hit the hottest spots in town, with the best Wing women, that your always treasure.

Have a lovely time ladies !

Pictures by : Debashish Dasgupta 

4

WHITE RUSSIAN FOR VALENTINE'S DAY - COCKTAIL SPECIAL

Who doesn't remember the drink made famous by the character called The Dude from the film 'The Big Lebowski.' White Russian is unmistakable in its charm and crowd pleasing abilities. From a Girls' Night In, to a big family party, it will always create its magic. Its a sweet cocktail and one of the perfect after dinner drinks, if your want to skip dessert. Its luscious and creamy and yet packs a punch

This cocktail had been on my mind for some time. While I had ordered it at a few evenings out, I finally decided to make it for Valentine's Day. We usually treat ourselves to some fancy cocktail when we are eating out. This year we celebrated Valentine's Day with a Romantic Dinner at Tavern at Mission Farms, added an accent piece to our living room decor with my Valentine's Day DIY and finally a round of cocktails at home.

White Russian needs a coffee liqueur . While the classic White Russian uses Bailey's Irish Cream, you can also substitute it with Kahlua . If you want it fancier, you can even add in a teaspoon of caramel sauce to every glass. You can even substitute the cream, with half and  half or with whole milk(if your pantry isn't helping you out). I prefer it just the classic way but had run out of heavy cream so substituted it with half and half.  I know this post doesn't have the fanciest of pictures, but trust me, its a great cocktail. So make yourself some White Russian and grab your favorite person to enjoy it.

WHITE RUSSIAN : 

Ingredients: 
Vodka : 1 oz
Bailey's Original Coffee Liqueur : 2 oz
Half and Half : 4 oz
Shaker
Ice Cubes and ice chips
Old Fashioned Glass
Meauring cup / Peg measure


Procedure:

Mix the ingredients with ice cubes in a shaker and shake well.

Strain in an old fashioned glass over some ice chips.

Enjoy !

4

TAVERN AT MISSION FARMS - VALENTINE'S DAY DINNER

Hello everyone. Hope all of you had a great Valentine's weekend. I did catch up on my lost sleep. That was one of the plans for this year. You can only catch up on so much lost sleep, when you have a toddler at home. We don't exchange gifts as such. This year, I repurposed an existing table and gave it a Valentine's Day befitting make over. You can read about it Here. Its a great Valentine's Day DIY .

Brunch and lunch did not quite happen, so we made reservations for Dinner. As we always try and explore a new  or unexplored joint (by us) , whenever its a special occasion, this time we headed to Mission Farms. Our dinner address: TAVERN at Mission Farms. We generally love Mission Farms and the restaurants there and keep going back there ever so often.

What we wore? We all had our touch of Red. It was a cold evening and we needed some warm food in our bellies fast. It was a conscious decision not to drink outside at night as we wanted to head home and make ourselves some special cocktail. Post coming up on Sunday on the special cocktail.

Tavern at Mission Farms serves up American cuisine. They have a bar area and a large dinning space and some private dinning areas. I loved the ambiance . The dim yellow lights, the big wall of wine bottles  and the crackling fire at the fire place added to the romance of the evening. The servers were well informed and very friendly.

We started off with an order of Chili Seared Jumbo Shrimp with green chili cheddar grits cake and barbecue butter sauce. It was topped with a roasted corn pico de gallo,which added the right crunch to it. This was definitely a pick for Main course , if you take my word. I would go back next time, and order this for lunch. It was a modern spin on the traditional Shrimp and Grits. The Shrimps were seared and I loved the char on them. The grits cake was luscious and the barbecue butter sauce with green chili, brought it all together. Although it was served it a wedge of lime, I preferred it better without adding anything.

Our daughter wanted to have her favorite- Macaroni and Cheese with a side of French fries. She was not interested in her fries, which Mommy and daddy offered to polish off as she worked on her dinner.

For our main course, my husband decided to order from the Special Menu of the Day. He settled for the Lollypop Lamb Rack served with heirloom potatoes and crispy cauliflower. It was a big portion for sure. For a man who loves his meat, his only complaint was that it had too many vegetables. Point noted.

I had my belly half full from the lovely appetizer and the fries discarded by my daughter, which I had been munching away to glory. Looking for what would be a smaller portion size, I noticed their section called, 'Hand Helds.' I ordered a portion of  their STEAK TACOS . Two tacos of flour tortillas, pepper jack cheese, roasted corn pico de gallo, chipotle aioli, which were served with black beans and chili lime slaw. Just the right flavor profile and serving size for me.

If you know my daughter, you know her sweet tooth. She kept asking for Chocolate Cake , the moment we had stepped in to the restaurant that evening. So we  asked our server to get us some of their Tripe Chocolate Cake . What came to our table , was the tallest  slice of cake I have seen. Just check it in comparison to our two year old's face. Their menu described it as Tall, Dark , and Delicious and it was every bit that. It was very rustic, very old school and very delicious. Three layers of decadent chocolate cake which was super soft with some very tasty chocolate buttercream frosting.

My favorite picks of the night were surely our Appetizer and Dessert, which shined over the main course of our choice. A nice place for a family meal together.

3