Last night I was treated to an invitation-only advanced screening of the Twilight Saga: Eclipse, three hours before it was released to the public!

With no red carpet or paparazzi in attendance at our little New Orleans AMC theater, I kept it casual and Edward-Jacob neutral with this sparkly striped top and a (wrinkly, whoops!) pair of trousers.

[Ellen Tracy tee, GAP belt, J Crew trousers, Aldo shoes]

I must admit, I voraciously read the Twilight Saga last year and loved every minute of it.  It certainly wasn’t a life changing experience, but it is a fantastical love story that I couldn’t help but get swept up in.

Austin and I had some fun with these photos before I left for the movie, but don’t worry I didn’t actually bring the book with me!

Emily, me, and Meg with our tickets.  We arrived early to get in line with fans of all ages, many decked out in their “Team Edward” tees and “Team Jacob” bags.  We had a great time and felt so special to see Eclipse early.

And the movie itself?  Yeah, it was pretty fun to watch, but I don’t want to spoil anything for you (wink wink).

Have you, or do you plan to see Eclipse?

xo Rach

Amidst the house hunting last week, Austin and I took a few minutes to walk through the beautiful City Park.  Located in the Mid-City neighborhood of New Orleans, City Park covers 1,300 acres and offers a ton of activities and attractions, including a Botanical Garden and the New Orleans Museum of Art.  It’s truly a delightful afternoon escape.

I found this skirt at a Goodwill for $9 back in 2001 and still wear it, nine years later!  I thought it was the perfect bottom to wear with my favorite Breton stripe top before it got so hot that I had to pack this long sleeve tee away.  This subtle mix of patterns and primary colors were also a lovely contrast to the deep greens of the park.

With Little Bo Peep, sitting on her sheep!  The Storyland playground in City Park was closed when we got there but fortunately they were on the outside of the gates, available for posing.

Summer Bun, one of my Haute Summer Hair looks.

Sunnies: Ray Ban Wayfarer
Tee: F21
Locket: H&M
Belt: F21
Skirt: Thrifted at Goodwill circa 2001
Shoes: Target
Polish: Office by American Apparel


This one’s for my girls.  Thank you, a million times over.

xo Rach

Since its release many months ago I’ve been lusting after the 3.1 Phillip Lim Resort 2010 collection.  It’s absolutely fabulous, but certainly not very affordable for a regular gal like me.

The look below, in particular, really struck me as a great outfit for a date night out with Austin.  When we decided to head to a local Spanish restaurant for some sangria and paella last week I used the occasion as an excuse to re-create my version of the 3.1 Phillip Lim look.


The ingredients:

+ Patterned blouse with 3/4 length sleeves

+ Caramel buckle belt

+ Textured white skirt

+ Tan patent platform pumps, preferably snakeskin if available

+ Over-sized shoulder bag


The result:

As you can tell I took a few creative liberties to make this look my own, like wearing a smaller shoulder bag rather than the over-sized hobo pictured.  I also don’t own a lace skirt so I wore an old corduroy one that I bought from Target years ago. I actually dug it out of my ‘donate to Goodwill’ bag for this outfit!

Blouse:  Ellen Tracey via Macy’s
Belt: Target
Skirt: Also Target
Pumps: H&M
Bag: Vintage Anne Klein


What do you think of my interpretation?  Would you wear this look?

xo Rach