Month: September 2016

September Style Guide-Back to School

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I know that it’s a little late in the month, but frankly, I didn’t realize that October is in few days until today when I checked my calendar.  I hope that this isn’t too late as it is still the month of September.  School may have been back in session for a while, but it won’t be stopping anytime soon.

Fall fashion is a blessing and a curse.  There are so many great fall styles, but I’m constantly taking risks since I don’t know how the weather will play out.  When I leave the house at 7 am, it is 45 degrees and when I walk out of school at 3, it’s 70 degrees.  Weather just cannot ever make up its mind in Minnesota.

That being said, I kind of just wear whatever and bring along a jacket.  Somedays I can get away with summer clothes which I’m going to take advantage of for the time being.  Come October, I’ll dress in full-fledged fall apparel.

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Tweed is a perfect material for a skirt in the fall.  It’s thicker looking but still really comfortable.  I love this one since it’s rainbow tweed and has cute little pockets.  Skirt: J. Crew, Shirt: Topshop, Necklace: Anthropology, Shoes: AGL

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I love this outfit since it’s simple and unique at the same time.  The shirt and shorts are monochromatic as they are white with golden thread.  The jacket doubles as a rain jacket and offers a pop of color.  Shirt and Shorts: J Crew, shoes: Sperry, jacket: Nordstrom’s.  

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Yes, I know that this dress seems really summery, but the fabric isn’t that light and who really wants to let go of summer.  Dress: J Crew, sandals: Jack Rogers

I’ve realized that most the clothes are from J Crew.  That wasn’t on purpose, but I guess that they are really good at season transitioning fashion!

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Minneapolis Food-Glam Doll Donuts

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Gourmet donuts have become really popular recently.  We Americans have always loved a good donut with coffee on a Sunday morning but our obsession and demand has grown.  We now crave more than just an old-fashioned glazed from the grocery store.  We want the over the top, the obscure and the finest.  When I find myself at a donut shop, I tend to look for the most outrageous, the one that I can’t get anywhere else.

A little bit ago, I caught word of a newer donut shop right in the heart of Minneapolis.  People had been instagraming pictures of neon bright beautifully designed donuts from Glam Doll, so I figured I had to try it out.

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The fun exterior or Glam Doll.

I came on a Saturday morning and joined the line that curved down the street.  That had to mean it was good.  After waiting, I got to the counter and ordered 2 donuts out of the dozens of unique kinds from the display case.  The display case itself is quite impressive since it is beautifully laid out and eye catching.  I ordered a lemon creme cheese cruller and a blackberry filled parmesan cheese cake donut.  My friend got a plain frosted one which she described as amazing.

They really were well worth the wait.  The cruller literally melted in my month and I was obsessed with the frosting that came on top of it.  The blackberry one was maybe a little too rich, but I really enjoyed it being paired with parmesan cheese making the donut one of a kind.  They also have some interesting savory donuts such a Sriracha donut and beer blended donut.

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My beautiful breakfast at glam doll!

The shop is super cute with fun little decorations and a pink color scheme.  The sitting area is surprisingly quiet which allows you to relax while eating.  They also have a coffee shop like area with all sorts of coffee and tea to enjoy the donuts with, making the experience complete.

I highly recommend venturing to uptown on a weekend morning to discover fabulous donuts in a great environment.  It all makes for a great outing.

Fall essentials #1-Plaid Tartan Skirt

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Well, fall is pretty much here.  It’s strange, but only in the last few days have I noticed it.  The temperature is dropping, the leaves of starting to turn color and school is back in full swing.  While not all of these fall characteristics are necessarily positive, they come on the heels of a hot and smeltery summer (at least in Minnesota) meaning that I can’t wait to adorn an oversized sweater and tall boots again.  I apologize that I haven’t written frequently recently.  School has started and it seems as though I’m already being drowned in homework.  I’m going to try to write as much as a I can, but some weeks it might be hard.

As for this post, I want to continue with the wardrobe essentials series and bring it into the fall season.  I’ll write three over the course of the three fall months as I did with summer.  To start off, I wanted to showcase an item that I didn’t realize its full worth until after having bought it slightly impulsively.  I find that my plaid tartan skirt is extremely versatile and truly gives an outfit a classic look.  It might seem a little school girlish, but with a right accessories and shirt, one can look really sophisticated in it.  Also, it’s great for fall with the color scheme and material, in addition to the holiday season where tartan is everywhere in fashion.

 

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By pairing the skirt with a bulky shirt, the look is unconventional yet modern.  It can make a statement.  

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Patterns on patterns!  It’s different but I don’t think that it is too busy.  A lot of people have been doing this lately, but make sure you have minimal accessories.  

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This is a very classic fall look, but it’s great for the start of the chilly weather. I’m wearing navy turtle neck sweater with the skirt and a fun vintage necklace.  

The skirt is from Vineyard Vines along with the sweater and the checkered shirt.  The shoes are AGL flats and the shirt is from Zara.

http://www.vineyardvines.com

http://www.zara.com/us/

http://www.agl.com/us/

Best Pizza in the Twin Cities

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America, the land of opportunity and… pizza?  Although Italian, it seems as though our culture has really adapted to the pizza craze and as it has become threaded into our lives.  “Pizza and a movie?, Pizza and a football game?, Having friends over? Pizza?”.  These phases we have all heard countless times as pizza has become embedded into our lives.  However, for many of us, like me, Pizza Hut just doesn’t really cut it anymore.  Why stuff ourselves with artificial fast food junk when our country has plenty of alternatives to enjoy the classic American meal.

While I’m always on the look out for a new good pizza places, I’ve secured my favorites in the Minneapolis area.  If you live in the Twin Cities or planning on visiting, I highly recommend you give both Punch Pizza and Hello Pizza a shot.

Punch Pizza is a local chain with multiple locations spread out across the metro.  It is one of the only places where you can get real and authentic Neapolitan pizza.  It might not be quite as good as the stuff you’d find in Italy, but it’s pretty darn close.  A favorite among many, you can order to eat in or take out.  The wait is relatively short and the place is quite casual.  It has a sort of casual Italian street cafe feel to it.  I’m not sure if you can go wrong with any of the pizzas but my personal favorite is the Margherita Extra.  It’s similar to the classic Margherita ( which is also delicious) but instead of regular mozzarella, it has buffalo mozzarella and whole cooked cherry tomatoes on top of it.

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Margherita Extra from Punch!

Completely different from Punch, Hello offers great gourmet New Style Pizza in a fun and quirky setting.  I’m not even sure what to interior is suppose to imitate, but I do know that it is cool.  They have a photo booth in a corner where you can pay an extra dollar to get a string of pictures and post it around the walls of the place.  As for the pizza,  I would recommend the Sicilian which is a thicker square piece with blobs of fabulous sauce, cheese and basil or the Hello Rita which is an Americanized Margherita.   I’ve also heard the Hello Trinity is good too.  They have a great salad called Smoky Greens which is a salad topped with blue cheese, onion, pine nuts and delicious dressing.  Oh and save room for some irresistible soft served ice cream complete with your choice of toppings that include salted caramel and salted olive oil (it is actually very good).

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The funky interior of Hello.  

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Hello Rita!