my Golden Globes best and worst

I love awards season. Something about the combination of everyone getting really dressed up, actors giving heartfelt or humorous speeches, and an excuse to watch ALL THE MOVIES really gets me going. Last night kicked off the big awards season for 2017, and I (of course) spent an obscene amount of time today picking out my best and worst of the red carpet. 

Without further ado: 

1. Brie Larson

This, in my eyes, is just about perfect. She looks so incredibly polished and glamorous, and it just screams "Old Hollywood" to me. Plus, the fit is perfect - no unfortunate boob issues (ahem, Anna Kendrick in Vionnet, no THANK you). So gorgeous and classic. 

Other faves: 

Lily Collins in Zuhair Murad

While I hate the hair (HATE IT), what a stunning princess dress this is. The detailing and close-ups shown during the pre-show all blew me away...the applique, the neckline...it's sheer princess and I think it's utterly perfect. 

Emma Stone in Valentino

Again, hi, it's so on-the-nose and I completely love it. For her to be as fair-skinned as she is and pull off this color is unbelievable too. Looking forward to seeing what she pulls out for the rest of the season!

Simone Biles

My obsession with the Final Five has, if anything, grown more intense since the close of Rio 2016, and Simone is fueling the fire. She wore gold, which is SO appropriate given, duh, Golden Globes, not to mention her myriad gold medals. Also of note: She's 4'8" and brought hot swimmer Conor Dwyer as her date. There are darling photos online...it makes my life. She knocked this one out of the park - 10/10. 

One of my utter favorite trends of the night was all the yellow dresses - there were so many, and I didn't even include them all here! I've long loved yellow (I blame Belle) and wore a (hideous) yellow gown to my senior prom - these ladies elevated it so much. 

Reese Witherspoon in Versace was one of my favorites...

...while Natalie Portman looked so flawless and just the right amount of vintage for her "Jackie" nomination. Oh my god, she's just so effortlessly radiant. 

Favorite yellow dress, though? The inimitable Viola Davis in shimmery Michael Kors. 

The cut, the color, the embellishment...it's all flawless. This might actually be my favorite of the night (sorry Brie). Her speech, too, was so heartfelt and lovely. What a class act. You win, Viola. 

Onto the worst...

1. Nicole Kidman in Alexander McQueen

Miss Havisham called, she wants her nightgown back. I understand wanting to go high fashion/couture for an event like this, but the Globes, I think, are not quite this edgy. Also, I'm sorry, it's just a sad, tattered, ragged unfortunate nightmare. Go back to Grey Gardens and hide this in the VERY far back of the closet, Nicole. 

Other notable misses: 

Janelle Monae in Armani Prive

Whoa, wow, ow, just way too much going on here. As a chronic lover of black-and-white, I usually adore that it's all she wears, but this is like a crazy drug dream. If like two elements had been taken out, between the bubble hem and the high-low and the polka dots and the netting and the sequins and the hair, I could totally have gotten behind this. 

Jessica Chastain in Prada

This is just kind of meh to me, and it's doing sad weird things to her boobs. I've seen her on some of the best-dressed lists and I really disagree...plus what is with her hair being slicked SO tightly to her skull? Not a fan. 

Speaking of dresses doing sad things to boobs...

Mandy Moore in Naeem Khan

Mandy Moore. When you are nominated for a Golden Globe, your boobs should not look like sad flat pancakes flopping around in navy blue tulle. Jamie in "A Walk To Remember" would NOT approve. 

Sarah Jessica Parker in Vera Wang

Stop letting Maria Von Trapp do your hair and give you fashion advice, SJP. Even Carrie Bradshaw would side-eye this one. 

Carrie Underwood in Iris Serban

This could have been so, so chic with like 30% fewer ruffles, and in black. But I'm of the opinion that everything is better in black. As it stands, it looks like she got attacked by a cotton-candy machine. 

And, sadly, Claire Foy in Erdem.

While Lily Collins's princess moment won me over, Claire (who plays Queen Elizabeth II in "The Crown") did NOT look like a princess. That said, her makeup and hair were phenomenal (see the article here, I'm obsessed) and her speech was my favorite of the night, particularly this quote: 

"I really, really, really wouldn't be here if it wasn't for some extraordinary women, and I'm going to thank them. One of them is Queen Elizabeth II. She has been at the center of the world for the past 63 years, and I think the world could do with a few more women at the center of it, if you ask me."

LOVE. JUST LOVE. 

Other faves for the night: this little squad of cuties: 

Apparently the "Stranger Things" squad won the red carpet hands-down, and they, along with the little honeybun from "Lion," were my faves. Much like darling Jacob Tremblay from "Room" spotting the Star Wars droids last year, the part when Dev Patel lifted up the little guy to the microphone utterly melted my heart. 

On to the next show! If you need me, I'll be swanning around in a couture gown and diamonds to practice. 

Where we shopped in Paris...

Naturally after food, we also had to figure out the best possible places to get our shopping fix satisfied over the course of our ten days in Paris! Who doesn't dream of having their "Devil Wears Prada" or, heck, "Passport to Paris" moment there? The city is overflowing with insane places to shop for anything from antiques to couture, and we took full advantage of it (on pretty much everything except antiques and couture...). 

Our hands-down favorite neighborhood for shopping was the Marais, a fashionable area in the 3rd arrondissement that was home to dozens of adorable boutiques and stores. Some of our favorites: 

nina kendosa, 31 Rue du Turenne: We stumbled in here on our first full day and fell in love. Everything was made in France, and the colors and textures were to-die-for. I bought a little cream jacket that I ended up wearing almost every day for the rest of the trip, and Em purchased a great dress. 

Comptoir des Cotonniers, 33 Rue des Francs Bourgeois: Mom was on a quest to find the perfect French jean, and this place was just the ticket. The two women working could not have been sweeter (and were kind enough to converse with me entirely en Français!), and they also had the perfect little black dress that I, alas, just couldn't justify. We spotted more locations all over Paris! Definitely a French staple. 

Merci, 111 Boulevard de Beaumarchais: A famous French home goods store that changes its theme every few season. This spring was focused around the idea of a garden. Everything was interesting and unique and so fun to admire. And their cute courtyard Fiat didn't hurt either...

Fragonard, 51 Rue des Francs Bourgeois: A gorgeous little perfume and gift shop where, unfortunately, the service was so terrible we all resisted purchases. Think towels and linens, pillows, decorative objects, and of course endless varieties of perfume. 

Coton Doux, 3 Rue Saint-Croix de la Bretonnerie: Novelty patterned button-downs. Emily had her eye on a macaron-printed one. I'm officially on their mailing list. Plus, the two hotties working were the best practice I've ever had at flirting in French. BAM. 

Scotch and Soda, 42 Rue Vieille du Temple: Emily bought the quintessential French jacket here...not quite a trench, not quite a cocoon coat, and she looks amazing in it, n'est-ce pas? (Her beret is also a purchase from Le Marais, from a little hat shop right off the Place des Vosges. It's literally a Raspberry Beret!! Prince would be so proud.)

La Chambre aux Confitures, 60 Rue Vieille du Temple: A jam, honey, oil, candle place that had seriously the most insane combinations of condiments I've ever seen. I got a lavender-apricot candle that I can't wait to burn...yum. 

Antoine et Lili, 51 Rue des Francs Bourgeois: A pink-fronted little hippie store full to the brim with the cutest vintage-y dresses, jewelry, and accessories. Em loved it. 

Carré d'Artistes, 29 Rue Vieille du Temple: Translating to "Artists' Market," this was the most incredibly charming, precious art gallery. Every painting is original, the gallerist was so friendly and helpful, and all three of us purchased paintings. 

Outside the Marais, we also got sucked into a few amazing boutiques...notably: 

Des Petits Hauts, 70 Rue Bonaparte: Oh my goodness, basically a pastel den of glitter and perfection. The jackets, shoes, and jewelry were all amazing. We went twice. 

"La Boulangerie" pop-up shop, 31 Rue des Trois Frères: This place doesn't have a website and their inventory changes daily because it's all locally crafted. We may or may not have been drunk on wine and fondue from Refuge des Fondus. And we may or may not have spent 90€ on yellow striped t-shirts with maps of Paris on the elbow pads. Like, we all three got the same one. Oops. 

Speaking of Montmartre...if you're looking to purchase art, DO NOT DO IT FROM THE TOURISTY BOUQUINISTES ALONG THE SEINE. Go to the Place du Tertre, which we have on good authority from a French impressionism expert is THE place to buy. Painters set up all along the perimeter of the square and display/work all day. Em and I both bought pieces, hers from the cutest man ever. 

Other favorites: 

Shakespeare & Company, 37 Rue de la Bûcherie: This place will forever, FOREVER have my heart. While there are hundreds of antique bookstores in Paris, none possess quite the charm and sheerly random magic of S&Co. I bought an edition of "The Tempest" from the late 1800s with watercolored illustrations, and of course a copy of Le Petit Prince. 

FNAC, on the Champs Elysées: completely saved our entire trip (and all these blog posts) when we were able to make an emergency trip there after everything else closed at 7pm to get a piece to Em's fancy camera's charger. Basically a French Best Buy. Super convenient for any electronic needs, which, let's be real, are more common than we'd like. 

Atelier Cologne, 8 Rue Saint-Florentin: We stumbled upon this place randomly in the middle of a rain shower and fell in love with the gentleman working, who was the company's international head of sales. He told us all about the stories behind the fragrances, and hand-embossed leather atomizers for Mom and I. She bought a fig scent, I bought one that literally translates to "the drunk citrus" and smells like a French 75. 

All three of us also bought Longchamps bags at their flagship store on the Rue Saint-Honoré. Apparently they're 30% cheaper in France because they don't get taxed as an export...woo-hoo! 

Finally, I have to plug the two most obvious places ever: museum gift shops (hi, bright-red Venus de Milo) and tourist kiosks. They're nothing groundbreaking, but who goes to Paris (or anywhere, really?) and doesn't want to pick up a few fun trinkets or gifts that are super cheesy and fun? They also saved Mom and Em's asses for one day after both their umbrellas mysteriously vanished...although they were NOT pleased about the cheesy Parisian monuments all over them and replaced them the next day at BHV, our favorite Marais department store. Ask me about my looooovely polyester scarf someday, hmm?

A tale of two purses.

With a trip to Mexico in the rearview and our Paris trip looming on the horizon, I’ve been thinking a lot about the things I’ve always done to make traveling easier for me. In this era of checked bag fees and carry-on size restrictions, one of the best things I’ve ever invested in was my beloved Primark bag.

When I studied in London, Primark was our Mecca. Imagine a giant, British version of Forever21…fast, cheap, disposable fashion with a price tag so low, I didn’t even feel the need to do the mental gymnastics to (painfully) convert British pounds to dollars. Every time I’d wear through the soles of my latest pair of cheap black flats, it was off to Primark for more. Ditto tights, basic sweaters, t-shirts, and even a few cute, simple little dresses. Easily the best purchase I made there, though, was their “Weekender” bag. Kaitlin and I bought the same one, and in the ensuing five years, it accompanied me:

…to Hyde Park…

…to Oxford…

…to the Tower of London…

…to Hampton Court…

…to Venice…

…to the Kentucky Derby (woof)…

…to Brazil and back… 

…to endless Notre Dame games (great for carrying contraband tailgate items to Concert on the Steps!)…

…back to London...

...and then to Ireland…

...to airports on three different continents, where I naturally always looked radiantly beautiful...

...and finally to Firefly, where it died a dusty, disintegrated-lining, painfully sad death.

Since its demise, I’ve genuinely trolled EBay looking for a replacement. It was so cheap I didn’t care if it got trashed, but so cute that I inevitably got compliments, even in its grossest, most faded and dingy state. Alas, turns out others don’t prize 10-dollar bags as highly as I do, because there are none available. With that, right before Mexico I turned to Persifor and picked up a perfect beach bag:

Unfortunately, though, my hopes that this could translate to an all-destinations bag like my Primark one did were dashed. The bag doesn’t zip and looks super beachy. With that, I’ve come to the realization that sometimes, you just get lucky and stumble on perfection. And with that, I’m planning my future work trips to London to make sure to include a Primark stop. In the meantime, any recommendations for a similarly perfect travel bag, hit me up!

101 in 1001 #31: Go one month without shopping.

Anyone who really knows me (or has seen my closet) knows I'm a fairly certifiable shopaholic. My affinity for J.Crew has become a byword among friends, who love to tease me about it, and having a mom and sister (not to mention brother, who might be the worst of us) who share my addiction hardly helps matters. 

With a fairly hefty rent to pay, though, and two international trips plus plenty of domestic travel on the books for 2015, I need to start making smarter money decisions, and one of the easiest areas to pare back my frivolous spending would be reducing shopping. Plus, what better way to kick off 2015 than with a little extra money in my bank account and a detox from one of my favorite addictions? So here goes nothing, I decided: January would be my shopping-free month. As the month progressed, I decided to chronicle the ups and downs in a sort of serial blog diary to see how it went, what the challenges were, and ultimately whether I could stick to it: 

January 2: Back at work. Just realized how often I online-window-shop in my spare time at the office...I can't decide if I should cut that out to reduce temptation, or if I should just consider it an exercise of my iron willpower. Jury's still out. 

January 3: After spending several hours doing laundry, I really don't think I need more clothes. The problem is I'm so loath to get rid of clothes I've loved, even if the love affair is dying a bit. I always think of JUST ONE OUTFIT that piece would be perfect for...then I never actually wear it and it's a moot point. 

January 5: During the "Bachelor" premiere, I ended up online-shopping Anthro (browsing only!) and got weirdly obsessed with pretty pajamas. Didn't buy...really wanted to. 

January 6: Online retailer C.Wonder is going out of business, and their entire online stock is 50% off. There's this adorable pair of smoking slippers that I would adore...but where would I really wear red velvet smoking slippers with a foot of snow on the ground in January? Resisted.

January 8: Trying to convince myself that shopping for my apartment doesn't count as shopping, but being honest with myself, it does. Because I really want to finish my gallery wall and there are a few prints on Etsy that I'm obsessing on...

January 9: I went in Anthropologie and didn't buy anything. Willpower growing. 

January 11: I spent most of the afternoon shopping with Claire and came dangerously close to breaking my month off for, in order: a great Express circle skirt, a yellow coat and a powder-blue coat at Macy's, a perfect ponte dress at Banana Republic, and a polka-dot blouse at Loft. STILL stuck to the no-shopping thing, but it was seriously not fun. 

January 13: DAMNIT. J.Crew Factory has a popback of the most gorgeous emerald green wool dress that I wanted and wanted for work, but it sold out in my size before I could order it...and it's on clearance for $48.99. Resist, resist, RESIST............

January 19: Honestly, the longer I've gone without shopping, the easier it's gotten. I do, however, have an obscenely long list of things I "need" to buy in February...mostly replacements for basics in my wardrobe that have gotten really tired. My white button-down is looking a little dingy, my favorite skinny jeans are faded and saggy, and I should really get rid of about ten pairs of underwear and replace them with something that doesn't say "VS PINK" in glitter on the ass. 

January 28: This is going to sound really weird, coming from me: I'm not even really wanting to shop once this month-long sabbatical ends. Sure, there are things I probably should buy, as mentioned above, but the desire to just go browse and touch things and be a consumer has waned for me in a big way. I'm liking the way that not spending money on clothes has freed up a little extra flex room in my budget...and it's forcing me to be more creative with the (obscene amount of) clothes I already have. 

February 1: I did it. No shopping, 30 days clean and still counting. It's funny reading back over the early days of this admittedly silly challenge I set myself...especially because by the end of the month, any desire I had to go shopping has drastically abated. Not going to lie, I still browse online for cute clothes on my lunch break, and I'm totally looking forward to buying a cute new sundress for my trip to Mexico, but all things considered, I'm going to consider this shopaholic reformed! 

To check out the rest of my 101 in 1001, click here!

The girliest girl.

I enjoy being a girl very, very much, and I am a fairly stereotypical girly girl. Few things give me more pleasure than shopping. Once, Jon tried to throw out a bunch of my shoes that I "hadn't worn in a while," and I had a real live panic attack. Pink has been my favorite on and off for a long time. And I adore little girly indulgences. Here are some of my favorites lately...because everyone needs something fun to get them through January:

I've already covered my adoration for A La Mode. The salon is pink, it smells pretty, they play good music, and I've never had a bad manicure. I've been treating myself to shellac manis since June, and I love them a lot. Check out some of the sweet manicures I've had this fall:

I also have quite the collection of nail polish myself, and since my shellac manis last 3 weeks, I'm getting out my polish addiction on fun pedicures. Who doesn't love candy-bright colors with fun names like "Tart Deco" and "Pilates Hottie?" Sign me up. 

We've covered my love of candles, and I think few things are girlier and more fun than delicious smelling girly ones. I light one in the bathroom every time I take a bath, and there are always a few that are on rotation in my bedroom for nights of Netflix or reading in bed. Every time I've stopped in Anthropologie lately, I've found myself smelling these guys...I'm thinking I may buy myself one as a treat this February to reward myself for surviving January!

One of my favorite things to do these days as nights grow ever more bone-chilling and my weekends start to slow down a little is to spend my Sunday nights all to myself beautifying. I'm a new convert to the joys of Lush bath bombs...they're uniformly delicious-smelling and incredibly fun, and who doesn't love soaking in a steamy rainbow-y bath?! I pop one in, get all lathered up in a Queen Helene Mint Julep face mask and a Bumble&bumble Mending Complex deep conditioner, and just chill out. Follow it up with Clinique 7-day Scrub, Garden of Eden shea butter lotion (Vanilla Fig is my fall-and-winter fave), and call it a very, very relaxed night. 

And last but not least, I've stolen a page from Marilyn Monroe's book. It may not be Chanel No. 5, but every night I wear a few spritzes of perfume to bed. Because, why the hell not? Who cares if I'm sleeping alone...it's just a fun, incredibly indulgent little something to send me off to sleep with a smile. 

Here's to femininity, and to feminine vices. Long live the girly girl. We all know she has more fun!