Throwback Thursday New Year's Eve Style

Dress: Vera Wang

Bracelet/Headband: Deepa Gurnani

Shoes: Saint Laurent

Bag: Zac Posen

Earrings: Vintage

Makeup: Elizabeth Jones

Photography: Franz Swantko

Hello!  How are you?  What did you do to celebrate New Year's Eve?  I usually enjoy events and then post them afterwards.  How about you? These photos are from New Year's Eve, so I thought I'd do a Throwback Thursday post to show you what I wore.  We were able to snap some photos a little before the celebrating began at our beautiful local Renaissance Hotel.  This was the night to wear sparkly attire, so I  pulled out this beautiful gold/ champagne sequin and black lace dress from Vera Wang that I purchased at Saks.  I was waiting for an event to wear this dress, and New Year's Eve was definitely it. It was raining a lot that day so my hair developed flyaways, but oh well...what can you do about the rain right?  

This bracelet I am wearing is from Deepa Gurnani, a brand I recently discovered and I have to tell you that I am in Love with their work.  This piece was originally a headband, but I thought it was so pretty and matched my dress perfectly, so I wrapped it around my wrist a couple of times and made it into a bracelet accessory.  

What do you think about wearing highly embellished headbands also as bracelets?

Lessons from The Intern

Have you ever seen the movie The Intern?  If you haven't already seen it, I would definitely recommend it.  I watched this movie a few months ago and loved it.  There were a few themes woven throughout this story that I thought we could apply in our own lives.  

Here are a few lessons we can learn from The Intern...

1. Creating a Work/Life Balance

This can be tricky, especially when you're under the pressure of trying to "Do It All".  Whether you're a Super Mom/Dad, a Super Single Mom/Dad, or are a Super Single Person and are striving for Excellence in Every Aspect of Your Life, finding that balance at home and at work can create a happier you.

• Make Time for Exercise- Making time for exercise before work, after work, or taking a walk with our loved ones after dinner is essential. A 20-minute walk to get out of our minds and into our bodies is better than doing nothing.  
• Tech Free Meal Time- We had a life before cell phones, well some of us did.  There is absolutely no need for us to be on the phone constantly texting or in front of a screen watching video after video.  Also, our response to that latest email can wait a minute while we decompress a little with our loved ones talking face to face over dinner.
• Pre-Plan Meals- Starting out a crock pot meal in the morning will save us time when we get home from a long day at work.  There are also companies like Sun Basket or Blue Apron where we can order organic meals that are responsibly sourced.  Some meal delivery services cater to a vegetarian, gluten-free, and paleo diets that can be conveniently delivered directly to our homes.  
• Delegating/ Outsourcing- If we are the boss lady or man, we may want to delegate duties or outsource a service.  Delegating specific tasks to members of our team can grant us extra time to work on more important projects and also give our employees more opportunities to grow and shine.

2. Befriending the Most Senior Professional in Your Company-  When a well-seasoned professional speaks, we know it.  It's in their professional demeanor, acumen, and in the way they dress.  In this movie, he might have come in as a Senior Intern, but he walked in as a very Wise Seasoned Professional.  Have you ever heard of this phrase?  Birds of  a Feather, Flock Together?  When we are new at a company, we don't know everything, but Senior Members do.  It's good to get to know them, let them mentor us and most importantly, Listen. They've been there longer than we have and they know what it takes to be successful in that company's culture.  Making sure we stay humble and ask questions is important to remember.  After all, their wisdom can help build our strength.

3. Never Underestimate Someone Else's Abilities or Talk Down to Your Team When You Become "The Boss Lady or Boss Man"
Understanding each person's strengths can be the biggest asset to any organization.  Taking an inventory of each person's abilities is key.  They may even do certain things better than you can.  So, if you hire them, let them do what they do best.  Also, showing respect to your team by not talking down to them will make Everyone Feel Like Someone.

Photography: Franz Swantko

Makeup: Elizabeth Jones

Hair: Drybar

Dress: Zara

 Heels: Brian Atwood

Envelope Clutch: Sorelli

Scarf: Simply Vera Vera Wang

Sunnies: Tom Ford

Jacket: Armani Exchange

Satchel: Ralph Lauren

Work It Wear Wednesdays-Style Blogger in the City

Floral Tunic: Simply Vera Vera Wang Similar

Python Clutch: Zac Posen Similar

Kick Flare Jeans: Free People

Stiletto Heels: Bebe Similar Similar Similar

Sunnies: Gucci
Hair and Makeup: Francisco Estrada
Photography: Franz Swantko

Happy Wednesday to you!  How is everyone's week going?  Today, I wanted to represent the style bloggers out there who do photo shoots in the streets, crossing busy sidewalks, along the sides of buildings, in front of beautiful doors, fences, etc.  I'm still new to blogging, so I'd like to find out a little more about you...

What do you like most about style blogs?
Do you blog full-time or part-time? or not at all?

What kinds of things do you juggle in your day?  

What do you think is the hardest part about blogging?

What do you enjoy most about blogging?

I wanted to go for a more casual look today.  These jeans by Free People are the best of both worlds because you can literally pull them on, look great and still eat!  They are very comfortable and have the cutest kick flare to the legs.  I hemmed mine because I am a shorty, but they come in different lengths as well.  This is an older tunic top that I got at Kohl's from Vera Wang, but I love it and still wear it a lot because it is so comfortable and stylish.  I always get a ton of compliments when I wear it too.  Lastly, this python embossed olive leather clutch from Zac Posen is my most recent love.  It was one of those pieces that called out to me.  It is made of high-quality materials and has a slinky gold chain inside for a shoulder strap if you'd like to wear it hands-free for a better shopping experience lol.  You can find several Zac Posen versions of this exact purse in different colors and materials with the same distinctive design at Nordstrom, Neiman Marcus, Shopstyle, 6pm.com and Lyst.com.


Well, I hope you enjoyed this post.  I always like hearing from you!  Please leave your responses in the comments below.  Thank You!

Hope you have a Stylish and Joyful Week:)

XO Joanna

Work It Wear Wednesdays- Wine Tones

Dress: Armani Exchange Similar

Scarf: Vera Wang Similar

Handbag: Ivanka Trump

Heels: Stuart Weitzman Similar Similar

Sunglasses: Gucci Here 

Earrings: Vintage Similar
Hair and Makeup: Francisco Estrada
Photography: Franz Swantko

Wine Tones

Have you ever gone wine tasting?  Are you a wine connoisseur?  Do you prefer red or white?What is  your favorite wine?  

 I prefer red wines.  Currently, my favorite wine is from The Spanish Quarter and it's a tempranillo.  This outfit was inspired by the many shades and types of red wines like merlot, cabernet, pinot noir and bordeaux.  I found this adorable scarf from Vera Wang and wanted to style it into an outfit for Spring.  This outfit can work for winter or spring depending on how you accessorize it.  Since we are approaching spring, I  thought the scarf would add some light and airy qualities to it by adding this lighter colored scarf with matching colors.  Also, I wanted to bring out the bordeaux colored belt in this dress, so I added darker maroon shoes and this lovely bag by Ivanka Trump.  If you follow me, you know how much I love vintage and my outfit wouldn't be complete if I didn't add in some of it here.  My earrings are square, vintage, button style gold clip-ons.  Also, no outfit is complete without sunglasses in southern California, since most days are sunny and pretty here.

Hope you have a Wonderful Wednesday Wearing Wine Tones!

XO Joanna