When it comes to the holiday season, I think the hardest people to shop for are the men in our lives. Husbands, boyfriends, dads, brothers- it can be so so impossible to decide what to buy, and tempting to take the easy way out and throw video games and gift cards in their direction. Wanting to branch out just a little, I’ve done some browsing and online shopping, and these are some of my favorite guy gifts this season.
I’ve obviously gotten great joy out of living this unicorn life, and since the holidays are truly the season of giving, I’m sharing some of the glittery goodness with y’all this Black Friday. I’m kicking off a series of 5 holiday gift guides today with all things shimmery, metallic, sparkly, unicorn…
While we were in New York, though it was for Fall Fashion Week, the weather was unseasonably hot. Since it felt like midsummer, we wanted to take as much advantage of it as we could. So one morning, instead of heading straight to fashion shows, we walked to a little bakery, and made our way into Central Park and to the boathouse.
Man, oh man, it was good to be home in New Orleans. The official excuse for the trip was a wedding, for one of my college roommates and sorority sisters. But we always want to spend time with David’s mom, have friends and family to love on, new babies to meet and kiss, so our weekend in NOLA was a long and busy one.
I realized right before we left for NYC that all of the pictures David and I have had made look nothing like me- I have totally outdated hair color! Oh, unicorn life problems. Fortunately, we were able to make a little time for a date with Paige Sovic to get some updated shots taken, so I wanted to share them.
Even in during the craziest of weeks, in the busiest cities, I do my best to find quiet time. Don’t get me wrong- I love New York City, but sometimes the tall buildings and the crowds can make me feel just a little bit claustrophobic. So I make time to catch my breath, like the morning David and I woke up early to walk down the Highline.
We are back from New York and the madness that was NYFW! I was pretty quiet about it during the lead-up, simply because it came together so quickly. But it was one of the most exhilarating experiences of my career and life thus far and I’m so excited to share it with y’all.
The Shopstyle Social House event was actually the first invitation I received for the week in New York, and I was so excited about it. A blogger’s oasis in a gorgeous space, I was looking forward to connecting with amazing people and brands, and it totally didn’t disappoint!
Brands like Neiman Marcus, Marks & Spencer, Luisaviaroma, Sam Edelman and more all provided tons of clothes and accessories for us to choose from and borrow to wear for the week. Going through those racks was so fun… and if you follow my instagram (specifically my stories!) you saw the sneak peeks and know I went home with some seriously good stuff!
The glass houses was so perfectly decorated for this event, with lots of little photo-ready spaces. Hallmark was providing the prettiest cards and mailing them for us, so I loved sending a little love from the big apple.
Gigi NY was foil-pressing initials onto crossbody bags, while Sole Society monogrammed social handles onto denim scarves. {use code NYFW16 for 20% off madison and catie bags at GigiNY }. Baublebar gifted us chokers, and I felt all pampered with makeup by Le Metier de Beaute and hair by R + Co.
They also had a photography team on deck, providing rooftop mini- shoots… pretty much a blogger’s dream, realized. The below three images are by the talented Ugla Hauk.
That black Trina Turk tote was one of the items i borrowed for the week- i really was glad
I think my favorite part of the event was running into all the darling girls that I’ve gotten to know over Instagram!
Jamie (in blue) was such sweetheart, and Abby (in that killer Milly sequined dress) is a good friend- we had a sleepover one night. It seemed like I ran into Kat and Taylor (with the gorge strawberry blonde mane) at lots of different events. And Stefanie is the cutest- she made her green outfit!
tank || cape, under $70 || shorts || clutch c/0 August California || tote c/o Trina Turk and Shopstyle || heels || choker c/o baublebar || earrings || ring
We did so much in NYC- it was amazing and exhausting! Obviously, lots of good stuff coming soon to the blog…
loveRavayna
I was so excited for us to finally be home and unscheduled on a Sunday so we could go eat at Smorgasburg. I love food trucks and food halls and all delicious food, so I was seriously jazzed to get my fat little fingers into all the yummy offerings.
During the week, this space is the wholesale produce market, so I’ve been before when shopping for jamming or a pie party. Then, it’s been crowded with crates of produce, but I’ve never seen this many people at the Bay before.
We were hungry, so we beelined for a legendary ramen cheesburger. It was INCREDIBLE- crispy and chewy and savory and it honestly disappeared in just a few bites and I was sad I had to share it with David and contemplated getting right back in line for a second round. It totally lived up to the talk.
We moved on to artisan mozzarella sticks and that was a very good life choice. We skipped the beer garden, because I had left my ID in my purse from the night before. I wasn’t brokenhearted, because I’m not a beer lover and David was driving, so I wandered off to do a little shopping.
I was pleasantly surprised at the caliber of the shops – there is obviously an application process, because all the vendors were diverse and quality. I went in for sunnies and caftans at Coast to Coast vintage, and eyed this holo swell for quite a while at beautiful things.
Another sandwich round was up next for us, with a pork belly Banh Oui. I know fusion isn’t perfectly authentic, but this was one of the best pork belly sandwiches I’ve ever had, perfectly balanced and so mouthwatering!
As we moved on to sweets, I had to go full out for the coconut bowl at Amazebowls. It was super gorgeous, but if i’m being honest I make tastier ones – some of the edible flowers were super bitter. And it was pretty tiny for the price, so I might hack these at home soon.
I chose blackberry kaffir lime at Paloma’s Paleta’s, and it was both super delicious and very photogenic- and super refreshing, because it was so. freaking. hot. out there.
There’s a ton we didn’t get to eat, but we’ll be back soon, probably right after our next NYC trip! And I’m eyeing the soft shell chili crab sandwich, some biscuits, and a ramen burger repeat. So much goodness- if I wouldn’t outgrow my clothes, I’d go every Sunday!
similar dress, 2, 3 (with tassels!), 4 (patterned), || sunnies || kate spade bag- on sale!|| sandals || ear jackets|| cuff || rings: pearl, spiral || nails
loveRavayna
