If James Bond were a woman

I think she'd dress to kill in this...

All white, crisp Stella McCartney suit

She'd hide her Beretta 418 underneath this...

The Kensington Long Heritage Trench Coat by Burberry

And shamelessly seduce wearing this...

Alexander McQueen Embellished silk-chiffon and lace gown 

Or this...

Also by Alexander McQueen

Feather Fashion

I am so in love with the look of feather fashion.  I especially love the playfulness that feathers can add to an otherwise structured wardrobe of pencil straight trousers and a work blazer.  

Swooning over Gianluca Capannolo trimmed sweater

Jenna Lyons elegantly glides in fur and feathers

A perfect mix of sequins and feathers with a cinch of metallic

Oscar de la Renta heels

I've been lusting over Oscar de la Renta heels for quite some time now.  They just ooze elegance, timelessness, are available in kitten or low heels, and they're just the right amount of luxe.  Although they're not practical  to wear to work, they're perfect for weddings, evenings at the symphony, San Francisco holiday events, and anniversaries at Gary Danko or Scala's.  The Outnet is one of my favorite sites to find Oscar shoes that are heavily discounted (up to 60%) and I was able to snag one of the very few sizes left of these d'orsay heels with bows, but sadly my narrow feet just didn't stay put in the smallest shoe size available.

   

 Lizzie suede pumps, Ara satin pumps, and Marla satin pumps

Black and white home decor

Wishing everyone a Happy Sunday!  Here's to nesting, spending quality time with family and friends, sipping crisp mimosas over brunch, or simply staying in and being curled up with your favorite book or fashion magazine.  

If you're one for staying in, nothing says cozy, sophisticated, and chic than black and white home decor and if I called any of these spaces home, I wouldn't bother going out either.

Glamorous castle weddings

Photo by Danil Golovkin for Vogue 

These glamorous castle weddings gives a whole new meaning to Princess Bride and fairy tale endings.  If you're a bride-to-be who is in the midst of planning one of the biggest events of you life, here are some photos to get you salivating for that big day...

A wedding finale at Highclere Castle, also known as Downton Abbey.
(Photo featured on Town and Country Magazine)

 Model Jacquetta Wheeler at Chilham Castle courtesy of Vogue

A gothic wedding reception at Peckforton Castle

A more stately, conservative reception at Fyvie Castle

Blue and white china table settings and decor

It's never too early to prepare for all those upcoming holiday dinner parties; before you know it those special events sneak up on you and you're left scrambling to finish your to-do list.

Blue and white china table settings and decor seem to be found in every taste maker's home these days, or rather passed down and inherited.  The funny thing is, I never found them aesthetically appealing until my 30's.  I grew up in a house full of blue and white china depicting colonial America life or Asian influences and I remember having to be extra careful when I was assigned the duty of washing them.  One of the dishes were already chipped much to my mother's dismay and the delicateness of these dishes always irked me.

Now that I'm older I can appreciate how blue and white china can instantly add elegance and a rich palette to home decor.  If you're worried about your home looking too museum like, I would  decorate with blue and white china sparingly or create a space of youthfulness and lightness by adding flowers (such as pink peonies above or cream tulips below).

Aerin Lauder, whose homes are known to be extensively decorated with blue and white china.

J. Crew Fall Shoes

I received the Fall J. Crew catalog yesterday and as I quickly browsed through it, I paused and went gaga over their Fall shoes.  Here are a few favorites of mine below - fun, playful, and perfect for all those upcoming Fall and Winter holiday parties.

As you can tell, I love most shoes with dainty bows.

These Velvet Bow Gladiator flats are my favorite in the collection.

Gray is one of my favorite colors and these embellishments

makes this shoe more than ordinary - Elsie jeweled pumps

Who doesn't love a shoe that looks like it's having it's own party?

Collection Roxie jeweled suede pumps

Chic home bars

With all the fun, major holidays around the corner, I cannot wait to celebrate, drink up, and be merry! We have an actual bar at home but unfortunately it looks nothing like these photos of chic home bars I found on Pinterest and beyond.  Our bar holds a hefty number of various, colorful bottles of quality alcohol but it's also used as counter space for stacks of daily mail, UPS boxes, and where my handbag hangs out at the end of the day.

Hopefully towards the end of my maternity leave I'll have time to head over to the Treasure Island flea market and scour some chic vintage decanter sets or I can be patient and wait for Black Friday sales to begin and score some stylish bar accessories from my favorite, reasonably priced home decor stores Z Gallerie and Home Goods.  I especially love Home Goods, it's sort of a "best kept secret" in finding anything you want related to the home.  (I always see Le Creuset cookware at heavily discounted prices whenever I pop in just to browse).  

 Using folding trays as a home bar are a great option for small spaces.  

And if you're really limited in space, a silver tray with vintage bar accessories is just as stylish.

 Other creative home bars - hidden behind a vintage Provencal armoire or on top of a vintage trunk. 

Colorful Winter Coats

What's better than bows on shoes?  Bows on coats or rather colorful winter coats.  With all the talk of El Nino rain bound to hit California this winter, these coats bring the opposite of the weather system's gloom and doom.

San Francisco's Hidden Gems: Sutro Heights Park

Going on maternity leave was an adjustment for me - I've been working non-stop for the past 8 years and I've never taken more than 2 weeks off from work to fly to my international destination.  But one of the things I've enjoyed about my maternity leave so far is discovering hidden gems of San Francisco.  My husband is an avid cyclist who I credit for finding these amazing places with amazing views of the City.

We just recently drove up to Sutro Heights Park which is a short distance from Lands End, and it was such a pleasure to see a big family picnic party taking place with children playing and laughing on a sunny Sunday afternoon.  The bonus of this park are breathtaking views of Ocean Beach as far as the eye can see.