east coast, west coast.

after seven years of working non-stop at agencies since before i even graduated college, these last few weeks since becoming a "real housewife of culver city" have been interesting, to say the least. 

it's weird not having to wake up early and go into the office every day, but also relaxing and still surprisingly busy as i work on these next steps in my career. that's because one of the best things about living in los angeles is there is never a lack of activity. hence why the blogging went on a break...again.

on that note, before i dive deep into the posts this week, here's an insta-look at where my west coast path has taken me so far:

 

social media week los angeles. it was my first cali conference and besides surrounding myself with creative types and learning the latest on the "interwebs," there were a few key friends of fashion involved too. rodger berman, ceo of rachel zoe, inc. (plus husband to the stylist queen) was on site and gave a great digitally focused interview with vanity fair's krista smith. 

but my real fan moment? when the stunning shay mitchell - a.k.a. emily fields - from "pretty little liars" showed up to talk about her #pllaywithshay twitter parties, created in party by fanology social, and how social media is transforming tv with a host of other great panelists. she was a great speaker and actually extremely knowledgeable...not all celebs are. not all that surprising, though, since she attributes to the show's social history in the making. sadly i missed the session on "celebrities vs. bloggers: who rules fashion marketing?" for a lunch date with new friends, but it happens. maybe i'll try again next year!

the manhattan beach green market, where i picked up the fresh fruits to create this oh-so-california breakfast. creamy avocado, sweet but sour passion fruit, pleasantly plump plums, the best grapes i've ever tasted, and bananas i topped with natural trader joe's peanut butter, chia seeds and hemp seeds. breakfast of champions.

a dodgers game. this was part 1 to the "la sports package" birthday gift to my man. these seats look high but boy were they good. puig may be my new ronaldo, and i may have to take short breaks from being 100% loyal to the red sox to cheer for the dodgers when i can make it to the games because they are incredibly fun.

part 2 of the birthday gift was la galaxy tickets for seats right behind the goal. here's where we almost got smacked by a landon donovan ball during warmups. 

to balance out all those testosterone-fueled sports that week, i finally made it out to see the very feminine dress up trunk that had been practically flirting with me and my wallet since i arrived in culver city. i adore the concept of this traveling vintage shop and can't wait until i sit down with the owner to give you the full scoop on what's inside and what i came home with that day. until then, follow on instagram at @thedressuptrunk.

toto, i don't think we're in florida anymore. these are the steps at the baldwin hills that serve as one of my new workout spots to run hills when i can spare more time than my short run around sony pictures studios.

my home garden...to pick fresh herbs, fruit and veggies.

and back to florida again. that's because my best girl aly sent me this as a sweet reminder of the fam and friends back home. love it.  

want to wear your home state close to your heart too? get the necklace here from ninotchkagoods on etsy.

songs for style: sister edition.

tonight i had such a fun dinner with just my little sis, which is quite rare considering our schedules never seem to allow us to be in the same place at once. keeping it classy, we started with dessert in a glass - red velvet martinis - for martini mondays before moving onto the mediterranean cuisine that didn't go at all with the martinis, but surprisingly made for an incredible meal anyway.

what does this have to do with fashion? well, nothing. except that my sister ash looked really cute in her little dress when she showed up at the bar. 

but for the real reason i'm posting this: for some reason my post-date night thoughts are going to another style icon, the '80s version of madonna, since our unofficial "sister song" is pretty much "like a prayer." either that or "my milkshake brings all the boys to the yard," but for normal, non-embarrassing blog purposes, we'll stick with the first for today's song for style.

besides gotye's version of "somebody i used to know" - which i still refuse to let go of - this is probably the only song my sister and i can agree on, as it's still our all-time favorite. it goes back to the days of ash and me listening to my mom's madonna cassette tape and dick tracy soundtrack. (ask one of us the funny story behind this and we'll be happy to crack you up with the background on two naive young girls belting out song lyrics that definitely should not be coming out of four- and six-year-old mouths.)

and while the exposed bra strap look seems to be socially acceptable again whether we like it or not, we recommend taking wardrobe inspiration from a different part of this video: the cross. the cross t-shirts and jewelry are making a comeback, like the pieces shown below. get them from brandy melville, because they're darn cute whether you're religious or not. 

angelica sweater, brandy melville, $42

 

 

cross with jet black beads bracelet, brandy melville, $8

artigras: ima take your grandma's style.

in south florida, we're blessed with beautiful beaches, gorgeous winter weather and amazing art shows. some may debate that weather statement when thinking of this past weekend when it got down to the 40s, but not me. i welcome it. 

what they won't debate, however, is the art. you may remember my love for the pieces i purchased at sunfest last year, and the street style it brings. but that's not the only show to keep in mind. art fest by the sea i coming up march 8-9 and the cityplace art fair march 30-31, and the palm beach jewelry & antique show is going on this weekend. 

those not shopping for diamonds or high-end antiques...ahem, me...were not at the jewelry show, however. we were at artigras, the outdoor fine art festival at abacoa in jupiter. 

it had been a few years since i went to the event, but was glad we decided to check it out after my husband's soccer game and irish breakfast - complete with a bacon bloody mary - at o'shea's today. here are a few of what we thought were the best finds of the day:

 

my fun new ring that i have no idea how to describe; purchased at the michael stephens booth; silverandbold.com. some of the biggest, funkiest jewelry and watches i've seen in a while at pretty decent prices. check it out.

i guess this is artigras' version of "festival fashions." probably my best find of the day, so of course i had to sneak a pic. love that i'm pulling trends from old men. 

to quote macklemore - and @omalleymso on instagram - 

"ima take your grandpa's style. no, for real, ask your grandpa, can i have his hand-me-downs?"

  

crazy bones. this might have been my favorite booth, but was just a little out of my price range on this particular day. the artist is from micanopy and her pieces have that old florida and native american flair. my sister and i really liked the pieces made from turquoise and ivory. fun fact: a lot of her pieces were made from prehistoric ivory, and the mammoth or walrus tusks used may be 800 to 20,000 years old. crazy bones doesn't have a website, but i have the artist's contact information, so leave a comment below if you want to know how to reach her...you won't be disappointed.

of course we had to take a few pics of the lilly pulitzer jeep too...it wouldn't be a true "palm beach" blog without it...

and since recycling is always in fashion, i had to post this photo of the stylishly decorated recycling bins at artigras this weekend. each was designed by a different school, and i liked this simple but beachy bin, but there were a lot of innovative monsters and sea creatures that were just as cool.

 

did you go to artigras, or are you planning to go tomorrow? let us know your favorite booths.

simply tweet accessories.

last night i dragged myself in the house late after a day of work followed by a dinner meeting with some lovely ladies from the junior league of the palm beaches at cafe sapori. i was ready to crash in bed when i saw my husband left a black box and fedex slip waiting on the stairs for me.

it was the personalized bauble bar necklace i had been waiting for! the little nameplate, or "twitter-plate" as they call it, is just as delightfully sweet as i'd expected it to be in rose gold. it features the account name for both the blog's instagram and twitter handles: @pretaporterpb.

 

want your own? bauble bar makes them in silver and yellow gold, in addition to the blush-colored version for $88. if you're new to bauble bar and want to save $10, you're in luck! just become a member by creating an account and they'll take $10 off your first order of accessories. there's lots of fun promotions and surprises in store as a member, so you won't regret it.

managing more than one account? even though i went with the bauble bar version, i was pretty close to purchasing survival of the hippest's "two-name tweetheart necklace," simply because i've accumulated quite a few twitter handles over the years and thought i might need a second line. if you're in the same boat, you may want to check out their options as well.

now i can't wait until the next tweetup! in the meantime, find me on twitter, instagram and pinterest to keep up with all the travels of this pretty little tweet-plate.

fab find: extra 50% off at loft

i'll admit, i haven't been the biggest fan of the ann taylor brand in the past. i'd pick up a printed cardigan here or there, but never came out with much more. lately i've noticed that both stores, ann taylor and loft, have seemed to step it up a notch though, especially in the accessories department.
since i don't go in loft that often, i almost missed a couple great finds this week. luckily for me, the palm beach post fashion piece in monday's business section mentioned the retailer's extra 50 percent discount on sale items, and included a photo of this gorgeous dress, which is now only $50...just the style i had been looking for to wear to my cousin's wedding in august.


unfortunately the gardens mall store didn't have my size when i visited last night, and now i waited too long to buy it online, but i might try to scoop it up at wellington tonight if you ladies don't get there first! act fast if you want it, because the girl at the store told me i was not the only one who asked about t"he dress from the newspaper." plus, a lot of the smaller sizes are moving quickly in all the styles, so better hurry if that's what you're looking for.
so i didn't get the dress, but what did i end up leaving with? two drastically marked down necklaces full of jewels, ribbon and femininity, and an embellished tuxedo tank for a total of only $37.

16 candles...ok fine, 25

today is my birthday and even though i am a quarter-century now and don't really feel like celebrating getting older anymore, anthropologie found a way to make me want to subtly show the world it is my special day.

the always whimsical apparel, home & more store (just check out its amazing window displays that change from season to season, extra-touch gift-wrapping or adorable gift card presentations if you don't know what i'm talking about) sends a beautifully simple 15 percent off card to its anthropologie rewards card holders during the month of their birthdays. 15 percent off is not a fantastic discount, but what makes the card memorable is the real birthday candle attached to it. when you turn over the card, you'll find that the wick wraps around and is tied in a bow with a clasp on the end, making it wearable as a necklace. this is one of the best retail marketing pieces i've seen in a long time, and i absolutely love wearing my birthday candle...as long as no one lights it tonight.

ring-ing in the new year

my current craze is oversized cocktail rings, and i've found it increasingly difficult to pass them up. apparently my friend and work "roommate" aly feels the same way so it has become dangerous to take our lunch breaks together.

we're just on our way back from stopping in francesca's collections at cityplace to pick up some fashion tape for an event tonight (read about it here), and we walked out with these for $18 each. not too bad and i plan on wearing it tonight and to the heart ball next month, which was my purchase justification.


francesca's has a bunch of other options too, including another even larger and very cute pink peacock feather ring my vp and secret santa jennifer bought me for christmas.

you'll also want to check out the jewelry sale table today too, which has drastic markdowns and even better deals if you buy two pieces. earrings are now two for $5, necklaces are two for $10, and rings are somewhere in between.

house of style

the palm beach social season has been underway for a few months now, but the peak week of the palm beach style season seems to be just approaching. with the caron renaissance gala featuring zac posen's colorful and innovative collection tomorrow and hospice evening showcasing oscar de la renta's latest tropical-inspired line friday, palm beach is about to get a glimpse of some of the world's best fashions.

next up is the red cross designers' show house preview party wednesday, jan. 20, which benefits the greater palm beach area chapter of the american red cross and proves to offer a whole slew of posh players. the event offers a preview of the transformed interior and exterior spaces in the luxurious residential building on okeechobee boulevard, cityplace south tower. in years past, design icons and high profile guests have included carolyne roehm, lilly pulitzer, tiffany & co.'s john loring, mario buatta and charlotte moss.

besides offering a sneak peek of the four stunning spaces, the preview party on cityplace south tower's breathtaking ninth-floor pool deck will host a special fashion show by tibi. if you're not familiar with tibi, you won't want to miss this. and if you are, well then, all the more reason to go. the spring line is made up of bright and contemporary, asian-inspired pieces that look as if they were made to wear in palm beach. the mix of super short and structured dresses and skirts with more flowy patterns and textures are to die for.

tibi's spring line will be accented with pieces from palm beach's own jordann jewelry by jordann miller. jordann jewelry will also feature its simple yet elegant pieces in an on-site trunk show - another reason to go - and 15 percent of the sales will benefit the american red cross.

adding to the evening's excitement is special guest and show house honorary chairman michael smith, who is a best-selling author of elements of style and houses and one of architectural digest's 100 top designers and architects. he's designed homes for a long list of celebrity clients, including cindy crawford, steven spielberg, dustin hoffman, michelle pfeiffer and most recently, the first family.

so check it all out next week, and be sure to comment on which part was your favorite.

*photos from tibi's spring 2010 line and jordann jewelry

bite me.

in honor of the twilight saga: new moon's local premiere tomorrow night at this time (which i, of course, already have my tickets for), i put together a few things to help you get your twilight fix while keeping in fashion...because for anyone over the age of 14, it's sure as hell difficult to enjoy the story to its fullest without looking like a total dork. so let's take a cue from alice cullen and make sure to dive into something that's still stylish, sexy and vampire chic...

one piece that i've been bloody swooning over for the past few months is the p.a.m. oxidised fangs necklace, which also comes in silver. at a whopping $284 in australian, it's definitely a lot of money to pay to wear vampire teeth around your neck for what's probably a total of five days out of the year, but i just can't seem to get over it. there are a lot of fang necklaces on the market right now, but so many of them are cheesy or cheap looking and i've yet to find one that's as well-designed as this one.

if the price is too steep for you, or you just can't fathom wearing fangs at your neck, be sure to head to the palm beach gardens green market to get your twi on. a jewelry vendor there has some beautiful charm bracelets with simple silver wolf and crystal heart charms inspired by bella's bracelet that are classy and subtle.

thirsting for something more than accessories? nordstrom has a newish twilight-inspired line for juniors, "the twilight saga: new moon for bp." while most of it's a little too high school for anyone my age to be wearing, there are a few tops that are cute and no one would even have to know you were team jacob if you wish. try the 'wolf motif' long sleeve tee, which is really just a yoga-like burnout tee that sports tribal design. only problem, for $34 you could probably snag some better threads in nordstrom as long as you choose to go without the twilight label.

if none of these pieces pique your interest, then just take a closer look around. this season is full of styles that have a dark and mystical feel to help you vamp it up. what used to be considered gothic is now becoming mainstream (at least for the next few months), thanks to twilight, true blood and vampire diaries. with black over-the-knee boots and faux leather leggings, to the return of black lace and leather jackets, and then add in some of alexander mcqueen's freakish fashions and a few studded leather bracelets, you're set for a night of neck sucking.

alexander mcqueen's waisted stripe jersey dress, $2,895

so what are you wearing to the show? i'm making my "team edward (unless jacob is shirtless)" shirt as we speak. not as age-appropriate as the options listed here, but i'll sure fit in with the 16-year-olds as i suck down my pre-movie, blood-red cocktail at blue martini while watching the teenie-boppers wait in line.

vintage jewelry: who, what, wear...

vintage is undoubtedly hot right now. all the celebs are wearing it and all the fashion mags talk about it, but it can be a difficult thing to translate into everyday wear for the average person. think about it - pepto-bismol pink 90s bridesmaid dresses from goodwill don't exactly fit the "vintage" category girls want to be seen in (unless you were at my 21st birthday "waltz" in tallahassee several years ago...), and you're better off purchasing something new rather than the raggedy dior handbag filled with old gum wrappers from the local consignment. luckily for us, house of lavande's vanessa nedvins (remember her from a few posts ago?) was nice enough to share the "who, what and wear" for going vintage.

who:

jewelry is a great place to start when testing out vintage, because in my opinion, there are less chances to go wrong and anyone can wear it. age and style savviness are not factors.

vintage jewelry, specifically hol, is seen all over the red carpets and in everyday wear on many celebs. if you're looking for inspiration, take note from ashley tisdale at the mtv movie awards, evan rachel wood at her premiere in paris, emmy rossum out for a walk around the city, or my personal faves rachel mcadams, sophia bush and leighton meester on other stylish outings. nedvins told me she found it especially exciting when nicole richie started wearing hol since she owns her own jewelry line and is such a trendsetter in the industry. when asked about other celebs she'd like to style, she mentioned kate moss or heidi klum since they are both inspirations in the fashion world.

zoe saldana wearing hol

what:

see my "behind the seams" post on hol or visit its web site.

as for what trends are in, nedvins says the "chunky 80s-style, club-kid feel" is and will continue to be popular in accessories for a bit, so vintage is perfect for picking up this trend. stackable bracelets are also in style, as well as layered necklaces (maybe pair one of hols jeweled czech pieces with a few long strands of pearls...), and statement necklaces of course. silver is also being asked about in the store a lot recently, which is interesting since gold had made such a strong comeback for a while.

wear:
wear pieces that make you feel special. nedvins believes customers should choose something that a.) brightens their face, and/or b.) induces a memory. she sees both types of purchases in her store: "many women choose specific house of lavande pieces because of an emotional tie - maybe the piece reminds them of something their grandmother wore. the younger set, however, is wearing hol because it is a way to be different and stand out. they can look stunning without wearing something everyone else can buy at the mall."

1960 hattie carnegie ~ $348

the real where:
like most fashions, styles in vintage jewelry varies from one place to another. places like new york, chicago and palm beach all have different ideas and classifications for vintage and trends. nedvins says new yorkers are more fearless and riskier - think lots of plastic bracelets and other bold pieces - and the only other place similar to nyc is l.a. chicago, on the other hand, is classier and higher-end, rather than experimental like new york. think vintage chanel.

and if you're a regular to my blog or live in the area, you probably know that there is no other place like palm beach. according to nedvins, palm beachers either come in already knowing what they want, or they see something that strikes them and they just have to buy it right then. there's no real rhyme or reason to their purchasing habits. palm beachers are also careful not to be too "old" even when wearing vintage, are slightly more reserved in their choices, and have more awareness between what is real and fake.

when:

depending on the style, vintage can be worn anytime, but hol pieces are perfect for adding an extra special touch to spice up an outfit for an event or interview, or changing a day-to-night look just by switching up a few pieces.

ashley tisdale wearing hol at 2009 mtv movie awards

why:

the real question is why not. wearing vintage gives you a tie to the past. vintage jewels are not able to be replicated and can't be found in regular retail stores today. when you're wearing them you have peace of mind that no one else will have the same thing, which can't necessarily be said if you show up to an event wearing harry winston, van cleef & arpels or tiffany's. and my favorite reason why: in my experience, vintage pieces are always fantastic conversation openers.

1960 unsigned multi victorian ring ~ $1,200

how:

if even after nedvins' tips you can't decide how to wear vintage jewelry, hol offers styling services to help choose what's right for you (which i should have put to good use - notice how some of the pieces i was drawn to tended to overwhelm my weirdly tiny arms!). hol stylists use fabric swatches and/or photos of outfits and their owners to put together five or six looks with various ornaments before purchasing. many celebs and their personal stylists go this route, so you'll be in good company!

behind the seams: house of lavande

whoever said "out with the old, in with the new" must have never worn house of lavande. from sweetheart bracelets and victorian lockets, to cocktail rings and museum pieces, house of lavande's vintage costume jewelry collection is not only "in," it's all over the red carpet and covering the pages of the world's top fashion mags.

kristen bell wearing house of lavand at the 2009 mtv movie awards

so when a few weeks ago i had the chance to stop in hol and pick the brain of director of operations vanessa nedvins, i jumped on it to learn more about the collection...

...it all began about three and a half years ago when jewelry connoisseur and palm beach native tracy smith took a look at her personal collection and realized she possessed so much that she needed to buy a display case just to view her own jewelry. since then she has scoured tons of antique fairs, flea markets and estate sales across europe and visited private dealers all over the united states and abroad to create a curated collection of more than 9,000 pieces priced between about $300 to several thousand dollars. the collection is currently housed in four locations - including harrod's, henri bendel, on pedder and, of course, palm beach - with still more stockists coming soon. the first and main hol spot located on royal poinciana way in palm beach resembles a lavish paris boudoir...just look at the shot of the gorgeous shop below.

i felt as though i could spend hours and even days browsing the shop, which mind you, is not all that big, and still not view every piece. it is easy to see how one could get (joyfully) lost while shopping. the staff is more than knowledgeable though, and happy to help navigate through the thousands of vintage treasures. though there are no set standards for vintage, the individual pieces are chosen based on a "wow" factor - those that bring out some kind of emotion. each piece is tried on and checked for how it sits, who it's by, when it was made, etc. before it's added to the collection. hol was designed to take the labor out of finding something special.

czech purple bracelet~ $1,800

there are exciting rarities from huge names like yves saint laurent and chanel included in the collection, as well as unsigned masterpieces from the early 20s through 70s. there is czech jewelry composed of faceted crystals, the remants line made from several necklaces clasped together creating one piece, and contemporary pieces that use vintage stones, clasps and other findings from the 50s, 60s and 70s. i even found some 80s pucci sunglasses in the mix! most are statement pieces, but there are finds across all spectrums.

middle eastern unsigned ring ~ $348

not only are the pieces stunning to view, some have pretty amazing histories. hol once visited the estate of a boca woman who had begun performing at the age 14. every piece she owned had a story - there were plumes from when she was 16 performing as a lounge singer, display boxes from her great aunt, and even jewelry from the estate of old hollywood star ann miller from the 1940s. it's accessories with stories like this that make the outfit all the more thrilling to wear.

now that you have heard the initial story behind house of lavande, be sure to check back in the next couple days to get my inside scoop from vanessa on who's wearing it, how you can wear it, and what trends you should capitalize on in the upcoming months.