Winter Pink + Gray // Portland, Freeport Maine travel + food diary

Sorel Winter Fancy boots c/o, H&M coat, mug, YSL crossbody bag (review)

Banana Republic jeans, Talbots tee, Macy's sweater, Old Navy mittens & hat

We love heading up to Maine every so often for a change of pace, and more importantly, the food & drink! The food scene in Portland is amazing with a lot of fresh ingredients and creative culinary minds. We like gorging at restaurants there but staying somewhere with a little more rustic charm, like Freeport. It�s a small town about 20 minutes north, home to a big outdoor outlet mall for all your holiday shopping, a 24-hour LL Bean flagship store (because you might need duck boots at 3am), and don't forget the Maine Beer Company tasting room, Nick adds!

Packing essentials: ASOS plaid blanket scarf / wrap, Sole Society Cassidy bag 

Hunter foldable rainboots (the best! also  at Zappos or Bloomingdales), Sorel snow boots

Here we are toasting our feet back in our room at the charming Haraseeket Inn, after stuffing ourselves during their complimentary tea & treats service. I adore a room with a good cozy fireplace & reading nook! Nick's tartan PJ pants are a bargain from Old Navy (he also has the snowmen print I stole here which several of you guys asked about). They're 100% cotton and shrink a bit if machine dried, so size up for your men. My husband gets quite riled up when I borrow his favorite PJs, but they're just so comfy and festive I can't help myself : ) Btw, I also picked up these cable mittens & pom pom hat while at ON - the mittens are soo soft and cozy with fleece lining on the inside!

Men's flannel PJ pants (lots of prints), Target sweater leggings

On to Portland food�our first meal was at Eventide Oyster, co-founded by a chef who worked at Clio in Boston. They make a mean brown butter lobster roll on an Asian-style pillowy bao bun. Out of all the ways to have lobster, I prefer mine in the shell (Cantonese style over noodles! mmm...see my family recipe) but if I have to have a roll, this wasn�t bad at all. Nick on the other hand is all about the lobster rolls (and any Asian bao, pretty much), so naturally this one ranked pretty high on his list. The oysters were also oh-so-fresh and briney�it kills me when I go to places and they pour out or spill the brine before serving!

For brunch the next day, we were back in Portland at a spot called Central Provisions. The cornbread with bacon & filled with an egg was TDF! This dark photo doesn't do it justice...I'm still dreaming of all its crispy bits and runny goodness. Nick has been working on perfecting his recreation of this back home. 

I did manage to get my lobster pasta fix at Street & Co, which has been at the top of my to-try list. Apparently they take reservations 2 to 3 months ahead of time (nuts!) but thankfully also have some space for walk-ins. Their famed lobster diavolo was served piping hot & fresh, with all the seafood cooked to tender perfection for about $30 less than The Daily Catch's version in Boston. It's listed as "for two" but we made about two more meals out of the leftovers alone.

Aside from the yummy food, another common theme during our Portland trip were the strong drinks. I can usually do a few cocktails before needing to call it a night, but was a 1-drink wonder everywhere we went there (cheap date for Nick!).

You guys may remember this mock-neck sweater from this post tucked into a skirt and this post styled under a vest. The cropped length lends itself to so many different layered looks, including being worn over a longer button-up plaid shirt or patterned tee like I did here. They sell a lot of tops with that faux 2-in-1 look, which is very easy to create just with two shirts of differing lengths. 

Would love to hear some of your favorite towns & places to visit in Maine for our next trip!

What to wear: black tie holiday party or formal winter wedding (and the right bra for low-cut or backless items!)

ASOS petite dress US 0p, Steve Madden heels (also here), Baublebar earrings (similar)

H&M faux fur wrap (similar here or here), NARS shanghai express lipcolor

On Nick: J.Crew Ludlow tuxedo, DIY pocket square (I always make him one to match me : )

As holiday party season will soon be upon us, I�m going to be sharing outfit ideas for all sorts of environments and dress codes! I�ve gotten requests for office-appropriate party attire and also more formal black tie wear, so will be showing those first this week. Earlier this month, Nick and I attended a fun Fall formal organized by our friends. They raised an amazing 100k for charity, and we got to dress up and drink the night away in the Children�s Museum, so win-win all around! For a winter formal party or wedding, I love the look of a long gown with a little sultriness and touches of glamour. Here I looked to my usual old-school hollywood inspiration with a high leg slit, faux fur wrap, crystal drop earrings and minimalistic shoes. I took to the same inspiration for makeup with a subtle smokey eye, wine red lips and wavy hair swept off to the side.

For this event, I had procrastinated and was at a last-minute loss on what to wear. I wanted to rent this sequin gown recommended by my petite aunt but it was booked up well in advance. For readers who ask about formal dresses for petites, I usually suggest browsing ASOS and filtering their selection by size and item type. Their sizing runs very small and they have some unusual styles that you don�t see everywhere. I ended up taking my own advice and ordered this dress 2 days before the event - their express shipping is amazingly fast from across the pond!

Here's are a few other formal dresses from there all under $200, starting in 0 or 00 petite...

And here are a few other budget options above for under $100!

I will say ASOS is a fast fashion retailer so you do get what you pay for. This dress is a bargain for a long piece but it is not made of high quality materials, so I wouldn't suggest wearing it to a nicer event where others may be decked out in intricate gowns or couture. I would prefer to pay more for better quality, but due to procrastination, was hard-pressed to find formalwear anywhere else that fits with no alterations at all, even in length! Please note that ASOS sells a variety of different brands in addition to their own in-house one, so sizing may vary. Their in-house brand runs 1-2 sizes smaller than American brands for me (I'm wearing US 0 petite here which was a good fit throughout), and I've heard from friends that Jarlo petite which they sell also runs very small.

And now for the common question of what bra to wear with these dresses that have dips and cutouts here and there. I was able to wear a regular bra with this one, but my bra drawer is armed with the four tools below for those unexpected times when you can't:

Low back items: low back bra converter strap in black, 2 hooks (or in nude, 1 hook). I showed how to DIY one of these back in this post but at $9, it is totally worth purchasing instead of buying the materials. ASOS also sells a 2-pack of converters in both black and nude, with 2 bra strap hooks and 2 size options.

Low front items: nude plunge front bra. This one is noted with cups that run small and the reviewers say the B is actually well suited for A cups.

Backless and strapless or other items that will show any bra straps: Nubra adhesive silicone bra provides the most minimalistic coverage. I have one from this brand based on a friend's suggestion, and highly recommend it in return! The A cups fit me well, create magical cleavage, and the adhesive can be re-used for numerous wears (listed to last up to 50 wears!).

Very low front or unusual cutout designs: adhesive nipple covers! Lots of choices out there with mixed reviews. The ones linked here have fairly positive reviews, and are probably best for smaller busts that don't need a lot of support.
PS - For this particular dress, If you�ll be out in breezy conditions, be sure to secure down the front flap with double-sided fashion tape, a safety pin, or some thread at the highest point you�d want it to fly open! Another alternative which I did is to wear a pair of biking shorts underneath and let the skirt flap away without worry.

Rainy Day Classics

Hunter Rainboots sz 5, Burberry trench (old, sz 2 with sleeves altered), Clinique lipbalm

Prada tote, H&M scarf, Talbots tee sz petite P, J. Brand jeans sz 24 (old, similar)

On dreary rainy days I love incorporating a pop of color to brighten up my outfit. These Hunter "Tour" boots are the perfect statement piece that's not only functional, but surprisingly easy to style. They are still the slimmest-calf and lightest rubber rain boot I've found. As mentioned in my older review, these are designed to be roll-able and packed away for travel so are very pliable as well. I also own the green color and both get quite a bit of wear.


I also wanted to share another color of the Clinique Chubby Stick (am obsessed with these)...they come in "intense" for more pigmented color and also regular, which are great for those just starting to experiment with lipcolor. I have dry lips so love that they glide on and keep my lips moisturized like a lip balm, but also have build-able color. I have the regular for daily wear and a few of the intense line for bolder looks. I'm wearing "mightiest maraschino" here which is a vibrant cherry red with a tint of fuchsia.


I kept the rest of my outfit neutral with a hint of print - there's something very basic but classic about pairing red with shades of tan. This caramel Prada from 3 years ago is still one of my favorite bags in my collection, and has held up really well with the addition of a base shaper. I'm not afraid to take it out in damp weather (with an umbrella, of course) due to the water-resistant saffiano coating. As some of you may have seen on Instagram, I've been shopping for a new bag and this red Prada Promenade is a serious contender, given how easy to maintain the material is from my experience.

Thank you to Neiman Marcus x ShopStyle for sponsoring this post!

Life Lately via Instagram

pearl jam necklace thanks to Accessory Concierge
H&M dot cardigan, Ferragamo flats

J.Crew no. 2 skirt (old color, waist taken in), old chambray shirt (similar in petites, on sale)

I�m so excited that one of my favorite necklaces was brought back! See all 7 times I've worn it on the blog not counting numerous others that didn't make it to a post. The faux pearl clusters are good quality in my opinion; they have a little weight to them without being overwhelmingly heavy (its 7oz to be exact). They are a small business based in Dallas with pretty cute items (like these oversized scarves) and have been super responsive with my questions. Please note this necklace is on backorder so has a 2-week ship time.

Also, nothing riveting here, but wanted to mention these 100% cotton, very affordable H&M cardigans. A basic layering piece available in lots of solid colors and 4 cute prints: tiny dot, classic stripe, zebra, and leopard. A good leopard is hard to find, especially in sweater form! I picked up the dot as shown and ordered the stripe online. The shrunken fit I thought was very petite-friendly...XS is about 18.5" long hitting at my upper hip, and the 22� sleeves were even just right for my short arms! Only small complaint is the sleeves are on the slightly wider side given how fitted the torso is. Also due to the 100% cotton, these might shrink if you machine wash + dry them.

 J.Crew sweater (old), H&M scarf, Sole Society bag c/o (sold out, larger size)

Gap "real straight" jeans (old, same cut), Goyard pouch, Nine West flats (leopard sold out)

Wore this comfy outfit for a quick flight to NYC again. Each time I pull out this beloved honeycomb sweater circa 2012, I kick myself for having been anti buying more colors of it back then. I kept thinking they�d come out with a similar good quality + slim fit style in future years but they never really did. This Sole Society vegan Cassidy bag is sold out until March I believe, but their very similar, slightly bigger Lacie bag is still in stock with the added bonus of protective metal feet.

Hunter Tour packable rainboots (review), Sheinside coat c/o, ASOS scarf (sold out)

This has been my recent rainy day uniform and it even made it to the Boston Globe : ) My ASOS scarf has long been sold out, but I saw Accessory Concierge has a very similar, bigger one that you can use my free shipping code on.
Yes this plaid pattern is everywhere but for good reason � the colors are so easy to pair, and a generous-sized scarf is a lifesaver in cold weather. I reviewed the coat in this post, but once again please take note of Sheinside�s reputably bad customer service before considering ordering.
While in NYC, my friend took me to the �rooftop� aka Gaonnuri, a restaurant at the very top of some office buildings by K-town. The views are stellar and the individual lunch set presentations were fun, but the dishes were very salty and not memorable. Would love to hear any of your favorite Korean spots in NYC for me to try next!

 from Nick's Instagram

Nick�s been obsessed with making bread products from scratch lately, and I can�t really complain! I love a good toasted English muffin, and have to say his first attempt (generally following this recipe) could give Thomas a run for his money.
Leaving you guys with this pic my dad snapped from inside our car - truly a breathtaking scene to drive through and almost made me forget the misery of winter!