ANA By Design

Every once in a long while, I get an inquiry that makes my pulse quicken and my head spin, and has me pinching myself because it cannot possibly be real life. I could not be more excited to announce my upcoming partnership with All Nippon Airways (ANA) for their recently launched "By Design" campaign. The campaign emphasizes ANA's dedication to providing an inspired guest experience, one with intention and purpose.

Tokyo has been at the top of my travel wishlist for a long time, and I'll finally be heading there next week to experience the culture of Japan (with a focus on food, of course) and share those experiences via my social channels over the next few weeks. And as if that weren't thrilling enough, ANA has also partnered with Noma's Tokyo pop-up to offer global travelers the experience of the "inspiration of Japan" with Noma's exclusive menu. Which means, by some insane stroke of luck, I'll also get to eat there.

In the meantime, I'm envisioning my ideal travel outfit. I hate feeling like a slob at airports, but obviously want to be comfortable too. Most likely, the jeans will get swapped out for some softer wool pants. Though I could easily fit a week's worth into this weekender bag, I'm bringing extra luggage because, hello Japanese ceramics.



Trusty travel camera / Jeans / Coat / Sweaters / Weekender / Sneakers (Same style, different color) / Best dotpads / Scarf / Sunglasses

Starting next week, I'll be posting unique content on my Instagram, Facebook page, and Twitter, so please do follow along for real-time updates! And check this space for post-trip posts.

Disclosure: This post was created in partnership with ANA - All Nippon Airways. All opinions expressed in the post are my own and not those of ANA.

The Dean Hotel

Visiting Providence has gotten a lot cooler with the addition of The Dean to the hotel scene. If the branding of the hotel doesn't win you over, the low price point should. I realize I sound like a PR pitch (no, they didn't pay for my stay) but really, I'm totally their target audience and was happy to finally spend a night there over the weekend. There is tons of old school charm that is balanced by masculine and modern elements. Once a brothel, the 1911 building still has some of the original design elements including a classic caged elevator and mosaic tiled floors. And of course, any hotel room with beautiful morning light gets the ok in my books.

It was downright freezing while I was there, so I admit that jeans with holes weren't the smartest idea. It's just that I was pretty excited to finally replace my retired boyfriend jeans that became too hole-y to wear (way too much accidental foot sticking in the knee hole when putting them on – the worst). This pair from Rag & Bone is a great staple to any closet and has one of the nicer, more unique washes I've seen on denim in a while. I actually spent an afternoon in Soho trying on pair after pair of boyfriend jeans, but these were the only winner.

Also, apparently I'm a men's medium. The Chunky Knit sweater from Everlane has been sold out in women's sizes forever, so I've taken to looking in the men's department (and am actually pretty excited about some of the upcoming arrivals for men). I have pretty broad shoulders and I never mind extra-roomy fits, so the men's sweaters are kind of perfect with a little tuck to deal with the length.

Sweater / Jeans / Pumps / Tote / Dopp Kit

Weekday Breakfast

If only all mornings could begin at Maialino, a restaurant that is so much more to me than just a place to have delicious food. So many good mornings have started here, lunches where one hour quickly becomes two becomes three... and dreamy nights have ended here. There's just the right amount of buzz on a weekday morning here, and that caramelized brioche bun (not pictured here because you gotta eat it while it's warm) still gives me so much joy after all these years of ordering it. Although I come here at least once a week, I rarely document my meals here anymore. The light was too pretty this particular morning to resist a few shots.

Revisiting Bellocq

It's been a little over three years since my first visit to the Bellocq Tea Atelier in Greenpoint, but the shop is as much (or more) of a sight for sore eyes as it ever was. Filled with the most beautiful textures and unpredictable light, the atelier still inspires me to whip my camera out. I picked up a new tea strainer and a few herbal blends to satisfy my nightly tea cravings – No. 12 Le Hammeau, No. 28 Mulberry Leaf, and No. 48 Pic du Midi. It's well worth the visit despite the somewhat inconvenient location.

Afternoon treat

I've been wanting to make madeleines for the longest time but just never had a madeleine pan. I don't know what took me so long, because they're pretty fool-proof fast and easy. And a little dangerous because they feel so light, but now I know how much butter and sugar actually goes into them. Yikes.



I used the recipe below, which was published in Issue 2 of Cherry Bombe, and this madeleine pan. One of the best parts about making these is how good your kitchen smells when you're zesting the lemon and then how good it smells when the madeleines are in the oven. Now I just need someone to take this plate away from me!

A grey morning

First, happy belated new year. I have no idea what 2015 has in store, but I'm optimistic and want to do bigger and better. January tends to be slow for me, allowing a good amount of time for more personal work, so I hope to take advantage of that and just kind of recenter myself after a busy Fall.

Though we've been seriously lacking in sunny days these past few weeks, there's a lovely moodiness to these grey days that I wanted to capture this morning. I'm beyond excited to have a dark wall again (it's Behr's Cracked Pepper by the way) and love the effect it has on this room now. I'm currently enjoying Lunch at the Shop by Peter Miller, and while the premise (the idea of making yourself a nice civilized lunch at your workplace) might not be directly applicable to my life since I work at home, I got it for recipe inspiration any way.

I've been throwing on this Acne sweater more times a week than not. It's super thick, petite-friendly with a bit of a cropped look in the front, and has this great side zipper detail. This particular pair of jeans marks my first foray into raw denim – I've been breaking them in since September and am looking forward to giving them their first wash come March or so. The added stretch helps them feel far more comfortable than the APCs I've tried on. Just don't wear them on any light-colored sofas!

I may have also found my new favorite orangish-red nail polish. It's 'Fire' by Dolce & Gabbana and so good. Just a bit more fun than a classic red.

Sweater / Jeans / Flats / Book