on the record: cayucas

(photo via)

There's a lot of new music right now getting me excited for the sunshine - one band taking the top is Cayucos (not be confused with Cayucos, the name of a recent track). They'll make you wish you were driving with the top down to Santa Monica. Excellent California beach rock, i.e. think modern day beach boys.  Here's a listen to a few of their singles:

Bring on the sunnies and shandy! 

            

weekends by kate spade.

I've added Saturday.com to my list of pay day spending loves.

And you should too.

It's a line of comfy, Saturday-friendly wear from Kate Spade. Cheeeeers to the weekend!

Here are a few of my favorites:

channeling Jenna for J. Crew.

It's hard not to have a major girl crush on Jenna Lyons. She has such a natural artistic eye for style. And with that she has single-handedly (okay, with a giant staff) made me a J. Crew lover. Scratch that, obsessor.

J. Crew is one of those brands that is so classic yet tends to always push it a bit each season. Not only that but they have mastered digital and social media to make fans of the brands become part of the family. Take this little clip for example.

"As far as I'm concerned, leopard is a neutral."
... I adore you, Jenna.

prints charming.

I love picking up on interesting trends when I travel. One thing that definitely stood out was the interesting use of bold prints and color in the decor of Dubai. The use of geometrics and palate mixing was everywhere: rugs, tiles, pillows - you name it. I'm generally not one to wear crazy bold prints {my closet is a sea of black and neutral, with a very occasional leopard print}. However, this spring I'm vowing to pick up some bold printed pieces. Here are a few I'm craving. 

{ 1. Topshop Printed Cigarette Pants 2. Tribal Print Bikini 3. Floral Printed Skirt 4. Kate Spade clutch 5. Printed Peplum Top }

our days in dubai.

I've neglected posting lately, mostly due to a week spent wandering the desert. My fiancee's best friend has been working over in the UAE for some time, and we finally found some vacation time to venture over to Dubai. It was my first time to the Middle East, and proved to be just as fascinating as I expected. What surprised me most was how contemporary the city is - a seemingly progressive city built on a very conservative culture. And it literally felt like an oasis surrounded by desert, with fascinating architecture juxtaposed to camels roaming the beach underneath. Not to mention the obscene amount of malls. Then again, whats a girl to do you when its 100+ degrees for most of the year? (sidenote: the desert sun is brutal, so my irish skin learned. To quote an awful song from the 90s, wear. sunscreen.) 

The entire city is only a few decades old but makes up for it with slices of Arabic tradition infused in the culture - from shisha at upscale lounges to the traditional prints and patterns abound. Here are a few of my favorite snaps from the trip. 

{spices at a locale Souk}

{along with fresh rose tea}

{an architect's dream}

{vibrant prints]

{left: the burj khalifa - tallest building in the world

right: the burj al arab - the only seven star hotel in the world}

{beach at sunset}

{stuffed dates, a local (delicious) delicacy}

{view from the Atlantis aquarium}

{desert safari}