White on White

Staples Center venue.  Strobe lights.  Battery operated gowns (how else can it be covered in flashing lights...).  B-list celebrities (I'm looking at you, Vanessa Williams and Suge Knight).  Minimal speeches.  Neon and white.  What else but FIDM's graduation?

Zara top and shorts.  Michael Kors shoes. Prada sunnies.  Jewelry: Kate Spade, Stella & Dot, and Urban Outfitters.

Summer in Seattle

Seattle at 70 degrees and sunny?  Sign me up.  A recent trip made me fall in LOVE with the city.  What I loved:

Breathtaking panoramic views from Columbus Center.

Innovative architecture in the form of a public library.  (Me, finishing my Chai, before entering the 11-story glass and steel building.)

Korean fusion at its best.  Open kitchens.  Revel.

Visiting a college friend and his beautiful home. 

Ok, fine.  If I can live in this house, sign me up even if it's gray and rainy.

What else I loved (i.e., not photographed but worth mentioning):  Locally sourced food and delicious meal, Sitka & Spruce. And of course, the original Starbucks!

Across Town

It's that time again for graduations...

...even if it is on enemy territory. 

My cousin graduated from the MBA program at UCLA last week...

 

...which gave me a chance to wander around the campus (in my semi-cardinal and gold).  It'd been years and while it's not bad, it certainly is not the best.  Cynthia Steffe white lace shift dress (similar here).  Gucci heels.  Fendi clutch.  Hermes bangle.

Bar Hopping

Ok, another thing about my 30s.  My idea of bar hopping (if it ever was) is not standing around and heading from one dive bar to another.  Instead, it consists of mixologist-inspired craft cocktails, mirrored bars, and generally esthetically pleasing lounges where I can sip my ever-changing concoction of choice.  Hence:

Eveleigh.

Fig & Olive.

 

Bar Bouchon.

Some other favorite craft-cocktail haunts: Bazaar, Laurel Hardware, Copa d'Ora, and Rivera.

Frocks, Flowers, and Fruit

Despite the June gloom mornings, the afternoons have been turning out beautifully, just in time to: 

...wear bright frocks and drink daytime cocktails (cocktail of the hour was Campari & soda) into the evening...

...pick up fresh flowers from the market, and...

enjoy a summer dinner of Caprese, cheese and applies, steamed artichoke, olives, and smoked trout.  A lovely Sunday evening and a perfect way to end an event-filled weekend.  Juicy Couture Marina Print Dress. Coach flats.