Month: June 2017

Perfectly Framed

Ok, so I know it’s been forever since my last post about Warby Parker’s awesome shop in Shaw, but I’m finally now going to make a decision on which frames to order, and I need YOUR help to do it! First, if you haven’t done the Warby Parker Home Try-On program, I highly recommend it. It’s really a win-win situation, because there’s no risk, catch, etc. to choose five frames to be delivered to your front door to try on at your leisure. Easy peasy.

I immediately knew which frames I wanted to try, but you can also take a fun quiz for some suggestions. As soon as you finalize your picks, a nice email pops up in your inbox with a reminder of the frames to expect in the mail. Only a couple days later, a well-packaged box arrives at your door with a “good things await you” message, which is more than true!



I was so excited to try on all the frames since I picked a mix of styles and shapes. I decided pretty quickly that a couple designs were not for me, but the rest fit and looked great, which is making it hard to pick which ones I should get! At first, I was completely in love with the mixed color frames of the Welty design, but I’m now gravitating toward the purpley tortoise pattern of the Chelsea frames, which are gorgeous and a tad bit more feminine. What to choose, what to choose… Check out my most recent post on Insta to help me pick which frames to order!


The Durand

The Welty

The Chelsea

Once you’re done trying everything on, you pop the frames right back into he packaging and put the box in the mail… simple as that! And after you’ve made a decision on which to buy (my current struggle), you can order your frames online to be mailed to you. And did I mention free returns and exchanges?! WP has definitely made this whole ordering glasses thing easy.

 

Senegal Part III: Saint-Louis

After a couple of days in Latmingue, Natalie and I traveled to Saint-Louis, an old colonial city, the heart of which is located on a narrow island in the Senegal River. Saint-Louis was established in 1659 by French traders and is characterized by the distinct French and Portuguese architecture throughout the city. Today, Saint-Louis relies heavily on tourism and is full of shops, cafes, and street vendors, so there was no shortage of delicious pastries, beautiful textiles, and fresh fish. On our first day, we took a horse-drawn cart tour around the island and learned about the hard-working fishermen and families residing in the area, and saw the large wooden boats that take months to carve for their many fishing voyages.

We had a lovely Christmas staying at La Residence, which was a nice break before hitting the road again. On our way to Dakar, we stopped at Lake Retba – the Pink Lake – which is “pink” because of bacteria that is attracted by the lake’s high salt content. The salt is extracted by locals from the bottom of the lake using their hands, then placed into baskets to be transported to the shore where it is used mainly to preserve fish. It was an overcast day, so the lake was not as distinctly pink as usual, but we managed to get a light pink hue against the bright blue boats in the salty water.

 
















Lace Details


There are some fashion trends that are super fun and are probably really comfortable – like crop tops and the daring comeback of the 90’s mini dress, for example – that I don’t event attempt to try because the older woman in me is yelling “you can’t get away with wearing those skimpy clothes at your age!”. I made an exception, however, to try a bralette – a light and delicate lace alternative to my standard underwire bra.

I hope it’s ok if I get a little personal and honest… I’ve always hated wearing bras, but was too self-contious to not wear one. Bralettes seem a little youthful – reminiscent of my first sports bra as an adolescent – but carry the more adult lacey details of an adult brazier (I was fascinated when I found out that was the “long word” for bra!). I was too curious about trying one, so on my next trip to T.J. Maxx I picked up a simple white Nicole Miller bralette.


As soon as I put it on I loved everything about it, mostly how light-weight it was while still providing support. I also love the lace that can peek through a flowy top, or just sit discreetly under an unassuming tee.


Wearing: Nicole Miller bralette (I found mine at T.J. Maxx, but there are so many cute ones at A.E.!), D.Jeans (similar), Green Envelope top (similar), Franco Sarto sandals, Stella & Dot necklace and wrap bracelet // Photos taken by Bryan Wallace