Cooking is one of my great passions, so when the local farmers markets open in late spring, I am over the moon. Meals are prepared throughout fall and winter from cookbooks and recipes I have collected over the years, but these are happily abandoned during the warmer months when I love to pick up the … Continue reading What to Make: In Season
Author: Wendy Franzen
Shades of Summer
Calypso St Barth lace sweater, $149 Kain stripe shirt, $90 Current/Elliott skinny fit jeans, $200 Alexander McQueen studded pumps, $1,085 Dolce Vita roman sandals, $169 Sequin handbag, €129 ASOS clutch handbag, $55 Paige Novick stacking bangle, $138 Kenneth Jay Lane coral jewelry, £140 Roberta Chiarella gold plated earrings, $88 CHANEL Lévres Scintillantes Brillant Extreme Glossimer, … Continue reading Shades of Summer
Perseverance
The Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago provided the perfect respite from last Saturday's bone chilling rain and cold. Our family spent the afternoon exploring most of the hands-on exhibits in this vast museum, including the Baby Chick Hatchery. We could not peel ourselves away from these tiny creatures making their way into the … Continue reading Perseverance
What to Wear
Designers have created a riotous sartorial garden this spring by splashing floral prints across every imaginable article of clothing and accessory. The trick to working this trend successfully into your wardrobe (i.e. without appearing too prim or too matronly) is balancing the overt femininity of the print with structured, substantive pieces. Resisting the urge to … Continue reading What to Wear
What to Give
Last weekend we had the pleasure of entertaining good friends from out of town, and they arrived with a beautiful basket overflowing with goodies for the whole family. Their gift reminded me of something cookbook author and consummate hostess Ina Garten once said - that the best gifts are those that can be used and … Continue reading What to Give
Designer Spotlight
When designers David Neville and Marcus Wainwright started Rag & Bone in 2002, they had no formal training but knew they wanted to make beautifully constructed, impeccably tailored clothes with the highest quality materials. I fell in love instantly with this small label and it became my go to for relaxed weekend pieces as well … Continue reading Designer Spotlight
Can’t Miss
The Chicago Botanic Garden's Antiques and Garden Fair begins today, and if you are in the area, I highly recommend checking it out. Vendors from the United States and Europe bring their best antique and contemporary garden and interior design wares, and the floral displays are spectacular. Last year, I found an amazing antique English … Continue reading Can’t Miss
What to Wear
During this season of gusty winds and unexpected rain showers, take a fashion cue from Nine d'Urso, the chic young daughter of Parisian style icon and author Ines de la Fressange, and invest in a wear-forever trench. Rain or shine, a trench works beautifully with everything from denim to dresses and instantly makes you feel … Continue reading What to Wear
The Top Ten (Music Edition)
The following songs are currently in heavy rotation on all of my listening devices. Some keep me moving and motivated during workouts. The others I listen to for their great transportive powers, letting them carry me back, forward or away. Number two has become my favorite song. Of all time. It's THAT good. Click on … Continue reading The Top Ten (Music Edition)
Saturday Styling
Most women fondly remember the shopping trips we took with our mothers to pick out Easter dresses each spring. It is still great fun! Using the Hermes scarf as inspiration for the color palette, I pulled the crocus purple and daffodil yellow as a nod to the beautiful bulbs blooming everywhere this season. The scarf … Continue reading Saturday Styling
the aesthete and the dilettante 