With Love from Austin!

Austinites are in love with love.  Check out all these beautiful words transcribed onto signs and public property, also known as love graffiti.  They are scattered all over the city and you often come across one when you least expect it.  In a world filled with so much negativity, Austin is doing it's part to push positivity and love!

Photo Diary: South Congress

I had heard rumors for over a year about how cool, trendy and hipster Austin is, but I couldn't truly believe all the hype until I saw it for myself.

Walking down South Congress, the streets are full of 20-something to 30-somethings all dressed like they are on their way to a music festival.  Smiles and laughter are prevalent, it seems Austinites have discovered the secret to chill easily living while looking like they walked out of a Nylon magazine.

Bright colors and twinkle lights adorn homes and businesses while succulents and air plants appear to be a perquisite for every establishment.

Shops along South Congress are mixed aesthetics of quirky, vintage, trendy, western, modern and bohemian.  Boutiques sell everything from high-end vintage clothing to unique home furnishings.  If my suitcase was bigger I would've come home with an entirely new decorating scheme for my apartment!

The food options are just as vast with eccentric container bars and food trucks lining the streets. Hybrid Tex-Mex tacos and vegan/gluten free/organic/free range options are in abundance making it hard to pick just one spot to eat.

I would highly recommend Austin as a getaway destination to anyone who is looking for a break from the monotonous.

Texas Style Council

Check out my latest feature for Urbanization!

One of our very own Urbanization girls Gennifer Rose traveled to Austin, TX to attend the Texas Style Council blogging event!

This is an annual event where female bloggers from all over the country gather to re-focus and connect with like-minded creative women. This event strengthens the bonds and relationships within the blogger community to support and learn from each other. Blogging is an area of the industry that is growing very quickly and it is vital to stay in touch to know what’s trending and coming next.  

The agenda is full of discussion groups, workshops and inspirational speeches from fashion industry leaders.  The women learn and teach each other while having a blast!

 

The conference is themed as a glam camp and takes place at Camp Texlake. Campers sleep in cabins and do DIY projects around a campfire at night.  

The ladies let the creative energy flow with DIY fun such as painting wooden beads and decorating canvas tote bags!

 

Camp was set in the beautiful countryside in real log cabins!

The organization loves supporting small businesses and some amazing shops had some cool trunk shows! 

Gennifer had a great time and plans to stay in touch and collaborate with the inspirational bloggers she met!

Austin: First Impressions

Today I fly out to Austin to attend the Texas Style Council blogging conference.  I have been looking forward to this event for months and as to be expected I am very excited but also a tad nervous.  While I have attended fashion conventions such as Magic in Las Vegas, I had always travelled with my company’s merchandising team.  This is the first time I am venturing out on my own and representing myself as a blogger.

My first impressions of Austin begun before I even step foot into Texas.  While in the airport waiting to board my flight, I look around and see that the majority of the passengers are young stylish adults which could best be described as hipsters.  In my years of traveling back and forth from San Francisco, New York and Los Angeles, I believe this aircraft voyage to Austin has the most stylish and on-trend passengers I’ve ever encountered.  I must also add that it is currently mid-March which is the height of South From South West and there’s no doubt that much of this crowd will be frequenting this event.

As I sit in my seat catching up on my Nylon magazine, I hear lively discussion coming from all over the plane.  I feel as though I am on a college school bus heading out on a field trip.  From what I hear, my fellow passengers are big fans of whiskey, travel enthusiasts, ironic R. Kelley fans and generally a happy free spirited crowd.  They ordered every mini bottle of Jack Daniels available and soon roaring laughter filled the plane.

If this is Austin, I dig it!

Fashion Report: Color Me Spring!

Spring is just around the corner and with this change in season comes the change in wardrobe!

 It's time to switch out our dark oxbloods and olive greens for the brighter and warmer color palette of Spring.  Pantone's 2015 Spring Color Report  tells us that we will be sporting a bright Scuba Blue,  fresh Lucite Green and cool Strawberry Ice.  We will be mixing and matching these bright fun colors with our new favorite staple neutrals Glacier Gray and Toasted Almond for that perfect contrast look.

 One of the best ways to play with these new colors is color blocking! Check out my Pinterest board Spring Color Blocking for some great outfit ideas!

Photo credit: Pantone.com

City Tour: Napa, Ca

This past weekend was my first trip to Napa and I have to say that the breathtaking views and exquisite cuisine live up to all the hype.  The rolling hillsides and mountain tops full of of grape vines are nothing short of picturesque.  The endless world class dining options make it impossible to decide where to start!

First stop on our romantic weekend was Pride Mountain Vineyards.  At 2000 feet above Napa and deep into the mountains, you feel like you're sitting on top of the world at this winery.  The views are spectacular stretching as far as the eye can see.  We toured the caves and enjoyed the tasting of their chardonnay, merlot and cabernets.

Next stop was a tasting at Silver Oak in Oakville, CA.  This winery has beautiful grounds and some very delicious cabernets.  They also sent us home with some elegant wine glass souvenirs!

Rumors of delicious donuts and bacon bloody marys brought us to the Boon Fly Cafe for brunch.  We had morning cocktails while enjoying a bucket of doughnuts and to die for eggs benedict covered with jalapeño hollandaise sauce.  

Sitting out on the festively decorated porch at Ristorante Allegria we enjoyed some savory pasta and crab cakes.

And finally we enjoyed a long soak in our massive bathtub in our Andaz suit.  I must say that the hospitality at Andaz was wonderful and they pour you a glass of chardonnay upon arrival!  Not too shabby for a Napa novice.