Nationals Weekend

A note to all of my loyal readers (or just the bf...let's be real) I'll be on vacation next week with my family in New Hampshire, so no posts. Try to make it through the week without me.

But, before I jet off to Lake Winnepasaukee. Let's talk about America's favorite past time. Baseball.

The bf and I will be entertaining some of his relatives who are coming in from out of town for the Phillies v Nats games this weekend. I wanted to take a moment to tell you how freakin' awesome the games are. But since this is a girly blog, let's start with the outfit.

My favorite part of a Nationals game is the President's Race; mostly because I am dedicated member of the "Let Teddy Win" campaign. It's a small grass-roots effort, but I think with the right advertising it could take off. Enter, my Teddy tee:

Roosevelt #26 Jersey, Let Teddy Win, $25

For the hat I like the old-school look:

Lids, Nationals Forty-Seven Brand Hat, $25

OK, moving on to the food. Three words: Ben's Chili Bowl. That's all you need to know. Don't question it, don't even look around. Just head to Ben's. Period. I recommend the half smoke (no mustard) and chili cheese fries served with a fork. Trust me.







For a drink, there really is no way around it- it's going to be expensive. For the boys, a standard Bud or Miller Lite will run you around eight bucks but if you're feeling wild and want to get more bang for your buck, head to the margarita stand and spend $12 for a giant yard glass.





Finally, a few words of wisdom: stay for the fireworks, make fun of Clint the announcer guy, stand for the troops when they salute them, and dance to the at-bat music.
Play Ball and Go Nats!

It's Raining Fashion!

This past Sunday there was a freak, but insane rainstorm that plowed through DC. I dedicate today's post to those who were entirely unprepared for that little treat. And for the future, let's talk about some stylish and appropriate rain gear.

First and most importantly, a good umbrella. This one is by far my favorite brand even though they could use an update on their patterns: Bright Nite Lighted Umbrellas. I love them because they're lightweight, and as their name suggests they have a tiny light bulb in the top that makes me feel a little bit safer walking around DC on the dark and stormy nights. The umbrella also is windproof so you won't have any of those embarrassing inside-out incidents that destroy your hair for the day and make you look like an idiot.

Bright Night, Ripple Effect, $38

Next the raincoat. Two options: colorful and bold (old school) or a classic trench. Let's start with the fun one!

Gap, Hooded Rain-coat, $34

If you're going to do a trench, fit is very important. You've gotta get the right length or else you'll look like you're playing dress up with your mom's rain gear. I like the classic khaki trench, it's versatile from work to play and you can dress it up with a silk scarf while still rocking the Carmen San Diego look. And if you're going with the classic look please just bite the bullet and INVEST! It will be worth it because this style isn't going anywhere!

Banana Republic, Classic Trench, $198

Finally the footwear. I think this is the place to have the most fun considering what a comeback rain boots have made lately. In my opinion, go wild! Please, take them off once you get to work but otherwise, the sky is the limit. Here are some of my favorites:

Tamara Henriques, Women's Rubber Shoe, $80

Zappos, Sperry Top Sider, $50

Target, Zulima Bias Plaid, $24

And don't forget when it gets colder, Target also sells rain boot fleece liners for $10.

Stay dry!

DC Deals

Today's post is not fashion-related it is DC on the cheap awesome related.

Living in the city does have its draw backs:
-living in a room smaller than most office kitchens for too much of a percentage of your paycheck
-constant ambulance and fire truck sirens (which some people can sleep through)
-tourists. No explanation needed.

BUT living in a city also has it's perks- today I'm going to focus on DC online deals. DC has tons of coupon websites that feature discounts off of your already favorite eateries, stores, and services. Let's begin.

Groupon- This was my first daily email in the DC coupon world. Groupon features restaurants as well as experiences. Most recently some of the deals have been:

• $10 for a Lawn-Seat Ticket to Either “Legally Blonde The Musical” or “The Sound
• $20 for $40 Worth of Cupcakes and More from CakeLove. Choose Among Six

• $25 for $50 Worth of Fresh, Sustainable Seafood and Drinks at Hook

• "1-Hour" Tasting Class from Washington Wine Academy. Choose from Wine or Beer

Buy With Me- This site is a little bit different: For each deal to become valid, we need to gather enough interested customers and meet the minimum benchmark before the deadline. Once we reach the required mark, everyone gets the deal! If we fall short, the deal is completely off, and neither you nor the merchant will be charged at all. Recent deals:

• $49 for 2 One-On-One Sessions to Shape You Up in Dupont Circle
• Up to 53% off a Mani/ Pedi at a Top Salon
• Half off Mexican and El Salvadoran Food and Drinks

Living Social- Is much like Groupon but after you buy the deal, you'll get a unique link to share. If three people buy the deal using your link, then your deal is free. Recent deals:

• HouseWarmers Maids LLC House Cleaning for $60
• Capital Yacht Charters 50% Off Wine Tasting Cruise on the Potomac
• Natural Body Spa and Shoppe 50% Off Relaxing Spa Package at Natural Body

Deals for Deeds- This site is pretty unique. Same deal as the other sites but when you checkout you'll be prompted to pick which charity you would like 5% of your purchase to go towards. Recent deals:

$10 for $20 worth of food and drink at Town Tavern

• 30 bottle custom wine-making experience at half price!
• $15 for $30 worth of goods from Pulp DC

Home Run- Just like Buy With Me, enough people need to buy the coupon for the deal to activate. Recent deals:

• $2 for 1 mojito at Zengo
• Free soft serve ice cream at ACKC
  
• 50% off Potomac Pizza

City Shop Girl- This one is for the ladies because it discounts events, boutiques, department stores, restaurants, spas and specialty stores. Recent deals:

• Potenza: For $28, you get 3 small plates with a 2 glass wine pairing
• Celebrate the opening of Panas in Dupont Circle, come in between 11am-1pm today to receive a free empanada
• Guests receive a glass of Champagne, 2 crafted cocktails by award winning bartender Derek Brown and a small plate from the kitchen for $54

Tippr- This site is fun because the discounts get bigger and bigger. The more people that buy the coupon the bigger the discount gets! Recent deals:

• $25 for $50 worth of Dicks Cottons sunglasses
• $15 for $40 worth of Professionals in the City
• $35 for $75 worth of John O' Leary's Golf Academy

What's the Deal- This is a great site for food and fun discounts. No catches, no gimmicks here. Recent deals:

• 50% off at Capitol Hill Tandoor and Grill
• 30% off the Arlington Scavenger Hunt
• 60% off classes at Boundless Yoga
  

Summer Ensemble

Next week I am going on vacation to New Hampshire. Now this is a family vacation so it will be tame, full of early bedtimes, and lots of reading. This would make for a very boring blog post. So, today's post is about fun ensembles and pieces for a wild and sunny beach vacation with your friends or significant other. No offense mom.


The suit. The dreaded two piece that we prepare for, diet for, and have nightmares about. My approach to the bikini is one word: distraction. For example, I am well endowed up top so I like to accentuate the girls as much as possible in order to distract from the lower half which is, shall we say, a Pillsbury crescent roll before it goes in the oven?



J Crew Breezy Dot Bikini, Bottom $19, Top $29










I also like to have my hair out of my face when burning to a crisp on the sand - so this headband I love because it goes all the way around the head; meaning no headaches!

Modcloth, Impeccable Ivory Headband, $9.99

I don't believe in heels at the beach, but I also don't like to see those shredded to pieces $4.99 Old Navy rubber thong flip flops so let's try to find a happy medium.

Zappos, Nine West Rhosolyn, $48

The beach bag is tough because it's gotta be large enough to carry everything you need for a full day out but it also needs to be machine washable or at least wet paper towel-able because we both know your sunscreen will explode, leak, or uncap inside your bag.

Tommy Bahama, Terry Beach Bag, $38

I'm not a huge advocate of spending loads of money on a beach cover-up because I plan to sweat and/or be covered in sand and/or sunscreen in it. A basic and comfortable dress is perfect.

Victoria's Secret, Tie Waist Cover Up Dress, $29

The final piece is a sassy hat. When your hair is soaked, just put on a floppy brimmed beach hat. Feel free to personalize it by wrapping a ribbon around it or even a pin.

Amazon, Light Vented Sun Beach Floppy Hat, $26

Things I'm liking today

I think this weekend's heat has left my brain a little slow and lacking the normal creativity- either that or the lack of Diet Coke this morning. Either way, today's post is going to be a more visual one. Here are some pics that I'm loving today:

Free Your Toes

A little known fact about me: as a child I bound my feet in order to have adorable, feminine, and small tootsies. So I used to buy my school sneakers a size too small so that my toes would curl underneath my feet when I walked. Now I can fit into anything from a size 5.5 to a 7.5 shoe. Totally worth it.

(moment to judge me)

Ok, so I have figured out now that my feet have stopped growing I can stop cramming them into small ballet flats and heels which have left my heels totally bloodied and beaten. Luckily summer is the perfect time to let your feet out in a fashionable yet professional manner. Depending on how casual your office is, you can get away with some great sandals. But ladies, please, no thong sandals- no one wants to hear you flip flopping down the hallway. No one.

Setchelles 'Get Outta Town' Sandal, Nordstroms, $79

Lands End Canvas Leather and Canvas Heel, Lands End Canvas, $67


Kate Spade "bow", Kate Spade, $198 (ok I had to put on in to covet)

It's Most Wonderful Announcement of the Year

Restaurant Week.
Oh my favorite. Four star restaurants and your usual Friday night dinner spots open their doors for a week in DC for 3 salivating courses of your choice, either lunch or dinner. Lunch is $20.10 and dinner is $35.10. Get your piggy banks out and start saving that change because a 3 course meal at a steakhouse in DC is definitely worth $35!!!

The one drawback of this holiday week is that some restaurants don't post their modified RW menu online. Not cool. Because the menus are slimmed down for RW you usually get a choice of three options per course, which is fine- but if I'm gettin' slim pickins I want to know what they are before I make a reservation and find out I get a choice of fish, tofu or cold soup (none of which I'm ok with).

So let's do a review of some of the places I think will have the best food and value for the money.


1789- Georgetown elegance meets all American gourmet.














Bibiana- Italian meets cool and trendy downtown.









Farmers and Fishers- Founding Farmers is one of my favorite easy and cool meals in DC; I can only imagine it with the sun setting on the Georgetown waterfront and a handmade unique cocktail in my hand that their new spot Farmers and Fisherman will be just as great.





Melting Pot- Ok don't judge me, I know it's a chain but Melting Pot is pretty spendy without a guaranteed $35 price tag. And, come on, who doesn't want that last course of molten chocolatey goodness to dip all of this in?







Ris- This little known eatery popped up last year in Foggy Bottom, and the best part is it does NOT take GWorld. And any place that refers to it's eating area as a "living room" is ok with me.

Humid Hair

As we discussed yesterday, the weather in DC lately is bordering on a regular afternoon search for apartments in North Dakota, Oregon, and Montana on Craigslist. It is humid and disgusting outside. But we're dealing with it, because that's what Washingtonians do best, just deal. Yesterday we talked about appropriate office wear in the DC desert and today we're going to look at some hair options.

Humidity tends to destroy any attempt at a straight-iron, hair dryer, or curling iron; so I like to do the best I can and accessorize. If you can't beat the heat then at least try to distract people from looking at your frizzy mess with some great hair extras.

While some of you may have longer hair, the ponytail is a go-to look but why not dress it up a little bit for the office and do some volume like Jessica:

Now for the shorter-haired ladies of DC (myself included) hair accessories will become your best friend. My personal favorite is the headband, and this summer it's all about the floral. Here are some great additions to any outfit that will keep your hair in place and looking fabulous:

Natasha Accessories Satin-Flower Headband, Dillard's $8.40

Mixed Flower Headband, The Limited, $16.50

Penelope Zipper Flower Headband, Etsy, $12

Those are some of my affordable headband suggestions but don't forget about jeweled bobby pins like this vintage looking one:

Luxe- Blush Pink Jewel Bobby Pin, Etsy, $6

Or a great addition to an updo like a bun for work:

Hairpins, pearls and crystal jeweled buttons, Etsy, $35

98 Degrees and I Don't Mean the Boy Band

DC Summers are always brutal but this one in particular seems a little extra heinous. With temps near the 100s daily and humidity that would make even a porcupine's hair frizzy; the daily work wear has been: wear as little as possible and still look professional.

Here is my favorite outfit I found that that balances professional with "holy crap my face is literally melting off right now"
Note the patterned silk blouse that is perfect for walking to work in; there are a lot of silk tops out there this season with ruffles which I think is perfectly office appropriate if paired with the correct bottom- NOT Bebe mini skirt as mentioned in the previous post. A nice bold cardigan for the A/C vent your cubicle is inevitably under; and simple slacks, preferably machine washable because the sweat along the waistband- though not glamorous is going to happen.

If you're looking for more of a cool breeze on your way to work, a dress is a great option for summer and if you pick the right one you can transition it into winter with some warm tights and appropriate jewelry.

Here I've picked out an outfit that may fit that bill.

Dress, Jcrew, $98
love the ruffle around the neckline and the "orchid ginger" color will look good on you if you're pale or super-back-from-vacay-tan.

Belt, Talbots, $38
Feminine with studs add a bit of 'bitch, please, I'm wearing this dress'

Necklace, Ann Taylor, $46
Ann Taylor has really stepped it up in the accessories department. This one I would double wrap for extra volume.

Shoe, Payless, $7
Yes, you read that correctly. Never overlook the power of Payless. These little wedges are not only the perfect price but they can go from day dress to skinny jeans easily.

Brunch in the District

Washington, DC between 11am-3pm on a weekend; there are not a lot of options for food. But if you seek out the truly awesome brunches in this city, you will never need to wonder what to eat on a weekend afternoon again.

I come from the suburbs where IHOP, Denny's, and my mom's kick ass french toast ruled the weekends.

Now when I wake up at 10 or 11 or ok maybe 1pm I'm starving and I don't want cereal. So here's what I've found to satisfy my brunch needs.

The Heights- This neighborhood eatery is owned by EatWellDC which also owns Commissary, Logan Tavern, and Grill Fish. I like The Heights because it's well-price food, great staff and AMAZING bloody mary's and mimosas. Does your diner put crab meat and wasabi in your bloody mary? I didn't think so.

Disco Brunch at Level One-because who doesn't want a little gay with their food? Level one is more commonly known as the restaurant underneath the bumpin' gay club that is Cobalt. Located at 17th & R it is the best bottomless mimosa brunch you could ever want. If it's nice out, good luck getting a table outside- but if you do, enjoy the people watching on the most fabulous street in town and relish the never ending champagne. I seriously had to put my hand on top of my glass to make them stop refilling it. The servers are either adorable skinny gay men who love you even more if you bring a small dog, or my favorite, Carrie. Carrie will take care of you, your stomach, and your liver- in all of the best ways possible. Prices are very reasonable and it goes until 4pm every Saturday and Sunday. Oh and the disco? Diana Ross' greatest hits or KC and the Sunshine band will be blasting through the speakers while you attempt to decide between the Studio 54 eggs or the Ahhhhh, Freak out! French Toast.

Before we move on to our last spot, I think I need to give a bit of full disclosure: the following may not be a classic brunch menu item, however if there is one thing you should know about me it's the following:There I said it. My weakness is grilled cheese. Nachos come in close second but if you want to know anything about me it is that I live for grilled cheese. Think about it: what could be better than butter, bread, and cheese. I don't need any of that lettuce and tomato business, that just takes up space. Give me the greasy goodness of a grilled cheese any day.

But I digress. Our last spot for brunch AND lunch is Stoney's. Stoney's is a hole in the wall bar and restaurant on P St where the locals enjoys great beer on tap, a neighborhood atmosphere and good food. Stoney's has a delicious brunch. The BF's favorite is the corn beef and hash, whereas I tend to enjoy either the Western omelet or as you may have guessed, the grilled cheese. Stoney's grilled cheese is legendary. They use bread that has to be baked by gods because it's softer than texas toast but just as thick and crispy. They use good ol' American cheese because if you want provolone or some other fancy crap you might as well get out. It.is.so.good.

So there you have it. Three great options for the mid-afternoon eat.