Going to (Eastern) Market!

Bonjour darlings! How 'twas your weekend? S'Marvelous or S'Wonderful, I trust? Can you tell I am in an Audrey Hepburn-esque mood? Perhaps it is because I had one of the nicest weekends in a long time and spent Saturday strolling along an outdoor market with a delicious little chai latte clutched in my hand.If only it had been in Paris, I would have thought I had been transplanted into an Audrey movie. But no, I was actually right here in my hometown of DC, exploring the city's oldest market: Eastern Market. For over 136 years an eclectic troupe of vendors gather together to mingle with DC locals and visitors alike and transform the quiet capital hill neighborhood into a community hub.Not to mention, provide an awesome forum for shopping enthusiasts to unite!

As I have mentioned several times now, roommate and I are home every weekend this month (first time since moving to DC!) so we have decided to take advantage of this and explore as much of DC on the weekends as we can. Thus, we came up with a plan to visit a different outdoor market or vintage shop every weekend. I figured I might as well take photos (of course) and report back to you every Monday, which is how Market Monday was born! Hopefully, by the end of June we will have created a useful little guide to the markets of DC for any of you who might be planning a visit, moving to the area soon or perhaps are already an area resident who is unfamiliar with the fabulous market scene in DC. I'd love to hear feedback from you all as we go along: what you like, what you don't like, what you want more of, etc. I seriously welcome any and all feedback!

Eastern Market, Washington DC. Open Saturdays (7 am-6 pm) and Sundays (9 am-5 pm)  in the historic Capital Hill neighborhood (225 7th St SE- Eastern Market Metro station). There are an abundance of delicious cafes right around the market, too, so I suggest going hungry and enjoying a fabulous brunch after you shop! I HIGHLY recommend Montmartre's french restaurant. I had the most delicious panini!

I loved these adorable on trend Navajo bags, and of course the pink scarf caught my eye.

I loved how you could be looking at strands of delicate pearls one minute, and crates of firm peaches the next.By the way, amazing pricing on some beautiful (and unique) pearls!

I kept fawning over the gorgeous vintage silk scarves and wish I could buy them all! I think I might start a sort of "Easter Market" purchases collection. This week was  a handmade leather bracelet, but maybe next time I'll scoop up one of these beauties!

It was a really wonderful way to kick off our month of DC exploration, and the perfect way to start our Saturday morning. Leisurely strolls while window shopping and sipping delicious beverages are basically what I call a perfect Saturday morning. Wouldn't you?  

Visit if you like: Fresh locally grown food, eclectic sculptures, local artwork, unique handmade jewelry/pearl jewelry and beautiful accessories (purses, hats, headbands, scarves etc.).

What you won't find: Super bargains (don't expect flea market pricing) antiques (only saw two furniture vendors I think) or clothing (again, a couple vendors but not really what I considered a great selection).

I didn't get to meet this artist to ask and confirm this, but I think they take famous impressionist paintings and then set them in DC! I will probably need to have one of these one day, simply because the idea impressed me.

So many fun jewelry stands! I loved seeing all the different cultural styles, and local tastes. This new market obsession could be very bad for my wallet!

I fell totally in love with this antique bedside table. I am a sucker for lightly distressed white wood! Too bad it was $195 (for two of them). Definitely a good deal, just out of my current price range for furniture, considering my apartment is basically all hand me downs from family! 

This vendor had quite the collection of unique handmade headbands and hats.They would definitely be a fun statement piece to add to your accessory collection.

And my love affair with antique books continues. I want to have shelves upon shelves of old books one day. I can't believe I actually walked away from a $5 Balzac! Translated, but still would have been lovely. I hope and hope it will still be there next time.

If you find yourself in DC on a Saturday or Sunday this summer, I highly, highly recommend taking just a few hours to enjoy this local market. It is more of a cultural experience than anything, with local music, local eats and local flavor!  Check out their site for more specifics: http://www.easternmarket-dc.org/

 

Bisous!

Jewelry! Jewelry! Get your jewelry.

'Ello poppets! I hope you are all having a fantastic first Saturday in June! I don't know why, but for some reason I am inexplicably happy that June has arrived. It might be that it now truly feels like Summer. Or perhaps it is the fact that my first Vintage Sunday is just around the corner (more on that tomorrow)! Or it could just be that for the first time in what feels like forever, I have four weekends ahead of me on which I will not be traveling at all! That means I'll be able to sleep in, explore my city the way I have been itching to and simply have time to just sit back, chill out and relax. After all, isn't that what summer weekends were made for? I sure do think so!

And it might also have to do with the fact that A La Mode et Plus and Towne and Reese (remember my necklace obsession?) are teaming up to offer one reader the chance to win a piece of jewelry of their choice! Yes, you get to choose any of the gorgeous pieces designed by the talented Christi Pack and Jessica Stanfield. Towne and Reese, named after Christi and Jessica's daughters respectively, offers an amazing selection of pieces that "blur the line between timelessness and trendiness and fits into almost any budget." Now what wardrobe doesn't that philosophy work with! And Christi and Jessica continue to add a personal touch to each of their pieces by naming each item after the daughter of a friend that has touched their lives. They already had me sold when I saw their pieces, but after hearing that story and realizing how down to earth and family-oriented the company is, I was caught hook, line and sinker mes amis!

L-R: Avery bracelets, Meredith earrings, May earrings, Grace bracelet Genevieve necklace (Do you see a pattern??)

If you need any help entering send me an email at lwainman321@gmail.com. I hope you will all join in the fun before midnight (ET) June 11! I will use random.org to pick a winner and announce the winner Sunday. Make sure to leave me your email address or link to your blog so I can contact you if you win!

To enter:
1. You must be a follower of A La Mode et Plus either through Google Friend Connect or bloglovin.
2. Check out the Towne and Reese collection and tell me what your favorite piece is. Trust me, it will be hard to choose!

For extra entries (separate comment for each please): 
1. Follow this blog on Google Friend Connect AND bloglovin'
2. Like Towne and Reese on Facebook and like A La Mode et Plus on Facebook (1 entry for each) 
3. Follow me on twitter (laurachanning) and tweet about this giveaway.
4. Add my button to your blog (+2 entry)
5. Post about this giveaway on your own blog

If you just can't wait (and who could blame you!) to get your hands on one of these beautiful pieces, hop on over to Towne and Reese and use code ALAMODE15 for a 15% discount off your purchase, anytime during the week of this giveaway! A discount and a chance at free jewelry? Doesn't get any better than that! Happy Saturday, dolls.

Bisous!

Hospital funnies

Howdy partners! Yes, I bring you another edition of blog in a funny character voice. I know you have just been itching for it ever since International Pirate Day, right? No? Oh well, Cowboy day has arrived with or without your approval, but hopefully it is with :) And you know what else is making a long overdue return?? Awkward and Awesome Thursday! I imagine the heavens opening and birds chirping with joy as I typed that. Yes, I do over-dramatize everything in my head, thank you very much. Personally I think it makes life more interesting. I also blame Blair Waldorf (book version Blair, especially) for this habit.

Awkward:
-Ok this is a good one, so I apologize for the length! The brother and I got quite a laugh out of this, and considering we were laughing in the hospital you know it has to be good. So when the whole Sunday accident thing happened, the EMS team was having trouble getting a blood pressure reading over 100 for me. So when I was in the ambulance and the EMS lady (super nice, I quite liked her) took it for a fifth time and it was still hovering around 88 over 60, she finally asked "Do you exercise or anything?" And I said, "I mean I try to run occasionally, but nothing major." She responded, "Oh ok, that explains it." I think nothing of it and consider it dropped. We get to the ER and she is talking to my nurse and giving her all the details and when she tells her my blood pressure levels, she says "but I'm not worried about it now because she's a runner." Woah, woah, woah stop the horse. When the hizeck did I classify myself as a runner?? Never! And the best part is, it didn't stop! It seemed like this crazy "runner lie" was spreading like wildfire since every dr/nurse I saw (I saw like 4 different people) managed to tell me, "But I wouldn't worry since you are a runner." It was one of those things where I had let it go on for so long that I just couldn't stop it now. Brother found it quite funny and was unable to contain his laughter the last time the nurse said it, which made him the recipient of an awkward look. Oh, hospital visits are always awkward, aren't they?
-Walking around the office for half the day with a popped blood vessel in my eye (and not knowing it!), making it look as though I have been balling my eyes out. Thanks Mr. eyeball, thanks.
-Not being able to do a darn tooting thing about my lovely red eyed-ness even after said discovery and compensating with a really big smile for the rest of the day, hoping people would spend more time wondering why I was smiling quite so much and less time pondering what could possibly be making me cry at work. Oh what a problem solver I am.
-The fact that every time I talk in an editorial board meeting my entire chest gets immediately red and splotchy, even though I'm not nervous! I sure do look like a nervous nelly. What is that about, body? Explain yourself!!
-End of phone conversation at work: "Ok man, thanks a lot." ... Man? You started the call with "Hi Laura" and end it with "Thanks man"? Odd in my opinion.
-Eli's (my dog for anyone new here) ability to immediately find my undies the minute he enters my room no matter how hidden they seem to be! And his aptitude for dragging them out into the main room whenever I have company over. Thanks, babe, thanks.

Dress: Banana Republic, Cardigan/headband: The wonderful land of roommate's closet, Shoes: Bridesmaid shoes, Necklace/Earrings/bracelets/ring: Gifted, Watch: Michael Kors, Ring: Amrita Singh

Today's photo location was courtesy of roommate! She scoped it out during a mini walk with Eli today. She walks my pup and finds cute photo locales? She's the best! And no, you cannot have her.

Awesome:
-The way Eli sleeps on his back with all four paws up in the air. Cutest.Thing.Ever. I swear, you would think so, too, if you saw it.
-Giveaway starting tomorrow!! Yay for free goodies on a Friday :)
-Being in town every weekend in June!! I seriously can't wait to be able to explore DC every weekend in June. First up this weekend: Truckeroo tomorrow night, Eastern Market Saturday and church at the National Cathedral on Sunday. Excellence in a sentence, if I may say so myself.
-Being asked in the hospital to rate my pain and immediately having this pop into my head. A little obsessed? Maybe. Acceptable? Absolutely.(P.S. Brother said he had the exact same reaction to the question, so I think that makes our family doubly awesome!)
-Eli in his little life vest at the lake last weekend. Oh man, it was precious. Even though he didn't really like the water (or the vest, mind you) Mama felt better knowing that if he had a moment of bravado and leaped into the lake when I wasn't looking, he would just bob around for a bit. And let's not forget that he looks stinking cute in a life vest (aka the real reason he wore it).
-Perhaps I need to make an addition to the awkward list today: The fact that my life seems to revolve around my dog now. Totally normal, right?

Lately all I have wanted to do is throw on a dress and a cardigan with a pair of heels and call it a day. But I kept feeling like these outfits weren't "creative enough" or "blog worthy". But I realized that sometimes the simple outfits are all you need. A dress and cardigan is a classic for a reason. Why fight the urge?

Roommate found three things I love when she found this location: ivy, brick and dilapidated fences! Go roommate!!

This is one of the few shots that really shoes the detailing on this cardigan that make me love it so much. The fit is very unique and the strategic cutouts make it light and breezy. Aka the perfect summer cardi that my closet was lacking. Thank goodness for roommates. I'm not sure what I'll do when I get married and my "roommate" has to be a boy! Oh who I am kidding, I'll steal from him too!

Woof, this was a wordy Thursday, huh? I guess I was just awkwardly (and awesomely) making up for all that lost time! Wishing you a very awesome and non-awkward weekend. Although, I must say, the awkwards always wind up being better stories. I'm just saying.

Bisous!

Rachel Green Wednesday

Hey dolls! I hope you all had a wonderful should-be-Tuesday Wednesday! Roommate and I had tapas and drinks with my dad in GTown, so we definitely did! The tapas restaurant may be one of my new favorites! It is really perfect for the way my dad and I like to eat: order several small meals and share with the table. That way, you get the best of all worlds, and you don't gorge yourself on a singular meal. Tonight I got to eat spinach with raisins and pine nuts, seared tuna with caramelized onions and potatoes in some delicious sauce. And what is a tapas dinner without a little Sangria? It was utterly delightful!

Blouse: H&M, Skirt/Belt: LOFT, Shoes: Jessica Simpson, Earrings/Bracelet/Ring: Gifted, Flower ring: Jewelry stand in Fla.

I cannot take credit for my outfit at all today. Actually my galpal Rachel Green dressed me today. She did all the inspiring and the styling, really.The only thing I did was physically take the skirt off the hanger, and fish the shirt out of the corner where it didn't belong. It was clean, I swear- just not handing where it belonged.  Ok, hopefully by now you have figured out that I am referring to Jennifer Aniston's character in Friends. Yes, I know my obsession with a show that has been off the air for over 7 years is slightly scary, but now that I have found style inspiration from the countless times I have seen every episode of my favorite show I think I can now officially say I am just doing research when I fall asleep watching Rachel and Ross argue whether or not they were on a break. Finally, an excuse!

In the show Rachel wore a tigher fitting lace skirt, and green utilitarian blouse, but this was the closest thing I had.

And I was just dying to try pairing a more masculine blouse, with the uber feminine lace skirt.

This may sound crazy, but for some reason I felt like my hair went with our restaurant tonight. Definitely not planned, but I liked it.

This was another skirt that needed to be springerized by pairing it with a springy color, rather than the usual darker colors it saw all winter.

This belt is rapidly becoming my go to for all my wide-waist-cinching needs. It fulfills them well!

So now I am curious, who was your favorite Friends character? Did you ever get style inspiration from any of the characters? In case you hadn't guessed already, my answer to both questions is definitely Rachel.

P.S.In case you didn't have a pulse for all of 1994-2004, watch an episode of Friends immediately and report back the awesomeness to me ASAP. That is your mission, should you choose to accept it. And believe me you, you better accept...

P.P.S Tashina Harris- What season and episode??

Bisous! 

Shades of blue

Hi friends! Happy belated Memorial Day! I hope you all made the most of the three day weekend, and soaked up some rays on a mini-vacation, or enjoyed a relaxing stay-cation! Whatever way you chose to celebrate, I hope you took a minute to remember all of our fallen heroes, and the thousands of servicemen and women still fighting for our glorious country's freedom every day! I decided to not only bask in the glory of the sun by the lake and think about the reason for the holiday, but also to pop in and give a quick salute (and a lot of dollars) to the ER doctors of America; or more specifically the doctors of the UVA Hospital. Yes, unfortunately I got to be one of the unlucky few to spend 5+ hours of my day off in a hospital bed, waiting to hear whether I was ok after I took a bad spill off a boating tube on Sunday. Absolute yuckiness, right? :( BUT I am totally fine, and don't want to bore you with the details, so let's just move on to greener pastures.

Dress: Old Navy, Tee: LOFT, Shoes: Payless, Ring: Charlotte Russe, Ring: Amrita Singh, Watch: Michael Kors, Necklace: c/o Towne and Reese

I sort of decided to start my holiday weekend a little early, so these photos from Thursday never even got posted! Woops. That's my blogger bad.

I guess you could say I was feeling rather blue last Thursday :) No, in reality, I just desperately felt like piling on as much turquoise.blue jewelry as possible for no explainable reason that day! Do you ever have those moments where you are compelled to don a certain color in overload for no real reason?

See that fun "shades of blue" necklace that I am wearing today (er, Thursday)? Yes, that gorgeous, chunky statement necklace. That's the one.Well it just so happens to be a gift from the wonderfully, kind ladies over at Towne and Reese. I was over the moon when I opened my lovely package and saw this beauty (and an incredible cuff bracelet to be seen later!) shining up at me and couldn't even wait to wear it! So I promptly did the very next day :) I am sure by now you have heard of this awesome company, as they are most definitely the talk of the blogging town! Just in case you haven't, you should definitely hop on over there and check out their gorgeous necklaces, earrings and bracelets! All of their jewelry are incredibly priced (under $50) and unique statement pieces that will be sure to leave you standing out from the crowd, in a radiantly good way! I got compliments all day long about the necklace and loved being able to brag on Towne and Reese. Plus, at these prices, you will be able to spoil yourself without even feeling like it is a splurge! Who doesn't love that?

Crazy-scary pale girl says hey!! After my lake weekend, it is more like still-pretty-pale-girl-with-burnt-neck says hey! I don't know if that is even an improvement...

I apologize for the slight blurriness in a lot of these photos! My camera has been rebelling against me lately whenever I take my own photos. I think it might just need to be punished by hauling it off to a camera tutorial class so I can actually learn how to properly use it!

I am absolutely loving the statement this necklace makes! It really is the perfect combination of fun, youthful and spunky, while still being professional and sophisticated enough to rock at work. Does it get any better? Oh wait, I forgot to mention that it includes my current summer color obsession-mint! Now, does it get any better?? I don't think so!

Ok loves, I really pinky-promise mean it this time when I say that it will not be days on end until you hear from me next! Seriously, you can take me to the bank on this promise :) And I might just have a stupendous giveaway in store to make it up to you! Have a terrific rest of your Tuesday!

Bisous!

Nautical, dude

Salut mes amis! I trust you all had lovely weekends? Little old me sure did, as I got to take a trip down memory lane at my alma mater for graduation weekend! It was almost an overwhelming feeling to realize it had been a full year since I sat under those Oaks and anxiously awaited for my name to be called and walked across the stage to complete my years of formal education. It was definitely an emotional weekend, especially as I got to see dear friends take those same wonderfully thrilling and yet terrifying at the same time steps, and join me in "the real world." I know they will all do smashingly well over on this side, and I was so, so proud of them! I can't even imagine how I will feel in two years when I am hearing the names of my swim babies (the freshman class when I was a senior) being announced. I guess that will make me officially old.

Loves, I must apologize for my semi disappearance the last couple of days! I've just been a little occupied lately, but I really don't mean to neglect you my lovely bloggy friends! Hopefully, it will not happen again anytime soon. I also want to congratulate the darling Jenn, from The Stylish Housewife, on winning my True Whit book giveaway! Congrats Jenn and I hope you will enjoy reading Whitney's musings on every thing under the sun!

This outfit has actually been sitting in my computer folders, itching to get posted on the blog ever since last Thursday, and I am finally obliging it's wish today. Last Thursday I got to enjoy one of my favorite aspects of living in the city- impromptu nights out with friends.When my bestie, who is on summer break from law school, informed me that her hubby was working late and she was already bored with no work to do and needed a night out we decided she should pop on over for a fun girls night! So roommate, bestie and Eli and I all walked down into Gtown and had appetizers and drinks at an adorable outdoor Italian restaurant. It was one of those perfect nights where you just talk, laugh, sip and stuff your face with delicious mozzarella caprese and calamari! Oh and if you think that the location of these photos looks distinctively like something you have seen in an old horror movie ... you are correct! The priest from the Exorcist was hurled down these very 75 steps in the climactic scene. Naturally, I had to take photos there, right?

This is just a few minutes from my apartment and there are constantly tourists taking photos on the steps. So we decided, why not!

Dress: H&M, Chambray: Madewell, Wedges: Payless, Necklace: Charlotte Russe , Rings/Earrings/Bracelet: Gifted

So do you remember my comfy as PJs outfit? Well I think these wedges are the shoe equivalent- comfy as slippers maybe? They seriously feel like flats, and never hurt my feet, but still give me the much needed height boost. Can you say true shoe love??

Question for anyone else using a 50 mm 1.8 lens with a Nikon: Do all your photos come out with horrible red eye? Every single shot I have taken with this lens does, and when I edit in Picasa, my eyes turn all black and soul-less, like above. Since my eyes are actually my favorite feature of myself, that is quite disappointing for me and I'd love any tips you all have!

I wanted to take all shots looking up the stairs like this, but upward angles are not even remotely flattering on me. So pretend that you could see the cool/creepy steps in all of them. Danke.

For some reason I felt very 90s nautical in this outfit! The dress was the obvious nautical culprit, so I guess that makes the knotted up chambray the cause of the 90s vibe.

Wait, what is that you say? You want to see crazy pictures of my partners in crime being goofy? Ok, but only if you tell them you begged and pleaded and I reluctantly gave in and let you see these. Deal? Good. 

Bestie's best exorcist pose! Don't worry, she did not follow this up with a 360 head turn.

And my monkey roommate apparently was bored by the stairs. She prefers wall climbing instead.

Bisous!

Wishing and hoping, planning and dreaming

Aloha chicas! Did you all have a marvelous Wednesday? Je l'espère. I actually am not sure if that would be the correct formation to say "I hope so", but maybe you can just roll with the punches if you are a Francophile and know that it is indeed incorrect. Merci. That one I am definitely positive on. I know, I'm playing with the big kids on that one.

Dolls, I have amazing news. I pretty much have my wedding all planned. I know, girlfriend say what?? You didn't know I was engaged? Well, silly, that is because I am not. But thanks to pinterest, I can easily forget the whole "need a guy to give me a ring" (and to love of course) part and plan and dream my little heart out. As unmarried ladies, roommate and I talk often about our future weddings. And while she seemed to know exactly what she wanted, I realized that as much as I think about the "big day", I didn't really know that much about what I want. I know, no need to worry about that since I have plenty of time. But it never hurts to just look, right? That is exactly what I have been doing on pinterest for like the last 24 hours. Dresses, photography, hairstyles, reception setup. You name it I've been thinking about it. I have basically found the bridesmaid dress style I want, the shoes I will wear, the hairstyle I (think) I want and how I want my reception set up. Pretty much all I need is the dress. It feels like I'm forgetting something... Oh, right, Mr. Wonderful. Could he hurry up already?? 

Dress (worn as shirt): Urban Outfitters, Skirt/Wedges: White House Black Market, Belt: LOFT, Necklace/ Earrings: gifted, Bracelet/Ring: Amrita Singh

I don't usually do sepia for outfit photos, because you lose out on the color of the outfit, but when you are wearing black and white, it works! It makes the colors pop even more.

I may love this skirt more than any other item in my closet. But please don't tell the other clothes. The shoes, on the other hand, we got off on the wrong foot (pun totally intended) and the relationship has made slight progress (we've gone from unbearably painful, never wearing again, to I can tolerate this... I think) but still has a lot of baggage. Thus why I hardly ever wear these shoes, even though I love them. At least they were only $19.

I didn't even know this cute little behind-the-apartment nook existed until roommate told me we could do much better than the laundry room for photos. And she was right!

And then there is creepy part of basement you have to go through to get to cute little hidden nook. Perhaps to deter people from discovering the beauty that is this nook? Well tough nuggies, nook hiders, because I have found it and I love it and I will be returning.  (P.S. I'm the one leg woman!)

And of course I had to get silly for a bit, and what is sillier than sitting on a washing machine in the creepy basement of your apartment in heels and a skirt? Exactly.

Do you have a piece of clothing in your closet that instantly makes you feel so elegant and feminine? For me it is definitely this skirt. I just adore it. Thanks mumsicle for having a stylish eye, as always, and gifting me this beaut!

Bisous!