November Outtakes

In every relationship (romantic or not), the honeymoon phase will eventually end. The phenomenon of being new stops being shiny, and the reality of being together settles in. Decisions about committing and moving forward need to be made. Feelings about each other need to be figured out. Visions and goals for the future need to be aligned. Sometimes the shift is seamless and goes unnoticed; while other transitions may require some adjusting. We’d like to think we’re still in the honeymoon phase of our relationship, but our visions and goals for our blog needed to be revisited in November.

A Merry Unbirthday

After getting our first tree together over Thanksgiving weekend, we have begun starting new Christmas traditions. On Friday, we played hooky from work and traveled to the magical world of Disneyland to celebrate Jasmine's 25th birthday. As fans of both Disney and Christmas, it was the perfect way to ring in our favorite time of the year. We arrived when the park opened, and immediately took advantage of the lack of lines and hit the big rides: Space Mountain, Star Tours, Matterhorn, and Big Thunder Mountain--all before 10AM! In between indulging in corn dogs and clam chowder, we managed to squeeze in 25 rides to represent 25 years of life. Our top three favorite rides were Peter Pan, Star Tours, and Big Thunder Mountain. We actually rode Star Tours five times in an attempt to visit all six worlds (we managed to get 5/6!). This Disneyland trip was the best one either of us had ever had and we cannot wait to go back together again!

Daze in the Sun

With no desire to spend money on clothes we didn't need, we evaded the Black Friday crowds by escaping to Santa Monica Pier for a day in the sun instead of in the mall. We took advantage of the summer extension and started with a chill ride on the ferris wheel, where we were reminded of just how thankful we were to live in a place where we can spend the holidays at the beach without a jacket. With nothing but clear skies and sunshine to guide our way, we walked from one beach to another. Once we got to Venice Beach, we explored street vendors and cooled off with ice cream before making the trek back to the pier.

Musing: The Philo Effect

Phoebe Philo remains a constant source of inspiration for us. We love her not only for her impressive accomplishments since taking over Céline, but also for her own personal style and aesthetics. She single-handedly revived Céline with her modern and minimalistic philosophy towards fashion. Her attention to shapes, textures, colors, and materials brought a new subtleness often overlooked by many other luxury brands. Moving away from the maximalist approach, Phoebe’s designs stripped away the unnecessary and captured the essence of each article of clothing. This way of designing was reminiscent of the Bauhaus movement and mid-century aesthetics. The world got a glimpse of her personal style when she was seen during the runway show for Céline 2011 wearing her Stan Smith adidas rather than the fashion uniform of high heels. Since then, the sneaker trend has taken the world by storm, and it was all started with Phoebe Philo.

Because of Phoebe's influence, we no longer have to choose between form and function. It is acceptable to wear sneakers with a suit or a dress. The oversized silhouette is no longer sloppy but is rather a purposeful choice. Phoebe’s passion and her infection style have become a way of life--having us saying “WWPPD,” What would Phoebe Philo do?

Bad Habit

In an attempt to escape from our usual urban environment, we explored the Artists Village in Santa Ana. In such a condensed pretty place, we were quickly bored with the main area of the village and reverted to our bad habit of looking for the grimey, hidden corners of a city. During our urban exploration, we were pleasantly surprised to find back alleys in Orange County that were reminiscent of LA and that made us feel more comfortable. Even though we both grew up near the beach, we just can't deny our love for urban spaces. After chasing the sunset to the top of an empty parking structure, we began the holiday festivities with two friendsgivings and a birthday party.