Author Archive

In all the years I lived in Seattle and on all my subsequent trips, I always thought that the city was getting younger, trendier, and less “sleepy.” Certainly in the past few years as more and more young professionals, taste makers, and trend setters have moved to Seattle, I feel like I’ve watched the city evolve to keep up with the demand to stay fresh and sophisticated. On my recent visit, I decided to check out (and check into) Hotel 1000, a relatively new boutique hotel, that to me, really embodied the newer, younger, Seattle- sleek and modern ambiance meets luxurious and uncompromising service. (more…)

On my recent visit to San Francisco, I decided to escape the cold and the city with an overnight trip to Sonoma. California wine country boasts some of the world’s finest dining and drinking experiences- so it’s really a shame to go out for only a day trip. We decided to make Healdsburg, a beautiful, centrally located town our home base, and drive to all the vineyards surrounding it. After having done some research on lodging options in the town, I decided to check into Healdsburg Inn, a very charming, chic, and best of all comfortable hotel that is centrally located right in the town’s main plaza. (more…)

We’re a little late posting this, but was super thrilled to be the featured blogger a couple weeks ago on Makeup.com, the new media property from Lancome. The site is directed by Victoria Kirby, former beauty editor at Harper’s Bazaar and Allure, and should be on your list of daily must-reads if not already.  See what they have to say about us!  Thanks Victoria for featuring TDO!

Editor’s Note:  Starting this month, we’re bringing you a new feature series which will highlight some of our favorite place in our own cities or cities we travel to.  We’re kicking off August with TDO Editor Carolyn’s currently obsessions in New York City. Hope you enjoy and let us know what you think! (more…)

Usually when one thinks of San Francisco- there are certain must-visit attractions that come to mind- The Golden Gate Bridge, Fisherman’s Wharf, Ghirardelli Square, Palace of Fine Arts Theater- just to name a few.  A few weeks ago on my most recent trip to the city, I discovered, while spotting tour groups walking through my hotel lobby, that the Fairmont San Francisco also makes the list, and deservingly so! Situated atop the beautiful Nob Hill, the Fairmont is one of the city’s landmark hotels and a true local icon.  It’s deeply steeped in history- both as the original Fairmont Hotel- and as a historic building in the city of San Francisco. (more…)

Someone once told me that the difference between a good colorist and a great colorist lies in whether or not they’ll simply refuse to do something that doesn’t suit you, regardless of how badly you want it. Thus, after years of dabbling amongst good colorists, I finally stumbled upon a great one- Marie Robinson of her eponymous salon.  Ever since I first started getting my hair colored, I’ve developed this fascination (obsession almost) with achieving perfect light ashy brown locks- a feat that colorist after colorist attempted- only to garner the identical result- great color for a couple weeks followed by months of drab, rusty, brassy mess.  Someday, I thought, I’ll color my hair back to black…but in the meantime since I have access to all the top colorists, I’ll try to achieve that elusive brown just one more time…

Before I went in to see Marie, I did a bit of background research on the color guru and was impressed to find her celebrity clientele to include names like Natalie Portman, Rachel Weisz, Rachel McAdams and Scarlett Johansson- all beautiful, at-one-time-or-another brunettes with the beautiful brown hair that I’ve long desired.   (more…)

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Zenni Optical. All opinions are 100% mine.

Or..the curious case of the $30 glasses.

I’ll be honest… the first few times I logged onto Zenni Optical’s website, I was both overwhelmed and skeptical.  The site is filled with pages and pages of frames of all different styles, sizes and colors.  I didn’t even know where to start! Not to mention, after having spent years forking over the big bucks for designer frames, I wasn’t sure what to expect from designs that came with the price tag of $8. (more…)

To be completely honest, when I was invited to a Juicy Couture event a few weeks ago, I decided to go – not because I was a Juicy fan- but because I was dying to meet Erin Fetherston- the California native whose clothes I fell in love with at her first Fashion Week show a few seasons ago. Erin is the newest designer on a Juicy collaboration and hosted a night of dinner and shopping for 15 online editors to drum up buzz for her new line, debuting this holiday.

Prior to that night, the last time I had entered the World of Juicy was sometime circa 2004, where I bought my one and only tracksuit top.  Then, as I was maturing in my sartorial tastes, I also began seeing younger and younger clientele in velour track suits and thought that my days of Juicy were over. (more…)

Every summer I inevitably find myself spending some weekends “out east” (in Manhattan vernacular) or heading to the Hamptons, an idyllic consortium of towns located on the eastern tip of Long Island and a popular hangout for young professionals to socialites. Some people go for the “scene” bar-hopping, party-going, bash-throwing, while others go simply go to get away.  Earlier this summer, I spent a long weekend out in Southampton for the latter reason, a little trip to rejuvenate me after months and months in the city.

While I’ve spent multiple summers before in Southampton, it’s always been at a friend’s house or a summer share, which isn’t exactly conducive to relaxing. So this time, I checked into the Southampton Inn, a casual chic inn located just around the corner from downtown Southampton, and a free shuttle away from Cooper’s Beach. Nestled on five acres of manicured lawns, the Inn houses 90 simple but spacious and charming rooms, a new pool and OSO, the property’s first restaurant. The country style décor exudes laid back Hamptons charm and the friendly staff helps you feel at home right away. What I love about this place is that the inn is completely unassuming and unpretentious, a welcome relief amongst the typical Hamptons scene. That’s not to say, however, that the inn doesn’t provide top of the line amenities.  Each room is equipped with Gilchrist & Soames toiletries and super comfortable Tempur Pedic® mattresses. In fact, the Inn’s balance of privacy and luxury makes it the lodging of choice for a number of celebrity clients every summer and the stylish grounds made it the location for the filming of upcoming Kate Hudson movie, Something Borrowed. (more…)

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Ramblers Way Farm. All opinions are 100% mine.

Yesterday, on one of the hottest New York days of the year, I wore wool.  As it turns out, that’s not as counter-intuitive as it sounds. I recently discovered Ramblers Way, a new line of next-to-skin wool tees founded by Tom and Kate Chappell, the duo behind Tom’s of Maine. They grow Rambouillet wool on their own sheep farms and ranches across America and then design and manufacture everyday lifestyle basics for men and women. Best of all, the entire line of products are earth and animal friendly- created through sustainable farming and production practices.  All tops and bottoms are a natural light blond color and untreated with chemicals, bleaches or dyes.

For me, the shirts are perfect for any type of chic but casual dressing. The natural color and casual style of the shirt makes it a little more difficult to pair with the dressier pieces in my closet, but the superfine finish and body hugging fit really elevates “casual wear” into something more sophisticated. Simply put, the top is perfect with denim, cargo pants, skinny pants and even chic with a pencil skirt for work.  I personally matched it with a black Alexander Wang draped silk skirt and tied the entire look together with a cognac belt from Barneys.  The natural blonde color of the top tied together the black and brown perfectly without being too stark against either color.

The feel of the top is very comfortable and soft, though ever so slightly rougher than jersey.  However, what I love about the wool is that it retains its shape extremely well.  In the past I’ve had some trouble with my tee shirts looking and feeling droopy after just a couple of wears but I absolutely love how form fitting my Ramblers Way tee has stayed after multiple wears. Oh and one more thing- the natural wool fiber repels moisture and odors so my shirt wasn’t a wet smelly mess after 12 hours of go-go-go. A definite summer perk.

Curious about Rambler’s Way?  If you like to lead a green and organic lifestyle, definitely check out their website below!