Moving Day: Straight Ahead!

Happy Monday Friends!

Tomorrow is moving day, and between movers, packing, and a severe bout of flu for the past week and a half I've been hard pressed to shoot anything that wasn't a box with a label! But moving brings more with it than just stress. It's a chance to start fresh, wipe the slate clean, and re-work some old decor ideas. So I thought I'd give you a little sneak peak at the some of the new items making their way to the Santa Monica digs.

First off, this Eurostyle, expandable table with orange glass. It's so retro 50's but also feels very fresh right now. Since I'm downsizing to a significantly smaller abode, I need a table that can close up to a fraction of it's length when not seating guests. This puppy is on order to arrive shortly.

 

Then of course there's Ikea. It never fails to impress me how often the best basics can be found there! A good example is this area rug we already own in our Santa Barbara house. We love it, and upon returning to Ikea we found that the company actually makes the rug about 30% larger for the same price!! For a cool, $100 we now have a decorative carpet that covers the majority of our new, living-room floor. And this Vilmar chair looks great, supports, the back, and can be stacked in a corner to save space when not in use. At $40 a pop it makes for a great temporary chair set, (until we find what we're ultimately looking for)!

Accents and decor pieces are always key. Since I haven't had a chance to paint any of the interior walls my signature grey and orange, I'm looking for ways to spice up the white paint. Golds and yellows always go a long way, and these Nate Berkus vases at Target along with the Target Room Accent throw pillows helps round out a brighter color scheme.

More to come, and hopefully some peeks at the new abode soon! In the meantime, don't forget to enter my AdoreMe giveaway here for a chance to win some choice lingerie!

With Love,

Noa B

Resort's Floral Warm up for Winter

Happy Wednesday All!

I've been perusing the latest resort/spring trends this week while traveling. Amongst the winners, floral and patterned trends emerging at BCBG, Chanel, and so many others. Granted, I'm snowed in right now in a place where the weather is at about 7', but a girl can dream of warmer days to come...

 

On the prowl for springier jackets to mix over layers I found an adorable Mossimo score, (my frugal answer to the question of wardrobe updates that are seasonal, but still affordable).

Mossimo floral jacket: $34.00, Target, (on clearance for $10)!
 

We all have our budgets to think of, but being on trend can cost as little as $10-$20 for a statement piece that puts you right on track for the season. Right now spring/resort is heralding a lot of florals mixed with black and white backgrounds. While I turned to Target to snag a deal, here are some pieces you may like!

                     Nasty Gal: $58                                         Versace: $2,000

                     Asos: $648                                                    F21: $29

              House of Fraser: $130                                             River Island: $82

Here's my next bargain: Target's Xhilaration Moto jacket with floral patterning: $33

How would you "steal" this look?

With Love,

Noa B

TBDress Giveaway!

Happy Friday All! I'm so excited to bring you my latest giveaway: this maxi by TBDress which I've had the pleasure of styling for both day and night this past week!

 

Last Saturday I had augmented the crisp white of my maxi dress with browns and taupes here. For the following Sunday dinner I went monochromatic. Black, white, and bronze.

I paired snakeskin patterned heels with bronze chandelier earrings, and a black and white bag and blazer to round it out. (I've been loving the frayed, messy pony as a quick, deconstructed look to offset tailored garments. To achieve this, use hot rollers to add a quick bit of volume. Then pull the hair up towards the top of your head. Secure with elastic and then fray the edges with a teasing brush or comb. The softer and more frayed, the better it looks). 

Dress: C/O TBDress, Heels: Calvin Klein, Jacket: Topshop, Clutch: Sandro

But enough about my pony tail! If you want to recreate this look read below for a shot at snagging this baby from TBDress:

Official Rules:

1: You must become a follower of Sunsetand5th. To do so, click the Bloglovin' box in the upper, right hand corner. 

2: Head over to tbdress.com to check out their latest styles. Comment back here with your favorite piece to kick off the new year. Make sure to leave your email address.

3: For an additional entry, join tbdress's online store site and let me know.

4: For another entry, twitter this giveaway and let me know.

This giveaway ends 1/31/14

Open internationally
Bonne Chance! 

With Love,

Noa B

TBDress: A Sonnet in White

Happy Monday Ladies! I'm excited to share with you my recently discovered new gem, TBDress. What a find! Everything on this site is current, trend oriented, and downright affordable, (dare I say... cheap chic for all us budget oriented fashionistas)?

Naturally I was delighted when they offered to send me a dress to style. Having abandoned my traditional black for a moment, I've been engaged in a love affair with crisp whites and creamy off whites. My passion right now? Sleeved, maxi dresses.They're incredibly easy to style both casually and for night.

This weekend I wore this maxi to brunch with friends, adding a faux fur vest and boots for the crisp, autumnal weather.

The cut of the bust has a cool, almost empire style banding, and the button front allows you to wear it slit open, or even kimono style.

Dress: C/O TBDress, Boots: Sam Edelman, Vest: Love21, Earrings; Tres Jolie, Cuff: Boutique

Tune in this Friday to see how I swapped it for night, and for a chance to win it!

With Love,

Noa B

The Cheapest-Chic, Winter Coats

I haven't invested in light or medium weight winter coats in a number of years. (I guess that LA adage about season-less weather has proven mostly true). But I'm finding that mornings are especially chilly of late. So when "cyber Monday" came calling I hit the stores to get some new outerwear. Fortunately, this Friday the sales are even steeper, and if you're on the prowl, H&M is killing it on affordable coats you don't want to miss!

Here are some of my top picks for amazing winter jackets currently on sale at H&M:

"Pleather" Biker Jacket: SALE, $20.00

Leopard Coat: SALE: $30.00

Wool Blend Jacket: SALE: $30.00

Padded Jacket: SALE: $20.00

Cream Biker Jacket: SALE: $30.00

Jacket: H&M, Jeans: Goldsign, Heels: Calvin Klein

My Jacket, shown above, now available in grey! SALE: $25.00

With Love,

Noa B

Leggings to Chill By

I've been so obsessed lately with pleather pants and peather leggings that I'd forgotten about my trusty, American Apparel leggings which are so perfect for transitional weather. They're warm, they're shiny, and they're high waisted so they can work with anything from tunics to crop tops.

I was freezing heading to dinner, so I layered them with a vintage blouse and sweater, to which I added my favorite, new, winter coat.

 This coat seriously goes with everything and it was such a great, cheap find. (More on that tomorrow).

Leggings: American Apparel, Sweater: H&M, Blouse: Thrift, Boots: Jeffrey Campbell, Coat: H&M

With Love,

Noa B

Tunic Time

It's a glorious Monday and the first time in days that it's been warm in the morning. I'm so happy to abandon sweaters and coats and leave the house with a single layer!

Tunics are the most useful items for running errands comfortably while still feeling fashionable. And cuffed jeans always look cuter when paired with heels. I'm so glad pointy toes are back and thrilled that I hung onto this pair!

 This tunic, a single choker, and a side ponytail make getting ready a 15 minute endeavor. So easy.

Tunic: H&M, Jeans: Hydraulic, Necklace: JewelMint, Heels: Sigerson Morrison, Clutch: ETSY

With Love,

Noa B

Layering Leopard

I was trying to figure out another way to wear this sheer, short/long blouse when it occurred to me that if I layered it under a shorter sweater, I might get the right balance.

A little cowl neck to drape, easy boots and jeans, and voila. Extended usage in the winter. (I'm also realizing that it's good to drag my bootleg jeans out of retirement as they drape easily over booties with a wider ankle. This isn't a goodbye to skinnies, but bootleg cuts will always remain a "classic").

Sweater: BCBG, Jeans: 7 For All Mankind, Blouse: F21, Boots: MIA, Lariat: Made by a Friend

I'll keep finding ways to warm up my summer garb. What's your best trick?

With Love,

Noa B