MADEWELL LOVIN' & GUESS WHAT

SAVE .THE. DATE.

April 2nd. Madewell.
Brown Bear Bakery.
Discounts. Champagne.

Madewell  & Ida Street are teaming up for a special event. Listen to this:  Madewell + Champagne + Discounts + Brown Bear. You're not dreaming. This is real.  Enjoy champagne, a 20% discount on purchases $125 & more & Brown Bear sweets. That's right. Click here to RSVP today (or send a note to rsvpkenwood@madewell.com if you have link problems!).

& to get us all excited (like we need it with that lineup!) I've pulled a few of my current Madewell faves. Photos are all linked.

a. high riser 

c. tassel hoop

d. indio sunglasses

b. high top

e. slub v-neck pocket tee

a. high riser skinny skinny cut edge: Can you see the ankles? I love the rough cut. & the knees. & the high waist. Get in my closet.
b. vans sk8 hi-top sneaker: My obsession with hi-top sneakers just won't quit. Gimme. 
c. tassel hoop earrings: Aren't these fuN!? Ah I just love.
d. indio sunglasses: I've been wanting a pair of light colored sunnies for years. & circle to boot.
e. slub v-neck pocket tee: I have the white one. I want the gray one. I need the black one. 

Who's excited? #everydaymadewell

IRONY CLAD

Omg. This snow. Eskimo boots. Eskimo coats. Hats. Gloves. Mittens. It's endless! Anyway, I wanted to poke a little fun at the business of it all & so I bring you ironic beach sweatshirt #2. (You can see the first one HERE. Beach sweatshirt at the beach. I thought I was so clever.)

I've been seeing a lot of people layer their sweatshirts like this. In theory, I love the idea. But I can't quite figure out if I really like it on myself. Talk about preppin out. But here we are, wearing a beach sweatshirt in the snow. Which is really cold, but fun. 

Stay warm, everyone!

Sweatshirt: Madewell (2014) (similar from Madewell) (similar for "Beach" irony)
Chambray button down: Target (2013) (similar)
Coat: Borrowed from my mother (similar)
Photography: Jackie Butler

VISIT: ST. LOUIS

Last weekend I took a few vacation days to head out to St. Louis, Mo. I've heard through many a folk that St. Louis is similar to my beloved Cincinnati. Truth. Both cities sit on a river at the state line (the history nerd in me says that means they were very dependent on river trading etc back in their early days). Both cities love their beer & breweries. There are many other striking similarities that aren't really important to my quick travel guide.

Anyway, I wanted to pull together a quick list of things you might do if you are ever visiting STL!

1. The Budweiser Brewery Tour: I was staying in Soulard (a neighborhood just a mile or two away from downtown filled with young people & a lot of bars) which is home to the Anheuser Busch Brewery. We were so close that every morning I woke up to the smell of hops & yeast! We went on the free Budweiser Tour (which I think runs every hour). It was so fun & informative & included a free drink at the end. 

2. Ballpark Village: Just behind the ballpark downtown St. Louis has built an amazing hub of indoor bars, restaurants & entertainment (similar to The Banks in Cincy... but indoors). There is live music every weekend, huge tv's (think Fountain Square) to watch away games & plenty of space to grab a drink with friends. 

3. Soulard Coffee Garden: After a night of beverages in the bars of Soulard, nothing sounds better than breakfast, am I right? Soulard Coffee Garden hit the spot.  It's a local treasure with quick service & a homey atmosphere. There were so many breakfast options I had a hard time choosing. Oh, & the mimosas come with your own mini  bottle of champagne. 

4. Mardi Gras: The source of our trip was the St. Louis Mardi Gras. I've heard claims that, outside of New Orleans, St. Louis' Mardi Gras is the biggest in the USA. We braved the cold to catch the end of the parade, racked up an enormous number of beads & then joined the party in the streets. Soulard is cool because there are no open container laws (that is a difference from Cincinnati). There were thousands of party-goers lining the streets & bars. You have to go at least once!

Other places we ran out of time for:

5. SLU: We drove through the campus, but I would love to spend more time here on another visit.

6. Gateway Arch: St. Louis is probably best known to outsiders for it's Gateway Arch on the river. Apparently you can go inside, ride to the top & have a phenomenal view of the city. Next time. 

When I was little we used to watch Meet me in St. Louis (Meet me at the fair) all the time. It was fun to see what all the fuss is about ;D

TULLE & TWIRL

We've been living inside a snow globe in Cincinnati. It's very light, & very fluffy & powdery & wonderful. & contrasts very well with a black tulle dress. 

A few weeks ago I was introduced to eShakti.com the online retailer. I had never heard of it before, but for the hard working, time crunched young adults we are, eShakti is really an awesome option. Why?  It's guaranteed to fit, since each piece is custom made. & best yet, you kind of get to play designer. 

I have always loved tulle & have been dying to get my hands on a tulle skirt for years. The problem I ran into is that most of them are "one size fits all" & that one size did not fit me. Enter the Alexandra dress. It was already really darling, but I got to customize it. Really! I sent in my unique sizings for bust & waist. Then before check out I got to choose how I wanted the dress to fit. Sleeveless? Cap sleeves? Three quarter? Sweetheart neck? V neck? Scoop neck? Did I like tea length for the skirt? Did I want floor length? Should it hit my knees? The list of options was amazing. How had I not heard of this place before?!

My customized Alexandra dress came in just under a week. I tried it on the second I got home & twirled around through my tiny studio. It fits like a glove & twirls just how I always imagined my tulle skirt should. 

& because I love you guys so much, I asked eShakti if I could score a little deal. From today through March 23, use promo code idastreet to get 10% off your eShakti purchases!* The product is ALWAYS being updated, so if you don't see anything you like now, check back. Or follow along on their Facebook, Pinterest & Instagram to see what's coming up. Go forth & customize your wardrobe! 

Dress: eShakti (out of stock) (almost ordered this one) (also similar) (also considered this one)
Coat: Express (borrowed from my mother) (similar)
Boots: Hunter (mine are 8 years old & have held up so well!)
Photography: Jackie Butler

This was a sponsored product review written by me on behalf of eShakti online retailers. All the opinions & text are my own. *Code has to be entered in the ‘promotional code’ box. It is not case-sensitive. Code can be used any number of times until the validity period. It can be clubbed with any other promotional offer, gift coupon or gift card in the same order unless explicitly specified otherwise in the offer conditions. This discount code is not applicable on clearance / sale, gift cards & overstock categories. Not applicable on previous purchases.

CORRYVILLE: HANGOVER EASY

Hangover Easy: Breakfast Cures All
Mon-Fri 7a-2:30a; Sat-Sun 8a-2:30a

I had heard about Hangover Easy looooong before I finally went. Located adjacent to UC's campus just off Short Vine [map], this place is way too close to The Studio to have never made it on my brunch list. Maybe it's the proximity to a college town, or the Toledo-dwelling founding brothers' joking personas, but somehow HangOver Easy [HOE] has developed a major funny bone & it just works. I spent the morning reading about HOE fries (so good), chuckling at how "Beer is proof God loves us & wants us to be happy," but finally, "when I read about the evils of drinking, I gave up reading" & just dug in.

You may have already guessed by the name that Hangover Easy loves alcohol. So much so, in fact, that they open the day with a full serving bar. Mimosas? Duh. Bloody Mary's? You betchya. Jameson? They've got it on tap. (Seriously. There's seriously jameson on tap. Isn't that crazy??!) This makes it a hot spot for medical staff & other night shifters to host their "happy hour" in the early a.m. & it's also great for nearby college students battling last night's, you guessed it, hang over. Where else could you get a beer with your eggs? 

But Hangover Easy is not only for the college students & hospital staff. It's for you & your friends who love good food. I stopped in on a Saturday morning at exactly 8am. In other words, we were their first customers of the day. This gave me a great chance to take a tour of the facility, laugh at all the jokes on the wall & wish it was summer (there is a fantastic patio & green space out back). The other benefit of arriving so early was that I got to read through the whole menu. I'm always partial to breakfast, but there is some GREAT food here in all arenas. It's diner food, yes. Totally delicious diner food. 

But by far the coolest thing I learned on my little jaunt over to Corryville is that the entire area used to be a dairy farm. Hangover Easy (the building below) was the carriage house. There's an amazing open space upstairs (literally where the horses used to stay) with great event potential. Think OTR-esque. Which reminds me, Hangover Easy also has giant jenga. Yes. Eat, drink & be entertained. 

& that's the best way I can describe Hangover Easy. The next time you're feeling the urge to laugh with a few friends over breakfast (or any meal, because if you didn't notice they are open every night til 2:30am), head on down.To quote the manager I was talking to, "We definitely don't take ourselves too seriously."