Plaid Envy

So I know you all wept your way through your weekend terribly depressed by my lack of post Friday.  I am sorry.  I know I let you down.  I WILL make it up to you my loyal readers (aka. Mom, Grandma, Grandpa, and Godmother)!

Why was I MIA on October 28th you ask?  Well, for an extra important reason!  My boyfriend and I had been invited to a PLAID party by our fabulous friends: newlyweds Sarah and Jonathan.  Sarah is a gorgeous non-traditional nutritionist / life coach who completely changes people's lives (a whittling waistline happens to be one of the by-products) as well as a brilliant blogger (check out her inspiring words here).  She's actually the reason I decided to start this blog in the first place (thank you Sarah!).  And Jonathan's a doctor in residency training to save people's lives.  Actually he saves people's lives already.  Like every day.  I think that makes Stefan and I as Wall Street Wallies pretty unworthy as their friends, but somehow they put up with us anyway.

Some shots from their GORGEOUS engagement shoot - check out more at Style Me Pretty

Anyway, for their PLAID party we needed a pumpkin, a six pack of our favorite seasonal brew (thankfully we live a block away from Ales Unlimited - home to an army of mouthwatering malts you've never heard of), and - you guessed it - plaid.  Unfortunately, Stefan - being European - and I - swearing off the stuff since being wed to it as a middle schooler in uniform - didn't own any of this tessellation tartan.  Instead of coming here to blog heaven to write to you all, I snuck out of the office to try and find some of the patterned print. 

First stop: the Gap.  While they had a decent stock of men's plaid shirts, I wasn't totally enamored.  They looked cheap, but weren't.

  

Plus, they were TOTALLY lacking in the women's department.  I debated about buying myself a baby Gap extra, extra large, but somehow it didn't fit right.

Then I tried to hit up the city's line-up of thrift shops but I had completely forgotten that it was Halloween weekend and San Franciscans go mad about getting a totally outlandish costume - the best of which can be crafted at the local Goodwill.  Lines were out the door.  Think Apple store the morning of the first iPad release.

Eventually, I gave up hope and decided it wouldn't be too bad if we showed up in stripes.  I was sure we wouldn't be the only ones without.

But we were.  Every single guest was decked out in the magic montage whilst hostess extraordinare Sarah donned a quirky yet elegant plaid-printed dress.  Thankfully, the plaid-clad pair had a full back stock of the stuff, so Sarah did me up in one of Jonathan's old flannels.  Stefan, however, was forced to fend for himself, naked in a sea of tartan. 

The party was top notch.  They had an excellent spread of delicious treats, a divine plethora of cocktails including a hot pot of freshly spiced (and spiked!) apple cider, and a superb assortment of San Franciscans - all of whom were fresh faces to me.  Now I love a good party, but I adore a good party with activities.  When I saw the medley of carving instruments available to us guests, I wasted no time getting to work chiseling away at my pumpkin.

Given that I was on my third glass of cider, I was a bit nervous with the freshly sharpened knives.  Jonathan assured me, however, that in the event of dismemberment, the swarm of surgeons present could sew me back together in no time. 

With those words of encouragement, I went to work finishing this guy in 14 and a half minutes flat:

The J is for Jonathan - who not only lent me his plaid and promised to keep my fingers intact, but was also celebrating his birthday!

After carving was complete, I was exhausted so we headed home, but not before I snapped a shot of their gorgeous neighborhood in the moonlight:

The rest of the weekend was filled to the brim with fabulousness - sleeping in, runs at Baker's Beach, reading on the roof, an unreal dinner at Bar Agricole, errands with the top down - all in 85 degree weather.  Sorry East Coasters, you could trade snow for sun if you just joined us out here. :)

I think all that plaid made someone a bit jealous.  On Sunday, we found ourselves at my mother ship, J. Crew, for a little browsing.  We came home with this adorable number:



I must say, I think I've prepified this little European quite well.  All we need is a beer in that hand and a football game in the background - all of which will be possible in t-minus 11 days!  Williams College homecoming here we come!

xoxo

KK