"Cobblestones and Cafe de Flore"
The Louvre, Monsieur Eiffel, and Musee d'Orsay.
Cappuccinos, croissants, croques, and crepes.
After a lovely vacation spent in Paris, reality has returned with a vengeance.

I may make a Paris post one day, but in the mean time, you can check out my Instagram for a couple pictures from my trip: here.

It has taken me so long to feel inspired to post again [sorry!] but today I've been inspired...

Happy Easter, my darlings!

I am in dire need of a vacation.
The weather has just begun to break and I am breaking out my suitcase.
Easter Weekend is a brilliant start to a regenerating vacation.

Although R&R is high on my list, that is certainly no excuse to relax my wardrobe.
So... How do I pack what I need without including, well, everything in my closet?!

My darlings, Spring has arrived and I could not possibly be more excited. The end of this week presented us with beautiful weather that made me want to spend some time exploring parks and indulging in a bit window shopping.

With that said, my winter wardrobe has become such a hassle to navigate. Not due to organization - I think it looks rather beautiful! But my clothing selection is becoming more and more limited as the warmer months approach.

  

Nearly all of the clothing that I wore this winter was black or grey, with occasional pops of white and blue. Frankly, I am in desperate need of a shopping excursion to add some life back into my wardrobe. Though truthfully, I will certainly need to make multiple trips, as I am incredibly selective when it comes to my clothing purchases!
You may be wondering why I don't just pull out some pieces from last year [or you're thinking that I replace my entire wardrobe every season, haha!] - I'm on a very long trip that required me to pack quite lightly.
We'll see if I can infuse a bit of color into my wardrobe without adding much weight to my suitcase...
Challenge accepted.



Have you been wearing the same three colors all winter? Are you in a wardrobe rut?
Has spring arrived in your city? - If not, hang in there!

Until next time, darling.

Kisses.

Dionna

Cafe Lucca @ Bath, England

If you have searched for the answer to any of the following queries:

"Eating alone"

"Eating alone in a restaurant"

"How to eat alone in a restaurant"

"Tips for eating alone in a restaurant"

"Is it okay to eat alone in a restaurant?"

"Eating alone in... [London, New York City, Populated Areas, Anywhere]"

"What to do while eating alone"

"Eating alone, is it weird?"

 

Unfortunately, I’m not the type of woman who refreshes her closet with each season. Most of my pieces can easily transition between at least 2 of the 4 seasons. Frankly, I have completely exhausted all of my options for clothing storage. The only way to purchase new clothing would be to donate the old, and I am simply not ready to part with some of my favorite pieces!

In the meantime, I will window shop until I collapse and compile wishlists of clothing that I adore. If I had an unlimited budget and an infinite number of closets, these pieces would certainly make their way into my collection quicker than you can say “Add to Cart”!

On my window shopping journeys, I typically shop for items that are quite pricey so that I’m not nearly as tempted to actually run out and purchase everything. Indeed, my approach is quite calculated. I would urge you to try it as well! Then you get a taste of retail therapy without damaging your wallet or cramming your dresser drawers.

Brilliant.

[Note: When you find that one dress that is on sale, marked down from $400 to under $100... I can't help you. Stay strong!]

Care to peek into my imaginary closet?

Eau de parfum, eau de toilette, solid perfumes, essential oils, hair mists, body sprays, the options are endless when it comes to this particular search.

Many individuals prefer to wear different scents every day, or switch them out depending on the season, much like their wardrobe.

Which is absolutely justified - some scents are far too overbearing to wear in the summer, or too light to wear in the winter.

However...

The power of having your own unique signature scent is, to me, unparalleled.

A fragrance that people smell and immediately think of you is one of the ultimate keys to becoming truly, perpetually polished.

It's an integral part of your classic, everyday look and routine.

How do you find your signature scent?

These are my 5 steps to finding The One:

With spring approaching, it is nearly time to begin spring cleaning. Spring cleaning, for me, means redecorating. Do you ever have those moments when you know you'd like to change something, but you're not sure what you'd like the result to be?

Without a polished home-base, how can I, as a young woman, be perpetually polished in all ways?

This is an interior decorating crisis of the third degree.

I call upon the experts:  HGTV, Houzz, House Beautiful, Elle Décor, Pinterest!

I have reached the 2 month mark of "having a blog" [read: I have very little to show for it, but it's an ongoing process] and I have learned far more than I could have anticipated....

Yikes.

My fellow polished persons, today I am experiencing the ultimate struggle. The struggle that we all, regardless of our unparalleled breeding and cultivation as polished beings, face.

I am lacking all motivation to accomplish anything. I do not feel particularly creative nor inspired. I would never say that I'm feeling lazy... as a polished woman, that word does not have a place in my vast vocabulary (this is when we scoff, haha!).

As I lounge in my own lukewarm motivation, I see this as the perfect time to share some antidotes to this common, mid-week disturbance.
Sorted by your degree of motivation [read: lack therof].

On Sundays (ideally once a week, but realistically, once or twice a month) I'll send you an invitation to have brunch with yours truly.

 As you see to your left, this winter weather has gotten me craving even the slightest hint of sunshine, flowers, and joy. 

We’ll be getting together to dine, dish, and decipher the events in our everyday lives. We polished ladies love to unload and unwind over brunch.

I’m not sure how you prefer your brunches, but there’s a system to our conversation. As polished ladies, we’re so organized that even our conversations flow in a proper order.

Phase 1: Small talk

Phase 2: Complaints & Boasting

Phase 3: TBD

Perhaps we only look polished on Sundays. Our perpetually ladylike conversation will come soon, I’m sure.

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Today is a Jane day.

We approach the restaurant at the same time, coming from opposite directions.

We hug one another, fondly but delicately.

We kiss one another on either cheek.

We’re polished, ladies. Oh so polished.

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For those of you who would like to read more as one of your 2015 resolutions, I'm with you!

Today, I would like to call together the first Polished Book Club meeting to introduce you to my favorite book of 2015 so far.
Already? Yes, already!