Tomorrow my sister and I begin to road trip across the Southwest, from my base in LA to my base in TX. I’m sure there will be fights- over the radio, food, and hair dryer- but I can’t wait for the time alone with one of my favorite people. There’s nothing like spending time with your sister- the gossip, silliness, and someone else to laugh at your family with. Posts here will be up as usual, and follow along on Instagram (@racheladelicia), hashtags #R&Rroadtrip and #sistertravels!
Wishing us all a week of quality time and amazing shoes! XO RA
It’s August ( how can it be August already)!?! Summertime is both in full swing – long, hot days- and winding down – back to school commercials have started to air. Don’t get me wrong- I love summer, but as a football fan the closer we get to fall the more excited I get. My pro team is the Dallas Cowboys, and they hold their yearly training camp in Oxnard, not far from LA. Yet in all my years in LA I’ve never made it to camp- until this year! I spent yesterday afternoon watching practice- and while it was no game, it gave me the “football” feelings, and let me cross an item off of things I’ve always wanted to do in the summer.
Which got me thinking- with these few weeks left in the season, what else do I want to do? Beach trips, wine tasting, and homemade Popsicles come to mind. I’m making a list and would love to know- what’s on your summer bucket list?
Wishing us all a week of summer fun and amazing shoes! XO RA
Over the 4th of July I got to spend some time at my mom’s house. Being a good mom, she often saves articles for me from different papers she reads- one of the articles she saved this time was a piece on Emily Post, an Autobiography in Clothes, the premise being we could learn about the woman by looking at her clothes. I love clothes, clearly, and do think that what your wear can say a lot about you- as the saying goes, “Style is a way to say who you are without speaking”. But really, can our clothes say everything about us?
In reality I doubt the answer is black and white. There are things we wear because we have to (gym uniforms), things we wear to project who we want to be (power suits to meetings, etc), and things we wear that we don’t like (the sweater Grandma gives you at the holidays). Do these things tell who you are? Well, yes, actually. Those clothes show someone who follows the rules (or doesn’t), who strives to achieve things, and who cares about people’s feelings. And those are just things you don’t pick for yourself. So what about the clothes you do?
Above is my 8th grade prom dress, faded, but it still makes me smile. I vividly remember picking it out- I love a good party dress- and wanted something elegant and grown up, and this is what 13yo me picked. Would I buy it today? Maybe not, my definitions of elegant have changed some, but this dress can tell you about me. The princess dresses I wore as a kid, the closet of pencil skirts, designer heels, my favorite worn-in jeans- they all tell a little piece of who I am. And if clothes have this power to tell stories about us, should we be more aware of what we’re saying? Should this be a call to really let ourselves shine through our outfit choices?
I say yes. After all, you are what makes your clothes interesting. I’d love to know- what do your clothes say about you?
Wishing us all a week of clothes with stories and amazing shoes! XO RA
Hope that this holiday you had an amazing time celebrating – that there was BBQ, real whipped cream and berries, plenty of family, friends, and fun. I got to be with my family in TX- and we had all of that in great supply. I’ve always loved this holiday – mainly because of the fireworks (once I got over my fear of them)- but I also love the feeling of togetherness and patriotism that comes along. I think it’s a great reminder that we’re all in this together.
Wishing us all a spectacular week and amazing shoes! If you’d like- don’t forget to scroll down or go to the main menu to sign up for our newsletter! XO RA
Things that aren’t good ideas : leaving me alone in a shoe store with no limits on a credit card, and leaving me alone in a bookstore with no limits on a credit card. I love reading, love books, love the worlds I get to visit and be a part of, ever so briefly. I grew up in a reading household, my mom read to us at night till I was 12 or so, and that was on top of the books my sister and I read alone. I was rewarded with books, taught to love reading, and to respect books. So it should come as no surprise that my apartment is full of shoes and books. I sometimes read more than one novel, or work of non-fiction, at time (I’ve been known to be reading one book in bed and have another for the kitchen or couch), and cycle through genres. While I think that fashion is empowering as it can make you into anyone you want to be, or let you be who you are; I think reading is magical as it lets you travel and live lives and understand so much more than you are.
Right now I’m reading All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr. I’m only a small way in, but am completely charmed by the portrait of Paris in the 1930s. I know this book is on reading lists nationally so I’d love to know–are you reading it? Have you read it? What are you reading?
Wishing us all a week of magic and great shoes! xo RA
What do I love more than fashion? Fashion at a great price! Today, if you’re in LA, come see me at the Clare Vivier sample sale from 11-5!
Clare Vivier bags are some of my favorite! She’s well known for her clutches, especially the fold over ones (yes Beyoncé posted a pic of one yesterday on Instagram), but the line is more than clutches. Look for totes, satchels, shoulder bags, amazing fanny pacs (true I swear), and cross bodies- as well as wallets, key chains and duffle bags. The forms are exquisite, minilistic French in soft leather that ages like a dream. And the price point is incredibly reasonable for the quality. Every bag I’ve had has only gotten better through the years.
So come! Have free wine! Get a discounted bag! Not in LA? Check out the merchandise on www.clarev.com!
Wishing us all an amazing week and amazing shoes!! XoRA
Happy Memorial Day! I hope you’re off BBQ-ing/Picnicing/Being with people you love. And I hope you take a minute this weekend and think about those who sacrificed for us to do all that. I’m all about a good time- but let’s remember why we have the day off too!
Wishing us all a fantastic week and amazing shoes! Xo RA
Summer is coming – it hasn’t felt that way in LA this week (we’ve had unseasonably cool and rainy weather)- but it is. And that means summer eats are coming- I have memories of childhood summers that involve long days at the pool followed by snow cones. There were nights when my mom would serve watermelon as the star of the meal and we would eat outside. To this day both of those smells, watermelon and sugary sweet cones, put me in a summer frame of mind.
My tastes have changed ever so slightly as I’ve grown up. Now when it gets hot I want fresh berries, chips and guacamole, cerviche and Rose’ – and I don’t turn down watermelon. These things make me want to sit by the pool or beach, wear sandals and a sundress and relax. Over the years I’ve added another craving to summer- gazpacho. I love it and honestly end up making it once a week – I end up eating it by the carful, craving the tang, and it goes great with chips and Rose’ .
Above is the recipe I go off of- although I make a few changes. I don’t process the veggies- I just use a rough chop, aiming to get things about the same size. I’m not picky on tomato type – I just pick whatever looks good that day. I also sometimes add avocado and shrimp- separately or together. And if you’re entertaining a drop of tequila in each bowl spices things up! Mainly just make sure you’re seasoning to your liking- and that you let it sit for a few hours before eating.
I’d love to know- what foods are your summer go to?
Wishing us all a week of good eats and amazing shoes! Xo RA
It’s Mother’s Day (and my birthday!!)!! And really-I wouldn’t be where I am without my mother. When I was a baby we lived in Spain for a while–and my mother would dress me in various outfits all day and take pictures. Clearly something clicked and I like to think that we’re all better off for it! Above is an outfit of hers that I still love to play dress up in, and below is my mommy and me! I hope today you take a moment to tell your mother, or mother-figure, how much you love her! And have some champagne–it’s my birthday and I say so!
Wishing us all an amazing week and even better shoes! xo RA
Can we be honest? Change is hard. Even the change that you want can be hard (ask my hair dresser, I freak out almost every time). And yet–none of us want to stay in the same place forever, right? I would say most of us want to be better versions of ourselves, to have amazing things happen to us, to reach for things, but getting out of our comfort zones can be difficult. Or maybe that’s just me. Say it’s not just me.
Spring is know as the beginning season. Flowers bloom, things start again, and we change. I know that I am changing right now–and some are great and some are scary. I have absolutely no answers but I can tell you 3 things that are helping me get through all the change.
1. Things are going to be okay.
They are. They most likely won’t look like how we think they might, but things have a way of working out for the best. I think our job is just to trust; as my grandma would say a positive attitude makes up for a lot.
2. Be okay with not knowing.
Internet friends this one is a struggle for me daily. I want to know things–all the things. But sometimes, when we’re going through things, we don’t. I’m trying to get comfortable not having an answer in mind, in seeing what happens, in not knowing. Some days are easier than others, but the more I can tell myself it’s okay not to know–it becomes okay not to know.
3. Be compassionate and kind–to yourself
Change is hard. I don’t think being mean to yourself or beating yourself up helps in any way. Just like a friend going through something needs your support, you need your support. So be kind to you–take care of you. If you need a night with friends, a glass of wine, or even new shoes, try to treat yourself like you would a friend.
Hopefully this spring brings for us a summer of changes that were worth it. And if we don’t like it, hey, we can always change again, right?
Wishing you a week of self kindness and amazing shoes! xo RA
