Betties and Horses

It's been way, way too long since Mad Men was on TV. I can hardly wait until 2012 when it will finally premiere with a new season. You better believe I will be hosting some sort of viewing party for it, too. January is such a blah-party month otherwise - why not have a mid-1960's (or late? No one is quite sure what year this season will take place in...) themed party on a Sunday night!

For the frequent followers of this blog, you already know my addiction to the styles of that era. That newest Banana Republic line had me instantly re-envisioning my wardrobe, determining which staple pieces I already owned (black pencil skirt, hot pink puffy skirts, fitted sweaters) and which items I might need to scope out to make a few "new" outfits (fitted blouses, trench coats, more dresses).

One of the easiest updates I discovered I could make was with a simple accessory - the scarf.

Betty Draper, the dangerously-beautiful now-Betty Francis, is always dressed to the nines, and riding horses is no exception. I absolutely love her outfits from the riding episodes, and the one above is a classic. That coat, her hair (whose hair does that after being under a helmet?!) and that little dainty scarf peaking up. Ah ha! That scarf! That is what "made" that outfit for me.

A Tar-jay search turned up an inexpensive "equestrian" scarf, a look-alike (minus that it's cheap polyester) of the $300+ (yikes) Hermes silk versions. Even better, it was made perfectly for an outfit like Betty's. With the Fall weather playing hard-to-get, it wasn't long before I got to try out the scarf with a fallish-outfit for work.  First, I looked up how to tie the darn thing. It's not as intuitive as Betty would make it seem, but it turned out to be not hard at all. Brooks Brothers, of course, had some excellent examples to follow.

I chose the French Twist. I added the equestrian scarf to an outfit of dark skinny jeans, black riding boots and a dark brown turtleneck (way for me to get all these new pieces into one outfit, right? Ha). Voila!

What do you think? Am I living true to the Betty nature? Now only if I had ridden a horse less than 15 years ago ..... ;)

Mad About Clothes

I. Die.

Drool, drool, drool. Thanks to my Mom for sending me this one, and boo on Mom for sending me this one, because now I want a whole new wardrobe for the Fall ;) ;)

What are your fav looks from this hot new collection to come? Mine is this dress:

Oh, hi, attractive man :) Men, Banana has you covered, too. Check out these looks to look 100% dapper with a 60's vibe.

:)

Some Quality Time

It's vacation time, kiddos. Here I am at the top of a four-day long weekend, one which I have been looking forward to since my last vacay (the beach week in April) but yet also one which has come quicker than even imagined. Time flies when you are busy, right?!

The weekend ahead holds a fun-filled destination wedding celebrating one of my BFF's (and her awesome hubby-to-be), a low-key day in Roswell with my mom and a relaxing 4th of July spent right here in Buckhead. For a long-weekend, I think it might be hard to beat this set-up.

Before I get started on all that relaxing and fun, I am taking some me-time (you know I love me some of that!) tonight with my Tivo. I love how TV today has taken on a more cyclical-season approach; there is always something new on even though the networks' top shows run just a few months a year. Right now, I am indulging guilty pleasure time with the Kardashians and spending extra time travel-dreaming with Mr. Bourdain, both of which are shows smack in the middle of new seasons. What a treat!

Tonight? One last show with Oprah, whose afternoon hours I am already missing. Lucky for me, I had her season finale(s) saved for just the right moment, and tonight I am taking in all of her last thoughts from her final episode. In lieu of more words from me, I feel more like sharing words from her right now. What inspiration!

"Do not let the trappings here fool you. Mine is a stage in a studio, yours is wherever you are with your own reach, however small or however large that reach is. Maybe it's 20 people, maybe it's 30 people, 40 people, your family, your friends, your neighbors, your classmates, your classroom, your co-workers. Wherever you are, that is your platform, your stage, your circle of influence. That is your talk show, and that is where your power lies. In every way, in every day, you are showing people exactly who you are. You're letting your life speak for you. And when you do that, you will receive in direct proportion to how you give in whatever platform you have.

My great wish for all of you who have allowed me to honor my calling through this show is that you carry whatever you're supposed to be doing, carry that forward and don't waste any more time. Start embracing the life that is calling you and use your life to serve the world."

Miss the episode, too? Read the full finale transcript online.

Bourdain Bonanza

There is a recent TiVo addiction going on in this household, and it's definitely not helping me stay on track with WW.

By the way, I meant to mention, I have mentally and physically fallen off the WW wagon over the last 5-6 weeks, but I am trying to get back on the program for the next few weeks to see if I can reach goal ..... ugh it's a tough cycle.

This addiciton is all about food and splurging and travel, and often also about lots and lots of adult beverages while experiencing said food and travel. It's Mr. Anthony Bourdain himself, and he knows how to party worldwide. And he is sucking me in with every single episode I watch.

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I don't know why I never watched his show No Reservations previously. It's been on for years, but only now, as he enters his new season, have I gotten roped in and can't stop recording it. I have caught up on probably half of his all-time episodes, and the new ones just keep coming.

I don't care if he's in Seoul or South Boston -- I love his wittiness, his crassness and his sarcasm. Only he can look at the camera and break the so-called fourth wall without saying a word, and only he can go day in and day out downing drink after drink without losing a step (by the way, obviously it's not that healthy for him, but it's quite funny to watch him out on a sailboat the night after yet another bender).

Mostly though, I love the way he phrases his observations of the everyday sights, sounds and smells around him in each new city. He narrates the show as if it were his book (just starting to read it, loving it already), with extended metaphors literally dripping with emotion on every breath. I am visually and audibly eating it up. And then I want to go literally eat something after watching him devour all those fantastically foreign meals.

It's just so unfair.  

Are you a Bourdain addict? What cooking or travel show is your weakness?

Alter Egos

I love Blair Waldorf.


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She is so much cooler than her relationship-bipolar friend bff Serena. She always knows what she wants in life, and figures out a way to go after it.


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She has a hot man and even hotter wardrobe.


Thanks BB for the pic! 

She knows how to use her network, and how to deal with those rare people who want to thwart her success.


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In the fictional world that is Gossip Girl, this girl has got her role as Queen B. down pat.


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If I can just take the tiniest part of her game-on, no holds barred, take no prisoners approach to life, I think that I might find myself feeling pretty awesome.


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Though we all know that underneath her strong-girl facade, Blair is just another 20-something like the rest of us -- always hoping to be accepted, respected, loved and successful.


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Perhaps we are already more alike than I realized.

Keeping Up With K

So we all have some sort of brainless-vice that we turn to when we want to zone out from the real world. For some people, it's watching some screaming "real" housewives, others prefer funny comedies or sitcoms.

Me? I am hook - line - sinker addicted to Keeping Up With the Kardashians.


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Don't even begin to tease me about how fluffy this show is. I am aware. The same goes for the spin-off shows, "Kourtney and Khloe Take Miami" and the upcoming "Kourtney and Kim Take New York." They are equally zero content. I know.


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But it's just something about the dynamic these shows portray with this His, Hers, and Ours massive family. A bajillion socialite children, their grounded Olympian Dad, and their attention-seeking momma. They are ridiculous. They go out for meals and have papparazzi surrounding the restaurant. They have odd monotone voices, ginormous wardrobes and ballistic boyfriends. They get married to other celebs months after meeting them. They wear 4-inch heels while lounging around each of their million-dollar homes, all in the same suburban neighborhood of LA.


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And oh my gosh guys, they have their own websites. They detail out what they are wearing in every picture they post. They blog about the party circuit and trips they are taking. They parade around with their kids on their hips as they hit the town.


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I just can't explain it. I. Am. Addicted. So, so, so ridiculous.

The Evolving Girls Nights Out

I am sure this will come as no surprise to people who are older than me and who have already made this transition. But I miss Girls Nights (and Days) Out. The cocktails. The dressy attire. Appetizers, lunches, dinners, no holding back.

It actually really doesn't have as much to do with my age and it does with the economy right now. All of my friends are in the same boat as me - mortgages and rent. Bills upon bills. Somewhere in there, going out for a ladies night on the town no longer fits in. I see my girlfriends a good deal - but I miss the whole actual getting dressed up and going out thing.

It hit me earlier this week, when I popped in one of my Sex and the City series DVDs. First let me say, I LOVE SATC. My friends might think I was joking about wanting to have a SATC lifestyle after college, but I was (and am) being pretty realistic. Between Samantha's outgoing personality and life in PR, Carrie's wack fashion choices and affair with Manolo Blahniks, Miranda's crazy career life, and Charlotte's perfect party dresses and pearls, there is a piece of Katherine in all of them. I still keep this combo image in mind today when I get dressed for work, when I head out to see friends, when I am decorating my condo. My personal motivation to live my life as fabulously as I can. It's either SATC, or that opening scene of Devil Wears Prada where all the girls are getting dressed and fabulous before stepping out into NYC cabs off to their fabulous careers. Not quite the same as my daily tromp on MARTA, but whatever, a girl can dream.



In any case, in one SATC episode that I watched this week, the four ladies were at no less than 4 different restaurants within a week or two, dressed in their cocktail finest. And all I was thinking was wow, each of those martinis is like $10, and they just ordered a third round.

Obviously, the name of this blog is "Buckhead Betty ... on a Budget" for a reason. Times are different now. Girls Nights have developed into sharing BYOB wine and appetizers on someone's couch, and I still love every single second of them, don't get me wrong. Spending time with the girls is the single most important part, and that quality time at home with them is even more intimate. 

No matter what, though, part of me still really wants to slip on the strappy heels and cocktail dress. I guess it's just part of who I am. Economy, time for you to catch back up.

Rain, rain, go away!

It has been raining for about a week straight here in Atlanta. This is a huge upswing from the last two or three years, when Atlanta has been famously in a drought. So of course, we are always thankful for rain. But at this point, I think most of us would love a bit of sunshine! We made it through a great wedding weekend despite the sprinkles and downpours (thank goodness for umbrellas and an indoor reception) and then everyone relaxed indoors on Sunday, thankful for comfy couches, magazines and TV.

Thanks to all this rain, I got through a few more episodes from Season 1 of Mad Men before catching the latest Season 3 one last night. Have you watched this show yet? It's AMAZING. They have fab costumes (or inspirations to me, since I love the 60's full skirts and belted waists!) and witty writing, and the plot lines show huge character development. It's also fun because its set in the hey-day of advertising, when all of the world's biggest brands were getting up and going.

The website is super cute too because they have this fun thing called Mad Men Yourself - here's my interpretation of myself in the set, I am in red :)



The cast will be on Oprah this week too, which I can't wait to check out. They are all just so gosh-darn attractive.

If you have a gloomy day to stay home and get addicted to a new show, rent Mad Men and get hooked in. Start with Season 1 if you want to see the whole background of the characters start to add up, but the episodes are pretty easy to follow if you happen to just catch one of the new ones on AMC, too. Or you can watch this whole series recap video here (including last night's gross-out scene ick haha).