On this Weekend Meander..my favorite Rails pieces for fall, a fig couscous to make right now, a succulent pumpkin craft, an exotic Santa Cruz home, and an historic San Francisco auction you won’t want to miss..
Welcome back to our little weekend roundup of fun things with Juliet and Elizabeth! I always have so much to share and the week I am squeezing a few more extras in because they are on sale now!
My Madewell Jacket
At the beginning of October, I shared this Larsen plaid blazer from Madewell on my Signature Style post about Fall Wishlists.. I was waiting for mine to come and turns out… I never checked out of my cart. No wonder it was taking so long! Anyone else ever do that? And here I was blaming the postal service..
The upside, yes there was one, was that I got it on sale at Madewell and I also added these loafers. The jacket came in two days and the loafers are pre-ordered so a few weeks away. It’s a good time to grab these things if you’ve been thinking about them!
I love this jacket!! I bought a small and I am 5’4 and about 137-8ish.. It’s slightly longer in the newer style, but not baggy. I paired in with my Anthropologie jeans (same jeans darker wash here) and my Resistance scarf from Claire V.
Rails California Clothes
A few weeks back I visited the Rails outpost in San Francisco. I love this California brand and they have just three shops in the U.S., the others are NY and Newport Beach, and I have a scoop that they are soon opening an outpost at Stanford Shopping Center in Palo Alto!
They had so many beautiful things and this Wedgewood blue dress with tan flowers especially stood out. I needed a long sleeve dress for fall and later in winter with boots and it’s an easy throw on and go fabric. It’s also on sale now until Sunday at Bloomies with code SAVEMORE.
The dress is also in a longer version here.
I also couldn’t leave without this butterscotch colored Steffi Jacket. I was taken in by the super soft feel, very pretty color and contrasting black buttons. It’s light and not stiff and a good jacket for California’s fall and winter. It’s also on sale here this weekend with the SAVEMORE code and 25% off.. I missed this chance to get them on sale, and it’s a nice savings.
After a few cool days here, I finally wore the jacket first time to meet Juliet for a working lunch on Wednesday and it was actually 90 degrees by time we finished! We both thought we were having hot flashes! I’m so ready to wear all these warmer things.. and still using my straw tote as my laptop bag and purse.. A very overheated me posing with the jacket.. Thank you Juliet for the pic..
Town & Country Village in Palo Alto
The day I met Juliet we decided on a halfway point to have a working lunch and I suggested one of my favorite spots, Town & Country in Palo Alto. This old school shopping center really has the nicest places for a bite and we had a French lunch at Douce France, and unassuming little bakery with great salads, sandwiches, coffee and pastries.
We both went for the brie, pear and walnut sandwich on a baguette…It felt like the perfect fall lunch and we loved it. I was thinking what a good girls’ lunch sandwich to recreate?
After we popped in one of the best consignment places, Fillmore & Fifth and we found Juliet a Maxmara Chanel style jacket, a Nili Loton blue stripe blouse, and this Annabel Ingall tote in Kelly green. I adore those totes and have one in yellow…
All the things she got were like new. I also found a brand new August Cashmere cardigan with leather buttons that had a $550 tag still attached for $50… SO it pays to go to consignment. Wherever you live, you need to find the good spots and frequent them. Upcycled clothes are the future and stylish and cool. I can’t wait to see Juliet share all she found. Below she is with the new bag..
Fall Fig Couscous Salad
Figs are still all over the stores here in early fall and so I thought I’d share my family’s favorite fig couscous dish. It’s great to bring to a potluck, or to serve with grilled chicken or fish, and a big green salad.
Pick figs that are not too soft, but have some give. If I’m at Whole Foods I like to mix the figs if they have several varietals of the same cost. Get fresh pine nuts. A sliced thinly shallot, cooked until slightly brown, almost black, gives a savory bit and counters the sweetness of the figs. A very important step is toasting the pine nuts. It makes all the difference in this!
Fig and Shallot Couscous
Ingredients
- 1/3 C. Olive Oil Extra virgin
- 1 box couscous
- 1 shallot
- 1 basket fresh figs mixed or of your choice
- 3/4 C Pine nuts
- 1 tsp sea salt to taste
Instructions
- Add boiling water to couscous, cover and set aside. Toast pine nuts on the stove until just browning, set aside. Thinly slice shallot and cook in a tablespoon of olive oil until starting to brown and remove and let drain on paper towel. Slice figs into quarters. When couscous is ready, fluff with a fork and all olive oil, salt, and then gently fold in figs, shallots and pine nuts. Serve at room temp.
Succulent pumpkins
During 2020, our pandemic year, my neighbors and I did a fun project in my garage with succulents and pumpkins. If you have succulents growing around just snap bits off and use them.. You just need some moss, and a few other things. The original blog and instructions here. This weekend might be a fun time to do this with friends or kids and the pumpkins last a long time. They also make a cute gift and a darling centerpiece…
A Santa Cruz home in House Beautiful!
I spied this very cool Moroccan inspired Santa Cruz, California home in House Beautiful this month and had to share as it’s a renovation of house built in the 80’s…
I love to see someone’s unique vision. You are not wedded to the architectural age of your house! Interior design was by Alexandra Loew and photos by Roger Davies.
Many of the beautiful wallpapers in the home are Morris & Co.
Buy a Piece of San Francisco History at Ann Getty’s auction..
This week Cristie’s is finishing the auction of the Ann and Gordon Getty Collection. Ann was a longtime famous hostess and tastemaker and what a gorgeous collection she had. Ann grew up on a walnut and pecan orchard in California’s central valley and later attended UC Berkeley where she studied anthropology. Thanks to her job and friends at the Joseph Magnin cosmetic counter, she met her husband Gordon Getty.. More about her fascinating life and amazing taste and here on Airmail.
The live auction already took place and made 79 million! The online auctions end on the 25th, but you can still peruse the offerings and there are still some not too outrageous things to be gotten.. Ann’s handbags and jewelry is the most interesting to me, and many of the bags are less than the Real Real is selling them for. I mean that! There is also some of my favorite Ippolita jewelry.
The Art of the Table lot has ceramics, art and silver pieces.. and other beautiful one of a kind things! I love this green porcelain set which is private stock made for Tiffany in France.. All the proceeds go to benefit their foundation.
That is my weekend meanderings for this week.. Please check out Elizabeth and Juliet’s blogs to see what good things they are sharing…
MAKE MINE A SPRITZER
PINECONES AND ACORNS
Thank you for being here and I hope your weekend is great!
Kim
On last Weekend’s Meander..my fall front porch decor, more plaid jackets to consider, including Katie Holme’s latest, organizing your jewelry, a Christmas jewelry tree project to prep for, a French hair product you’ll love, and revisiting the legendary design of California’s Nut Tree restaurant.
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