Recap: Summer Favorites

The fall is here and we can't deny it anymore. Today is pretty chilly in NYC, and I'm looking forward to those warm days of Indian summer before the cold weather sets in. It seems absurd to talk about summer at this point but I just want to do a quick recap of my favorite looks this summer.

I attended several weddings, and this outfit was definitely my favorite. This dress with it's retro silhouette and beautiful green floral print made a perfect combination with these bright coral satin pumps. And if I had to choose one dress to define myself - this would be it! (and thanks to Murka for photo bombing this picture)

Outfit details: Dress Asos, Shoes J.Crew Every Satin Pumps, Vintage clutch, J.Crew bracelet

For casual summer days these were my top favorite looks: a breezy top + light skirt, and a maxi dress. I definitely adhered to my own recommendations from this post in the beginning of summer :)  I must add that blue+green combo was my favorite this season. 

Shirt+skirt outfit: Shirt via TjMaxx, Skirt J.Crew, Shoes Sam Edelman via Nordstrom, Necklace Anthropologie, Bag from Nordstrom

Dress outfit: Dress Anthropologie, shoes Steve Madden via TjMaxx

And the last outfit I want to share is from my recent trip to Puerto Rico. This is the only time this skirt made the appearance this summer but it was perfect for wandering around the colorful streets of old San Juan!
Outfit details: T-shirt J.Crew Vintage cotton tee, Skirt Anthropologie, Shoes Sam Edelman, Hat J.Crew, Necklace Kate Spade via TjMaxx, Clutch J.Crew

Pictures by Joe Villarin

Puerto Rico Love

I'm back from my little trip to Puerto Rico over Labor Day weekend, where we attended a wonderful and most fun wedding! Sorry for the lack of posts but right after my return I had to jump back into research and last minute preparations for the Genetics department annual retreat, which ended this Saturday. I'm happy to report that I have picked out new stylish scientists for the future posts there in addition to listening to a full day and a half of super interesting science talks, presenting a poster of my research and having fun with fellow students and professors.

Back to Puerto Rico - this getaway was so necessary, relaxing, and just wonderful. It was my very first trip to the Caribbean, and I'm in love! We spent early mornings walking on the beach, doing yoga, swimming, relaxing all day long, reading, enjoying internet-free time and just staring at the sea. We took a short trip to Old San Juan to attend the beautiful cathedral mass on Sunday - and I'm telling you that this city is adorable! Narrow streets, colorful buildings, peaceful places - I would love to return and wonder around a bit more. And another note that I'd like to make: people of Puerto Rico know how to party! Every night everybody was out: from young to old, dancing salsa like they are pros. We did tons of fun dancing at the wedding as well: the DJ was so good and the music was even better - I couldn't stop for a minute!  Thanks to Catherine and Adam for having their wedding in Puerto Rico - it was truly an unforgettable and special experience!

In general I'm a fan of an active vacation but these couple of days in Puerto Rico were so relaxing for me that I'm adding this type of lazy vacation to my annual must-have. I didn't even take that many photos but I'm delighted to share with you some that I did take. I hope they will make you relaxed even if just for a minute ;)

All pictures are taken by Joe and me. 

What I'm loving now...

Today I'm sharing with you some of the things that I'm loving / enjoying / and getting inspired by right now. It's all about seeing beauty in everything that surrounds us and enjoying each minute of this life. 

Enjoying beach trips and picnics in the park...

Discovering new restaurants and taking advantage of NYC Restaurant Week...

(pictures from Ukrainian restaurant in Soho: Korchma Taras Bulba)

Eating fresh fruits every day...

Looking up to appreciate this beautiful sky above...

All pictures are takes with my iPhone 

What are you loving now? Please, share :)

Umbrellas at the beach

I didn't use to be a beach lover until this year. I'm going to steal the explanation from my boyfriend Joe: the winter has just been too long, and now I'm trying to soak up all of the sun and warmth. And what's a better place than a beach?

During my most recent one day beach trip I noticed tons of colorful umbrellas, and I decided to take pictures. As I was doing this a big dark cloud started rolling in... the beach trip was cut short. Maybe it was for the better? My skin can't handle too much sun anyways :p

I hope you are enjoying summer and spending a lot of time playing in the sun! ;)

All photos are taken and edited by me

Farmers market and a healthy summer recipe

Another reason why I love summer is because we have a weekly farmers market! You can't even believe how much it brightens up my day, how happy it makes me to buy fresh produce from the farmers. So happy  that I can't ever pass it by. Ever.

Of course, I'm a big fan of locally grown food but also farmers markets remind me of my childhood in Ukraine. When I was a kid I used to go to bazaar  (that's how we called any market) with my grandmother all the time where we would buy fresh produce from farmers. Also we grew a lot of vegetables and fruits ourselves, which is another reason why I appreciate fresh local food so much. Hence, there I am on Tuesdays - completely overloaded with fresh vegetables, fruits, eggs, and bread.

I know that farmers markets can be a bit pricey but I think that eating high quality, fresh and local food is very important. And the taste is just so much better than any store sold groceries. Also, in my opinion it's important to manage correctly the food that you buy. By this I mean: try to use any perishable produce quickly so it's fresh, try to minimize any waste (it's terrible to discover those super expensive strawberries going bad somewhere in your fridge!), plan your meals in advance and buy only the necessary things (account for the nights that you eat out).

Sometimes it's problematic for me to use tons of vegetables that I buy at the greenmarket because it's hard to cook every day. But I found a great solution to utilize all my veggies in a healthy way by preparing a vegetable stew (we call it rahu in my family)! And I'd like to share this recipe with you! :)

This recipe is adopted from my mom. You can substitute any vegetables you have on hand. 

Pictures are via my Instagram.

Independence Day

 Cutest bike with peonies at Elie Tahari store in Easthampton!

Pretending like I'm in the south of France ;) Also it was super windy at the tip of Montauk so I had to hold my hat and tie my dress.

Montauk lighthouse!

I hope you enjoyed my little photo recap of Independence day spent in Easthampton and at the tip of Montauk, soaking up the sun and these beautiful views.

Outfit details: J.crew panama hat, Madewell sunglasses, Asos dress, Sam Edelman sandals

Pictures by me and Joe Villarin

Cherry picking feels like childhood

This past weekend was amazing: packed with fun activities yet very relaxing. I went to visit my family outside Philadelphia, and it was so nice to get out of the city (sorry NYC!). But seriously, I love NYC and big city stuff although with each year I feel more and more the need to get away because I miss nature. And these feelings take me back to my childhood in a small town in Ukraine, where we could go to the forest, river, lake any moment. So this past weekend was good in the sense that I could re-live some of my childhood memories especially picking fresh berries in my parent's backyard and going cherry picking. Of course, cherry picking in Ukraine involved just climbing a cherry tree near your house and there you have cherries. Here we had to find a cherry farm (Rowand's farm in NJ), and drive there for one hour, and pay for the cherries that we picked. But still it was a wonderful time (and my dad was in heaven because he's just crazy about cherries), and I highly suggest cherry picking (or strawberry picking) as one of the great summer activities!

Outfit: J.crew denim shorts, old H&M tunic worn as top, J.crew swimsuit (similar top and bottom here - it's adorable!), J.crew panama hat

Photos are by me and Joe Villarin

Sonoma is love...

It's all in the title - Sonoma valley is absolute LOVE. I don't know if it's because of the beautiful views, romantic vineyards, abundance of delicious wine or my friend's wedding that was celebrated in Sonoma in mid-May. It's probably the sum of all but it was definitely the most beautiful wedding location: ceremony in the middle of the gorgeous vineyard, cocktails overlooking another panoramic view, and dinner under the olive trees (for those interested: it was B.R. Cohn winery). We also spent a wonderful morning at Chateau St. Jean winery tasting some amazing reserve wines and relaxing (their grounds are gorgeous). So I hope you'll enjoy the pictures below, and I recommend going to Sonoma to experience this absolutely lovely place!

All pictures are taken by me