All Tomorrow's Parties

Black and White Lace Peplum Dress: Mango | Red Cat-Eye Sunglasses: Mango | Studded Purse: Mango | Mineral Beaded Red and Black Earrings: Vintage from my mom | Patent Red Leather Pumps with Crystal Heel: Lanvin | Gold Bangle: +RUCKUS | Perfect Hair Bun maker: Glitterati

And what costume shall the poor girl wear to all tomorrow's parties? A hand-me-down dress from who knows where, to all tomorrow's parties And where will she go and what shall she do when midnight comes around? She'll turn once more to Sunday's clown and cry behind the door
And what costume shall the poor girl wear to all tomorrow's parties? Why silks and linens of yesterday's gowns to all tomorrow's parties And what will she do with Thursday's rags when Monday comes around? She'll turn once more to Sunday's clown and cry behind the door
And what costume shall the poor girl wear to all tomorrow's parties? For Thursday's child is Sunday's clown, for whom none will go mourning...A blackened shroud, a hand-me-down gown of rags and silks, a costume 

Fit for one who sits and cries for all tomorrow's parties 

- The Velvet Underground, All Tommorow's Parties

It is beginning to look a lot like Christmas and back in my house, Christmas is all around as seen by one (of the many) extremely ornamental trees displayed...this one, being the main one, which is fully dressed up in red ornaments, a tradition every year after our tree transitioned from being all dressed up in gold. I simply love Christmas...there is something absolutely festive and fun around the air and it's nice to see family getting together and being together... you can just feel the love. This motif of course went perfectly for one of my many party dresses for the holiday season (and trust me there are a lot) which was a lace black and white peplum strapless dress. I absolutely love this dress as it is very demure and ladies-who-lunch. The length, I believe is perfect as it falls directly under the knee...which makes it absolutely perfect for a lunch party/ Champagne Brunch. I accented it with red accessories, one of them being my cat-eye sunglasses (my essentials for daytime dressing) and one of my favorite pairs of shoes, a crystal studded patent pair of pumps from Lanvin. Tis the season to be jolly, and I was full of joy in this ensemble. Also, I love Christmas because it is also a sign that one of my other favorite holiday is looming- New Year! I just love the close cycles and open a fresh new page...which is exactly what New Year is all about... out with the old and in with the new. Trust me, with everything that has transpired in 2013, I am so ready to be out with the old... I have had enough of all that.

On Reaching Our Limits: "I have had enough!" What absolutely refreshingly beautiful words, and how rarely are the spoken by those who do too much (or in my case, take on too much, thinking I am of course invincible.) Part of our craziness and frantic existence is not recognizing that we have limits and then not knowing when we reach them...  or worse, in my case, I know I've reached them but deny knowing that and continue to persevere. The reason for this is the fact that many of us, myself included, see having limits as an indicator of inadequacy. We can not forgive ourselves for not being able to carry on when we are exhausted or for not being able to keep on going regardless of the circumstances... this I know to be true especially for me. I realized that perhaps recognizing that we are approaching our limits and accepting those limits may be the beginning of wisdom. Then...we learn when to throw our hands up in the air... and...stop.

xx, JL