On My Radar

Wearing

What I wish I was wearing for fall, courtesy of Chloe's newest campaign.

What I'll really be wearing this fall, courtesy of J. Crew. (hint order a size up in the sweater for an oversized boyfriend look)

sweater // jeans

Reading 

I just finished Who Do You Love and found it to be a wonderfully endearing love story. I highly recommend it (although admittedly I would have wished the ending wasn't so rushed.) I just started All The Light We Cannot See and cannot put it down. 

Watching

The other night while searching for a movie, we stumbled upon People, Places, Things and it ended up being one of the best movies I've seen all year! It's so witty and absolutely adorable... even my husband really liked it. The only downside is that it will make you wish you had twin girls... badly. This week we also started watching the show Mr. Robot on USA and have pretty much burned through the entire season. At first I had my doubts but after the first episode I was hooked!

Plotting

After about a decade I think we are ready to upgrade to a new dining table and chairs. Right now I'm loving the combination of an oval marble tulip table with these awesome wishbone chairs. I've used them in two different projects for clients recently, and I think I'm going to need to take the plunge and get for our home. Like yesterday.

Loving 

Every single room in this house designed by Amber, of Amber Interiors. If there was ever a case for white + wood, this is most certainly it. You can bet I pinned every single image for our someday California home. 

Living In

My girlfriend Jaimie turned me on to this amazing intimate line Les Coquines a few years back, and during our shoot was raving about this triangle mesh bra. I picked one up for myself and haven't taken it off since (which says a lot when you are talking about a bra!) It's so incredibly comfortable, but also supportive. I've already decided that I need another since I absolutely can't imagine wearing another bra again!

I want to wish you all a wonderful weekend! I can't thank you enough for how supportive you've been in regards to my new fashion content! What you saw this week was just the tip of the iceberg, and I can't wait to share more over the coming weeks and months!

Pattern Mixing

When it comes to pattern, whether it's clothing or interiors, I just cannot get enough of a good print. My favorite way to wear any pattern is to place it over another pattern. It sometimes can seem a little counter intuitive, as in "is this too much?" But, for me, the answer will always be that there is no such thing. I consider wardrobe staples like bateau stripes and leopard print to be neutrals (cue the famous line by the one and only Jenna) and I will often layer both with a bold print, shown here with my trusty palm leaf blazer.

The key to mixing prints is keeping the rest of your look as basic as possible. Here I paired multiple patterns with my summer staples, white jeans and leather sandals. Topped off with a little gold jewelry, I can't think of a better outfit for a warm summer night. The overall look is fun, bold, and perfectly put together.

Blazer (old, similar here, here, here) // Striped Shirt // Jeans // Clutch // Lipstick (color carthage) // Sandals (old, similar here) // Rings (sold out, similar here) // Sunglasses

Photos by Jaimie Baird Photography (Instagram @jaimiebaird) for Robin M. Anderson

Stepping Out Of My Comfort Zone

We all know that I have a deep affinity for interior design, but my first love will always be fashion and wardrobe styling. For years I've been helping friends and family members to organize and "makeover" their closets, and honestly nothing bring me more joy than to hear from a friend how fantastic they feel every day knowing that they have a closet full of clothes that they love, and how  something that simple can streamline their busy lives. Obviously, this translates to my own wardrobe and I am often editing what is in my own closet in an attempt to keep only the pieces I love and will actually wear.

Since the inception of the blog I've been dying to do wardrobe posts but given that 1) I'm not a model, and 2) how uncomfortable I feel in front of the camera, I've always shied away from doing so. Lately, however, I feel as though there is a void in the blog world in regards to fashion posts. Most are either done by gorgeous twenty somethings, or the clothes that are featured are either c/o (i.e gifted to them) or are so outrageously expensive that they aren't exactly obtainable to anyone outside of the fashion industry. What I've wanted to do for some time is shoot the clothes that are actually in my closet, featuring what I wear everyday (and some special occasion) to hopefully pass along some of that style and tips for you readers at home.

One of my best friends Jaimie, of Jaimie Baird Photography, is a genius photographer who has had her work featured in places like Vogue, Self, and Well + Good, along with many others. I knew that if there is anyone out there who could help me to feel comfortable in front of the camera, it would be her. A few months ago we discussed the idea of adding personal fashion posts to the blog, and luckily her enthusiasm about the idea matched mine!!! Last week we shot a number of outfits while she was in town, and the end result is so incredible! I can't believe it, but starting tomorrow I will begin sharing these posts with you all!

Every week or two I plan on featuring an outfit of the day post, and I hope you will love them as much as I do! As you can see from the post above (yes that is me, no I can't believe it either... thank you Jaimie) we shot in a very editorial way, but all the clothes featured are my own, and I hope the takeaway will be that you don't need to be a model, or have only designer pieces to look pulled together and stylish every day.

For those of you who follow me on Instagram, I'm also going to be sharing the looks through the LIKEtoKNOWit feature so if you'd like the sources from the outfits to be sent directly to your inbox (versus following the links from the blog) all you have to do is these simple steps:

1) follow me on Instagram @robinanderson09
2) register at www.LIKEtoKNOW.it
2) “like” my photos on Instagram
3) have the outfit details delivered straight to your inbox via email!

It's that easy!

I'll be sharing all the details from the photo above in a post next week, so be sure to stay tuned! I hope you all like this new content as much as I enjoyed creating it. For me this was proof that sometimes to create something great you just have to be willing to step out of your comfort zone! I could not be more grateful to Jaimie for these incredible photographs!!!

You can follow Jaimie on Instagram at @jaimiebaird, and check out some more of her beautiful work on her site JaimieBaird.com

Currently

We are home!!!

After a long Summer of travel, I couldn't be happier to say those words.

We had planned on staying put after our California trip, but when we got a last minute invitation to visit our best friends at the Cape, you know we had to drop our bags off at home and go. We made it back home just in time for the LM to turn 8 (!!!) and even snuck in some time in our beloved Boston, the highlight being the LM's first Red Sox game on Friday. Now, for us, it's crunch time. The kids still have two more weeks until school starts (longest. summer. ever.) so getting our life back in order after being gone for so long is priority number one. Slowly, we've been unpacking, decluttering, and making the rounds at Target and Whole Foods (always fun with the kids in tow.) At some point we will stop eating ice cream for lunch every day, and honestly after all we've been devouring, a trip to the gym has never seemed more appealing. This Summer was absolutely one for the record books. From Costa Rica to my Sister's wedding. Camp to New York, and then Cali to the Cape, we really had the time of our lives. Even though we all are are pretty sick of each other at this point, there is not one thing I would change about the last few months. I'm so happy the boys are at an age where they will remember all the great times we had, because this Summer was most definitely one I will never forget.

Here is a little glimpse of the last few weeks. Our new motto for Summer fun,  just add water.

{checking out the seals in La Jolla}

{nightly marshmallow roasting with Grandpa}

 {legoland, all day, every day}

{escaping the heat at the aquarium}

 {the LM, perfectly captured}

 {a very familiar scene this summer}

 {from Costa to Cali, more time with Grandpa...}

{...which made Gray very happy}

 {forget Disneyland, this is the real happiest place on earth}

{after a night at the legoland hotel, I think our mecca has been found}

{the boys playing at the park on the beach where I grew up (pictured above)}

{look at Gray's little hands... I melt}

{ice cream BOAT... and all my favorite little people (minus my goddaughter who was a little under the weather}

{childhood, in picture form}

 {best friends for their entire life... it doesn't get better than this}

{the Cape... absolutely magical}

{oh Boston, we missed you}

 {really missed you}

 {now we are 8! clearly, we also love New England sports!}

So many great memories, but like they say, there is no place like home! I hope you all have been having a wonderful Summer as well! I'll be back to posting regularly, and be sure to pop in tomorrow because I have some excited blog news to announce!

The Best Of Robin M. Anderson

 

Right now the boys and I are some 10,000 miles in the air, heading to California for our annual trip. Thursday, my husband had another surgery to help with his ongoing pain situation and while he's healing we figured it would be the perfect time to leave a quiet house. He is now happily at home, being doted on by his parents, while the boys and I are gearing up for a marathon two weeks at LegoLand California. I have to wonder if we can beat our 14 day streak from last year? It's good to have goals, right???

Given that I'm going to be flying solo for the next few weeks, I knew there was no way that I could devote the time needed to keep the blog running, so unfortunately I'm going to be on hiatus until August 20th. Rather than leave you all empty-handed I pulled together what I like it think of as my "best of."

These a few of my favorite posts from over the years.  I hope you enjoy reading through some of the archives!!!  If you'd like to follow our Cali trip, you can follow me on Instagram where I will still be posting.  See you all in a two weeks!!! xoxo

Our Home, Before & Afters

The boys' room
The Kitchen
The Master Bedroom
The Living Room
The Guest Room
The Bathrooms

Home & Design

Favorite wood consoles: a roundup

Affordable brass lighting: a roundup

Best marble accessories: a Roundup

Favorite gallery walls: a roundup

A hint of mint
Home lust: black exterior
Forever obsessed: palm leaf print
Barn light inspired pendants
Green with envy
A painted door
Bohemian inspired home decor
Surf inspired home decor
Banquette seating
On patterned tile
Flower Power

Wardrobe Essentials 

The trench
The fisherman sweater
The denim shirt
Striped tee
The blazer
The boyfriend jean
Army jacket
The silk blouse

Fashion & Style

The capsule wardrobe
Giving them the shoulder 
8 easy summer looks
Look I'mlLoving: monochromatic sunglasses and hair
Red + White+ Blue
The denim skirt
Jumpsuits for the win
Rainy day chic
Summer swimwear picks
Black, white and neutral all over
The turtleneck
Stacked
Summer whites

Hair & Beauty

Pink hair: really don't care
4 short hair style tips
Summer hair care
The easy trick for platinum blonde hair
Do or dont? Nail art
On mascara
Winter Beauty
Skin part I
Skin part II
Genius trick for thin eyebrows
My favorite beauty products 
What's in my makeup bag


My Sister's Wedding

The cake
The linens
The bridesmaid dress
The invitations
The venue
The flowers
My little sister got married
Save the date cards

Weddings

An elopement to remember
Do or don't non-traditional wedding dresses

Food & Drink

The perfect drink for summer

6 favorite side dishes

8 favorite kale recipes

6 favorite fish recipes

6 favorite vegetarian pasta recipes

7 asian inspired dinners

8 favorite one pot meals

9 favorite breakfast (for dinner, or lunch, or desert) recipe

7 favorite summer recipes

7 popsicle Recipes 

Vegetarian Bolognese 

The weekly dinner drag

Motherhood & Family

In the picture
The end of and era
It was bound to happen
Free
Lucky
Toned Down Christmases 
Pretty in pink
Little Man, not so little
The time my kid went to overnight camp

Fertility

Here's the thing
It's going to happen
A faker
2 week wait
Back to the drawing board
The little embryo that could
Taking a month off
Back to the drawing board
It's going to happen
Chicken
Cautiously optimistic 
Pregnancy update
Maternity portraits part 2

Travel

New Orleans; the time of my life
Costa Rica travel advice
Costa Rica Summer 2015 here, here, and here
Costa Rica Summer 2014
A week in NYC
My favorite Boston and NYC restaurants
The paris itinerary 
Northern California coast
Big Sur
Fiji here, here, here, here, here
Maui

What I'm Reading

July 2015
March 2015
April 2014

Look I'm Loving: Monochromatic Sunglasses and Hair

 

The day before my sister's wedding, while my family was in town, we all made a late afternoon pilgrimage to my favorite store on the planet Warby Parker, and it pretty much became an episode of Oprah... "you get a pair of glasses, you get a pair of glasses!!!" My sister ended up picking out a pair of sunglasses that were the exact color of her hair, and ever since I've been totally obsessed with the look. So much so that I just had to get a pair for myself last week. #twinning

My Feature On Epson's Blueprints Blog

A few weeks back, I was incredibly honored to be featured on Epson's Small Business Blog Blueprints. You can read the piece in its entirety here. (While you are at it make sure you check out the one prior about one of my favorite designers Emily Henderson).

We hear stories over and over about how big corporations are always stomping out the little guys, and it's really great when the script is flipped and small businesses like me (an army of one) are able to reach a broader audience with the help of these established, larger companies.

Along with the piece (as if that wasn't enough) I was gifted an awesome printer/scanner/ copier/fax and it has really been a game changer for me.* Having such a powerful machine really has been like gaining a home office, without having to dedicate the space to one. I really thought this was something we didn't need in our home, and now I can't imagine running my business without it. You can see below how awesome the color is, and giving a client to something tangible (and color accurate) has been a welcome addition to my design services.

Again, a huge thank you to Brian and the whole team at Epson for the write up.  I can't even begin to say how appreciative I am that I was given this opportunity!

* I promise they aren't paying me to say that ;)

My Week In NYC

I'd love to share with you all my amazing week in NYC! I know I had HUGE plans going into the week, but once I finally arrived late on Monday night (damn you Lincoln tunnel) all I really wanted to do was relax, eat, and drink.

Easy goals, right?

Honestly, for the next four days I did just that. Other than a Soul Cycle class each morning, I had no real agenda, and I pretty much let my stomach decide where the day would take me. I walked pretty much everywhere, and then promptly rewarded myself with a glass of rosé to celebrate making it to each destination. This is the opposite of my every day life, and halfway through the week I texted my husband that I certainly could get used to a life of leisure. His response was to basically to enjoy it, because I probably wouldn't be getting the chance again anytime soon. Or at least until next year...

Well, enjoy it I did!

Here are a few shots of my week in the city. The problem with spending the day by yourself is when you look back all your photographs are either selfies, or of food and I'll try not to bore you with too many of those. Below is also a list of what I did each day. Not the most adventurous week I admit, but I did bike though the city and over the Brooklyn Bridge and anyone who's ever ridden a bike in New York knows that's about all the adventure you need. ;)

The Time My Kid Went To Overnight Camp

The morning after my sister's wedding, the LM and I left the house at 6am (do you even want to know how much that hurt??), picked up two of his buds, and made the 7 hour trek to his first week of overnight camp. I had very mixed feelings about our 7 year old being away for a week but he was going with three of his friends ages 12-14, and he was so excited about going that we thew caution to the wind and signed him up. The plan was that I would stay at a nearby inn the first night, and check in with him on my way to the city. He had a little flip phone so he could call me anytime he wanted (and believe me he did) but given that the camp had a separate cabin for the little sprouts, aged 7-9, we figured if they accepted these ages then they were certainly well versed in things like homesickness, eating/ sleeping issues, etc. If it was up to us, the LM would have actually stayed with his older friends, but in the end it was great that he was in the younger cabin because the "Cabin Dad" (who sleeps with the 12!!! campers) was actually someone from Boston and we knew him and his son well which was a huge relief.

My Little Sister Got Married

I know, I said I'd be posting while in NYC but after an unexpected delay on our flight back, and a marathon four days, I have to admit I was a little relieved to find that in my haste I had forgotten my laptop back home. I'm now back in Boston, and I'm so excited to share with you all a few pictures from my sister's wedding. The incredible husband and wife team that my sister hired to shoot the day are still working on the professional pictures (which you know I will be sharing as soon as I get my hands on them... in multiple posts) but for now I couldn't be happier to show you some shots from the night that can be summed up in one word; magical. 

The whole day, from beginning to end was more than I could have ever dreamed of, and while there were times that I definitely questioned what on earth I was thinking planning a wedding on top of everything else we had going on, I could not have been more proud of how the event turned out. It was truly the best gift I could give to my little sister, and when I looked around at people laughing, dancing, and drinking the night away, I knew that we had truly succeeded in our goal of making the perfect evening. From the music, to the food, and even the weather (which thankfully decided to cooperate at the last minute) the night was so special and I know it's one that everyone who was there will remember forever. 

Here are a few pictures from the night that was.

What I'm Reading

Everything I Never Told You

Set in the 70's, Everything I Never Told You is a gorgeously written novel that follows the Lee family after the tragic death of their eldest daughter. The book is the most unexpected and insightful exploration of the family dynamic, and this is a story about the culture during the 50's to the late 70's more than it is about the grieving family itself (there's some of that too.) I expected this to be more of whodunit, and was pleasantly surprised to find a book is the exact opposite of that and it has absolutely cemented itself in my top ten for what I imagine is a long time to come. It's that good. 

On My Radar: Summer Collection by Reformation

Every few years I find myself getting "hot" for a brand...

In college it was Banana Republic (where my addiction was aided by my working in store) then in Law School and beyond I was J. Crew all day, every day (because Jenna.) Then I dabbled in C&C California followed by Theory, and a few years back I was all about Rag & Bone and more recently Madewell. Should I even mention my 6 month love affair with Juicy (specifically Juicy sweatpants?) Nah, some things are better left unsaid, right? ;) The point is, for me discovering a new brand I love is kind of like finding best friend. I just want to be with them all the time, and I'm always checking in to see what they are up to.

Right now, for me that brand is Reformation.

Currently

... And just like that, the last three weeks have flown by and we are nearing the end of our time in paradise. We have only 4 days left in our home away from home, and believe me, we plan on soaking up every last second. On Friday, we went fishing and not only did we catch some fish but we caught ALL the fish. Seriously, it was insane. We lured over a school of some yellow fin tuna, with some bait  fish we caught earlier in the morning, and we couldn't drop a line in without hooking one giant tuna after another. "Sushi for days"became an understatement, and ever since we've been passing out fish like water to all our friends in town. Definitely a day to remember.

After a few cloudy days, we are happily heading back to our camp on the beach. I have to admit I've gotten used to the slow pace of life down here, and true to form we've begun spending our nights dreaming about what it would be like to sell off everything and move here full time. Of course, that's just a dream, but man it would be nice.  For those of you who'd like to see, here are a few pictures from the last week or two. If this isn't what summer was made for, I'm not sure what is. xx

Gone Fishing.

I'm off today for a fishing trip with my dad, the LM, our friend and his girlfriend who just arrived yesterday. Hope to catch some big ones! I'll be back Monday. xx

(photo from March 2014)

Forever Obsessed: Palm Leaf Print

Perhaps it's because I've been living in an actual jungle the past three weeks, or because I will always have a place in my heart for what I like to refer to as "Golden Girls chic," but whatever the case I have a palm leaf print obsession that just won't quit and every few months I find myself dreaming of wallpapering a room in my house in the iconic print.

Next house, next house, next house...

8 Easy Summer Looks... With Sources!

dress // shoe // clutch

Ahhhhhhh Summer... the season of bare legs, tanned arms, and easy throw on pieces. For me, when it comes to keeping stylish and cool during these warmer months the key is to have a few go-to outfits that are casual and comfortable, but also a little tailored (dare I say sexy?) Below I've rounded up 8 of my favorite looks for the season and found similar pieces that are for the most part affordable and accessible. The best part is that when you shop mid-season, almost everything is already on sale as retailers are already making room for their cool weather clothing. (shudder) I know people say the cooler months are the real season for stylish dressing, but I absolutely disagree. 

Summer, you will always have my heart.