Lei Ann...Off Duty

*a night out on the towne*

i’m still reminiscing over photos of my very good friends during their epic visit to boston last week :)  after a harried start to the weekend with their long flight delay & then his graduation, *finally* it was time to hit the city streets for plenty of food & FUN! 

we went to have dinner & a night out on the towne (as in towne stove & spirits) ^_^   it was an evening filled with champagne, red wine & towne’s specialty, LOBSTER POPOVERS!  yum!!!  if you recall, this is my beautiful friend from portland who graced my blog back on new year’s eve :)  i hardly ever wear black when going out at night, so i was pleasantly surprised when we both stepped out of our respective bedrooms & were dressed dramatically similar!  her husband couldn’t resist taking these pictures as he thought we looked like superheroes walking down the street.  too funny!  not that i minded, at all.  i mean, when have i ever “minded” being called a superhero?  hahaha!

wearing: romwe black cape dress || marc jacobs x NM x target metallic clutch || dolce vita pency beaded heels (via gilt city sale)

photos courtesy of hiep dang, internet security guru, new MBA grad & photography aficionado ^_^

*what i wore to a graduation in wellesley*

i had friends from oregon visiting over the weekend for the babson business school commencement.  i oddly love yet loathe this time of year in boston where *all* the colleges & universities in the area commence (see how i did that? like that? ok, i’ll stop now) with their graduation ceremonies.  it’s the usual shitshow with increased traffic around boston, but also cool to see all the robed graduates walking around the city (of which i was one many, many, MANY moons ago).

my friend’s graduation was out in wellesley which i knew would take place on lovely manicured & landscaped lawns, so i decided to dress more garden party style.  it was an easy decision with this new dress i got during the marshalls fabfound event with it’s amazing open eyelet back..& of course, armando got to come out & play again ^_^

wearing: w118 by walter baker dress (via marshalls) || kate spade armadillo basket purse || express neon yellow belt (old!) || swapped green bead bracelet || roberto cavalli sunglasses || old navy fabric tie wedges

*a day at the MFA boston part 3: the samurai collection*

the last part of my day at the museum of fine arts in boston involved touring their new samurai armor collection.  needless to say, the exhibition was quite spectacular & breathtaking in real life.  if you are a fan of anything japanese culture, past or present, this is definitely the collection to see this summer.  i’ll just let the photos speak for themselves :)   

disclaimer:  i received free admission courtesy of the museum of fine arts boston, but opinions are 100% my own.

*a day at the MFA boston part 2: stan sakai*

here it is!  the main reason for my trip to the museum of fine arts last weekend…stan sakai!  i’ve mentioned before that my husband is a huge comic book geek & *by osmosis* i’ve become one too.  the story of usagi yojimbo, a ronin (or masterless samurai) rabbit who roams feudal japan during the edo period, is one that quickly became my favorite over the years.  since mr. sakai is rarely here on the east coast, the chance to meet the creator of this amazing character & his adventures was too great to pass up!

in a collaboration done with happy giant who developed the usagi yojimbo video game for android & iOS, the MFA brought mr. sakai over to lecture.  it also fit in well with the museum’s theme of samurai saturdays for the month of may.  more details on that in my next post.  however, i wasn’t sure what kind of reception a “comic book” artist would receive at the museum of “fine arts”.  i even thought, well i hope mr. sakai gets at least 10 people in the audience so i don’t feel bad for him.  BOY WAS I WRONG!  the line at the MFA was crazy that morning & i could see drooling fan boys (& girls) with their usagi yojimbo graphic novels already spilling out of their messenger bags (MDH included), ready to be autographed!  he got a packed auditorium, no problem!

what i loved the most about mr. sakai’s lecture was the fact he illustrated while he talked…such a casual & entertaining demeanor he has.  he drew everything from his famed ronin rabbit to even an audience member (lucky!).  he talked about everything from his parents to his adventures with publishing to his creative process.  even something simple, one image or one line, he will see on TV or read about will inspire an entire story line for usagi.  it’s amazing to me that still, over his 30 year career, he draws & writes his cartoon all on his own.  most comic books you see, an artist draws the comic while a writer pens out the story.  unusual for such a successful cartoonist to do both for so long.  everything usagi & his friends do is entirely thought out by him.  he’s a true creator in the most authentic meaning of the word! thanks again to the MFA for the chance to meet mr. stan sakai!

*a day at the MFA boston part I: the outfit*

i spent an amazing saturday just recently courtesy of the museum of fine arts boston.  so much so that i’ll actually have to break that day up into several posts.  first up, my outfit.  a simple & easy dress for an afternoon of museum meandering :)

wearing: akira chicago red label dress || target tan heels || gifted DIY duct tape bracelet || dooney & bourke clear lunch tote (similar)

*neon abstract floral print for a rainy day*

i wanted to wear something fun, flirty & BRIGHT to the marshalls spring #fabfound event the other night.  easily done with another PBxT dress in striking neon colors & abstract “kaleidoscope” type print. 

however, the rains we recently had in boston also put a damper on an *almost* carefree evening.  don’t i always have a clothing item to the rescue though?  hahaha!  this newly found goodwill treasure of a rain jacket fit the bill quite nicely :)  added some equally fun & bright arm accessories & i was on my way.  

whoops, forgot the kicks ^_^  since this was a marshalls event, i took off the shelf, probably still my *best* marshalls find EVAR!  stuart weitzman lavender cheetah print heels, but neutral enough to conform to any outfit…for $75.  oh yeah!

wearing: prabal gurung x target dress || cynthia rowley ruffled coat (via goodwill) || kohl’s multichain bracelet || stuart weitzman heels

*#fabfound event at the fenway marshalls with boston fashion bloggers*

i was really missing my fashion blogger friends whom i have not seen in a while so i was *very* happy when this event popped up…co-hosted by the very lovely & 5 months pregnant, lani of mon petit chou chou!

i had not been to the new marshalls in the fenway area of boston & was all too eager to see the new spring items that were in store for me :)  i was even joking with another blogger about it still having that “new store smell”…hahaha!  there were cupcakes, lemonade, requisite dressing room pics & thanks to the $15 gift card generously given by the marshalls event staff, an already inexpensive w118 william baker dress ended up being a ridiculous steal & went from “possibly” to “definitely” ^_^

the blogger hostesses were also holding giveaways throughout the night.  how awesome that najeema won the mirrored wall pieces that lani gave out?  girl…hope you got those home ok on the T!  even with seeing my usual blogger friends, it was also nice to make new acquaintances, like another co-hostess of the night, bettina of neatbit :) 

overall, i always end up finding a great bargain at marshalls.  even wore my stuart weitzman heels that i got…uh where?…marshalls!…which i’ll show off in my next outfit post :)  it is definitely one of my go-to places for the best items.  plus a night hanging out with my gal pals who *also* love to shop…doesn’t get any better than that!

disclaimer: i was given a $15 shopping card by marshalls for attending the event, but opinions are 100% my own ^_^

*the easiest DIY ever - the floral hat*

i was perusing online for a hat to buy for this kentucky derby party MDH & i had to go to, but really wasn’t wanting to spend mucho $$$ for something ridiculous that i’ll only wear once.  DIY skills to the rescue!  so easy.  took a wide-brimmed hat i already had…found a ribbon that was already conveniently connected & fit around the crown of the hat…found all these black & white hair doodads in my drawer….then got to either safety pinning or clipping to the hat or ribbon in a pretty arrangement.  the centerpieces were just a regular black silk hair bow & a grey mink flower brooch, then arranged the flower clips around.  easy, peasy & ready for the derby! no hot gluing, no permanent fixation.  i can easily disassemble the flower clips for hair use once more :)  or…i can keep the hat the way it is & hope another garden wedding or some other suitable occasion pops up to wear again ^_^

*black & white kentucky derby party outfit*

truth…i’ve never attended a kentucky derby party.  i know right?  i loves me any excuse to wear decorative headgear, but it was just never anything i really got into.  my husband had a work-related party though, so i was happy to oblige.  as i recall, the way MDH RSVP’d for us was…”oh don’t worry!  any excuse for my wife to wear a big ass hat, we’ll be there!”  hahaha!  he knows me so well.

wearing: target black/white floral dress || h&m hat || assorted flower hair clips || gucci leather handbag || bebe black platform pumps

*scenes from full moon resort in big indian, NY*

“oh give me a home…where the dharma neckplates roam.  where the kids & the unicorns plaaaaaay….”

i have a sorta busy weekend coming up, so i leave you with photos from last week…when i was more relaxed & life was at a more leisurely pace. have a great weekend everyone ^_^