L'Amour Fou, recipe & OOTD

for my fashion and culture retail class, we were asked to watch L'Amour Fou and then write a brief reflection on it. usually movies assigned by professors are miserable, but this one was not. the movie is about the late, great, fashion designer Yves Saint Laurent as told by his lover and business partner, Pierre Bergé. it tells of the struggles of Laurent, as well as providing insight into his personal life that he kept very private while he was alive. i warn you that the movie is in french, though it is not hard to follow with subtitles. i found the movie to be almost sad at the conclusion because you can see how much love Bergé had for YSL, the individual and the brand and how the company had become such an integral part of his life.

i am strange in the fact that i love movies/documentaries about the fashion world. they often show sides of the industry that one doesn't know about and being the fashion lover that i am, i love gaining new knowledge about the industry that is such an essential part of our lives. some other movies that  encourage you to watch are The September Issue, Coco Before Chanel, Bill Cunningham: New York and even The Devil Wears Prada. Next on my must-see list is Scatter My Ashes at Bergdorf's, which is all about the "house that fashion built."

it is still unseasonably warm here which continues to put me at a loss for what to wear. all i want to wear is tights, scarves and boots but i think i would suffer from heat stroke if i did that. still, i feel like i can't wear certain clothes because it is october and i would look out of place like i thought it was august. today i had to dress business casual for an internship information session. i wore a jeweled tank and then dressed it down with simple black pants. for a pop of pattern, i slid on my leopard flats. just in case, i grabbed my j. crew downtown field jacket in case the room was chilly. the outfit was simple but still had interesting details.

j. crew jeweled shell, j. crew pixie pants, kate spade leopard flats

kate spade bow bangle, michael kors tortoise watch

kate spade leopard flats

though i didn't plan for it to be, today ended up being a meatless monday. i encourage you to go meatless one day a week. it both helps with weight management and loss and also saves money! this week i am trying to eat my leftovers and just use what i have on hand before i leave for break so tonight for dinner i came up with this recipe. i threw some things together in a skillet and it turned out to be a great breakfast-for-dinner meal!

fall southwestern salsa grits breakfast bowl

1/4 c grits

1 c water

1 c cubed butternut squash

1/2 c kale

1/2 c black beans 

sliced bell peppers
jalepeno, chopped

chopped onion

cilantro

cumin, red pepper, to taste 

1/4 c pumpkin salsa (mine is from Fresh Market), plus more for serving

1. in a medium sauce pan, bring water to boil. add in grits and stir occasionally. once grits have absorbed almost all the water, reduce heat to low and stir in salsa. 
2. meanwhile, in a skillet, sauté butternut squash, kale, black beans, sliced bell peppers, cilantro, cumin and onion until cooked through. 
3. to serve, put grits in bowl then top with beans, kale and squash mixture. 
4. top with cheese, avocado and additional salsa. 

fall break is literally less than two days away and it seems like time is crawling by! this girl just wants to get home and see her mama, daddy and brother! i am even missing my cat a little bit! i have so much that i want to do that i am not sure i will be able to get it all done but we will see! happy monday to all and to all a good night!

xoxo,
clp