Thursday Craving: BB Dakota

I'm a tad bit obsessed with coral dresses at the moment and it was love at first sight with this cutie. It's a beautiful cut, fun back, and great price. Sold.

BB Dakota, $90

Handbag Essential: The Beach Bag

This quick getaway to Cartagena taught me one thing (amongst many other) - I don't have a good beach bag. Mine are small, not spacious, and not very cute so that needs to change asap. A good beach bag should be spacious (there's a lot of essentials that need to fit in there!) and versatile. In other words, it should be an easy to carry bag that goes with anything and everything. What's your favorite beach bag?

Zara shopper handbag, $90, Marc by Marc Jacobs tote handbag, $188, J Crew tote handbag, $50, Marc by Marc Jacobs marc jacobs tote bag, $248, Michael Kors leather drawstring backpack, £480, Missoni leather tote bag, €475, Longchamp genuine leather handbag, £125, Club Monaco striped handbag, $60, Rebecca Minkoff tote handbag, $250, Anya Hindmarch canvas beach tote, $214, GAP straw handbag, $60, Ann Taylor leather tote bag, $248

Cartagena

Cartagena is a charming city filled with small winding streets and tons of history. Our five days there were spent celebrating the wedding of two of our favorite people and spending time with old friends. We ate, danced, explored, and got a good tan. What more can one ask for? Now, back to reality.

Dress: BCBG, Necklace: Jessie James, Earrings: Greenwich Jewelers, Heels: Sergio Rossi.

Dress: American Eagle (in stores), Necklace: Cartagena street vendor!, Bag: Coach

Friday Craving: Jennifer Fisher

Jennifer Fisher Set of 3 Bangles

These Jennifer Fisher beauties are the perfect combination of elegant and every day chic. I would wear these with everything and everywhere!

I'm in Cartagena, Colombia for the next few days so excuse my lack of posts for the next few days. Happy weekend, luvies! xo

Summer Goods

This past weekend felt like summer in the city. The parks were full, the sun was shining, and people were all smiles while eating and sipping on cold cocktails outdoors. When I opened my closet on Saturday afternoon to get ready for a walk and an early dinner date with Kenny I realized that there's a few things I really want to add to my summer goods collection. First on that list is a casual, sleeveless denim jacket.

Topshop petal dress, $136, J Crew animal print handbag, $128, Essie nailpolish, $8, Dolce Vita flat leather sandals, $110, Warby Parker sunglasses, $95, Pour La Victoire leather tote bag, $130, Loren Hope chain link necklace, $125, Bionda Castana strappy pumps, £410, Equipment silk shirt, $255, Paige Denim printed shorts, $90, Topshop Sleeveless Denim Jacket, $70, Tocca SPF beauty, $28, Tory cuff jewelry, $195

Ever Swoon Launch Party

It's recap time again! The amazing Tamra, founder of Ever Swoon, put together a fabulous launch party at Marissa Perry Jewelers in Soho and I was lucky enough to attend. While there I got to meet even more amazing ladies that were in town for BlogFest - Alex, Erika, and Chassity - so the night was a total success. I've loved having all these gals in town and can't wait for the next time we're all together again! Now, it's back to reality and packing for our trip to Cartagena.

Formal Attire

We leave for Cartagena, Colombia tomorrow and I can hardly contain my excitement. The weather forecast can be summarized in two words: scorching hot. Sooo I'm packing lots of easy dresses, shorts, and camis for the five days we'll be there. Now, for the wedding it's a little harder. It's a formal wedding so a long gown is appropriate (and kinda necessary). Here are my choices for a colorful, summer weather wedding day ensemble...

Outfit 1. Thakoon Addition evening maxi dress, $450, Zara shoes, $80, BCBG Max Azria envelope clutch, $78, Alexis bittar jewelry, $295 / Outfit 2. Zac Posen ball gown, $659, Dolce Vita summer sandals, $179, KOTUR gold leather handbag, $450, Alexis bittar jewelry, $245 / Outfit 3. Halston Heritage ball gown, $451, Jimmy Choo ankle strap sandals, $350, Diane von Furstenberg calf hair handbag, $249, BaubleBar Gold Pave Drops, $28 / Outfit 4. Mikael Aghal ball gown, $261, Miu Miu peep toe high heels, $645, Diane von Furstenberg python handbag, $360, BaubleBar Gold Gear Strand, $48.

Things I'm Afraid To Tell You

Last week I was blown away by the amount of inspiring women that make up the blogosphere. Each one so unique, talented, ambitious... but no one's life is perfect. And that's what this wave of posts started by Jess and followed by EZ have made me realize: no one has the perfect life. We all write about beautiful, happy things every day, but we all deal with real life problems. Some small, some big. Here's a closer look at my life...

I had my first panic attack 7 years ago. It was right around the time I was graduating from college and I felt lost. I've had many panic attacks since then.

I'm afraid of dying. The thought of it makes me sick to my stomach.

I miss my Nano every single day. My grandfather passed away three years ago and I still can't talk about him without sobbing.

I'm self-conscious of my weight. I gained the freshman fifteen way after I was a freshman - the year I moved to NYC. I look at pictures from back then and it makes me cringe. 

I hate being alone. I'm not sure how it started, but I hate being alone. I always had a roommate and then moved in with Kenny so being alone is not something I'm used to. This is something I try to work on every day because I do believe I need to learn that it's okay to be alone.

Bloggers Who Participated Today: Alex: Things That Sparkle / Gaby: The Vault Files / Christin: With a C.H.

Bloggers Who Are Participated in Wave No. 2:

Cassie: Coco + Kelley / Christine: Court & Hudson / Caitlin: Sacramento Street / Roxy: My Cup of Te / Crystal: Blog / Meg: MIMI+MEG / Ashlina: The Decorista / Katie: Modern Eve / Erin: Apartment 34 / Erica: Design Blahg / Victoria: Vmac & Cheese / Christine: Miles to Style / Franki: Life in a Venti Cup / Sue: The Zhush / Erika: Radiant Republic / Gabrielle: Savvy Home / Monika: The Doctor's Closet / Naomi: Design Manifest /Tobe: Because It's Awesome / Becca: {extra}ordinary wonders / Lynzy: Sparkling Footsteps / Hitha: Hitha On The Go / Sarah: Note To Self / Liz: So Much To Smile About / Sarah: Blogstar / Alissa: The Goods Design / Jessie: Style & Pepper / Erika: Small Shop Studio / AV: Long Distance Loving / Maggie: Maggie Rose Blog / Nicole: The City Girl In Me / Priscilla: The Best Laid Plans / Jen: Concrete Jungle DC / Janelle: Food Fashion Fitness / Natalie: East Coast Chic

Bloggers Who Participated in EZ's Wave No. 1:

Design for Mankind | Little Brown Pen | Beautiful Hello | Curating Style | Sweet Fine Day | The Jealous Curator | Happy Days | Sage & Berries | Really Handmade | Peck Life | Satsuma Press | Rena Tom | For the Easily Distracted | The Hemborg Wife | Vitamini Handmade | Courtney Khail Stationery and Design | Meg in Progress | Dando Photography Blog | Widdershins22 | Alison Citron | Pink Moon Daily |Just Pretty Things | From China Village | Tea with Me | The Darling Ewe | Not Your Average Ordinary | The Electric Typewriter | Elleby Design | Parsimonia {Secondhand With Style} | Life as an Artistpreneur | Hello Cupcake | Dellie | The A & B Stories | Pretty Little Things | Feistyelle | Nib & Zed | Well and Cheaply | I Ripple. I Dance. | Whitfield Awesome Blog | Foxtrot Press | Dry As Toast | The List of Now | Apple Blue | For the Love of | Four Flights of Fancy | Miss Modish | Snapshots & Secrets | Dirty Laundry | Bubby & Bean | Penelope's Press | Little Nostalgia | Vale Design | Pikaland | Fleurishing | Print Pretty | Vespa Tales | Hazel & Agnes | Amanda's Musings | Mo' Funk Designs | Ordinary Mommy | Camp 1899 | In Honor of Design | Liberty's Yarn | Love, Life & Pictures | Stacey Winters | Owl in the Rain | Living Life Creatively | Emma Elizabeth Clease | I Live in Vacouver Now | British Cream Tea

Easy Breezy and a Recap!

I've been drawn toward easy, comfortable outfits as of late. And I've also been living in these structured boyfriend jeans ever since I bought them a few weeks ago. I decided to sport them with a simple t-shirt and high-heels for a little blogger get together in the West Village. We chatted, shared stories, laughed, and made plans while munching and sipping on delish cocktails at Dublin6. 

Jeans: J Brand, T-Shirt: Gap, Shoes: Coach (old), Bag: LV, Bracelets: Hermes, vintage, J.Crew, Soria Z. Jewelry c/o, Necklace: from my mom's jewelry box!

From left to right: Tobe, Naomi, Gabrielle, Christine, Vanessa, Christine, me, Mackenzie, Alex, Sarah, Elizabeth, Becca, Erika, Meg, Natalie, and Jen.

Sunday Bubbly

via
I woke up with a huge smile on my face because today I get to meet some of my favorite gals from the blogosphere in person! Yes, exactly. BlogFest 2012 kicks off this week in NYC so the city is full of cool, creative design women and I get to meet about thirty of them this evening (insert huge smiley face here)! I will try to take as many pictures as possible and I'll be back with a weekend recap tomorrow.
Happy Sunday, luvies!

T-Shirt Love

I love a fun, soft t-shirt for those days when I just don't feel like getting all prettied up and want something comfy and easy. I got this Haute Hippie beauty for an amazing price thanks to Luxury Garage Sale and I'm in love. It's perfectly oversized, striped, and fun. Perfect for another casual Friday at work. 

T-Shirt: Haute Hippie from LGS, Jeans: J Brand, Sandals: ShoeMint, Bag: J.Crew, Bracelets: Hermes, By Erin Gordon, Soria Z. Jewelry c/o, Poshlocket c/o, Judith Ripka, and J.Crew.

Day to Night: ASOS

Summer dresses have been on my mind as of late. The weather in NYC hasn't been cooperating, but I'm hoping the temperatures will rise soon and the sun will come out! Until then, I'm dreaming of pretty florals that can take me from day to night. Versatility is key for me when I'm buying a sun dress. What do you think? ASOS has an amazing selection of dresses and at great prices. Can't beat that!

1. Oasis Mini Satchel, $38, 2. Whistles Friendship Bracelet, $31, 3. Faith Jude Metallic Sandals, $43, 4. Love Floral Bow Back Dress, $76, 5. ASOS Metal Handle Clutch, $34, 6. ASOS Handcuff Bracelet, $10, 7. Gardenia Platform Sandals, $304

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post. All opinions expressed here are my own. I mean, who doesn't honestly love a pretty dress at a great price?

Introducing Soria Z. Jewelry and a Giveaway!

I'm so happy to introduce you all to Natalie, the mastermind behind the beautiful jewelry line Soria Z. Jewelry. Her creative journey has lead her to create some beautiful, delicate pieces that I'm sure you all will love. I wish I had the jewelry gene in me! But now let me share with you the story behind this incredibly talented and sweet East Coast gal so you can all see for yourselves what I mean...

Name, Age, Business Name

Natalie Nguyen, 34
Designer/Owner of Soria Z. Jewelry (founded in late 2010)
I was born in Washington D.C. but I'm a native of South Carolina and I've been in Manhattan for over 8 years so I am definitely an East Coast gal!

Can you tell us a little about the history of Soria Z. Jewelry?
Soria Z. was actually named after my mother - Soria (/Sor-ee-ah/) is her middle name and "Z." is the first letter of her last name. She was born in the Philippines and moved to New York City when she was 21. Growing up, I would see vintage pictures of her dressed in the latest 70s fashion trends and hear stories from my aunts about their time in the city. I was so inspired by her decision to come to the US and her life in New York and I knew from a very early age that I wanted to live there one day as well.



A few years ago, I set out on a "creative journey" you could say. The majority of my career has been in corporate business but I knew that I always loved to create and design. When I was younger, I would make jewelry with almost any type of material I could get my hands on! A few years ago, I reconnected with that creative side of myself and started taking jewelry workshops and courses in metalsmithing and fabrication, wax carving and stone setting in various studios in the city in addition to classes at FIT. Shortly after, Soria Z. Jewelry was "born" and initially launched last year at Mzia Shiman Spa on 59th & 5th Ave and recently launched online at: www.shopsoriaz.com.
The vision that I wanted for the jewelry collection is fine jewelry that is effortless in the sense that it is refined, contemporary and understated with versatile every day pieces designed to be worn alone, layered, or stacked to complement another piece. Most of the pieces are sterling silver and 18k gold.

Where do you find your inspiration?
It's amazing how much beauty and inspiration you find and see in your surroundings each day - you just have to look! Much of the design is inspired by everyday life in New York City, international travel and love for creative style. I get so energized being around vibrant people who are passionate about what they do - whether it's art, fashion or music - there is no shortage of that here in the city.
Where do you see the business five years from now?
I would love for Soria Z. Jewelry to expand to other cities in the US and possibly even in other countries. With anything in life it's important to have certain goals and milestones balanced with what organically happens along the way.

See what I mean? The silver cuff and silver leather bracelet are the newest members of my arm party and I wear them everywhere these days! Her pieces are so versatile! And what you all are going to love even more is the fact that Natalie has offered to give away one silver leather bracelet (value $75) to one lucky reader! To enter the giveaway just leave a comment telling me which of her pieces is your favorite (mandatory)! And for a few extra chances (leave a separate comment for each):

1. Follow Fashion Truffles via GFC

2. Like Soria Z. Jewelry on Facebook

3. Follow Soria Z. Jewelry on Twitter

4. Tweet about the giveaway (please mention @viv_fashiontruf and @soriazjewelry)

The winner will be announced next Thursday, May 24th at noon. Good luck, luvies!

Giveaway fine print:  Ends Thursday, 5/24/12 at 12:00pm EST.

No purchase necessary; void where prohibited.  While I do not announce the winner on my blog, it will be available by Thursday 5/24/12.  By entering into this sweepstakes, the entrant acknowledges that they are eligible for this sweepstakes according to all laws set forth by their state of residency.  

Spring Favorites: Shoe Edition

I don't know about you, but I'm tired of opening my closet and seeing mostly black, brown, cream, nude and very few colorful shoesies. So I'm trying hard to change that. I want to add some serious color boosters to my shoe closet starting with some neon pink Rebecca Minkoff flats. 

Reed Krakoff platform sandals, $795, ASOS ankle wrap sandals, $33, Tory Burch ankle wrap sandals, $264, Banana Republic platform wedge, $120, Rebecca Minkoff strappy wedge, $125, French Connection low heels, $113, Valentino studded platform pumps, $895, J.Crew platform wedge shoes, $138, Sam edelman sandals, $150, Balenciaga espadrille wedge, $695, Loeffler Randall flat shoes, $295, Vince camuto shoes, $118

Tuesday Craving: Topshop

The weather in the East Coast has been gross. Rain, clouds, and gray - constantly. I'm craving sunshine, colorful summer dresses, and some warm weather! This dress increases the craving 100x.

Topshop, $92

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Cocktail Attire

One of our best friends is getting married in Cartagena, Colombia in two weeks and the wedding attire is formal. You know what that means? Dress up time! It will be like a college reunion - no joke - so I need to look my very best. I'm still deciding what to wear and shopping around for a few missing pieces, but one thing I know is that I want my outfits to be colorful and bright. The rehearsal dinner is the day after we arrive and I would love to wear some variation of this...

3 1 Phillip Lim wrap around dress, £188, Jenny Packham platform sandals, $435, Anya Hindmarch clutch handbag, $543, Kenneth Jay Lane earrings, $77, Alexis bittar cocktail ring, $295, Yves saint laurent lipstick, $32, Essie sheer nail polish, $8

p.s. I'm also over at Ashley Nicole Catherine today sharing my love for all things girly and pink. Check it out here.

Kitchen Truffle: Cream Cheese Brownies

There's nothing better than an easy recipe that turns out to be absolutely decadent. My mother in law is an amazing cook and always has the best recipes so I wasn't at all surprised when I tried these heavenly bites last time I was in Baltimore visiting. However, I was extremely surprised when I found out how easy they are to make! Five simple ingredients, three quick steps and one end result that will leave you in awe! Seriously.

 Ready for the oven

 Baked deliciousness!

Cream Cheese Brownies:

2 packages chocolate chip cookie rolls (from the dairy case at the grocery store)
2 large packages cream cheese (I used reduced fat)
1 cup sugar
2 tsp. vanilla
2 eggs

Grease a 9x13 baking dish.  Slice 1 roll of the cookie dough and lay it down along the bottom of the pan.  Pat gently to cover the bottom of the pan.  

Cream together the cream cheese, sugar, vanilla and eggs.  Spread mixture over the cookie dough in the pan.  

Slice the second roll of cookie dough and lay gently over the cream cheese mixture.

Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 45 minutes, until golden.  Cool thoroughly, cut into squares and refrigerate until serving.

Enjoy, luvies!

Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day to all the special mamas out there! We wouldn't be where we are without your unconditional love and support. I wish I was home celebrating and cuddling on the couch with my mami, but I'll be home soon enough! 

Casual Friday

I like to think of Fridays as a casual day at work. Jeans are OK to wear (woohoo), but I usually like to dress them up a bit. It's warmed up a bit in the city, but a blazer/light jacket was still necessary in the morning - you can tell the wind was blowing pretty hard! How do you dress for work on Fridays?

Jeans: Sass and Bide $70 at The Edit, Blazer: Naven $70 at The Edit, Blouse: Ann Taylor (old), Shoes: Stuart Weitzman (old), Necklace: J.Crew (old), Bracelets: Hermes, Poshlocket $20, Soria Z. Jewelry $95, Charriol, Tiffany.