when my mom told me about the providence perfume co. i almost couldn’t believe it. well believe it. this place is simply amazing. from the moment we stepped it chanra, the shops owner and perfumer extraordinaire, was warm and welcoming. i poked around a bit at chanra’s natural perfume selection, however, what really intrigued me was the opportunity to create my own scent, which i aptly named “a midsummer night’s dream” because it remind me of the perfect june day. chanra was extremely kind in answering all of my questions but ultimately we created a fragrance that is all my own and feels perfect! i learned all about infused alcohols, base notes, middle notes, and top notes–how cool is that? now if i told you what was in my blend it wouldn’t be a surprise, but perhaps this is because i also can’t remember one of the ingredients… luckily chanra keeps a catalogue of her client’s mixtures just to be safe!
i’m ashamed that i’ve been completely lacking in what i post to this section, sorry. luckily i have a great restaurant to share with you this time and hopefully next time i’m home i’ll write up a few more! the grange, which opened several weeks ago in providence’s west side, is absolutely perfect. the decor insists a vibe just like relaxing at the home of an old friend. that is if you have a friend who knows how to seamlessly decorate with reclaimed pieces and doesn’t seem at all pretentious. and the food! who could forget the food? i like to think of their menu as select, not small. my mom and i ate from the day menu, which is comprised of lovely brunch-y options such as: tofu breakfast tacos, poached fruit with yogurt, and a soup du jour (mine was lentil mushroom). after the meal we stopped by the coffee window where i indulged in an artfully brewed soy latte and oh it was good. this nook is positively adorable as you can either access it by crossing the dinning room or from the side entrance if you’re just stopping by. one last thing… the staff was very friendly, which isn’t something you typically get with these sorts of places, just saying.
garance dore is definitely one of my style icons as i’ve shown before. though i never aspire to replicate looks of other people, because i value individualism, i won’t deny that my style is influenced by what i see. that said, there’s something about the way that garance styles herself that always produces a looks that it classy, mixes different styles, and always look naturally put together, all with her truthful attitude, of course, which influenced my look. on this occasion i realized that i might have had a little garance edge, which is ironic considering that i was meeting an old friend for macarons…and cupcakes. silver spoon has quickly become one of my haunts, now i just wish they would add soy lattes to their menu and i’ll be very happy. a girl can dream. and as for the random stromboli, we had some dough and fresh cheese just hanging around and my mom had recently made a gravy so i rolled them together, *literally*, and this is what came out of the oven.
I feel confident in saying that never was there ever a store as special as Zuzu’s Petals. To even deem it a “store” seems so antithetical to what Zuzu’s is about that I’d rather give you a description– each location houses an exquisite and lovingly cultivated collection (dresses, coats, skirts, sweaters, jewelry blouses, and footwear) that meet Lois’ extremely high standards. Each piece that she and Dorna go over must be well constructed, special, and wearable, which I think I’ve demonstrated over time. Zuzu’s holds a very special place in my heart, as I purchased my first adult perfume in the Thayer Street location–BCBGirls in Nature, if you were wondering. These days I enjoy frequenting the Main Street shoppe to browse the racks with my parents for everyday and special occasion looks while listening to everything that Lois has to say. I have *literally* been dressed for every life moment– a wedding shower, bar and bat mitzvahs, a graduation, author events, fundraisers, vacations, internships, college visits, study abroad, high tea, and most importantly, everyday life! It’s been a great time styling around in these pieces and I look forward to all of the special times to come in my fabulous Zuzu’s Collection!
If you’re in the state of Rhode Island, you would me remiss if you didn’t stop into any of Zuzu’s locations.
Here are a few of my favorite Zuzu’s looks:
One of my parent’s favorite restaurants in Rhode Island is Alforno and after a while it’s become one of mine. Though we seem to only eat inside (and on the top floor…) my mom had this genius idea that we come for an early dinner and eat outside on the most precious patio. I thought she was nuts because who eats dinner at 530? Oh was I wrong. Apparently the entire state has the same mealtime because Alforno was crowded. My mom and I enjoyed splitting the native corn pizza while we each had our respective salads (her: “grass,” me: roasted beet and avocado) and sides (her: roasted green beans, me: native corn chowder). With no humidity and lots of entertaining people watching, this is an ideal dinner spot!
