Something shifted a few months ago. It started with these PJs, but more on them in a minute. Then I did a massive closet cleaning that was way overdue. I got rid of a ton of clothes that I never wear (probably 10 tubs full, I never got rid of anything), and I vowed to quit accumulating clothes only because they catch my eye in the moment. While lovely, these were often the things I neglected to wear, because they just didn’t mix and match well. And the result was I had a closet filled with pretty things, but always felt like I had nothing to wear.
Interestingly, the result of my newly lean closet hasn’t been a desire to fill it back up. Instead that desire has been replaced with an intense urge to simplify and to buy fewer, better things. Perfect things, to be exact. For example, I’m looking for the perfect black blazer right now. I’ve been researching, trying on, and hunting for “the perfect” one for a while. One that is high-quality, perfectly tailored, a wardrobe workhorse. One that will probably hurt my wallet just a little at the cash register, but will be well worth the investment given the amount it will be worn. All I know is I’ve been having far more “good-outfit” days with less in my closet, and I’ve been more creative with how to pair my favorite pieces together in new ways. Sure, there will still be a trend to try here and there, but layering on a million patterns or accessories or having the new hot color of the moment doesn’t really do it for me. I’m way more jazzed about having the perfect version of a timeless, versatile essential that I can wear every week if I want. Like a perfect white t-shirt or a just-right white button up or the chicest pair of ballet flats or a perpetually cool striped tee. You know, those pieces that will pull together even the simplest everyday looks and always look effortless.
So all that to say, as I find these perfect must-own pieces, you’ll be the first to know. I’ll share my essentials once I find them in this new, ongoing series – “The Perfect.” First up today is the pajama. It doesn’t make the usual magazine lists of fashion staples, but why shouldn’t your loungewear live up to your style standards? Eberjey is simply the best here—they merge super-soft jersey fabric with simple-yet-sexy designs. After stalking the Gisele PJ set for a while, I finally purchased it just in time for our recent travels. No big surprise, I went for the navy with white piping; but now I have my eye on this black robe and this long-sleeved version for winter too. The perfect pajama, and the start of my hunt for more perfect essentials.
What can I say? Everyone needs a fall-back plan. Mine is black. Black on black on black to be exact. Whenever I can’t think of what to wear–or just don’t have the time–I throw on these wardrobe staples. They never fail me, and they always look chic. When choosing classic pieces like these, I just look for good quality. These are the things you want to invest in, because you’ll wear them again and again.
Squash season means I start eating ample amounts of butternut squash, mainly in the form of soup or this salad. But this year, I’m trying to get out of my squash rut and cook with a wider variety, like delicata, acorn, and spaghetti. Because it’s so tender and requires no peeling, delicata is my new favorite. And this dish is my current obsession–delicata rounds roasted in homemade harrisa, then served family-style on a wood board and sprinkled with roasted pepitas, creamy feta, fresh mint and a generous drizzle of honey. This would make an amazing appetizer or side dish for a dinner party–just set it on the table and let guests help themselves!
Harissa-Roasted Delicata with Feta, Mint & Honey
1 delicata squash, skin left on, cut crosswise into rounds and seeds scooped out
4 cloves of garlic, crushed
1 large tablespoon harissa paste
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 tablespoon brown sugar
Sea salt and black pepper
Heaping handful of raw pepitas, toasted
Fresh feta, crumbled
Fresh mint leaves
Honey, for drizzling
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place the garlic, harissa, olive oil, brown sugar, salt and pepper in a bowl and mix to combine. Add the delicata slices and toss with hands to coat well. Place the squash on a baking tray and roast about 30 minutes or until golden and tender. To serve, sprinkle with pepitas, feta, mint and drizzle with honey.
In the past six months, harissa paste has replaced sriracha sauce in a lot of our cooking. Harissa is a chili pepper condiment popular in Moroccan cuisine, usually found in paste or sauce form. It has a deep, roasted flavor and packs some delicious heat–great to add directly to a dish as it’s cooking (we have a cauliflower-chickpea dish we love, as well as this harissa-roasted squash). Harissa also works well served alongside chicken tangine or pork tenderloin. After our last tube of harissa paste ran out, we realized how simple the ingredient list was andwith a quick Google search, we decided to make our own. It’s so easy! I used dried New Mexico chiles, but you can also substitute anaheim chiles, which are more mild.
Homemade Harissa
12-15 dried red chili peppers
3-4 cloves garlic
1 teaspoon salt, more to taste
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1/2 teaspoon coriander seeds
1/2 teaspoon caraway seeds
3-4 teaspoons lemon juice
Olive oil
Bring a pot of water to a boil, then turn off the heat. Add the dried chili peppers and submerge in the hot water. Leave to let soften for 30 minutes to an hour. Drain the chili peppers, gently squeezing out the excess water, allowing their seeds to release, and blot the peppers between several paper towels. Using a mini food processor, grind the peppers, garlic, salt and other spices. Add lemon juice and enough olive oil to moisten the harissa enough to form a thick paste. Store the harissa in an airtight container in the fridge.
Hard to believe, but the start of holiday season is just a few short weeks away. This year we’ll be traveling to see our families and friends in Texas and Missouri, and I can’t wait for quality time together and celebrating over feasts of delicious homemade food! Come November 27, we’ll be braving the airport like everyone else, and I’ve already been thinking about how I can make our holiday travels as smooth as possible.
So I was excited when one of my favorite brands, Lo & Sons, sent me their Catalina bag for my travels. I’ve raved about their O.M.G tote before—a perfectly stylish, versatile tote for work that I use for carrying essentials and my laptop. The Catalina is a canvas weekender and surprisingly large. Compared to most duffle-style bags, this one is deep—meaning you can stack layers upon layers inside. I’d say it has just as much room, if not seemingly more, than a standard carryon suitcase. It also has a great compartment along the bottom for shoes.
Instead of waiting until the very last minute to pack for holiday trips, I got ahead of the game and planned all of my holiday outfits—for casual family lunches, festive parties, shopping outings, and cozying up by the fire. And guess what? They all fit in the Catalina! The key to holiday packing is about choosing versatile pieces that can be mixed and matched a number of ways for different looks. Scroll through the images for 7 holiday outfit ideas you can easily recreate (links also above).
So now the fun part: Lo & Sons is offering one lucky Perpetually Chic reader the bag of your choice! Any style, any color—it’s up to you! Entering is super easy. Just follow the steps in the widget below (refresh if you don’t see it below)—one simple click and you’re entered, then you can opt to submit additional entries. The giveaway will close next Wednesday, November 20, and I’ll announce the winner on this post shortly after.
And a bonus for all readers: Get 25% off with the code PERPETUALLYCHIC through the end of November!
**This giveaway has closed. Congratulations to Molly for winning a Lo & Sons bag! Winner was randomly selected using random.org. Thank you ALL for entering!**
Today I’m thrilled, nervous, and relieved to reveal an all-new, redesigned site! I’ve been working toward this day for so long, I can hardly believe it’s finally here. I started Perpetually Chic two years ago with a single Instagram snapshot of my living room and a simple Tumblr template. Eventually I graduated to spending countless hours online researching how to make tweaks to a custom template (my attempt to create a slightly better-looking space myself), handwrote my own blog header, and basically kept plugging away on original content. In the process I improved my photography skills and found my own unique voice. But for a long while now, more than a year in fact, I’ve been dreaming of a refresh that would better reflect the casual yet sophisticated aesthetic that weaves through what I write about every day. Modern, simple and chic, this new site is the fruition of that dream—and what a great place to call my new online home.
A huge thank you goes to one of my very best friends and the designer behind this elegant new site, Sarah Wymer of Studioslomo. Sarah executed my vision to pure perfection; she also collaborated with the ever-talented Julie Song to commission the beautiful, custom hand-lettering. In navy, it makes such a statement against with the clean white design. And a final thank you to Sean Loyless for the awesome site development. Sean joined us at the end of this journey, but it’s only by his work that our labor of love went from Photoshop to reality.
There are a few adjustments and tweaks in progress, and I’m still manually loading some additional posts from the old site (talk about time consuming!), but I wanted to quickly share a few of my favorite features. I think you’ll quickly find the site to be so much more intuitive. Especially the four main categories (Plate, Closet, Home, Passport) across the top, which now open to visual indexes of content divided into subcategories—an organization lover’s dream and a reader’s best friend! Rather than explain the rest, click through the image gallery above (another new feature on each post) for the main highlights, then look around on your own, and be sure to let me know what you think! I hope you love the new site as much as I do.
Stay tuned for a full photo diary of Santorini gorgeousness next week. In the meantime, bookmark this mini guide for the best restaurants on the island (including what to order), not-to-miss activities and souvenir shopping tips…
MUST SEES: red and black sand beaches, the quaint village of Megalochori, Goulas Castle in Oia, Fira’s famous winding path down the caldera
BEACHES BY COLOR:Kamari Beach (black), Red Beach (red), Kambia Beach (white)
DON’T LEAVE WITHOUT: watching the sunset every night, a half-day sailing charter to see the island from the sea
WHERE TO EAT: Krinaki in Foinikia for traditional dishes like fava beans, tomato balls, chloro cheese, beef liver; to Psaraki at the marina for fresh whole fish and grilled goat cheese with pesto; Sunset Taverna in Ammoudi for lobster spaghetti; Selene in Pyrgos for white eggplant octopus tartar; Red Bicycle in Oia for a fine dining twist on traditional cuisine
FOOD TO TRY: as many kinds of meze as you have time to try, chloro cheese, grilled fish, Santorini rose wine
BEST PLACE FOR A DRINK: Domaine Sigalas—sample Santorini vintages and nibble on meze at this peaceful winery near Oia
HOW TO GET AROUND: Towns are pedestrian only. Rent a car to explore the island’s beaches and villages.
GOOD TO KNOW: Fira is extremely touristy. Skip the ancient archaeological site Akrotiri.
WHAT TO PACK: shorts, tanks and swimwear for day, colorful dresses and glam (but flat) sandals for evening
WHAT TO BRING HOME: colorful prints from a local art gallery in Oia, a bottle of rose from Sigalas winery, local capers, jewelry from one of the many shops in Fira
WHEN TO GO: High season is July-August. Go in June or September.
Beans and grains of all varieties—from chickpeas and black beans to farro and couscous—are a year-round staple in our pantry. Since most of them are easy to prepare and full of good-for-you nutrients, they become the base of many weeknight meals. We recently added lentils to this group—a super food high in protein, low in fat, and very versatile for soups and salads. And lately we’ve been into this simple lentil salad, inspired by the lunch we ate at Kiki’s in Mykonos. It’s delightful as a side dish alongside fish, or all on its own topped with grilled chicken. Enjoy!
Mediterranean Lentil Salad
1 pound green lentils (about 2 1/3 cups dry, 5 cups when cooked)
3 cloves of garlic, minced
4 cups water
1 tablespoon olive oil
Juice of half a lemon
Splash of red wine vinegar
Large handful of sundried tomatoes, roughly chopped
Large handful of fresh, flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped
Salt and pepper to taste
½ cup feta cheese, crumbled
Place lentils in a strainer, thoroughly rinse with water, then drain. Combine the rinsed lentils, garlic, and water in a stockpot. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce to a gentle simmer. Cook uncovered until the lentils become tender, about 30 minutes. Add water as needed to make sure lentils stay just covered. Strain the lentils, then return to the pan and add salt. Transfer 3 cups of the warm lentils to a serving bowl. (Store any remaining lentils for other uses.) Drizzle the lentils with olive oil, lemon juice and red wine vinegar. Add the chopped sundried tomatoes, and parsley, tossing to combine. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle with feta.
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