Review: Caylpso St. Barth for Target

Yesterday I took a much-needed study break to check out Target's latest designer collaboration with Calypso St. Barth. I was pleasantly surprised-- the quality of this line seemed better than other recent Target/designer collaborations (cough go-international dress re-release), but I couldn't bring myself to purchase anything and ultimately walked away empty-handed.

I liked the styles of several dresses, but unfortunately the color palate of this line just wasn't flattering on my fair skin tone. Also, while I will admit that the quality of these pieces is decent (the dresses have linings, and there are intricate details and embroidery on most blouses and swimsuits), the price-point is a bit high. If I'm going to spend $40 on a dress from Target, I have to love it, and nothing in the limited selection of pieces from this clothing line at my local store fit that criteria.

 

The jewelry and home lines on the other hand, are different stories entirely. I loved the designs for home. The sea glass-inspired tumblers, metallic votive holders and ceramic elephant teapots were all gorgeous, but I  wouldn't have a place to put them, so I had to pass. I hope I don't kick myself later!

My choice to leave behind the jewelry designs is a similar story. I thought the gypsy-inspired bangles were fun and the playful mix of leather and metallics was endearing, but in the end, nothing sealed the deal. There's a chance I'll go back for one of these wrap bracelets.  They caught my attention and $20 seems like a decent price.

Overall, I thought the collection had some real potential, but nothing worked for me. Readers--have you seen the line? What do you think?

Taste Test Tuesday: Mozelle's

This weekend I went out to a girl's dinner at Mozelle's, a cute bistro in downtown Winston-Salem that specializes in modern Southern fare. The restaurant's quaint green decor was perfect for St. Patrick's day weekend, and the food was so fresh and flavorful. The menu is a bit pricey for everyday, but Mozelle's is great for a special occasion.

 

It's a shame this photo didn't turn out better--I had the salmon with pesto and orzo pasta. So yummy!

 You can see straight past this patterned counter top into the kitchen!

 How gorgeous are these scallops? My friend ordered them as an appetizer.

If you're super hungry or craving comfort food, I definitely recommend the mac and cheese. It was so rich and creamy!

Willow's Bistro Satisfies Without Blowing the Budget

 

This weekend my friend Kristi came to visit, so naturally Saturday brunch was a must. After a quick trip to Wake's women's lacrosse game, our group headed downtown to Willow's Bistro, an art-filled cafe in the heart of Winston-Salem. I'd been dying to try Willow's for a while now, and it definitely didn't disappoint.

Affordable, with a variety of menu options, Willow's is perfect for college students tired of  traditional cafeteria fare. The restaurant's walls feature a rotation of work by local artists, and the intimate dining area feels cozy, but not cramped.

When we sat down at our table, my group and I were verging on the literal meaning of starving, so we ordered three appetizers: the hummus platter, grilled asparagus drizzled with a balsamic vinaigrette and crostini topped with a mixture of cheese, olives, red peppers, artichokes and sun-dried tomatoes.

I'm not the biggest fan of olives, so the crostini wasn't exactly my cup of tea, but the chewy house-made pita chips combined with chili-cilantro hummus were the perfect start to my meal.

For my entree, I ordered the fried green tomato BLT. Willow's menu describes the sandwich as "applewood-smoked bacon, goat cheese, balsamic sun-dried tomato aioli and lettuce on wheat berry bread," but I'd rename it southern-fried ecstasy on a plate. I ditched the goat cheese and this sandwich became a contender for one of the best things I've ever eaten between two slices of bread.Not to mention the damage to my bank account was minimal. The over-sized sandwich with a heaping side of home-made sweet potato fries only set me back $7. Add a drink, and my share of the three appetizers, and the grand total still came in under $15. Not too shabby.

Grace and Laura at brunch!

 

I had a bit of order envy--Doesn't Grace's crab cake sandwich look awesome?

I loved their glass window with an abstracted Winston-Salem skyline.

Readers--where are your favorite eateries for brunch?

Style of a 20 Something Elsewhere: Review of bevello boutique

North Carolina readers be sure to check out my review of bevello in this weeks Old Gold and Black!  

Click here to read the article!

Sponsored Post: Coast Apparel Review and GIVEAWAY!

A few weeks ago I was contacted by Coast Apparel to write a review of their product here on Style of a 20 Something. After exploring Coast's website, I decided the South Carolina company's clothes are definitely something my readers would be interested in, and graciously accepted the package of clothes they sent me to review. The crab-covered box came right in the middle of finals week and was such a pleasant surprise!

Coast's pullover fleece in Buoy Red only comes in men's sizes, so even the small was a bit large on me, but I'm not complaining--I love over-sized jackets. They're perfect for lounging around the house or layering over bulky sweaters. I'd definitely recommend this pullover to any college student--boy or girl.The bold red color is fun,  the fleece is super soft, and the crab logo found on the back of the collar is so cute!

Tucked away under the bright red fleece was this lime green Winyah polo, again with the cute crab logo. Again, I reviewed a small, but this time the top was much more form-fitting--specifically designed to hug the female figure. I loved the extra-long length of the polo, and the vibrant green will be so fun for spring. As the shirt already fits very nicely, I worry that it might shrink a bit in the wash. I'll definitely let it hang dry.

Sorry for the lack of IRL photos--I had some issues with my camera! I'll try to update once I get my technological issues worked out!
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 Now onto the giveaway portion of this post! I have one small "Barely Pink" Winyah Polo to give away!

Here's how to enter:
--Be a follower of Style of a 20 Something and let me know in the comments, along with your email address so I can contact you if you win.

--Enter before 12:01 AM on January 1!

Leave an additional comments for extra entries:
--one extra entry if you tweet about this giveaway (mention @challemann so I get the tweet too!)
--one extra entry if you blog about this giveaway and leave a link to the post in your comment

If small isn't your size or pink isn't your color, don't worry. I'll have another giveaway after the holidays!

Also-- I have several Coast Apparel crab stickers to give away as well, so shoot an email with your name and address to styleofa20something@gmail.com if you'd like a sticker!

Hautelook Rant

Readers, I wanted to give you an update on this post from back in August. Here's the story:

At the time of the post, I had just scored a deal through Hautelook on a chic Rachel Pally dress and couldn't wait for it to arrive on my doorstep perfect and pristine, ready to be packed for school. Unfortunately, nothing happened how I imagined.

First, the dress didn't arrive until after I'd left for college, more than a week after they estimated it would be delivered. I called customer service to complain, and they eventually refunded the shipping charge, which I thought was very professional of them. I thought the saga would end there.

Nope. Once the dress finally arrived in Nashville, my mom took the box inside and forgot about it. When she finally opened the package to send me the dress, she found the inner bag to be mangled and the dress ripped. At this point it had been over a month since I'd placed the order. There was no way they would take it back so after a lengthy phone call debating my options, my mom kindly agreed to stitch up the tears.


 Fortunately, the large bib of fabric covers nearly all of the stitching, so this didn't become a total fashion nightmare/ waste of money, but I'm still super annoyed. I understand Hautelook is a discount retailer, but that doesn't mean products should come damaged! My dress had at least four tears in it. I think that's ridiculous.

In contrast, when I placed an order with one of Hautelook's rival sample sites, RueLaLa, my purchase came quickly, wrapped appropriately and completely free of any damages.

Readers, have you all ever has issues with Hautelook?  I'm curious to see if this was a fluke or typical of their company. Weigh in in the comment section!