LE CATCH

I'm so excited to host a cooking class for friends later this month focused on holiday cooking hacks with Thea Baumann, chef/former Goop food editor and co-author of Gwyneth Paltrow's It's All Easy. (Think filling side dishes like roasted winter squash with gremolata--yum!) For holiday dressing hacks, I'm looking to Leandra Cohen, above, who cleverly spruces up jeans and a blouse with exuberantly-festive shoes. Hello, sparkles! Any of these by Badgley Mishka (similar to above), Schutz, Sam Edelman, Giuseppe Zanotti, Miu Miu, Jimmy Choo and Christian Louboutin will do the trick!

Yesterday I was more voracious than usual at lunch. Not only did I wolf down my Toscana carciofi salad but I also ordered lots of treats from The Label Edition, a new Barcelona-based clothing line designed by my lunch mate Veronique Vaillant von Siebenthal. (In case you're on the west side of LA on Thursday, swing by The Draycott to shop her well-priced, super chic collection from 11-2PM!) I love the Euro-classic silhouettes and effortless elegance, as exemplified by this one-shoulder maxi, above, these dramatic denim pants, below, this vegan leather circle skirt, and this oversized yet sexy tuxedo shirt.

A Monday night out heralded the start of holiday partying--and dressing up--for me. While I love slipping into a dress (I wore this La Double J last night along with an opulent glow c/o a True Botanicals facial--see here!), I plan on turning to new-again silk blouses to see me through many fun soirees. Easy but elegant, all the way! And thoroughly easy to execute in lovelies like the ($112) LOEIL, below, this classic, goes-with-everything Frame button-down, above, this pretty ARoss Girl x Soler, Ulla Johnson, Asos, and Pixie Market.

$59, h&m

Breezing into this fall day like. . .

1. Balenciaga sweater, $950, netaporter.com
2. Re/Done jeans, $265, netaporter.com
3. H&M parka, $59, hm.com
4. Kate Spade New York ring, $108, shopbop.com
5. Prada printed nylon mesh bag, $1270, luisaviaroma.com
6. Stuart Weitzman patent slingbacks, $365, neimanmarcus.com

It's 80 degrees here in LA and, reportedly, for the foreseeable future--and I am not at all complaining. But to give my dresses a little seasonal, fall-time update, I like the idea of styling them with pants, as shown here. The kind of frocks that can finesse this look are midi-length, nipped in at the waist, and open in the front, plus fluid and feminine to counterbalance the bottoms. Exactly like these versatile dresses from Staud (last pic), C/Meo Collective, The Reformation, Ganni, and Asos (similar to immediately below).

$228, madewell

These chic, shearling-lined boots are now on repeat through the deep freeze.

1. Vince cashmere sweater, $425, netaporter.com
2. House of Holland checked wool blazer, $770, netaporter.com
3. Bauble Bar huggie earring set, $44, shopbop.com
4. Prada clutch, $375, therealreal.com
5. Scosha signet ring, $775, shopbop.com
6. Madewell boots, $228, madewell.com
7. J.Crew corduroy jeans, $110, netaporter.com

Happy Halloween! Both my sons will be trick-or-treating in Ghillie suits--easy and effective, one-and-done costumes. (A sign, perhaps, that they've inherited my style-hack gene?) California kids through and through, they gravitate toward surfer clothing; In fact, they define formal as putting on a polo shirt! At least right now, I'm down with their version of dressed-up, in light of how cool collared tees currently look teamed with more sophisticated pieces. I'd twin with my kids in these polo shirts by Lacoste (I have the men's small!), Ralph Lauren, Nobody Denim, Monki and In Wear.

The fires, the smoke, the hurricane-force winds. While I'm infinitely grateful that we could escape to safety, I wouldn't mind a mental escape, even just for a few moments, far, far away to a carefree, soot-free, coconut-laden beach. Like, say, Mauritius--and prepped for it exactly like Emili Sindlev, pictured here. I'd breeze around in sarongs, tied around me as tops and skirts, like Faithfull the Brand, above, and Chanel, below. I'd keep cool in a polka dot bikini and bucket hat (like above) and when the sun starts to set, I'd slip into a pretty pastel dress such as this floral one and this one, both below, and this Hemant and Nandita mini. Au revoir!

A friend from London recently DM'ed me, wondering if I had any easy-to-layer tissue-thin turtlenecks to recommend. Specifically, she wanted one she could wear under dresses like this and this. While looking for some good options and finding these by Veronica Beard, Theory, 1901, and Alex Mill, I came across creative director Jen Azoulay rocking not only a versatile knit turtleneck by Cos, but an insanely chic sautoir Ginette pearl necklace. (P.S. She also wears it in her hair like a ponytail holder!) Immediately, my search pivoted to necklaces that I could top turtlenecks with and then some and I landed on these gems by Jennifer Zeuner, Lizzie Fortunato, and Brinker & Eliza.

Photo: Jen Wonders