Commes Les Parisiennes.

Bonjour, mes amies.

This week has been bananas.

My to do list is never-ending, I’m working 12 hour days, attempting to keep up with my social commitments, and trying to hustle through two books for book clubs–on top of all the usual household and puppy responsibilities, AND I am re-decorating one of our rooms and have been trying to get a ton done in my abundance of free time. (More on that later.) I wouldn’t change a thing about my life but WOW sometimes I need to take a step back and breathe. So Mr. Magpie took me out for dinner to Owen + Engine (the BEST burgers in Chicago…well, maybe second to Au Cheval — and they do a Tuesday spesh where you get a discounted burger plus a beer and shot of whiskey for $16…I don’t drink beer or shots of whiskey so Mr. Magpie doubled up and enjoyed a lovely blurry meal instead) and we tried our HARDEST (!!!) to keep work talk to a minimum. In turn, we couldn’t stop talking about how nice it was to get out and try to talk like a normal couple might. It made me realize how underwater we’ve been with getting our company off the ground. I cannot complain about a thing–building this business with him has been such a crazy incredible journey and I can’t tell you how much respect I have for him after slogging through all the nitty gritty of starting a company alongside him. But still. It was such a luxury to step back and just focus on us. Strongly recommend you take your beau out for a date some time soon.

Unrelated, but I mentioned recently that I’ve been methodical–almost religious!–about having tea before bed and it is now such a soothing nighttime ritual. My favorite flavor right now (I’m such a David’s Tea devotee) is David Tea’s Creme Caramel rooibos tea. No caffeine and it tastes like dessert. I’m enjoying mine now while I write this and should probably be catching up on sleep or finishing up my book club picks. La ti da.

OK, so where I’m going with all of this is that one of the crutches I’ve been leaning on during this busy period of my life is wearing a lot of simple black and white separates to pretend like I’m put together when I’m feeling pulled in 234 directions. (Guys, seriously: I really freaked myself out the other day because I drove to the ENTIRELY WRONG CUSTOMER’S OFFICE for a meeting. I have never done anything like that in my life. I am the type of person who double, triple, quadruple checks details; confirms appointments; and I am never, ever late. And there I am standing at the front door of an office like a dummy asking to see someone only to get some quizzical looks. AHHHHH. It was so stressful to then book it across town to get to the correct customer, but it was even more terrifying to me that I even made the mistake in the first place. I guess it’s a testament to what my life has been like lately. I’d had 5 (!!!) customer meetings that day alone.)

At any rate. Black and white dressing — it’s a look I generally dub “The Parisienne.” Inspo: