Dress – Aritzia / Denim jacket – Gap / Purse – Vince Camuto / Scarf – J. Crew

Even though I’ve been in the Bay Area for nearly five years, I still get really excited to explore a place I’ve never been to. It’s not very hard to do and it’s never too far. I feel really lucky! My company’s holiday party this year was a 3-part event. It started in Yountville with a lunch prepared by Thomas Keller and his team and led up to a Warriors game in Oakland. The night ended with a company favorite: karaoke in the city. It was hard not to find something for everyone, but the part that I was looking forward to the most was getting out of the city and exploring Yountville. I had never been there before and it felt like a mini town centered around fine dining.

Aside from having one of the best meals I’ve ever had, we had the whole afternoon full of activities, catching up with co-workers, and taking a tour of [The French Laundry’s] garden. The entire space was a dream for a perfectionist. Look at these manicured lawns! I also did something a little outside of my comfort zone. We were encouraged to sample the lettuce straight from the garden. It might have had some bits of dirt on it and we most definitely did not have anything to rinse it off with. It went straight from the ground and into our mouths and I didn’t hate it. That’s how much trust I put into this place.

Getting dressed for this event was an ordeal. Before joining this company, I was used to [holiday parties] that happened in the evening. It followed your standard cocktail attire, dinner, drinks, and DJ format and never skewed too far from that. How do you get dressed for an event that includes three very different parts? It started with the little black dress that I had purchased at Aritzia. On its own, it felt fancy enough, but it would not have been appropriate to wear all day. The solution? A casual somewhat oversized denim jacket over it and swapping out heels and sneakers for a classic black bootie. It was an outfit that held up for the entire day and was sufficient enough for each event.

Even though we had the afternoon in Yountville, it still didn’t feel like enough time. I didn’t even have a chance to stop in at [Bouchon Bakery]! We’ll definitely need a second trip.