A Perfect Outfit for a Perfect Cuppa Coffee
This year has been, well, quite a year and it's not even over yet. Can you believe that?! It feels like everything we’ve endured this year should’ve happened in a decade but nope here we are and in less than 365 days we’ve experienced enough for a lifetime. How did we do it? The lockdown kickstarted our year and now we are just getting back to enjoying our usual cafes and restaurants and boutiques. You know the places where they know your coffee order before you place it and they know your name and the names of your children and even your dog. Familiarity. Closeness. Ease. These things make us feel human but more importantly reinforce the human connection and intimacy on the most basic level.
That cafe we mentioned, the one where they know our order off-hand, we are so lucky to have one of those here in the Bay Area in the quaint town of Benicia and today we’re enjoying a much needed cup of coffee down by the water and sharing with you our outfit of the day.
Fun fact Benicia used to be our great state’s capital before Sacramento but now it's home of Ma and Pa bakeries, coffee shops and a killer view of the bay. Being a small town by the water this tiny community sees a lot of tourists enjoying fresh seafood while they sit outside watching the tide come in and out. Walking down First Street, the town's main drag, it's everything you imagine a small town main street to be. Small businesses on each side such as antique shops, eateries and trees trimmed with twinkling lights all year round. But what keeps us coming here is the One House Bakery.
One House Bakery is a family owned operation. Around here they are famous for their bread and pastries although they also have chicken noodle soup to cure any cold or heartache and a ham and cheese sandwich that is hard to beat. Besides the delectable treats that One House serves up, they keep us coming back with their hospitality. The goal of One House is to make everyone who visits to feel at home and with their genuine kindness you feel nothing but that. Before COVID, you were able to dine inside their two story “house,” and there was a gorgeous back-seating area with all sorts of nooks and crannies to hide away with a book, a laptop or a friend. Today, however, we order our coffee at the front of the house and take it for a stroll down by the water to steal away a few moments of peace.
Grabbing our cappuccino and croissant we head down to the end of First Street. We pass by the old state capitol building, pet a few pups along the way and peek into the windows of our favorite antique shops. The air is so crisp and usually we’d be avoiding the cold but today the sun is shining high and it feels like how autumn is supposed to feel. It also helps that today we’re wearing our Double Breasted Wool Blend Overcoat from Lauren by Ralph Lauren which keeps us warm all the way past our knees. This coat is classic, of course, because it’s Ralph so we naturally decided to keep on trend and pair this coat with a crisp white button up and some knee-high riding boots. The Sam Edelman Penny Boot is a timeless knee-high riding boot to complete a timeless look. You can never go wrong with a black and white ensemble but we mustn’t forget the most crucial item: a scarf. A navy check scarf we found at a flea market from our most recent visit to Paris and a personal touch of color and memory to complete this look. Also, a scarf is essential in this biting cold.
The perfect look to go with the perfect cup of coffee. And of course we can’t forget the perfect view of the perfect day. At this moment we’re only focused on our breath, our pace and our cappuccino which we might have to double back around to One House Bakery to grab one to-go. Something about the water, something about the smell of the ocean and the sound of the waves has us living in the “now,” and we’re so grateful we have this in our beautiful backyard that is the Bay Area, but we’re even happier we can share places like that with you.
xo
SS
Photography: Kailyn Chadwick / Model: Kamryn Chadwick
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