How Blake Lively Dresses like a French Girl (for Under $200!)

It seems like no one is above being enamored with French girl style. Even Blake Lively, a maternity style muse + messy braid goddess herself, is dazzled by them. And like the rest of us, she’s trying to put her finger on their elusive je ne sais quoi by decoding exactly how to dress like a Parisian export.

A new post on her website Preserve tagged “French Connection” asks the same questions *we* always have on the tip of our tongues regarding the matter: “Do French women really wake up with that ready-to-wear bedhead? How do they make the Breton stripe so eternally chic? And do they actually shamelessly snack on bread, cheese and sweets, without ever stepping into a gym? Unfair.” Unfair indeed, but at least Blake and co offer shoppable solutions to feeling more like these mythical babes: a collection of nine French girl-inspired styles all under $200.

These perfect-for-spring styles have the effortless mark of a French girl all over them, from the subtly sexy scoop back of the red striped Brynn Maxi ($145) to the baby-soft silk of the collard Elvie Top ($180). The “chic” plays out in more structural pieces like the ruffled A-line Myla Skirt ($120 — a way to hit on the French style + ‘60s revival trends with just one piece) and with understated jewelry like a twisted metal cuff and a glimmering druzy wrap bracelet. Excuse us while we start holding out breath for Blake to make an appearance in these styles, ideally while debuting her newborn girl James (?) in a Breton striped onesie. Is that too much to ask?

What are your go-to French girl-inspired pieces? Tell us in the comments below.

(Featured photo via Stephen Lovekin/Getty)

Transitioning your home from winter to spring doesn't have to take a huge effort or budget. A few throw pillows here, a flower vase there can make your home look fresher, more inviting while reviving how you feel about your space. Whether you want to hop on the vintage decor trend or bring in fresh Danish pastels, we have some spring decor swaps that will help sprinkle a dose of happy into your home. First, plan your budget and look around your space. What pieces don’t give your home that spring joy you crave? Stow them away for the season and they’ll be like new again in the fall! Now enjoy the things that truly refresh your space.

Shop Spring Home Decor Here!

ban.do Stacked Citrus Vase

These sweet citrus designs are the perfect pop of color for your spring table or home office!

Folkulture Throw Pillow Covers

The scalloped design on these 18x18 cotton covers are a playful way to dress up your sofa or bed.

Studio McGee x Threshold Natural Wicker Table Lamp

Give your indoors an outdoor vibe with these charming woven table lamps.

Etsy Wavy Wall Shelf

Brighten your walls with brightly colored pastels. These shelves are great for holding books, picture frames, plants and more.

H&M Floral Throw

Spring is still a transitional season with chilly mornings and nights. Swap your winter throws for this fun floral pattern.

Scalloped Multi Border Decor Braided Jute Collection

Pop this jute rug in your bathroom, on your porch, in your kitchen -- anywhere you need a little statement piece.

Poster Store Botanical Gallery Wall

Customize a gallery wall that suits your style -- this site creates one for you or pick and choose your faves.

Lyla Monogram Trinket Dish

Even a new trinket dish on your dresser can bring a little joy to your morning. This monogrammed one makes a great gift for spring birthdays!

H&M Pleated Paper Table Lamp

This pretty-in-pink table lamp is a great way to bring in soft, spring color into your home -- get two for symmetrical bedside tables or go solo on a desk or console table.

Wicker Planter Storage Baskets

These cute and affordable planters are a fun way to freshen up your entry or kitchen -- add plants, cloth napkins, magazines, even mail.

Jungalow x Opal Cotton Sheet Set

We love designer Justina Blakeney's style and here she gives us a colorful canvas on which to layer all our bedding.

Elin Ceramic Knobs

Add new knobs to end tables for an easy spring refresh.

Anthropologie Fruit Candle Holder

These whimsical candle holders cheer up your decor and are perfect for all your spring entertaining.

Chasing Paper x Jenni Yolo Peel-And-Stick Wallpaper

Peel-and-stick wallpaper makes it easier to upgrade your walls with stunning prints. Try it in a bathroom or kitchen or create an accent wall in your bedroom for this vintage-inspired look by DIYer Jenni Yolo.

Anthropologie Gingham Curtains

We never met a check we didn't like. Gingham is a classic spring look that always feels happy and carefree!

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Brit + Co may at times use affiliate links to promote products sold by others, but always offers genuine editorial recommendations.

Header image via Etsy

This edible crescent-roll cornucopia is our way of making a normal cheese boardmore festive — and definitely more fun — during the holiday season. Our go-to this time of year is a massive cheese plate that can stand alone and be the main attraction, or the starter for a larger meal. Press on for the surprisingly easy steps to braid a breaded cornucopia.

Chris Andre

Materials + Tools:

  • 1 roll of tin foil
  • 2 packages of crescent rolls
  • 1 egg (for egg wash before cornucopia goes into the oven), optional

Chris Andre

Instructions:

Start by sculpting tin foil into the shape of a cornucopia (it looks like a cone with an upturned tail). Pro tip: Lightly pack tin foil so it's easier to remove later from your baked cornucopia. Crescent rolls should be buttery enough that this shouldn't be difficult.

Chris Andre

Your tin foil mold should look a little something like this.

Chris Andre

Pop open the crescent rolls and cut the triangles into strips. Pinch together the ends of strips to make strips longer.

Chris Andre

Braid crescent roll strips. You can make these as fancy as you want. Not a braiding pro? Skip this step and leave those strips alone.

Chris Andre

Wrap tin foil cornucopia with braids/strips. Make sure you cover all the tin foil. Leave a little wiggle room at the opening of the cornucopia, so that when you’re done baking you can pull some of that tin foil out.

Chris Andre

Use any extra dough to cover the bottom of your cornucopia. Pinch the sides and anchor those braids/strips in.

Chris Andre

Brush on egg wash before placing your cornucopia in the oven. Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 20 minutes. Take out of oven and cover spots of cornucopia that are already golden brown with extra tin foil. Bake for another 20 minutes at 250 degrees Fahrenheit.

Chris Andre

Let it cool down until it’s easy to handle. Remove tin foil.

Chris Andre

Place cornucopia in corner of your cheese plate. Arrange cheese on your serving tray.

Chris Andre

Add crackers — we like to have two or three options.

Chris Andre

Don’t forget to fill up your cornucopia. It's called "the horn of plenty" for a reason. Fill with fresh fruit like grapes, apples, and pears.

Chris Andre

Add nuts like walnuts and pistachios to fill in any empty spaces. Garnish with fresh herbs like rosemary and sage to finish it off.

Chris Andre

Voilà! Invite over your friends, open a bottle of wine, and dig in!

Chris Andre

A cornucopia cheese board will become your new favorite holiday tradition.

Show us your crescent-roll cornucopias on Instagram and check out our baking classes (and our Easy Thanksgiving Desserts piece) for more holiday food inspo!

DIY Production and Styling: Paris Fried

Paris Fried: Paris loves any excuse to celebrate and throw a themed party. She loves experimenting in the kitchen and has a terrible sweet tooth. When she's not crafting in her studio, she's at the farmers' market buying seasonal produce or at her favorite local theater watching double features.

This post has been updated.

As much as we love sweaters, coats, and scarves, there is just something so special about finally breaking out your spring dresses. They're breezy! They're romantic! They're fun! A delicate, vivid dress is the perfect reflection of the way that spring makes us feel after a very long winter, and we are ready to break out all the 2024 trends, from maxi dresses to mini dresses and everything in between.

Take a gander at our favorite spring dresses for the season!

By Anthropologie Sleeveless Draped-Back Asymmetrical Slip Midi Dress

This asymmetrical spring dress is the ultimate piece for donning to dinner parties, dates, girls nights, and even the farmer's market! The bright floral motifs just make sense for the season, and the silky construction of this design lets your look breathe all day long. This midi is a slip-on dress only, meaning no extra buttons or clasps for you!

MINKPINK Florence Linen Ricrac Midi Dress

This solid blue dress gets some quirky, playful charm from the contrasting zig-zagging trim on top, which is just the thing your wardrobe needs for springtime. You can have all the fun with this midi dress, since it fits like a glove with a back zipper and a flexible, stretchy bodice!

Free People Ultraviolet Dress

This spring dress is business in the front, but a total party in the back. The back half secures in place with a gorgeous bowtie and elastic crossing straps for an even strappier effect. The cap sleeves are stretchy and super cozy, hugging your figure with a gentle elastic that moves every which way. And let's hear it for those spring sunflowers!

Gap Fit & Flare Cami Mini Dress

Give us florals upon florals – they're just so fun for this season. This Gap dress is dotted in blooms and bouquets of all colors, so it can easily be worn with the other garments in your closet. The cami neckline is delicate, but secure, adjusting to your perfect fit with two very sturdy adjustable straps.

Tach Georgette Linen Dress in Pink

This gorgeous midi-length dress is saturated in a perfect springtime pink color. The bowties that surround the front graciously recall the coquette aesthetic, which amps up all things girly just in time for spring!

A New Day Maxi Sundress

This tiered maxi dress is the most 'spring' of them all. The fresh light green color is reminiscent of the season's blooms, and it's bright enough to stand out from the crowd. It features an open back design that lets air flow freely, keeping your spring look cool as ever.

Moon River Smocked Bodice Cotton Midi Dress

This adorable midi dress is smocked to the gods! The smocked bodice flows all the way down to your natural waistline, giving it a romantic drop-waist effect. This spring dress would be an amazing wear for date nights!

Lush Flirty Pairing Green and Blue Color Block Ribbed Cutout Dress

The fitted high waist on this dress style accentuates your body's natural shape in the best way. What's more is this pick is doused in saturated blue and green colors to match the sunny days of spring! Pair it with your nearest "It" girl sneakers or multicolor pumps – it can easily be dressed up or down!

Reformation Delanie Dress

This mini dress from Reformation features a halter neck design, which is so easy and breezy for taking on the spring heat. The top is definitely more fitted than it is at the bottom, so you can move about with tip-top comfort. This red and white print highlights tiny little tulips, but you can also shop it in 3 other colorways.

NA-KD Chiffon Drawstring Mini Dress

Why buy spring flowers when you could simply wear them? This mini dress is very much a frolicking in the field style, and we're 100% here for it. The abundance of ruching lets you play freely with your new floral 'fit.

Free People Dahlia Embroidered Maxi Dress

This bright yellow style makes for a quintessential chill-girl outfit for the spring. Pair it with some ballet flats, put some cute clips in your hair, and celebrate the season of spring dresses!

Los Angeles Apparel Heavy Rib Spaghetti Mini Dress

You cannot go wrong with wardrobe basics. This pick comes in 12 colors, so the right match for you is out there. Throw on a t-shirt over this fitted spring dress, or slip into a sheer cardigan for a more flirtatious 'fit.

& Other Stories Flowy Puff Sleeve Midi Dress

Please give us all the florals this season. This pick is a solid choice for all-around springtime activities because it fits comfortably. Wear it to Sunday brunches, farmer's market visits, and lazy afternoons of laying out in the park.

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Lead image via NA-KD.

Brit + Co may at times use affiliate links to promote products sold by others, but always offers genuine editorial recommendations.

This post has been updated.

Though Black Friday is traditionally the official start of the holiday shopping season, we argue that it’s been kicking since mid-October. We know, we know: it still feels extremely early to start thinking about the holidays, but they’ll be here before you know it! Plus, many brands and retailers are already promoting their holiday goodies with plenty of sales and discounts available right now.

If you’re ready to embark on your holiday shopping journey, but still need answers to questions like ‘when’s the best time to shop?’ and ‘where should I shop for gifts?’ and even ‘how the heck do I save money this season?’, you’ve come to the right place. Consider this your go-to guide for holiday shopping in 2024.

Scroll on for our best guidance on navigating this busy time of year and finding the best gifts possible!

When's the best time to do holiday shopping?

Kaboompics / PEXELS

The best time to do holiday shopping really all depends on your personal shopping goals. Do you want to get a jump on items you know will sell out soon? Do you want to save the most money possible? Do you want to focus on handmade, personalized gifts? These factors will undoubtedly influence your holiday shopping schedule.

Cottonbro Studio / PEXELS

Shopping early can be advantageous for all of the aforementioned goals. A lot of retailers start promoting their holiday products early on, giving you ample time to snatch up that limited-time lip kit or fancy water bottle you’ve been eyeing way before the holidays.

Plus, some of the best deals for holiday shopping happen ahead of Black Friday and Cyber Monday – in 2023, Experian observed a surge in early spending in October, thanks to early discounts, a trend likely to continue in 2024.

Finally, shopping early can be especially helpful if your plan is to focus on handmade or personalized gifts, giving the artisan you buy from (or yourself, if you’re DIY-ing your gifts) plenty of time to craft the item with love and care.

Gallup reported in 2023 that one in four shoppers start shopping as early as September, a trend likely to continue in 2024 – so you might already be embarking on your shopping spree!

Mikhail Nilov / PEXELS

If right now is just still too darn early for you to start holiday shopping, Black Friday and Cyber Monday are some of the best times to shop since so many retailers offer their largest discounts of the entire year. Plus, the late November-early December timeline can feel a bit more appropriate for the gifting season opposed to late October-early November, when everyone’s still recovering from Halloween.

The only thing to consider during this time is the shipping timelines for the items you purchase – but most retailers will typically advise their specific shipping schedules, so you don’t risk your goodies arriving late.

Where should I shop for gifts?

Ron Lach / PEXELS

You have three main options when it comes to where to shop for holiday gifts: online, in-store, and via our amazing gift guides. Of course, each method has its advantages and disadvantages.

Shopping in-store offers a tangible experience: the opportunity to hold specific items in your hands and gauge exactly what they’ll be like when you give them as a gift. The pitfall with shopping in-person is that it typically requires a commute and journeys through potentially very busy malls and shopping strips, which can add to the already-stressful holiday experience.

In-store shopping can be more physically exhausting, but it’s all about preference! Sometimes strolling through the stores that get all dolled up for Christmas is the best part of the season.

Andrea Piacquadio / PEXELS

Per Google, 65% of those planning to shop for the holidays say they will shop online more. Shopping for gifts online can be super helpful since you can centralize your findings in your browser’s bookmark tab or via virtual cart(s). Plus, shopping online can pose more opportunities for saving some money: lots of retailers typically offer discount codes for online users, especially if you sign up for their digital marketing channels (like email and text) and make a purchase.

Shopping online isn’t just shopping, either. The internet can be a stellar research tool to help you vet whether certain products are worth it, where they can be bought, and when they’ll be available. In fact, Google reported that more than half of U.S. holiday shoppers who went into a store last year say they looked up product reviews online and/or located an item in-store by checking it online.

Kaboompics / PEXELS

Last but not least, scrolling gift guides has to be our favorite place to shop for gifts – and not just because we write and publish them.

At their very core, gift guides help streamline the holiday shopping process, alleviating the stress that bubbles up when you’re wondering what the heck to shop for in the first place. Our gift guides are backed by real people, real experiences, and real opinions from our editorial team. We only promote products that we really love and believe in, oftentimes ones we’ve tested and reviewed ourselves.

We have gift guides for just about everyone on your list, with more on the way! Check ‘em out:

What are the best kinds of gifts to give?

Kaboompics / PEXELS

The best kinds of gifts to give are thoughtful gifts that consider the giftee’s interests, wants, and needs. These gifts can be sentimental, practical, or both simultaneously. What matters most in a gift is that it’ll be meaningful to them past just the holiday season, whether it’s helping them get through daily tasks, reminding them of a memorable trip or event, or giving them small doses of joy.

“Shoppers are increasingly looking for personalized and unique gifts that reflect the recipient's personality and interests,” says Mia Anderson, Owner of ChicSew. “With the rise of online shopping, many consumers are opting for curated gift boxes or experiences that add a special touch.”

Cottonbro Studio / PEXELS

Gift boxes, personalized items, books of interest, self-care goodies, and even gift cards can all be thoughtful gifts depending on the recipient. If you have no clue what your giftee is into, it’s not a bad idea to ask them what they want the most!

“My idea of a great gift is something that is in tandem with the recipient's interest and offers something new to the person, be it learning a new skill, enjoying a calming activity, or simply spending quality time with the family,” says Alfred Christ, Sales Manager & Marketer at Robotime. “This season, we encourage shoppers to shift their focus on quality and the memories their gifts will create and not just merely material aspects.”

When is Black Friday?

Sora Shimazaki / PEXELS

Black Friday is always the Friday after Thanksgiving. This year, Black Friday lands on November 29.

When is Cyber Monday?

Kindel Media / PEXELS

Cyber Monday is typcally the Monday after Thanksgiving. This year, Cyber Monday will land on December 2. Oftentimes, retailers and brands extend their online offers through the week (coined Cyber Week) after the event. Salesforce reported that 67% of shoppers in 2024 plan on shopping during Cyber Week!

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The holidays at Starbucks are creeping up on us, people! Peppermint Mocha season will return on November 7. If you’re a die-hard Starbucks fan, you know Red Cup Day is a whole holiday in itself – the frenzy for a free reusable cup is truly no joke. There’s even an entire website dedicated to counting down the madness! Even though there’s no official word on when Red Cup Day 2024 will be, there are several clues that cue us into the annual event. Scroll on for details!

What is Red Cup Day?

Starbucks

Red Cup Day is Starbucks’ highly-awaited annual event that marks the start of holiday beverage season at the coffee chain. For one day only (and while supplies last), customers who order any of Starbucks’ holiday drinks will receive a reusable red cup that features a bespoke design for the respective year.

Starbucks

Here’s a list of all the drinks rumored to be available on the Starbucks holiday menu starting November 7:

  • Peppermint Mocha
  • Peppermint White Chocolate Mocha
  • Caramel Brûlée Latte
  • Sugar Cookie Almondmilk Latte
  • Chestnut Praline Latte
  • Salted Pecan Crunch Cold Brew
  • Iced Gingerbread Oatmilk Chai

What do the red cups look like for 2024?

Starbucks

Starbucks hasn’t officially announced when Red Cup Day will be for 2024, let alone what the famed red cups will look like this go-around. The one obvious point is that the cups will be red! They’ll also likely feature some festive motifs that echo the holiday season. Last year’s red cups boasted playful white and green stars and ornament-like shapes.

Why should I participate in Red Cup Day?

Starbucks

Red Cup Day = freebies, which can feel really rewarding if you’re really into receiving free goodies. Plus, it’s just a fun way to lean into the holiday spirit. The red reusable cup keeps giving beyond Red Cup Day, though! Every time you use the reusable cup for future Starbucks orders, you get a 10-cent discount as well as 25 bonus stars toward your Starbucks Rewards account to save up for more discounts on drinks, food, and merchandise.

When is Starbucks' Red Cup Day 2024?

Starbucks

Again, Starbucks hasn’t alerted us on when Red Cup Day will be for 2024, but based on previous Red Cup Days, we can infer it’ll land on the third Thursday of November. In 2022, Red Cup Day happened on November 17, and for 2023, it was November 16. The third Thursday of November in 2024 hits on November 21, so mark your calendars, everyone!

Additionally, check back here for official info as Red Cup Day approaches.

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This post has been updated.