Summer Neon Power Suit

July 15, 2019

WEARING: NEON POWER SUIT | NEON SUMMER SUEDE SANDALS | GOLD SNAKE EMBOSSED CROSSBODY | GOLD HOOP EARRINGS

THIS POST IS BROUGHT TO YOU BY EGO AND PIPER & SKYE, BUT ALL OPINIONS ARE MY OWN.

Starting Monday strong in a neon power suit: Summer Style Edition! I always like a pop of color to start my week - it’s all-around positive vibes with a definite side of eye-catching ability. But what I love most about this look is how comfortable and confident I feel in it! You can wear it down with chunky ‘dad’ sneakers or style them up with high-inched stilettos. Whatever floats your boat in terms of style, a pant suit can bring a lot of variety to your closet. You won’t believe it but this power suit is now on sale at only $15! Continue to see full visual story along with where to shop this look.

What’s cool about matching sets is its versatility. Like this pantsuit - I can wear the blazer by itself (styled with a green dress in this post here) or the pants vice versa. The blazer looks great with dresses, jeans, shorts, and skirts - and the pants look great with a white tee or different colored blazer such as black or white. My favorite is with the two together, as it makes quite the statement… don’t you think? How would you like to style this pantsuit?

Being that it’s summer, I chose to wear sandals with the power suit to give it a more laidback yet still chic vibe. Very L.A. ‘workdrobe’, ha ha! I could have kept the outfit completely monochrome and styled it with a neon handbag but I thought a different color would make it even better. Which is why I went with this gold snaked embossed crossbody by Piper & Skye. The brand inspires elegance in every day life - so I styled it in two different ways while still being completely practical for everyday. One way was the belt bag style and the other is crossbody. You can also carry the bag as a boxy clutch.

The neon faux suede flat sandals are from Ego Shoes. Slip on and pair with cropped frayed hem jeans for daytime or slip into a floaty maxi dress for vacay vibes. I styled my hair in a pretty sleek braided ponytail to give the look a stronger feel to it. The chunky big hoop earrings are great when the hair is worn up, such as this kind of look. I think the gold accents pair nicely with the neon color, what do you think? Thanks for stopping by and checking out this outfit! Leave your comments/thoughts down below - links available throughout this post. x

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LOVE & XX’S,

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Oranges and Gingham

May 26, 2017

WEARING: ZAFUL GINGHAM ROMPER | YOINS GREEN BATCHEL BAG W/ CONTRAST TRIMS | 
ZARA CORK & LEATHER WEDGES | VINTAGE JADE HOOP EARRINGS | H&M WOODEN BANGLES

THIS POST IS BROUGHT TO YOU BY ZAFUL & YOINS.

IT'S LIKE APPLES TO ORANGES, PEACHES TO PLUMS, YEAH, I'M BANANAS!

My last editorial was a bit somber and because it's also Friday, I wanted to share some more upbeat content. 'Cause life's also too damn short to sit around and feel sad all the time too, am I right? One thing I'm not too keen on expressing is my insecurities ['cause we all have 'em too (from time to time)] since most don't understand why I would be this way or that I'm just full of crap. To be brutally honest, I've had low self-esteem my whole life and though it does have a lot to do with my upbringing, I only have myself to blame. How did I get here? I was raised to believe that nothing I'd do would be ever good enough, that even "my best would never do", according to my father. Of course, that's stuck with me since he's said that to my face, and even though he's no longer with me, I'm still trying to prove him and the world wrong. That I am enough. That I matter. That I'm worth more than just a pretty face.

What's upbeat about this you might be thinking? Well... the more time and energy I'm investing in what I'm doing when it comes to digital content, the more proud and courageous I'm becoming in sharing with you more about me, and also perhaps breaking the rules here and there while you follow me along the way. Because since taking creative content as seriously as I do, I've simultaneously have been healing from all the things from the past that do make us insecure and not feeling like we belong anywhere. No, I didn't need validation from social media. Did I perhaps in my past seek that kind of approval from a man? Perhaps... because no one's perfect – at least I have the balls to admit to my flaws. I create for myself because I HAVE to. Without it, I'd probably go insane, bananas, if you will... and hearing from you guys every day is what helps keep me going. Your support has been tremendous and just knowing I have some affect in your lives means everything to me. It has been so inspiring and I couldn't have felt this good about myself without you!

Be sure though that feeling good about yourself starts within. When I first started doing more editorial like shoots for MaQ + Suz, I was trying to elevate my skills & strengths to a higher level. Because of course, this, in turn, would make me feel productive and then really great. But the more involved I became in my research with fashion & photography, the more I craved to produce visual stories and to try and mix things up by taking risks and continuing to challenge myself. And the more story-telling I do, the more confident I am in my capabilities. That perhaps what I am doing is sort of right, that readers actually dig my work. It is true what they say, keep your head held up high and don't let 'em knock you down. The way you carry yourself and the way you let others treat you says a lot about you, so start from within and know that doing you without any compromise will not only get you far, but being an unapologetic badass and sticking up for what you want will reward you with all the self-love in return.

With my upbeat take on myself, I wanted to do a shoot with fruit but very much in street style mode. And because of the warm colors, I wanted to do a little spin on some good ole' 70s vibes. Mixing in my California roots with my saucy attitude, this gingham romper by Zaful is so freaking cute and comfortable! I love how breathable it is for hotter days and the girly cut on the bottom of this romper is too adorable. I knew I had to style it with chunky bangles and big hoop earrings. To keep it kind of pin-up girl-ish, I stuck with my favorites cork wedges by Zara and did my hair in a high ponytail (because let's face it ladies, when it's that hot out, you just got to put your mane up). Lastly can we talk about how amazing this green bag is from Yoins?! Stylish, iconic and versatile — a clever hybrid of the Satchel and the Briefcase, the 'Batchel' is the newest addition to my bag fam! And one of many of the summer gang... What do you guys think of this look? And when it comes to the insecurities we all face from time to time, how do you cope with them? I'd love to hear your thoughts on this! Comment and shop the look down below – wishing you all a lovely weekend!

LOVE & XX'S,

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Yoins Green Batchel Bag w/ Contrast Trim

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Soft Toughness

March 14, 2016

WEARING: FOREVER 21 FAUX LEATHER BOMBER JACKET |
VINTAGE BLACK & WHITE FLORAL PRINT CHOKER BLOUSE |
J BRAND JEANS MID-RISE SKINNY BLACK | 
SEPCOEUR PARIS SUEDE DRAWSTRING BAG | VERSACE BY H&M GOLD FLOWER RING | 
GUESS CARRIE BLACK SATIN PUMPS

Spring has sprung - well, sort of. The funky, somewhere in between winter and spring weather has got me bundling up in layers one day, and then strippin' 'em off the next! So, in tune with this unsteady climate, I wanted to incorporate a big trend, and one of my all-time favorite ways to style, the soft and the toughness together. I always find the combination of soft, feminine pieces with hard rock -n- roll textures and shapes to be quite interesting. A superb example? Check out Chloé's SS16 runway show from PFW. Perfect representation of this.

For this look, I paired up a vintage choker blouse I've had in my closet for years with a high-ponytail. I curled my hair to give it extra bounce to bring out the dancing playfulness from the blouse. To enhance the feminine pieces, I added a bangle from Express, vintage earrings, and a gold flower ring from Versace by H & M (on top with my engagement ring and wedding band). I also kept my makeup light and fresh to stay with the romantic yet free-spirited feel of the entire outfit.

As for the toughness, I had to go with my favorite faux leather bomber jacket from Forever 21. I don't shop as much there now that I'm getting older, but I still hold a few pieces, near and dear to me, through the years. They do have some decent stuff! More black on black means my go-to J Brand skinny jeans with my wedding shoes! Yes, you read that correct! I know some women solely pick out their dream shoes for when they get married only to wear it once. And that's totally cool! But I'm sentimental and I like to wear things that remind me of who I am and where I started from. You see that red Fender guitar pick on the sole of one of my Guess pumps? It belonged to my father. Since he could not be at our wedding because of his passing, I, of course, had to carry something that I knew was very important to him. And that was his guitar playing every day. When I wear these shoes, I feel like I'm marching on to the beat of his drum - or rather, his music. He always used to say, "keep on keeping on". 🎶

Lastly, I want to tell you about an amazing not-for-profit organization I will be collaborating with, that's paving their way in helping everyone have access to healthcare! How can you help pay for the trips of volunteer nurses IN FULL to impoverished countries around the world and at the same time not feel guilty about owning a designer handbag? By re-selling your donated purses to Purses for Nurses! It's that simple! You can either donate your purses OR you can purchase a gorgeous designer purse and all proceeds go to aiding in better healthcare to all. The Sep Coeur Paris drawstring bag from this look is from them! They've got Coach, Dooney & Bourke, Burberry, Gucci, Kate Spade and more! Please go check them out here now!

Coming up this week on the blog, a full recipe post on those sesame broccoli bites AND another post on my very first Korean-inspired cocktail recipe! Stay tuned... you'll definitely won't want to miss out on these! 😊❤️

Photos by Gilles Decamps