Black and White Tweed Blazer for Fall

September 3, 2018

WEARING: BANANA REPUBLIC FACTORY BLAZER | ZARA TOP | JOE'S JEANS | EGO PEEP TOE MULE | PAUL'S BOUTIQUE LONDON BAG

THIS POST IS BROUGHT TO YOU BY BANANA REPUBLIC FACTORY & EGO SHOES.

Hi! How is everyone doing? Ready for fall? Ready to go back to school? Are you just... ready? You've heard it here on the blog first, the next few weeks will be filled with Fashion Month content. I'm still working on my August beauty favorites, but being that last month was kind of major in terms of reviewing beauty products, my post is delayed due to this but I promise it's coming soon on top of other favorites! Let's just say in terms of content, it'll be just as thick as the Vogue September issue! LOL. In today's post, I'm sharing with you my fall staple favorites: Cozy, fitted jeans, a kick-ass blazer, and a good pair of mules. A very minimal, chic look. Continue reading to see the complete photo shoot and also where to shop these amazing finds!

I attended the opening of a new Banana Republic flagship store in Herald Square (17 W 34th Street) where it is the biggest store in NYC for BR! It has two floors along with two temporary pop-ups, one with 100% Pure Cosmetics and American Designs Club, a platform for creative brands to show, share and sell their work. Definitely worth a stop next time you're in the neighborhood. I found this texture academy blazer on sale for $60! Semi-fitted and tweed-like, the black and white blazer is 50% off and so stylish. I love blazers because you can mix and match it with so many pieces, the versatility is key.

I love the classic casual jeans and a blazer-look. It's like the effortlessly chic Parisian woman who just rolled out of bed, hair disheveled, shirt tucked out of place and yet, she looks lovely in the most imperfect way. I paired the blazer with these Joe's jeans that are not only super comfy but very much in trend with the distressed hem and fitting of the pants. How many of you ladies are also a fan of high-rise pants?

I know technically no white after Labor Day, but how could I resist with these awesome white mules from Ego?! One of my favorite shoe brands from the UK, I knew this pair would outlast the summer and well into fall. How cute would these be with an animal print dress or with leather cropped pants?! Or even a pair of sheer socks, the possibilities are endless! What do you guys think of this rule? In or Out? Yay or Nay? Scroll down to leave your thoughts in our comment box - and to also directly shop the pieces from this post! Have a lovely first week of September, everyone!

LOVE & XX'S,

SHOP THE LOOK

FOLLOW MAQ + SUZ

Cute Cerulean Print Dress

August 27, 2018

WEARING: VIPSHOP BLUE DRESS | KOIO SNEAKERS | MULBERRY & GRAND EARRINGS | THACKER NYC BAG | MVMT LIBRA WATCH

THIS POST IS BROUGHT TO YOU BY VIP.COM, MULBERRY & GRAND, AND MVMT.

As some of you have noticed, I've been heavily into prints lately and can't seem to get enough of them! There are so many on-trend currently, such as fruit prints for summer, animal print for the fall in different unexpected colors especially, stripes and more just to name a few, but this dress on the blog today is just too cute and too appropriate for me! The minute I laid my eyes on it I knew I had to have it! It comes in two colors, but I chose a favorite deep blue in color like a clear sky. Also called cerulean, it's one of those shades in color that you cannot resist loving. Continue reading to see how I styled it with accents of pink along while keeping it on the sporty chic side. There's also a couple of discount codes that you should check out in this post!

First and foremost, let's talk about how much I adore the print of this dress! It's literally perfect for the ultimate dog woman! The print includes puppies, dog collars, and even doggy faces that says 'Free Hugs'. It's fun and light-hearted which is not the norm when it comes to my style which usually always bring forth some kind of edgy fierceness to it. But fashion is also about letting loose and being a little silly from time to time. It's like how you shouldn't take yourself too seriously all the time - the same goes here! On top of the eclectic print, I am obsessed with the color. Cerulean was the Pantone color choice of 2014/15, but I think it's still in trend. And lastly what girl doesn't like ruffles? I love it around the collar and sleeves of this dress.

Isn't this dress truly unique? I love that the sleeves can be rolled up or worn long, perfect for the upcoming season... how cute would this be with a chunky cardi or denim jacket?! This dress also comes in purple but I chose the cerulean blue for my love of the color. The original price of this dress is $165 BUT it's on SALE right now at $43.99! I also have a discount code for you guys! Use code 'Suzanne1148' to get $5 OFF on Orders Over $50 at us.vip.com. Lastly, there's free shipping on orders $49+ so don't miss out on this great deal!

I styled this dress with cute, pretty girly accessories such as this lavender-colored leather strap watch by MVMT. I love the face along with the color, and they have a variety of watches, bracelets, and sunglasses to choose from. To be honest, it was quite hard to choose! Use my discount code "suzannespiegoski15" for $15 off your purchase. The watch I'm wearing in this post is called the 'Libra' watch.

Other accessories include these really cute earrings from Mulberry & Grand. They're only $13 and they have a selection of colors such as tortoise, red, periwinkle, pink and black. I love these peach-colored ones as they remind of me of rose quartz. I even wore a very pink blotted lippie to go with the tone of the earrings and the new shade of my hair color thanks to Fourteen Jay. I think it complements well with the tan of my skin, don't you think? Shoes by KOIO, bag by Thacker NYC.

LOVE & XX'S,

SHOP THE LOOK

FOLLOW MAQ + SUZ

73 Questions

August 13, 2018

THIS POST IS BROUGHT TO YOU BY SUGARHIGH & SUNGLASS WAREHOUSE.

Happy Monday! It's a rainy morning here in New York and after compiling and sorting through all the questions from this past week on Instagram, I've decided to do more regular posts answering your questions through my blog rather than social media. Reason being is for the sole purpose of having enough space to answer everything. You only get so many characters on your captions on IG! I was initially selecting and answering 10-theme questions every Sunday on my Instagram, but after some consideration, I think it'll be much more effective on here. So without further ado, let's jump into some questions! This week's theme is inspired by Vogue's 73 Questions, where I went through them myself and did one for you! Since there were a ton of similar questions within this questionnaire from you guys, I thought it was a perfect way to start the new week and also getting the chance to know me better! So come along and take a quick read! Fun and easy :)

1. What’s your favorite movie? Fried Green Tomatoes
2. Favorite movie in the past five years? The Shape of Water
3. Favorite Hitchcock film? Psycho
4. A book you plan on reading? Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell
5. A book that you read in school that positively shaped you? Lord of the Flies by William Goulding
6. Favorite TV show that’s currently on? Sharp Objects
7. On a scale of one to ten how excited are you about life right now? 8
8. iPhone or Android? iPhone
9. Twitter or Instagram? Instagram
10. Who should EVERYONE be following right now? Jamie Beck from @annestreetstudio

11. What’s your favorite food? Korean
12. Least favorite food? Tripe. I. Just. Can't.
13. What do you love on your pizza? Green pepper, mushroom, onion & black olives. My fav combo.
14. Favorite drink? Cherry Coke
15. Favorite dessert? Chocolate cake
16. Dark chocolate or milk chocolate? Dark
17. Coffee or tea? Coffee
18. Lace or latex? Latex
19. What’s your favorite band? The Rolling Stones
20. Favorite solo artist? Al Green

21. Favorite song? Rich Girl by Hall & Oates or Sign My Name by Terence Trent D'Arby, or Tom Petty's, American Girl. Hard to choose just one!!!
22. If you could sing a duet with anyone, who would it be? Ha ha, Eminem!
23. If you could master one instrument, what would it be? Piano.
24. If you had a tattoo, where would it be? On my spine.
25. To be or not to be? To be.
26. Dogs or cats? Dogs.
27. Bird-watching or whale-watching? Bird-watching, but much rather prefer people watching.
28. Best gift you’ve ever received? My beautiful German shepherd, MaQ.
29. Best gift you’ve ever given? A sterling silver card holder from Tiffany.
30. Last gift you gave a friend? Lotion

31. What’s your favorite board game? Monopoly
32. What’s your favorite country to visit? Ukraine.
33. What’s the last country you visited? UK.
34. What country do you wish to visit? South Korea.
35. What’s your favorite color? Toss up between black and green.
36. Least favorite color? Pink.
37. Diamonds or pearls? Diamonds.
38. Heels or flats? Heels.
39. Pilates or yoga? Neither? HAHA! If I had to pick then yoga.
40. Jogging or swimming? Swimming.

41. Best way to de-stress? Read a book.
42. If you had one superpower, what would it be? Telepathy
43. What’s the weirdest word in the English language? Oeuvre.
44. What’s your favorite flower? White lily.
45. When was the last time you cried? Last week.
46. Do you like your handwriting? Sometimes.
47. Do you bake? Yes.
48. What is your least favorite thing about yourself? My impatience.
49. What is your most favorite thing about yourself? My relentlessness.
50. Who do you miss most? My parents.

51. What are you listening to right now? Uptown Funk.
52. Favorite smell? Bergamot.
53. Who was the last person you talked to on the phone? My husband.
54. Who was the last person you sent a text to? My girlfriend.
55. A sport you wish you could play? Polo, but I can't ride horses to save my life!
56. Hair color? Originally jet black, now I'm almost blonde.
57. Eye color? Dark brown.
58. Scary film or happy endings? Scary film.
59. Favorite season? Fall.
60. Three people alive or dead that you would like to have dinner with? Lisa Ling, Michelle Kwan, and Frida Kahlo.

61. Hugs or kisses? Kisses.
62. Rolling Stones or the Beatles? RS
63. Where were you born? California.
64. What is the farthest you have been from home? Ukraine.
65. Sweet or savory? Savory.
66. Lipstick or lip gloss? Lipstick.
67. What book have you read again and again? Anything by Murakami and Bukowski.
68. Favorite bedtime story? The Princess Bride.
69. What would be the title of your autobiography? Sorry, can't fully answer this as it conflicts with what I'm currently working on! And NO, it's not an autobiography, but definitely within that realm.
70. Favorite sound? Rain.
71. Favorite animal? German shepherds, or dogs in general.
72. Who is your girl crush? Natalie Imbruglia.
73. Last photograph you took? An art mural.

LOVE & XX'S,

SHOP THE LOOK

FOLLOW MAQ + SUZ

Orange You Glad You Stood up for Yourself?

August 2, 2018

WEARING: LA DOUBLEJ FLORAL PRINT RUFFLE DRESS | FLOWER EYEWEAR SUNNIES | 
SOUTH MOON UNDER STRAW POM CLUTCH | MARC FISHER ESPADRILLES | SMALL THINGS EARRINGS

THIS POST IS BROUGHT TO YOU BY LA DOUBLEJ BUT ALL OPINIONS ARE MY OWN.

“YOU’VE GOT ENEMIES? GOOD, THAT MEANS YOU ACTUALLY STOOD UP FOR SOMETHING.”

— EMINEM

Now before we get to anything, first's things first: I'm in no way supporting anyone to go around and make enemies or to become someone's enemy, in that it's the best option/solution for oneself, but rather, how important it is to stand up for yourself (without feeling like a jerk). A quote is only a quote, in that the one above is only to set the tone of today's post (Plus, I love my boy and I'm also from Detroit so whatever.) I'm no one's doormat, and you shouldn't be anyone's as well. This goes for jobs and relationships! Continue reading to learn why it's really good (and perfectly okay) for you to say NO and why standing your ground will always win over being a pushover/people pleaser/someone who's scared shitless of saying no.

In my line of work, I know a lot of you consider bloggers don't really 'work'. I get it. You see it like this: We take pics and get free stuff every day and basically get paid to promote brands and travel the world. Sounds like a pretty sweet deal! But guess what? There's so much more that goes into it. We don't just take pics. We spend countless hours in scouting locations, searching inspo from magazines, art, and more in order to come up with the perfectly styled photo-op. We take everything into consideration. I don't just aimlessly wander the streets of New York to stumble on some random backdrop in the regular outfit I'm in for the day and voila. Hell, most days I look like a chic bum in a casual tee and jeans while searching for the above mentioned for the next shoot. Or I'm behind a computer working like a madwoman. And then comes the shoot. I do my hair and makeup, we travel to the location; the shoot alone normally takes almost up to an hour. Post-production is about another two depending on the difficulty level of the edits. And then cross-promotion on social media. The whole process takes TIME and EFFORT and YES, hard work. We do this every day, not to mention meetings, endless emails, events, errands of everyday life and even more like prop shopping, dog walking, etc;! Phew!

So what irks me to no end? When a brand or agency who doesn't appreciate this and micro-manages you and/or takes advantage of you. Most bloggers are too afraid or are unwilling to disclose their horrific experiences (and let me tell you, we have ALL had them.) If you're going to tell me it's been nothing but smooth-sailing for you, then trust me, you're full of it. Because like anything else in life you take the good and the bad. But, once the line is crossed and you disrespect me or my work, I will most certainly call you out on it and stick up for myself. And you should too! Short but karma-induced blogger story: Cute blogger girl gets offered free boozy adult popsicles as the new brand ambassador. Brand ships product only to not have it delivered due to her not being home but at work. Instead of just shipping it to her office, they berated her for not being home to be able to receive the package. Cute blogger girl responds diplomatically but also assertively while also saying no to the collab after the mistreatment. She furthermore let other bloggers/influencers know about the brand and her experience with them. No this did not happen to me, but to a friend of mine. Moral of the story? Don't mistreat or take advantage of bloggers. You'd be surprised how more and more of us are so done with the bullshit and are done playing nice. Screw you at some point! Especially after having wonderful experiences with brands and agencies who do take care of you, fairly and with honesty. Don't stick around with those that do not respect you!

Because life's too short. Even in relationships. Yes, relationships are complicated. But if at any point someone just keeps making you feel more and more like BLEGH (and it's all usually for their own benefit: i.e; ego boost, someone to pass the time with, misery loves company, etc.) Walk away. Even ghost if they're that awful. If that's what they deserve. Why be nice anymore to anyone who doesn't treat you with the same respect for your time and effort?! Like I said, whether it's a personal or business relationship, both should be positive and beneficial to all parties involved. Everyone should be happy. So for me standing up for yourself is an act of self-love. Coming from a rough background, I've been doing it since I was a kid and it sometimes can rub off on others as being aggressive/combative but hey - I'm not Mary Poppins or in court so I will speak to you honestly and reactively when disrespected in any kind of manner. Today I had a pr girl interrupt and talk over me while I was asking for content specifics. And when I told her not to interrupt me she said she didn't appreciate my combative behavior. Mind you I had repeatedly asked for specifics beforehand. And for days. I have zero tolerance for any kind of disrespectful behavior. And in this way, the other person will definitely know what you are trying to communicate rather than using "qualifiers" in your speech - words that minimize the strength of your message by apologizing or minimizing what you have to say. Now there's no need for name-calling or taking hits below the belt. But don't say you're sorry if you're uncomfortable about something, just say that you're uncomfortable! Just be frank and get to your point.

Everyone can have their bad day(s). This Mercury in retrograde has me wonky beyond comprehension but this doesn't excuse anyone's behavior or mistakes. So the next time you're unsure about working with a particular brand/agency, trust your gut because it's always right! And remember what's more important? Selling out to some $$$-contracted job where you're not treated fairly or your SELF-RESPECT? And YES, no woman or man is too fine or too amazing to make this an exception. Take pride in how you treat others as well as yourself because it will, in turn, affect the way that person treats someone else too. Spread love, but when necessary, never ever be afraid to stand up for yourself! Shop this La Doublej orange floral print ruffle dress here or in the shop section down below.

LOVE & XX'S,

SHOP THE LOOK

FOLLOW MAQ + SUZ

Milanese Geometric Dress

July 26, 2018

WEARING: LA DOUBLE J GEOMETRIC PRINT DRESS | RAEN NORIE SUNNIES | 
PAUL'S BOUTIQUE LONDON LOGAN BAG | TKEES SANDALS

THIS POST IS BROUGHT TO YOU BY LA DOUBLE J AND RAEN.

I had been wanting to shoot at the Bethesda Fountain in Central Park for the longest time but could never find anything fitting with the location. Nothing to get my mojo moving, that is until I came across an Italian fashion brand that's not only contemporary but with lots of roots and one of my favorite fabrics: Prints! And when one can't go to Italy, why not bring Italy to you?! Haha, keep reading to see the complete shoot where I styled it very Milanese-based and kept it fun. I'm also sharing my number one highlight from this location and why you guys need to go for yourself just for that reason!

All dogs go to Heaven... or so I've been told... and when I think of a place that is such like doggy Heaven, this is it! Part of the other reason I haven't shot at the fountain are the people. It's always overcrowded and I don't blame 'em for its serene beauty and transporting quality. We (as in my husband and I) woke up at 5:00 am to get ready and be at this particular location by 7:00/7: 30 am. I am NOT a morning person, and quite frankly, neither is the hubby! But when you're dedicated to bringing your vision to life, you do what you gotta do and set that alarm clock mad early! And it was soooo worth it because literally, all the pups of Central Park go to this fountain to roam around and play! The first shot of this post was a happy accident, but I decided to use it since it gave me such Italian-feels! Had I known it was a massive doggy playdate I would have brought MaQ with us! We even fed some of the birds after the shoot with leftover granola... its such things as this in life that make it truly special and beautiful. It was a glorious morning shoot! (YES, we did all of this today!) Can you say: Hustle? ;)

Now onto the dress! And my GAWD, I'm in LOVE! The pink, white and blue cotton dropped waist geometric print dress from La Doublej. It is made out of 100% cotton, fits true to size, and is oh so dreamy to wear! And comfy! Made in Italy, I love the dropped waist and frill at the end of the dress. But what struck me most about this dress is the print itself. If you're looking for some Italian flair with amazing unique prints, La Doublej is the way to go! What do you guys think of this dress? Isn't it just gorgeous?! This dress is available here at FarFetch!

I styled the dress with a similar color paletted bag by Paul's Boutique London, chic pink suede sandals by TKEES, and my new favorite sunnies by Raen in the Norie model. The earrings are by Ana Luisa. What are some of your favorite spots in New York City? Have you ever been? If not, what are you dying to see? Drop your thoughts in the comment section down below! We always love hearing from our readers, you guys are the best! Wishing you a wonderful rest of the week and a lovely weekend.