Fall Stripes with Red Panama Hat

WEARING: MAD-STYLE FLUTED SLEEVE CREWNECK TOP | MAD-STYLE RED PANANA FLANNEL HAT |
 GENUINE PEOPLE BELL BOTTOM CROP JEANS | PERIDOT BOUTIQUE LOAFER SLIDES |
 MAD-STYLE PEARL MULTI RING CHOKER 

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THIS POST IS BROUGHT TO YOU BY MAD-STYLE. 

Happy Monday, guys! How was everyone's weekend? The past few days I've been struggling with the mundane everyday life responsibilities, just finding the time to do laundry has been challenging! Life happens when you're busy making other plans, am I right?! But I have no complaints, I'm so crazy about what I'm doing in terms of work that I literally forget about the other things in life I also need to be doing (until I'm on my last run of granny panties... then you know you've outdone yourself HA HA) But that's also the great thing about New York City, don't have time to do the laundry? Drop it off somewhere and have someone do it for you. (No, I don't do that but I could...) you can even have someone come and pick up your laundry for you! Aside from my hectic schedule that doesn't seem to be calming down anytime soon, my all-time favorite season is just around the corner and I couldn't wait to get started on my new fall wardrobe! Today's look is all about bold colors and patterns that will super trendy this season, and at the same time keeping the outfit somewhat casual yet super chic! Let's take a closer look at some of my new favorite items I picked up from Mad-Style.

Stripes are hot, hot hot right now and will definitely transition into the cooler season. This fluted sleeve crewneck from Mad-Style is my new favorite striped shirt! What I find so adorable about this top are its large bell sleeves! This oversized flounce sleeved top brings such a lovely detail to any casual look, it's perfect with your favorite pair of jeans or maxi skirt. I also love how thin the stripes are as they make it for a flattering fit for anyone! 

One bold color I always wear when feeling fabulously confident is red. I'm an Aries and red is definitely a hue that has burned long and hard in my heart when it comes to my selective choices in color. When I first noticed this Panama hat, I was immediately drawn to its rich color along with a unique belt accent that adds another notch of luxury and style. This buckle adornment is very eye-catching along with the flannel material in this boho, fedora style hat! 

My jeans are from Genuine People and my loafer slides are from Peridot Boutique. The last piece from this look and also from Mad-Style is this gorgeous pearl multi-ring choker necklace. The stunning multi-strand leather necklace with large conjoined rings and large pearl stone in the center I found to also be very unique. The rings come in different gold tone finishes: gold, rose gold, and silver. Are you guys loving the striped shirt, red hat and/or necklace? If you are adoring the Mad-Style pieces as much as I am, use my promo code, 'maqandsuz' to get 20% OFF your purchase from Mad-Style! They also carry a variety of accessories such as jewelry, clothes and even dog apparel! You can also shop this look down below. Don't forget to leave a comment on your thoughts from this post! Follow me on Instagram too! Have a great week, everyone! :)

LOVE & XX'S, 

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Aphrodite – The Goddess of Love

WEARING: LELET NY SEASHELL HEADBAND | GET FLOATY PINK SEASHELL | LELET NY GOLD BODY CHAIN

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THIS POST IS BROUGHT TO YOU BY GET FLOATY & LELET NY.

It's not always easy to constantly have to explode with creativity and ideas, not to mention everything else that comes with what I do, such as marketing, meetings, photo shoots and then some. And particularly in photography, such as it goes in life, the magic won't always happen. On some days, you will not be able to achieve what you envisioned. It can't always be the greatest work of your life. And that's a tough pill to swallow for someone like me, who has become a bigger perfectionist than I already was – if that was even possible! 

For the longest time, I had the idea to photograph my perspective of Greek & Roman goddesses. I've been fascinated with mythology since I was a child and wanted to put a modern twist on these women. At first, I kept scouting for friends, models, even strangers... anyone that would fit the bill, so to speak. But for whatever reason, nothing seemed to click. I couldn't get into the groove of things. And then one day, while in the shower of all places (because that's where I seem to put my thinking cap on – literally) a lightbulb went off. Why am I not doing this myself? Because I have had many photographers advise me on focusing on self-portraits, I figured why the heck not, right? And so I bring you one of the most familiar goddesses: Aphrodite or Venus. 

Whenever I think of Aphrodite, the Goddess of Love, I am immediately drawn to Botticelli's painting, 'The Birth of Venus'. She is depicted being born straight from a seashell. I definitely wanted to somehow embody this cute symbolism into the photo shoot. I styled my hair (even braided my own hair for a change!) with a gorgeous headband from LELET NY. They are a modern luxury hair accessory brand that really juxtaposes the feminine and fierce, what is modern with what is nostalgic and creates accessories to match the dichotomy of today's woman. I knew they would be perfect for a photo shoot like this! I also fell hard in love with one of their body chains, simple yet ultra chic and even decadent.

As for the other accessory, I found the most adorable floaty brand online while searching for seashells! Get FLOATY carries it all, whatever you want (in terms of floaties) and super quick on delivery! I also really appreciated how convenient it was to inflate it, I did it with my hair dryer in less than three minutes! When it came to what Aphrodite would wear, I initially was going for a bikini, but it just wasn't working in a studio setting. So going back to the Botticelli painting, Aphrodite is nude, and because this is kind of a birth to a new project I will be embarking on with depicting different Greek & Roman goddesses in the next coming months, I found it (eventually) to be rather fitting to shoot with nothing but the accessories on. Lastly, makeup was also done by me and I kept it screeching hot pink. Why? I guess to add a bit of punch and play to color, but also to try something different since I don't normally wear pink eyeliner on any given day, and you know what? I kind of like it! What do you guys think of this new series and this photo shoot? Leave your comments down below! I always (may not always agree) love to hear from you guys :)  

LOVE & XX'S,

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Diana Broussard Interview

Last month I had the honor of interviewing Diana Broussard for Prestige International Magazine! Born in West Palm Beach, Florida, but with Cajun-French (both from Louisianan and Parisian) roots, Diana grew up in Dallas, Texas. The youngest in her family of four children, Diana Broussard had initially planned to attend Julliard to become a flute soloist, however, her dreams drastically changed when her father had a bad stroke when she was 16. Growing up she always sewn her own clothes and read Vogue, and also always been surrounded by the technology world being her father was a physicist, had immediately committed to her new ambition in becoming a designer.

Holding a B.S. in textile chemistry from LSU with further education at FIT, Diana has become one of the most successful New York designers specializing in accessories. She's worked for luxury goods companies such as Gucci, Dior, Calvin Klein, Armani, Carolina Herrera, and JP Tods - her experience is impressive. From one idea she does many things, with her exquisite jewelry to her impeccably chic shoe line, each concept is clear and her work speaks for itself. Luxury at its finest, it is also yet personal, taken with great care, and is full of heart.

I went to her boutique here in New York City, to get to know her and of course, to see her collection. I picked out a few of my favorites (ahem, gentlemen... your lady friend would love any of Diana's pieces!), keeping the theme green with Christmas Spirit! 

Take a look at my chosen pieces below. Provided links will take you directly to her online store! To read my full interview with Diana, please click here. Pages 58-61.

MONKEY CURVED WITH CRYSTAL RING: GOLD & EMERALD

NATE NECKLACE: BOTTLE GREEN

EAMES SAFARI with LION and MONKEY: DARK GREEN VELVET

Aren't her pieces just darling? I'm in love with all her accessories! Such an amazingly talented designer! To see more from Diana's collection, please go here.

All photos, including the portrait of Diana are by me. And don't forget to go and check out my full interview with Diana here! Pages 58-61. :)

Love & xx's,

Remembrance of Trinkets Past

Firstly, I want to thank my readers from the bottom of my heart for your love and support these past few days. Times like these are proven difficult, but because of your acknowledgement and acts of care, it makes the pain endurable. It may never fully go away, but knowing I have people who have my back: please know I will always have yours. Thank you. I am grateful. Always grateful. Just thank you. 

I get out of bed every morning because I want to get up and talk with each and every one of you; to share with you all my life experiences, whether day-to-day or in reflection of the past or future - it's the good, the bad, and yeah, the ugly. What I love about social media, is its power to provide knowledge amidst helping/contributing to the world we live in and to the people who are in it. It should be an efficient tool, not a weapon to manufacture or destroy us.

Here's something I discovered I'd like to share with you today. An amazing company called, CaseApp, allows you to design your own phone case! You can use someone's previously created design or you can custom make one yourself! It can include typography, a collage of some sort... let your imagination run wild! I've been loving the marble trend but I wanted to create something with a little more spunk, basically including a bit more of my style into it.

Since green is my ultimate favorite color besides black, I chose a combination of the two! And voila! Doesn't it look so chic? I think it's perfect for the holiday season! Great for Christmas stuffers/ smaller gift ideas. Want to make your custom iPhone case? Don't have an iPhone? Not to worry, they carry other phone types too! Why not use my promotional code for a 20% discount?! Just enter SPIEGOSKI20 before you checkout. Click HERE to get started! :)

But before you go there's more to these photos than just a phone case. Every year during the month of November, in honor of my mother, I get statice flowers. Statice is also known as a herb and is sometimes called "sea lavender". According to Teleflora, "Its botanical name is derived from the Greek word "limonium," meaning meadow, referring to the plants original habitat and likely why this versatile flower is also called marsh-rosemary." Having a deeper appreciation for flowers and more particularly, in the language of flowers, statice symbolizes remembrance.

I discovered these flowers nearly ten years ago at a girlfriend's apartment, who also displayed them out in the open, in memory of someone she lost when she was only a little girl: her father. Since then, statice has kind of stuck with me. The flower itself is dried up and feels like confetti, yet they're so incredibly beautiful to me. With my mother's profound love for flowers and gardening, I always am reminded of her when I see these and many other kinds of flowers. I can't help but carry some in the house this time of year. I can't help but always have some kind of plant life in the house now. 💜

Every piece of jewelry except the Twin Tiger Bangle belonged to my mother. My father had gifted her with these (and plenty more) throughout their years together. Birthdays, Valentine's Days, Christmases and Anniversaries, they actually eloped in Vegas on Christmas Eve - so Rock -n- Roll by the way guys! These were passed down to me after her passing, some I can barely ever wear to this day because they are far too precious to me. I'll wear the Movado watch for a special occasion of some kind, like when I got engaged. (Oh the irony!) Everything comes in full circle, doesn't it? I believe those heart earrings were a Valentine's Day gift.

The sapphire ring is encrusted with diamonds at the top edge of gold band. This was a Christmas gift to my mother and I received this as a Christmas gift after she passed. My father had given this ring to the two women he loved most in life. I always found this incredibly touching. I still carry, in my memento of mementos, the hand-written letter he wrote when he gave me this ring.

I think the memory of someone is always possible when it comes to jewelry, trinkets, flowers, etc. These tokens of remembrance are significant, and they don't have to be someone. It can be something else, perhaps a place or a first time experience. I have a girlfriend who after becoming quite successful, bought herself a Rolex just because she could. Why? It's not the materialism that comes with the territory, but meaning behind it. In her eyes, time is money. It was now a constant reminder of her sense of urgency. Life is short, so you better damn well make the most of it. 

Like my new phone case from CaseApp, I will now always have the memory of my first time designing my own cover to my iPhone! My meaning behind it? To me green is a peaceful color. Serenity, Light, Earth. And black is well, black. Dark. The opposite of every other color. It's my own version of yin and yang. ☯

Love & xx's,

maQ + suz