The Red Scooterist

October 23, 2017

WEARING: WET SEAL RED TRENCH W/ BELT | MAD-STYLE CHARLIE BLOUSE | 
MAD-STYLE CAPRI PANTS | MAD-STYLE COLOR BLOCK LARGE TOTE | EGO NASH BACKLESS ANKLE BOOTS

THIS POST IS SPONSORED BY MAD-STYLE.

When it comes to shooting street style in New York City, there are a thousand and one locations to choose from. What can make it fun even after living here for almost twelve years (this coming January), are the random serendipitous moments that still occur while out and about looking for something different than the norm. Initially, with this red, black and white outfit, I wanted to shoot it in contrast to a very minimal backdrop, but when we started to work the photos didn't look right. When I don't feel something when immediately looking at the image, I move on to something else. It's a strange creative vision, and I always can put together what the final image will look like, even before post-production. After walking around I stumbled upon this beautiful red Vespa and thought it would go well with the red light trench in this look. Plus, I knew it was a setting that didn't look like the typical NYC street style background with taxis and skyscrapers, it really reminded of Italy and just knew it was going to be a great location to shoot in in tune with the outfit. So in today's post, I'm sharing my tricks of the trade on how to find amazing locations, no matter where you are in the world and how you can make it look like any setting you'd like.

1. DO YOUR HOMEWORK

No matter where you're located, be sure to do a little scouting beforehand. It's not only going to help you get inspiration from that within itself, but it'll also get you familiarized with your setting and how you want to shoot. Of course, you're not going to learn everything in one sitting so take it in stride and at least pick a few places you're interested in as the location for your photo shoot. Also, in terms of street style, be sure to also do your homework! Don't schlep together an outfit and call it style. Learn the different eras of fashion, the latest trends, and more to get a deeper knowledge of what you're working with and this will help expand your range of locations/settings as well.

2. STAY CLOSE TO HOME

Helmut Newton never really did shoots far from walking distance wherever he was. And he proved that you don't have to travel far and wide to create incredible photographs. I completely agree. Yes, it's amazing to go to places you've always dreamed about and documenting them with your own eyes, but to me, if you can create strong images near wherever you are, that says a lot over those that need exotic and far travel destinations to create "amazing" images. Because let's face it, nowadays with the quality of the iPhone, anyone that travels to somewhere like this will more than likely be able to create a decent picture. So, I feel in order to be good at location scouting, you should be able to shoot wherever, and more especially very close by.

3. DON'T BE AFRAID TO GET LOST

No matter how much content I've created, I will occasionally run out of steam and won't feel as confident about my direction in terms of street style shoots. In which case, I just don't have as much of a detailed plan and will literally take whichever direction the wind takes me. In this outfit, when I happened to run into this cute red Vespa, it was as if it were meant to happen that way. I don't mean to sound cheesy, but you'll feel the magic in the air while creating something more than just a 'snapshot'. I have to say some of my most memorable shoots ended in serendipity so seriously, don't be scared to wander off the grid.

4. CREATE A STORY

And not just any story, a real authentic one. As cute as outfit posts can be, being a writer and someone who is hungrily willing and able to read anything, I crave more than a 100-word post about some fashion blogger's look. Bring a feeling to the table. It can be any emotion you want, but to me, fashion & style has a lot to do with expression and I think it's quite important to exert how you feel, either in words, photos, outfits, whatever you're trying to evoke, it should have the person who's looking at your work feel SOMETHING. Don't be shy to talk more about how you feel about anything! You can incorporate that with looks and locations and make it of more substance this way. I mean, who doesn't love a good story, right?

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! Don't forget to follow me on Instagram & YouTube for more daily content. Wishing you all a great week!

LOVE & XX'S,

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Houndstooth & Charles Bukowski

October 16, 2017

WEARING: VINTAGE MACKINTOSH OVERSIZED HOUNDSTOOTH JACKET |
FOREVER 21 OVERSIZED CUTOUT SHIRT | LEVI'S 711 ALTERED SKINNY JEANS |
EGO NASH BACKLESS ANKLE BOOTS | CHARLES BUKOWSKI WOMEN

I WAS SENTIMENTAL ABOUT MANY THINGS: A WOMAN'S SHOES UNDER THE BED; ONE HAIRPIN LEFT BEHIND ON THE DRESSER; THE WAY THEY SAID, "I'M GOING TO PEE. . ."; HAIR RIBBONS, WALKING DOWN THE BOULEVARD WITH THEM AT 1:30 IN THE AFTERNOON, JUST TWO PEOPLE WALKING TOGETHER; THE LONG NIGHTS OF DRINKING AND SMOKING, TALKING; THE ARGUMENTS; THINKING OF SUICIDE; EATING TOGETHER AND FEELING GOOD; THE JOKES; THE LAUGHTER OUT OF NOWHERE; FEELING MIRACLES IN THE AIR; BEING IN A PARKED CAR TOGETHER; COMPARING PAST LOVERS AT 3AM; BEING TOLD YOU SNORE, HEARING HER SNORE; MOTHERS, DAUGHTERS, SONS, CATS, DOGS; SOMETIMES DEATH AND SOMETIMES DIVORCE, BUT ALWAYS CARRYING ON, ALWAYS SEEING IT THROUGH; READING A NEWSPAPER ALONE IN A SANDWICH JOINT AND FEELING NAUSEA BECAUSE SHE'S NOW MARRIED TO A DENTIST WITH AN I.Q. OF 95; RACETRACKS, PARKS, PARK PICNICS; EVEN JAILS; HER DULL FRIENDS, YOUR DULL FRIENDS; YOUR DRINKING, HER DANCING; YOUR FLIRTING, HER FLIRTING; HER PILLS, YOUR FUCKING ON THE SIDE, AND HER DOING THE SAME; SLEEPING TOGETHER. . . .

One of the many passages from writer Charles Bukowski's novel, Women, I always found comfort in his writing. His style flairs in the rawest form of honesty, something that most writers today do not have. The older I become the more I realize how important it is to pull away from the idea of what perfection is supposed to be - straight to its core in every aspect. Bukowski wasn't exactly the nicest of people; a total misogynist, narcissist and straight up alcoholic. Many disliked him, but many like myself saw him as an influence not just in the realm of writing. So in today's post I'm sharing with you five things I've learned from one of my favorite American writers.

HONESTY

Writers have so many things they can’t write about: family, spouses, exes, children, jobs, bosses, colleagues, friends. That’s why they make stuff up. Fiction is their best friend. But Bukowski didn’t let himself get hampered by that so we see real brutal honesty, a real anthropological survey of being down and out for 60+ years without anything being held back. No other writer before or since has done that. For a particular example, see his novel, Women which detailed every sexual nuance of every woman who dared to sleep with him after he achieved some success. Most of these women were horrified after the book came out. It's actually one of my favorite books written by Bukowski and the beginning excerpt of this post is from Women. Sure he talks badly about most of the experiences he has had with women, but what I really love about it is the cold hard dose of reality that comes with any relationship: disappointment, pain, heartache... love... and the way he is so candor about some of the more intimate parts of life. Think about it, would you find it easy or rather difficult talking about your personal relationships through the written word?

DISCIPLINE

Imagine coming home from an awful day at work and arguing with a woman/man that was living with you, finishing off a six-pack of beer and then... writing. He did it every day. Most people want to write that novel, or finish that painting, or start that business, but have zero discipline to actually sit down and do it. I'm actually amazed he had any sort of discipline at all. With that kind of work ethic, it just goes to show that if you truly love what you're doing, it will supersede the rest. (Even through the potent powers of alcohol!) In order to be a writer, you must really love to write and you must write every single day. Easy to say, but so tough to do. I, myself, also write every day, but I'm not going to lie, there are some pretty bad days where I just want to throw my typewriter out the window. But you keep at it, because it's all you know, it's all you have and without the written word, you feel like you could die. That's how Bukowski felt too.

SHAMELESSNESS

Bukowski didn't give a rat's ass what people thought about him. And I praise him for that. I'm constantly looking over my shoulder and am always second-guessing myself. I sometimes wish I could throw caution to the wind and really have that mentality of 'no f*cks given' at all times. But when feeling extra down, my insecurities tend to get the best of me. Learning the art of not caring what people think takes time and experience, I think. But I've always admired those who really didn't worry about the opinions of others - because it's not as easy as it looks. It can be cleverly hidden in so many different ways.

POETRY

Bukowski was quite the poet. And it's all non-fiction, which to me, is the best part. It's not the puzzle-kind of poetry where you have to intellectually decode it to understand it. His work was straight to the point. Poetry was something that let writers to master making each word in a sentence effective and powerful. It was this training that allowed them to destroy the competition when they sat down to write their longer pieces. That's how I also got started in writing. In fact, the first two pieces I ever had published were actually poems I wrote as a young teenager. It was only after these publications that I really started to consider becoming a writer.

PERSISTENCE

The man wrote his first novel at age 49. And it took him over 25 years to become a successful writer. Everyone (mostly everyone) nowadays wants instant gratification. Less and less are understanding what it takes to become one of the greats. I find that when most figure out how long or how much dedication/work will be required to reach whatever goal you may have, most tend to give up before even reaching that halfway mark. And Bukowski was far from perfect and yet still managed to become what he wanted to become. So if he could stay persistent despite all the misfortunes and misgivings life can bring, he still kept plugging away and never gave up. And to me, that's what makes the heart of any champion...

LOVE & XX'S,

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Faux Leather Biker Chic

October 9, 2017

WEARING: ZAFUL ZIPPERED FAUX LEATHER BELTED MINI DRESS | 
FOREVER 21 OVERSIZED CUTOUT SHIRT | ANGELINA SHOETIQUE OTK BOOTS | 
LEVI'S WINTER WOOL BERET | FOREVER 21 OVERSIZED ROUND GLASSES | 
ROSEGAL SILVER BEAD HOOPS | ALLES FRINGE BUCKET BAG

THIS POST IS BROUGHT TO YOU BY ZAFUL.

A gloomy, rainy day doesn't exactly set the perfect tone to start any week, does it? But whenever I'm feeling a bit down and out, I just continue on and keep doing me. It doesn't matter the amount of pressure I receive on a daily basis, either work-related, personally and/or more, I'm not a quitter and I refuse to let anyone that I know or do not know, to make me feel anything less than worthy. I have come a long fucking way and to those who think they know anything about me, YOU DON'T. You don't know the half of it, and to the ones who do and have never left my side, with full support and no judgment, I thank you and I love you. I have endured and survived through so much shit in my life. I should have died at least three times already, but by the stroke of luck (or hopefully) for some greater purpose, I'm still here standing. And I'm here for a reason, goddamnit. Excuse the language today, but I never said I was all ladylike and ish.

So in today's outfit post, I'm presenting my bad-ass self in a biker-chic inspired look completely made out of faux leather. I was really inspired by Moschino's SS18 collection and all of the 'butch' ballerina vibes straight off the runway and wanted to create a similar style pertaining to my own from this inspiration. The zippered, belted mini dress can be worn in all sorts of ways: unzipped/zipped with or without a shirt, layered with one, or without the suspenders, and more. But for this look, I went with a black and white color scheme to keep it fresh and clean. I think other colored shirts would appear just fine as well when it comes to the layering game but I don't always feel vibrant or colorful. I love that about fashion. You can look the way you feel in colors, textures, shapes and more. And whenever I feel more of my weaknesses rather than my strengths, I also will dress more like a baddie to feel more confident and secure. Trust me, an outfit like this can go a long way, even when you're feeling like crap. (Physically, emotionally... perhaps both.)

To accessorize the look, I wore my favorite hat at the moment. I'm indecisive as to grow out my bangs or not, so for days where I'm not feeling them as much, I just put on a hat and keep moving forward. I wanted to give it a little European edge and a hat can help do just that! My bag is from Alles Bags, and this fringe bucket bag is definitely a staple in my closet. I've had this baby for a little over a year and I still can't get enough of it, it's such a wonderful bag! To keep with the faux leather from the dress, I wore a pair of faux leather over the knee boots from Angelina Shoetique. I actually wore these bad boys during last February's NYFW on the first day when there was a blizzard outside. I trekked in these throughout the day and THANK GOD for them. They're super comfortable, giving me a tiny extra height from the platform sole, and are just so bad ass! I secretly feel like a superhero when I wear them, and how can that ever be a bad thing?

What do you like to wear when feeling extra insecure or down in the dumps? Are you more of a sweatpants kind of gal that would rather stay in or do you like to dress up a little more into something extravagant or in character and go out? I'm in between. Sometimes I really enjoy being alone when feeling this way, but I also believe that sometimes, no matter how shitty your circumstance might be, you just gotta dress up and show up. As my father always used to say, keep on keeping on. And to anyone that wants to directly or indirectly (you might as well say it straight to my face because I'm fucking fearless, so watch out) try and bring me down, here's the bird for you. Have a nice day and don't forget, I'm not doing any of this for anyone but me. Don't seek validation from others, seek it within yourself. Having a rough day like myself? Leave your comments down below and let's hear how your day/week/month has been.

LOVE & XX'S,

SHOP THE LOOK

Zaful Zippered Faux Leather Belted Mini Dress

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Stripes and Heavy Hearts

October 4, 2017

WEARING: ROSEGAL STRIPED MOCK NECK CASUAL KNIT DRESS | 
MICHAEL KORS MERCER LEATHER CROSSBODY | EGO TEGAN POINTED TOE ANKLE BOOTS | 
MAD-STYLE CALLY EARRINGS

THIS POST IS BROUGHT TO YOU BY ROSEGAL.

Since waking up Monday morning to hear of yet another senseless tragedy in America, I am left with a heavy heart and can't stop crying these past few days. What is happening in our world right now? I can't stop thinking about everyone affected by this. Think about it. Over 500+ injured, 58 dead... triple that amount just to get a perspective on how many people have been touched by this awful incident. As much as I love my work, creating and publishing content without as much as a discussion, let alone a stupid fucking meme with hearts and prayers, is definitely hitting below the belt. I've never seen so many fashionista's Insta-stories and/or social media posts giving 'shoutouts' to the victims and families (or nothing at all, just completely unacknowledging them)... only to go on about their daily lives and not even mention any ways to help like donating blood, contacting your elected representatives to support mental health or stricter gun control policies, or other ways to donate, such as natural disaster relief funds to the victims of Hurricane Harvey. And why do I feel like the ones that preach the most about this shit are the ones that aren't really helping to begin with? I know that sounds pretty harsh, but it is sort of the reality of the situation. Now, I AM NOT saying that there isn't anyone out there, with the power and reach, to spread information like wildfire in a scenario like this, because there are, and kudos to you for taking the time to do so, but there's a lot of you that really don't care about anyone but yourself. And I can attest to this because I'm seeing it unfold right before my very eyes, unfortunately.

Whenever something tragic like this happens, I immediately think of my loved ones. Family first. Don't you? Now for those who don't know me that well, I don't have any family. They're all gone. Either physically or through tough life predicaments, I am left with no one but myself. I don't have a single soul to call and cry about my problems to or have a mommy or daddy to help me out when I'm financially in a pickle. I've been on my own for a long time now. So I tend to get pretty depressed sometimes and will shut down. Especially in a time like now where all I want is to talk to my parents and hug them and tell them how much I love and miss them. I need some form of solidarity when feeling alone and confused. There is no love like one from a parent. A good parent. The most important family is not the one you were born into, but the one you choose. I have a small circle of friends that I trust and hold very dear to, but very few have entered into this circle and have stayed there. Loyalty is hard to come by these days and I'm finding myself losing more and more hope with the world we're living in.

Sure you can be an advocate of some kind, whether it's donating your time, money or both to organizations that will help carry that through, but to me, the best and most important way to help right now is to constantly BE KIND and LOVING. Everyone you meet is fighting a battle you know nothing about. So be good to each other. Hug your loved ones extra tight and never forget to be grateful for your life and others. And be forgiving. I've talked about this in the past, because it really hits close to home. It's not about forgiving and forgetting what's hurt you, but more about letting go and being able to move forward. Self-love is something I too have struggled with my whole life, and I'm slowly but surely starting to see my worth and will no longer waste my time on those who don't see this. If they don't look at you like you're magic, walk away... or rather, RUN away. Doesn't matter if they're blood-related or not.

Steve Sisolak, Chair of the Clark County Commission, has set up a GoFundMe page to raise money for the victims and their families. It had collected more than $3 million as of Tuesday morning. Officials in Las Vegas say there has been an overwhelming turnout for blood donations -- some donors waited in line for more than 6 hours -- and no more blood is needed right now. Those looking for information about loved ones still missing in the Las Vegas area can call 1-800-536-9488. If you live in the Las Vegas area, you can volunteer transportation and other help to victims through this Facebook page. Please help in any way you can, it's not just about the immediate support, but for the more trying, long-term ones. The victims need us and we need them. Please remember how amazingly special you are and that you are LOVED. Want to talk? Leave a comment or send me a private message through social media or email. I'm here for you.

*Go to Direct Relief to donate money or American Red Cross to donate food and/or clothing for the victims of Hurricane Harvey. They are also asking people to donate coloring books, puzzles, and other toys to the shelters for the kids.

LOVE & XX'S,

SHOP THE LOOK

Rosegal Striped Mock Neck Casual Knit Dress

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Zaful Floral Pantsuit

September 27, 2017

WEARING: ZAFUL FLORAL BLAZER | ZAFUL FLORAL PANTS | ADORE ME BODYSUIT |
CLOSET ACCESS MINI ARIA SADDLE BAG | EGO TEGAN POINTED TOE ANKLE BOOTS | 
GUCCI BELT | GORJANA MIKA LARIAT NECKLACE

THIS POST IS BROUGHT TO YOU BY ZAFUL.

Borrowed from the boys but geared for the girls, mansy tailoring is this season's key trend. It'll keep you looking like the business, while exaggerated 80s shoulders and pops of color are a strong style right now. Not to mention anything floral print for the fall season is all the rage right now. And this peach-colored pantsuit from Zaful is the perfect amount of feminine touch mixed in with one of my favorite trends right now, menswear for women. Normally I'm into oversized more structured pieces when it comes to a masculine look but when I saw this pantsuit and its gorgeous floral print, and the fact that there's nothing more I want right now than to be at Paris Fashion Week, I'll be living vicariously through the 'cool cats' and in turn, will dress up a getup as if I were in Paree!

How perfect would the City of Lights be as a backdrop for this photo shoot?! One of the perks of living somewhere like New York City when it comes to photo shoots are the endless amounts of locations to choose from. Can you believe I've lived here for over 11 years and I have yet to still make a visit out to Coney Island? We were going to shoot there before the summer ended but ran out of time due to crazy schedules. When I wanted to find a place in the city that could resemble Paris (okay, I know nothing can resemble Paris exactly but...) I always found the center of Union Square Park to be quite magical and reminiscent of Western Europe.

Now, what went with what in terms of this lovely pantsuit? I styled it with a really cute Adore Me black sheer bodysuit. I love this one especially because you can still wear it during the fall season before it gets too cold and how well it can go with a chic pair of jeans or something more detailed like this look. I feel like it gave the outfit a little sensuality/sexiness to the overall empowered look. To bring a little-added attention to the lace details of the bodysuit, I wore a long slinky necklace by Gorjana I received from one of the shows during NYFW.

Since I'm super petite (yes, I look taller in all my photos because it's all about the angles!) I wore my favorite sock boots at the moment. They completely look like the Balenciaga boots, but since my wallet can't shell out a grand+ for a pair, you got to opt for something more affordable for the time being! And these give me all the added height and confidence a pair of shoes should give a gal! What do you think of this fall look? See something that caught your eye? You can shop directly down below or in the beginning of this post. Don't forget to leave your comments down below too! See you guys soon!