How to Style Rainbow Pom Pom Sandals

May 20, 2019

WEARING: WHITE MAXI DRESS | RAINBOW POM POM SANDALS | YELLOW O-RING BAG

THIS POST IS BROUGHT TO YOU BY CHICWISH AND AVEC MODERATION BUT ALL OPINIONS ARE MY OWN.

Avec Modération is a Florence-based footwear brand that focuses on fusing fine Italian luxury with the utmost comfort. Each pair is entirely handmade from opulent fabrics and designed with the fashion-forward cosmopolitan woman in mind. The label’s aesthetic is elegant yet whimsical, presenting wearers with a unique take on the current season’s key footwear trends. The founders have a penchant for decadence, so you can expect a range of slides with bursts of bright colors and bouts of fur, tied together in an ultra-wearable silhouette. Case in point: These peony rainbow calf leather pom pom slippers. They are the ultimate pair of sandals for summer! Continue reading to see how to style these types of colorful, lively sandals and where to shop these beauties as well.

I wanted to style these bold rainbow slides in a simple, chic manner. Nothing too over the top, as it can easily turn from stylish to Bozo the clown. This beautiful sheer white maxi dress with 3D cotton embellished definitely complements with the pom-pom material from the sandals. With a self-tied string around the waist, it is a very flattering dress for many body types. Originally $100 it’s on sale with 40% off right now! I love the elegance of the dress - definitely has some character don’t you think? They also have a cream-colored dress as well here.

I think if you stuck to one solid color, such as yellow or red would also look great with these beautiful rainbow pom-pom sandals. Definitely beach appropriate so long as you don’t take a dip in the water with them. Definitely would look cute with jeans and a cami of some kind, or a beach wrap. There’s many ways to style these sandals for the warmer season. I found them for $235 on Far Fetch. Again, they’re luxury footwear so the price is right. I definitely wouldn’t recommend walking for miles in them around the city, for example. This is not the type of shoes for that.

To keep with the happy colors, I went with a yellow o-ring bag from Iridescence New York and a pair of purple leather covered hoop earrings from Shop Small Things. I think the two variated colors keep with the rest of the color scheme without having the palette become too noisy/busy. I always loved yellow and purple together as I’m a die hard Lakers fan, lol. Just a random tidbit for you guys :) I’ve also linked a couple other similar bags with different price points and locations.

If you’re still not convinced of these rainbow pom-pom sandals, Avec Modération also makes them in a variety of colors as well such as this pink one and also a white and cream one. I’ve listed them all down here for easy viewing. How would you have styled these fun rainbow pompom sandals? There’s so many ways, let’s hear from you guys! Thanks for stopping by and wishing everyone a wonderful start to a new week. Cheers, my loves. x

LOVE & XX’S,

SHOP THE LOOK

FOLLOW MAQ + SUZ

How to Wear a White Blazer Casually

May 3, 2019

WEARING: WHITE BLAZER | BLUE JEANS | BEIGE HEELS | BEIGE BAG | GOLD WATCH

THIS POST IS BROUGHT TO YOU BY YUUL YIE & MAVI JEANS BUT ALL OPINIONS ARE MY OWN.

Friday, and we’re waiting on the results from MaQ’s ultrasound from yesterday. I’m not going to lie, I’m starting to freak out a bit. I’ve been waiting on the vet’s call since this morning and it’s been torturous waiting. We thank everyone who’s been so supportive, you guys are amazing. Of course, we will keep you posted once we know more. If he’s in the clear, we’re doing some partying tonight. Maybe a pizza party since my pup loves pizza crust lol. But today’s post is a cool and casual look for date night! I’m not one to ever dress up like crazy, it doesn’t feel comfortable for me, and I’m so much into laidback tomboyish looks. So keep on reading to see what this kind of Friday night look is for me and how you can get the look yourself!

This is my most favorite white blazer I’ve ever owned. Unfortunately it’s sold out and I can’t find it anywhere. So I’ve linked similar blazers to achieve the look! And different price points because I know you guys appreciate the range. How would you wear a white blazer for date night? I opted with a cool pair of jeans from Mavi, a soft and stretchy denim with indigo stripes racing down the outseams. I’ve loved this jean brand since I was in college, and are the best Turkish jeans on the planet! So fitting and comfy. You could easily wear this during the day with a pair of white sneakers before slipping into something more festive for dinner/drinks. These YUUL YIE heels are my new absolute fave and fit on my feet like a glove. I find slingback shoes to be very sexy and that pearl detail on the heel is so chic. Definitely will polish up all sort of outfits, from dresses, skirts, pants, jeans - all, really!

I don’t ever normally match my shoes with my bag in a look because it looks too contrived most of the time, but given I’m wearing a white blazer, I didn’t want too much contrast but also not too much white to wash out the look. So I went with a more neutral based color like the beige here in this post, because I felt the color nicely balanced with the jeans and the white blazer. What do you guys think? To bring a little sparkle to this look, I wore a silver statement earring and a bracelet with a gold watch for a layering effect. The watch belonged to my mother and was given as a gift by my father. I only wear it on special occasions but given this stressful week, I’ve honestly been wearing it for good luck. Do you guys have pieces of jewelry like this? I want to know what it is and its background.

I hope you enjoyed this casual date night look! If you have any questions or want to drop a comment - leave them down in the section below. We hope you have a great weekend, and will definitely keep you up to date with MaQ once we know more. Fingers crossed and much love to you all.

LOVE & XX’S,

SHOP THE LOOK

FOLLOW MAQ + SUZ

How I Feel About Blogging Lately

May 1, 2019

WEARING: OVERSIZED BLACK BLAZER | SKINNY JEANS | BLACK BAG | BLACK & GREEN WATCH | BLACK MARY JANES

THIS POST IS BROUGHT TO YOU BY LOWER OFFICIAL BUT ALL OPINIONS ARE MY OWN.

I’ve been wanting to write this post all week but alas I’ve been quite the mess. My dog, MaQ, even though seems to be his good cherry self, has had some kind of skin infection (or so it seemed) but after a vet visit and the blood work came back, his albumin levels were lower than they should be. So tomorrow we will be going in to have an abdominal ultrasound to further investigate the problem. I PRAY that there’s nothing serious, but given the fact this is the first time my baby is not well (internally) I want to be safe rather than sorry. And in doing so, I’ve been super anxious all week, to the point where I canceled all my meetings, events… everything. I know a lot will disagree, that the world keeps on ticking, but he’s more than just a dog to me. He’s my child and without him I’m not sure what’s left of me. Most have been incredibly supportive (and THANK you for the uplifting msgs/comments/etc;) but what’s been going on with MaQ lately has me thinking a lot about the future, and what that entails of in the blogging world and which direction I would like to take. Continue reading for more on my thoughts on this rather difficult subject and my fears for what lies ahead.

On a daily basis I receive approximately 10-15 invitations to press previews, launch events, and then some where in the start to my career in blogging, I accepted almost every invitation to network and expand my business. But now coming up on four years in August, I am highly selective with my time. Many of these events are to fill the room, as in to make it look like the event is lively and engaging, I get that, and in turn we, as bloggers show up for support and networking abilities but how many times do we really connect with others (business-wise) at an event where nearly everyone is drinking alcohol, bringing their +1’s because they need a hand to hold and gossip with, only to never really be as proactive as one can be during such a place and time. I rarely see strangers starting up conversations, and more so the cliquey groups I detested in high school. Don’t get me wrong, you can connect while boozing, I’m sure, but in all likelihood, it’s not going to happen. Especially when there’s hundreds of people in the room. I’m more about intimate gatherings, or one-on-one meetings where you have a better chance in what I’m talking about. I’m not the type of person who likes to see and be seen. Frankly, I don’t give a shit and would rather be in the comfort of my own home in my pj’s snuggled up with my dog.

It’s also the experience that comes with. I actually hate being called an influencer, because I don’t consider to be one. When you see others talking in selfie form on stories and load after load of unboxings, gifts, press trips, and always THE SAME OLE’ THING, it’s gets old relatively fast. I don’t even like to tell others I’m a blogger because of first impressions. Many have given the blogging label a bad rep, and I hate to have fallen in to that category because I’m far from it. I’m first and foremost a writer. I tend to forget at times due to the very difficult career path and yes, it’s not easy at all. But after being a writer, I consider myself a creative director and stylist who wants to further concentrate my energy into creation - such as fashion editorials, photo essays and more. It’s been a while since I wrote my last body of work, and to be quite honest, I haven’t jumped back on the wagon quite yet because of fear and the pressures of what comes next after writing your first book. It’s terrifying. I do have a number of ideas, but in recent years have lost a lot of confidence, therefore feeling very uncertain about the future. All I know is I definitely don’t see myself posting OOTD’S for the rest of my life, lol. So where do I go from here?

But after the past week with what’s going on with MaQ, it has put many things in perspective. My family comes first, because without them I’m nothing. They mean everything to me, and if anyone doesn’t seem to quite understand that, they can stick it where the sun doesn’t shine. I’m serious. “When the snows fall and the white winds blow, the lone wolf dies but the pack survives.” My favorite Game of Thrones quote, it’s the epitome of what family means to me. We are better together rather than alone. I would love to add to our family, but that’s a long story and a whole other blog post alone. And even though it’s my '“job” to share a lot of my life to you all, I couldn’t disagree more. I’m like the Keanu Reeves of blogging. I relish in my privacy. And will keep it that way. Never hurts to leave a little mystery behind.

I’m sure you have heard by now but if you haven’t, Instagram is considering hiding the amount of likes on everyone’s account. And I think this is wonderful. Talk about healthy engagement. Because it never should be about the numbers, but the CONTENT. Is it good quality? Does it tell a story? Does it transport me to somewhere? And I think this idea would be greatly beneficial to the younger generation, where studies have shown the toxicity within social media and how validation plays such a terrible role. I mean, how many times have you felt bad when a post bombed? I know I have. I would like to focus on slow-creation as I term it, where back in the Avedon/Penn days, photographs/content would take a lot of time. Nothing was digital and the appreciation after waiting for the final product was always worth it. Nowadays, we can’t seem to go fast enough. And it’s exhausting, fully saturated with so many doing the exact same concept (YAWN) or even worse, just ripping off one another’s ideas. And yes, everything comes from somewhere but the way we interpret it is key. So I’m focusing on advancing in videography (something I’m good at but hate doing lol) where we can start to evolve our content into something fresh and new again. I will also be taking more focus on my writing,

I used to have trepidations of not staying consistent on the gram. Meaning, if I didn’t post everyday, I was in serious trouble! OMG, how ridiculous does that sound?! I would rather have my audience wait and appreciate the work rather than nonstop photos of outfits, events, etc; where it just gets to be too much and no one can really concentrate on the work, which is most important to me. That’s another reason I don’t post as much on stories either anymore because I find it creepy sharing your every move. And who really cares what you’re having for dinner? Unless you’re a major public figure like Angelina Jolie, you got me. I will keep my presence online, but will definitely not be posting everyday of the week anymore, which I have been doing for several months now.

So, while I have some projects I am really going to concentrate on for the remainder of the year, I would love to know from my readers on what you’d like to see me cover more on my social media platforms. Don’t worry - I will still post, go to (some) events and live my life, but what would you want to see more of? Fashion? Writing on more serious topics? Beauty? Travel? Pet lifestyle? Maybe some crime? Or still maybe a little bit of everything? I would love to have some feedback from you guys to better assess our future content. Thanks for stopping by and reading! Don’t forget to drop your comments down below and chime in on what you’d like to see more of on MaQ + Suz! Until next time, wish us luck tomorrow at MaQ’s sonogram and keep sending those positive vibes! Nothing but Love & Light to you all. xx

LOVE & XX’S,

SHOP THE LOOK

FOLLOW MAQ + SUZ

How to Style A Yellow Neon Snake Print Skirt

April 19, 2019

WEARING: MEN’S BLAZER | SNAKE PRINT SKIRT | BEIGE SUEDE AND LEATHER SHOULDER BAG | WHITE STRAPPY SANDALS

THIS POST IS BROUGHT TO YOU BY LE PARMENTIER PARIS, NOBODY’S CHILD, & LINZI BUT ALL OPINIONS ARE MY OWN.

It’s Friday! I don’t know about you folks, but it’s been one hell of a week. Everything went wrong, and no matter how hard I tried to persevere, more and more continued to fall downward. It was a disaster. First I had the eye situation (see in last post), then tried to get back to work shooting content that was delayed because of that (of course, everything I need to photograph was beauty shots! UGH) and then came the unpredictable weather. If the meteorologist said it was sunny, we’d go out to shoot and voila, out came the rain. And vice-versa! I had to skip all my events this week just to try and catch up on my workload, which is something I really hate doing. If I say I’m going to be somewhere, I’m going to be there. And no matter what I tried to style this week, whatever I did it just didn’t seem to work. I am extremely hard on myself, and never feel my best is even close to good enough. Any suggestions on how to be easier on myself without having the guilt of ‘slacking’ or not doing my ultimate best? Meanwhile, check out the latest outfit post where I style a yellow neon snake print skirt with some very fashionable accessories, including a favorite: stealing from my husband’s wardrobe! Continue reading to see complete shoot along with where you can find these pieces online!

I ‘borrowed’ this men’s jacket from my husband’s closet. By the French designer, Pierre Cardin, he prefers geometric shapes and motifs, often ignoring the female form. He advanced into unisex fashions, sometimes experimental, and not always practical. When I saw the silhouette of this jacket, I knew it’d look great as an oversized blazer on me. I think it helps create more masculinity into this look, which is also quite feminine from the waist down. I kept it simple with a black t-shirt to not overshadow this amazing blazer. What do you think of oversized pieces in women’s clothing? Yay or nay?

The Yucca Shoulder Bag crafted in smooth genuine Italian calf leather and velvety suede, pulls out all the stops with its updated take on the classic saddle silhouette that keeps you discreetly organized all day and stylist on casual fun nights. Featuring a flap top magnetic snap closure with bold hardware detail, adjustable wide shoulder strap and gold tone hardware detail, you can get your Yucca bag from Forzieri. You can use the code code name: SUZANNE15 for 15% OFF on Le Parmentier bags collection at forzieri.com valid April 19th - May 17th.

I’ve been eyeing the strappy sandals from The Row, but even someone like myself can’t always afford the splurge into higher-end goods. Which is why I love to dupe, from time to time, especially when they look and feel amazing such as these white spring/summer sandals I’m wearing by Linzi Shoes. Made with soft faux leather, with a toe post and a strappy lace up that has almost a 4” heel, but it doesn’t feel that way. They’re actually quite comfy! This particular heel also comes in black and snake skin print, so be sure to check ‘em out! Also, each pair are under $40, a great deal!

Last but not least, the snake print skirt. It’s yellow neon, has an elastic waist (my favorite) with a pleat and midi-length. I’d easily wear this skirt with a white t-shirt and some sneakers, but I wanted to vamp it up with a mixture of my usual style of juxtaposed feminine and masculine pieces. I hope you guys enjoyed this outfit post, stay tuned for a video and different look on Monday! It’s going to be a really fun post, so can’t wait to share with you guys! Wishing you a wonderful Easter weekend, for those that celebrate. Much love, always. x

LOVE & XX’S,

SHOP THE LOOK

FOLLOW MAQ + SUZ

5 WAYS TO WEAR YOUR HERMÈS SCARF

April 12, 2019

Happy Friday! For my birthday this year, my husband gifted me an accessory I’ve been wanting for quite sometime: An Hermès carre scarf. Timeless, classic, utter perfection. The story behind the scarf: Artist Pierre Marie pays tribute to the "Les Amoureux de Paris" scarf, designed by Maurice Tranchant in the 1950s, on which several famous couples silhouette against a map of the City of Light. A marriage proposal on the Right Bank, a couple dancing on the Left Bank, love is alive on both sides of the Seine in Paris, the most romantic of cities. A jogging couple head for the Tuileries Garden, two cyclists embrace near the Madeleine church, a pair of skateboarders meet up in the Quai de la Gare quarter. The new interpretation is illustrated by contemporary lovers, straight out of everyday life. It holds such a beautiful message on top of such a beautiful piece. And what I love most about this scarf is its versatile abilities when it comes to styling. The possibilities are endless. Which is why in today’s post, I’m really excited to be sharing 5 different ways to wear your Hermès scarf! I could have worn it in so many other ways with this particular piece, but I chose to go with styles that I’d wear often, are practical and chic. Continue reading to see how you can achieve the looks along with where to get this beautiful scarf!

Screen Shot 2019-01-15 at 7.57.13 PM.png

THE CLASSIC HEADSCARF

Head scarves can be dressy and classic - think Princess Grace of Monaco or Audrey Hepburn - or sporty and casual... and an excellent solution to 'bad hair' days! I tied it in the front under my chin here but you can also try crossing the ends of the scarf under your chin, then take them round to the back (or side) of your neck and tie them. Pair it with some sunnies for the French Riviera look!

THE HEAD WRAP

A street smart update on the classic headscarf. I actually refer this the pirate/painter way as these are the types of people wearing the scarf as such, lol. Fold your scarf into a triangle and drape it over your head with the long edge of the triangle across your forehead. Take the two ends back across the sides of your head and tie at the back in a square knot.

THE BELT WRAP

Tie the silk scarf around your waist, swap ends to the opposite hand, then tie at the back to secure. It instantly adds a pop of color and pattern and is an unexpected detail that can totally make a basic outfit look so much more polished and stylish. Wrap it through your belt loops and knot it in front, or wrap it around your waist to carve out your shape in a billowy dress or top. So easy, so chic.

THE PONYTAIL WRAP

A glamorous way to accessorize a simple ponytail. A ponytail is not just a ponytail when accented with a beautiful scarf! This style can employ either an along-the-length folded oblong scarf or a square scarf in a bias-band fold.Fold your scarf on the bias, then wrap it twice around your ponytail, finishing with a square knot. For a very dressy look for evening, tie the ends in a big bow!

STANDARD SCARF WRAP

I could have shown the Lady Lavallière - silk ties for the butterfly effect. (Looks like a huge bow) but I could not see myself wearing it this way as every day use. So I went with the standard scarf wrap, except I kept the triangle end unfolded to create a little more flair to something that is quite traditional. What do you think? You can also styles scarves around handbags, wrists, tops and so much more.