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,

Inner Katie Girl // OOTD

WEARING: WET SEAL GRAY SLEEVELESS JERSEY DRESS | BERGDORF GOODMAN BLACK 

CASHMERE CARDIGAN | RALPH LAUREN RIDING BOOTS 

“Hello! C-C-C-Curly!!”

— Carrie Bradshaw

If any of you gals are huge fans of SATC, you'll know what I'm referencing to. How many of you are Katie girls? We're talking about the ones with that 'wild curly hair'. When I was in college, and also when SATC was still airing on TV, I had become quite infatuated with the character, Carrie Bradshaw's Boticelli-esque, ever-flowing ringlets. (Not to mention her all-around adorableness.) And I had begun a new hair cycle.

But I stopped doing this regularly because quite frankly, I don't have the time! It takes me about an hour to complete curling my hair! Sometimes I'll straighten it because it isn't as time-consuming as it is with the curling iron but for the most part I just leave my hair all-natural. Since I haven't really done my hair like this in many years, I was really in the mood to have some big hair today! What's even better? The morning-after hair! The curls will still be intact, but looser and more bedhead. Which is my favorite because it's carefree yet rebellious. What do you think of my curls? Are you into this style?

I have a confession to make on top of secretly crushing on Ms. Bradshaw. The cardigan I'm wearing from Bergdorf's belongs to my husband! It's my favorite cashmere piece and I'll admit that I stole it! He barely ever wears it because I always do during this season! Ha ha ha! It's so soft and comfortable, plus the lil' after smell of the hubs is always a plus.

I've had this jersey dress since I first moved to New York City! That's nearly 10 years ago! I love the versatility of it. You can wear it all four seasons and playing around to mix and match the dress with different pieces is always so much fun. I love that you can even wear it off the shoulder, making it a bit more romantic and sexy. 

Last but not least are the riding boots I'm wearing from Ralph Lauren. I love wearing these during the Fall. They pair perfectly with leggings, mid-skirts or dresses. Tights too! I love boots that aren't too high-heeled. I have a ton of running around to do and need something that won't kill me by the end of the day. I know some of you ladies only wear heels, and I have to say, I don't know how you do it!

Thanks for stopping by! I hope you enjoyed my outfit of the day along with my new C-C-C-Crazy do! ;) In case you're wondering, all photos were taken by me. Self-portrait, all the way baby!

We'll be back on Halloween, in costume! All 3 of us. Me, my boo, and my other boo, MaQ! I'm so pumped for you to see! I think it's gonna be a hit this year! Stay tuned... you're going to love it! Until then, check out my other blog posts on fashion & beauty, food recipes, photography, street art, and more!

Love & xx's,

maQ + suz

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Mickey & Butterflies

WEARING: FOREVER 21 MICKEY SWEATSHIRT | JENABELLE FLUTTER MARLEY SKIRT 
| BAMBOO SHOGA SUMMER WEDGES |PURPLE SPARKLE PASHMINA SCARF

This week I'm pleased to announce I've teamed up with Jenabelle, an online fashion retailer based here in New York City, in collaboration with Shopping Links. Jenabelle's motto is 'Fun. Affordable. Fashion.' And it is so much more than that. They carry many different fashion trends, with it's clothes, accessories and shoes, serving any stylish gal a silver platter of endless tasteful chic choices.

I've never been one to only wear one style or label. I'm a mixer, just like my ethnic background and love to combine feminine and masculine pieces, even high end and lower end labels or vintage, and west coast vibes with the Midwest's. Detroit Rock to be exact! To me, style is all about how you carry yourself in whatever choices you make with your statement.

For today, my statement, of course, is even though I'm totally infatuated with the Fall Season (it really is my favorite!) I'm a California-born chic and am never fully willing to let go of summer! Now that it's getting colder in New York, but warm enough to hold on to maxi skirts and wedges (perhaps too stubbornly), I'm all for bundling up, but my legs and feets are not! I blame it on 20+ yrs of being a rink rat. Or what most people refer us as: figure skaters. :P

I mixed up a Fall statement pashmina scarf, a more masculine piece with Mickey (cause this mouse is from Cali LOL), a Bohemian flowing skirt from Jenabelle, and my go-to summer wedges! I like to think of this outfit as "Hippy & Shabby-Chic meets Casual & Fun!"

As a New Yorker, I am guilty of wearing too much black and barely smiling in photos. New York will make you too honest, raw, and sometimes, sadly, will unknowingly start to take yourself too seriously. Life should be fun and your clothes should be too! (At least from time to time... if you're really that into black..) ;)

Here's a close up of Jenabelle's skirt's gorgeous fabric and illustration of butterflies with some floral foreshadowing in the background. I love how feminine and free-spirited this piece feels on me! As soon as I tried it on, I got major L.A nostalgia, reminiscent of Venice Beach, Disneyland and my mom's immaculate flower garden at our first home in Anaheim.

I love the shoe embellishments of these Bamboo wedges. The beachy, west coast vibe shoes go very well with the lightness of the Jenabelle skirt. And I'm all for adding a few inches on my short self when wearing long dresses or skirts. Plus, my feet want to soak up as much sun until it really gets too cold! Brrrr!

Here's the back of the Mickey sweatshirt. How many of you are a fan of the messy bun btw? I love it but when my hair gets too long, there's literally too much to bun! Ha ha ha! I'm thinking about cutting the hair short again, but I love my hair long. Ah, decisions, decisions. :)

What's your signature style? Feel free to share and comment! We love to hear from our readers! See a fashion piece you're eyeing for yourself from this look on my blog today? You can shop for it below!

Thanks for stopping by! We hope you had a not so manic Monday. <3

Love & xx's,

maQ + suz

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Fall Fashion with maQ!

Fall is around the corner and I can’t wait for my favorite season! I love getting cozy in sweaters and scarfs, reading by the fire (or an electric one/space heater if you’re missing the whole chimney factor), downing chai lattes and getting anything pumpkin spiced flavored down into my mouth. Stat! With Fashion Week going on, it's got me feeling more inspired and extra stylish! I'm always trying to keep my style simple yet sophisticated. My philosophy when it comes to fashion? Less is more! 

I love what I'm seeing with the current color trends. This season I’m seeing lots of richness in brown and purple tones. Think burgundy, maroon, cranberry, merlot, mahogany- sweet, earthy, but mysterious colors. A mixture of blues, yellows, nude and pink colors are also very prominent. Lots of soft blush colors. Today, I paired up my pink scarf with my blush-colored undertones in my makeup. It's probably my favorite tone during the Fall. It's feminine and fresh!

These Aldo heels are probably one of the few pairs of high heels that don't put me in immense pain and make me swear off of 'em for good! (Well, at least temporarily... women!) I love the nude color. It pairs up with pretty much anything and in any season too.

Awe! Seriously, though... isn't maQ the most adorable German Shepherd dog you could ever possibly meet?! I think it's pretty obvious how much I love him. He is such a model. I swear when I photograph him, he is more than eager to pose for me. maQ, America's Next Top 'Dog' Model! Ha ha! What a ham. He makes me happy every single day. I couldn't have asked for a better pooch.<3

I think maQ is more stylish than me! And he's got nothing but a collar on! ;)

We hope you all have a great start to your week!
Until next time...

Love & xx's,

maQ + suz

These Booties Are Made For Walking

WEARING: STEVEN MADDEN NOBLE STONE PEEP TOE SHOE BOOT | ESSIE NAIL POLISH

NAIL COLOR: NO MORE FILM

You keep saying, you got something for me...

TGIF! I'm really looking forward to the long holiday weekend. Even more so, I'm ready to break these pretty ladies in! Since last year, I've been really wanting a pair of peep-toe booties but something more on the neutral side; something I can wear day and night, keeping my style versatile. These chic Steve Madden booties are amazing! I got them from ASOS :)

Though I may be short, I'm not the type of girl who likes to run around in 5'' heels. I love how these are lower heels and are actually extremely comfortable!

For nail polish, I picked a darker blue hue to accentuate the soft colored shoes. It's Essie and the color is 'No More Film'. One of my favorite colors I use for Fall and Winter seasons. And can I just talk about the slingback part of the shoe? So much fun!

Wishing you all a lovely and restful Labor Day weekend! Until next time...

Love & xx's,

maQ + suz

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