ShopStyle Early Spring Look

February 20, 2017

WEARING: H&M METALLIC BOMBER | FRENCH CONNECTION 3D FLORAL LACE PENCIL SKIRT | 
HALOGEN V NECK NAVY BLUE SWEATER | MEDUSA SOFI CROSSBODY BAG | 
EGO OFFICIAL VELVET BOOTS | VINTAGE BLUE NECKLACE

THIS POST IS SPONSORED BY SHOPSTYLE, H&M, FRENCH CONNECTION & MEDUSA BAGS.

It may be President's Day (correction, more like: NOT my President's Day) and still technically winter, but temps in New York City this past weekend have sky-rocketed and we have definitely fallen into the deadly trap we all know to be called 'spring fever'. I'm definitely not complaining since it got quite cold during fashion week!

The past two seasons of NYFW I had the pleasure of attending Shop Style's amazing event, where many other bloggers/influencers get together and catch up over fun festivities like personalized accessories, illustrations, cocktails + bites, and the best part? Getting to choose a few pieces to style into your wardrobe! And since the weather's warmed up drastically I opted for transitional pieces you still can wear during the winter. I went for this oversized H&M metallic silver bomber because I'm a big fan of the oversize trend. But less is more in this case. You don't want to be wearing everything oversized... it'll give you no shape and in turn, you'll only look like you're wearing a massive potato sack of some kind. I usually go with one oversized piece in a look and style it from there. That's why this 3D floral lace pencil skirt from French Connection goes perfectly with the silver jacket. It gives me a silhouette and how pretty is the periwinkle color?! A definite favorite hue in the blue family.

Accessories include my ultimate go-to velvet boots from Ego Official. The purple always gets me feeling extra snazzy when wearing 'em. :) The gorgeous white crossbody bag is from MeDusa. Run by two talented Israeli designers, they are bringing innovative textiles into the mix. I can tell you right now, they are going to take the fashion industry by storm! Keep an eye out for them... stay tuned for more upcoming coverage from NYFW! I did A LOT so there are two more posts coming your way. Another recap of several shows and last but not least, all my outfits and events I attended too! Catch y'all very soon! Happy Monday!

LOVE & XX'S,

SHOP THE LOOK

French Connection 3D Floral Lace Pencil Skirt

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NYFW Backstage with Aveda – Hellessy, Tibi, Public School & Tome

February 18, 2017

HELLESSY

Backstage makeup vibes at the Hellessy AW2017 show at Highline Studios in New York City, Aveda Artist, Janell Geason, used NEW Aveda Petal Essence™ Face Accents in Seychelles Sand (infused with aromatic floral notes) to illuminate and contour cheekbones in a more natural-looking way and NEW Aveda Nourish-Mint™ Smoothing Lip Color in Coral Sands (with a certified organic peppermint and vanilla aroma) to give lips a warm, soft peachy color. Definitely such a fresh, dewy look!

TIBI

Aveda Artist, Frank Rizzieri, created thick, healthy and face-framing hair for the TIBI AW2017 show –inspired heavily by menswear – held at Skylight Modern in New York City. Aveda Thickening Tonic) with a pure-fume™ aroma with certified organic rosemary, geranium, cinnamon) helped expand strands from root to tip, while Damage Remedy™ Split End Repair sealed ends instantly. No matter the length, each model had full and super plush strands. (Not to mention the tonic spray is my favorite Aveda hair product! Keeps my new fringe bangs intact without the hassle!)

PUBLIC SCHOOL

Aveda Artist, Allen Ruiz, created weightless body and volume for the Public School AW2017 show held at a packed Milk Studios in New York City. Aveda Phomollient™ Styling Foam (with a pure-fume™ aroma with certified organic peppermint, ylang-ylang, bergamot) helped make the most out of what each model had already without weighing the hair down. The bigger the better.

Male models received matte texture with a pliable hold from Aveda Artist, Allen Ruis. All-star Aveda Control Paste™ (with a pure-fume™ aroma with certified organic ylang-ylang, clove and clary sage) was worked into dry hair for a loose and piece-y high texture style.

TOME

Aveda Global Creative Director Antoinette Beenders honed in on natural hair textures to create an array of individual styles for the Tome AW2017 show – celebrating confident, strong women – held at Clarkson Square in New York City. Dry Remedy™ Daily Moisturizing Oil was used to instantly add moisture and bring hair back to life. The sleek ponytails and curly styles were then set with Air Control™ Light Hold Hair Spray featuring the Pure-Fume™ aroma with certified organic lavender, bergamot and palmarosa. And one of my favorite makeup looks from this fashion week was their simple white-lined eyeliner. Minimal yet extremely powerful. Just gorgeous!

LOVE & XX'S,

FOLLOW MAQ + SUZ

NYFW DAY 1 – Nicholas K, Desigual & Erin Fetherston

February 14, 2017

NICHOLAS K

Their clothes are a style often referred to as "urban nomad" and clearly, reflect the brother/sister duo's viewpoint. Last year, I took notice of their collection which included white silk parachute fabric and I've been crazy in love with their designs since. But this past week, on the first day of fashion week here in New York, I had the pleasure to attend their show! And for their new collection to be the first show on my list?! I couldn't tell you how excited I was! The show was completely hip hop 90s inspired with much attention to the political militancy of that period... hello, berets! Velvet continues to make an appearance along with metallics and lots of wraps. Layering like a ninja, on point! Overall, the show had lots of attitude and power.

DESIGUAL

Spanish New Wave & the California rock scene resonated in their bold pieces like military jackets, animal prints, checkerboards, lots of buttons, transparent skirts, wide belts and punk-variated boots that would've been so dope to trudge through the snow in on that particular day! We got about a foot of snow in the city, and it can be too much for some people (I know a few girls who chose to skip out on the storm and stayed cozy at home) but I'm from the Midwest and I don't mind the winter at all. The floral runway was too adorable and complemented perfectly with the collection's fun and vibrant show. It definitely brightened my wet, cold snowy day! And how amazing is the eye makeup?! :)

ERIN FETHERSTON

Fresh, feminine and all about the empowerment of women. Think Romanticism and ethereality meet soft tailoring in rich hues of burgundy, indigo, olive, and blush pink. I love the added balance of the pantsuit to the collection along with more use of textures in her dresses. It's a nice touch for the more confident woman who isn't as girly. Fringe was used in almost everything from the hairstyle in bangs to the long thin scarves and dresses. The metallic gold slides were chic and very boho. I especially loved when Erin came out with the rest of the models, joined hand in hand with nothing but smiles and applause down the runway. A lovely show.

Photos by © Suzanne Spiegoski

LOVE & XX'S,

FOLLOW MAQ + SUZ

They Don't Call It The Big Apple For Nothing

February 13, 2017

WEARING: ASSEMBLY NEW YORK STANDARD BLACK BELT COAT | 
ZAFUL LACE PANEL CUT OUT KNITTING DRESS | AE DISTRESSED DENIM | 
DRESS LILY FRUIT SHAPED ZIP AROUND CROSSBODY BAG | 
STEVE MADDEN BLACK ANKLE BOOTS

THIS POST IS SPONSORED BY ZAFUL & DRESS LILY.

NYFW has taken the city by storm, literally. And I'm having way too much fun. It has by far, been the best season I've experienced, in more ways than you'll ever know and I cannot wait to share everything about it with you guys! If you follow me on Facebook or Instagram, you may already have had a little sneak peek into my New York fashion week adventures. :)

On Day 1 of fashion week, I was photographed outside the shows by WWD & Getty Images. Not a shabby start, am I right? I also attended three back-to-back shows that day which will be coming up next on the blog! Last season, I compiled all my experiences into one post, but this time around and with my blog's focal point being toward fashion + style as of late, I definitely have a TON of NYFW content coming your way. And a lot of my experiences are first-time, so I'm really excited to get it up and ready for you!

About the look - been wearing my favorite black belt coat again by Assembly New York. The knitting dress by Zaful has a lace panel with cut-outs on the sleeves, which I styled with an old pair of AE distressed denim jeans and my latest pair of black boots by Steve Madden. But the apple to many eyes? This gorgeous fruit shaped zip around crossbody bag by Dress Lily. If you guys haven't checked Dress Lily out, you should. They really have great quality items at an affordable price.

LOVE & XX'S,

SHOP THE LOOK

Assembly New York Standard Black Belt Coat

Dress Lily Fruit Shaped Zip Around Crossbody Bag

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Military Latte

February 8, 2017

NYFW is one day away and when it comes to maintaining the energy of a marathon runner, I've been drinking a whole lot of what's called a military latte. Originally created in Japan and then onto Chicago, I stumbled upon an article a couple of years back about the interesting coffee concoction.

Named for its camo-like surface, the drink is made up of a matcha latte, cocoa powder, espresso and vanilla syrup. I know sometimes it is made with white chocolate but since I'm trying to avoid sugar (I think it's the culprit behind my breakouts) I opted it out of the ingredients when it came to making my own version of it!

I would love to be one of those cool people that can create latte art such as beautiful leaves, hearts, unicorns and more. They even do 3d art now which is so amazing! This is my first attempt at any kind of latte art and I have to say it's not all that bad! What do you guys think? I also used a larger matcha bowl for aesthetic purposes. The green brings a nice accent with the dusting of the matcha powder.

DOWNLOAD RECIPE

Military Latte

Serves 1

(Matcha green tea latte, cocoa powder and espresso)

Ingredients:

6 tablespoons coffee/espresso.

1 1/2 tablespoons matcha green powder

12 ounces milk

1 tablespoon vanilla syrup

dash of cocoa powder

Directions:

Mix espresso, matcha and vanilla syrup together.
Add warm steamed milk.
Sprinkle a dash of matcha and cocoa powder on top to decorate.

What's your energy booster as of late? Are you more of a coffee or a tea drinker? I love both which is why I had the idea to blend both worlds together, to begin with. You can definitely say my cooking is definitely focused on fusion cuisine! I can't wait to share more food content, but fashion week starts tomorrow so stay tuned for lot more content on that for the next couple of weeks! So much more to come, I can't WAIT to share with you what I'll be doing in the next couple of months!