An American Girl in Paris

April 26, 2017

WEARING: SAKU NEW YORK BLACK LAYERED BLOUSE |
 RHODA WONG BABY BLUE STRUCTURAL JACKET | BROWN HAT KOREA NAVY BLUE LACE HAT | 
GENUINE PEOPLE BELL BOTTOM CROP JEANS | LINEA PELLE SUEDE BUCKET BAG BLUE | 
UO BLACK PATTI LOW HEEL MULE

Happy Wednesday! The weather has been rainy and awfully gloomy here in New York City, so I'm bringing you Paris today! Just kidding, this shoot did take place in New York, but I bet I'd have you fooled if I told you I was in the La Ville-Lumière. And even though we're not in Europe, today's post is definitely Parisian-chic inspired!

Brown Hat is a Seoul-based hat brand with handcrafted hats inspired from classic designs, yet with a finishing touch of wit. The collections are defined by founder and designer Ji Hyang Park’s signature design in creating flexible and sometimes experimental silhouettes, and her mixture of use of the finest fabrics. The navy blue lace hat from this look is so great because I could wear this at a resort but at the same time, I could also be wearing the heck out of it in Paris! Brown Hat aims to offer timeless hats for men and women. Some hats are also available at NYC boutique, Dreams On Air.

Another talented emerging Korean designer is Lissa Koo, for saku. The motif for saku is both the chic New York sense and the easy, breezy West Coast atmosphere. While being a unique, never-seen-before style, saku offers clothes that are ready-to-wear and easily approachable for anyone. Pursuing both sportiness and femininity simultaneously, saku showcases silhouette apparel that greatly emphasizes woman’s beauty along with comfortable fabrics that allow easy movement. The black layered with white lace blouse is by Lissa, and is only one of many more pieces I just can't wait to show you in the next coming weeks! You can find some of her designs at DOA as well.

Last but not least is this crazy gorgeous jacket by Rhoda Wong. What makes Rhoda special is not just her age (which is twenty(!)) but her deep understanding of structural pieces when it comes to fashion. Aesthetically-pleasing with good detail playing on a variety of textures and materials, Rhoda's talent is off the charts! The baby blue oversized jacket is perfect for spring, Paris and/or both, plus more. It's a wonderful color with beautiful metal buckling and subtle yellow stitching on only on side of the jacket.

Watch these women closely, guys. I guarantee you will be hearing a lot more about these emerging designers in the coming years. Lastly, while shopping the look, please note some pieces are not available online yet and need to be inquired within. Have a great rest of your Hump Day!

LOVE & XX'S,

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Off to the Races

April 24, 2017

WEARING: ECHTEGO LACE DRESS | GUESS CARRIE BLACK SATIN PUMPS | 
BOOHOO MOCK CROC CLUTCH BAG

Do you guys remember the 'elevator' shoot from a few weeks ago? (Post link here.) If not, let me jog your memory. It was an editorial shoot with a navy blue dress by a great Korean designer, Sungmin Shim, for Echtego. I discovered her from a new showroom, Dreams On Air (DoA) here in New York City and was immediately attracted toward her style and collection. I love her designs so much, today's post is focusing on another beautiful piece from her 'Sentimental Vengeance' collection. And I will be telling you why I had to style this statement dress, not only because of it's aesthetic-gorgeousness.

I love when an object, whether a piece of clothing, a photograph, or a musical instrument can bubble certain memories/feelings toward the surface. It might be nostalgia or melancholy, perhaps both, with a tinge of hope, joy or fear (eek), but what I find so wonderful is its (objects) power to evoke sentiments we wouldn't have otherwise. And when I saw this black and white lace dress, it immediately drew me to my passion for Classical music. (Check out this dedicated post solely on that here!) You guys know I live for opera, but my first love when it comes to music is the Classical stuff. It's been in my life since my figure skating days, but something about the way it made me feel as I listened to it brought my attention to study it and learn from it. Nowadays, it's one of my main choices in music to listen to while writing. It keeps me centered and relaxed. Plus I just really love it. I just find it so incredible how an instrument can make you feel things you wouldn't feel from anywhere else, or with anyone else. Do I have any Classical music lovers out there?!

I used to go to the opera and the philharmonic like it was my religion, but I honestly haven't had the time to do so in a few years. Plus, I don't know many people (my age) that are as into it as I am. And that's perfectly fine, but damn I miss the hell out of it! And how lovely would this dress be for a night out for something like that? But I also think this dress also works well for the office or even attending a wedding! The tiny striped trim on the sides gives the lace dress a little bit more of a chill factor, as in easy and cool to wear. But I would really want to wear to this while doing something more on the fancier side. I feel confident and sexy in this number, so why not do something a bit more fun than just hitting the office in it? Have a great week, guys! :)

LOVE & XX'S,

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Echtego Manhwa

March 28, 2017

WEARING: ECHTEGO RICCARDO DRESS | ADIDAS NEO CLOUDFOAM SNEAKERS | 
GUCCI BELT | ADIDAS SOCCER SOCKS | ROSEGAL SILVER BEAD HOOPS

Rainy days in New York calls for indoor photo shoots! I've been sharing a lot of street style photos lately and as much as I know how much you guys enjoy those posts, I've also been wanting to raise the bar while continuing my journey in style & fashion and to push boundaries while keeping the editorial content high-end, edgy and fun. And since I've been heavily into Korean fashion (or K Fashion) lately, I was inspired to mix up a play on "manhwa" is the general Korean term for comics and print cartoons and high-fashion sportswear. Think Sailor Moon kicking ass in soccer or perhaps, a friendlier Gogo from Kill Bill minus the overkill schoolgirl look.

One of my favorite new designers is Sungmin Shim for echtego. echtego is the women's luxury sportswear between high and street fashion. Contemporary designs consist of unique and exquisite print, with the juxtaposition of contrast aesthetics and high quality. Characterized by classic cuts combined with an experimental approach to an electric mix of materials, I was immediately drawn to the super hip style designs. How gorgeous is this Riccardo Dress from the SS17 collection?! You can find this dress at www.echtego.com or at the Dreams On Air boutique here in New York City. I love the ruffle details both on the collar and dress itself. The navy blue color is so trendy right now (and after seeing the last Dior show I've become rather obsessed with the hue) that I even accessorized it with a navy blue Gucci belt and old-school over the knee Adidas socks. To also maintain a sporty and playful look, I wore my Adidas high-tops and put my hair in pigtails! What do you guys think of this shoot? Shop the look down below! :)

LOVE & XX'S,

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Kimchi Hummus

March 11, 2017

I'm so glad it's the weekend! In the past, I always worked on the weekends and would get up extremely early (we're talking 4:30am folks) just to get to where I needed to be on time. Now, if I had the chance to redo it all over again, would I go back and change anything? No. Would I still want to do that though given the choice? Nope. I bet some of you are wondering what it was that I did to put me in such strange circumstances. I was a figure skating coach on-and-off for ten years. I loved what I did, to the point of sacrificing much of my time for it for a good chunk of my life (I was also involved in the sport long before and trained seriously for also nearly ten years) but I love what I do now even more.

Weekends now are meant to be my downtime. Throughout the week there's shoots, meetings, events, edits, promos and let's not forget to mention the crazy amount of emails I have to go through on a daily basis. It's a constant hustle and I am not complaining in the least bit, but everybody needs to recharge their batteries and it's really good to make time for your loved ones. Healthy, even. So this is what I try to do on the two days at the end of each week. There is the occasional photo shoot or meeting that'll occur on the weekend. Last weekend I shot & styled 5 looks in one day because my main photographer, who is also my hubby, wasn't going to be available for a while due to work schedule conflicts and that's how I got sick... staying out in the cold too long freezing my butt off ha ha! Totally worth it, though.

Download Recipe

Kimchi Hummus

Serves 4-6

Ingredients:

16 ounces can chickpeas

¼ cups kimchi (napa cabbage chopped)

¼ cup tahini sauce

4 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

¼ cup water

Directions:

Add all the ingredients except kimchi a blender. Blend the ingredients on high until smooth. Add in chopped kimchi with juice, omit the juice if you want the hummus to have a thicker base. Serve with naan or pita bread.

But when I have more time I enjoy spending it at home. I love going out and exploring my city, but I love to cook and hang out with my boys. Because I've been so busy working on fresh, new fashion content for you guys (especially more on the regular lately and that it's all a one-person job - aside from my husband taking the photos) it's been rather crazy and I've had no room in my schedule to create more food content! And I know a lot of you have been missing new recipes so I'm going to try to do one once per week. We'll see how it goes and as much discipline as I have, life is unpredictable and I just have to go where the 'wind carries me'.

On a more delicious topic, can we all get an amen to kimchi hummus?! I LOVE hummus. The rich, creamy texture paired with yummy naan bread is one of my favorite snacks. Even with veggies, like carrot or celery sticks, it's healthy and tastes heavenly. I paired it with kimchi, it's tart acidic flavor blended wonderfully together with the hummus. What's the secret to getting the ultimate creamy hummus everyone wants? The dryer the chickpeas are before you blend them is the trick. I love spiciness so I added in kimchi juice, which is why my hummus's texture is a little more smooth. I also didn't blend the chopped kimchi with the other ingredients for the hummus.

I suggest blending the kimchi with the main ingredients if you want a creamier, paste-like texture to the hummus. I'm Korean and love kimchi and actually like the added punch it gives when you bite into it here and there. The grilled garlic naan bread goes really well with the kimchi hummus too. I didn't make the bread from scratch but you can get it at the store and grill it over the stove top or in a grill pan of some kind. I used my cast iron grill pan to give it a nice char, the smoky flavor is awesome with the garlic. I'm getting hungry again just talking about this! :) Hope you all have a nice weekend. I'll be back on Monday!

LOVE & XX'S,

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Cadieux – Say Yes To This Dress

March 6, 2017

WEARING: CADIEUX PARIS DRESS | VVA IVY CALF GREEN POUCH HANDBAG

THIS POST IS SPONSORED BY CADIEUX PARIS & VVA HANDBAGS.

Happy Monday loves! I've come down with a cold. I felt it coming on this weekend and I tried to fight it but unfortunately, the lil' bugger has gotten comfy and wants to stay a while longer. Nothing major but it has me sluggish, don't you hate that feeling when everything seems to take forever - as if you're moving in slow motion all day? My sinuses are killing me, but I continue to work because there's no other way to get it done. As many of you know I am the creative director, stylist, hair and makeup artist, and editor when it comes to all our fashion shoots here on MaQ + Suz. Every outfit post is carefully thought through and in the recent months, I've become extremely passionate again with fashion & style.

FUN FACT: When I was a little girl, around the age of 6 or 7 years old, I was completely obsessed with my mother's Korean fashion magazines. She didn't read the U.S. versions as Korean was her first language and anyone that knew my mother can attest to her eclectic style. She had very good taste and knew the difference between high quality and the rest of the bullshit that's put out there. I even used to be amazed at her estimation skills when we used to watch 'The Price is Right' together. She was peculiarly accurate and knew what everything cost. I really miss shopping with her where strangers used to constantly hit on her, even asking if we were sisters (which she LOVED since that meant she still looked like a teenager... thanks to those Korean genes, though, really! Ha ha!) We'd always make a pit stop to Mrs. Fields for their soft chocolate chip cookies afterward. It was one of our shopping rituals like all of us girls share with each other...

I looked up to my mom's personal style. So much so, and with the help of all those Korean fashion magazines, I started my own fashion magazine where I'd draw the models in a notebook and then label everything that they were wearing including the price on the side. I was just a kid when I did this but my parents found it to be so neat they had kept it through the years, but I lost it in a fire from my childhood home later on in my late teens. (Sounds brutal I know but it's not like the house completely burnt down or something worse like losing someone I love) But long story, I'm so happy to be where I am right now, here doing what I'm doing.. it just feels right.

When I saw this dress by Cadieux at the Manhattan Edité showroom, it immediately reminded me first, of course, Parisian flair, but secondly, my mother. I'm not sure why since it wasn't something either of us would wear on the regular, perhaps to a special occasion, yes, but for whatever reason ever since I spotted this beauty I've been thinking a lot about my mother. It's tough, even as a grown-ass woman, to not have your mother with you. (She passed away in 2005.) I can never describe how much I miss both of my parents, but my 'umma' has been on my mind. Instantly I wanted to style this dress just for her.

I do a lot of things in honor of my parents. Maybe it's because I'm still trying to prove something. Maybe I'm still trying to make them proud of me. But I don't care what the reason is. They drive me to be the crazy bad ass girl I know that I am (and not bad as in bad but bad as in good) and are a huge inspiration in my life. I inherited my mother's fiery passion and would be damned to burn that one out. I'm even starting to consider learning Korean because it's something my mother really wanted me to learn but as a youngster, I refused. I wish she didn't give me that decision but it's never too late, am I right?!

PHOTOS BY: GILLES DECAMPS