Wined, Cheesed, Partied; 7 Easy Pieces: Finale!!!

I bought this top last December and it’s the only thing i think for which I have, gladly, paid full price. It sold out so quickly that one week later i was glad i had snatched it. An old trick that grandma showed me is to wear a cardigan backwards. In this case, it is a sequined sweater shell and i think it makes the sequins more special because they are hidden when i put on a jacket.

This challenge has been so eye opening. Amidst all the stuff that our consumerist culture encourages, I realized that that a girl does not really need that much. Of course is nice to get nice things. I love things! But there is much more to fashion and styling than “stuff”. It is a great unifying attitude and a sensibility that we all can have regardless of where we are from, what we are and what we have.

Este desafío me ha abierto los ojos bien. En medio de las cosas que acumulamos las aficionadas de la moda, animadas por la cultura consumerista, me doy cuenta de que una no necesita muchas cosas. Por supuesto que es agradable tener y comprar cosas bonitas. ¡Amo las cosas preciosas! Quien no? Pero hay más en la moda y el estilo que la simple “materia”. La moda y el estilo son una actitud y una sensibilidad que unen a todos porque todos podemos tenerlos sin importar de donde somos, donde vivimos ni lo que poseemos.

Walking around downtown's exhibits

The ballet was so much fun last night! The story line was really comedic and the little kids in it were so funny! Two little girls seemed to have forgotten the steps and started pushing the other ones. So cuute!

This morning was so fun too. There are a handful of cool exhibits downtown. The people at the galleries were very laid back and talkative. Loved the walk around downtown. I promise pictures and interviews coming soon!
The wool in this hunter green vintage skirt is so thick but breathable. It was mid calf length and i just had to make an asymmetrical cut on the bottom and sew a bit of a tulip hem. Now it is so unusual-looking in real life... Very much to my liking!

7 Easy Pieces: To the ballet!

Tucson is so full of surprises. There are so many cool things to do downtown and on 4th Avenue. The place is full of small businesses, international restaurants, and a really relaxed attitude, compared to the Northeaster cities. Tucson is a college town and most businesses rely on the college kids for survival. There is also a little ballet school that hosts performances at the center for the blind and the deaf. A friends invited me and my date to a performance of Aladdin =) It was so much fun and so funny! We were all laughing at one point or another. I was, however worried for the girl playing as a peacock and her little ankles. She danced so beautifully, but she was put on too early for pointe, which may hurt her ankles. There were so many adorable children in it!

Last Minute Errands

What a day!
So I ended up on a last minute ticket to go meet him in Arizona. And also a succulent dinner at nice Brazilian steakhouse in Phoenix, "Fogo e Brasa". So fun! So sweet of him..I guess. I thus had to spend all day and night running last minute errands, preparing luggage, and planning for future dates for us in Tucson.
That means running all over Boston and Cambridge before my flight too. 3 hours of sleep= Huuge sunglasses, lots of OJ, and a scarf that doubles as a blanket.
Too bad my brother was coming to visit this week. I’ll try and get the brother down here for his first trip to the Grand Canyon and maybe California and St. Louis…. We’ll see what we can do :)
Running around any city makes a girl thirsty. It was so strange, I could not find a place with fresh juice, except for Whole Foods. Even my favorite latin restaurant that serves the freshest “aguas frescas” was out.
I passed plenty of wonderful little shops, while running errands in the city. I found the prettiest Rebecca Taylor aqua dress on sale and a pair of Manolos that were my size. Ah, but i refused to carry anything more than my 1-month wardrobe carry-on. I was already carrying the 7 packages to mail that I sold on the shop 1 and the shop 2.

Wednesday's Last Minute Trip

The belt is actually 2 really old belts that i got for free at the church’s thrift store. One did not wrap around my waist well, so i used 2. What do you think?

Trenched Tuesday

This is the second day of the wardrobe challenge. I'm felling the pressure, but we are one day closer to a freer travel wardrobe. Can we reduce our packing list to only 7 pieces? It would be nice to have an idea of travel bag prepared for last minute trips.

Monday: Meetings

Today is the first day of the 7 Easy Pieces stylingh challenge. I will attempt to live off only 7 pieces of clothing for a week, that includes shoes, but not jewelry and accessories.

7 Easy Pieces: One Week Wardrobe

Whether you are commuting for a long weekend or going way for a week, it is extremely important to pack efficiently. You will be grateful once you get to your destination and everything works to a stylish result.
I always get swept away with the prospects of what to take in terms of wardrobe. Overpacking “just in case” is almost as sad as it is when i find out that I’m missing something necessary, like sunglasses or a jacket. I always end up lugging a whole load of stuff that seemed like a good idea until it gets to the final destination. Then it’s just stuff that I end up mailing back, like velvet platforms, tiny cocktail dresses, and 2 pairs of sneakers (seriously lady, 2?). And I feel like someone made me carry stuff for no reason — myself.
A lot of us college students and travelers need to figure out our best combination of travel-friendly, versatile, light, packable pieces that would actually be useful wherever out destiny takes us. Here are some things that seem to travel well, from season to season and from one activity to the next. For winter I will add cozy boots, a furry lining, and some cashmere. For summer, I’ll trade the trench for a sheer cardigan, add a swimsuit, flat sandals or jellies, and a pair of wedges.
This all fits in a large purse, which is needed if you go from, say, Cambridge to NY or Chicago or DC on a $15 bus ride.
I will be posting outfits from this and try it out. Please comment and let me know your ideas, suggestions, and intrigue, or support.
Burberry Khaki Trench Coat
WD-NY Gleamy Beige Wideleg Silk Linen Pants
Re-Made Vintage Hunter Green Wool Skirt
J.Crew Putty Gold Sequin Merino Vest w Chiffon Trim
J.Crew White Pinstriped French Cuff Button Down Men's Shirt
EasySpirit Gold tennis shoes
Cole Haan / Nike Air Snake beige classic pumps

Summer Festival in White Suburbia!!

Well, I wish! I missed out on the Apple festival last weekend for being sick, and healing, etc. But tomorrow will be such a sweet, bright day! My sister and I are going to the Farmer’s Market. Wohoo!

We used to go to the farmers market every Saturday back in the city. They always have all sorts of delicious natural preserves and apple crisps and pies, and the freshest fruits. Food’s just too good to not be happy about it. And people are always nicer to you there when you wear white, for some reason.
Besides, let’s face it, summer fashion can be a little lackluster glamourwise. There are less layers, less accessories, and the priority tends to lean toward avoiding the sweltering feeling of a heat bomb instead of looking fabulous. While I enjoy the focus on practicality and the liberation from the world of fashion, it is always nice to have something that’s impeccably chic and full of cool details.






Also, on a somewhat unrelated topic, these Nike Air for Kenneth Cole pumps are so comfortable, that i keep forgetting that I’m wearing heels. Seriously, when did i buy comfort shoes? So much for saving them for job and med-school interviews. It's kinds hard not to wear them to go pretty much anywhere.
¡Eso quisiera, que haya un festival! El Festival de las Manzanas, en este pueblo, fue el fin de semana pasado y me lo perdi por estar malita. No obstante, mañana sera un bello dia. Mi hermana y yo iremos al mercado de granjeros. Soliamos ir mas a menudo cunado viviamos en NY. Ahora esta muy lejos.
Tienen siempre todo tipo de Mermeladas, hojuelas de mazana, y empanadas naturales de deliciosa fruta, ademas tienen las frutas más frescas y lor jabones de olor mas olorosos.
Pues, si, pacece que se me enamora por la barriga porque me encanta comer. Por alguna razon, la gente en el mercado es mas gentil cuando uno viste de blanco. Hmmm, no entiendo que tiene eso que ver con la gentileza.
Tambien me encuentro que el verano puede ser un poco deslustrado en terminos de glamor. Hay menos ropa, menos accesorios, y la prioridad tiende a ser el evitar el calor en vez de ser super glamoroso y elegante. Si, disfruto del enfoque y la prioridad en lo práctico y de la liberación del mundo de la moda. No obstante, es siempre agradable tener alguna cosita que sea impecable, elegante y llena de detalles frescos.
Un poco fuera de tema Nike Air ha creado una linea de calzado para Kenneth Cole? Son comodisimos. Tanto que me olvido que llevo tacones cuando voy caminando por la ciudad. Compre estos para las entrevistas de trabajo y de entrada a la facultad medica. Pues, he terminado por ponermelos a diario y todavia se ven ingualitos.

Baby, It's Hot Outside

I was looking for something a little fancy to throw over jeans and sandals for pretty much any styling emergency. It has to be airy, but have enough coverage for riding around in bicycles, and bare enough for night parties and live music concerts. It sill has to be very comfortable in case we have to fly, bus, and/or drive, and i must be able to sleep in it and look presentable for meeting people the next day.
Why?
Well, I'm planning a few months in Arizona (and Mexico!!) before school starts again this fall. Half the fun for me is planning the airy, flirty, and totally first-impression worthy wardrobe needed for when visiting friends and friends’ families’ homes. The wardrobe has to last for a month or two and fit in my carry-on. Lugging bags is so not fun! Not even when cute guys offer to help. It’s like a puzzle -- a totally entertaining challenge.
I know, this is a long wishlist… but found precisely that in this little Ella Moss babydoll candidate! Aside from being pretty much the only way i can wear yellow without looking like a banana, it’s so soft! And it’s reversible too.
I have it on with a slightly dressier pair of 7 for All Mankind Ginger jeans and some perfectly oversized shades by Kenneth Cole (who also happens to make some comfortable office shoes).
He estado planeando visitar Arizona (y México!!) por unos meses antes de que la escuela comience en el otono. La mitad de la diversion es planear el guardarropa. Detesto viajar con maleta. Un bulto de mano tiene que bastar asi me vaya hasta el fin del mundo.
Casa pieza debe ser fresca, coqueta, y totalmente apropiada para hacer buenas primeras impreciones. Ademas, todo debe quedar bien para cuando pasemos a las casas de mis amigos y sus familias. Buscaba algo facil de poner con pantalones vaqueros y sandalias para cualquier emergencia estilistica.
Estoy contenta de haber encontrado esta blusa baby-doll de veraneo. Aparte de ser bonita, Es la única forma que puedo usar amarillo sin parecer un plátano maduro =P
Y es es tan suave! Es fresca, pero tiene bastante cobertura para ponerme mientras ando en bicicleta (que no se me vea mucho escote), pero suficientemente abierta para is a fiestas y fogatas en la noche y a conciertos de música en vivo. Oh, y debo poder dormir con la misma ropa en caso de se presente que tengamos q pasar la noche en casa de alguiene pero verse presentable al proximo dia.
¡Lo sé! Parece mision imposible… pero encontré exacto lo que buscaba con esta blusita baby-doll de Ella Moss.
!Y es reversible también!.
Ves, con esfuerzo y suerte, es posible conseguir lo que una quiere.

Origin of the Trends

With summer peeking it’s sexy head, who doesn’t want to bring their airiest tops and sheeny accessories? I’ve been so ready to bring out this shredded top since last fall (when i made it). It is a kid’s size M and was meant as an undershirt for my sweaters. But it tight and could ride up any second. One of my Puerto Rican friends from school, who is really into hip-hop, was wearing something similar after rehearsal. She told me to bring it to dinner. This was perfect to do when waiting for the laundry and while watching House MD!
Lots of people have caught on to this cool trend, and its origins are even cooler. Ripped, cut, and tied trends have been around since the early 80s or even earlier thanks to Hip Hop. Kids needed stylish and fresh fashion to get street cred but they could not always afford much more than tees, jeans, one or two pairs of sneakers, and shoe-laces. Lots of the tees used to have shoe laces too (think Spring 2005 Marc Jacobs =)
Oh, why I love the grass roots.
Con el verano sexy acercandose ¿A quien no le dan deseos de sacar sus franelas mas frescas y accesorios mas lustrosos de los baules?
He estado lista para poner a la luz esta franela destrozada desde otoño pasado (cuando la hice). Es de talla mediana… de ninos. Se suponia que fuese una franela para ponerme bajo mis abrigos, pero me quedaba tan apretadita que no me sirvio ni para ese proposito.
A una de mis amigas puertorriqueñas de la uni, le gusta mucho el baile de hip-hop, y llevaba puesto algo similar después de uno de sus ensayos de baile. Le pregunte como la hizo, y me dijo que le traiga una franela esa noche a la hora de la cena. Pues destrozar y desmaranar esta franela fue el pasatiempo perfecto mientras esperaba que se lave la ropa y mientras miraba my programa favorito, "House M.D.".
Este verano, las franelas destrozadas han alcanzado gran popularidad por ser una tendencia interesante. Lo que muchos no saben es que sus origenes son a un mas interesantes. Los t-shirts rasgados, cortados, y amarados son una tendencia que ha existido desde, por lo menos, los anios 80s gracias a la cultura del Hip Hop. Los chicos y chicas de esas eras necesitaban vestirse con estilo y frescura para que los respeten un poco en la calle. El problema era que no siempre les quedaba presupuesto para comprarse más que franelas, pocos los pantalones vaqueros, uno o dos pares de zapatillas deportivas, y cordones. Pues, alguinos de las franelas se hacien blusas y las hacian con cordones de zapato (No te recuerda a la coleccion de verano de Marc Jacobs 2005? )
Oh, como amo los origenes de las cosas.
Mucha gente desprecia a la cultura del hip hop, algunos por no saber, y otros por prejuiciosos. Pero el hip hop es el origen de muchas pasarelas de moda a las cuales los mismos que no entienden el hip hop, aplauden y visten creyendo que el inventor fue el disenador de la pasarela. =)

I’ve had the biggest crush on Lenny Kravitz since I was 12 years old. I still watch his videos and never finish listening to the songs because I still get distracted just staring at that gorgeous, gorgeous man (in my head, anyways) . Oh I could caress those beautiful tresses and talk for hours…
..Ehem…
Zoe Kravits, however, is todays inspiration, or anti inspiration... She also happens to be superbly good-looking. More relevantly, she was featured on WWD article, "Unfussy Florals". While her look is is not super original, or signature, or unexpected, it caught some attention and made me want to argue with it. Being endlessly contrarian, I wanted those florals to be very fussy, with some capital letters! In fact, I played the fussiest songs online and started being fussy myself for the camera. That's right! Haha. Well, here is some evidence. =)

Me ha gustado mucho Lenny Kravitz desde que tenia apenas 12 anios. Todavia empiezo a ver sus videos y nunca termino de escuchar las canciones por distraerme con lo buenmozo que es (en mi gusto, de todos modos). Si pudiese acariciar esos bellos rizos y hablariamos por horas..

Ejem..

Pues, la inspiracion (o anti-inspiracion) de hoy, es su hija, Zoe Kraviz. Es supremamente una belleza como su padre. Mas relevantemente, ella fue tema de un articulo de moda en WWD, titulado "floridos in-quisquillosos". Aunque su atuendo no es super original, ni clasico, y tampoco muy creativo, llama mucho la antencion. Instantaneamente lo contradije, sindo contrarista al fin. Quise que esos floridos sean mayusculamente quisquillosos y feroces. Puse las canciones mas audaces en el ordenador y empece a actuar quisquillosa para la camara! Jajaja. Pues aqui esta la evidencia del acontecer.

Perhaps it is not consumerism that makes people want shoes. We don't necessarily want to buy them just because they're there. There is a lot of detail that goes into selecting a pair. It may feel like walking into a gallery and carefully choosing a piece of art. The icing on the cake is that sometines one can even afford it!

The year before I decided to do high school in New York, my boyfriend was an Italian-Dominican 17-yo painter. He and I used to go to art libraries in between school and art exhibits. Walking into one of his and his dad's exhibits had the same feeling as walking into the coolest boutique, I would later discover. A year later, the Guggenheim exhibits still evoked the same feelings as the Marni boutiques. Shoes are art. A piece's functionality does not need to take any artistic value away. Sometimes function is merely a byproduct of the art.

The other day, I went by the Jimmy Choo store near copley and I swear there was a pair like these. Except, these are actually affordable by college women who will not be done with school for the next 9 years.

I’ve been drooling about and ogling these since they showed first their gorgeous selves in a boutique storefront. There is so much art to shoes that nothing else can really accomplish. Sam Edelman considered every detail in these stilettos. These are feminine, edgy and ladylike, but still tough and sexy. The heavily studded Grecian T-strap features gorgeous metallic golden bronze copper piping and a sleek tapered heel. It is art how the heel sits toward the arch. I thought the several belt straps at the ankle would be inconvenient, but there’s a back zipper too!!!m The rear zipper makes it extra easy to take on and off. It’s also so sexy!

Every time I put these on, it makes me want to seduce somebody ;) !

My Blushing A+O and Butter!

The other day I got lost in cambridge! It was the most swesome thing. It was not on schedule to inadvertently meet a group of Italian tourits at a tiny ice-cream cafe and ending up giving them a 40min tour in my butchered Italian. It was also not on schedule to meet "the one". Not what you're thinking about!

It occurs to some of us that getting off the T randomly and walking southwest on the River street is a good idea... This time, it was! There are strings of multinational little restaurants, really reasonably priced and so many nice little shops. One of my favorites shops in the northeast is Second Time Around. Why? Aside from reducing the need to produce things, thus saving the planet, It is where I meet the likes of "the one". No, not boys- that's just silly. It was this Super sofffft, buttery, leather motorcycle jacket I had been in much want of. This one is just so special with these gorgeous detailing but it's still lightand cool bad girl in a sophisticated way. I've been wearing it literally every day at some point in the day. When the (really stylish and bilingual) shop girl introduced us, the Encore piece and myself were owl-eyed with recognition. I squinted and it said M, when I am XS. But it liked me back! It fit perfectly! Just the one. We felt like we've known each other for years. So unique and interesting and still so ladylike and tough.

The butter to that Alice + Olivia little white smocked dress i've refused to part with. It's sold out and a girl offered to buy it off me on the street for $400.00. It was too me to let it go with the pretty store owner lady. Here's me goofing off in the ensemble =P

Freshman year, this party-girl really stuck out in conservative Ivy school. The un-preppy outfits and wild curls went along with frequently getting on the stage with which ever live band was playing that night. No kidding. A good song will do it. And this is the ultimate song for getting on stage with the band!

Beverly Hills... That's where I want to be! (gimme, gimme)
Living in Beverly Hills...
Beverly Hills... Rolling like a celebrity! (gimme, gimme)
Living in Beverly Hills...

Look at all those movie stars
They're all so beautiful and clean
When the housemaids scrub the floors
They get the spaces in between

I wanna live a life like that
I wanna be just like a king
Take my picture by the pool
Cause I'm the next big thing

WeArIng And Free

Beauty, fashion, and style are always around us, and there are those who make it like air for everyone to breathe in. Those are the ones who are taking the art from the elite money-making groups and freeing it for themselves. Those people are the free.

Generally, the most stylish people do not seem to be following any rules or trends. They become trendsetters because others want to follow and be like them, which, frankly, is easier than risking criticism from conformist friends and acquaintances. This post is dedicated to the beautiful unusuals like this gorgeous, awesome woman from garance dore. Your turban and star/porcupine earrings make me happy.



She is the inspiration for today's narrative.

I currently live in a rather gloomy, drab, suburban town. This is typical north-east suburbia. People seek to blend in and everyone drives their vans even down the street. You're in for a fun ride if you love sequins, silks, furs, layers, cashmere, asymetry, studs, super curly curls, high heels and the likes. Yesterday I wore the usual little Poleci halter, skinny jeans, the Sam Edelman sandals and a vintage Burberry trench. People at the store and at the flea market looked at me like I was crazy. Frankly, devil may care. Personal style is free. It does not belong to a particular mentality or industry. And that dress is so fun! I got it dirt cheap in Boston and the trench i got from an little old lady for whom I volunteered. Thanks Miss Jeane!!

The trench picture is a moschino, but mine is just like it. I'll take so many pics when my new camera gets here! Agh, can't wait. Here's the rest of the outfit:

What is Style?

Coco Chanel once said, "Fahion is made to become unfashionable." While fashion and style are functional products of art, from drawing to sewing, clothing garments are not always so. Consider the fleeting nature of trends. Those are designed to fill the Prada wallets of some and to empty those of everyone else. If fashion were to remain fashionable, those nice wallets would be thinner. That craze is a mixture of is mass group psychology and good capitalism... not the art to which i refer.

A mindlessly produced under-tee, though a timeless object, may not be art. Yet, that doesn't mean that an "of-the-moment-craze" in fashion is either. Style and Fashion are art the same way that a Vincent van Gogh, a Warhol, or a though-out Lanvin shoe is art. It is not meant to become unfashionable. Rather, it is someone's interpretation of the world and of themselves. Use your own environment, insticnt, ideasn and emotions, and interpreting them into a canvas, using paint, pencils, fabrics, clothes, shoes or even pieces of plastic. Yes, great movies, the runways, and celebrities can be good sources of inspiration. However, art is true to the artist. Do not forget to be true to yourself. Try not to let the media decide what you like. After all, style is insticnt... dressed in practicality.

-- The girl who wants to raid the atelier's closets