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Hard times arouse an instinctive desire for authenticity.

Coco Chanel

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Last Days of Winter 

With spring just around the corner and the dreaded “spring forward” time change happening later this week, I know that my winter wardrobe’s days are numbered; however, as wiser folks before me have said, it’s not over until it’s over! 

A few days ago, Southern California was treated to rain and daytime temperatures in the low 50s, which may not sound like winter weather to most, but here on the West Coast that’s about as close as it gets to a winter wonderland. To celebrate the occasion, and to give my faux shearling coat a final spin before it goes back into storage, I put together this casual look using some of my current wardrobe favorites, as well as some tried and true staple pieces. Now, am I the only one wishing that winter would stick around for just a little bit longer, or is everyone ready for spring and the warmer weather ahead? 

What I’m Wearing

Beanie and Coat: ASOS Sunglasses: Custom Ray-Ban Aviators Shirt: Abercrombie and Fitch Cardigan: Amazon Fashion Trousers: Uniqlo  Shoes: Converse 

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You can have it all. Just not all at once.

Oprah Winfrey

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Party Like It’s Hakan Akkaya FW19

If I wasn’t at home in my pajamas dealing with a final gift from 2019, which came in the form of a massive headache that will surely become a full blown cold, I’d like to imagine that I’d be out celebrating the last few hours of the decade while wearing something inspired by Hakan Akkaya’s FW19 collection. Fueled by glitter, spikes, sky-high platforms and dramatic silhouettes, Hakan Akkaya’s 1970s glam rock inspired collection is perfectly suited for a sold out arena tour, or a night out for those living life on the wild side. Not only was attending this show the perfect ending to our fashion week trip, but, even after all these months, it remains a highlight in our year. 

Photos by Elvia Gobbo

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Black, White, and Red Allover 

I’m a big fan of the musical Newsies, and I love reading the newspaper when I have the chance, but the title of this post has nothing to do with the fun riddle that uses the homophones “red” and “read” to throw people off from recalling that newspapers are indeed black and white and read allover. My inspiration for the title is much more literal: my outfit is black and white, and my torn up feet turned nearly every pair of socks I wore red—including the ones under my Calvin Klein combat boots. Normally, I’d blame the shoes for doing me wrong, but this time I can only blame myself for wearing new shoes and deciding to break them in during fashion week.

What I’m Wearing

Coat: ASOS Sweater: New Look Pants: Uniqlo Boots: Calvin Klein Sunglasses: Ray-Ban Backpack: Amazon 

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Oxford Fashion Studio Fall/Winter 2019 New York Fashion Week FW19

Images Courtesy of The Riviere Agency

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Son Jung Wan Fall/Winter 2019 New York Fashion Week FW19

Images courtesy of Deborah Hughes Inc.

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NYFW: Day Three

Recapping an event six months after it happened is totally normal, right? Didn’t think so, but hey, it was worth a shot! With New York City just hours away from kicking off the spring/summer 2020 edition of fashion month, I’ve officially run out of time to finish my recap from last season. While I must admit that it feels strange—and borderline pointless—to be tying up loose ends now, being the kind of person that I am, it would feel even more strange to leave something unfinished. So bare with me as I wrap things up, and please try not to judge me too harshly for being the world’s worst fashion blogger.   

Let’s see, what do I remember most from day three of New York Fashion Week? Aside from the fashion, the most memorable thing from day three was how beautiful of a day it was, despite it being the coldest day of the week. Sunny enough for my darkest sunglasses, but cold enough for a layered look, I know many people consider April 25 to be the perfect date (if you don’t know the reference, we can’t be friends), but to me, February 9 felt pretty damn perfect. And to add to it all, Son Jung Wan’s runway show was an absolute blast! Bold prints, luxe textures, and lots and lots of sparkle, Son Jung Wan’s FW19 collection gave the crowd plenty to cheer about. One show down and two showcases to go, day three started off with a bang! Not wanting a beautiful day to go to waste, Francisco and I decided to walk from Spring Studios all the way up to Pier 59 for our next two events. 

While the convenience of the subway and the comfort of an Uber or taxicab may feel like no-brainer ways to get around the city, if time and the weather permit it, walking is always our go-to mode of transportation. Iconic film locations, celebrity hideaways, and a ton of other hidden and not so hidden gems line the streets of New York—if a career in fashion doesn’t pan out, perhaps Francisco and I can become sight-seeing tour guides! Arriving to Pier 59 Studios with plenty of time to spare before the two Oxford Fashion Studio showcases, Francisco and I were escorted to our seats where we patiently waited for the first showcase to begin. Right off the bat we saw some pretty amazing pieces. From accessories to evening gowns, a bit of everything was shown on the Oxford Fashion Studio runway. Exhausted from a full day of fashion (and walking), after the shows we headed back to our hotel in the East Village, but not before going on a quest for the perfect dinner! 

I already have a difficult time when it comes to deciding what and where to eat, but when I happen to be in a city where pretty much every option is available, making up my mind is nearly impossible. Francisco and I began the process of elimination with a mutual agreement of not wanting anything too fussy. While picking up a pizza from Bleecker Street Pizza wasn’t entirely out of the question, we had just done that the night before and wanted to change it up a bit. Not being able to make up our minds and getting closer and closer to hangry territory, we remembered that there was a macaroni and cheese restaurant near our hotel that we had spotted on our first night here. OMG, if you’re a fan of mac and cheese and you’re in the East Village, you have to go to S’MAC! I’m not kidding, I almost cried when I took a bite of their Philly Cheesesteak mac and cheese. Full from stuffing our faces with all of the ooey gooey goodness from S’MAC, we called it a night and turned in somewhat early. With one more event left in our fashion week schedule, going to sleep that night was bittersweet. 

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Spotted in Neon

The thought of wearing three trends at once would normally make my skin crawl, but I think we can all agree that neon, animal print, and pattern play work pretty well together. What do you guys think? I love it! Since we’re already on the subject, let’s talk a little bit more about these three trends. 

Neon is hands down the “it” trend of the moment. From sneakers and bags to full head-to-toe looks (hair included), people have really embraced this eye-catching trend. Personally, I prefer neon in small doses, but don’t let me rain on your electrifying parade. If looking like a highlighter is something that interests you, go for it! 

Another big trend is animal print. Even though it’s a little on the bold side, I consider leopard print to be a classic. Think about it, when was the last time that leopard print was considered a fashion no-no? Yeah, never. Other animal prints currently sharing the spotlight are snake skin, and—believe it or not—zebra.

I already talked about pattern play in a different post, but it is a major trend that I love and continue to see throughout fashion week. Basically, pattern play is all about combining different patterns in the same look. If the thought of doing this scares you, consider taking a classic pattern like glen plaid, and pairing it with a slightly more wild one (I chose leopard, but pretty much anything would work). 

Now, if none of these trends pique your interest, don’t worry! We all know that it’s only a matter of time before fashion shifts its focus on to something else. 

What I’m Wearing

Beanie: Amazon fashion Sunglasses: Ray-ban Coat: Bershka  Sweater: H&M Jeans: Asos Boots: Calvin Klein

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Nonie Fall/Winter 2019 New York Fashion Week FW19

Photo by Getty Images

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Fashion Hong Kong Fall/Winter 2019 New York Fashion Week FW19

Photo by Albert Urso/Getty Images for Fashion Hong Kong

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NYFW: Day Two

Sirens blaring, cars honking, people shouting—who needs an alarm clock when you're staying on the fourth floor of a building on a very busy intersection? Although you’d think that waking up to the cacophonous sounds of Manhattan’s East Village would bother me, I actually kind of love it! Call me crazy, but there’s something about the city’s never-ending chaos that I find comforting. Let’s hope I still feel that way after day two of New York Fashion Week!

One of my favorite things to do while in New York City is walking, so after the previous day’s traffic blunder, Francisco and I decided to take advantage of the relatively nice weather and walk to our first event. Now, I’m not just saying this to excuse our tardiness, but never, in all of the years that I’ve attended fashion week, has a show started at its scheduled time: had we known that Fashion Hong Kong would be the first, we probably would've picked up the pace. Of course there’s no one to blame but ourselves, but it was truly heartbreaking to arrive at Industria Studios only to find out that the venue was filled to capacity and no one else would be allowed in. Bummed that we missed a show that we were really looking forward to seeing, but not in the mood to cause a scene like other late arriving attendees did, we cut our losses and made our way down to Spring Studios for what should've been our second show of the day.

Somewhere between Industria and Spring Studios, the wind picked up and the weather took a turn for the worse—thank God I wore a hat! As you may have seen in my previous post, I wore plenty of layers to stay warm, but unfortunately, my flannel shirt-jacket, striped button-up, and yellow roll-neck sweater were no match for the Hudson’s icy cold gusts of wind. Not wanting to miss Nonie’s FW19 show, we kicked it into high gear and pushed forward. Once at Spring Studios, we could tell that something was up. Even though we’re here as spectators, we’ve worked behind the scenes long enough to know when things aren't going according to plan. My guess is that too many people were confirmed for the event and the space just couldn't accommodate everyone. While I’m glad we got to see the show, an encounter with a VERY rude guest nearly drove me over the edge. It’s a full house, you're trying to get a picture for the gram, and your vantage point isn't ideal—I get it, but that’s not an excuse to be rude. Although I’m glad I kept my cool, I am bummed that I allowed someone else’s actions to ruin a portion of my day. Not wanting to get trampled by the exiting crowd, and still a little too full of rage to go out into the street, we stayed behind and enjoyed the view from the incredible show space. Two events down (well, sort of), one more to go!

Our final event of the day was just around the corner, but it wasn't for a few more hours. Afraid that we would somehow miss the Fashion Hong Kong after party, we stayed local and went to one of our favorite restaurants in the entire city. Located on the corner of Sixth Ave. and Watts St., Lupe’s East LA Kitchen is a must-visit spot for lovers of Mexican food. Since we both skipped breakfast, Francisco and I ordered the salsa verde chilaquiles and washed them down with not one, not two, but three delicious margaritas! Given the rocky start to our day, this was exactly what we needed to turn it all around. Leaving Lupe’s with a full stomach and in much better spirits, we headed over to the Arlo Hotel to celebrate a show that we unfortunately didn’t even get to see. 

I’m not going to lie, part of me felt guilty for being at the after party of an event that I missed, but somewhere between ordering another drink and befriending the servers passing around the hors d’oeuvres, I lost all sense of guilt and allowed myself to enjoy the night. With a tequila on the rocks in one hand and a bite-sized avocado toast in the other, I didn’t think the night could get any better, but somehow it did. As part of a mini presentation, models wearing some of the looks featured on the Fashion Hong Kong runway entered the room, and struck their best poses for the delighted crowd—hey, it’s not the entire collections, but I’ll take it! With incredible views of downtown, the Arlo Hotel’s rooftop is the perfect venue for a party. While most of the guests stayed indoors, away from the wind, Francisco and I couldn't resist going outside to watch the incredible sunset.  

Looking back, I’m so glad we didn't call it a day when things didn't go our way. Despite the chaos, we had an amazing day and couldn't wait to do it all over again the next day!

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Opposites Attract

Who says that plaid and stripes don’t mix? No, really, who said it? After some extensive research, I came up empty handed with any information regarding who originally deemed it a fashion faux-pas to combine these two contrasting patterns. Personally, I love the combo—always have, always will—and if you too are a fan, you’re in for a treat! Two days into fashion week and already I’ve noticed that I’m not the only one having fun with mixing patterns and prints. Both on and off the runway, pattern play is already proving to be a major trend that people are happily buying into. 

What I’m Wearing

Baseball cap: Asos Sunglasses: Persol Roll-neck sweater: River Island Striped button-up shirt: AMI Plaid shirt jacket: Asos Cropped trousers: Uniqlo Leather backpack: Amazon fashion Shoes: Converse

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Celestino Fall/Winter 2019 New York Fashion Week FW19

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Blue Jacket Fashion Show New York Fashion Week FW19

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Indonesian Diversity Fall/Winter 2019 New York Fashion Week FW19

Photo by Yuchen Liao/Getty Images for Indonesian Diversity

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NYFW: Day One

At first, I thought it’d be weird recapping something that happened so long ago, but it’s actually kind of nice focusing on only the highlights. I mean, do you really need to know that on our way to our first show, Francisco and I ended up stuck in the worst traffic ever? Or that after walking several miles in my new shoes, I had to hobble to a pharmacy to buy blister pads because I rubbed my right heel raw and bled through my sock? Are all of these gritty details truly necessary in order to tell a good story? Of course they are! Who doesn't love a little drama? If you’ve followed this blog for a while, you already know that I love to highlight the lows just as much as the highs—it’s what makes my love/hate relationship with life so entertaining. In spite of the many bumps in the road we encountered, not just on day one, but throughout the whole trip, being back in New York City for fashion week felt amazing!

With only three events on our day one schedule, everything should've been a breeze, but when are things in the city ever easy? Our first event of the day was Indonesian Diversity, which showcases some of Indonesia’s brightest talent in a multi-designer runway show. Although we planned ahead and gave ourselves plenty of time to get to Industria Studios in the West Village, we ended up stuck in some serious construction related traffic, which gave LA traffic a run for its money. Luckily, our cab driver was a stunt driver on The Fast and the Furious—or so it seemed—so he got us out of the construction zone and to Industria’s doorstep just in time for the show. I’ll post actual runway photos separately, but as you can see from my phone snaps above, this year’s Indonesian Diversity designers were feeling bright colors, texture, and bold prints, all while paying tribute to their cultural heritage.

With one event down and the other two not happening until much later in the day, Francisco and I spent the next few hours wandering the streets, taking pictures, and trying to play it cool when we found ourselves walking next to a major fashion editor. As you may have seen in my last post, my day one outfit was all about retro-preppy vibes (basically, Gucci on a budget), and while I wouldn’t change a thing about it, sticking a heel cushion to the inside of my brand new penny loafers could’ve really saved me from a lot of pain. It wasn't right away, but somewhere between walking the High Line and stopping to get lunch at Ramen Thukpa (I dream about their stir-fried noodles and pork soup dumplings), the back of my right heel began to hurt. I tried to ignore it for as long as possible, but eventually, the pain became unbearable: too bad I reached that point while sharing a tiny sidewalk with an angry fashion editor from Harper’s Bazaar.

I’m not one to eaves drop on purpose, but if the Universe places me directly where some piping hot tea is brewing, I won’t resist. Now, before anyone gets too excited, I’m not going to reveal this person’s identity, but I will say that the phone conversation I witnessed was one for the books! Apparently, there was a mixup with a designer’s publicist not confirming the editor’s seat for an upcoming fashion show, which upset them to the point where voices were raised, hair was flipped, and verbal credentials were given—yeah, it was intense. Not wanting to be next on the editor’s take-down list, I quickly led a single file line of pedestrians down a narrow sidewalk with barriers on both sides, ignoring the fact that it felt like my heel was being stabbed with every step taken. The Devil may be know for wearing Prada, but that day, the Devil wore an impeccable winter-white coat and wide-leg trouser ensemble.

A quick trip to the pharmacy and a box of blister pads later, I was ready for more! Our second event of the day was the Blue Jacket Fashion Show at Pier 59 Studios. In case you’re unfamiliar with this event, the Blue Jacket Fashion Show is an annual runway show walked by celebrities wearing—you guessed it—blue jackets, in efforts to raise awareness and funds for prostate cancer research. Fearlessly walking the runway, actors, athletes, and personalities from all sectors of the entertainment industry put their celebrity to good use, and strutted their stuff for a great cause. I didn't get a ton of photos, but I’ll post a video of the finale in a separate post. Two events down, one more to go!

Our last event of the night took us all the way down to Manhattan’s Seaport District, an area we weren’t at all familiar with, and even though we got lost for a bit, once we made it to Celestino’s F/W19 presentation, it was all worth it. Talented, passionate, kind—I honestly can’t say enough good things about Celestino’s creator, Sergio “Celestino” Guadarrama. Already a big fan from the moment we met, my appreciation and admiration for Sergio grew when I learned of the brand’s eco-conscious practice of using up cycled fabrics, and their participation with various organizations that help those who have survived through traumatic experiences. Not just fueled by the need to create beautifully crafted garments, Sergio is a designer out to change the world!

After a drink and some good conversation with new friends, exhausted from a long day, Francisco and I called it a night, and took a car back to our hotel in the East Village. Although we should've gone straight to our room, we couldn’t resist popping into a nearby cafe for a sweet treat. Toasting to a successful first day of fashion week with the best chocolate muffin I've ever had, Francisco and I both agreed that this trip was already off to a great start.