The DailyCity’s Pop Up Shop

Have you guys checked out THE Orlando shopping event of the year yet?? It’s the DailyCity’s Pop Up Shop where local Orlando creatives get to sell and show off their products. There are vintage women and men’s clothing, food, baking/cooking tools, accessories, books, and a freakin’ shuffle board in the middle of the store! It is probably the most fun I’ve had shopping in a long time. And if you haven’t gone yet you better stop reading this and run over there as fast as you can because today is the last day! This is NOT a drill people, GO! GO! Plus, there will be fun workshops going on all day!

Eshakti and My Little Black Dress

“One is never over-dressed or underdressed with a Little Black Dress” – Karl Lagerfield

Truer words have never been spoken. The Little Black Dress is an essential piece in every girl’s closet. My issue with the LBD is that a lot of times I find what is close to the perfect dress but then it always needs a small change. “It needs to be shorter. I wish it didn’t have sleeves. If I could just change this neckline." Ugh, so annoying.

A Floral Winter

Holy-freakin’-blizzard, it’s cold and rainy outside! I live in Florida and I’m freezin’ my butt off, which means you are likely really, really cold too. You can probably imagine that as a Florida girl I don’t have a variety of winter outfits so I have to get pretty darn creative when the temperatures start dropping. This means that everything in my closet is fair game. There are no such things as seasonal clothes or fashion rules. What’s that you say? A spring floral vest for winter?! Gasp! No, it’s true. Now it’s my winter floral vest and it works great. Throw on a scarf and some sexy heels and bam. Spring turns winter.

Here’s to hoping that I don’t have to figure out how to make my bikini a winter item…

How are you staying toasty this winter?

Glorified Ego

Are you diggin’ my funky shirt? Guess what –it’s from a Florida designer! I love finding great stuff from my local peeps. This Orlando-based designer is known as Glorified Ego. In a recent interview the CEO Chris Malcom said that “the whole idea behind the brand is essentially self-reflection,” with that in mind and with such a clever name they had me thinking about my own ego’s presence.

According to Freud, the ego is part of our internal mindset that rules our thoughts and helps control our inappropriate desires, urges, and even aggression. I began to think about all the questionable things I’ve done and then realized that my ego has probably fallen asleep behind the wheel too many times. From the top of my head I can recall a few instances like talking back to my mom, skipping school, locking the substitute teacher out of the class, convincing my classmates to deface school property while I watched, and making large purchases while really broke. Where was my ferocious star-eyed bear ego at these points in my life?? Maybe my ego is more of a manatee rather than a Glorified Ego bear or maybe my ego bear goes into hibernation a lot. Well, I suppose I should be grateful for the times that it decided to actually show up. Who knows what would happen if I were left to my own devices…entire cities would be destroyed…

These "Botas" were Made for Walkin'

City girl.

No doubt about it, that’s what I am. But on my recent trip to Mexico (see here and here). I found my long lost inner country girl. I spent most of my time in Mexico by the country side. So I thought, “well, when in Rome…” and I threw on my first pair of cowboy boots and my father-in-law’s sombrero and I was ready to roll. The boots were amazingly practical for that terrain, although that is rarely a prerequisite of mine for shoes. It was a pleasant surprise that I could be comfortable and stylish while wandering around the mountainside. In the end, I felt like I was ready to jump on a horse (or donkey) and ride off into the sunset with the cactus behind me. “Orale!”

Are there shoes or outfits you’ve tried that are typically out of your style realm?

I left my heart (but got a blouse) in Mexico

“I’m inspired by different cultures around the world and love to incorporate these facets into my collection.”
– Rachel Roy

Back From A Magical Train Ride

“Let’s go play choo choo train!”

“Yeeesss! I call Conductor!”

That’s basically how my conversation went with my nephew and niece when my brother-in-law and sister unveiled their hand-made wooden train. A sweet gift made by my brother-in-law. So, of course, I agreed to go along on our magical train adventure. And how does one dress for such a ride? Striped conductor jacket – check. Appropriately bright colored shorts and accessories to enter into magical lands – check. Mostly thrifted items in case something is left behind – final check. We jumped on board, waved our little hands good-bye (okay, their little hands) and began our journey across miles of bright blue oceans and into enchanted lands. I couldn’t have asked for a better adventure this past summer. And that my friends, is why I have been gone for so long :-)

A Casual Beach Stroll

As much fun as it is to get all dolled up, sometimes a girl just wants a laid-back day with cozy pants and a soft blouse. Something you can take a relaxing stroll in and just be your natural self. It’s like being in your pj’s but in a much more acceptable form. And this has been extra important for me this past week because – get this, I have poison ivy!?! Eww. First time in my life I’ve had to endure this allergic reaction. The first thing I learned was that soft, flowy, and loose clothes are my best friends. This outfit was the perfect combination of comfortable and fashionable. The mix of textures with the embroidered flowers and the linen striped pants make the outfit interesting so I don’t look like I have given up on dressing up and it also manages to hide the fact that I am in poison ivy pain. Sigh, at least it’s an excuse to take things slow and casual.

What about you – do you take casual outfit breaks or are you a fashionista all the time?

From the Runway to the Boardroom

Is it weird if a piece of clothing I’m wearing has had a longer and more intriguing life than me? I find that remarkable and slightly disturbing.

DIY: An Easy 3-Step Crop Top

It’s another quick DIY (see here for the first one)! This one is so simple that I’m sure you’re going to run over to your t-shirts and start cutting them up immediately.

Recently, I was hunting for a cute graphic crop top but all I was running into were some $40 options, um, thanks but no thanks. That’s when I took matters into my own hands and grabbed this little number for $1. Now time to chop up!

The Starry Knight Necklace by Nikki Reed and 7 for all Mankind

Intriguing, edgy, and beautiful – that’s how I describe the Starry Knight Necklace and coincidently, how I would describe the designer. I asked Nikki Reed about her collection and she was beaming with pride when she explained that each piece was her vision, was meaningful to her, and she did all the sketches. Who wouldn’t be proud??

Nikki revealed that the Starry Knight Necklace was the missing piece in her closet. Recently, she’s been recording music with her husband (a mix of country and folkloric) and her outfits have been inspired by this new creative outlet. However, she noticed that her big flashy statement necklaces didn’t go well with her collared, down-to-earth blouses. Enter the Starry Knight Necklace:

7 For all Mankind Launch with Nikki Reed

Last week I had the pleasure of attending the Grand Opening of the 7 for all Mankind store at The Mall at Millenia with their special event featuring the new jewelry line by actress/singer/designer Nikki Reed. The store, as you can imagine, was perfect in every way. The clothes were bright, fresh, and crisply folded and presented. It was like every item in the store was eager to show off for the grand opening. The drinks were fancy and the tunes were tight; pretty amazing shopping experience.

A Classy Cinco de Mayo

As much fun as it is to rock a sombrero and some chili pepper beads on Cinco de Mayo, this year I decided I wanted to celebrate it a little classier. Although, I’m not Mexican, I’ve had the fortune to marry into this beautiful and rich culture. For that reason, I decided to forego the usual clichés and cultural inaccuracies and focus instead on one of my favorite things about this historic culture – the rich colors! You see the vibrant colors in their home design, handcrafts, and fashion. Just look at their flag: reds, yellows, blues, greens, and browns colorfully display their pride. How could I not be inspired by such a colorful representation of their home?

Thrifty Thursday: A Tribute to the Discarded

“Latest and Greatest”

In our everyday lives it seems like we are constantly being marketed with those simple words. “Get it now – it’s the latest and greatest.” We yearn for that new car smell and get consumed with keeping an item in mint condition. Could it be that without even noticing we have become so obsessed with the idea of “newness” that in the process we’ve forgotten the intrigue of “distinctiveness” and “old charm”? Instead, we describe those items as used, ordinary, bland and cast them aside.

Well, here’s to the forgotten and the discarded.

4 Essential Pieces for your Florida Winter Outfit

Winter is finally coming to an end. No more cold days and freezing nights. Say good-bye to branches with no leaves and the constant blanket of snow. Alright, who am I kidding? I live in Florida. A few days ago it dropped to a frigid 50 degrees and everyone freaked out over here (admittedly, I was one of them). While I can’t provide you with words of wisdom on how to survive the end of this cold winter, I can provide you with tips on how to survive winters in Florida like a true Floridian. Here are some essentials:

Thrifty Thursday DIY: 7 Steps to a Fabulous Skirt

Here’s a fun Thrifty Thursday treat—a DIY! In case you haven’t noticed, it’s actually the first DIY on IFF!

This idea emerged when I realized that lately I’ve been mending, changing, and re-styling most of the clothes I’ve purchased at the thrift store. Not necessarily because they don’t fit me (although sometimes that is the case), but because it’s so much freakin’ fun. It gives me a chance to give an old piece some new life and excitement. One of my latest finds was a long (and in all honesty, a little bit tacky) Talbots skirt. I had a vision of a fabulous piece and with some love I knew it would be fulfilled. Here’s the DIY on how I easily turned this skirt from matronly to sexy.

A little boho, A little hippie, All Chic

Did you ever have an outfit that you were DYING to wear but the right time just wouldn’t arrive? That’s how I felt about this look. I’ve been staring at this Willie Skirt from the WE by Whitney Eve collection for weeks. But of course the moment I want to wear something that requires warm weather it decides to be cold in Florida. So there I was, staring longingly at this skirt until the day finally arrived.