My Stunning Blue Anjolee Earrings

Hello! Remember me? Just like the flowers blooming around us, I have awaken from my deep winter slumber. What has awaken me? It’s a gorgeous pair of diamond and topaz earrings. Don’t judge me, you know that would get you going too!

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…

Five Fashion Resolutions of a Fashionista: Re-Visited

Happy 2014, y’all!! It’s that time again to start fresh. Brush off the dust, forget about what happened last year, and start a new page in life. But wait one second, before we start making a list of new fabulous resolutions, it’s only right to pull out those old 2013 resolutions and evaluate how we did. Here is my attempt to do just that. Time to critique…I’m already scared.

See here for the 2013 resolutions posts that I’m referring to.

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

My Inspiration Captured: The Mexico Edition

There’s nothing like traveling to new places to get a fresh perspective. I did that recently on a memorable trip to my husband’s hometown, which is a small town in Central Mexico. You’d think that 10 days with no internet, phone, or tv would make a blogger go crazy. But I had no pings, rings, notifications, commercials, or other trivial distractions. Conversations were real and in the moment. Laughs continued without pausing to Instagram and share. And in these moments of disconnect, I was able to truly appreciate my surroundings and find many aspects inspiring. I captured these instances with the hope that they will continue to inspire me when I returned back home.

What places have inspired you?

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?

4 Beauty Products I Regret Buying

Have I ever mentioned just how much I love taking trips to beauty stores? It’s like Christmas day, except for the fact that I’m buying myself gifts. The only thing that can sour this magical event is getting home and un-wrapping my gift to find a toy that just doesn’t work right. I’m sure you’ve also encountered this once or twice and that’s why I wanted to write this post. Before I give up hope on these products, I wanted to reach out to you guys and get your opinion. Have you tried these? Do you have any thoughts?

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!

GUEST POST: Royally Inspired Runways

Hello IFFers! (What? Is that even a word??)

Alright, it’s time to get our fashion learn on. I’m switching things up a little bit here with a fashion history guest post from the talented Laura Diaz. She’s a fashion addict with a deep love for soap operas (mostly Telenovelas – she is Latina, after all!). She’s a NYC girl who is trying to make her way through college (studying fashion history and journalism). When she approached me about writing a guest post I was thrilled to be able to collaborate with a fellow fashion enthusiast. Now time to take a step back in history…

Love,
Iris

--------------

How to Mix Patterns: From Beginner to Advanced

Have you been eager to jump on the mixing patterns train but don't know how? It’s actually a lot easier than it looks. Just make minor changes to your outfits until you feel comfortable to go full speed ahead. Below are steps you can take (from beginner to advanced) to get that creative engine running.

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.

Thrifty Thursday: Vintage Patterns

You might have noticed that I’m a sucker for any item that has a story or evokes an emotion. And Retromended Vintage Boutique is the place that provides this by the rack full (read about my first experience there). I initially loved this blouse just because of the sweet and girly vintage pattern. But once I found out the story, it became much more interesting.

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?