The same way that a meal is not complete without dessert, outfits are not complete without accessories. Well what if desserts were turned in accessories? You’d have the most delicious looking accessories as you can witness from Q-Pot collection above.
By the looks of it, food is totally having a moment in fashion, i.e. Moschino’s RTW 2014 Fall Collection
Capitán Cortez Pescadería y Ahumadora
Olivia – El Asador del Porvenir
My philosophy in traveling has always been to avoid tourist areas in order to experience the essence of the town or city. For example, when I travelled to Italy a couple of years ago I could say my favorite part was visiting the small remote town, Alto Monte in the south of Italy. Sure Rome, Venice and Florence was nice, but the best food, the kindest people and the most authentic experience was felt in tourist free Alto Monte.
In a recent trip to Ensenada, México I was blessed enough to travel with a lovely friend who showed me around to the best food and drink spots. I’ve included links to all the places above below some of the pictures. From the “Fruteria” where you can shop for local produce and artisan cheese, to “Muelle 3”, serving one of THE best tasting guayaba mouse ever, Ensenada has plenty of options for food, dessert, wine and beer enthusiasts. There are more wineries in El Valle de Guadalupe, and more restaurants with recognized chefs in Ensenada to discover, but with four days time, I could not cover it all.
I am aware this is supposed to be a style blog, but traveling to Ensenada during “La Fiestas de la Vendimia” with a food extraordinaire made me switch gears a bit, but now on to my expertise.
The art of packing for a weekend trip: I was in Ensenada for 4 days and only took one weekend bag (including shoes)! How did I do it? Easy, by planning. The best advice I’ve ever received for packing was given to be right before my Italy trip. Before this advice I would pack two bags: a small one for shoes and a medium sized suitcase for clothing, no matter how long or short the trip was. I literally would put as many outfit options as possible in my suitcase. I needed to change my ways because my trip to Italy was going to include four cities, and some traveling would be by train, which made carrying a suitcase, a small weekend bag and my purse seem impractical.
So the best piece of wisdom I received in regards to packing was to make outfits before hand and ONLY pack those outfits. This requires planning ahead and playing a little dress up, but I assure you it is the best way to travel light. Strategically add key layering pieces, such as cardigans and blazers, and choose on which shoes to wear with each outfit. Such basic advice on how to pack when traveling that changed my life. Now that this wisdom is passed on, I hope you can achieve this packing your suitcase challenge. Bon Voyage!
Paul Andrew, Pre-Fall 2014
CFDA fashion fund just announced it’s nominees and amongst them is Paul Andrew, a British born shoe designer. His footwear collection launched in 2013 and his exquisite designs can already be admired on fashion editors and bloggers captured in street style photos. Andrew brings such sophistication and superb quality to high heels that I am sure they will become timeless.
Visit Paul Andrew for entire collection. You could also follow him on his Instagram.
How about incorporating a sports bra into your daytime outfit for the summer?
Athletic wear is having a moment, and with the launch of net-a-sporter, premium sportswear is accessible and is taken to the next level. So why not wear a sports bra under a sheer top, such as this one from ASOS; or with overalls as modeled below by Lottie Moss in the new CK campaign? After all, with the summer time heat, sports bras have the perfect absorbing capabilities and is definitely a good quality to have. Hear, hear! for premium sportswear and its new capabilities of adapting it to our daily wear.
This floral sports bra by Live The Process one is one of my favorites, and I would pair it with a simple sheer tank top, such as this one from Zara and finish it off with my go-to jeans and some killer statement heels. Further below are sports bras all available at net-a-porter’s sportswear section for your consideration.
Don’t be afraid to be bold, after all creativity is the basis of unique style. Run off now and don’t forget your sports bra.
Finding a perfect pair of jeans that mold your hips, thighs and derrière is like striking gold. Once I find the perfect fit, I wear them over, and over again, no kidding.
About 4 years ago I purchased a pair of 7 for All Man Kind jeans that look similar to the ones below. For me, the key in having longevity in my wardrobe is buying quality pieces which will not go out of style soon. I found the perfect style combination in these jeans with the dark wash and the skinny fit. Brace yourself for the transformation.
After so much wear (and tear), I embraced the distressed look and turned my favorite fitted jeans into this:
To distress your perfect fit worn out jeans you’ll need scissors, iron-on patches, iron, needle and thread.
To begin, I ran my scissors through strategic spots such as the knee area and a few areas were I noticed distressed lines.
Next, there are a few tears which were not intentional and in order to stop them from tearing after every wash, I patched them up. You can purchase iron-on patches at your local arts and craft store. I purchased the patches at Jo-Ann.
Ironing is half job, in order to secure the patches sew around the distressed area to stop from unthreading.
After cutting and patching I washed the jeans one last time to complete the distressed look and voila, I just converted my favorite fitted jeans into this summer’s look!
**Last tip: my jeans are 2% spandex and four years in the making, so the denim is not as tough. If your jeans are tougher and newer you can sand them. Literally. Purchase a sand sheet from a hardware store such as Lowe’s, and sand away where you would mostly likely have worn out spots and cut thereafter.
How about a picnic basket as a purse to complete your summer/resort look?
Let us take a cue from the ever so chic Audrey Hepburn and adapt a picnic basket in our summer wardrobe. Miss Hepburn was known for carrying baskets and this look is very accessible to us. To adopt this unique item to your style you can browse endless options on etsy.com; or if you are like me and can’t wait for shipping, you can go to your local craft and gift store, such as Michael’s or World Market, and score a basket at an amazing price. You can also browse weekend flea markets. My favorite one to shop at (somewhat) in the area is at the Long Beach Antique Market. With an item like this embeded into your summer or resort style, you will be both unique and chic. Trust!
All through high-school you could not get me to wear a backpack. Not only were they basic and HUGE for my short stature, but most importantly, they were not cool. The it thing to do was to cover your three-ring binder with a collage of pictures or cut outs from fashion magazines and carry the binder around in your arms with a another book or two. Of course, if you had to carry more than two heavy books in your arms, trying to be cool did not always mean practical.
Until now. Convenience, meet style.
Now, let’s take the backpack a step further and style it in a sophisticated way, such as:
The Row, net-a-porter.com
Alexander Wang, net-a-porter.com
Alexander Wang, Opanca Backpack
Moschino, net-a-porter.com
Proenza Schouler, net-a-porter.com
Karl Lagerfeld, net-a-porter.com
The last image is an adaptions of how you would carry a backpack using a handbag, styled in PRADA’s Fall Runway Collection. Editors and fashion blogger are captured in street style pictures wearing hand bags in unconventional ways, so why not adapt this look to ease into the backpack style.
Did anyone else go through rebel against backpacks? If so, I hope these styles changed your mind, as it did mine.
I recently went to an architecture exhibition which featured the works of Félix Candela featured in the Kukuruchos Gallery in Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico. As I walked around the exhibition I observed the superb minimalistic tone that surrounded Candela’s wonderful work. I am particularly drawn to the 1950’s and 1960’s era due to the superb simplicity in design found in architecture, interior design and fashion. It was a great surprise to discover Felix Candela’s arquitectural style. 
The introduction specifies Félix Candela Outeriño being born in Madrid on January 27, 1910. Candela graduated from the Architecture University, in the Capitol City of Spain. In 1939, Candela was exiled from Spain for voluntarily participating in the republican army during the Spanish Civil War and settled in Mexico. Ten years after his arrival in Mexico Candela founded the firm “Cubiertas Alas”, where he would design the shell buildings that brought him world fame.
Candela’s work is based on three premises: economical, minimalistic, and flexibility. Although his fundamentals were basic, the more Candela worked on the geographical design of the shell buildings, the more he mastered the elaborate yet elegant look of the buildings. These intricate designs led him to technological road blocks which he had to overcome.
Candela shook up the architecture world with his structures of layered reinforced concrete, better known as shell buildings, that came to life in Mexico and other countries in the 1950’s and 1960’s. The applied construction technique unused in Mexico originated in Europe.
“Stock Exchange Market”, Mexico City, 1955
“Palmira Chapel”, Lomas de Cuernavaca, Morelos, 1959
“Iglesia de la Virgen de la Medalla Milagrosa”, Benito Juárez, Mexico City, 1955
“Iglesia de Santa Mónica”, Benito Juárez, Mexico City, 1960
Candela was not the first nor the only one adapting the shell building structure, but he took great advantage of the geometric technique to leave a stamp in the world of architecture in the 20th century. His greatest achievements were “El Pabellón de Ráyos Cosmicos” in the University of México (UNAM), constructed in 1951:
And, “El Palacio de los Deportes”, built for the 1968 Olympic Games which were held in Mexico. Model seen here:
There seems to be a tone in this 1950’s and 60’s era that made me wonder what type of inspiration surrounded the artists of the time. Whether consciously or unconsciously artists look to their surroundings for inspirations; they must travel, admire art, or draw from personal inspirations to come up with a theme for their next project.
Meanwhile I looked around I couldn’t help but think of the designs of Hubert de Givenchy, Christian Dior and Cristóbal Balenciaga during the 50’s and 60’s era. Why? Well, take a look for your self.
Christian Dior (Source)
Cristóbal Balenciaga (Source)
Hubert de Givenchy (Source)
Cristóbal Balenciaga (Source)
Hubert de Givenchy (Source)
Cristóbal Balenciaga (Source)
Cristóbal Balenciaga (Source)
Cristóbal Balenciaga (Source)
Cristóbal Balenciaga (Source)
The designs of Givenchy, Dior and Balenciaga catapulted fashion icons Audrey Hepburn and Jackie Kennedy during the fifties and sixties era. Whatever the influences were of the fashion designers during this era, and which ever came first – the architecture or the fashion style – I have yet to witness such effortless elegance demonstrated in the pictures above.
Morning Style 
