A Year in Reflection to Welcome 2018

This year has been quite a whirlwind of changes. From living in Germany and traveling throughout Europe, to settling in Maine and starting a new home base. Thanks to my blog and instagram I am able to express my life by storytelling through pictures, videos and writing and sharing with you all. Not only has my personal life changed, but also my Blog and Social Media Management. I’m doing exactly what I love to do, help others achieve their goals, and also my personal blog of expressing my style, the places I like to go, the people I love to see like family and friends, how I decorate my home, what my dogs like to do, and so on.

There are a few different GOALS I’ve achieved in 2017, my future goals I’ll list at the end =)

FASHION BLOGGER GOALS from 2017:

My most recent collaboration with IFCHIC.com

MCQ – ALEXANDER MCQUEEN TOP

One of my goals for last year was to have brand partnerships that reached into the luxury market. Don’t get me wrong, I love fast fashion and the ability to keep up with trends as they come, but I also love the brand message that certain designer names hold like Alexander McQueen, a designer that will forever be one of my favorites.  It seems surreal that just a year ago I would dream to get such partnerships, and now it is becoming a reality that I absolutely want to continue to do.

 

BUYING A HOME:

Something tells me that this New Year of 2018 has many more dreams to be fulfilled, and this year was just the beginning of making it all happen. love being a homeowner with my husband, two dogs and my step daughter. I created a home tour video! YouTube home tour was not my finest creation, but check it out here, it’s been a while since I’ve made videos and I’ll definitely continue onto 2018.

MAKING NEW AND STRONG FRIENDSHIPS:

wearing RED – VALENTINO TOP

Another designer that will always be one of my favorites is VALENTINO – a brand that evokes luxury and dreams of success and class.

The end of 2017 helped introduce me to new friendships, something I’ve always held on to was the necessity of having friendships, I believe they help you connect, grow your horizons, and influence your actions for the better. I can’t wait for what 2018 has to offer!

MY BUSINESS:

Being a Social Media Manager, this year has really taught me so much on how to maintain business relationships, but there can also be a sense of friendship when you are consistently talking with people about their goals, daily life tasks, dreams and achievements.

GOALS for 2018:

• Embrace the journey, but land each opportunity and do more outreach
• Find a great way to relax: yoga, meditation, create new habits? Not sure what this will be yet
• Improve the communication with my husband – although we already work on this daily and I love him dearly
• Create more content for my Blog/Youtube/TRAVEL blogger content – i’ve never fully embraced the benefits of being a travel blogger – so watch my travels in 2018 =)!
• Expand my business to further than just myself – finding ways to leverage my resources and maybe bring on my first employee or intern.
• Become more professional with my business – finalizing my website
• just OWN IT – must know my self worth – boost that inner self confidence

 

 

The Time We Went to Paris: Fashion Week 2015

 

There are so many things to appreciate about Paris, and I was so thrilled to have visited. It was always a dream after watching romantic movies and many travel photos of my friends able to go and see the wonderful sights. I realize that it almost seems like an extremely strong magnetic pull for me to go and visit certain places, they beckon me like it was my pathway in life to pass through. Paris, was certainly one of those destinations. Unfortunately, months later, there was terrible news about terrorist attacks, and I certainly prayed.

It just so happens that we came the weekend before fashion week and naturally enjoyed as more people came in the beginning of the week with their fashion maximized outfits. My boyfriend was so great to take my pictures and help capture my first time in this dreamy city.

When I pack for a trip less than a week, I know I have to be limited in items of clothes but also have high versatility. I mixed and matched many of my pieces throughout the days, like my leopard print strappy heels, my leather jacket and leather dress. I also made sure to bring layering pieces as well like my denim button down and sweaters, just in case it would get warmer or colder.

I really believe that we should all just go for what truly makes us happy and if that sparkle in your eye comes to you by being in Paris, by all means, just get on the next flight and go! Bonjour, till next time.

New York Public Library: Steps & Style

I was in midtown today around Bryant Park and just happened to walk by the New York Public Library, such a beautiful place! I saw all these tourists posing in front of the steps, and I realized that my outfit was somehow perfect for this setting of neutrals and blacks. So of course I joined in on the tourist action and asked a lovely french woman to take my picture, and to my surprise she actually did a fabulous job and got really into it! We did not really say anything to each other because of the language barrier but she stooped down from many different angles to get her desired shots, she was too sweet. I am wearing one of my favorite color blocked dresses and over it a beautifully crafted Alice & Olivia long sleeveless blazer.

Rocky Shore in Hawaii

I am in love with the shorelines of Hawaii, they all seem to have some type of story behind each branch, tree or rock placed along the water. Here you can see someone wrote “Aloha” to the right of the tree trunk, partly why I just had to take a snap in front of it. Here I am wearing two separate pieces that I made into a set, some beautiful summer shorts with a lovely trim and a backless nude crepe top.

A Wedding in Hawaii

 

I have been anticipating my cousin’s wedding for quite some time, especially since it was in Kauai, Hawaii! It is such a beautiful island, just like my beautiful cousin Seiko! The reception was on a gorgeous piece of land that had the beach in the background and the party on the trim grass overlooking the paradise. There was definitely some difficulty in understanding exactly what someone wears to a wedding in a tropical place, especially if you are not sure if it is in the sand or not! Luckily, heels was an okay decision and so I wore my seasonal favorite from Via Spiga purchased at Bloomingdales, and then I somehow found this dress while shopping in SoHo right before leaving for my trip. I love it because I knew I could not wear white or black, but I definitely was not in the mood for a print, so nude all the way! The delicate sequins in the front also wrapped around the straps to the back, a nice detail that had me say “Yes to the Dress!”

Nude and Neutrals for Summer

I have been loving neutral tones, and this BCBG Maxazria top seems to be just the right combination of texture and color to match these suede-like H&M drawstring shorts. One of my favorite companies is BCBG Maxazria because I believe they have amazing taste and continuously have beautiful selections with the seasons, which always keeps me excited for more. Here I am in my room with my painting I made of a more psychadelic female in contrast to the white door and nude walls and simple makeup. I love this as a summer look!

Visiting Georgetown, Washington, DC.

Visiting my mother last weekend was not all green grass and trees, but in fact some really adorable cultural places as well as new restaurants, buildings and more. One of my favorite areas near where my mother just moved is Georgetown, Washington, DC. These photos do not exactly capture the adorable little streets but I was certainly happy to be walking around in my new Zara cow heide cheetah heels (I am obsessed with cheetah print!) and my Carol J navy leather handbag and my Forever21 dress which shrunk in the wash, haha oops!

Restaurant “Orsay” is Lovely I must Say

About an avenue or so near central park somewhere in the upper east 70’s streets is this delightful french restaurant Orsay. I happened to be wandering around buying time until a meeting a couple hours later, so I got my nails done and headed into this place. It was a sunny day out and I was wearing the perfect amount of covering for my arms and of course a playful short length in my dress. I love how the colors go from light to dark, making it an easy dress to match other pieces to, such as my MIA snakeskin shoes and my 3.1 Phillip Lim Pashli Medium Satchel which I got while I was in the Hamptons last summer. Cheers to this beautiful weather and trying out new places!

The Cat’s Eyes Were Green With Envy

Here I was passing through the Diamond District in Midtown Manhattan. There are so many people trying to gather your attention to reel you into their stores to buy diamonds or for you to sell. It is extremely overwhelming normally, but I found a time in the mid-afternoon to stop and take a pose. Here I am wearing perfect patent leather shoes from Bianca Di, and I found them online here at Keito, an online shop that also has a boutique in SoHo. My bag was a gift from an ex-boyfriend for my college graduation, it was very nice of him and he likes to call me Cat, so a cat-purse was needed. I actually sadly do not remember the place where he got it but he said he was shopping on Newbury St. when he went to visit his mother in Boston. My sequins top is from Zara, and I fell in love with it instantly at an end of season sale. The top had originally been about $200 since it was a special designer collection but I think I purchased it for $40. My mock suit is from Ann Taylor. I loved mixing the unexpected together and making a fun, yet polished outfit.

Manhattan Bridge & My Favorite Spring Jacket

On a drizzly day I had made plans to take some photos with photographer Erick Hercules, and my mother was in town so she came to join! We had a nice walk through Chinatown and Erick gave us a nice brief history of the streets we were walking in and how they have become so popular to take photos of. We got to the Manhattan bridge and I was happy to be wearing one of my favorite Korean designer brands TRY-ME, I have two Jackets from them which I absolutely adore because they both have metallic fabric which catches the eye. I am also wearing Zara Suede Boots. I really think Zara has a fabulous shoe selection and constantly bring designer looks and streamlined designs. I was impressed with how my outfit seemed to go perfectly with the setting, and I loved how the photos came out. Erick, the photographer, was born in Ecuador and moved to NYC with his parents to pursue his talent in Opera. He went to The Fame high school that Netflix has as a documentary about high schoolers pursuing their passions. Not only did he find success in his singing but also his new found love for photography over the last couple years. I think it is safe to say that he puts so much effort into his art no matter what that may be. My mother took us out to lunch after and we shared more stories of childhood dreams that we all are chasing now.