Tag Archives: fashion

Where’s YOUR Miista?

I'll Tumble 4 Miista!

80s Record Party
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VAL GREEN
miista.com

SUE ROSE/AGATE
miista.com

SHONA ROSE GOLD
miista.com

 

 

As many of you already know by now, I’m a big fan of Miista shoes.  They have a great contest called WHERE’S YOUR MIISTA, and the winner receives free shoes.  You can enter as many times as you wish, just make sure you’re creative.  The competition is quite stiff out there, and there are SO many great pictures!  Here are my humble little additions, which prompted me to get some kind of 80’s music reference in there (yes, I had to include Depeche Mode, too).  That’s right, I’d tumble, somersault, cart-wheel and backflip for Miista!

Here’s how to enter:  WHERE’S YOUR MIISTA?

 
“To submit your entry: (1) open Instagram (2) search @miistashoes (3) follow @miistashoes (4) upload photo (5a) write awesome caption (5b) tag @miistashoes and #WHERESYOURMIISTA (6) get all your friends to like it, we could possibly be swayed by your popularity — but if you’re TOO popular we might think we need to give it to a needier, less loved follower, gotta find the sweet spot (7) wait patiently and pray every night to the patron saint of statement shoes (From Miista’s blog)”
(Contest ends May 31, 2013)

Sustainable Style: Modavanti.com

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I was recently invited to review a great online stop that completely supports environmental and social responsibility in fashion called Modavanti.  If the name sounds familiar, it’s because I carried that beautiful GUNAS purse pictured above in my most recent outfit post (here and pictured below).  Up close, I would never have believed the Sweetheart purse was anything but leather.  But as the description states, it’s completely vegan, and 100% cruelty-free and sweat-shop free.  Like all of the items on Modavanti, everything is beautifully made, stylish and sustainable.  Other than all of the fashionably fabulous items, two things stand out for me:  the sustainability badges (“how and why the item they are buying is eco-friendly and ethically sourced”) and the causes they support.  Modavanti donates 2% of their revenue to charity, which is quite a substantial contribution.  The donation from my purchase went to Charity:Water, an organization that brings safe drinking water to developing countries (Depeche Mode are proud supporters of this charity as well).

Adam Clancy, the Director of Operations at Modavanti, took some time out to answer some questions about their site, sustainability and social responsibility, and how they are able to do what they do with style.

I am impressed with an entire online retail site who completely supports the idea of sustainable fashion.  What was the inspiration behind Modavanti.com’s concept?  
Modavanti:  The idea for Modavanti.com was born out of our desire to make a social impact through business. The fashion industry in particular has been slow to change the way it operates. To give you one example, it takes 400 gallons of water to grow enough cotton to produce just one cotton t-shirt! We believe that by promoting designers who are producing clothes in a more socially conscious manner we can bring about real change within the fashion industry.
What is Modavanti.com’s biggest challenge being be a company who sources sustainability?
Modavanti:  Our biggest challenge is also our biggest opportunity – and that is convincing consumers that they can be stylish and sustainable at the same time. There is a perception surrounding sustainable fashion that the clothes are not trendy, that they crunchy and granola. This perception is far removed from reality, and we’re convinced that once you look at the clothing and accessories available on Modavanti.com you will think about sustainable fashion in a whole new light.
Modavanti.com Sustainability Badges
You have a fantastic curated collection of clothing and accessories.  How do you find designers and brands to work with?  Do you seek out new designers or do you find that they come to you?
Modavanti:  It’s a combination of the two. One of the hard things in finding designers is that many sustainable designers don’t like to advertise the fact they are producing sustainably because they believe it will diminish their appeal in the eyes of the customer. We believe the opposite, so it often involves a lot of legwork in tracking down designers who meet both our aesthetic and our sustainability threshold. But we’ve also had a number of designers who have sought us out since we’ve launched because they see that we have a wonderful platform which we can showcase their products.
How did you chose the charities that you donate to, and are you looking to partner with other charities? 
Modavanti: Our charities were chosen because we believe they address some of the problems we’ve identified with the fashion industry. It was also very important that the causes we partner with had strong feedback loops and used the money in the field rather than to pay their employees. We picked Charity:Water because the fashion industry wastes a tremendous amount of water every year. Not only that, but apparel factories pollute many of our rivers and streams, particularly in developing countries, and Charity Water helps alleviate those problems. We support Nest because they promote fair labor rights and the ancient traditions of artisans in countries such as India. We partnered with 19th Amendment because their mission is to keep the next generation of fashion designers producing sustainably right here in America — a goal that aligns very much with our ethos.
We don’t currently have plans to expand our charities but as we grow further it is certainly something we will consider.
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Thank you so much Adam for taking the time out to answer my questions!  Check out Modavanti.com for more information, and follow them on Facebook and Twitter.

Flower Power

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Floral prints always look and feel fresh.  It’s been awhile since I’ve worn this much pink in one outfit.  But because it’s so wonderfully bright and sunny these days, I felt like I wanted to infuse a little of that into my work outfit.  I paired my floral pants and bubblegum pink blouse with some floral pieces: a necklace with a vintage pin as the pendant, and my favorite Spanish gold earrings that I bought back in the 80’s in Old Town San Diego.

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Outfit – MNG blazer from JC Penney; Unknown brand blouse and floral pants from M’s Clothing ($9.99 each piece); GUNAS Camel Sweetheart purse from Modavanti (on sale for $70); Prabal Gurung for Target shoes; necklace, vintage typewriter & Recoil rings by Suki Bijoux; Wendy Brandes @ ring; Spot On glasses by Nicole Miller from GlassesUSA (on sale for $52); vintage Spanish gold earrings

Most Def

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Does anyone remember the shoe brand British Knights?  I had a couple of pairs once upon a time, and I adored them (they had the word “British” in them…enough said).  My high top BK’s were blue, black and white.  My low tops were my favorite because they were white all over, but the middle was a quilted black, purple and gold printed material with the initials BK embroidered in purple (very similar to the ones pictured above).  I know it sounds hard to believe, which is why I included a scan of an old picture from back in the day, posing in my BK high tops.  Dig if you will the leggings with the lace on the bottom, not to mention the gigantic hair bow and equally large hoop earings.  I can also guarantee, the shoulder pads on that leather jacket would rival any football linebacker (shout out to Eileen for taking the picture). Very very late 80’s/early 90’s, no?

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British Knight Def Shop

British Knights Roco Sneakers

I was recently introduced to an online European Hip Hop clothing website called Def-Shop.com out of Germany, and imagine my delight when I found British Knights!  They have a whole line of the BK brand for both men and women, and I instantly gravitated towards that fantastic pair pictured above.  The back can be flipped up so that the the shoes appear all black, but I really like them folded down.  I got so excited when I found them that I called my husband into the room to look at the computer, at which time I realized that I hadn’t showed him that old picture of me.  He just gave me a funny look and went back to his movie.  I guess re-discovering my old favorite brand of sneaks wasn’t as exciting to him as it was to me!

The link in the above paragraph goes directly to the German version of the site, but if you click on the picture below, you will see the English version.  Keep in mind that the prices are in Euros and all items ship from Berlin, Germany.  I’ll be checking out more of from their site, and don’t be surprised if you see an outfit post from me rockin’ those bad boys above.  Happy shopping!

Def Shop Top Image

FTC Disclosure:  I received compensation and was asked to review the site.  Although I did receive compensation, the opinions in this post are strictly my own.

(Top photo courtesy of uncrate.com; photos 3 and 4 courtesy of Def-Shop)

You May Be Blue

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When trying to figure out titles to my posts, especially outfit posts, I’m usually inspired by song titles and lyrics.  Typically, I can come up with a title or lyric from one of my favorite bands.  If something doesn’t instantly come to me, then I do a search for a few key words to spark my memory.  In the case of the title to this particular post, I just couldn’t find anything using the words “may” and “blue” from my staples like Depeche Mode, Joy Division, Duran Duran, or OMD.  So into the search engine I typed “lyrics, may, blue” (the color of the amazing skirt I bought from Bella of The Citizen Rosebud’s Etsy store, and name of the Miista boots).  Lo and behold, out came a song by a group called Vetiver called “You May Be Blue” on Subpop Records.  I’m so glad I did that because I discovered an amazing band that I had not heard before.  There are great live versions on You Tube (such as this one recorded in London back in 2007), but I dig the album version.  In fact, I liked the song so much that I included the video below and bought the album To Find Me Gone (Vetiver’s second album).  Oh the places you’ll go when fashion blogging, no?

(Note: I wore the outfit with thick black sweater tights and a black jacket.  My new job is keeping me busy with long hours, so I haven’t been able to take outfit pictures like I should.  I hope to include myself wearing the outfit in a future post.)

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Outfit – Old Navy sweater; The Citizen Rosebud skirt; May booties by Miista, purchased from Shoescribe.com

Blue Bird

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It’s now 2013 and my love for the bird print still has not waned.  I got this pretty mixed-print blouse last year because I loved the subtle colors.  I can wear it casually with jeans, but I’m sure it would also be very pretty with a skirt or slacks.  The birds had a bit of bright color in them and I decided to make more apparent by wearing these blue suede bow pumps.  I almost chose a blue purse, but decided it was a little too matchy-matchy, so I kept my purse neutral.

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Outfit – Bird print blouse c/o The Limited; Down East Basics jeans; Linea Pelle Domed Pyramid Stackable bracelet in rose gold; Shamballa bracelet c/o Cutey; Juicy Couture ring (old); Michael Kors watch; Rebecca Minkoff purse; BonLook Honeybadger glasses; Origami Owl necklace 

Photos by Rholnna Jiao

I Confess

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I first heard about Miista shoes when they followed me on Twitter.  I love discovering new brands, and lately I find out them due to follows on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.  I must confess that it was love at first sight when I went to the website, and I have been fascinated ever since (I used a couple of their shoes in some recent Polyvore collages, here and here).  These are my first pair from Miista called the Gabi, and these shoes – along with everything that I see on their site – are show stoppers.  I’m not one to shy away from a fantastic pair of shoes, and these shoes start conversations.  Each time I wear them, I get stopped because people either want to know where I got them, or just to tell me they are an awesome pair of shoes.  I wore them recently to the Shimmer event that I went to a few weeks ago, and because they are flatforms, they gave me the height I needed while remaining comfortable.  I’ve already have a second pair from Miista’s AW2012 sale, and I’m deciding what to get next from their Electromancer SS2013 collection, which is simply ah-mazing.

Note: Miista is a UK based company, and I just realized how many English items I’m wearing other than my shoes: London Underground cuff, English Beat shirt (the title of this post is one of their songs), Union Jack purse, London map ring, and hidden under my shirt is my belt with a Union Jack buckle.  I must really miss London!

Edited to add on 2/5/2013: Check me out on Miista’s site (here)!  When you purchase shoes from Miista (directly from their site or the many retailers that sell their brand), take an outfit photo featuring their shoes and submit it to you at miista dot com, and you could win a free pair in a monthly drawing.  I didn’t win this month, but I’m going to keep trying!

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Shimmer Fashion Show Love Life Photo 2

Outfit – Living Doll Los Angeles jacket; H&M jeans; English Beat concert t-shirt; The G Collection Union Jack studded purse; Gabi shoes by Miista (from Envi Shoes); London Underground cuff c/o designhype; rings by Wendy Brandes and Suki Bijoux; Michael Kors watch; La Marquise glasses by BonLook; Park Avenue lipstick by Radiant

(Photo 3 by Eddie Flores of Love Life Photography)

Sheer Luxury With a Purpose: Frangi Pangi Hosiery

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When I first started to wear dresses, I always wore sheer pantyhose because my mom used to wear them all the time.  This led to my love of tights, and I’ve really only worn either tights or have gone bare-legged when wearing something for day or if the outfit didn’t call for it.  Recently, I’ve thought about wearing pantyhose again because I find that I need to wear something with more support.  There are really only two things that hold me back from donning sheer pantyhose: color and wear.  I feel like I can’t quite find the right color for my skin tone, and I have this very bad habit of ruining a new pair of pantyhose within the first wearing by snagging them on something, creating a huge run.

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I have come to realize that sometimes you have to spend a little to get the quality you want, so I did move to the higher denier tights to get that opaqueness that I wanted, which meant moving to a higher price point.  Of course, the same applies to sheer pantyhose because you literally get what you pay for: if you pay $2 for a pair, then it is inevitable that they will most likely run after the first wear because of the lower denier.  So after I was contacted by Frangi Pangi to try out a couple of pairs of their pantyhose, I wasn’t sure what to expect, being that it’s been several years since I’ve worn them.  After putting them on, I was pleasantly surprised with the not only the quality, but the color.  Their hosiery is guaranteed to wear at least 4 times without a run or your money back, and so far so good after my first wear!  Because these they are “Designed for women of colour by a woman of colour”, I felt confident in finding a shade that is near an exact match to my skin tone.  For my sheer pair, I chose the color Fava and I was not disappointed.  The color was perfect, and they felt very luxurious like silk.  They are sheer to the toe so I felt just fine wearing them with open-toe pumps.  I also received a sheer black pair, and they looked and felt just as amazing as the skin tone pair, great for the day as well as evenings out.  Both pairs of pantyhose also have a very comfortable control top, so I also have the support that I was looking for.  Their website offers a wonderful “Buying Guide” section which will show you all of their colors, sizes (A to 2x), and how to best care for your pair of Frangi Pangi pantyhose.

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Frangi Pangi founder and Chief Executive, Jocelyn Maminta, spent  years developing the concept for this line of luxury pantyhose in such a wide range of colours that there is truly a shade for every woman. As a woman of colour herself, Jocelyn saw the need for a greater selection  than she was able to find as a consumer. In her words, “There is no need to settle for less anymore.”

What impressed me the most about Frangi Pangi is that they support Caroline’s Room, whose mission is “to ease the trauma of families with children in neonatal intensive care”.  Not only is Jocelyn Maminta the founder and CEO of Frangi Pangi, but she is also a broadcast journalist at News 8 WTNH and the co-founder of Caroline’s Room.  Profits from Frangi Pangi goes to support the funding of Caroline’s Room.  It’s always nice to lend support to a company that not only cares about women and their quest for style by offering a wider range of colors and sizes in their hosiery, but gives back to their community and Frangi Pangi is just such a company.

Outfit 1 – Blazer c/o The Limited; Forever 21 dress (old); Kenneth Cole purse (old); Michael Kors pumps; Honeybadger glasses by Bon Look; Origami Owl necklace; Fava ultra-sheer pantyhose c/o Frangi Pangi

Outfit 2 – Costa Blanca cape c/o High Gloss Fashion (I won it from their December 2012 Facebook contest); Forever 21 purse (old); Alice Temperley for Target dress; Poetic License shoes; La Marquise glasses by Bon Look; Park Avenue lipstick by Radiant; Black ultra-sheer pantyhose c/o Frangi Pangi

Photos 1 & 2 by Rholnna Jiao; Photo 3 by Deon Chen

FTC Disclosure:  I received free product and was asked to review the product in return.  Although I did receive free product, the opinions in this post are strictly my own.

Weekend in Pictures: I Heart Shimmer!

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On Saturday, I attended a the VIP Fashion Event at Shimmer, a local retail clothing store in Westfield’s Plaza Bonita Mall (they also have a location at the Chula Vista Center).    I found out about the event through the San Diego Style Bloggers blog and quickly put in my RSVP to attend the event.  I think it’s important to attend these types of events as bloggers to get to know the local fashion community and also to connect with other bloggers.  Not only did I get to reconnect with bloggers Tuyaymya of White Tee Black Dress and Erika of Within The Sun, but I also got to meet the beautiful Alessandra of Fatshion Diary.  We are all pictured below with Judy Figueroa from Shimmer (except for Erika, who I didn’t see until later that evening).

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Silliness in the VIP blogger area with Alessandra and Tuyaymya! (Photo courtesy of Fatshion Diary; check out her awesome post about this event here!)

It was a lovely fashion soiree with a free mini-salon area equipped to handle hair, make-up and nails.  We were also treated to tasty snacks (that I unfortunately couldn’t partake in due to being in the midst of Whole30), and a blogger VIP area with awesome little gifts from Shimmer along with cute SWAG bags we received upon entering the event area.  The evening began with a hair and make-up demo by Bellus Academy, which was followed by a fantastic fashion show.

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The outfits were broken up into three categories:  Lady Gaga meets military, Chanel inspired and Valentine’s Day outfit ideas.  I did shop a bit prior to watching the event, and I saw two jackets that I tried on make it to the runway (one I purchased).  But what I enjoyed most about the fashion show was that it showcased models of all shapes, sizes and ages.  When I spoke to Judy from Shimmer, she said that they wanted to make sure that they appeal to everyone, and I truly felt it during the fashion show.  Being a 40+ style blogger, it was very important to me to see a model up there who was in my age range, and she ROCKED it.  I swear I gushed each time she hit the catwalk!

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I bought this oxblood blazer by Ark & Co

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I tried this on, but it was quite long on me.  I’m not as tall as this gorgeous model (jacket also by Ark & Co).

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I cheered every time she hit the runway!

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A bevy of beauties.

I would like to thank San Diego Fashion Bloggers for providing details to this event on their blog, and I would also like to thank Judy and all at Shimmer, Bad Madge Productions and Vanity Girl Hollywood (who provided the awesome mirrors in the hair & make-up section) for making this event so much fun and memorable.  I would also like to thank my hubby, for taking me to the event and even posing in a photo with me, even though he said that he wasn’t “photo ready” due his casual outfit.  I love you honey!

(Get 20% off + free shipping on Shimmer’s online shop, iheartshimmer.com by using the code FASHION20!)

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Mint Condition

Mint Condition
If you follow me on Pinterest, you’ll see that I’m very taken by the color mint. It’s so fresh and perfect for spring. I was inspired by the very cute shoes from ModCloth and Miista, then took to Polyvore to create a casual set and a dressy set. I envision wearing either style with a pair of black skinny jeans so that the mint just pops (click the picture above, or the links below for all the buying information).  I know it will seem like an unusal musical departure, but in the 90’s, I was very much into Hip Hop and R&B. I thought it was appropriate, given the title of this post, to include “Breakin’ My Heart (Pretty Brown Eyes)” by Mint Condition (click the picture below for the video). Enjoy!

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 (Photo courtesy of Last.fm)

H m jacket
$48 – hm.com

Faux-fer flats
modcloth.com

Val Tex by Miista
solestruck.com

Envelope clutch
threadsence.com

Essie Mint Candy Apple
$16 – liberty.co.uk

Forever New Karmen biker
$105 – forevernew.com.au