The Fast, the Furious, and the Fashionable

Hey everyone!

I hope you've all been well during my blogging absence. I seem to have an odd habit of skipping out during October. Then again, it may not be all that odd seeing as exams and paper seem to be never-ending during that time--if you're also in college, I'm sure you know what I mean. :P Anyway, I'm back, and right in time for Thanksgiving! Disregarding the history of colonialism and genocide that is attached-yet-ignored, I enjoy having the day off for the sole purpose of pausing and seeing what has gotten me through another year and being grateful for the accomplishments, downfalls, and everything in between.

Before I skip over to that, though, I'm going to backtrack all the way to September once again! Not intending to tout my own horn, but the blog attracts readers from all over the world and so while Winter is right around the corner for me, many of you are enjoying Spring elsewhere and so some earlier examples of how I made it through the transitional season of Fall may (hopefully) be a source of inspiration for you. Then again, the weather's been so wonky for us in the States that perhaps it doesn't matter and you'll be able to pull off a lovely autumnal look regardless!

Anyway, let's jump right into it! The same week as IFBCon I only had one day of school, and lucky me, it was a rainy day that I decided to oversleep a bit on. I also had plans with my friend for the evening for Fashion's Night Out and knew I wouldn't have much time at home to change into something completely different. So how do you handle having to look good on a crappy day AND while in a hurry? Here's the formula I came up with for daytime and evening (don't hate on my Rugrats sheets):

Start off with a dressy and flattering top

Jeans are a great go-to item but wearing the right pair is essential. For daytime, a distressed straight-legged tones down the dressiness of the top but cuffing them helps to keep the look clean. Come nighttime, switch it to a plain dark skinny keeps you looking svelte and chic.

During the day was rainy so some scuffed up ankle boots such as the ones to the left are perfect to be comfortable, dry, and able to hurry anywhere without a problem. The evening was much more misty so switch it up to some heeled booties that will also keep your tootsies dry while looking good and keeping comfy.

Belt it up with a simple belt. As you can see, I kept things black thus far so let the accessories make the outfit stand out.

For toppers, a nice vest with a fantastic design on the back does well for both day and night. Due to the morning rain, I also had this chic navy jacket and rolled the sleeves up a bit to better the fit.

A backpack is great for those days on the run to school--just throw your books, pens, and any other essentials in and your packed! This one pairs nicely with the outfit due to the minor detail of the brown buttons on the jacket. For evening, switch it up and minimize the load with a cute clutch. Grey and black with hints of pink, this makes for a great pop to your outfit as well as a guide for your makeup.

When it comes to hair and makeup, you want to keep it unfussy and fantastic with minimal effort. With hair, keep it loose during the day but adding a lovely headband that contrasts with the top gives it a nice touch. For evening, a simple side ponytail with an accent, such as these contrasting flower pins brings forth the same effect in a more elegant way.

Lastly, keep your makeup as simple as you can! This double duty mascara is great as you can add some length for the day and then pack on the volume for evening. As for the lips, moisturized lips are essential before anything. A nice cutesy pink such as that on the left is a great choice for the day and looks very sweet on a rainy day at that while an in-your-face fuchsia ups the ante at night.

And with that, you're ready to go!

Off to school!

Prepped for the city without a hair out of place!

I've had a few more days on the run since then and I have to say, this "formula," if you will, has really proven to be fantastic! But what about you? How do you prep when you're in a rush and the odds seem stacked against you? Do you have any key pieces that you resort to in such a scenario? Do you have your own formula set up? Did you get to enjoy Fashion's Night Out forever ago?

With that, I'll leave you with some photos from my ventures with my best friend Henry from our night!

The Sephora at Times Square got some amazing dancers to perform from outside into the store! To be honest, I went in looking for Michelle Phan though.

Desigual looks amazing always!

We spent our time at Lord & Taylor, who broke each store level into a different part of the city and had DJs playing music relative to each area's culture!

Party time and we poppin' champagne!

Our photo op together--we're absolute dorks! <3

He bought these fantastic Steve Madden shoes on sale and got a foot scoop for free as well!

He has pizzazz! Hee hee

 Hasta Luego! And since the time has come, Happy Thanksgiving! Please keep in mind what brought the holiday to be and be able to decipher what is worth being thankful for, both good and bad.

Love,

Little Luna

Don't Let the Black and White Confuse You; I'm a Rainbow Swirl Lollipop!

Hey everyone!!!

It is absolutely wonderful to be back!! If you aren't a follower on Twitter, the reason I went all Houdini on you guys once again was due to the massive overhaul that took place in my room. I'm sharing it with my little brother and now we've managed to paint the room, as well as the rest of the place, white, get new beds (bunk beds to be exact), shifted some furniture around, got rid of A LOT of stuff, set up a mini office in one corner of the room and I've just about got all of my wardrobe and makeup set up. There are still some minor things that need to take place but things have been working out pretty smoothly now. I will say that I'm still trying to find where is the best place in the apartment to take pics so you may see me all over the place in the next couple posts. Anyway, I'm so happy to get back into the swing of things on here as there is a lot I want to chat with you all about and I've taken the time away to prep some new ideas I hope to begin sharing with you all very, very soon as well as some posts I intended to share before but with all that was going on,  I didn't get the chance. So let's get started, shall we?!

Last week on Friday, I did something out of the norm and got up extra-early instead of my usual afternoon time wake-up (though I'm currently trying to shift that routine so I won't be so out of it once school starts--2 weeks left!!). The reason was due to an interview I decided I'd give a try at Dylan's Candy Bar! If you've never heard of this place, I'll fill you in on why you should check it out:

1. Dylan Lauren is Ralph Lauren's (yes, the designer) daughter! Even though her work is invested in something else, she definitely has her dad's eye when it comes to style, both in regards to the store layout, products, and herself!

2. Even if you don't have much of a sweet tooth, like myself, there is undoubtedly something that will call your attention! They have candy from every country that produces it and it's definitely something we all should experience (I sadly didn't get to go into the store that day but I'm thinking of returning soon just for it).

3. Not a candy person at all? Check out their gear! They have colors galore when it comes to their other products, which include cute clothes for everyone, colorful bags, delicious-looking stationery (NERD ALERT: I go absolutely wild looking at this page), and many more.

4. The New York City Flagship Store has a separate space for parties as well as a very nice café with a menu full of yummy delights.

Isn't that rad or what?! I obviously didn't take any pics (how odd would that look while waiting on a line for an interview) but definitely will share some next time I go. I don't know how the outcome is looking, seeing as it has been about a week, but I always wait 2 weeks before holding off on expectations. What I thought was a fun part of the interview, though, was the question "If you could be any kind of candy, what would you be and why?" I answered, "A Rainbow Swirl Lollipop because each characteristic on its own stands out well but put them together and you get something awesome, like me!" When written it may sound a bit cocky, but I'm pretty confident in that answer and know that it's definitely applicable. Oddly enough, I was dressed like the complete opposite of a Rainbow Swirl Lollipop but more on that in a second.

After I scampered off and had some breakfast, I scurried over to the Metropolitan Museum of Art to finally check out the Savage Beauty exhibit. I got there at about 11:15 a.m. and was met with the following line:

That would be the museum behind me in the last shot and the first two show the line going down the block, away from the museum, and then wrapping back toward it. Also, this was just to get inside the museum itself! Another line awaited to go to the exhibit! I should have known a little better and my feet were already dying in the shoes I was wearing but I soldiered on till about 12 p.m. when a guard came out with a megaphone to declare the exhibit closed for the rest of the day!! Talk about popular! A little disappointed, but tremendously happy to return home and kick off my shoes, I went on my way and plotted to return over the weekend (more on that in a future post). Before I did that, though, I shot some pictures of my outfit to share:

I wanted to go for a classy look that still felt comfortable for the Summer so I initially thought "Blouse & Skirt & Heels" but didn't really feel my options until I took a look at this midi houndstooth skirt, a vintage score from my mother's closet. Where's the skirt you may ask? It's the dress I'm wearing! That's right: I took it all the way up and it fit beautifully. To keep it figure-flattering I cinched the waist with my favorite vintage green belt (not with the intention of matching it to my bra straps lol). Speaking of the bra straps, I didn't want to show those off so I topped it off with a pinstripe blazer to create some minor print-mixing (TIP: You may have heard it dozens of times but the key to easy print-mixing is keeping your color palette the same on both prints). I finished it off with my classiest purse and pair of heels, silver horseshoe earrings (Yes, I'm wearing earrings after a two year break!), and, of course, a pearl necklace--this having been my two-layered ivory and grey one from my last trip to the Flea Market.

For hair, I went with a messier version of the same hairstyle I wore for the last interview outfit I shared to deconstruct the outfit a bit. Lastly, for makeup, I kept it simple with pink lips and lengthy lashes.

How do you like this outfit? Have you ever tried wearing a skirt as a top or dress? Are there any other pieces that you've alternated its original use and why? If you were any type of candy in the world, what would you be and why? Do you think I was right to say Rainbow Swirl Lollipop or did you expect something else? Did you check out the Alexander McQueen exhibit over the summer? Most importantly, how have you been in all my time away?! What have you been up to in that time?!


For anyone who isn't really confident about switching up a skirt into a dress, I'd like to share another example that does it really well! As I've mentioned a few times, I'm a petite-yet-curvy little doll so you may think "That's why you can get away with it!" Let the lovely Tanesha Awasthi a.k.a. Girl with Curves show you how much of a misconception that is, as she is a woman that is on the Curvy-Girl spectrum (some may refer to it as Plus-Sized or Full-Figured as well, but I love Tanesha's take on it best).

So take those skirts out for a spin one of these tremendously warm days as something other than a skirt! Maybe you'll find out you have a new favorite dress/top (definitely found my go-to dress for a more formal occasion)!

Hasta Luego!

Love,
Little Luna

That "Je ne sais quoi"

Bonjour mes amis!

I am a lover of cultures and am always interested in learning about them as well as integrating some of their best aspects into my own life, whether that be literature, music, food, or, of course, fashion! One I've admired for years is the French (what fashionista hasn't?!) and a phrase we all have heard is je ne sais quoi. For those who may have not heard it, it literally translates to "I don't know what" but refers to "a certain something or mysterious allure" in regards to a person. Here in America I see the mainstream fashion focusing more on leaving no secrets and flaunting everything, whether or not it actually accentuates anything, but I've been finding myself more intrigued with the idea of style that adds something of a mysterious element to the figure. Thus, I embarked on my own journey to try and find my own je ne sais quoi:

It seems to be common knowledge in the fashion world that striped tees of the cream-and-navy variety are trés chic in France at all times. Though usually the cream is the thicker stripe with navy as the thinner stripes, I picked up this lovely crop top from Mystique Boutique and thought it carried the same appeal. I suppose it's the cute buttons that go down the arms, which is also a common sight to see on such tees that mimic the French fashion. I paired it with these distressed skinnies as they are the lightest ones I have. I thought to pair them with my favorite jeans but I figured they were too dark for this look since the navy is the strongest color of the set. I cuffed them as they fit me a little lengthy and it's become my favorite way to make sure my jeans fit lately. I paired this with these pointy lace-up navy flats for simplicity with a hint of edge. Accessories were kept to a minimum as I feel like to really channel that allure the focus must be on the individual and not what they have stacked on their wrists, fingers or neck, so I wore this gifted necklace (given to me by a friend during their trip to Guatemala) as the wooden pendant seemed to pair nicely with the sleeves' buttons and my new favorite purse, and of course, to keep my pants in place, a simple brown belt.

Again, as I feel that the allure is something you need to channel from within instead of what you pile upon yourself, makeup was kept at a minimum with just a swipe of pink upon the lips, inspired by one of my favorite bloggers, Emily Schumann of "Cupcakes and Cashmere," and her own take on the navy & pink combo. I let my hair do its own thing and kept it loose and breezy, though I've often seen topknots and high ponytails as a preferable option.

So what do you think of this look? Was I able to find my own je ne sais quoi by trying on the French style? Have you ever tried to achieve your own je ne sais quoi and were you successful? Do you like to reserve it for special occasions or think it's a fantastic accessory for everyday life? Are you able to channel it in your own way without considering French fashion at all? Do you have your own name for it? What's your favorite culture to admire?

À la prochaine fois!

Bisous,

Little Luna (or Petite Lune)


P.S. I got so caught up in my translations I forgot to add the French tunes I wanted to pass your way! So here you go guys! Enjoy!


Cherry Blossom Girl by Air

Love Don't Let Me Go by David Guetta vs. The Egg (Before he became mainstream and popular in the Hip Hop World)

Commando by Vanessa Paradis