J.P Loafers de Tod’s

Le Carré Hermès

La Chuck Taylor All Star de Converse

Les douze robes importables de Paco Rabanne

La robe Mondrian d’Yves Saint-Laurent

Les ballerines Souris de Marc Jacobs

“I can make it anywhere! Yea, they love me everywhere!” I confidently thought, coming home from my first Friday night out in New York City in a few years.

First, was a large catch up dinner with friends at The Smith, followed by a very late night at The Gray Lady….happy on one, or two, or five glasses of wine, I can’t really recall….I caught a cab home at 4 in the morning… I was already intoxicated by the Big Apple.

Then, just as I thought, this city isn’t so tough, “We’re at your stop, Lady! Get out of my cab!” 

“This isn’t my stop!” I said proudly. I actually knew where I was!

“This is your stop. Greenwich Ave.”

“I said Greenwich St.”

“No…walk. Get out of my cab.” I proceeded to pay the cab driver for dropping me 6 blocks away from where I was staying. As I’m about to slam the door shut….“Where’s my tip?” 

NEW YORK…Possibly the only city that you can still love, after it repeatedly “kicks your ass” (as my friend, Alessandra describes)

My two weeks here is coming to an end and I ate, drank, walked, made it to fashion week, and witnessed a blizzard. New York truly kicked my ass…but I still love it and will be coming back for more.

There were a few highlights…one of which was seeing the Monika Chiang show for New York Fashion Week. Of course, a blizzard was coming our way and I still chose to go!

I was hardly fashionable. Timberland boots, a long coat and a faux fur russian hat my friend lent me (It saved my head from flash freezing). Needless to say, I was warm enough, and I did not fall on my face walking on the icy sidewalks! SUCCESS!

Here is a little drawing of me in the hat that saved my life!

The show…was…full of people. Here are a couple of looks that I adored.

As we left the show, something skinny and tall walked passed me followed by about 100 photographers. It was Olivia Palermo, looking pretty glamorous, albeit struggling not to slip on the ice on her sky high heels. Ps.. She was wearing a GIANT russian hat…Maybe  I was a bit more fashionable than I thought?

As a matter of fact…I found this picture on the internet of her outfit yesterday…..We were so close to her that my aunt managed to accidentaly become a photobomber! There she is on the top right with…yes…another fur hat! I was to her right, likely saying something like, “oh it’s so slippery, that photographer bumped into me!”

I honestly believe that Ms. Palermo blocked me from getting into this picture, completely ruining my chance at super stardom. LOL

After the show, blizzard Nemo did not disappoint. The icy rain fell and fell and fell. After getting into the wrong subway (an attempt to save money) I gave up and my mission now was to find a cab and get to my cousins apartment in Tribeca before dinner.

Of course! All cabs were off duty!

“Okay Pia…brave the blizzard, stick your arm out to anything passing” ……15 mins…20 mins….YES! Got one! “I’m going to Tribeca, (insert address of cousin)”

Inside the cab, I proceed to brush off snow, check my phone and compose myself after 30 minutes trying to hail a cab. The cab driver then starts speaking to me saying why he can’t drop me off here, he’ll drop me off there instead blah, blah, etc. etc.

I was exasperated. ”Yea yea sure.” I said, not really listening to a word he said.

…….He dropped me off 20 minutes away from where I wanted to go. I hate New York.

I decided to just walk to my brother’s apartment and brave the snow. After 15 minutes, I was warm at home, on the verge of a bad cold… I hesitantly cancelled dinner with my girlfriends, I was too much of a wuss to go back out there…NYC kicked my ass yet again.

After showering, changing into pajamas and a warming glass of red wine, my brother and I ordered in some Westville. Nothing is better than comfort food on a cold, cold day.

….I’m writing this blog post the day after, about to leave for brunch with my friends in the now sunny, white coated city….

I love New York again.

Coco Chanel once said, “since everything is in our heads, we had better not lose them.”

This is particularly applicable to those in the artistic fields, as creative minds require out-of-the-box thinking and a steady supply of stimulation. Whether your dream aspirations in life revolve around achieving Louvre-esque status, or you aim to be a fashion consultant, or a world-class shopper, shifting your environment toward inspiration will help you facilitate ease and productivity in many arenas.

Transform the Space You Have

Your home should be a bastion of inspiration, a mecca for your mind, and surrounding yourself with visually appealing accents and creature comforts is a must for maximum creativity. According to Forbes, the color blue can help facilitate creativity, and the color red can incite good performance and enhance short-term memory. Loose, flowing drapes can add prestige and elegance to even the most drab of spaces, and even small touches like white roses in decoupage vases can breathe new life into your surroundings. Gracing the wall with your favorite quotes and prints can help remind you of your dreams in the first place. The sky is the limit when it comes to donning your space with the best accessories and ambiance for your taste.

Here are a few little drawings of what I would have as accents to my home

White flowers (especially orchids) add a bit of elegance

Your favourite scent: It is always nice to enter a nice smelling place!! – This type above looks great too

I always have to add my artist background into the mix

Take a Journey Through Different Eras

Most great artistic minds find at least one piece of their inspiration pie from the past. Renaissance greats like Michaelangelo, Da Vinci and Caravaggio all sought profound inspiration from Classical Greek and Roman artists as well as Biblical stories and themes. Most singers and songwriters were inspired by music of the past at a very young age, and fashion designers almost always credit bygone eras for their most innovative trends. Apply this to your life by seeking out the triumphs and beautiful results of those that came before you. Spending some time browsing French fashions as interpreted by artists is a fantastic place to start. Or, perhaps you’re more inspired by the ornate trends of the Ottomon Empire throughout the ages. Looking at the past is a wonderful way to ensure a creative future.

This is one of the first illustrations I did inspired by Warhol, music, and fashion

Be One With Nature, Realistically

From the Hanging Gardens of Babylon to Walden Pond, nature is another unending source of ethereal beauty and inspiration. Nature is the ultimate color palette, whether it’s a weed growing through a crack on a sidewalk or the Redwood National Forest, drawing inspiration from nature is the ultimate artist’s weapon. Nature can also be brought into your home through the simple purchase of house plants, or a jaunt through your local park for some wildflowers. The act of seeking out nature alone is an age-old way to bolster those creative juices. No matter which creative lens you seek to tap into your artistic mind through, there are certainly no shortages in daily life, it’s time to let your illustration inspirations loose.

Here are my latest illustrations for French fashion Blog, www.Bybaya.com

Click on the titles to view the full article (in French)…English version coming soon!

Le Polo de Ralph Lauren

La botte Aigle

Le Muse d’Yves Saint-Laurent

Les Spicy de Louis Vuitton

This has been such a great year and I couldn’t have asked for anything more!

I wish you all much love and happiness in the year ahead!

I am happy to announce that I am now a contributing illustrator for www.homegrown.ph! Homegrown is a great new online magazine for aspiring entrepreneurs in the Philippines. It gives to tips and tricks of the trade from how to register your brand to how to battle the stresses of everyday work! I am really happy to be contributing to such a great new company!

Click on the titles to view the full articles on Homegrown!

BEAT STRESS WITH A GOOD BOOK

HOW TO BEAT THE HOLIDAY STRESS

I know I haven’t been posting often, but it has been busy busy busy on my corner especially with the holidays! Right now, I am in Vancouver, BC spending time with my mothers side of the family! I have not been back in about three years so I am really enjoying myself!

Anyway, another thing that kept me busy was my collaboration with amazing French blog, ByBaya. I have really loved working with Berenice to create amazing posts about fashion and fashion history.

The other week, we got the incredible opportunity to contribute an illustrated article for the 160th Anniversary of Le Bon Marche Rive Gauche! Berenice wrote a beautiful article (in French) about the history of the famous store and I had the pleasure of illustrating a few images portraying special edition items at Le Bon Marche as well as recognizable symbols of the famous Paris store.

It was a week straight of hard work, but now it is up on Le Bon Marche’s Facebook page! and featured on ByBaya as well!

Since they have put it up, I am going to show you guys some photos on L.S. Illustrated as well! Hope you like them!

GOOD NEWS FOR US ENGLISH SPEAKERS!

Blog ByBaya is launching its English version before the new year! No more google translate! Stay tuned for the announcement on L.S. Illustrated’s blog and Facebook page!

Thought i’d try my hand in a pen and ink style!

Enjoy!

Les Tribute d’Yves Saint-Laurent

Les Janson-de-Sailly de Weston

Les Swan de Manolo Blahnik

Les Vara Pumps de Ferragamo

Les Ballerines Lanvin

Le 2.55 de Chanel

Happy Friday!