Tag Archives: ACCESSORIES

FASHION: YOUR “I DO” SHOE

I have been a little MIA over this past month. What can you do? summer makes many people MIA…especially in Spain! It’s such a different life in Europe. Vacations are sacred! It’s fantastic (when you’re on vacation!)

Anyway, in the past few weeks, I received TWO wedding announcements!! One of my best friends, and my cousin are getting married next year! And next year isn’t so far away! Weddings are really hard work, you have to think of minute details…from table settings, colour schemes, all the way down to your shoes…

I always ask myself what kind of wedding shoes would I wear! I guess it really depends where you are!

Guest Poster Andrew Wenzel gives us the when and where / do’s and don’ts of your “I do” shoe!

Depending on the type of bride you will be, the location of your wedding might help decide your style. With the dress—anything goes (just avoid heavy lace or velvet covering your body in an outdoor summer wedding). With the shoes—consider the terrain.

Meadow or Lawn Wedding

If you are walking down the aisle across a damp grassy knoll, save your stilettos for the after party or you may find yourself sunk, stuck or shoeless. There would be nothing worse than taking a fall in front of everyone. Consider flats for this type of ceremony. Whether you’re a romantic, shabby chic or wild bride, there are a wide variety of specialty slippers to consider for the special walk down the aisle.

If your heart is set on the new 3-inch high Christian Louboutin Cinderella slippers, try heel stoppers. This small invention makes a big difference by allowing you to keep standing tall in your stilettos. Heel stoppers are little attachments that widen the base of your heel allowing you to walk on grass and helping you avoid tripping on cracks. They can be adorned with stones and color to parallel your style.

Beach Bride

Avoid getting sand in your shoes by wearing either special flip flops or ballet slippers when sharing your vows near the sea. You can also simply go barefoot. Although an open-toe shoe is typically a “don’t” for the bride at her wedding ceremony, it’s perfectly acceptable to adorn your perfectly manicured feet with foot jewelry. Jewels are strung on an elastic strap that loops around your ankle and toe. Light and comfortable, foot jewelry, or “barefoot sandals,” is the perfect answer for the beach bride. Let the sand cushion your stroll to the alter.

Cobblestone Street

When marrying on cobblestone streets or stone walkways, consider wearing slings or classic pumps. With super-thin heels, you run the risk of looking clumsy on these ancient, uneven streets. There is still a lot you can do, even with shoe restrictions. The “shoe world” is your oyster, as far as style goes. You might consider your shoes be the good luck token of the “something blue” wedding tradition and choose a pale blue Prada sling or a Badgley Mischka cobalt peep toe.

Rain or Shine

This wedding is going to happen come rain or shine. If there is the slightest chance of rain, avoid velvet, suede or any other material that might be ruined if it gets wet. Think about what fabrics and textures work in different types of environment. If you’re getting married in a small space or on a rocky terrain, avoid patent leather because it can get easily scraped.  

No matter the terrain you choose for your special day, be sure your shoes fit, are comfortable and appropriate. Go wild with color, studs and glitter. Unlike your wedding dress, you can wear these shoes again and again. The place to express yourself is under the dress. And, really, anything goes.

Thanks Andrew for your great post!

Have a great article you want illustrated??  Email me at lsillustrated@gmail.com

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LIFESTYLE: Beach Essentials

Raise your hand if any of you have gone to the beach and….

Wore the CUTEST bikini that you just bought for a jillion $$ and realized it cut the back of your neck.

Lost, bent, or scratched your best pair of shades because you forgot the case.

Got your face really, really burned.

I am not going to go on and on with a list of the worst beach mistakes ever made…By me! And trust me, I’ve made all these mistakes more than once including a scary burn on my nose that lasted for a week. I have learned my lesson..hopefully!

Having learned my lesson, I have made my own list the essential beach accessories I always have in hand for a worry free beach getaway. I don’t try to tell anybody what to wear and what not to wear, so the great thing about these items is that there is so much versatility to them that you can tweak each to suit you!

YOUR BEST BIKINI:

Nobody likes to constantly be fidgeting, untying and re-tying that painful strap around her neck the entire day! Take your time to find a bathing suit that rests comfortably on your body! Top heavy? Go for straps over your shoulders rather than a halter!

MY PICK: Calvin Klein bikinis. I love them so much that when I saw them on major sale, I bought one for myself and two more for my friends. They are comfortable and the straps are soft.

TOSSABLE SHADES: 

Literally, shades that you can toss or drop without saying aww f*@k when they land in the sand or the water…unfortunately I haven’t seen floating shades yet so bye, bye if they drop off a moving boat.

MY PICK: Wayfarers…SO durable…I’ve sat on, dropped and swam with them so many times I can’t count. They still look great

BENDABLE HAT

Wear a hat that lets you lay your head down properly. No one wants a stiff neck! AND as a friend of mine told me before I got burned…”wrinkles are real.” ….so wear a hat.

MY PICK: Panama hats…the good ones don’t lose their shape. Caps are great for a sporty look.

WATER WATCH

Yea okay we never want to know the time on a beach trip. But what if there is an emergency and you happen to need the time while you are in the middle of the ocean….wear a waterproof watch.

MY PICK: I love bright coloured watches this summer. I recently got a new Oxygen Sport – Lemon watch. Luhuuuve it! Have money to spend and want a watch for life? Rolex.

BEACHY BAG

You need something to carry your sunblock and towel and chips!

MY PICK: Straw bag with long straps like THIS ONE

THE ULTIMATE SANDAL

Get something waterproof, easy to walk in and can easily slip on and off your foot

MY PICK: Menorquinas (Also called Avarcas)…it gives a European twist and kicks the butt out of espadrilles! They literally shape to your foot the longer you wear them!

Hope you find this list useful! Everyone wants to look great at the beach, and part of looking great is being comfortable and not having to WORRY about whether you look great or not! You just do!

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FASHION: The Aviator

I have always loved Aviator shades! Not only are they a classic, but they always add a cool factor to whatever I am wearing! Many designs of sunglasses have emerged over the past century, but none have ruled the fashion world like the aviators. But do many people really know exactly how they became so popular? I did a little bit of digging and found that the Aviator shades are a little closer to my home than I thought! To my friends in the Philippines, you may find this kinda interesting!

Originally developed in 1936 by Bausch and Lomb, aviators were distributed under the trade name Ray-Ban. They were called aviator sunglasses because they were first specifically designed for pilots during the World War II period. The Army was looking for a sunglass to protect aviators from the damaging rays of the sun, but also a sunglass that would look elegant on the dashing airman of the day.

The U.S. Army Air Corps pilots instantly took to the sunglasses, earning Ray-Bans the moniker “Aviator Glasses” — a term which now describes all sunglasses with designs that are similar to the original Ray-Ban.

The Ray-Ban aviator achieved broader popularity during WWII, when pictures of General Douglas Macarthur wearing these classic sunglasses when he landed in Philippines were printed in newspapers across the world. The very next year Ray-Ban introduced these aviators into the general market.

(more photos: 1, 2)

So thats a small bit of fashion history that I wanted to share with you all!  :) If you know and want to share any more interesting tidbits, shoot me an email at LSillustrated@gmail.com! I would love to hear from you!

Sources: EZine Mark and Urban Optiques

This print is available for purchase at L.S. Illustrated’s Etsy Boutique

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ACCESSORIES: BIG STRAW TOTES

I am so happy to see that big straw totes are popping up all over the place this summer! Marc Jacobs and even Balenciaga have created their own versions!

What is funny is that,  I was having an interesting conversation with my pal, Cristina, from Ecuador. She said that these bags (the ones made and sold in Ecuador) are not so popular and are considered not so classy!

Which brings me to the question — although I do admire many big fashion designers–why do we need a brand name stuck to a piece of clothing for it to be worth something? Even when that thing is most likely made in our own backyard!

I know I´m guilty :)

Cristina was a few steps ahead of me on this matter! In her case, she is talking about the craftmanship of “Paja Toquilla,” a material native to Ecuador. You have most probably seen it because it is what Panama Hats are made from!

She dreams of creating sustainable fashion in Ecuador. She wants to create large tote bags —much like what we are seeing by Balenciaga–made from materials from Ecuador, by Ecuadorians.

Because she asked me and COMPLETELY support her dream, we drew up some of her ideas together!

Go Cristina! It is great what you are doing! And I only hope that everyone can think like you ;)

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FASHION: BVLGARI–The Emerald Maiden

“Who so loves believes the impossible.” – Barrett Browning

This is a post for all the romantics out there.

Why romance? Because the person in this portrait is the true romantic (and gave me the quote!), my dearest friend Rachel. I have been wanting to do a sketch of this lady for so long but never found the right way to portray her…until now!

This afternoon, I listened to a seminar all about BVLGARI jewelry and got pretty inspired. When I think of vintage Bvlgari pieces – such as these emerald earrings – I can’t not think of romance!

Rachel is a writer and a poet (although she has yet to show any of her work to anyone — we’re waiting!) …so I illustrated her as the maiden that all the great poets wrote about!

I hope you like it!

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LOOKBOOK: Beach Babe in Spain

So what do you do if you are living in the tropics and have been a bona-fide beach babe all your life, then eventually move to a place that witnesses all seasons? How do you dress??

My friend Tiffany has the style you are looking for! She grew up in the Philippines and recently moved to Spain. What does she do to keep the Summer feeling all year ’round? It’s as simple as the word, COLOUR. :)

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LIFESTYLE: THE VESPA CLUB – Karina

This is dedicated to my cousin, Karina who always makes me laugh and never fails to put me in a good mood! :) …. Here is Karina riding Bumblebee’s kid sister. (Yes I went there)

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ACCESSORIES: Timeless Boater

So I was being a little bit nostalgic and watching Mary Poppins (It’s the best). Dick Van Dyke is one of my favourite entertainers of all time! Okay, okay, so how does this relate to fashion or lifestyle? His HAT….His amazing boater hat that he hands to Mary before dancing with the penguins! Little did I know, fashion houses like Emporio Armani featured these hats in their recent collections! Goes to show how some pieces can be so timeless.

Jolly Holiday – Dick Van Dyke and Julie Andrews

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HAPPY EASTER!

Happy Easter everyone! I hope you are enjoying your weekend!

Planning on putting all your Easter eggs in one basket? Why not sport a lovely woven tote instead of a traditional basket to put them in??

Bag:  Yellow woven sea grass tote by Marc Jacobs

Glasses: Asos

Scarf: Illustrator’s design

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FASHION / MUSIC: I Vote Shingai Shoniwa for D&G!

I am so in love with the D&G Spring 2012 Collection. So much colour and really great fabrics. Also, I have been listening to a certain UK Indie group called The Noisettes. If you haven’t heard of them, they are totally worth a listen! Their sound is amazing and their lead singer, Shingai Shoniwa is so incredibly cool. She of Zimbabwean descent, and her style, voice and over all stage presence has me hooked.

So….I thought, It would be so amazing to see her as the face of D&G Spring Summer 2012 ….Since Spring 2012 is already here and mmmost likely the big guys at D&G won’t listen to little ol’ me, I decided to take the matter into my own hands and create my own “Shingai Shoniwa for D&G” ad myself…simply to satisfy my own wishes! What do you think?? :p

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