*we are all screaming... [for ice cream]

***

soooo I think it is like officially the hottest day of the year...

All over Manhattan, people are sweating as they bustle through the cityscape getting about their business.

Thank God for shade, Starbucks and the odd breeze...

And who can forget...

ICE CREAM!!

[yup...that's models 'eating' ice cream #whowouldhavethunk]

“Without ice cream, there would be darkness and chaos.” ― Don Kardong

“Ice cream is happiness condensed.” ― Jessie Lane Adams

“My advice to you is not to inquire why or whither, but just enjoy your ice cream while it's on your plate.” ―Thornton Wilder

Go treat yourselves! [I know I will!] Have an ice cream cone kiddies!

Keep cool!

 xx

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*Spring 2013 Trend Alert: stripes [+stars].

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And a happy new week to all! [even though it's Tuesday]

Hope you are all back on that work flow after what hopefully turned out to be a relaxing and enjoyable 4th of July weekend.

[reminds me of a certain *americana post, no?]

Maybe you spent it barbequing with fam, lounging by a pool or [like me] sleeping the weekend away indoors in front of an ac unit.

But regardless of how you spent the holiday, it is a time to marvel at how far this great country has come in the past 237 years...and wonder how much further it can go in terms of development.

Hmm...so, in celebrating ye old stars and stripes...how about another Spring 2013 Trend?

Yea?

Hitting the runways last season's fashion weeks, we saw a reemergence of Stripes on the runway. Not exactly having gone out of style, as various fashion mags have reported them to be a trend in Spring 2009, 2010, 2011 and both Spring AND Fall 2012, it is clear that these bold lines are here to stay. 

Angular. Sophisticated. Chevron.

Furthermore, with designers constantly challenging themselves to reinvent the wheel [or in this case the line] collections are featuring a lot more color, as opposed to the traditional b&w stripes, a combination of horizontal AND vertical all in the same look! and even the increasingly popular chevron stripes.

Designs by Dolce and Gabbana, Christian Dior, Lacoste, Michael Kors, Oscar de la Renta, Paul Smith.
Images courtesy Style.com and Google.

So go out! Raid every H&M, Zara and Topshop...I hope you each start rocking some bold, linear looks serving zebra crossing realness!

And, just cause I can...

"Stars" in Stripes! Ha!

Top L-R: Chanel Iman, Rihanna, Cassie, Hailee Steinfeld
Bottom L-R: Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, Blake Lively, Olga Kurylenko, Katy Perry

Enjoy!

xx

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*[pride]

***

As most of you know [unless you've been living under a rock], yesterday was NYC's annual Pride Parade.

A celebration of community and equality, qualities that we should all aspire towards, NYC's week long of  festivities ends in a culmination of colors and love.

However, despite it's apparent beauty, one must always be mindful of the underlying meaning of Pride week. It is not only to celebrate how far we in the LGBT community have come in the fight for freedom and our rights, but also to recognize how much further we, as humanity, have to go.

I believe that the words of one of my very close friends aptly summarizes this ideal...

He says,

“PRIDE has meant many things to me in my life, but never has it just been about being a fag or not. It’s a celebration of us, of humanity no matter where we come from , what we look like, or what or who we do… this past month I have seen love and hate, People holding prejudice where you least expect it, and acceptance and tolerance from where you least expect it… this weekend I was able to celebrate with friends and strangers, gay, straight , black brown red yellow and blue all the same, in each and every party and place the breeze blew me… I was reminded of one thing though, the hope for a better world, belief in humanity and belief in a generation all come from belief in oneself… If we’re lucky and believe in ONE love and the effervescence of a generation, we will live to see a world that shines with more resilience than can even be dreamed of- a world for our children to grow, love and be loved in all the same…”

 Thus, in commemoration of this rainbow event [and what would pride be without some colorful fashion], here's a few fabulously fashionable and, better yet, colorful clothes.

                               “What have you done today to make you feel proud?” ―Heather Small.

xx

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*throwback thursday_ski country

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Morning all!

Ok, so here I go, attempting to breathe some life into this blog...

This blog started off as a travel/fashion/inspiration blog and while I have been traveling, I have been depriving you of the experience as I haven't been documenting it.

So these 'Throwback Thursday' posts will be just that; things that I [due to being too caught up in life] unfortunately didn't post.

Starting in reverse chronological order, the last undocumented place I visited [and referenced in americana], was Vermont for my Spring Break.

I'll start by saying that Vermont was different...

...

...not bad, different.

It was very American, but then again, I went to a vintage ski resort with a LARGE group of Americans. It was definitely a new experience for me, coming from the Caribbean, obviously never having skied before. However, my intentions weren't to ski.

MY REASONS FOR GOING:
I went to accompany my friend, to travel and see another State that I would not normally, but also to refresh and rejuvenate and had every intention of working on some fashion-related stuff.

WHAT ENDED UP HAPPENING:
To the outside world, I looked timid and antisocial, cooped up indoors on my computer and was encouraged, and not wrongly, to go out and explore the wooded, snowy, ski slopes.

And, after a few days in the 'wilderness,' surrounded by forest, snow and plaid [and talks about fishing] I could say that I learned to appreciate that this all-American culture is unsurprisingly different. It was my first extended stay with a real, born-and-bred American family and it was definitely a unique and unforgettable experience...I left with the bruises and the flu to prove it!

...oh! I also learned that skiing definitely does not look THIS glamorous [did I mention that I don't like snow?? haha]

“I do not participate in any sport with ambulances at the bottom of the hill.” ― Erma Bombeck

“Skiing is a dance, and the mountain always leads.” ― Author Unknown

“When it comes to skiing, there's a difference between what you think it's going to be like, what it's really like, and what you tell your friends it was like.” ― Author Unknown

xx

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*in transit

***

¹com·mute verb \kə-ˈmyüt\

Definition of COMMUTE; 

:-transitive verb

1a : change, alter 

  b : to give in exchange for another : exchange 

2: to convert (as a payment) into another form

3: to change (a penalty) to another less severe <commute a death sentence to life in prison>

:-intransitive verb

4: to travel back and forth regularly (as between a suburb and a city) 

 So...while I am most definitely NOT a morning person [as you can tell from my previous post]...and the commute isn't the easiest in the world...I really do seem to be enjoying my internship. My perception about a few things is changing. I am learning a lot, not only about the industry, but also about myself; what I like and what I don't like in terms of working.

[par example:- I like interacting with people. I like having a variety of tasks to work on so, if one is monotonous, I can move on to another and then return to it. I do not like Photoshopping for hours on end. *womp womp* And I, without a doubt, do not like lugging 70 [seventy] lbs of "natural" river stones around New York...*long story*]

However, it is nice to be able to work with industry professionals who are down to earth and really seem to care about my career aspirations and even just me as a person! [after some of the horror stories I read].

What's even better is the lack of homework! #joysofsummer That means that even though the days are long, as soon as I reach back to my apartment in Jersey, I can flop down on my bed, watch re-runs of Modern Family and get all the sleep I want.

In fact, I am probably looking well rested these days, so I'll grace you with some glam shots of me riding the subway.

"The Vanishing Underground." Liya Kebede & David Agbodji. Shot by Mikael Jansson for Vogue Japan. April 2013.

...I look fresh and perky, no? And a little tanned too? #joysofsummer

Haha. I kid.

But while I've been doing a lot of #4 [see above], I've also been doing some #1a...and definitely none of #3 [sounds a little morbid to be honest. eek.]

Life changes happening kiddies. Gotta love 'em.

So if any of you see me on my commute. Don't be scared to say hi!...Be sure you say where you know me from though cause I'm a runner...

Have a great day. Always be inspired.

xx

“I'm not like most designers, who have to set sail on an exotic getaway to get inspired. Most of the time, it's on my walk to work, or sitting in the subway and seeing something random or out of context.”
― Alexander Wang 

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*americana

***

Hola!


Checklist? And, go!

Firstly, I must apologize yet again for taking such a long hiatus from blogging [especially after my last post *hides face*]. I really do love it and, if I could, I would do it all day, every day... But, slowly I'm beginning to learn my limitations and regrettably, being the ambitious student that I am, I currently have a plateful of more immediate things that require my attention.

Secondly, and probably more exciting, is the fact that I've been traveling again! Haha. No, no...not glamorous international travel like before...but U.S. state-to-state travel, which means I've had quite a few road trips [and a few too many hours in a car] recently.

Between spending my Spring Break week in Vermont [don't ask me why anyone would go to more snow for their SPRING break] and currently being at a conference in Philadelphia, I've gotten quite a large dose of the American culture lately. And, although they have both painted very different pictures of this country and its people, they have both been enjoyable and eye-opening experiences.

So, while I'm laying in a plush, king sized hotel bed, looking out on a sunny Philly day, I'm going to try to get churn some of these posts out, starting with...

Philly!

Just being here, I feel such a buzz of patriotism and culture in the air. Dubbed, 'The City of Brotherly Love,' Philadelphia, the second largest metropolitan city on the East Coast of America, is also rich in both art and history, the being an integral meeting place for the country's Founding Fathers who not only signed the Declaration of Independence here in 1776, but also the Constitution in 1787.

Additionally, with a number of important historical artifacts housed here, such as the Liberty Bell, it should be no surprise why today's 'Daily Pretty' is Americentered!

Good ol' Stars and Stripes y'all! [reminds me a bit of Lana del Rey who really plays up on the American culture, no?]

Anyway, off to see the city! Be inspired!
xx

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