Oh Vegas. I will say I prefer a weekend getaway to Las Vegas in the summer when all the pools are open. I much prefer to hang out at the MGM’s lazy river pool and drink, float, lay in the sun, and then repeat. But we were in Vegas to celebrate a family member’s birthday so our agenda was a little bit different and a little bit more laid back…and a little bit more full of gambling then the last time I was in Las Vegas.…
In October I attended Grace Hopper Conference in Houston, TX. The conference is a celebration of women in tech and is one of the largest conferences I have ever attended. I only spent a few days in Downtown Houston and did not get to get out and explore the city as much as I had wanted. Traveling is one thing. Traveling while recovering from a nasty cold and going from a crisp autumn climate in the PNW to the humid south zapped all my spare energy.…
Last week I went to spend a few days in Mesa with my mom. The desert landscape and the history of the people who inhabited and survived there is so intriguing to me. The heat was a nice escape from rainy and wet Seattle, and it was almost 40 degrees warmer down there then the Pacific Northwest! It’s a drastic change but to feel that sun hit your skin and soak in is a beautiful thing.…
Where did 2013 go? Seriously, I’ve failed pretty miserably at blogging this year, but I’ve been in my own quarter-life crisis mode trying to get it all figured out. It’s not all figured out but I’m feeling better than I was a year ago. I’ve been so busy with a move (no more commute!) and work – always work! It’s a good thing I love what I do. But I am working on posting more regularly, and for the first time in a long time I started sketching again. I still got it. Amazing what a little focus will do. And with that… It’s already been more than 2 months since my vacation in Newport Beach & Las Vegas. And another one is fast approaching! When I take a vacation somewhere in the U.S. I’ve been grouping multiple cities into one trip. Last year was L.A. & Chicago. This year was Newport Beach (for a wedding) followed by Las Vegas. Newport Beach & our dear friend’s wedding was beautiful. It was on a boat & I’m so glad we made the trip to share this day with them. Their family & friends were SO welcoming & kind. I left feeling…
The Nickel Diner, a bustling little joint that had good food. Backstage One of the other designers, Patuna Bushyhead. Her collection was simply stunning, flow, ethereal gowns with jewels. Finally Bri Seeley & Lina Zeineddine shoes on the runway! Bri’s collection has been picked up by Zappos & will be available sometime next year! It was a great week for these two designers. JHaus I left after the first round of shows so I could get back to Beverly Hills and get packed since I had to be up early to catch a flight to Chicago. I ordered room service and enjoyed a relaxing evening before heading off on another, short but much anticipated, trip.…
I ended up switching hotels halfway through the week to stay in Beverly Hills for two nights, and it was an experience I will not easily forget. I stayed at the Beverly Hills Plaza Hotel & Spa and could not believe the size of my room. It was a one bedroom apartment, complete with living and dining rooms and a kitchen that was bigger than one of my apartments in college. It was a classy hotel, while it did seem dated compared to say the Ritz Carlton, it was dated in an old Hollywood kind of way. Very clean, very very kind staff, I’ve honestly never been treated so well at a hotel. It was a fun upscale experience, and the pool was a god send on our 95 degree October day, Villa Blanca was on my list of must go to places while in LA. I am a huge fan of Lisa Vanderpump and had wanted to eat in one of her restaurants. The decor was stunning, the service was amazing (the waiter who served us was also adorable). The food was unbelievable and the mojito I had was delicious. Will definitely be returning whenever I make it back.…
Our Closet – Prep for the Week The first evening & following day in L.A. were fairly relaxed. We visited L.A. Live the first evening for food & entertainment. We sat outside at Wolfgang Puck for dinner, reveling in the 75 degree weather we were experiencing at 8 o’clock at night…it was after all, pouring rain and 50 in Seattle. The first full day consisted of a walk around the Fashion District and a visit to the Cooper Design Space to go through the spring tradeshow where buyers come to buy for next season. It made me want to own a boutique so I could go through and pick out all these wonderful items. We also stumbled upon the Alice + Olivia showroom by accident. Talk about a dream come true. I love that brand and being able to just browse for a moment was a dream come true. It got way too hot so we made our way back to the hotel to prepare for a model fitting and the first fashion show of our week. Stay tuned for a post dedicated to our evening event. It was truly inspiring.…
This will be short as I’m currently 35,000 feet in the air on my way to Chicago. Los Angeles fashion week with Lina Zeineddine and Bri Seeley was an absolute blast. I met so many new people in the fashion industry. It’s awesome to have the connections I have so that I’m able to be behind the scenes and experience what I experienced this week. Here’s a quick photo from the first night we attended. A street style blogger took my picture, I’m hoping it will be put up on his blog. It’s so fun to have people ask to take your picture out of all the people in the crowd. I have a ton of photos to upload when I get back to Seattle on Sunday. I witnessed some amazing collections and really felt inspired. I felt LA fashion week had some innovative moments that left a lasting impact on me. I hope I can take this inspiration back to my job as a graphic designer. Onto Chicago now, it’s going to be a 30-40 degree drop in temperature. Oh boy. This will be interesting.…
I’m sure there are parts of the midwest that just aren’t enjoyable. Omaha is not one of those places. Perhaps it is the lack of sunshine in my life, the West Coast is incredibly gloomy, and Omaha is incredibly sunny and warm and I was looking forward to that, and for my family, including my grandma, who we call báka (grandma in serbo-croatian), to all be in one place. My brother graduated from his first four years of college (he will be continuing on in the medical field), and it was overall a fantastic weekend. Omaha is actually full of some incredibly unique boutiques, and I found some amazing pieces of art, jewelry and clothing. The Old Market area is my favorite part of the city. Old brick streets, shops and restaurants with the “old midwest” kind of feel to them. I went into a local art shop, Curbside Clothing, that has been around for only a year and completely fell in love with all this artist’s work. His name is Gerard Pefung. I love the elephants. Fashion snags from Omaha: I bought 2 rings from a local artist, I love how unique the wire handwrapped rings…