Archives: Blog

BitDazzle shorts, Oasap sunglasses, American Eagle tank top, Frye boots

J.Crew dress, Kohl’s sandal, Kate Spade bag, Target belt

This is my first 4th of July where I’m not going to be home, and I’m pretty excited about it. For the past few years (all years) I’ve either been bored out of my mind, stuffed on s’mores, or trying to find something last minute to do with my crew. One of my best friends told me about a music festival in Newport, RI called Fort Aqua, and I immediately called the owner and got us into a revolutionary festival. That means, I actually have to dress to impress this year.

Fort Aqua is tonight, so we’re road tripping down to Newport in a few hours, which is 2 hours from my house in CT. We’re stopping for outfits along the way, so I figured I’d help out the rest of you last minute gals by throwing some outfit inspiration out there (for all of us). Regardless of what your plans are, a simple pair of cutoffs and graphic tank is usually my go-to. You’ll stay cool in the heat, and guys will go crazy over your legs in a pair of daisy dukes.

For those who have more formal plans, opt for a long maxi dress. I’m a fan of using a belt to cinch your waist in and accentuate those curves, but you can just as easily throw on a denim jacket and pair of gladiators for a relaxed night by the bonfire.

Have an amazing and safe holiday!

Xo,

Miss Fashionista

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Austin is one of my top three cities in the entire world. I’m obsessed with the constantly changing atmosphere, the people, but most of all, the food. I’ve previously posted a few Austin guides, but on my last trip for the GenAustin conference, I was with one of my best girl friends who is an Austin native, so where I ventured to during my stay was a little different this time. If you’re heading to Austin anytime soon, this guide will appeal to ladies + men, both older and younger. 

Food:

Thai Fresh, 909 W. Mary Street

Thai Fresh offers some of the best Thai food I’ve ever had. Did I mention everything on the menu is gluten-free, and can be made vegan? Get the pad see ew, and then the salted caramel brownie. And the Thai iced team. And the coconut milk based ice cream… 

La Condesa, 400 W. 2nd Street 

You haven’t had Mexican food until you’ve tried La Condesa. Say goodbye to the disgusting, American based queso, and hello to the crispiest Mexican street corn, cocktails, and unreal ceviche. This place changed my life.

Skinny Limits, multiple locations throughout Austin 

or a quick morning pick me up, I headed to Skinny Limits for their unreal bulletproof coffee to start my day. If you haven’t had bulletproof coffee before, it’s an incredible alternative to your high fat and sugar coffee: regular cream and sugar is replaced with grass-fed butter or coconut oil. Google this to learn more. 

Where to Stay: Lone Star Court, 10901 Domain Drive

I’ve featured Lone Star in the past, and on my last quick trip to Austin, I didn’t regret booking another night there over the many hotel options Austin offers. The weather was pretty poor unfortunately, so I didn’t get to hang out by the pool or sit on the patio, but my friend and I totally enjoyed the authentic Austin vibe Lone Star has. I swear I book this hotel to take pictures in front of their vintage car…

A Night Out:

The W Hotel, 200 Lavaca Street

I usually don’t go out knowing I have to be up early for work in the morning. After a relaxing dinner at La Condesa, Amanda (love you girl) decided to convince me to crash a party at the W Hotel. We walked by the hotel on our way to the car, and I’m usually the one who comes up with the classic “think we can sneak into this party?” idea, so I couldn’t resist once she tempted me. The W is a rad hotel: mostly filled with business people in town, it’s chic style had me changing in their bathroom on the way to the airport.  We mingled with a bunch of people at the Samsung x W party, and I totally didn’t regret it. 

Lake Travis

I originally planned to go to Austin for GenAustin, and to then spend a week at my friends lake house on Lake Travis. Due to the weather, I had less than 48 hours to spend outside, but none of those hours were wasted. During the rainstorms, we ran to Whole Foods and got some of my favorite paleo ice cream, and sat on her porch. 

Steiner Ranch Steakhouse, Steiner Ranch Blvd. 

There was a birthday happening during my time in our group of friends, so we headed up the mountains to Steiner Ranch Steakhouse.  A strong rainstorm had just ended the minute we pulled up, so we got to see the most beautiful sunset, while digging into delicious short rib and guacamole. A waiter spilled another parties glass of champagne on my foot, but even that wasn’t about to ruin the sunset. 

6th Street, Austin

Known for having some of the coolest street art in the country, 6th Street is suitable for a business meeting out, or a girls night in town. If you follow me on Instagram, you know my obsession with graffiti. Therefore, I could spend hours parading up and down 6th, taking pictures and stuffing donuts in my face. 6th Street is one of my favorite streets in the world. 

If you’re not too lazy to go to the gym, Barre3, various locations across Texas

I’m posing with the owner Sadie Lincoln above, and after trying a Barre3 class in Austin, I’ll never step foot in another overpriced barre studio. Sadie has managed to make Barre3 less of an obnoxious, overpriced, pretentious workout class, and more of a family. I’m so so excited to partner with this incredible company. Keep your eyes open for some great stuff…

Xo,

Miss Fashionista

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I’m in an Urban Outfitters dress and Naturalizer sandals

Last week, I attended the Nautica Oceana City & Sea Party on the rooftop of the Gansevoort Park. I was in a total last minute rush, so I threw on this $20 Urban Outfitters dress with my lace tank top underneath. When my mom caught drift of these pictures, she was a little shocked for how “exposed” her teen daughter was, but I always say “mom, this is expected in the fashion industry.” You’ve got to take risks to keep pushing yourself to succeed and reach your most fashionable point.

There’s something about NYC rooftop parties that always gets me. I’m obsessed with the type of trendy and totally overrated people that attend them, yet a major fan of their (usually) on point DJ and assortment of classy appetizers. At these types of parties, you can get away with wearing a ball gown or a pantsuit, and you’ll fit in the same either way. How cool is that?

Xo,

Miss Fashionista 

Bucketfeet sneakers, Kohl’s outfit, Photography by Cassell 

I’ve got pineapples on my sneakers. I’m a happy girl. On an incredibly over-hot day, Cassell and I headed to the High Line in Chelsea to shoot a few new outfit posts. I love shooting with male photographers because they have such a different perspective from women photographers. Even though every photographer obviously has their own vision and motto when shooting, I find noticeable differences between male + female photographers. It’s pretty rad. 

I found out yesterday that I’m officially heading to Spain, Greece and Istanbul with British Airways this summer, and I’m feeling pretty good about that. There’s nothing more appealing to me than sitting on a little street cafe with a plate of hummus + pita, indulging myself in the Mediterranean culture. This summer is going to be a phenomenal one.

Xo,

Miss Fashionista

I’m wearing a Target top + pant, Michael Kors bag, and Kohl’s heels

One of the reasons I went to Austin was to speak at the Pathfinder conference, held by GenAustin, which stands for the Girls Empowerment Network of Austin. I came across Gen quite a while ago while in Austin for a different conference, and stayed in touch with the program ever since, hoping they would run another Pathfinder conference in the near future. To my luck, they had one last week, and invited me to come down and share my story to a mecca of young high school girls! After a long hour of speaking (which is surprisingly exhausting!) I took my best friend, Amanda, to one of Austin’s top thai food restaurants, Thai Fresh. We dug into some amazing gluten-free pad thai, coconut soup, and thai iced tea. Of course, we couldn’t pass up their coconut-based ice cream and selection of gluten-free vegan treats for dessert! I’ll never forget you, salted caramel brownie…

I was so honored to come and speak, and am hoping to continue to work with GenAustin in the future to inspire many teen girls to follow their dreams. If you were at the conference, I so hope you enjoyed! A few of the topics we touched on is family support, high school, and how never giving up is necessary to succeed in any industry, especially fashion. Even though people are always going to try and stray you away from doing what you love, continuing to push and reach out to as many people as possible to spread your message is definitely the way to rise above. Fashion is basically high school: I like to call it, survival of the fittest. 

Xo,

Miss Fashionista

 

Forever 21 dress, Kohl’s heels

A few weekends ago, my friend Cassell and I headed to the High Line in Chelsea to shoot with a beautiful skyline in the background. I somewhat underestimated the incredibly hot weather, and ended up in my favorite Forever 21 dress (that I snagged seasons ago at a thrift store for $7!) with these nude Kohl’s heels. I’m heading to speak at the Pathfinder conference at Gen Austin right now- I’ll have a follow-up post for y’all tomorrow! In the meantime, I’m eating all the tacos I can and working during the day.

Xo,

Miss Fashionista

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Target pants, Kohl’s top, Express necklace + bag

Since I spoke about music festival style on Great Day Houston last week, it was only suited that I attend a music festival myself. On Saturday, I trekked out to Randall’s Island (an island off of Manhattan) to spend a day in the desert, jamming to Flume, Deadmau5, and Clean Bandit, while stuffing my face with “upscale” festival food. This isn’t your high school festival: it’s filled with Momofoku cakes, organic, fresh coconut water, and the best BBQ chicken mac and cheese. Who knew.

Come Saturday morning, I was in a scrunch to find the perfect outfit to wear. What does one wear on a semi-sunny day, knowing they’re going to be surrounded by more sweaty teens dancing uncontrollably to really loud music? My first thought was some sort of pattern, which attracted me to these Target pants from a few seasons ago, as well as my comfy new bandeau style top from Kohl’s. I threw a little kimono on as the night got cooler, and my rustic boots (that were too muddy to keep following the festival) and I was festival ready. Of course, some sort of jewelry was necessary, and this aztec style necklace paired perfectly with the statement pants. I’d dress up every weekend for a music festival if I could! 

Xo,

Miss Fashionista

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Urban Outfitters shorts, Brandy Melville top, Naturalizer sandals, RumbaTime watch

There’s something about blue doors that will forever catch my eye. A few weekends ago, my friend Hannah and I ventured out around the West Village on a sunny day for some brunch and window shopping. We ended up at one of our favorite places, Jack’s Wife Freda, for beet eggs benedict and chicken sandwiches (with a small treat: chocolate caramel cake- thank you Jack’s Wife!). I picked up these Urban Outfitters shorts for $30 on sale and have gotten the most perfect amount of wear out of them. I adore having a pair of shorts I can throw on a cardigan, tank top, or even silk shirt with and re-wear them in so many different ways. You can even put on a pair of simple wedges, or oxfords flats, and totally dress up summer denim. Who knew. 

Xo,

Miss Fashionista 
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My segment with Great Day Houston aired this morning, and I’ve heard a great response from everyone who saw it and loved the music festival concept! Since I’m heading to a music festival myself tomorrow, I figured it was a fantastic concept for a segment. 

Hair was done by Blo Blow Dry Bar Woodlands, and I got my outfit from Wild Bloom Boutique, the hour after I landed! I was pretty satisfied with my hair and my outfit, considering the look itself could also be worn to a music festival. I didn’t want to wear an outfit on set that I wouldn’t have dressed my models in either!
 

My models all wore Kohl’s, with jewelry by Berricle, hair products by 180Pro, delicious snacks from Smart Flour Foods and Kind Bars, and fake eyelashes from Bullseye. 

Xo, 

Miss Fashionista 

One of the reasons I adore Miami is due to the incredibly clear water. On a sunny Miami Day, my best friend and I headed to South Beach (the weekend of Memorial Day, which was a little more of a hassle than an enjoyable, calming day at the sea) but once you go to Miami and see the water, nothing will disappoint you. 

Sorry for the short post- I’m backstage filming for Great Day Houston: I’ll talk to you very soon!

I’m taking over the Zotos Professional Instagram page today too: follow along here!

Xo,

Miss Fashionista