A Fall Tuesday in the Tropics

Un martes de Otoño en el Trópico 

It has been raining since Monday.
Pouring. Endless rain.
I am not complaining, as water is life.
However rain and chilly outside meant
fall/winter climate in my office's air conditioner.

So I prepared for it, I layered and layered
with thin fabrics - just in case the a/c decided to
act up.

I felt so comfortable in this dress, it's almost like wearing pijamas !
Dress A Studio · Animal print top NY&Co, bag Neiman Marcus · 
Wedges NineWest · Owl ring Forever 21 · 
Vintage brooch (bought from Lydia's Chic on the Cheap)



 It's November 30th !
Have you done your Christmas Shopping ?

Orange Crush

I have to be honest orange is not my favorite color.
But somehow it was the color I wore all weekend.

One piece INC - Cardigan Forever 21 - Bag Arena Milano - Nine West flip flops


I actually went to the mall like this, well minus the flip flops.
This is something which is very unlike me.

But I enjoyed the freedom this outfit made me feel.
 On Sunday, orange once again creeped into
my wardrobe with the H&M top.



 So, do you have a favorite color ?
Do you have colors you stay away from and why ?
.
I stay away from greens and as you may have noticed
I put a real effort into bringing color into my wardrobe.
My favorite color is.... black.
I know its not an official color, but the lack of....


Bed Hunt Over

My IKEA Morkedal bed (below) broke a little over a year ago.
I was in Argentina at the time when my H informed me 
the front part had broken in two pieces.
I told him to remove the legs and let the bed
sit on the floor and that when I got home we
would deal with it.
And so my search began.
I was not very clear on exactly what I wanted, all
I did want was a big padded headboard.
We started hitting at least 4 furniture stores per weekend.
He was going insane, he really liked the one above and 
I almost succumbed and bought it.
But, it was not what I wanted.
Months went by and we kept on visiting furniture stores,
at least once a month.
I had something like below in mind, but anything 
similar to this was totally out of my budget.


So the bed hunt continued.
My H had lost it more than once, he refused to look
at any more beds.
So I did one final round at the stores and
had two finalists:

This one...
The other one was this:

They were within the same price range.
Then we both agreed on: Calligari's

It was delivered two days after we bought it
and assembled the same day !

So, this is my new bed.
I like it, the only thing is that now I need to do some
work on the room so it will match the bed.
I will be removing the artwork on the wall and will
replace it with something more subtle.
I will also paint and probably get new curtains.
So, this is not over... but is it ever ?


DIY: Cleaning Patent

On Thursday I wore a dress that I suspect is vintage.
The metal zipper told me so (or so I say).
The dress came with a white patent belt marked 14 Del Rio Belt.
It was filthy dirty.
I cleaned it with a damp cloth and dried it,
it was still yellow looking.
Since it is patent I stopped to think:
"Ok, I know how to clean patent.
I have been cleaning patent and patent leather 
shoes, belts, head bands, bags this way for years"
And let me add that I have not ruined 
any of them !

How do you do it ?
Answer is : nail polish remover and cotton.
This will remove scuffs from shoes and bags,
this will maintain the gloss that patent has.

Here is a before and after picture of the belt....

 BEFORE

AFTER


Can you see the difference ?

How do you clean patent and patent leather items ?

Have you tried this before ?

Black Friday for you

Lazy Friday for me.
Ok, let's be honest, I have just a little black
friday shopping envy.
There are no black friday sales where I live.
However, I over did it last year as I shopped 
my credit cards off while in Miami for Thanksgiving.
Not this year, 
let's just say I have all I need :)
which is even better.
Anne Klein dress · Payless shoes · Bluenotes vest · Arena Milano bag · 


Wooden rings from Greece and Matryoshkla doll necklace Forever 21


 The reason I am having a lazy Friday is  because 
I just worked half day !

Grey Thursday

Grey Thursdays are the ones before Black Fridays.
Right ?
Vintage Dress · Daniblack shoes · Arena Milano bag ·
I got this dress about a month or so ago.
It was in a store I frequent and even though all their goods 
are new - this dress  just hung there on its own with just
the price tag.

No label, no size, no care instructions.
I thought it was different so I took it into the dressing room
with me, it fit.
I smelled it (yes, smelled it) and it smelled like:
something vintage.
Ok, vintage must have many smells, some of them 
not very pleasant BUT, I am referring to the my 
great aunt's vintage clothes that she
sends me from New Mexico.
I examined the garment and saw it had metal
zipper which is unusual these days and removed
the belt and it read on the back "14 Del Rio belt".
I did a google search on the brand but nothing turned up.

I figured that it is a little big on the top but that the
length is perfect, so I am taking it to the seamstress
so I can get a perfect fit.

I wore it to work and received zero comments.
I usually get some type of reaction.

What DO YOU think about this dress ?




7 Days No Chip !

I still cannot believe it.
This nail polish has broken my personal record.
It lasted from Friday to Friday unchipped!
In case you have been wondering, for the last 2 weeks
I have been wearing Avon's JADE.
I have been using Avon nail color as mom got me
a bunch of these... and I have been loving
every single one of them!
At this particular shade, I can only say that
it is totally awesome...
What is the longest your nail polish has remained
unchipped ?

The Heart is a Traitor that Lives Inside ...

I picked that line up from a Spanish soap opera:
"The Heart is a Traitor that Lives Inside"
" El corazón es un traidor que vive adentro "
Dress INC · Belt Forever 21 · Cardigan George · Bag Arena Milano · Shoes Nine West


I thought it was the most certain phrase.
Feelings cannot be controlled period.
Being the control freak I am you can ONLY imagine
how this works for me.


On another subject, is this too short for work ?

Earrings and pendant: Tiger's eye gift from grandma



How about answering a simple question:
Are you where you WANT to be ?
Or where you HAVE to be ?



That dress from Buenos Aires

I usually travel a lot for work.
Last year during one of those travels
I had a weekend off in one of my favorite places in 
South America: Buenos Aires, Argentina.
One of my favorite things is their markets, 
the most touristy one: San Telmo.
It's every Sunday and it's endless.
Last year while at San Telmo, there was this lady selling
vintage dresses and I fell in love with this purple one.
She did not have a place for me to try it on so I did what I could
and undressed (just a little) in the park so I could try it on.
I paid about 20.00 USD for it.
When I got home after that trip I tried on the dress 
and it was a bit tight and had tiny holes at the hem.
Today is my very first time wearing it.

The dress had no tags so there is no way to know size, 
maker or place of manufacture.
This morning I am just happy it fits.

Vintage dress · Arena Milano bag · Obsession animal print flats · 
I think I had been afraid of trying it on as it was tight before, but I 
am trying to wear all the unworn items I have in my
closet and this was one of them plus a year seems too long !
Also during my trip to Buenos Aires I visited
Buenos Aires design where I picked up these textile barrettes which 
I am also wearing today to show off my haircut.

Inspired by ZARA DRESS

Last week I was at Zara.
They had this really cute dress.
As I walked into the dressing room I realized
I had similar pieces in my own closet that 
if put together may give me the same look.
So, I did not even try the dress on, I just
photographed it and left the store without spending
50.00 USD on another dress.
Grey skirt Casual / Button down shirt Merona /
Franco Sarto shoes/ Neiman Marcus tote
I think that the turn out was acceptable, I am not sure 
I would wear it again but I am just happy I did
not spend any money on clothes.