street art obsession + kelsey montague

Photos by: Elena Baltzagou

Brunch Attire:

Flannel + Circular Shades, Nordstrom

Black Jorts, Madewell

Necklace, Urban Outfitters

Fringe Heels, Camilla Skovgaard

I'm not sure where my obsession with colorful street art stems from, or why I have a burning desire to always take pictures with it. Maybe it's because I am a white girl. Maybe it's because I am so bored with my whiteness that I wish to be contrasted with all the beautiful colors that I feel represent me more than my boring skin tone ever could. 

According to me, one of the coolest things by far about living in New York is all the seriously incredible street art on display as you are doing your morning commute, walking to the doctor's office, or walking to do whatever other mundane activity humans have to do to be human. You don't have to go to the MoMA (even though you should! wow what an exceptional museum) to see the best a brightest modern art. My current obsession is with artist Kelsey Montague. 

Kelsey Montague started sketching in her sketchbook and one day decided to transfix her beautiful creations onto the streets of New York. The goal being to reflect images of respect, empowerment and overall positivity. I had the pleasure of running into one of her many artworks in front of this amazing brunch spot in the Lower East Side, Freeman's.

what a charming entrance to America's version of Europe @ Freeman's

What do you think? Are you as into Kelsey Montague and her inspirational street art as I am?

XOXO

las vegas glam

Here is my spin on a glamorous weekend in the city of sin. From my go-to hot spots including: restaurants, pools, and of course night time debauchery. Currently, I am in NYC where the weather is slowly taking a turn for the dreary, and I was more than happy to put myself in the mindset of my former west coast self.

photo by: mymodernmet.com

My favorite hotel in Vegas is  The Cosmopolitan. Known for being uber chic and ultra sophisticated, it's definitely a place I would hang my hat.. or in this case heels! Who does breakfast? I've always thoughtpeople who eat breakfast every morning really have their lives together. Thankfully, Vegas is all about brunch. I opt for a hidden gem, Jaleo. Jaleo is best known for it's Spanish avant-garde dishes and whimsical intimate style. In being an overall creative being, the interiors of the restaurant are just as important to me as the taste of the food and Jaleo does not disappoint on either. Intricate use of shapes, colors, and light fixtures give me major heart eyes!

photo by: jaleorestaurant.com

Given the magnificent interiors of Jaleo, conveniently located within The Cosmopolitan, my brunch look has to be worthy. 

Brunch Look

Sandals: Ivanka Trmp

Dress: Missoni Sport

Gold Necklace: Aqua

Bag: Rocco by Alexander Wang

Maybe it's just me, but being in Vegas is very much like living in a fairytale, one of artifice that is. What do fairytales call for? Multiple outfit changes. After brunch, it is time to hit the scene poolside. My personal favorite pool? MGM Grand @ Wet Republic. Why? It's enormous and has the dopest stage of all the outdoor venues. Given my predilection of music, live music especially (because Vegas,) this is the spot to be. 

photo by: mgmgrand.com

Poolside Attire

Bikini: WOW Couture 

Heels: L.A.M.B.

Oversized Hat: American Apparel

Necklace: Happiness Boutique 

Earrings: Bauble Bar

Vegas and epic nightlife, were there ever two words more synonymous? My love of dancing and electronic music make evenings in this desert memorable (or not, depending on what you're going for!) I have themed these three outfits in terms of zig zags, bright colors, and body con silhouettes because nothing says Las Vegas to me more than that. The evening dress is no different. You can catch me transitioning between indoor and outdoor fun (because girls love options) with XS @ The Wynn Encore

Evening Digs

Dress: Herve Leger

Heels: L.A.M.B.

Clutch: 80s Vintage

Earrings: Bauble Bar

I hope you enjoy my take on Las Vegas glam, I look forward to hearing your thoughts! If you have any ponderings at all about these restaurants or hotels or pools or want book your next stay, check out Las Vegas Hotels! 

XOXO

jamaican me crazy!

Clothing Details

Choker: eBay; Backpack: Vince Camuto; Jamaica Dress: Beacon's Closet; Destroyed Denim: Paige; Pony Hair Slip-Ons: Kenneth Cole

Location: Greenwich Village, NY

Photo Credit: Elena Baltzogou

Greetings! Firstly, I must apologize of my slight leave of absence. Life get's away from me every now and then, like a scarf out the window of a moving car. Also, I injured my wrist and that made typing VERY difficult, actually it just made EVERYTHING difficult. Rest assured, your girl is back to full health and mobility.

Let me turn you on to one of my favorite styles, irony. If I had to describe my style in one word it would be ironic. Mixing highly feminine garments with more edgy/tough elements. As you can see the body-con Jamaica dress down to the cut is very feminine. I loved it, I found it for $12 at this  thrift store, Beacon's Closet. Located just a hop, skip, and a jump away from my apartment in Brooklyn. Aside from the dress, the choker, destroyed denim, and pony hair slip ons all have a very edgy/tough feel, irony. It's an unintentional irony that I unconsciously did until the man that chopped off 7 inches off of my hair (photo of that coming soon!) let me know. 

Do you ever dress ironically? How do you define your style? 

my wcw: sophia bush will change the world, and in many ways she already has

I must start out by saying that I follow Sophia on Instagram and was inspired to create this series, when I noticed that every Wednesday she posted a "wcw." It wasn't photos hot girls in bikinis that she was posting (which is what I was used to), it was promoting women that were changing the world. Given my deep admiration of her and her work I figured that by trying to be more like her, I too, could make the world better. All that being said, where do I even begin? Sophia Bush: 33, actress, advocate, activist and overall amazing human being, an inspiration to women everywhere. My role model. I have not had the pleasure of meeting Sophia yet, but I along with the rest of the world have been inspired by the strides that she has taken to change the world as we know it today.

If you're unfamiliar with Sophia, she got her big break playing Brooke Davis on One Tree Hill (2003-2012). Even just watching Sophia's presence on screen you get the feeling that there is something different about her, something special. I always connected with Brooke as a character and that in turn made me curious to know more about the woman that played her; and a few years back I did some digging on the effervescent Sophia Bush. 

Sophia is as devastatingly beautiful as she is tender hearted and her involvement in a multitude of charities is indicative of that. From Invisible Children, Pencils of Promise, Beach Clean Ups, Animal Rights Organizations, Gay Rights, Environmental Awareness Campaigns, Youth Voting Initiatives and of course, Women's Rights. Specifically Women's Rights in terms of global education and body image. Sophia has a hand in it all and she's not stopping anytime soon. 

"I will not stop until every girl in the world has the same right to education that I had."

Sophia recently co-founded a brand i smell great, which is a perfume/mist line for women. After turning down many opportunities to partner with high profile beauty lines, this choice befuddled the public. Sophia's reasoning was her dismay in watching beauty companies tell women they have to change something about themselves to be beautiful. She felt the overall message to be incredibly disempowering. Sophia chose i smell great because it builds women up, unlike virtually every other beauty product that exists today. Each product at i smell great, just by the saying it's name, you say something positive about yourself. This is a different kind of beauty company and I must say, it has my full respect.

Sophia works as a full-time actress but has been quoted saying,

I love my job, but if it ever started to interfere with my ability to help the world, I would have to find a different job.

I believe that if more people were like Sophia Bush, the world would be a better place. It starts with you, one person can make a difference. I honestly believe that because I've seen it. If we all tried to be a bit more like Sophia, I think we would all start noticing the world begin to change. Go on, start today! You have the power :)

XOXO

Kelly