Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Swim: Dolores Cortes

 

***ALL PHOTOS ©GETTY IMAGES***

 

This past Friday night I had the pleasure of attending the Dolores Cortes show at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Swim held at the Raleigh Hotel in South Beach.  This was my first fashion show ever, so as you can imagine, I was beyond excited.  Dolores Cortes is a Spanish designer and was the only European designer invited to show at MBFWSwim this year.   Cortes described her 2014 collection—which combines bright colors like blue, pink, yellow and green, with metallic spikes and studs—as fusion of jungle and punk.  I absolutely loved it.

When I first walked into the tent where the show was going to take place I felt like a little kid in a candy store.  I couldn’t stop looking around.  I was trying to play it cool but inside I was kind of freaking out.  It looked just like I pictured it would—the lights, the cameras, everything… but still, it was a lot to take in.  Then they lowered the lights, turned on the music and the models started walking.  It. Was. Awesome.  The models were all bronzed to perfection with punk rock hairstyles and make-up.  The swimsuits and cover-ups were bright and colorful, adorned with edgy metallic details.  Very youthful and modern.   I loved the unique cuts of the swimsuits and all of the different floral patterns.  My favorite though, was the gold spiked bikini top… I mean, just bad ass. 

I didn’t post any of the pictures I took because silly me decided not to bring my big camera and to use my iPhone instead.  I thought it would be annoying to lug my big heavy camera around, and figured that the quality of the iPhone pictures would be good enough. Welllllllll I was wrong.  The lighting from the runway and the iPhone did not mix well and you can’t see the swimsuits clearly (you live, you learn I guess).  But if you want to check those pictures out you can find them on my Instagram @ERIKAH318. 

You can shop the Dolores Cortes 2013 collection here.

Stay tuned for my next post on the Suboo show.

What To Wear to Miami Swim Week

Today marks the start of Miami Swim Week, otherwise known as Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Swim.  What better place to host a fashion week dedicated entirely to swimwear than Miami—the land of the teeny bikini? This year MBFWSwim is being held at the Raleigh Hotel and will feature top swimwear designers like Mara Hoffman, Vix, L*Space, and Luli Fama.

Since I’m basically a native Miamian now (after being here for almost 9 years), I thought I would put together some outfit ideas for anyone headed to Miami for this year’s Swim Week.

WHAT TO WEAR ON THE PLANE: 

Jeans, a loose tank and some wedge sneakers (to keep your feet warm on the plane).  Don’t forget a big tote bag to hold all the stuff that didn’t fit in your suitcase.

 

 

 

WHAT TO WEAR TO THE BEACH:

A fun towel, bright bikini (here it’s the smaller, the better) and a stack of bracelets (yea, people here wear jewelry to the beach, weird right?). That’s all you’ll need.

 

 

 

WHAT TO WEAR TO A FASHION SHOW:

 

A bright silk maxi, colorful clutch, bold earrings and a gold cuff.  I plan on wearing something like this to the Delores Cortes show on Friday night (follow me on instagram @erikah318 for updates from the show).

 

 

 

WHAT TO WEAR TO THE AFTER PARTY:



An LBD and statement necklace.  Keep the shoes and bag simple.  Don’t be afraid to show a little skin… this is Miami after all.

 

High-Low

 

 

Shirt:    Zara (old, but similar here)

Jeans:   Zara

Shoes:  ETRO

Bag:      YSL

 

 

I named this post High-Low not only because of the shirt I’m wearing, but because when picking out my outfits, one of my favorite things to do is mix high-end and low-end items.  In this outfit, I kept my jeans and top pretty basic but added designer accessories.  I find that I do this often, because usually, if I spend a lot of money on something, it’s in the form of shoes or a bag.

 

 

When I’m deciding whether or not to splurge on a designer item, my main concern is whether it will withstand the test of time.  Is it an investment piece? Will it go out of style quickly? Will it hold up well? Will I get a lot of use out of it?  That being said, I usually gravitate to classic or very unique designer accessories that I know will go with lots of stuff I have in my closet, and will not be easily damaged or hard to care for. 

 

 

Take these shoes for example.  Even though they are not “classic,” I wouldn’t consider them “trendy” either.  To me they are a unique statement piece that you don’t see every day.  I was drawn to the fact that these shoes have a chunkier heel, making them appropriate for both day and night. Also, the chunky heel minimizes the risk that they will be destroyed by one slip of the heel into a sidewalk crack (we all know that horrible that feeling). The black and white color also makes them super versatile and easy to pair with different outfits.

 

 

When it comes to my clothes though, I’m on the opposite end of the spectrum. I usually stay away from high-end designers, and like to stick to stores like Zara or H&M, where you can get fashion forward items for a good price.  This allows me to try out trends without the guilt of spending a ton of money on something that is just going to go out of style in a month. 

 

 

I find that combining high-end accessories with lower-end items is a great way to give an outfit an “expensive” look, even if what you’re wearing didn’t cost that much.

 

FOLLOW ME ON INSTAGRAM @ERIKAH318

 

 

 

Crop Top

Shirt:    American Apparel

Pants:  Ark & Co (similar here)
Bag:     J Crew
Rings:  Violetfly on Etsy
Sunglasses:  Ray Ban

My favorite trend this summer is definitely the crop top.  I’ve been wearing this one from American Apparel non-stop since I bought it. 

To me, this summer’s crop tops look best when paired with high-waisted bottoms—that way not too much skin is showing. 

I bought these pants from Habit Boutique here in Miami.  I had them hemmed short so that I could wear them with flat sandals for a more casual feel, but I think they would look equally as good left long and worn with platforms.

My Favorites from the Met Gala

6.         Blake Lively in Gucci Premiere  If you follow my blog you know that I have a borderline creepy obsession with Blake Lively, and I am not the least bit ashamed.  I love her.  That is all.

5.         Olivia Wilde in Calvin Klein  I am all about the rib-drift.  It's the mid-drift's extremely stylish and way classier older sister.

4.         Anja Rubik in Anthony Vaccarello  Ummm...holy legs.  She kind of looks like a vampire and I kind of love it.

3.         Miranda Kerr in Michael Kors  Less is clearly more.

2.         Rooney Mara in Givenchy  Seriously, can this be my wedding dress one day?

1.         Cara Delevigne in Burberry  ...and I'm speechless.

Gilt City Miami Warehouse Sale



If you’re reading this blog, I’m guna go out on a limb and say that you’re probably intimately familiar with the phenomenon known as the online flash sale…annnddd, as such, probably a huge fan of Gilt.com.  Sure, online flash sales are impulse buying at its finest, but we all know there’s nothing quite like the feeling of finding those perfect Prada shoes, that you absolutely want need, for like, 50 percent off. 

This weekend, the geniuses at Gilt are taking the online flash sale to whole other level and are holding a Warehouse Sale at the Miami Iron Side.  The sale will feature designers like Zac Posen, Helmut Lang, Brian Atwood, Carolina Herrera and Badgley Mischka, all discounted up to 90%.

That being said, all of you reading this from South Florida, put your mouse down and step away from the computer.  Yes, I know it says the sale starts in 00:00:32, but I promise, sitting there hitting refresh over and over, trying to time your next mouse click so that it perfectly coincides with the sale start time of 12:00 EST is no way to go through life (BTW, I’m totally not judging, we’ve all been there).  Instead, head out to the Miami Iron side this Friday or Saturday, and shop your favorite Gilt merchandise in person, and, you know, like, actually try stuff on. 

The Warehouse Sale will be held on Friday, February 8th from 9:30-11:30 pm and Saturday February 9th, from 9 am-5 pm at the Miami Iron Side, 7610 NE 4th Court, Miami, FL 33138.   Tickets are available for purchase at: www.giltcity.com/miami/miamiwarehouse2013.  Tickets include complimentary refreshments by AQUAhydrate and CocoCafe, an onsite bar sponsored by La Marca Prosecco, music by a live DJ, and a complimentary garment bag with purchase.

Also, attendees are invited to Tweet and Instagram photos of their purchases using hashtag #RaidtheWarehouse for a chance to win a $100 Gilt Credit.

I will be covering the event via Instagram, so be sure to follow me @erikah318.

Golden Girl

 

Sweater:          Club Monaco (old, but similar here)

Jeans:               DL1961

Shoes:              Michael Kors (old, bur similar here)

Clutch:              JCrew

Watch:             Michael Kors 

 

Happy 2013!  Sorry for the brief hiatus from blogging.  I had a very hectic end of the year but got to spend the holidays with my family in Marco Island, Florida, and now feel thoroughly rejuvenated. 

 

I want to start the New Year by saying that I think I need to retract my previous statement that “I'm not a particularly sparkly kind of girl.”  Why? Because this sweater has changed my life.  Seriously, though.  This sweater makes me want to be a sparkly kind of girl every single day of the week.  It’s amazing—so soft and comfy, and so versatile, I have already thought of a million ways to wear it. 

 

I also finally bought the leopard Crew clutch that I’ve been online stalking for a good two years.  It was 30% off so I couldn’t resist.  #merrychristmastome.  I hope you all are having a wonderful start to 2013!

 

P.S.  New Year, New List (check it out).  Also, I finally caught up with modern times and joined Instagram.  Follow me @erikah318.