Las Bellas Fashion: Cool, calm & collected…

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http://www.princessmartha.com/2012/06/cool-calm-collected.html

Sometimes simplicity is the hardest to achieve. We tend to be creatures of more, more & more…so I believe it’s rare to be able to walk out the door with just a simple, almost colorless outfit. I felt very classy and elegant in this casual look. The shirt is one of the softest blues I have ever seen…it almost looks white in the pictures.

I wore:

Equipment ‘Brett’ shirt in Ice Blue: Equipment is one of my favorite labels. They are a little on the pricey side but I feel they’re a great investment because the quality and the cut of ALL their shirts is simply flawless.

Seven for All Mankind Super Skinny Jeans in white: I have worn and will probably wear these jeans a lot…I mean, they’re white…kind of a given that they go with everything ;)

Yves Saint Laurent Roady bag in gray: If you’ve been reading my personal blog for years…I mean, who hasn’t (??)…you know that I bought this bag in Paris. If you’d like to read the post I did about it, you can do so here.

Antik Batik Akatong sandals: I was totally lucky to buy these last year (also in Paris) because as soon as I purchased them, I read online they were sold out everywhere…so I have major attachment issues with them.You know when you have something and you realize you could never replace? Doesn't that make you love it more? It did me...and I LOVE these sandals. And they sparkle...I did warn you all…I like shiny things.

Mikimoto Pearl neckalce: What can I say? I am kind of digging my pearls lately. I think they’re making a comeback…at least in my wardrobe they are ;)

" BALLGOWNS: British Glamour Since 1950 " at Victoria and Albert Museum in London

Tokom svakog boravka u Londonu iskoristim priliku da posetim predivan Victoria i Albert muzej, koji uvek ima zanimljive postavke. Trenutno muzej slavi britanski dizajn i kreativnost od 1948 godine do danas sa mnogobrojnim vrlo interesantnim postavkama. Ovog puta ugostio je izložbu balskih haljina koje su na crvenom tepihu nosile najvece dame i mocne zene poput Audrey Hepburn, princeze Diane, Beyonce, Bianca Jagger, Elizabeth Hurley, Sandra Bulloc i mnoge druge. Engleska na najbolji nacin slavi velicanstvo i glamur balskih haljina, s toga je bilo pravo zadovoljstvo videti na jednom mestu neke od najlepsih toaleta sveta i to iz period od 1950 godine do danas, a svaka od njih je u proslosti imala svoju posebnu premijeru, crveni tepih i damu koja ju je ponela. Izložene haljine dela su prestiznih britanskih dizajnera poput : Alexnadra McQueena, Vivienne Westwood, Worth-a, kao i mnogih drugih, a to cete videti u nastavku teksta. Svaki od ovih dizajnera predstavlja sopstveno vidjenje forme vecernjeg glamura. Neke od njih sam izdvojila za vas drage moje citateljke, a ispod svake haljine cu vam dati kratak opis. Razgledanje zapocinjemo vintage haljinama koje imaju posebnu vrednost, a potom idemo ka modernijim modelima danas najaktuelnijih britanskih dizajnera.

Every time being in London I love to visit beautiful Victoria and Albert museum, which always has amazing exhibitions. This summer museum celebrates British design and creativity from 1948 to the present day with a series of major exhibitions. The museum hosted ballgowns which were worn by the most beautiful ladies and powerful women like Audrey Hepburn, Diane Princess of Wales, Beyonce, Bianca Jagger, Elizabeth Hurley, Sandra Bulloc and many others. England celebrates glamour of ball gowns in the most proper way. It was a real pleasure seeing in one place the most amazing ballgowns in the world from the 1950 until this day and each of them in the history had special premier, red carpet and a lady who was wearing it. All dresses are designed by the most prestigious British designers such as: Alexander McQueena, Vivienne Westwood, Worth and many others which you will see later on in the text. Each of those designers showed their own vision of form and glamour. My dear ladies, I have chosen to show you some of the most beautiful dresses and under every photo I will give you some information about each of them. We will start with vintage dresses which have special value and then we will continue with modern ones, designed by the most wanted and prestigious British designers.

Las Bellas Fashion: Over the Moon!

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http://www.princessmartha.com/2012/06/over-moon.html

They always say that outside of your comfort zone is where true magic can happen...and I think that is the same with fashion. Sometimes it is very easy to get into our normal routines because we're comfortable there...and that is with our clothes as well. I chose this skirt because it was so different from what I would normally wear...and because I loved it and found it scary at the same time. Could I wear something like that? Would I feel good if I wore something like this out? And the answer is...just try it and find out ;)
I paired this skirt with ultra feminine shoes to keep a touch of my Princess style in tact...then I added the soft colors found in the skirt to the bracelet and of course, when I saw those earrings...I just had to add them to my look. So although this look is a little out of my comfort zone, I have a feeling magical is exactly how I will feel when rocking it ;)
What do you think of this galactic styling?

Over the Moon! by princessmartha featuring metal jewelry

Till next time...

XOXO,
Bella M for Las Bellas

Las Bellas Fashion: Feeling nautical

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http://www.princessmartha.com/2012/06/feeling-nautical.html

So, as some of you may know…I have traveled across the Atlantic Ocean from my beautiful town of Miami to the ever green country of Switzerland. I will be here for the next two months…this is our usual summer trip (you can see pictures here). Anyway…we live very close to the beautiful Lake of Zurich and yesterday as I was taking my afternoon stroll with les petite chiens (my doggies), I was loving the sailboats moving in the water. I started feeling a little nautical and so decided to put this outfit together. I personally love the look…anytime I can wear navy and red, I’m a happy girl ;)

I would also totally rock those shoes with skinny cropped jeans to create a little bit of an Audrey Hepburn feel.

The bag I thought was a perfect accent in neutral to work with the very preppy styling of this outfit.

So Ladies, what do you think of these nautical inspirations?

Feeling nautical by princessmartha featuring red bangles

Till next time...

XOXO,
Bella M for Las Bellas

Sunshine kiss

Las Bellas Fashion: Gossip Girl style with Eric Daman

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http://www.princessmartha.com/2012/06/gossip-girl-fashion-with-eric-daman.html

When we worked on a post for Las Bellas about Gossip Girl style a couple of months back, I never would have guessed that I would have the chance to meet the man behind the incomparable Serena and Blair…but as fashion fate would have it, I was invited to attend the Swarovski Style challenge with Eric Daman himself.

Colours of my day

Las Bellas Fashion: Lady in Red

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http://www.princessmartha.com/2012/06/las-bellas-fashion-lady-in-red.html


Well, I don’t know about you guys but the instant I wrote the title I got that “Lady in Red” song stuck in my head…so I apologize in advance if you now have it playing in your head too ;) Anyway, my hubby and I are leaving next week for the summer and before we leave, I want to make sure we are enjoying our amazing city (Miami Beach) to the fullest…which means we head to the beach every weekend, do bike rides in the afternoons and head out for dinners at our favorite new restaurant La Gloutonnerie. We love it there and any chance we get to go, we take it. Here is what I wore to our latest dinner out:

Paris :The Musée d'Orsay

By now you probably have noticed that I am fascinated by art. I just simply love beautiful things and appreciate humans' creativity and great mind. Life is so much more beautiful with art and amazing creations that are handmade. One of the most stunning museums is the Musée d'Orsay on the left bank of the Seine in Paris. It is housed in the former railway station Gare d'Orsay.

Zivot je mnogo lepis kada je upotpunjen umetnoscu. Zadivljujuce je gde sve covek moze da pronadje inspiraciju i pretoci je u najlepse i najnadahnutije umeticko delo koje ostaje zauvek, ocarava i obuzima najdublje emocije. Ljudski um je brilijantan ukoliko ga koristite na pravi nacin, nekada covek nije ne svestan koliko moze da ucini svojom kreativnoscu: izvaja nalpse skulpture, prenese najlepsu emociju africkog pejzaza, prikaze nago telo zene kroz najdublju emociju i svaku nesavrsenost tela predstavi kao nejlpse savrsenstvo na svetu. Da, ideal lepote se manje kroz vreme, ali ono mora ostati stvar subjektivnog vidjenja kroz koji se oslikava nas karakter, gde moramo ostati svoji i ne povinovati se trendovima koju su nametnuti. Covek se nije u osnovi promenio, jer smo i dalje satkani od istih emocija, ljubavi i zelje za lepim, jer to prija oku, izaziva lep osecaj i to je sasvim dovoljno.

Ukoliko ste do sada pratili nas blog mogli ste da primetite moju opsesiju umetonscu. Uzivam u lepim stvarima i stalno ih trazim u razlicitim delovima sveta: u razlicitim segmentima umetnosti, u prirodi, u arhitekturi i naravno modi. Tako sam davnih dana pronasla svoju oazu lepote, a to je Musée d'Orsay, koji je nekada bio zeleznicka stanica Gare d'Orseay, nalazi se  na levoj obali reke Siene u Parizu i uvek ga rado posecujem. Ceo dan je bio rezervisan za ovaj muzej u kojem sam uzivala sa mojoj sestrom Jovanom bez koje ne mogu da zamislim ovakav izlet.

Show off your gorgeous face!

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http://www.princessmartha.com/2012/06/show-off-your-gorgeous-face.html

Hi Ladies,
I feel like I haven’t posted in a while…which is weird because in the beginning of this blog we were barely posting once a week and now I feel kind of guilty when I don’t post things daily. But the real difference is that now I have so much more that I want to share with all of you…and of course when I go somewhere or do something fashion/beauty/fun related, I immediately want to come home and write a post about it. And this post was inspired by yesterday's trip to my dermatologist (Dr. Leonel Calderón and his team are amazing!!). I went in for a pumpkin peel (to learn more about its benefits read here) and left with a lot of knowledge and healthy looking face.
That got me thinking about our faces and yes…some factors have to do with genes (thank you, Mom!) but there are a lot of things that we can do to keep our skin healthy and happy which don't require too much money or a trip to the dermatologist. Here I will list my 3 most important points here.
Let’s start with the one thing that I know is an absolute “must”:
Wash your face every day and never (NEVER) go to bed with a full face of makeup. My girlfriend and fellow blogger Ginger Harris (check her blog here) just wrote about super easy makeup remover wipes…making it impossible for any of us to have an excuse for not wiping/washing/scrubbing our makeup off at night. I personally use the Clarisonic Mia every night before I go to bed. Works amazing and with minimal effort on my part...I could almost do it in my sleep. So no matter how tired you are…wash your face. Seriously…no excuses! Getting rid of the day's dirt and makeup is the most important step in daily face maintenance..

Jo Malone Plum Blossom – Limited Edition

I have a huge obsession : PARFUMES. The other day I purchased a new scent for this summer : Jo Malone‘ s gorgeous new limited edition fragrance: Plum Blossom.

Leonard Paris

Since I recently visited Paris I am still under French spell for fashion and one of the brands that I really found interesting and amazing in Paris was Leonard. Maxime Simoens for his first Leonard collection designed some devastatingly gorgeous prints in silk jersey . The unusual geometric patterns and flowers prints with their amazing colors look absolutely divine. Check out my favourite looks:

Las Bellas Fashion: Girls’ night out with Bella M

See new "home" for this post here:
http://princessmartha.com/2012/06/girls-night-out-in-miami/

When my best friend Linda moved away to California, I was devastated….but now she’s baaaaaaaaaaack and I couldn’t be happier. We try to carve out time for each other at least once a week and this week for our night out, we headed to Touch Boutique where a couple of Miami Fashion Bloggers were hosting a soiree filled with fashion, drinks, and my fave…cupcakes ;)

Here is what I wore:
Joie Agacia Striped Top (I’m a total sucker for stripes…thick stripes, thin stripes, I love them…so this shirt was a perfect buy for me. I pair it often with shorts and jeans and thought it matched up nicely with a skirt…so it’s super versatile) 
White House/Black Market box pleated skirt (I love pleats and this skirt does a great job of incorporating the trend while keeping the swing style classic. I love, love, love this skirt)
Bebe black patent belt (I love a good chunky belt and this one was the perfect way to cinch in my waist and control the flow of the shirt some)
Banana Republic Clutch (For me, yellow is a wonderful pop of color always but especially now in the summer time. I use this clutch a lot and you’ll probably see it again soon…sorry in advance )
Steve Madden Realove Heels (I was looking for a skinny, strappy heel and when I walked by the Steve Madden store, I saw these and it was love at first sight. Granted, they are not my most comfortable shoes but I think they look soooooo sexy and super chic) 

Glowing and fabulous skin

It is very important to exfoliate our skin regularly in order to have smooth, healthy and radiant look. This is why I am sharing with you my favourite body and face products for this purpose. I use both of these twice a week...and Ladies, I would only use and recommend to you products that I genuinely love and believe in.


On the first photo is my favourite body peeling product : Sanctuary Spa Softening thermal sugar polish with an expert blend of essential oils. It is relaxing spa treatment for home and contains organic sugar and crushed walnut. When you apply it on your skin you will feel the warming heat and beautiful calming fragrance. Massage it into clean skin using gentle circular motions than rinse it off when the scrub cools.

Las Bellas Fashion: Mothers’ Day Brunch

See new "home" for this post here:
http://www.princessmartha.com/2012/06/las-bellas-fashion-mothers-day-brunch.html

So, a little bit of a late post but as the saying goes "better late than never", right? And before you can even give me a lesson on procrastination I'm just going to begin the post...
Mother’s Day is such a beautiful holiday  because it means I get to celebrate all things fabulous about my own Mom. She’s smart, elegant, strong, sophisticated, calm, hard working, cultured and funny…she is an absolutely amazing woman and I couldn’t have asked for a better person as a role model growing up and now.
To celebrate Mother's Day, we enjoyed a lovely brunch out at the chic BLT Restaurant in the Betsey Hotel on Ocean Drive.
I wanted to wear something polished and classy for the occasion so I opted for the following:

Zara Woman Mint Tweed Dress (we wrote about “Chanel” inspired looks and pastels here on Packing Stylist…and I thought this dress did a beautiful job of incorporating both those trends with some originality…love the metal spiked buttons down the dress)
Marc Jacobs Patent Pumps (because I didn’t have time to get a mani/pedi before this event, I wanted to keep my green nail polish to a visual minimum…so I chose closed toed pumps which worked out well because the day was slightly rainy and of course, they kept my toes from clashing with my outfit too much)
Christian Dior Tan Canvas Tote (I have had this bag for a long time. It’s got a kind of cargo feel to it, but the neutral color makes it a great choice for many occasions)
Mikimoto Pearl bracelet and earrings (I very seldom rare my pearls but when I do, I am reminded of how effortlessly beautiful and classy they are. It’s such a simple and elegant touch.)

Heading to the beach? Then cover up with these fab options!

See new "home" for this post here:
http://www.princessmartha.com/2012/06/heading-to-beach-then-cover-up-with.html

I’m a Miami girl and I know that there is nothing worse than seeing people walking around the street in their bathing suits…it has this “less than classy” vibe to it and honestly, there is a time and place for your bathing suit and it’s not next to me at a restaurant…yes, this has happened. A woman sat next to us during lunch in her thong and tiny bikini top…needless to say it was less than appetizing.
So, that is why I love cover ups…they are your beach/pool/boat option that you can throw on top of your bathing suit and be “dressed” for any civilized social occasion. Cover ups are often made of sheer and flowy fabric which gives them an understated elegance and femininity…which of course, I love. They can be long, short, simple, embellished, sexy or sophisticated…the choice is yours but any option will make you look polished from the beach to the beach club for drinks. Personally, I don’t match my bathing suit to my cover-up because I believe that they are two separate outfits…so feel free to be adventurous with your cover-ups…not everything has to be matchy-matchy.

My husband and I are leaving soon for the summer (we will be in Switzerland for 2 months)so I have been heading to the beach almost every weekend (I got to get my Miami sun while I can, right?) and this is what I wore to our latest beach outing:
J. Valdi woven tunic (I love this tunic because it reminds me so much of Missoni yet with the price tag of just $17.99 (thanks TJ Maxx), it’s totally affordable and super chic)
San Diego Hat Company (A floppy hat is a must for the beach…protect your beautiful face with an oversized hat like this and keep your chic level intact)

Les Arts Decoratifs in Paris, exhibition : Louis Vuitton - Marc Jacobs

If you visit Paris you must sneak over and visit the museum Les Arts Decoratifs next to the Louvre. From now until the 16th of September, you will find the amazing exhibition about the great Louis Vuitton and Marc Jacobs, who for the last 15 years has been in charge for making this brand one of the leaders in fashion world. You will see many steps of their work, inspiration and lives. Also, you will learn how did they succeeded in their contributions to the fashion world while creating history of contemporary fashion.
Louis Vuitton was a long time ago just a humble trunk packer to Napoleon's Empress Eugenie. He founded the label in Paris in 1854. Later, he promoted himself as the packer who "specialized in fashions" and today the most iconic monogram (and most recognizable logo) bear his name. Here at this installation, you will see illustrated fashion industry and how it was changing over the last 160 years. On the screens you'll be able to see clips from movies such as Some Like It Hot and Annie. Also interesting to see are the many photographs where Vuitton creations and clothes were as important as the stars such as photos of Mick and Bianca Jagger on their wedding day. OK, enough writing, photos will say the rest..by themselves... 

Ukoliko se odlucite da obidjete Pariz, ne smete propustiti muzej Les Arts Decoratifs koji se nalazi tacno pored Luvra, gde cete pronaci izuzetno zanimljivu postavku : Louis Vuitton & Marc Jacobs . Izlozba je otvorena do 16. septembra gde mozete uzivati u postavci o sjajnom Louis Vuittonu, kao i o Marc Jacobsu, kreativnom direktoru ove modne kuce koji je definitivno svoju poziciju opravdao time sto je brend LV i dalje jedan od vodecih lidera u modnom svetu. Kako sve postize ne znamo ni sami, ali moze se primetiti velika slicnost u linijama koje pravi za svoju kolekciju i za koleciju LV modne kuce. U ovom zanimljivom muzeju cete imati prilike da se upoznate sa zivotima ova dva velika maga u svetu mode, njihovim inspiracijama, a videcete i korake kojima su pocinjali, kao i nacin njihog zivota. Sacuvane su i skice Louis Vuittona, kao i stari izlozbeni eksponati poput starih popularnih kofera. Izlozeni su i radovi kao i kratka prica o dizajnerima Stephen Sprouse (Amerikanac,1953 - 2004), Takashi Murakami (Japanac,1962) i Richard Prince (Amerikanac,1949) koji su bili pozvani od strane Marc Jacobsa da rade za LV. Rezultat njihove saradnje je od esecijalnog znacaja buduci da je iz toga proistakao najprepoznatljiviji Monogram na svetu koji se kasnije upotpunjavao razlicitim bojama i primesama drugih elemenata dizajna.   

Takodje, naucictete kako su uspeli u svojim doprinosima modnom svetu i u stvaranju istorije savremenog odevanja. Lous Vuitton je pre dugo vremna bio samo skroman covek koji je pakovao bogate ljude poput Napoleonove Eugenie. On je svoje ime ucinio poznatim u Parizu jos 1854 godine. Ranije je sam sebe promovisao kao 'pakera' za bogati stalez ljudi, a danas najlegendariniji monogram i jedan on najprepoznatljivijih logotipa nosi njegovo ime. Na ovim instalacijama videcete ilustracije modne industrije i kako se manjala tokom proteklih 160 godina. Na ekranima moci cete da vidite klipove iz filmova kao sto su 'Neki to vole vruce' i 'Eni'. Takodje, zanimljivo je videti mnoge fotografije na kojima su Louis Vuitton-ove kreacije i odeca vezana za tadasnje filmske zvezde. Impresivne su i haljine koje datiraju iz 19-og veka, ocuvane i izlozene sa velikim ponosom.

Dosta pisanja, fotografije ce same reci vise.. .

J’adore Château de Versailles

Since I am a huge fan of French history and stories about Marie Antoinette, Versailles is one of my favourite places. The enormous size of gardens with their many fountains and green fields definitely made my day. Marie Antoinette’s life and extravagance should be a good enough reason to bring you to her beautiful private chambers. Here you will see the most amazing royal furniture with pretty colours and breath taking flower patterns. I was paying attention to the small details which were and still are a huge inspiration to many designers.
I made some photos inside the Palace….and added some history about this beautiful place. Please enjoy: