For her Spring 2017 collection, designer Vika Gazinskaya created these beautifully ruffled dresses. They make a stunning statement, don’t they?
via [Vogue]
The Three Leggings That I Love
Let is be known that I own, probably, about 50 pairs of leggings. They’re my go-to pants throughout the day, from the morning run to when I sleep. Yes, I even sleep in leggings! Recently I found out that from 2015 to 2016 online sales of leggings jumped a whopping 41%, while orders of jeans only went up 3%. Have we reached a massive turning point?
Here are three of my favorite pairs of leggings and where you can get them:
Morning Run (Exercise):
Outdoor Voices is one of those new-ish companies that sells beautifully designed workout gear. They’re not for the hardcore exerciser, they’re more for the woman who likes to fit in a yoga class here are there. I love their 3/4 Two-Tone Warmup Legging that sell for $85. If you like inspirational stories, you can read about how this young, female entrepreneur is taking on Lululemon and Nike. (The other running pair that I put in rotation are these cool “Dream Leggings” by Goop. Mostly, I love the original pattern.)
Career (At Work):
For work, you want leggings that feel more like pants, they have a bit of structure and they pull you in at the waist. Though American Giant just came out with something similar, called The Pant, I like these Inc. leggings better. They just feel nicer on my skin and they have just the right amount of compression at the waist. They’re called the Pull-On Ponte Skinny Pants and they’re only found at Macy’s.
Lounge and Sleep In:
You can’t find softer leggings than this. I heard about Lularoe leggings from multiple friends but didn’t believe the hype until I tried a pair on. They use this soft brushing technique that creates this “buttery soft” feel. Unfortunately, you have to buy these through a rep or one of their Facebook pages. I find mine through eBay, and though they are a bit pricier than what I’d pay at a party, I get to skip the hassle. They’re so soft I end up falling asleep in them! Hint: Try and ignore all the garish prints and stick to the solids.
The Most Beautiful Braid
Today, I was taken aback by this beautiful braid! My friend Jenny pointed me to this Los Angeles-based company called The Braids Factory that helps you achieve the braid of your dreams. The woman behind it is freelance hair stylist Anastasiia Terebova.
This one is called the Dutch pancake crown braid. With all that lovely, pastel colored hair, isn’t the braid just beautiful? It’s like a work of art! Follow them on Facebook or Instagram.
Inspiring New Book: In the Company of Women
For those women who’ve always wanted to strike out on their own, especially in a creative field, there’s an inspiring new book that just came out called In the Company of Women. Founder of the established design blog Design *Sponge, Grace Bonney, conducted a Q&A with who, what I’d call “creative entrepreneurs”, or who you’d call designers, artists, fashion designers, musicians, (you get my drift). The general feeling I got from this book was that despite their fears, these women jumped in.
For instance, here’s Jodie Patterson, a Beauty Entrepreneur’s answer when she was asked: Name the biggest overall lesson you’ve learned in running a business:
“Winners are losers who got back up. Full stop. If you want something, grab it. Get it. It’s yours, damn it.”
Here’s another Q&A I liked with Lisa Hunt, designer and artist in Brooklyn: In the moments of self-doubt or adversity, how do you build yourself back up?
“I am nothing if not resilient! I’ve nurtured the ability to feel nervous but jump in anyway and know that if I make a mistake or misjudgment, I have the smarts to work things out. It wasn’t always like that – with age comes wisdom.”
There’s a lot of these great nuggets of wisdom spread throughout the book. You’ll want to buy a stack of these to give them out to your friends. The book is that inspiring!
P.S. It was overjoyed to see Oh Joy! and Swiss Miss in the book. As a female entrepreneur, they’re my inspiration.
Here’s an LA Times article of Grace Bonny discussing the insights and overall patterns she found. Fascinating!
The Exciting Story Behind S’well Water Bottles
You may have one of these beautiful water bottles sitting on your desk. Is it from S’well? I came across their amazing story just recently. Their meteoric rise to fame is something any business would aspire to. Of course, the name Oprah sprinkled into the story always helps.
Though it’s an older article, published in June 2016, it’s no less remarkable. Just because I love supporting businesses that speak to my heart, I bought my first S’well bottle. Isn’t this one, from their Galaxy collection, just beautiful? I hope to be one of their loyal customers, owning about five of them, soon!
Fun Links of the Week
Sorry I haven’t been too consistent with posting lately. Been working on a super secret business project that combines my love for typography with my newfound passion for fashion. (Have I said too much?)
Here are your Fun Links of the Week:
Can we all just take a moment and stare at this stunning skirt? (While we’re at it, let’s take a look at Prada’s fanciful clothes.)
I’d proudly wear this pin.
You probably could DIY this show-stopping brooch.
Would you let the Amazon Echo help you with your style?
Love the plunging neckline.
Can’t wait for Season 2! We have to wait till Oct. 31?!
This modular planting system is stackable, streamlined, and beautifully functional.
No one could have captured President Obama better.
What do you think about digital minimalism?
Aldo’s new website is clean and easy to use. With a prominent display of social media, could be the cutting-edge way to sell products.
Simple print, sweet message.
Yes, I’d still like to check this fun museum.
Photos by Jennifer Chong via Design Milk.
Fun Balloon Series Creates Happiness and Joy
Photographer Gray Malin has created a fun series featuring mylar balloons. He strings together balloons to create messages of love, joy and happiness. It all started back in 2009 at a photoshoot. While he was standing under the Eiffel Tower holding a dozen red balloons, everyone was staring at him with a smile of pure joy. This inspired Gray to create a new body of work using balloons as the focal point. Shot around the world, the series uses Mylar balloons in unique environments to evoke happiness and joy.
The series is called Up and Away.
Rather than the ones that spell out words, I like this rainbow hearts photograph.
Understated Elegance by Brandon Maxwell
Though I’m all about mixing and matching colors and prints (remember my color-blocking post?) there’s something undeniably elegant of just black and white. I recently discovered Brandon Maxwell and his stunning collection on Neiman Marcus’s website and was taken aback by his perfect silhouettes. His clothes are not only beautiful, they are timeless.
Here’s a little bit about him (taken from Neiman Marcus’s website): “Brandon Maxwell rose to fame after designing and styling a gown for a celebrity in 2012. (I think this Lady Gaga.) Riding high on this success, the Brandon Maxwell clothing line was launched in 2015 to critical acclaim. The collection includes stylish cocktail dresses, pants, and jumpsuits that are perfect for daytime, evening, and special occasions. Brandon’s signature use of stunning black and white is on full display in the recent collection.”
Notice the construction and the strong architecture of his pieces? Love.
Sexy Cut-Out Swimsuits
Lately, I’ve been noticing a swimsuit trend. Long gone are the boring Speedos, these days designers are creating really cool, artistic swimwear. In particular, I like how they’re cutting out certain parts of a swimsuit to show off a bit of skin. While some are a bit subtle, like Carmen Marc Valvo’s black back number, others are absolutely mesmerizingly. They make you want to stare!
Above: Rick Owens
Forever 21
Interior Design Inspiration: Midcentury Modern Meets Pops of Pink
I’m loving everything about this living room! We’ll be moving in the next few month to Orange Country and these pictures give me inspiration on how I’d like to decorate the new home. I’m not sure if it’s a bit too girly, perhaps, it’s better suited for an office?
In these pictures, from West Elm, stylist Francie Flynn helped furnish a vintage inspired Palm Springs rental property using West Elm’s staple mid-century inspired furniture pieces with the main focus being pops of pink in varying tones. The artwork is cool, too.
Hello, I’m Alice Yoo! I’m founder and CEO of Skylar Yoo, a company dedicated to inspiring and empowering women to be bold. We sell apparel, art prints and accessories to the modern feminist.
In my former life, I was editor-in-chief of the art and culture blog My Modern Met, which I founded back in 2007. I curated and wrote about art, design and photography for more than seven years. (In fact, I published over 7,000 articles which were seen by millions of people worldwide.) I’m also co-author of a book called For Love: 25 Heartwarming Celebrations of Humanity, which is on Amazon and wherever books are sold.
I live in southern California along with my husband and my two toddler boys.
This blog is about what I love, the tough experiences that I’ve learned from, and my journey as a second time entrepreneur. Right now, I’m in the midst of a 365 day challenge, to read one book a day. If you share my passions or want to learn some cool new facts, come along for the ride. I hope to inspire, educate and entertain you!
