Best of My Arm Candy in 2013

I came to realize how much I love my mother's jewelry, C.B. Herrera Designs, more and more. In actuality, she started it 5 years ago to placate my love for bangles, "gangarias," as we Cubans call any and all kind of costume jewelry, and anything I fancied in accessories. It's been great. At first, I was super hype and committed to blowing up her jewelry line and placing her in all the style magazines and in over 500 stores nationwide. But then Flanboyant Eats (my food and travel blog) and my private chef business took off, and as you can imagine, I put all my energy into that.

As this year started shaping into a wildly successful one with TV appearances just about everywhere, being hired to do on air work for a wine brands, my excitement for my mother's jewelry was reignited. And so with the love affair and borderline addiction I have with Pinterest, I started obsessing with this notion of  having a party of pretty arm jewelry -- otherwise known as "arm candy" and swag -- stacks and stack of brackets, bangles, and your watch. I realized how much I love bows (whew knew?!), leather, studs,  lots of simply crystal stretch bracelets, mixing media, and vintage intermixed with modern pieces.

I quickly got hip to the attractive and super easy way to accessorize beyond a  stack of ring and my two tone Marc Jacobs watch, which makes it everywhere. And then it hit me: Have my mother start making jewelry again, but this time with a more streamlined look and purpose. I'm certain the arm candy (and if you're in Instagram, then you know you can find thousands of looks by searching #armcandy and many derivatives of that) trend explains the abundance of new bracelet designers, some of which I'm in love with.

I love stacking, playing around with combinations, sometimes going light, others going way overboard where I looked at a picture later and wondered 'what in the world!' -- but all with a lot of fun and definitely inviting a great conversation among both chicas and the fellas.

2013 was particularly fun in exploring how I love to stack and have arm candy parties. These are some of my faves as shared in Instagram. There are still so many I never shared and pieces I never shared b/c there they were too dear to my heart that sharing publicly wasn't necessary. Sometimes, some things just need to stay between you and the gifter ;)

I hope you love my stacks and I'd love to see some of yours!


Wearing:
Rose gold and silver two tone MJ watch via Nordstrom; Rose gold and gray rubber MJ watch via Neiman Marcus; Vintage Seiko watch, gifted; BCBG watch via Loehmann's; Cocktail rings by Lucky Brand; Ghandi bracelet by my mother's jewelry line; All the crystal stretch bracelets and rings by my mom's jewelry line; Chain bracelet c/o L. George Designs; Silver bangles c/o IB Designs in St. Croix; Sterling vintage bangles from Mexico; String-y bracelets gifted; Variety of others.

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Travel Vibes: A Chic Week on Instagram

Keswick Hall

So much going on, so little time to share it all, or at least the fun part, so I've been resorting to quick Instagrams to depict the current haps. 

I took a quick two hour drive to Central Virginia where I went to college to visit an enigmatic place called Keswick Hall. Look it up! Pretty interesting piece of lush property formerly owned by Laura Ashley's ex husband, and as such, the entire boutique hotel, with only 48 suites, has a lot of LA influence. I like that my room was pretty simple in décor but still muy luxe. 

For  a three day regional trip, this is how low-key I try to keep it, though, I think there's room for more editing. 

I think I wore all the jewelry. The watch for sure and one the wood ring, one of my faves I picked up off a street cart in St. Thomas about 5 years ago.

I stuck to light makeup because it was still super hot in Charlottesville. The eyeliner was just for nighttime. I'm loving the Shiseido powder/foundation... it's everything. I first mentioned it here. 

This was my look on the the 1st day which I kept all day, even after 2 hours of driving through the countryside and a lovely al fresco dinner. 

My look via Instagram.

I couldn't help to Instagram my arm candy on the 2nd day, which I'm becoming slightly infatuated with. 

And then there's nothing like sitting at the infinity pool and actually making your faulty iPhone 4s work to take this picture of a pretty purple flower.

Or just sitting there and staring at this view. 

I even made time to catch up with some childhood family friends and enjoyed a nice dinner at the "Downtown Mall". 

And no trip could be full of awesomeness if I didn't have a shot of espresso to share with you. This triple shot cappuccino while I enjoyed my favorite newspaper... this before I went to a local farm for my first ever private horseback riding lesson... and that my friends was amazing! 

Especially because this 5 year old Western girl named Santana was so friendly and welcomed me very graciously.

And that was my week on Instagram! Now off to curate another one, though it's not going to be as exciting!

I wrote a sister post on my food blog, Flanboyant Eats, on the delish bites I had while there! Check it out.

Smooches!

Wearing:
Levi's jeans
Old Navy striped top
Theory jean jacket
Zara pumps
Marc Jacobs iPad sleeve as clutch
Varied arm candy

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Rockstar Chains, Pearls, & 'The Bren' ... A Viewing of L. George Designs

The 'Bren'

'Miss Miranda'

L-R: Jennifer Onyx, Phyllis, Tina Marie Strand

Here I am enjoying a cocktail on a rooftop in Melbourne, rocking my L. George bracelet. Fab, right?!

There is no question I love jewelry. So much, my mother started designing pieces and eventually launched her line a few years ago, C.B. Herrera. It's an awesome thing when Mami makes your jewelry and I seldom have to buy pieces. 

I've never understood her creative process and attention to detail. But, I'm learning in jewelry design, as with much else in the artsy realm, open space and inspiration lead to fabulous results. Outside of my mom's studio, I'd not seen another jewelry designer in action until I met Lisa George. 

She's based in Atlanta and has created a loyal fan base, in large part due to her massive ads --- on billboards throughout the city! And of course because everything she creates is covetable. We met on Facebook through a mutual friend who modeled for one of those fun ads and then she kindly sent me a bold and beautiful 3 strand chain bracelet with 3 pavé crystal balls. I rocked it in Australia a few times and knew I had a solid interchangeable piece -- I wore it on a day full of vineyard hopping, out to a chic Thai dinner, and on a day where flip flops and a tank was the dress code. 

I finally met her in person two weeks ago while in Atlanta. She invited me to her lush studios in Midtown to view her spring collection. What was supposed to be a quick 10 minute tryst turned into 2 hours of trying on, gazing & lusting, sipping wine, and placing orders. She's super fun, chatty, loves to share her life-changing story of how she realized she could do this, and can cook while designing!

Her entire collection is chain and stone based, with delicate insertions of pearls and crystals, mostly inspired by conversations and friendships she's forged. In just 2 years she's cornered a high-end market of women who love a bold piece that few other women have access to. 

I saw over 50 pieces, fell in love with everything I tried on, but set my immediate goal on 4... Since green is my favorite color and gold my fave go-to metal, the rocker piece 'Miss Miranda' with spikes and balls,  sang to me. And so did the quasi dainty piece with a beaded black ring and Swarovski stone. Oh, and the rosary-esque chain with onyx beads. But the most fabulous of all was one she made on the spot and humbly called "The Bren!"How fun is that?!

My short visit turned out to be an impromptu designer's moment with a simple gunmetal chain holding a bling-y caramel Swarovski with an off-centered clasp. I had something very clear in mind and she took off with ideas. 30 minutes later y voila, I was rocking my own namesake piece. 

So yeah, I'm in love with L. George Designs. I have visions of building a collection right next to my lovely C.B. Herrera pieces. Can you even imagine what that vanity would look like!? 

Until I can afford the pieces that sing glorious tunes, I'll go ping-pong on her Facebook page where she boldly reminds you how much you love to rock a hard piece. 

Check her out and tell me what you love the most! 

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Traveling Routines... My Hotel Bathroom

(All pictures © Bren Herrera)

If still in St. Croix attending the amazing Food and Wine Experience which spans the entire week, topped off by a super sexy Taste event at Divi Bay Carina Resort last night. And can I tell you... you must make your way here! It's my 2nd time here for the same event and it simply does not fail. The weather is perfect, the people are extremely nice, and the culture is a fantastic break from the high speed race I live in and usually am comfortable with, a la DC and New York. Plus it's just sexy.

My days have been extended with some lush sights and glutunnous eating (because if I go too long w/out food, I kind of get irritable!) and require me to pack a bag with everything I'll need for 12 hours of trekking. But since my itinerary is so diverse, ranging from fancy dinners and coastal farm visits to ATVing it up in the "rain forest, " my attire, accessories and overall look has to switch up. And that means I have to do the bag switcharoo every night.

My mornings start in the bathroom where I asses my look for the day. I thought I'd be able to easily sift through what I thought was minimal jewelry and makeup... I didn't fare so well this trip, but a great improvement from my last hops. I couldn't really make it without these. No matter how chill the trip. 3 nail polishes for a week? Clearly, a bit too much, but fun to have just in case. The bronzer from Estée's new line. Love. Love. Some under eye makeup since I'm not sleeping enough... loving the creamy one by CoverGirl.  And Bobbi Brown's longwear cream shadow stick in Bark is the best thing I could apply for a natural look all day. It gave me some color in my eye without looking like I had dolled up to  walk the island.

Since I over-did it again, I decided to make use the huge bathroom space and hang jewelry on wall mirrors, use the wine glasses to hold the 20 rings or so (because who really needs 20 rings for 9 days and stick my brushes in the tumblers. If you think about it, it's totally practical to make use of the your entire hotel room especially if you're staying for 6 nights.

This is one example of a light day's goodies that I carry. A mish-mosh of lipsticks and gloss, my favorite mascara, earpiece (because I'm still working), and jewelry I ended up sliding off.

The only way I've justified bringing all this stuff, probably more than necessary, is that it keeps me connected to my own space and place. It's lovely being on the road, seeing the world, but nothing like holding on to your comfy spot. Silly, but my things that help keep my routine somewhat normal, make an extended stay that much better!

What are your must-haves when traveling, short or long stays?

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Green & Orange & Turbans

Some things just happen naturally when getting dressed. Other ensembles and looks need inspiration. It's seldom the case that I call on someone else to help put an outfit together. But when it's an exclusive look for a online or print feature, I like two opinions better than just my own.

I recently shared two looks I love and would wear over and over again... they represent timeless chic to me. Plus, every piece has special significance. The  black super studded Minnie Mouse look and the fabulous DIY tutu skirt were both for a feature that's yet to be published in The Atlanta Journal Constitution--so yeah, I took liberty of publishing the pictures here.

They were just too fabulous to hold in my pictures folder. Curating them here would be almost as exciting as seeing them in the paper.

The entire shoot back in March was beyond exciting and the energy I got from the ever so flexible and patient Alison Church ( I kinda want to hire her to follow me around!) helped ease me into a place of sexiness and confidence.

Especially with the 3rd and final look we shot...This one didn't come as easy and so natural to me. Individually, the pieces are stunning and are mainstays in my wardrobe. I mean look at the emerald pleated skirt! Gorg. The turban is a vintage staple from the 70s, found in a whole in the wall, but one of the best "catch all" stores I've ever stepped foot into. And, the romper is just that--a lovely silk piece that flows and touches the body so romantically that wearing it to bead wouldn't be a bad idea. But it's too pretty not to be showcased in public.

This one came together as a result of prancing in my dressing room with 1/4 of my fashionable posse,  Melanie of Capitol d'Beaute, Vanessa of Bonen Bonnets and their diva friend Daniel of Heel My Soul. It was really Daniel's vision. Me... I just wanted to wear the turban and the uber fab coral necklace which my lovely mother made for me. This was a classic case of girls gone wild at 3 am in a room full of plumes, shoes, jewelry, hierlooms, hats, furs and crystals-- magic occurs. Obviously this is a spring look, but one that works in other parts of the world and inspired by travels to culturally rich places -- the patterns, textures, mix of fabrics, animalistic fetishes, etc...

Was it a bit convoluted and over the top? Yes! Do I love it? Yes! Would I wear it again in the same fashion? No.... though it all felt so right and looked amazing! And, that's what it's really all about.

WEARING:


Max Azria skirt
Haquen silk romper
Vintage silk turban
Aldo shoes
C.B. Herrera Jewelry coral necklace
Vintage glass and panther necklace
Vintage brooch worn on turban
ABS and leather cuffs; YSL bone cuff; ABS bee ring
Vintage crystal necklace as worn by SJP in SATC.

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Ring Me, Baby!

I tend to collect lots of everything. Shoes and hats, mainly. But rings don't escape the OCD approach. 

These are a few of my faves that get a lot of use.  I particularly have an obsession with bees and owls-- I sting and I'm super wise. Yup! 

I'll share the really chunky stone ones I've come to love the most and reserve for TV appearances, photo shoots and fabulous outfits!

What are your favorite rings? 

 T-B: A.B.S. bee on flower // A.B.S. Swarovski owl // Blue crystal and gold wire by Trinkets by Lisa (gifted) // Red crystal tear drop cluster flower on gold wire designed for me by Trinkets by Lisa (gifted) // Banana Republic chain ring // Banana Republic C.Z. cocktail // Elastic bronze owl // Banana Republic butterfly and cat's eye with crystals // Peridot & Swarovski with gold balls on 14k gold wire designed for me by Etsy designer (gifted).

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