The Perfect Wedding.... And A Navy Blue Dress

Aida and Alexy

Our friends. 

We so did not intend to match! 

Love this dress!

Walking 2 miles on cobble stone streets in 6" is only for the experts. Seriously. Don't try this at home. 

View of La Alhambra from Palacio de los Cordova

Entrance to el Palacio

Eddie, Miguel, father of the Bride, and me

Flowers; reception setting; Eddie and Carmen, mother of the Bride

Enjoying dinner. Taken via Instagram.

Harry and Badgley.

Last month, my beau and I booked a very last minute flight to Spain to attend a childhood friend's wedding en la costa del sol. My dad's best friend's daughter, actually. I hadn't planned on going until my awesome boyfriend made an argument something along these lines: "When are you going to be able to say you went to a wedding in Spain, in Granada, at a Palace?" We booked our tickets two days later and 10 days after that were doing this. 

And it was the most beautiful wedding I've been to. The setting was rustic, but not pretentious, set below La Alhambra. And the bride was a lovely Cuban-Spanish chica whose dress blew my mind as she pranced in Flamenco style for her new husband, a lovely French man. 

And then there was my dress. A navy blue 'convertible' dress by Jenny Yu my friend helped me find on Nordstrom's website and I had to have. With 3 days before flying out, and knowing I was going to have it altered, the kind peeps at Nordies overnighted the dress and scheduled an after-hours fitting... and I picked up the dress on the way to the airport. Totally living under pressure here. 

And it was worth it. It's the perfect dress for any occasion and can be worn in 20 or so different styles. I  literally got dressed in 30 minutes, opting for the over-the-shoulder bow. The hairdo by a local girl, the bling-y shoes, the clutch, the bangles, the earrings.... it was all perfect. 

But my best accessory: My man. He was as handsome as ever and just walking side-by-side and dancing at 2 am with him made me fall in love 30 times deeper. 

And the night ended with the most perfect kiss. 

I'm one lucky girl. A beautiful wedding and a stellar, haberdasher of a date. 

(but there's more. something really special. that's for the next post.)

*******

On him: 

Suit: Custom-made; Shirt & tie by PINK; Shoes by Harris via Barneys; Cufflinks by Burberry.

On me: 

Dress by Jenny Yu; Badgley Mischka shoes; Vintage Versace sunglasses; Banana Republic beaded clutch, stone bangles via Nordstrom; Gold hoop earrings  by IB Designs in St. Croix.

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Sexy Shoe Sunday: LAMB 'Jazmyn'

Lusting over these ultra sexy L.A.M.B 'Jazmyn' pumps I bought at Nordstrom Rack to wear with a flowy off-the-shoulder dress with accordian pleated skirt. I bought them to wear to a flamenco show in Spain during the wedding I mentioned in my last post, but I went all casual and rocked jeans instead.

 I've shied away from very scantily designed heels, you know the ones with super little snug and support and very open, but these match everything I could wear this summer and fall. Plus, a black and white pump pretty much goes with everything.  Let's not even talk about the attractive supple perforated leader heel covering juxtaposed against a curvaceous patent heel. The are particularly easy to dress up or down. Loving the idea of a skinny jean, too.

I love them. Debating returning them b/c I was only able to find a 7.5 and I'm a solid 8. I fit them well but wondering if the 1/2 size will eventually catch up to me.

What do you think? Yay or Nay?

I mean, they are pretty sexy. 6" and classy.

This is my Sexy Shoe Sunday. I hope to tell you later this week I either found an 8 or crammed into a 7.5 which I'll pay for later! Ha.

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* all images are property of Bren Herrera. No reproduction or copying/downloading without prior written expressed permission. Thanks for adhering to.

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A Dress Appropriate for a Spanish Wedding in a Palace

It's very true. And very dreamy.

I'm going to Granada, Spain tomorrow for a wedding on Friday... with only 2 weeks notice. Somehow it's how my life has decided to function. Just go with the flow and make it work. And so I did.

My dad's best friend's daughter is getting married on Friday and we were invited back in April. I had dreams of going, especially once I saw her beautiful wedding invitation --- perhaps the most beautiful I've ever seen -- but I didn't want to go alone and had a busy summer schedule lined up. And then the dreamy opportunity to go came up two weeks ago and I took it up. Some work called during the same time and I had to make it happen.

With 10 days to find a dress suited for attending a wedding in a European palace, I about lost my mind in a fierce head spin action. I called a stylish girlfriend who quickly pointed me to the Jenny Yoo 'Aidan' dress at Nordstrom. I had been looking at a lovely green pleated Grecian style gown the day before, but lucky for me, it was sold out, leaving to consider this one.

The dress is part of the designer's Bridal Suite, so more for a bridesmaid. Some irony here I won't get into, but I thought it was gorgeous! My date loves long, maxi dresses and skirts on me so I knew off the the top he'd love this. The selling point was the insane amount of different ways I can wear this. Of 18 styles I saw on their style sheet, 3 are perfect for an evening wedding in the Mediterranean.  I went with the navy blue from Nordstrom (they are the best in Customer Service, I swear --- free overnight delivery for today so I can have it altered at my local Nordstrom and have it in time for tomorrow! Yesss!).

I'm still settling on a style, but an equally important decision is what shoes to wear! I have 24 hours to choose and nothing I've seen so far, online or in store has screamed my name. Need your help! Any suggestions? Any ideas? Ideally, I'd love to wear flats and just enjoy an uber sexy, flowy vibe in the evening, but I'm really short and will have to be at least 5" above ground. The one tim I wish I had some height, right!?

So chicas... here are a few options I did find that could do the trick. The only one I'm really in love with is the Brian Atwood on the bottom right, but those are sold out everywhere at Neiman Marcus' Last Call stores. Sigh.  I prefer an open toe for this dress, regardless of the style I end up with, but I've not having much luck.

If you have any fab finds, let me know in the comments. I literally have 24 hours to find shoes. And you can help!

Besides that, isn't the dress gorgeous? And isn't going to a childhood friend's wedding in Spain with only 2 weeks notice the best thing ever? I'm excited. Over the top excited and will share the final look with you from Spain. Oh, yes. The accessories are another story! Off to select those.

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Be Gone, Anxiety. Hello, Love.

For the the poets and those into literary history, I just came across this awesome graphic with a quote by acclaimed diarists, Anaïs Nin.

With a new year upon us, we relish in new beginnings and hope to let go of things that choked us in the past.

This struck an unsung chord.

Any with you? I think it makes me want to go buy a new pair of shoes or a rugged travel bag!

Happy New Year to you, lovelies.

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Sexy Shoe Sunday: ZARA Classics

I'm in love right now.

Not because these are the absolutely perfect pair of black pumps with a dash of elegance with the thin gold platform and rounded toe, rather because when I entered Zara in Georgetown a few days ago, they were the last pair in the entire store and happened to be my exact size. And 6". And Brazilian leather.

Swoon.

I don't think they had even been tried on.

And for $40 (originally $90 -- still not bad), I'm keeping these babies nicely stowed away for proper care since I plan on wearing them when nothing else seems to fit!

A girl can't ever have enough black pumps. It's kind of like the LBD.

Oh, the joys of post Christmas sales!

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*I was playing around with filters and different looks since I took no time to photograph these this morning. On super deadlines for client work. So, hope you like the different textured looks and colors

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On Being Orgullosa. A Proud Life Stylist

I love licking the homemade cream cheese icing on a decadent carrot or German chocolate cake. I love even more the idea of having a pair of Louboutins specially designed for you and then signed by the designer himself.  That's how sexy it is being a Latina. It's having the best of both worlds -- the American freedom and the Latin hustle and sassiness.

That's what most of my life has been like -- a delicious and swanky affair with a rich culture. I enjoy and live the vibrancy, electricity and colorful energy we bring to the everyday home, party and just about any situation. Latinas walk in hundreds of shades, dialects, body shapes and deep-rooted traditions. That's unique and exciting.

Orgullosa, an interactive movement  focused on celebrating the distinct qualities of a Latina is something that deserves a bit of your attention! They promote our awesomeness and go-getter attitude. I've not come across too many camps that exclusively highlight what we do and how we live. I perused their site and got to thinking...

When I think about what makes me an orgullosa Latina, the tenacity to succeed and stand out as an influencer, and our level of standard in caring for our home and families screams out! Yeah, I'm single, living in a super chic apartment in two cities, and am childless, but honey's, that sure hasn't barred me from living the most fabulous vida that leaves my friends intrigued and wanting to learn more. It's the feisty yet polished Spanglish, the Latin spices and herbs in my kitchen, the sensual dancing (think William Levy in Dancing With The Stars!), the intense dominoes game in the middle of a workday, and the ruffle top, stilettos and fedora ensemble that doesn't look like I'm a character in Evita.

A really intense game of dominoes at my parents house.

Si, I went to college and started a law school program, but being the owner of my business and calling my own shots defines an orgullosa woman!

Being recognized in a national magazine because of my sense of style is exciting! That phone call with yelps of "thank you!" because a client or friends look was a head-turner makes my work as a stylist very exciting. Hosting a cooking class where a new wife walks away confident to cook for her hubby, is rewarding.  Sharing my skills that inspire otras, is something to definitely be proud of.

I am Latina. It's the thread of my character, personality and my drive. It comes out in everything I do. Enjoying my Latin culture to the fullest and still benefitting from living in a country that embraces my individuality, my intelligence while walking in my highest heel, clutching my iPhone and having an intense conversation with Mami in Spanish,  is something to be orgullosa about, no doubt!

Check out & sign up for Orgullosa's community where you can see tips on everything from fashion, makeup an even earn some swag.

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