Tag: Fashion

A Little Sebring History, Recreated Nearly 100 Years Later

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One of my favorite things about living in Sebring is discovering little pieces of its history that I might have otherwise never known about.

While reading a book about Sebring, I came across a photograph of a woman boarding the Orange Blossom Special right here in Sebring. The photograph, held by the State Archives of Florida through Florida Memory, is dated around 1930. It shows an unidentified woman boarding the famous train at the Sebring railroad station.

And immediately, I thought… Wouldn’t it be fun to recreate it?

So, that’s exactly what I did.

I put on a floral dress and tried to recreate the feeling of that photograph almost a century later. Of course, there was one little problem… there was no train. But honestly, that almost made it more fun. I wasn’t trying to perfectly recreate every detail. I just wanted to stand in the same historic place and imagine what it must have been like nearly 100 years ago when people were arriving at the station to board the Orange Blossom Special.

And this time, Arya was my photographer!

She actually took this picture of me, which makes the memory even more special.

And let me tell you… it was HOT.

Trying to recreate a 1930s-inspired photograph in Florida heat is definitely an experience! But we had fun with it, and I’m so glad we did.

A little more history behind the Orange Blossom Special. The Orange Blossom Special was a luxury passenger train that operated between New York City and Miami from 1925 through 1953, primarily as a seasonal winter service. It became known for carrying passengers south to Florida during the winter months.There are actually several photographs in the State Archives of Florida showing women and the Orange Blossom Special at the Sebring railroad depot around 1930. One of them is the exact photograph that inspired my little recreation

I love that you can look at an old photograph and realize that this really happened right here. People stood in this place, traveled through this town, and experienced Sebring during a completely different era.

That’s one of the things I’ve been enjoying most about living here. I’m finding myself more curious about the history around me — the buildings, the people, the stories, and all the little details that make Sebring what it is today.

I have always loved learning historical facts, but lately I’ve really enjoyed turning those little discoveries into experiences and memories of our own.

Because sometimes you don’t need a train to travel through history.

The 2026 Emmys

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The Emmys are always one of those nights where television, glamour, and fashion come together. On September 14, Hollywood’s biggest stars stepped onto the red carpet in everything from romantic gowns to dramatic, show-stopping designs.

Of course, I was paying close attention to the fashion because, let’s be honest, who doesn’t love a good red-carpet moment? After looking through all the looks, I picked a few of my favorites from the night. These are the dresses that caught my eye, made me stop scrolling, and had me thinking, “Okay, now THAT is a look!”

Here are my top picks for best dressed at the 2026 Emmys!

I Think I Found My Favorite Beach: Venice Beach, Florida

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Oh, I think I found my favorite beach.

It’s all in the name—Venice. It sounds like somewhere you’d find gondolas floating through canals in Italy, but this little slice of paradise is right here in Florida and, thankfully, much closer to home.

Did you know that Venice is known as the “Shark Tooth Capital of the World?” Millions of years ago, Florida was covered by a shallow sea, and fossilized shark teeth continue to wash ashore today, making this one of the best places in the world to hunt for them. The city even hosts an annual Shark’s Tooth Festival celebrating this unique treasure.

We arrived on a Friday night and couldn’t wait to head to the beach the next morning.

On this beautiful Saturday, our first stop was Fossil Frenzy. Since Venice is famous for its shark teeth, we were determined to find some of our own. We picked up an ocean sifter, a basket sifter, and even a few gems from the shop before making our way to the shore.

As we headed toward the beach, we stumbled upon the sweetest surprise—a Little Free Library. There’s just something magical about finding books by the sea.

The sand was soft, the ocean was crystal clear, and the water temperature was absolutely perfect. The first thing you notice when you arrive at Venice Beach is that everyone is on the same mission: searching for shark teeth. Everywhere you look, people are hunched over, sifters in hand, scanning the shoreline for tiny black treasures.

And guess what? We found plenty!

The water was incredibly calm, which made the day even better, and the girls absolutely loved every minute of it. We swam, searched for shells, collected shark teeth, and simply enjoyed being together.

Then came the sunset.

Let me just say… the sunsets at Venice Beach are truly magical. The sky transformed into shades of pink, orange, and gold, and before we knew it, the day had slipped away from us. We had planned to walk out onto the Venice Fishing Pier, but time got the best of us. I guess that’s just another reason to come back.

The next morning, before heading home, we decided to explore Downtown Venice and pick up a few souvenirs. We wandered into Sea Pleasures & Treasures, and let me tell you—that place is massive! There was so much to see, and my old mermaid soul wanted to take home every single shell, trinket, and coastal treasure.

To finish off our trip, we stopped at Venice Avenue Creamery for some ice cream. We ordered the Cookie Monster flavor and, oh my… you absolutely have to try it. It was so creamy, delicious, and the perfect treat on a hot Florida day.

Venice Beach completely captured my heart.

In just one day, I found my first shark eye shell, several shark teeth, and more seashells than I could carry. More importantly, we made memories that I’ll treasure forever.

We had an absolute blast, and one thing is certain:

We’ll definitely be back.

The 2025 Oscars

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This past Sunday was the 97th Oscars and these are my picks of best dressed of the night.

From left to right – We first have Raye in a custom Vivienne Westwood. This corset bodice gown accentuated her curves. I especially love the drape effect and the off the shoulder sleeve. This dress was meant for her- 1050’s glamour.

Next is Ariana Grande wearing Schiaparelli haute couture.  This was so whimsical- the bustier dress was in pink satin adorn with rhinestones and crystal sequins in a nude tulle. What I like about this gown is the sculptural effect. The top half was shaped in a clam basque bodice, it extends past the waistline and over the hips- think like the Victorian times. During my research I found that this dress was inspired by an Alberto Giacometti lamp. Such a fresh way to reinvent a style, and I love it.

Demi Moore wore Georgio Armani Prive – the gown was custom made for her; she graced in head-to-toe hand made crystal embroidery. I applaud her stylist, Brad Goreski! The dress had a v plunging neckline, followed by pleated hips and ending it with a train. I wanted to know more about the dress and luckily, I found a Bazzaar article that mentions it took over 18 embroiders which took 1,670 hours to embroider her gown. The craftmanship that took to make 1 dress is remarkable, the hard work paid off because she looked breathtaking. 

Selena Gomez Oh my, Oh my! She looked gorgeous! Selena wore a custom dress by Ralph Lauren. It is said that the dress was embrodier with 16,000 glass droplets and crystals. It took 12 artisans to create this gown and not only that, but they hand painted them to give a pink ombre color. Imagine the hours it took to create this piece. The dress is divine the sleeves off the shoulder, the cinch waist and the small train tail and I’m loving her bob look – its giving old Hollywood glam. She has a glow about her the whole night, she looks so happy and so beautiful!

Hello Halle Berry, the gown of the night was that of Christian Siriano. He said he has only been wanting to dress her his entire life and he finally did. He did not disappoint. Halle wore a strapless gown made from 7,000 mirrored crystals. You can’t see it on this picture, but the side of the dress showed sheer panels with crystals the gown was that of a fitted bodice and a maxi mermaid skirt with a small tail train. This was remarkable, this was an art piece; very mosaic inspired.

Ariana Grande opened the Oscars with a performance which she changed to another Schiaparelli haute couture. She wore a ruby red strapless ball gown that was embroidered in 150,00 sequins and beads. During the performance – if you caught for a quick glimpse, the back of her dress had a 3D vintage shoe. Hence, Ruby red slippers anyone? Love that this award season she has paid homage to her film.

Mindy Kaling wore Oscar de la Renta, you can’t see the details here, but silhouette had a sheer panel and if you look closely it was covered in metallic leaf embellishment. I like the texture, the halter neck gown with a small train and the dramatic makeup look. It all paired well.

NYFW 2025- Christian Siriano & Alice + Olivia

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I’ve known about Christian Siriano ever since he was in Project Runway. That show was one of my inspiration to study fashion in college.

In this collection, I picked these pieces because  of the dramatic silhouettes. Look at the architectural elements he put into these garments. I love the tailoring; he is giving a three-dimensional  architectural quality. The form looks proportioned, I love the geometric shapes making these garments masterpieces- I can visually see these coming down the red carpet.

In the Alice + Olivia collection – you can envision romance. An inspiration shown throughout the garments was that of William Shakespeare. The first piece from the left showcases a ball gown skirt with brocade print and the front of the dress exhibits a v neckline. I love that the front looks simple but once turned, the back is exposed held by bow tie ribbons. The middle garment is a mini dress covered by a blazer with puff shoulders, adorn in embellishment, I love the touch of ribbon and the peekaboo lace on the wrists making it look romantic. And my last pick to the right is the same style as the first one with a minor change, a painting for the print. Overall, the collection is fantasy meets modern.

The 2025 Grammys

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The Grammy’s were held on February 2, the styles are in and here is my review on best dress.

The theme I saw most popular down the red carpet was that of gold/silver embellishments.

Let’s start with GloRilla. She wore Lena Berisha. I didn’t know about this designer before but once I looked her up, I am intrigued on ALL her dresses. The designer, Lena Berisha is a well known in the fashion industry as a bridal designer yet makes elegant custom-made couture dresses as well. Truly a stunning dress. GloRilla has modern elegance in the dress; the tailoring suits her. I love the flowing drape she has towards the hip.

Up next is Beyonce. She wore a custom Schiaparelli. I love that she paid homage to Cowboy Carter as the pattern on the dress looks like a bandana. She looks rejuvenated. I like how the silhouette hugged her figure, the cutout below the bust was a great detailed she paired it well with the gloves.

Paris Hilton wore Chrome Hearts. Her dress gave me a feel that we were back to the 70’s. She emitted an energy of Cher with aviator glasses, and this sheer embroidered v neck plunging dress. I loved how she gracefully played with the sheer cape down the red carpet.

Heidi Klum was dressed from Lebanese designer Nicolas Jebran. Straight out from the Spring Summer 2025 couture. She looked glamours in the sequin strapless gown. I love the intricated details.

Madison Beer- I knew that dress once she came on the red carpet because I just wrote about it. She wore Miss Sohee Spring 2025 couture. Madison radiated in the mermaid sheer hand embellished gown.

Taylor Swift  dazzled in a red one-shoulder sparkly mini dress from Vivienne Westwood. She completed the look with T rosary on her upper thigh, giving a nod to her song Gulty as Sin lyric “What if he is write mine on my upper thigh”. She ate that look, Taylor has legs for days she looked like a runway supermodel, simply gorgeous!

Chappell Roan will be our next fashion muse! She is showcasing to be a fashion icon, she is an activists, and her makeup is breathtaking! She wore a vintage Jean Paul Gaultier couture dress. Over 22 years to be exact. The gown has a printed Degas painting on the tulle. If you haven’t seen the painting or any artwork, please look up Edgar Degas paintings. They are a realistic portrayal of modern life. He uses asymmetrical/ vantage points and artificial lights in his artwork. He was well known in 19th century to paint Parisian ballet dancers. I remember from art class back in high school having to study his paintings – so beautiful, so figured focused and realistic. I want to give a shout out to her stylist, Genisis Webb – who dressed her and executed a masterpiece. Deep down I feel like that several of her looks were a French motif of Viva La Resistance and I get it. I see it.

Charli XCX wore Jean Paul Gaultier custom. The gown displayed an abundance of ruffles in a dramatic yet glamours way. I love the detail of the cinched corset in the middle which accentuated her waist. I adore the fact that the ruffles were over the shoulder top, but it wasn’t over done as the V neckline gave a subtle exposure of skin yet by doing this it created a longer silhouette to the eye. The color ashy grey with I would say had a hint of blue tint goes well with her dark hair. The makeup was paired well with this look. The open toe high boots gave a bit of a punk mix to it as well.

Latto was classy and gave glamour. She was channeling a modern version of Marilyn Monroe. She wore Alexandre Vaulthier couture. She paired it with a white fur shawl somewhat like a boa that draped down to the floor. In other pictures you would see that the back of the dress had a scoop neckline, and the sides of her hips had peekaboo triangle cut outs. Overall, Latto was gracefully beautiful.

I had to point out the three outstanding looks that Sabrina Carpenter brought!  Very Old Hollywood glam and I infatuated with it because she can pull this off.

When she arrived at the Grammys, she first walked the red carpet in a baby blue silk custom gown by JW Anderson. From the front of the peplum fitted gown, you can detail a halter neckline. Once she turned around, she gave the audience a jaw dropping moment – the silhouette was scooped down tailoring her body and held by a beautiful Choprad necklace. Love the hint of feathers along the hem both at the hip and bottom of the gown.

The next outfit of the night was of her performance. She wore a custom baby blue strapless sweetheart bodice body suit by Dolce & Gabbana. Very showgirls – maybe a Las Vegas residency in the near future? I love her performance her acting, dancing and singing was marvelous.

The last look of the night was of a custom gold sweetheart neckline strapless gown by Versace. Looking like an award herself she radiated the night.

Paris Haute Couture Spring 2025- Miss Sohee

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This year marks the debut to Miss Sohee showcasing her collection at Paris.

As I explored more about this brand, I found out the designer’s name is Sohee Park. She is South Korean designer based in London. After she graduated from college in 2020, she launched her brand. Due to the pandemic, she was unable to showcase her collection down the runway. Instead, she released several photographs on Instragram which went viral. She then made her grand debut in 2022.

Since then, she has styled famous celebrities like, Miley Cyrus, Ariana Grande, and Cardi B just to name a few.

Miss sohee is the next fashion designer to watch for.

In this collection – the use of intricate handmade embroidery is exquisite. I noticed a use of florals and birds. Take a look at Korean Minhwa – it is Korean folk painting which pay an homage to her heritage and can be seen in the garments.

The ensemble I chose above are romantic. Each garment has fabric that goes perfectly on the silhouettes. The sensuality and glamor can be seen. Miss Sohee is a name to remember she is just beginning her legacy. I can’t wait to see what she comes up with next.

Paris Haute Couture Spring Summer 2025-Elie Saab

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Elie Saab showcase There were so many beautiful garments that I envision down the runway that I had to show you. I truly love this collection because the use of colors are the ones I preferably like for Spring. Let’s get to it.

If you are not familiar with Elie Saab, he is a Lebanese fashion designer; he has been in the industry since the early 1980’s. He became well known to the United States in 2002 when he dressed the iconic Halle Berry when she won her first Oscar, you remember the dress? It was masterpiece. He has also dressed many famous celebrities like Celin Dion, Beyonce, Taylor Swift and even Kate Middleton.

This collection is called Portrait of a Dream. Where we are transported into a realm where fashion and the arts meet. Imagine Monet’s paintings that evolve serene landscapes, my favorite paintings from Monet that I can give as an example is The Water Lily Pond and The Artist’s Garden at Giverny. Take a look at it. On the Elie Saab’s website, it details that this collection was inspired by a romantic impressionist garden. Meaning, a style of painting used in France in the 19th century, much like Monet.

The show uses a palette of dreamy pastels and soft hues of lavender, blush and mint just like lilies and camelilias within a delicate beauty of nature in a garden. The garments flow elegantly, and he uses intricate embellishments like sequins and beadings yet makes still feel dreamlike.

I love the use of regal aesthetics in this collection – I truly fell in love with each garment as I would wear each one- this is a style I resonate with.