Friday, August 28, 2015

Easy Summer Street Style

Here are some snapshots from a beautiful day in Brooklyn.


I spotted this pop color while walking my pup and had to show it some love with an impromptu outfit photo.


I'm wearing my favorite Express pencil skirt-- it's nice and stretchy and fits like a glove-- with a fun neon pink and white cropped top from H&M; my African bracelets of course and my white chucks. 



This blue (faux) leather backpack is a new favorite from Mashalls. 



Oh, and I finally checked out Chilo's, a newish spot in the neighborhood. The tacos from the truck in the back are delicious! And those margaritas as perfect-- potent and not too sweet! A review on Yelp is forthcoming. 


Until next time. 
<3
M

Thursday, August 27, 2015

A White Skirt and a Crop Top

Peace all,

Here's what I wore to an afterwork event earlier this summer.  I absolutely loved this outfit!  I felt very Manhattan-meets-Brooklyn in this look.  


The cropped floral top is from Express, the white high waist skirt is from ASOS and the red-orange pumps are Ninewest.


I love pattern-mixing and am determined to pair these assorted African bracelets with all most of my looks, including my floral print top.  




Until next time,
<3
M



Wednesday, August 26, 2015

Orange, Blue and Sunkissed

Peace all,

As promised I am updating my blog with looks from this epic summer, and doing so from Korea at the moment.  (Check out my instagram @sofullye for my #mariagoestoasia daily updates.)

Here's what I wore to brunch with a good friend:


I actually was having a lazy day and threw this look together in just a few minutes.  Sometimes my best looks come together that way.

Crop top from American Apparel, drawstring pants from J.Crew Factory, white canvas sneakers by Converse, fanny pack from Forever 21 and my assorted African bangles.



I loved the colors against my sunkissed skin!  Bright colors are definitely my go-to after many days in the sun.

Peep the street art on the sidewalk by Aine.  Very cool!




As for the actual brunch, we decided on our spot, Alice's Arbor.  It was delicious as usual!



Seriously, that burger and those fries were so tasty!


Until next time,
<3
M

Summer Night in a Bra Top

Peace all,

Here's an outfit I wore to a very fun after work party in the city, called Afropolitan. 


I got this bra top from Express last year but wasn't able to wear it properly until this summer. It was way to small before!

I paired it with my current favorite high waist skirt, always from Express, and orangey red pumps from my sister's closet years ago. 




I usually shy away from wearing common color combinations, but I'm also about working with what what I have in my closet. These shoes were danceable for the duration of the party, and I added some interest with a pink lip against the reddish orange earrings and pumps. 


A view from the party. Ibiza's rooftop lounge. 





More to come. 
<3
M

Tuesday, August 18, 2015

A Little Black Summer Dress

 Good morning everyone!

For the first part of the summer, I lived in this little black, summer dress!  It's so easy, flattering and perfect for brunches with friends and casual dates.  Yup, this dress has gotten around.  Now that I'm a lot darker thanks to all my glorious sunbathing-- seriously, my IG can attest to my love for beach bumming around-- I prefer to wear lighter colors.  However, since this dress is so easy and versatile, I may pack it for my upcoming trip to Asia.  I digress...

Here's what I wore to brunch earlier this summer:


black babydoll (A.K.A. skater dress) from ASOS, white chucks by Converse, Louis Vuitton purse




I <3 layering necklaces with my nameplate.

The choker is part of a set I initially purchased from Burlington Coat Factory for my much younger sisters.

I got these earrings for $1 from a street vendor in Brooklyn.

A mix of African bracelet bought from various vendors in Soho, Bedstuy, Kenya and Calabar Imports (on Franklin in Prospect Heights). 





 These blue nails were vibrant!  That is until the sun faded them to a dull, but still workable, blue.

Oh, and no makeup except for a tinge of Ruby Woo by MAC.  That's pretty much my summer look. A bare, sunkissed face with a pop of color on the lips.



Until next time.
<3
M

Photo Credits: Doris!
Location: Cafe Rue Dix on Bedford Avenue.

Monday, August 17, 2015

A Happy 30th in an Orangey-Red Romper

Hey everyone,

Here's what I wore to celebrate my born-day in Bedstuy, Brooklyn last week:


This romper didn't look like much on the rack.  In fact, I would have skipped it if I wasn't romper-obsessed.  I got it less than two weeks ago at H&M.  Yup, good ole H&M.  I ended up sizing way down for a more fitted fit.  I had to make a second trip to the fitting room because sizes one and two that I took in, were both too big.  Fit is everything.

To style it and make it a little more summery, I folded the sleeves and added a fun, simple leather platform shoe.  These shoes were a find at DSW years ago.

The mix of African bracelets that I've truly been wearing all summer with everything are from a random African shop in Bedstuy and the white Maasai bracelet is from Calabar on Franklin Avenue.

And the clutch is actually a "tablet clutch" from Coach a few seasons ago.


I didn't intend to do a blog post, hence no detail shots or close-ups, but I'm learning to just go with it-- it's all good!  


For my makeup, I got some inspiration from one of my style icons, Lupita N'yongo, and kept it very neutral-- gold highlighter around my eyes; eyeliner and mascara; a bit of MAC's Fever blush; and my new favorite nude lipstick called Touch, also by MAC.

Some kinda-candids from the night of celebrating, including two additional rompers and some leather shorts.  My friends stay inspiring me!

Orange + red rompers.


Orangey red + blue romper.

Romper plus leather shorts.

Yup, welcoming 30 was a lot of fun.  I'm truly excited about this new decade of living, learning and loving.

More to come (and on IG).
<3
M



Happy Summer!

Happy Summer!

I have been meaning to update this blog all summer!  Though, this update is super late in theory, perhaps it's also right on time.

I have been having the best summer (yet) of my adulthood.  Seriously.  Perhaps,  it's a mix of learning and practicing self-love as well as seizing life because thirty was coming--  in fact, it came four days ago-- and I didn't want to have any regrets.  Suddenly, I wasn't waiting for people to do the things I really wanted to do, whether it's hit up a local bar solo or attend a museum event way uptown solo, or ride my bike to the beach, also solo.  I also set some strong intentions like, I'm going to Japan this summer, and even though I didn't have a ticket up until practically late July, I am going to Japan in a few days.

The Universe continues to affirm that the law of attraction is a real thing.  I've been on a spiritual journey for sometime now, and left and right, I've been meeting people who are also moving through life with similar vibrations-- from the way-too-young for me guy I went on a park date with to the lady whose locs I complimented at the nail salon.

This is all to say, apologies for not updating sooner.  I've gotten a lot of inquiries about some of the looks I've worn and chronicled on my Instagram, so I'll be posting some of my favorites from this summer.  That and doing a bit of blogging around other interests, as I do intend to transition Learning Style to more of a lifestyle blog.

With that, I am 30 years old now, and 30 is looking and feeling pretty darn good!  Seriously, I am in the best mental, emotional and physical shape of my life.  I am truly wearing whatever it is that I feel and doing so with little hesitation; I am being the most direct I've ever been, gracefully of course; and I am practicing living mindfully with no resistance to what is.  After all, as the affirmation I got from Deepak Chopra goes: I am independent of people's good and bad opinions of me.

On that note, I'm going to get to updating.
<3
M