CELEBRATING IN PORTLANDIA

I was whisked off to Portland a couple months ago for my bday.

Naturally I was pretty excited. I hadn't been to Portland before and it was going to be FALL there. There's something about the Fall during my birthday. I grew up in the midwest until I was in high school so the majority of my birthdays were celebrated in beautiful Fall colors. Portland had just that.

We went to all the places I've had on my list plus more. 

-Screen Door: my personal fave in town. The fried chicken and potato soup is where it's at.

-Cargo Inc: Super random finds from various countries. I wish I was driving back to Cali, instead of flying, so I could hall some of the antique furniture home.

-Powell's Bookstore: Huge bookstore - it's hard to leave without a new read. A must.

-Made Here PDX: A curation of artist and designer goods. Everything from fancy packaged foods to art prints and handmade leather accessories. 

-Woonwinkle: This general type store is the coolest. Came back with moon coasters, jumbo magnet and toy top (super fun to play with at your desk while you're waiting for a video to export.)

-Wine tasting: I ended up at Phelps Creek in hopes of viewing Mt. Hood while sipping on some wine. The entire trip it was too cloudy/rainy to visibly see it- such a bummer.

-Sizzle Pie: Good pizza. Duh.

-VooDoo Donuts: Had to.

I'm actually heading back up there in a couple weeks and already curating a new list of things to see. I'll share that once I'm back.

DESIGNER PROFILE: NATASHIA TOMEK

I haven't posted a Designer Profile in awhile and wanted to start the new year off with a really good one.

I've been following the work of fashion designer Natashia Tomek for a few years now. She designs women's for the Southern California based brand, Lira. I first noticed Lira when I was walking through Agenda Long Beach a few years back - some of the styles caught my eye and I was really inclined to give the collection a closer look. Immediately I noticed the designs were ahead of the game. Natashia has an impressive knack for knowing what she likes and seeing ahead of what's trending. That combination is gold.

Growing up in Southern California, Natashia has always been drawn toward the Action Sports Industry and started out at Beach Bums as their womens buyer. Later she went on to start her own business designing cute foldable shoes under the label Tash Limited. Natashia had much success with that but when presented with the opportunity to design all of Lira's women's clothing she took it. 

Natashia takes on every single collection herself. She not only designs them but does everything from traveling to China in order to source and develop with her manufacturers to styling photoshoots and catalogs.

When I visited Natashia at her offices I got a sneak peek of her SS16 collection which is full of beautiful faux suedes, crochets and bralette silhouettes for swimwear. I'm looking forward to catching up with her at Agenda this week. Check out all the cute Lira pieces here and while you're at it, keep an eye on Natashia's Instagram to find out what she's up to.

ITALY THROUGH IPHONES

I'm usually pretty reserved and don't typically share a lot of my personal life. This is one of those rare times but hey, maybe it'll be putting more out there in 2016. You never know.

Anyway, here's a very raw glimpse of my trip to Italy a couple months ago through Milan, Rome and Venice. Myself and @0484GABE filmed short clips on our iPhones throughout the trip. I think since we both film professionally it's definitely not to the quality we usually put out but I couldn't help myself this time. Everything is so in the moment and not planned out so that element alone adds something special that a cinematic video can't. Enjoy. 

*Side note: Long story but since we booked our tickets 23 hours before departure we ended up taking separates flights. That might clear up any confusion.

IN FRONT OF THE CAMERA: HYUNDAI COMMERCIAL

Sometimes I end up in front of the camera.

Last winter I flew out to Park City, Utah with the Hyundai Blue Link team and film crew 0484CREATIVE. I appeared in their Remote Lock, Unlock and Start in Cold Weather video.

Do I foresee an acting career in the near future? Who knows? ;)

HOLIDAY REDS

Recently, I've been really into trying new Red wines.

I'm usually drawn towards whites, but with the weather being a little chilly, reds seems to be the better choice. The latest I've tried out was Love Noir, which is a fruit forward take on pinot noir, smooth with notes of dark cherry and mocha - it's super bold. Simply put, it's delicious and you really can't go wrong.

Anyway, Happy Holidays! Go enjoy some pinot and stay warm!

FIREPROOF - A 16THCOLONY COLLECTION

Today is the launch of my Holiday Collection for my clothing line 16thColony.

Ponchos have always been the foundation of 16thColony and is what the brand started on a few years ago. For this Holiday collection I'm releasing 3 more poncho styles, along with a few new dresses. The perfect combo of coziness by a fire with coffee and fun, sassiness for a Holiday gathering. Take a peek at the new styles on the site.



MODEL: HANNAH MCKAY

HAIR + MAKEUP: NICCI GAONA

SET MANAGER: AMANDA NGUYEN

PHOTOGRAPHY + VIDEO: RENEE ROGERS (YOURS TRULY)

VENICE HAS MY HEART

Venice had me in a constant state of 'awe'.

Out of the four cities that were traveled during this trip (Milan, Rome, Venice + Nice) Venice was my absolute favorite. It was like a dream and completely different than any other place I've been to. I love the small dark alleys that felt so mysterious and the amazing colors and flowers that were all throughout.

On the first day, I took the infamous Venetian gondola ride. It was sunset and romantic - what else could you ask for? The whole thing felt surreal.



One of the things I took away from while on this crazy, spontaneous trek through Italy was that I was 100% present the entire time. I think that because we had no idea we were even going to be in Italy until 24 hours beforehand and there were no plans made in advance, I was never thinking about what's next. We took each day as it was and it was a really awesome feeling to be so in the moment. I can clearly remember so much of it all.



After a few days in Venice, we hopped on a private water taxi and headed toward the train station to then catch a train to Nice, France. Although I loved the gondola ride, the water taxi was a moment I'll also never forget. There was something about the incredible colors of the buildings, the music our driver had on and the super fresh air that left me with a smile on my face the whole time. I felt so happy and grateful.

SAVE THE DATE

Mark up your calendars!

Next month, on Dec. 10th, my friend Bri and I are hosting a trunk show at our fave little spot in Laguna Beach, Sourced Collective.

Bri will be showing all the goodies from Stella and Dot and I'll have some 16thColony there. I'll even bring our latest Holiday designs there, which release on November 16th. Come by, say hi and have some wine.

LIFE IN IPHONE PHOTOS - OCTOBER EDITION

GYPSY SPIRIT

Happy Halloween all you little ghouls.

It's this spooky time of year that tends to draw out a massive amount of creativity in me - more so than any other holiday. I guess it's because I can so blatantly expose that dark side of myself.

When Amanda told me she'd be bringing over some Freixenet champagne bottles that we could decorate and draw on, I knew the exact type of scene I wanted to create for that mysterious, halloween vibe. Forget the pumpkins and fake spider web, I envisioned numerous candles and bottles of all shapes and sizes to enhance that witchy feel.

Oh, and you can shop this gypsy look on my brand's site, here: 16thColony - Rumours Poncho.



As a bonus, here's a cover done on one of my all time favorite songs, Lullaby by The Cure. Appropriate for Halloween - or anytime of the year, really.