My First Blog

where do I start? I’ll start from my heart because it’s where it all started…

and what is “it” anyway? “It” is the creative force and energy that resides inside of me. it’s the flame that kept me alive and restless through dead-end unfulfilling jobs where I spent countless hours that became days, that became weeks, that became months, that became years...that became nearly half a century.

but the flame kept burning in spite of the windstorms of self-doubt, fear, depression, life events, financial woes, pressures to conform, insecurity of the unknown. and the universe or God or La Virgen knew that I’d always return to the path that I was predestined to travel.

So here I am…a shop owner of a vintage boutique. You might be thinking that that’s pretty anti-climactic. And it is. LOL. but my dream, my calling, is far bigger than being the owner of a vintage store. It is the materialization of a creative space where I am totally free to be myself and shine brightest in my natural element. My shop is what I control. The impression you get from it, the vibe you experience when you walk through the doors, the person that genuinely wants to know how your day is going…that’s all me. My shop is an intrinsic part of my being that I am sharing with the public. It’s an exposé of who I am at the core. A person who is chill, cares, wants to inspire fearlessness and confidence in people through personal style. It’s bigger than vintage. It’s bigger than the clothes. It’s about the excitement you feel when you put something together that you never conceived of before and it fucken works!!! And I’m there curating and guiding, encouraging and emboldening you to break out from the comfort zone, and love it. This is about building community through style. And as cheesy as it sounds, and as big as the problems this damn world has, I derive joy and happiness from what I do and from the organic creativity that flows from me, through me and into the world. And this is what the dream is about.

the most amazing part of finally arriving at this creative juncture in my life is that the next evolution of my dream no longer feels far-fetched. Now it feels like a natural segue into greater creativity and expression. I’ve always been curious about re-inventing clothing. I’m a stylist at heart, and by practice when I lived in NYC. I’m not a designer. I do not know how to sew, make patterns. I couldn’t tell you the first thing about the mechanics of design. But I’m visual and conceptual and have a keen sense for what I like and being creative with my vision. In the past, I used to want to do everything myself. If I were doing this 10 15 years ago, I’d be struggling to take it all on myself and probably burn myself out. The beauty of being a late bloomer is that you know your strengths and have the wisdom to know when to partner with the right people to leverage their strengths and fill your gaps. Everyone wins!

so where am I going with this…the long end of this short story is that I am now going to start reinventing clothing, upcycling it to create my own designs. It’s not an original concept. But what I produce will be original by default because it’ll be uniquely me. And I think you’ll love it!

Here’s my first stab at it. You don’t have to be sitting down for it because you won’t be blown over by the design. LOL. But I'm sharing it with you. So you're welcome!

The top was part of a vintage dress. Probably from the 60s or 70s. Probably a teenager's. It wasn’t horrible as a dress, but really the top was the star of the garment. I pulled it apart and here it is in its reincarnation as a top! it’s edgy and insanely sexy stylish I think. I styled it with all vintage items - tweed culottes, 1970s color block Yves Saint Laurent shoes, and a white beaded stretchy belt. Would love to hear your thoughts in the comments.

PS: if I don’t post another blog for a long time, don’t be dissuaded and abandon me. Writing is not my forte. I write when I get the feels. ;)