LA by Diana - Personal Style blog by Diana Marks: September 2014

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September 29, 2014

Home Away From Home - The Empire Hotel

September is almost over. I honestly believe there is some secret force that makes the months go by so fast that you feel like you fell asleep at the beginning and woke up at the end of the month but you only slept a few hours.. Looking back at September, which is always the busiest month, I feel very happy and grateful for my experiences, the highlight of which was definitely New York Fashion Week. Not only I enjoy the fashion week itself, but going to New York is already exciting enough :)
I always have these mixed feelings towards New York - I love and hate it at the same time. It makes me angry, happy, encouraged and disappointed - kind of an emotional roller coaster. But the only feeling the stays the same is the warm feeling that I get when I arrive at my "home away from home" - The Empire Hotel. Last year I gave you a sneak peak of my hotel room, and this year I am taking you to the rooftop where I snapped a few shots right before it started raining on my last day in NYC. That day was full of meetings so I went for a cool black and white look with my favorite wedge converse that I can't get enough of.

September 26, 2014

My Fresh Face Tips and Tricks

I teamed up with Olay to bring you my latest tips and tricks of staying "forever young". Not that I am at an age where I have to do much, but I definitely reached the stage where I have to seriously reconsider my skincare routine to avoid big problems in the future. The earlier you start the better it will be for you. So here it is! To achieve beautiful, youthful and fresh skin I created a bunch of habits that I try to stick to on a daily basis.

September 25, 2014

Be Radiant and Demi Lovato Giveaway

I am so excited to share an exclusive giveaway from the Radiant Collection from Tampax and Always. In honor of the Radiant Collection's partnership with Demi Lovato and her World Tour, which encourages girls to have the confidence to wear what they want any time of the month, I'm sharing my own "confident" fashion inspiration today. 
Today I wore this stunning suit from Ted Baker. The pattern, the color and the cut are so incredible and eye-catching, but I went even brighter by adding a mohican detail clutch and neon pink heels. Sometimes you leave me comments saying stuff like "Yes, that looks cool, but I could never pull that off". All I want to say, my dear friends, is "Oh yes you can!
What I learned in these few years of working in fashion is that it's never about what you wear; it's about how you wear it. If you feel confident in your outfit, it doesn't really matter what it is - you'll always look good! You could even wear a trash bag and still look awesome if you pair it with confidence and a killer pair of shoes! So pursue your wildest outfit ideas and work them as long as you feel good in them. And the Radiant Collection from Always and Tampax will make sure you can do it any day of the month with no exceptions ;)
Now, the most exciting part of the campaign is the Demi Lovato Concert! 
PRIZE #1: 2 tickets to Demi Lovato's concert at the Staples Center in LA this Saturday September 27th!!!! Since it's geographically biased, the conditions are super easy: tweet, email or instagram me your most radiant and confident outfit using the hashtag #BeRadiant for a chance to win 2 tickets to Demi Lovato's concert! Hurry up cause the concert is so soon!!!
PRIZE #2: You can enter the Be Radiant Sweepstakes now through Oct. 10, 2014 for a chance to win a VIP experience to attend Demi’s Oct 27th Brooklyn show in style. One lucky winner will receive: a two-night trip to New York for the winner and three friends, limo service, four front-row concert tickets, a meet-and-greet with Demi, and fabulous product from The Radiant Collection!!! How cool is that!? Learn how to enter HERE!

September 23, 2014

That Perfect Gift...

First of all, THANK YOU so much for your lovely emails and comments on my latest post. You can't imagine how much you make my day with your tweets, comments, likes and messages. I see and read every single one of them. I am so glad to be bringing the "Total Black" style back! To go along with the "black waive" I obviously couldn't resist pulling out my favorite "little black dress". I believe that the most important part of the "little black dress" look is the shoe! I always dedicate extra time to decide which pair will be the key element of the day when wearing LBD. Today it's my new italian obsession from Loriblu - sleek, sexy, feminine and elegant shoes directly from Italy! I believe they could be a perfect gift for any lady (or yourself if you are a lady :) ), because I don't think anyone would ever NOT want them :)
Speaking of gifts.. I want to tell you about this new platform - Giftry - a cool way to create boards with gift ideas for yourself and others. If your friend has a birthday and you have no idea what to get them (which is ALWAYS the case!), you can create a Giftry board where you can add all sort of different ideas from physical retailers and any online stores. You can also invite your common friends to contribute to the board with their ideas and you can even anonymously invite your friend (whose birthday it is!) to add his/her own ideas for their perfect gift! Now you can never go wrong with a gift for that special occasion.
I am one of the Giftry influencers, which I am super excited about, who has a special board with cool gift ideas (these shoes are definitely there ;)). Check it out HERE and feel free to utilize my giftries :) Have fun!

September 22, 2014

Rebel...

It's hard to believe that before opening my blog I was a dedicated fan of "total black" looks. I remember times when friends asked me "But do you have any non-black items in your wardrobe?" With the blog came constant need to explore and try out new styles. I started wearing items I never thought I would. Seriously people, start a blog and you'll see ;) But today I am going back to my love of black in a daring rebel look (obviously a classy rebel ;) ) with the help of Skull Cashmere crop top and fingerless gloves.
And the sunglasses I am wearing are the newest addition to my collection from Atelier Eyewear. They are by far the best fitting sunglasses I have ever had, which is no surprise since they are custom made :) Not only I felt like I designed them myself (I chose the frames and the colors), but I had so much fun playing with their interactive webcam tool. The Ultra tool used my computer's webcam to measure the feature and contours of my face and head. No wonder they come out perfectly fitting! Atelier Eyewear frames are also hand made to achieve the highest quality which is only compatible to luxury designers. You can definitely allow yourself to feel a little "Tom Ford" when designing your own unique pair of Atelier Eyewear! 

September 21, 2014

Future Perfect

If you are my regular reader, you might know that I am a huge fan of Edward Roth New York (as seen here and here), so naturally I could not not wear it while in NY especially at fashion week. I am dying over their carefully crafted fabrics and artistic prints, but when I saw this jacket I was stunned. The futuristic design with perfectly sculpted shoulder details highlights the body and transforms you into another sleeker time. And all of that in pastel pink? I am sold! If I could, I'd wear it every day not only because I love it that much, but I also love the effect it has on people while wearing it - everyone is sort of fascinated and amazed at the same time - it's truly magical!
In terms of styling, I used the jacket as my statement piece and chose neutral black color for the rest of the look. And since it was fashion week, I just had to spice it up with my neon pink heels from Saint Laurent which I wore for a few shows before switching to my furry and more comfy Dolce Gabbana booties.

September 19, 2014

White Shirt Challenge

This time around Target has challenged me to create three different looks with the new fall white Mossimo shirt using the older pieces from my wardrobe.

September 15, 2014

Make your Denim Shirt Look Chic at #NYFW

When I was buying these boots back in January, I already imagined myself wearing them to fashion week :) But when the time came I got a little stuck. It's easy to wear them with a one tone dress, but how could I make my look original without looking like a clown? :) It took a little bit of planning and thinking but finally I came up with this denim and white combination and obviously had to add some extravagant eye-catching accessories like Versace jeweled cat-eye sunglasses and Ted Baker Moti Clutch with mohican detail, which I have been lusting over for about a year! By the way, notice how I buttoned up my denim shirt and lifted up the collars for an extra touch of chic. I still have a bunch of looks to share with you guys, so stay tuned for more NYC fashion ;)

September 12, 2014

Flaunt It Friday

Target challenged me to post about the feature I am flaunting at the moment and it was actually harder than I thought. I am sure lots of you ladies can relate with me. If someone asks me what body part I am insecure about I will give them a long list of what-s and why-s, but when asked what part I actually like I got a little stuck... I started thinking what part of my body gives me the greatest confidence boost and allows me to wear daring outfits with confidence and I came up with a conclusion that it's my face! When I sleep well and have clear skin, I feel my best and tend to choose more interesting looks than when I am tired and don't want to attract much attention :) So to work what I've got I try to sleep well, stick to a healthy lifestyle (even though it's not a 100% commitment yet :) ) and most importantly, take care of my skin. I obviously do regular facials, but using the right products is crucial. My current favorite is Laneige Water Bank Serum which is lightweight yet very hydrating. I don't even need moisturizer after it. This product helped me stay "picture ready" throughout the whole New York Fashion Week! And what about you? What body part are you flaunting at the moment? 

September 11, 2014

Day 3 of #NYFW : Sequins and Mirrors

My day 3 of New York Fashion Week was very hectic with lots of shows and events. Even though the weather turned out to be very hot, I still didn't regret wearing the sequin Ted Baker blazer, because it's so cool and eye-catching, and most importantly, it was a perfect item to complete my look.

September 8, 2014

New York Fashion Week Day 2

So I know I am a little behind, so expect a crazy overload of NYFW blog posts in the near future :) Here is day 2 report of my NYFW. No matter how many shows I saw that day (honestly, I don't even remember already :) ), August Getty definitely stood out. Stunning cutout dresses and minimalistic monochromatic designs (not to mention perfect looking models with their perfectly straight hair) left me speechless, but nothing had a bigger impression on me than this dress...it's incredible!

September 4, 2014

New York Fashion Week Day 1

Wow! What a day it has been! Since early morning till late evening I was running around town attending shows and parties! And all of that on 7 hours of sleep in 2 days - pretty brutal! I'd like to  believe that the first day is always the busiest (based on my last year's experience), but I feel like they might all be busy this time around... So I won't sleep more than 5 hours any time soon. I guess that's part of the job, so I'll still take it =) I am trying to keep you updated on everything I do in this fashion week on my Twitter and Instagram. TWITTER is definitely more detailed though, because I don't want to overload my Insta with 20 photos a day. Thank you for being so engaging there! Love to interact with you guys!
Now, let's talk about my look before I tell you all about the shows I attended. Started fashion week with a chic and glam look with classy sweat pants from Sandro and a ruffle crop top from ASOS. Accessorized with a body chain from ASOS, awesome sunnies from Versace and my new booties from Dolce Gabbana! I already know that it's probably my favorite look of the whole upcoming week. I loved every single detail and apparently street style photographers did too =)

September 2, 2014

Transitioning to Fall

Fall is right around the corner and I slowly transition my wardrobe into the new season. Over the weekend I donated three huge bags of my old clothes to Goodwill and I am ready to restock my wardrobe with fall items. Apparently, this season I am into brown leather (faux leather of course!) - how much more "fall" can it be? ;) Picked up the leather skirt at Zara and styled it with uber-elegant top combo from Topshop. And the key piece of the look, to my mind, is my colorblock tote from Culture Riot! So spacious and so "fall"!
And the most exciting news now! Tomorrow I'll be in New York and will start "reporting live" from New York Fashion Week. I am so excited to attend it this year again (last year's adventures are here) and I am so grateful for your support, without which I wouldn't be there! Follow my Instagram adventures on @byDianaMarks and the next blog post will definitely be about New York ;)