I wasn’t always the biggest into jewelry, especially not with rings but over the last few years it just seems to have progressed. And it’s without a doubt become my signature and collecting very special silver rings has become a keen passion of mine.

I remember the first time I started wearing more than one on one hand, it was right after I came back from the Vatican. In one of the gift shops, I found this awesome faux gold prayer ring with Pope Benedict’s face in the middle (it was an oval decal of sorts). It was amazing and felt spiritual when I wore it. I would wear it with one of my favorite vintage gold ring with a jade stone. Yet, as the years went on, I started layering more. When my pope ring broke, I went to Catholic and religious stores to find something similar. I’d find a comparable prayer ring in silver that sent my imagination into a tizzy of what I could do with it.

But then I met Nnennaya, this incredible woman who was selling African masks and ancient jewelry from Nigeria. One day, fate would have it that I would stumble upon her stall in the antiques flea one day while cruising down 25th street. We sat together and spoke about family, love and past lives for what seemed to be hours. I walked away that day with an amazing silver ankh ring – which symbolized eternal life. And I still go to speak with and buy my rings from Nnennaya to this day.

Everything changed since that day and I’ve been on the quest to find rings that complement the rings that I buy from Nnennaya. They serve me with my own distinctive look but also have such great energy when I wear them. So now, I get some of them from street vendors or thrift stores or even the e-comm site du jour, just as long the energy feels right to add to my collection. I tend to like a very ancient, worn-in, ethnic or tribal feel to each and every one that I wear. They make me feel powerful and protected, kind of like a warrior of sorts. Brave even. Well, brave enough to share the real story behind my rings on every finger. Because let’s face it, with everything, there is always something more than what meets the eye – in style and in our every day encounters.

How about you? Do you have a piece of jewelry or clothing that holds a deep meaning to you that you never want to take it off? I’d love for you to share! Leave me a comment below or tweet me at @lalalopez.

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It’s so easy to get side tracked in the age of digital, but when that inspiration strikes – we really have to listen. The most exciting thing about living with life on and off the Internet is that we have the platforms to make ideas happen, move and grow. But how do you get started?

1. Always keep a notebook with you to scribble down those whimsy ideas that strike you in the middle of the day.
2. Set an intention and a goal. Stick to it.
3. Create a vision board to organize your ideas.
   
4. If you have a tight schedule, schedule time to work on it daily.
5. Get others involved, whether your pet project may be a rounding up people for a meet up or setting up a pop up shop. Getting friends or colleagues involved can help move you closer to your goal.

Start little by little, commit to your goal and watch your ideas come to life. I love being able to create as a product of Gen-Y. Do you have a pet project that you’re working on? How do you get yourself organized to put those ideas into motion? I’d love to start a dialogue on executing our ideas into fruition, leave a comment with your own creative experience down below.

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If you’ve happened to come across my Instagram, you are probably familiar with my antics when it comes to thrift shopping, better known as thrifting. And if not, I’ll tell you first hand that I most definitely have a thrift shopping addiction. It’s a thrilling way to find amazing, often one of a kind pieces for virtually nothing – I mean, I once found a vintage Chanel skirt thrifting for $1. I shit you not. From time to time, I’ll have newbie friends ask me how I shop at thrift stores? But when it comes to thrifting it can be an all out sport of agility, technique, endurance and an eye of imagination. But let’s be clear America, thrift shopping is most definitely not for everyone. So, before I start sharing my favorite thrifting tips, tricks and spots, let’s deal with first things first. Is thrifting for you?

If You…

1. Have patience to look through tons of racks.
2. Can use your imagination to see a piece on a hanger and see what it can become rather than what it is.
3. Have a great tailor.
4. Don’t have a sensitive nose.
5. Enjoy shopping and/or bargain hunting.
6. Can have an understanding that you’re not always going to find something.
7. Have an eye for vintage clothing.
8. Get a thrill out of finding one of a kind pieces.

If you’ve answered yes to these questions then you’re a champ and thrifting is probably right up your alley. Thrifting takes time to single in on what you like and what’s going to look good on you. You have to have that imagination that going to take that size 24 gauzy long dress you think is too big into this dreamy oversized floor length dress that you’ve always wanted. That’s why in some instances with some of your finds, it’s important to have a good tailor that will take in your finds that are too big or too long or missing a button. Because the cost is usually so low, it’s just worth it to take your find to the tailor and make the piece into what you want it to be.

Some people with sensitive noses complain about the mothball smell of used/vintage clothes – but it doesn’t bother me and with one wash or trip to the dry cleaners that smell comes right out of your new find. And finally, if you want to start thrifting shopping for the first time, you’ve got to love to shop, period. So many people are interested in finding that cool piece but don’t have patience to look through ten racks of shit that you’re probably not going to like. But it’s all about that endurance to browse through to find that one piece that becomes your favorite thing in your closet and the thing you always get the most compliments on when you wear it.Thrifting takes a little bit of imagination and a good amount of elbow grease, but in the end it’s all worth that thrill of the hunt!

What are some things that you love about thrifting? Or are you a thrifting newbie that has no idea where to begin? Leave a comment below to share your thrifting loves and woes.

The post Is Thrifting For You? appeared first on Lala Lopez.

Growing up I’ve always had the thickest hair known to man, with a little squiggle-shaped curl, tons of waves and endless body. I once went to a Brazilian stylist that was blow drying my hair and exclaimed “Honey! With all this hair, you will never go bald!” But thing is, I just never knew what to do with it. My mother always blow dried and straightened hers, every week in and out, so I in turn, blow dried mine – week in and week out. And in the process, my unruly locks have snapped, broken brushes, squeezed through hundreds of bottles of unhealthy hair products and gone through the mega wattage of heat from over two dozen hair dryers and flat irons over the years.

Yet, that didn’t stop me and I hardly was concerned with all the damage I had been putting my strands through. My main concern was that my big hair with a little kink and a lot of personality was managed to look as close as it could to my Irish and Italian American friends growing up in middle school and high school. I would be mortified those spring school mornings when the morning dew created a humidity havoc on my just blown out hair – revealing that my hair was indeed unlike my friends and classmates. I was the only Puerto Rican girl in my class and at that time all I wanted to do was blend in like the chameleon I was. And this grooming ritual of blowing drying my curly hair and flat ironing every single day carried on until January of last year.

I had been going through this very intense search of self and wanted to rid myself of the chains of everything I inherently was not. I was searching for my truest self and on New Years Eve going into 2012, I wore my hair natural and curly and wild. It was a huge deal because NYE was a day to look your most glamorous and I had been conditioned to believe that my naturally curly hair was unattractive and totally not glamorous. But something shifted that night and I haven’t stopped since. I’ve probably blow dried my hair straight three times and every time I do, I’m like why did I do this again? But this acceptance of my hair texture and curl pattern did not happen immediately and took hours on end looking at YouTube videos, tumblrs, tutorials and forums from the natural/curly hair community to understand how to appreciate, style and care for all this luscious hair.

The biggest influence for me came from HeyFranHey, a natural hair vlogger, by way of a recommendation from a fellow curly girl, Bruja. By just watching her videos religiously, I learned what it would take to care for my hair with all natural products – no chemicals, sulfates or parabens. And I commited to understanding, caring for and loving my hair. Now nearly a year in, with using virtually no heat (except when I periodically diffuse) and using all natural hair products – I’ve seen my hair grow, change texture and I’ve learned to have fun with my hair just the way it grows out of my head. It’s become my most prized accessory.

And after we all goob on all these products, try all these DIY treatments, listen to all the best gurus – and after all this time and all these hair follicles, it’s just really about learning to appreciate yourself. And that’s all. Nothing more sappy, nothing less. Thanks so much for reading, y’all.

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But we can look at the art that was being made in that decade and get a gist of what was really going on in the creative circles of New York. Yet, the New Museum narrowed it down to one year in that decade where everything felt better when you were in denim – 1993. The exhibition titled ‘NYC 1993: The Experimental Jet Set, Trash + No Star’ acts as a time capsule for the feeling in New York during ’93, just twenty years ago, when the art was dark/moody, when Clinton was inaugurated and AIDS became a crisis.

Being just a kid in 1993, I really had no gauge of just how things were happening from a culture standpoint, but after a second look (because upon the first, my brain was left a little scattered – the exhibit is very wide & varied), I realized just how angsty the culture of creatives was.

 

New Museum’s NYC 1993: The Experimental Jet Set, Trash and No Star closes this Sunday, May 26th. 235 Bowery New York, NY 10002, USA.

The post 1993 is Having a Moment appeared first on Lala Lopez.

I’ve been thrifting at Housing Works for years. Two summers ago, when I got wind of their “Buy the Bag” sale – where you purchase a bag for $25 and you can stuff your bag with as many thrifted pieces you can fit inside – my love affair with thrifting vintage and gently used clothes happened all over again. In the past, I grabbed all my girlfriends to come down to Housing Work’s warehouse in Long Island City and get to some competitive thrifting. Some of my most prized possessions have been from this sale. I’ve found incredible pieces from designers like Yves Saint Laurent, Chanel, Stella McCartney, Versace – just to indulge a bit.

I was thrilled to find out that once a season Buy the Bag sale was now becoming a year round free-standing store in Brooklyn. On World Aids Day, Housing Works unveiled their first ever Buy the Bag location in Brooklyn. I was lucky enough to get a sneak preview before the grand opening to check out the new location, survey the lay of the land and of course, get some power thrifting done.

If you haven’t been to the Housing Works Buy The Bag sales before, it’s definitely an experience – but most definitely not for the faint of heart. At the previous location, there were tons of people that were vying for all these pieces to make theirs and would wait on line with their buying strategies in tow. With the new Buy the Bag Brooklyn location, things are a little bit different but even better. Because they are open five days a week, you can depend on expereincing less crowds, chaos and more mind blowing finds.

The shop is set up with great steel containers for digging up some treasures. I always suggest this sale for intermediate to expert level thrifters – you know, the type of thrifters that have take pride in their finds and have experience with cleaning and caring for their thrifted pieces. All the clothing and accessories that are available to stuff in your bag at the new Buy the Bag location are all items that have been donated by New Yorkers to HW Thrift Shops and re-fashioNYC bins. They may need a little taking care of, a little mending, laundering or tailoring – but with steals like this you can’t pass it up.

I snapped some photos of some finds that I got a the preview and posted them on Instagram. I couldn’t resist sharing the amazing vintage 70s floral floor-length number that I picked up or the knitted Armani Collezioni tank that I paired with the impressive Ivan Grundahl skirt that I snagged. Other notable finds from the day was a Marc by Marc Jacobs dress, Zero Maria Cornejo skirt and a super cool-cut out dress.

The most remarkable thing about Buy the Bag is surprisingly not the jaw-dropping finds, but instead that since launching the sale, $325,000 has been raised to fund the efforts of Housing Works to help with housing, medical care, job training and other supportive services for men, women and youth living with or affected by HIV/AIDS. I hope guys give a visit to the new Buy the Bag location at 159 28th Street, Brooklyn, NY 11232 and help with Housing Work’s incredible initiatives and treat your self to some recycled designer digs! Check out some helpful rules and information in the resources section below, on this ultra cool, charitable thrift shop. And if you have any questions about how the Buy the Bag experience is, just tweet me at @lalalopez!

Resources:
Things to Remember when Visiting HW’s Buy the Bag Location

• Clothing is only sold by the bag – there are no individual sales
• Go on the during the day on a weekday for less crowding and more finds!
• There aren’t restrooms, so come prepared
• Have a strategy of what you want to get beforehand, so you can scoop up what you want before someone else does
• When packing your bag to check out, roll every single item you can, you make more room that way
• Handles of the bag have to touch when you’re ready to check out, so no overfilling!

BTB Location: 159 28th Street Brooklyn, NY 11232
Buy the Bag Website
Housing Works

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In this city, friends can come and they can go. But for me, the true mark of a solid friendship are those where you can talk of topics of the perils of life, the intensity of Joaquin Phoenix’s recent acting performances, where to get the best Halal food at 2AM and sharing the titles of books that changed your life. Years ago, my friend Sawandi recommended me a book called “The Artist’s Way” by Julia Cameron. It helps creative people to get out of their own way in an effort to create freely and effortlessly out in the world. I’ve probably recommended this book to more strangers than I’d like to admit. But the techniques are tried, tested and so helpful.

One of my favorite practices that I’ve come to incorporate into everyday life is the ‘Artist Date’. So many times, we get caught in our rut with our daily routines catering to tasks and the needs of others that we forget to tasks and the needs of others that we forget that we need to feed our creative spirits. The idea is so simple. Every week, carve out a few hours to do something that you really want to do but don’t believe you have the time for. Getting those silly ideas out of your head that you shouldn’t do it or you can’t make the time for it. It could be anything. For me, some of my best artist’s dates have been:

1. Going to an Art New Exhibit that Just Opened
2. Taking a Walk in Central Park & Sitting Down to Write While People Watching
3. Stopping By a New Concept Shop that Recently Opened
4. Taking an Improv Class
5. Getting a Massage
6. Taking a Photography Class

I’ve been taking myself out on Artist’s Dates for years and they never get old, never get meaningless – only more purposeful. If you’ve got an inner artist that just crying out to be unleashed – you should take yourself out once a while. Just watch how daily your creative juices will start to ebb and flow so easily for you.

What would your ideal Artist Date be?

The post Take Yourself Out On an Artist Date appeared first on Lala Lopez.

Most of my time is spent living the life of the girl on the go. I live in Fresh Meadows in Queens, my day job is in Long Island City and my boyfriend lives in the Upper West Side. So needless to say, I live out of my Reed Krakoff gym bag, roomy enough to fit my 13 inch Macbook, a pair of shoes and outfit for the next day if I’m spending the night at my BFs. But during the day, I hardly know where the day can take me, so I always have to be prepared. I keep my essentials ready to go like an arsenal ready for battle.

If you keep these products stored away in your purse, you won’t be taking up too much room or weighing too heavily on your shoulder, either. Then, all of your girl on the go needs can be met. If you’re always on the dash, make sure you’re always prepared! Check out the links in the resources section for all the products we talked about in this post.

What’s your favorite product that you can’t leave home without?

Resources:
Industrial Strength Safety Pins
Superstick It Strips (Double Sided Tape)
100% Peppermint Essential Oil, Now
Band-Aids by Cynthia Rowley
Camera Ready Full Coverage Concealer, Smashbox
Sugar Lip Treatment in Clear, Fresh
Lip Tar in Clear, Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics

The post The Girl On The Go Guide appeared first on Lala Lopez.

It never ceases to amaze me how well the beauty industry has adapted to our digital culture. Its almost as if social media and digital marketing was the knight shining armor that the beauty industry was waiting for to be swept off of her feet. In her fantasy, the Digital Age and Beauty could make beautiful work together – the type of work that would change the way that people though about her. But in the digital world we live in today, beauty’s fantasy has become a fascinating reality of social done right. Let’s jump into what makes the marriage of beauty and digital one of storybook proportions.

Beauty is about Treating Yourself
Women at work browsing beauty e-commerce sites are looking for a product experience that is going to make them feel beautiful and transformed. And everything is important – from packaging to names of shades to limited edition palettes. That specialness makes people feel good, but beauty e-tailers raise the bar by adding the shipping aspect, everyone loves receiving a package at their doorstep which give beauty e-tailers the opportunity to have a leg up on the competition by offering free shipping for their customers. Not to forget, the power of the loyalty program. I’ve been shopping at Sephora since I was 15 years old, the loyalty I have to the store is reciprocated with Club Sephora. They never miss my birthday and always shower me with small gifts at checkout.

Women Love Beauty Advice
All the smart brands are hip to the fact that if you want to be an authority in the digital space, your brand must act as a publisher of strong and interactive content. Beauty brands were the first to notice to this and execute profoundly. Take a look at Birchbox, the magazine section of their website called The Haute Box and is your one stop shop for all things beauty trends, products and tutorials. With interviews with “Birchbox Crushes” like Jamie Lynn Sigler, how-to videos on getting rid of dark circles, and articles on preparing for dinner parties – The Haute Box gives you a well-rounded adventure into what the Birchbox experience is like with great takeaways for you to keep in your beauty arsenal. Then we have Nars, the brand’s YouTube channel is overflowing with tons of how-to videos to create your soon-to-be favorite looks. My favorite video coincides with the NARS Andy Warhol collaboration, helping you achieve that iconic factory girl look with Nars products. The videos are beautifully produced, informative and you can watch them all day.

We haven’t even jumped into the beauty on the go experience on tablets and mobile devices given to us by beauty brands. Maybe, we can save that for another day, another post. What are you favorite campaigns or strategies that you’ve seen the beauty industry implement online? Do you think there are vast improvements to be made? Or do you think that beauty and digital do indeed have that storybook marriage?

Resources:
Beauty & The E-Commerce Beast, ATKearney
Digital IQ Index: Beauty 2012, L2ThinkTank

The post The Storybook Marriage of Beauty and Digital appeared first on Lala Lopez.

Fashion spectators were feverishly awaiting the arrival of the first collections from Hedi Slimane for Saint Laurent Paris and Raf Simons for Dior during the Spring 2013 collections. Unsurprisingly, the two design wunderkinds did not disappoint – bringing vision and vitality to the fashion houses that were in need a breath of fresh air – a resuscitation to deliver the market the prestige of what these houses were in their prime.

It’s important to get the consumer buzzing about visionary design again. We’ve placed all our eggs in the basket case of the spectacle. The all encompassing spectacle of the first row go-ers, the incessant tweets, and street style paps that have skimmed away the attention from the true fashion celebrity: the designer. The man (or woman) with the vision that is unmatched but obsessively duplicated by those with that weren’t given the same gifts.

Since the passing of Alexander McQueen, there’s been a dark cloud hovering over the remaining fashion geniuses. In turn, things have most definitely been different – to say the least. This industry was starved of substantial creative energy. Yet, watching Slimane and Simons pirouette into their posts at Saint Laurent and Dior, respectively, gives hope and vision to a business that needs to shift the appreciation and attention to the true artistry of a fashion designer.

As there is much skepticism around the future of Nicolas Ghesquière and the recent leave of Christopher Kane at Versus and what that means for Balenciaga – maybe it’s time that we all take strides towards patience and allow the unknown to unfold.

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