I’m 5 months pregnant. It took me awhile to get around to finally announcing it here.. it takes time to make the rounds. I had to get in touch with friends who might (not highly likely but might) be actually reading my blog to tell them first. I’m actually in Cancun with my hubb right now for our “baby-moon”. It’s amazing how little you can actually do while you’re pregnant. My most favorite activity at the moment is savoring ice cream. That is the highlight of my days here in Mexico (and no it’s not even local Mexican ice cream — it’s Haagen Daaz). So it’s a baby girl that we’re expecting and she’s due the first week of July. This means she’ll be a Cancer and a Bull in Chinese Astrology. That’s a very good combo for my husband and I. I’m a Virgo-Snake, he’s an Aries-Bull. No name yet. We were close to one and then his Father now doesn’t like it due to it’s biblical meanings. Haven’t totally deserted it yet though but will let you know. Everyone’s got an opinion.. I don’t anticipate my blog to become overrun with baby stuff (at least hopefully not). Someone please tie me up and lock me in a McDonald’s Playhouse with crying babies if I do. I need to retain something of my own! Save some last thread of my own identity!! Won’t that be funny come 5 months down the line and I can’t stop talking baby stuff? Will I end up only shopping for baby clothes and accessories? If I do, I apologize in advance.. sorry sorry sorry.

Did some damage at Santana Row this weekend.. then decided to put on my own fashion show. Lucky you get front row seats HAHA!

PS. Post-shopping-splurge (generally about 48 hours after the thrill of the kill), both Snoopy and I had some post-shopping second thoughts. I may return at least 1 pair of the 2 pants that I bought, and 1 top. BTW, both these items didn’t make the cut to get featured in my video. The power of the subconscious…

Here’s my fashion roundup for the week. All of these looks inspire me and make me happy just looking at them!

Work-Friendly

Helmust Lang Hooded Jacket

Milly Basket Weave Button Jacket

Citizens of Humanity Peretti Twill Dress

Girl’s Night Out

Lewis Cho Striped Boat Neck Dress

YAYA AFLALO Skim Top

Young Fabulous & Broke Sleeveless Back Draped Dress

All links to items can be found on my Luxe Mix Kaboodle:
http://www.kaboodle.com/manolo_blues/luxe-mix-blog-links.html

Last week PinkMirage (who btw was the very very first fashion blogger I ever followed) blogged about Miss Universe and Makeup Talk. I agree wholeheartedly with her that it’s so nice to see more Asian females in the media. It sucked growing up and never seeing Asian females on TV, or in the movies and magazine who I could relate to. I mean other than Claudia or whatever her name was in Sweet Valley High… who else did we have to look to as examples or representations of Asian Americans? haha Sweet Valley..

I had heard about the newly crowned Japanese Miss Universe on the radio but after reading Pink Mirage’s post was compelled to do a little more reading up on the topic. I found out Miss Korea came in as 3rd runner-up!

Apparently there’s some controversy over who really deserved to win. I guess the translator did a poor job of translating Miss Korea, Honey Lee’s,  response to the interview question (see below for the clip), and some think that ruined Miss Korea’s chances of winning.

W/o having watched the show, it’s hard to tell who’s the better package overall but from the photos and video clips I’ve seen I must say Honey is Honey. I can’t imagine what guy would not give their right ball for one date with her. She has that sultry but adorably innocent look to her. Guys were made to go ga-ga for that combination. Riyo looks a little Amazon.. esp in this photo below.

Miss Japan– Riyo Mori

Miss Korea — Honey Lee

I love the celebration of culture and fashion through these cultural costumes — amazing.

Pictures taken from Miss Universe.com

A Video Clip of Miss Korea

Warning Advisory: Cheezy korean pop music, skimpily clad girls, and a healthy dosage of gratuitous pageant poses.

I’ve noticed lately that my work/professional style has been slipping. It prolly has a lot to do with my Forever21 obession. I keep stocking up on cute trendy pieces… fit for a 21 yr old. Damn it. I need to restrain myself a little more… Look your age girl!

I spent the last hour focusing on work-ready wear and here’s a look I put together on Polyvore (See "THE" Tool for Helping to Decide What to Wear — Polyvore"). BTW Polyvore just added a color-picker so you can filter the items in the editor down by color. It’s pretty helpful if you like to use the items everyone else has added to polyvore. I find it easier to just find my own clothes and add them myself.

What I like about my work look:

1. A big a** bag for all my junk (Anna Corina Black Patent Leather Tote). All of you who know me know how much crap I tote around with me. I’m the girl you want with you when you stain your shirt, or get stuck in an elevator — always got snacks on me
2. A crisp shirt, structured just enough to not make me look fat. Yes, i do feel fat sometimes (fat is relative I tell you).
3. Flat shoes… I know I’m getting older as my average heel height shrinks.

I’m back!!

Palm Springs was friggin cole’! All those cute skimpy tops and dresses i brought with me ended up staying cozy in the closet. I had to wear and re-wear the only sweatshirt I brought with me all weekend. Being the Virgo that I am I can’t stand it when I am unprepared clothes-wise. I spend a whole day packing so I can have everything planned out perfectly,  suitcase optimized Why can’t Mother Nature just play along?

Anyhow, I wanted to share a few celeb pics I saved over last week that I didn’t get a chance to post.

This was my fav fav fav of the week. Kim Kardashian looks absolutely adorably posh.  I never even liked that prada bag but after seeing it here I’m starting to convert. I’d do this prep school girl gone clubber look anytime!

Lindsay looks great in this dress. I saw this in US mag over the weekend so thought I gotta share this one!

I didn’t even know who this girl was to pretty recently! Carrie Underwood looks poised and perfectly prim here. I love the way these colors complement her skin tone. Her hair is so cute styled up and curled down. And I must say nice choice of shoes. I wouldn’t have thought to pair those myself (I’d normally go with open toes for a dress like that) but these work so well.. I may just have to try this. Too bad I don’t wear dresses like that tho…

I can’t even remember who she is but she lookin pretty good with her angel-esque look and cherub curls.

What to wear to a basketball game… that is the question. Tyra and Beyonce got it right I think. I love the caps but was it planned to both wear them together?

I don’t know what the hype is about Baby Phat. I am not feelin this beige boot and jean look Kimora has going on. Maybe it’s coz I just don’t like her. She seems very monsterish. Where’s your cap Phat Monster?

I head to Palm Springs this Friday for a quick getaway with my hubby so I’m thinking about dropping by the mall to scoop up some un-guilty pleasures — cheap summery tops from Forever21! It feels so good to buy something for less than what’s you’d spend on a nice dinner.

What I’ve got my eyes on…

Rainbow Hoody – $22.80

Trixie Tunic – $17.80

Floral Sierra Top – $24.80

Floral Polka Dot Top – $24.00

Jenny Top – $13.80

Lace Top – $19.80

I WANT this top from Paper-Doll.com by Lune Noir. Anyone can wear a regular old black tank but it takes patience and some shoppin skillz to find basic pieces like this black top with ruching AND stud details.

Tank Girl Top by Lune Noir — $80.00

These leopard print wedges would make a stylish statement at the office… without massacring your feet. 

Leopard Print Wedges from Rampage.com – on Sale for $29.99

Below are two ways I’d wear these pieces, one for the work day and one for a weekend day out and about. All the images below are clickable and you’ll be able to get to the sites that sell these items directly. All thanks to a DIZOPE new tool LL helped me find! www.polyvore.com

Luxe Do

Lindsay looks fashionable in an effortless way with this outfit. It seems as though she just carelessly tossed these pieces together and walked out the door. The truth is she probably had her stylist (someone like Rachel Zoe if she still works for her) pick out this ensemble for her. Putting a look together that looks effortlessly stylish actually takes a lot of effort.

What’s Working

Skinny jeans and flats work so well together. I say make the most out of these two trends and throw them together! Skinny jeans can be tricky as you may know so personally I’d only pair them with either flats like these or some super super hot stilettos.

The sleek hardware of the belt peeking out from under a rock star tee is the perfect mix of grunge with first class. I love the fact that a white moto jacket is thrown over the tee instead of the usual denim or black crop jacket.

The way she’s done her hair loose and flared is also the perfect complement to her look, along with her aviators. The usual Hollywood oversized shades would have definitely killed this rock and roll look.

Luxe Don’t

As you can see here we will all have our on and off days. Either Rachel just wasn’t available on this day or this is a new cutting edge trend I am not up to speed on.

What’s Not Working Here

When did pegging your jeans ever come back into style? I have some really unpleasant memories of partaking in this trend back in the 80′s. I always felt like I couldn’t get them pegged tight enough. I still to this day do not understand how this was ever perceived as stylish… or how I could have been so naive to believe I looked good like that!

I’m also not feeling this orange leather jacket… with that grandmotherly scarf dragging alongside of her. And what dear girl is up with those jeans?  They look like the most standard pair of Levi’s ever made. I expect so much more than Lindsay. Anyone could have picked these up from JC Penny’s or Sears. Overall a dirtier rinse denim can up the style factor… when in doubt err on the side of dirty over classic blue denim.

I’m all about maximizing my clothes. I like to get the most out of every piece I buy. The problem is a lot of the time I end up buying stuff on a whim without thinking through what I’m going to do with this thing once I get home. I’ve been thinking about this fashion/shopping/coordination solution for a bit and here’s my first attempt at creating a true Luxe Mix — a mix of luxe items that create a mini-wardrobe for the next few weeks… ok hopefully month or so. These items range in price but that’s what makes a good mix. You’ve got to complement cheaper items with quality in order to not look like you stepped out of walmart — not that i’ve anything against discount clothing but I think if you care about fashion and style you might as well look classy and sophisticated regardless of how much or little $$ you spend. If people are intersted I’ll shoot for creating more Luxe Mixes with more affordable pieces in the future.

Enjoy!

(+ click to enlarge 3 images below, links provided below)

Shop these items:

A. Cardigan with Deep V Neck from Shopbop
B. Mercedes Dress from Shopbop
C. Tube Dress from Shopbop
D. Vince Jersey Short Sleeve V Neck Tee from Shopbop
E. Vince Pima Jersey Long Sleeve Tee from Shopbop
F. Khaki cropped cargo blazer from Bluefly
G. Denim Jacket with Fleece from Armani Exchange
H. Gentle Fawn – South Vest from BazaarAdriatic (luxe for less)
I. Gentle Fawn – Crafty Top from BazaarAdriatic (luxe for less)
J. Puff Sleeve Brown Hoodie from Shopplasticland (luxe for less)
K. Ya Ya Ravaged Maiden Bianca Denim Pant from Shopbop
L. Rock and Republic Jeans from Blaec
M. Nisa Navy Skirt from BazaaarAdriatic (luxe for less)
N. Fire Lisa Skinny Crop Jeans fron Nordstrom (luxe for less)
O. Obey McGraw Hat from 80′s Purple (luxe for less)