Pinstripe and African print

April 07, 2016 in STYLE

I sat at a bagel shop sipping on my coffee, catching up with Joey, and waiting for the rain to stop. An older woman walked past me and complimented my shoes. “Thank you! I had to make sure to wear nice shoes today. I just finished speaking at a high school in Newark. Kids pay attention to every detail so I had to make sure I looked on point.” I half-joked. After speaking to her for five minutes, she told me she was an actress/singer...

White Chucks + Brown Fringe

February 29, 2016 in STYLE

I found this brown fringe leather dress at a thrift shop in Soho, and of course, I squealed with delight when I picked it up! It was a bit pricey for my typical thrift finds, but it was all worth it. I didn’t only see it as a clean statement dress, but a nice vest for the fall. It’s perfect for layering. I pictured wearing it in so many different ways, and when that happens, the clothes pretty much sell themselves. It called out to me, I swear. I heard, “Pssst! I know you want me, girl. I know you want my beautiful brown deliciousness.” So, how could I resist?

I strolled the Soho streets in my white tennis shoes that day feeling light and fabulous. The weather was on my side, and that brought me extra joy. I’m a walker, so I hopped all over the place, taking it all in.

My Colors in Old San Juan

February 05, 2016 in TRAVEL, STYLE

A stroll through Old San Juan in a sheer white dress and leopard print headwrap reminded me of how beautiful it is to be a woman. I was no longer “Paola, the dreamer”. I was “Lola, the conquerer”. Yes, I have a few alter egos. They set the mood. They take me places. That day, I felt sexy and soft. I held my head up and walked straighter. I allowed myself to get lost in the streets. I twirled and spun when I wanted. I allowed the flowers hanging low from the colorful trees to touch me. Lola was out, and that meant… anything could happen.

Last year, I went to Puerto Rico, on a business trip. I reached out to a small boutique, Len.T.Juela Vintage, to collaborate on a few small projects. One of them was to shoot a few looks in the streets of San Juan using their clothes and accessories with my personal style. We linked up with Steph Segarra, and created a few looks I hand-picked from their beautiful collections, and these are the results!