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Week 18: Summer in NYC. Wearing 'Rosegal' in Bryant Park.

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It's the last two weeks of August and I’ve decided to have a 'Summer in NYC'  theme on the blog. I usually have pretty specific themes on Pastiche.Today, inspired by iconic films or glamorous actresses, but this week I am going to share my more casual everyday looks, write about my life in The Big Apple (including what it is like to live in hotels full time!), and share tips on what to see and what to do in one of the greatest cities in the world.

Everyone knows how gorgeous Central Park is, but there are over 1,700 parks and playgrounds across the five boroughs of New York City. One of my favourites to visit is Bryant Park. The park itself is not big, but it has a lot to offer: free yoga classes, jazz concerts, poetry readings and much more. I especially love that you can play board games for absolutely FREE in the park. Ben and I played the Game of Life last time we were there. Yes, the board games are often not in the best condition, but it is still amazing that you can come and have a great time playing with your friends.

I wore this pretty Rosegal off-the-shoulder top with white J.Crew shorts to the park to meet up with my friend Agnes, who also took these photos of me (thank you, girl!). This is my first package from Rosegal, but I am pleasantly surprised by how good quality the clothes are, considering they are AMAZINGLY affordable.

SHOP THE POST:

top (+ similar here )  | shorts | similar bag | Nikes

There is the gorgeous Bryant Park Cafe and Grill in the park, but my friend Agnes and I decided to try the celebrated Mille Crêpes at Lady M. The cafe is very minimal in decor, but has an decadent dessert menu. We ordered the Green Tea Mille Crêpes and Coconut Mille Crêpes. To be honest, I think the idea of the crêpes-cake sounds much more delicious than it actually tastes. We both felt that the cakes were too sweet, and even though I loved the first few bites of my cake, I couldn't even finish half of it! 

I think I might have to return to the Lady M soon to try their other desserts because they all looked so mouthwatering. 

check back all week to see my other casual summer outfits and read about my personal NYC experiences!

Week 17: Rita Hayworth is a Babe. My Femme Fatale Look.

Inspired by Rita Hayworth's style (see here) and bold 40s makeup, I have created this modern look with a very glamorous Old Hollywood feel. I am wearing a Walter Baker beaded dress with an extremely sexy open back, and put on my ALL TIME FAVOURITE Anastasia Beverly Hills liquid matte lipstick in Sad Girl. This lipstick stays on the whole day and the colour is just pure burgundy perfection.

P.S. If you don't own a pair of Slithur heels by Steve Madden, get it now! It is the most comfortable pair of heels I ever had. I walked 6(!) hours on them that day. I give up on my Pigalles after just 30 minutes :)

Shop my look and similar:

Week 17: Rita Hayworth is a Babe. Her Life and Seductive Style.

Rita Hayworth is one of Old Hollywood's most seductive actresses. Her iconic performance of “Put the Blame on Mame" in Gilda (1946) and improvised quick single-glove striptease is 10 times more erotic than any 50 Shades of Grey scene. Rita wears a long, strapless, black satin gown, with a side-slit and big flirty bow at the hip. And of course, the gown is paired with classic long black gloves. The Independent lists this scene in their Ten Best Fashion Moments in Film.

You Must See... Rita Hayworth - Princess, Diva, Muse. Glove striptease. Gilda

Margarita Cansino before and Rita Hayworth after. What a transformation!

Rita started her life as Margarita Carmen Cansino. Her family had a strong background in professional dance, and so her Spanish father pushed young Margarita to dance and she was featured in several films as a dancer. Her first roles were small ones as pretty exotic dancers with no lines. After playing the same kinds of roles as Argentinian, Egyptian and Russian dancers, Margarita decided to change her fate and took on her mother's Irish-English maiden name Hayworth in order to appeal to Americans. That was followed with shortening her name to Rita, changing her Mediterranean hairline with a painful electrolysis procedure, and dying her black hair to, the now iconic, ginger red colour. After that, Rita's career was on the rise.

Rita acted opposite such stars as Gene Kelly, Fred Astaire and Cary Grant. For three years, beginning in 1944, Rita was named one of the top movie box-office attractions in the world. Hayworth was adept in ballet, tap dance, ballroom, and Spanish routines.

Unfortunately, despite her successful acting career, her love life was a mess. She married and divorced 5 times. Rita's most famous marriages were to Orson Welles and to Prince Aly Khan, which actually made Rita, and not Grace Kelly, the first movie star to become a princess. 

“Rita once revealed with some bitterness that “Men go to bed with Gilda, but wake up with me.””

 

She might have been a femme fatale on the screen, but in real life Rita was a shy and gentle person and suffered from an inferiority complex. However, her image as a sultry fiery beauty inspired creation of hundreds of characters, including Jessica Rabbit in Who Framed Roger Rabbit and beauty looks and styles of millions of women across the globe.

Want to steal Rita's Seductive Style?

I picked three timeless trends and selected the best items online for you. Put that glam on and "Gilda" yourself up!

1. SLIP Dress Trend 

2. long FITTED gown

3. Bedazzling sequins

Week 17: Rita Hayworth Is a Babe. 40s Style Goddess.

When I received this polka dot top from Shein I tried it on with jeans and denim shorts first, and it looked really fun and cute. But I just knew I had to create a vintage inspired look when I saw how beautiful the top looked paired with my favourite ball gown skirt (similar here).

This outfit combo reminds me of Christian Dior's New Look from the 1940s and of stunning Old Hollywood actresses, especially Rita Hayworth who, in my opinion, deserves more recognition. Therefore, I am dedicating this Theme Week to 40s babe, Rita Hayworth! 

I first saw Rita in Gilda and she stole my heart. I will talk more about her and her style in one of my posts later this week, but today I am sharing my “40s Style Goddess” outfit inspired by a few of Rita's signature looks. Today’s look was shot in Soho by the amazing photographer DCP New York.

Top - Shein, Skirt - old, but found similar on Shein, shoes - Christian Louboutin, Bag - Kenzo (similar).

Hello, World!

Week 16: I am BLONDE! Très Chic on Minetta Lane

I have been extremely busy the last few days with new collaborations, meetings and, to be perfectly honest, a few escapes to the beach (yes, they have amazing ones in NYC!). So even though I am dying to take a nap right now, today I am sharing my new, highly anticipated look with you.

I am wearing this GORGEOUS embroidered top by Walter Baker (it is on 50% SALE here and I also love this top), white Topshop jeans, Dior mirrored sunglasses, Michael Kors bag (similar here and here), and Steve Madden heels. I have linked more similar items that I like at the end of this post.

Do you like this beautiful powder blue wall too? It is located on Minetta Lane and it is one of the trendiest spots for a quick Instagram photo in Soho. 

All photos were taken by an extremely talented and intelligent (he earned his Masters degree from Yale!) photographer - Dennis. Check out his website DCP New York and his Instagram page @dcpnyc.

There were so many amazing shots that I had a really hard time picking just a few, so I am posting a little bit more than usual :)

MY LOOK & FAVOURITES: