Cheese Wine and a Color Block

Gap Sweater
Oasis Jeans
Jeffrey Campbell Platform T Straps

No one who knows me well would ever believe I wore this much color in one outfit. I could hardly believe it myself. I decided to pair my new colored denim with an old pink sweater I don't get enough use out of. I liked the colors a lot. Maybe I'll start wearing more. (ha! yeah right.)

I spent the afternoon in South Bank Centre with my cousin at the Cheese and Wine Festival. We walked around the various vendors and enjoyed a demonstration on fondue preparation. Aside from the instructor licking her fingers at least 3 times (are you kidding me? so disgusting!), the demonstration was really awesome. She showed us how to make fondue in addition to some creative pairing foods. We also caught a lecture on champagne and cheese pairings.

My favorite vendors included a cheese vendor which had these cheese bombs that were OUTSTANDING. The cheese is aged in a wax ball for like 2 years. It's so powerful and full of flavor. I also fell in love at a stand that sold infused oils and vinegars. I bought a truffle infused extra virgin olive oil that was absolutely DIVINE. I can't wait to use it on one of my salads with some cracked pepper.

Melting the cheese!

Scraping the cheese off the top!

Final Product. So yummy!

Fondue Demonstration. There she goes with her finger in her mouth again. yikes!

My cousin and I filled up on free samples of food and booze most of the afternoon, but we did buy a couple things too! We had a Raclette which I had never heard of or would have thought to try. The guy puts this massive block of cheese under this little machine thing (this is such a wonderful description...) and it melts the top layer. It starts bubbling and then they scrape it off onto a plate of potatoes, pickles and salami (you can get it without salami but who would do that?). It sounds like an absolutely ridiculous and probably vile combination, but it's actually quite nice. Very pleasant surprise!

The highlight of my day was meeting a few of my cousin's friends who all keep telling me that I'm in Europe now. It's two kisses darling! (I'll learn some day)

Bows and French Films

Free Generation Bow Top
Joe's Jeans
Mark and James by Badgley Mischka pumps

The sun finally graced us with its presence and I don't think anyone was happier than I was. One more day of rain and I was going to lose my mind. I kept it casual today and wore a grey sweatshirt top with jeans and heels. I love how pumps and a bold lip can dress up an otherwise very casual outfit.

I decided to go see a movie to entertain myself this afternoon. I ended up going to see Elles, a french film showing here. It's about a writer for Elle who writes an article about university students using prostitution to put themselves through school.  I mainly wanted to see it because Juliette Binoche plays the lead and I looooved her in Chocolat. The movie was quite good. The french love themselves a raunchy sex scene, and this movie was no exception. In any event, it was a nice afternoon out!

New Goodies: Colored Denim

Every once in a while a girl's got to treat herself. It's been like 50s and raining the past few days, so it hardly feels like spring here. I'm hoping all these April showers will bring May flowers, but until that happens I decided to bring some springtime colors to my wardrobe. I've been loving this colored denim trend, so I finally broke down and bought two pairs of my own. I settled on fuchsia and cobalt skinnies which I can't wait to break out. I'm a huge fan of color blocking, so I'm sure that's the first way I style them.

Anyone else a fan of colored denim?

Low Cal Smoothie Recipe

I'm always looking for ways to incorporate more fruits and veggies into my diet. I love smoothies, but it's hard to distinguish what's actually good for you at most smoothie places. Most of them are loaded with sugar which defeats the purpose of having the smoothie in the first place. I made a black forest fruits smoothie today that turned out really good. Here's the recipe!

Blend:

1 cup of nonfat greek yogurt
1/2 cup frozen berries (I used a black forest fruits mix that had cherries, blackberries, grapes and black currants but you can choose whatever medley you'd like)
1/2 banana
1/2 cup vanilla soy milk

Check me out on The Fashion Bomb!

I was so excited to see that I was the Fashion Bombshell of the day today on the Fashion Bomb Daily. I've been reading the blog for a couple years now, but finally decided to send in some shots of my own style. How cool to be featured!

Against my better judgement, I read some of the comments to see what people were saying. People on the internet can be way harsh! I can take the criticism of my style. After all they ask you to vote on it. I didn't even flinch when someone commented that my style was "uninspiring". I can't, however, take the commentary on my body. I have body issues the same way most women do, but having them judged so harshly on the internet was TOO MUCH. (how do celebs do it?! I would crawl into a hole and die) Who are these evil little trolls browsing the internet looking for girls to insult?! In any event, it got me thinking about healthy body image and the unrealistic expectations placed on women. Excuse me while I stand on my soapbox for a moment...

I was very disappointed to see a few of the commenters touching on my tummy or suggesting Spanx. First of all, I would love to see what these women look like. Second, why is it that if you don't wear a size two you're expected to wear baggy, unflattering clothing? You should wear clothes that absolutely flatter your figure, but also that make you feel good. You shouldn't be afraid to show off your body because you don't fit some ridiculous mold that some idiot says you should. Every woman has the right to feel sexy regardless of size. Madonna said it best - "girls just want to have fun". If that means I'm going to wear a sexy bodycon dress and a push up bra to the club then that is my God-given right. Screw anyone who thinks that I should be wearing a damn tent to hide my figure.

I flip through magazines all day long and see nothing but rail thin models and actresses. Since when did this single body type become the standard? I have nothing against skinny girls, but I do take issue with the expectation that I should look like them. Since when do we hate womanly curves? Despite my insecurities I embrace my body because it's the only one I've got. Would I like to be slimmer? Hell yes! I go to the gym 5 days a week and work my ass off to get my body to where I would like it to be. In the mean time, I'm going to feel damn good about myself in my clothes. I challenge all of my readers to do the same. Regardless of your size, you're a woman and women are beautiful. Embrace your body and feel good about yourself. We've only got one life to live and I plan on looking damn good in it until the day I leave this earth!

*flips hair and hops off soapbox*

The Best Sports Bra to Ever Hit Titty City

Don't be this girl.
Photo credit: http://bustygirlcomics.com/

As active as I would like to be, the girls just won't let me be great! I am happy to say my search for the perfect sports bra is finally over! I purchased two Freya sports bras a couple weeks ago, and I'm officially obsessed.

Last year I made a promise to myself to live a healthier lifestyle. I started eating healthier, cutting out junk food and running a few days a week. I really started enjoying the running, but the lack of a decent sports bra was standing in the way of my greatness. NO MORE! My Freya sports bras provide great support. They provide full coverage, an underwire and thick straps. You literally DO NOT MOVE.

I can now run without being gawked at or smacked in the face. Mercedes: 1. Boobs: 0.

freya sports bra

Check me out on Pose!

My spot on the featured page of Pose.com!

Pose is a fashion photo sharing app that launched like a year or so ago. Similar to instagram, users post photos of their outfits (called poses). You can tag the designers you're wearing, follow other posers, love poses, talk about it, etc. It's a really great fashion app. I love posting pictures of my own outfits and browsing the fits of others. It's a great way to get inspiration when you can't think of what to wear. It's also a great way to see how you can style your own pieces differently than you have before to create an entirely new look.

Last night I got a notification that my pose was chosen for the featured page! You can see it in the featured section of the iPhone app or on Pose.com. My post is from the outfit I blogged about yesterday.

Check out all my poses on Pose.com and feel free to follow @mercedesimani!

Can't Afford a Birkin

United Colors of Benetton sweater
Tee from shop in Shoreditch
Vince Leggings
Dolce Vita boots
Prada sunglasses 

After dinner last night, my friends and I found ourselves in some club in Covent Garden. Between the wine  at dinner and the whiskey at the club, this morning was not pretty. Still...a girl's gotta eat. Nothing tastes better than diner food when you wake up hungover. 

I threw on a tee I found in Shoreditch with some leggings and a sweater to head out. I skipped the makeup and threw on some shades to hide my tired eyes. No one feels like getting dressed to the nine's to drag themselves to a diner for pancakes, but that doesn't mean everyone you pass on the street needs to know you drank too many whiskey and diets the previous night!

Spots in the Brasserie Joel

Last night I had a great dinner with great friends at the Brasserie Joel. Some friends of mine were visiting London for the first leg of their European vacation which gave us an excuse to try a new restaurant. For dinner, I paired a blazer with a black and white polka top and shorts. I kept my outfit simple mainly because I was trying to perfect winged eyeliner last night. By the time I got my eyeliner perfect and applied my lashes, I had like 25 minutes to pull something together and grab my cab. 

Banana Republic blazer
Halogen Polka dot tank
Express shorts
Hue tights
Dolce Vita top
My new necklace from the market in Shoreditch!

I really enjoyed dinner and would recommend Brasserie Joel to anyone coming to town and looking for a good meal with good ambience. The food is contemporary French. My three course meal included Foie Gras, duck breast with polenta and a chestnut macaroon (love macaroons) for dessert.

Foie Gras with fruit Compote

Duck breast with polenta and poached pear

Chestnut macaroon with pistachio ice cream

Shorts in Shoreditch

Vivienne Tam top
Express Shorts
Hue Tights
Sam Edelman ballet flats
Marc by Marc Jacobs clutch
Amrita Singh necklace and bangles

I spent most of Sunday afternoon running around Shoreditch which was described to me as the area where "all the cool ass fashion kids hang out". Well it's definitely true that you see a lot of fashion types. I saw a lot of really cool fashions while I was there. I'll have to snap some more pictures next time I head out that way.

I ran across a market that had everything from handmade leather luggage to tees to Turkish treats to handmade jewelry. I picked up a couple of things that really stood out including a handmade leather clutch and chain necklace. I fell in love with this woman's jewelry collection, and I can't wait to go back soon to pick up some more pieces.

For my day in Shoreditch I wore black shorts with tights ballet flats and a tunic. As it got later in the day I definitely started to freeze, so perhaps next weekend I'll make it a point to where pants if I'm going to be out later in the day!

My new leather clutch. I love that the strap is removable!

Silver chain necklace. Love the chunkiness!

Style Inspirations: Shopping in Angel

I spent the day browsing shops and falling in love. Color blocking is huge this year, but I swear you can't walk into a single shop in London without being bombarded by color. Perhaps I'll be adding more color to my wardrobe for the spring and summer? I took a few pictures of some of the pieces I loved. 

I found what is most likely to be the only pair of sneakers I would wear outside of the gym. The Ash sneakers have a hidden wedge in them which make them just chic enough for me to consider. Other highlights included a super sequined sweater from H&M and a cut little lace skirt. Nothing like a little window shopping to incite some style inspiration!

Blow the Whistles

Angel is a really cute little area that's just a short walk away from our flat.  Despite being here for a month now, I've only walked through to hit the gym which is right in the middle of that area. After brunch today I spent some time browsing the shops and finally made it into Whistles. OH MY GOD. Now all I want to do is shop at Whistles for the next 3 years. 

Kanye West has a line in "Champion" - "when you see clothes, close your eyelids." I feel like I had one of those moments when I stepped into Whistles. I had blown off so many beautiful pieces all afternoon, but found myself almost in tears as I browsed the wonderfully crafted pieces. I snapped a few pictures of some pieces I will be going back for (hopefully). More than anything I need that pink blazer with the two toned lapels in my life. The blue tote would complement that beautifully. After all, nothing is bigger than color blocking this year! Now all I need to do is figure out how to justify a £195.00 jacket to my hunny...Suggestions???

Splendid Saturdays in Angel

Splendid dress
Hue Tights
Steven Steve Madden flats

Barely a couple days in my closet and I had to break this out. I'm like a little kid when it comes to new things. I have to get my use out of them almost immediately. This is the Splendid dress I posted here. It's lightweight enough for a nice day like today, but also plain enough to dress up or down. Brunch with my hunny and an afternoon wandering around the shops in Angel called for a casual fit. I paired my new dress with my favorite jazz flats, leopard print scarf turned turban and statement necklace for a chic and laid back look.