Monday, June 28, 2010

Discovering the beauty of Soweto

Despite the USA result against Ghana Saturday, I had a great Sunday
discovering Soweto. It's a township technically in Jo'burg and it's
name is short for South Western Township. The experience was amazing!
We walked the streets of Soweto with a local guide. She showed us
where she lived (basically a one room shack for her and her husband
and daughter). We went to the area where the June 16, 1976 Youth
Uprising occurred as well as where Nelson Mandela lived. We went to an
authentic "braai" which is a South African outdoor barbeque. We
finished off our day at a small "shebeen" or bar to watch the England
and Germany game with more locals. Everyone in Soweto was so kind and
so happy to see us there. I've never felt so welcomed in a place
before in my life! I was inspired by the people there that even though
they didn't have much they were so full of life.
I'm heading to the airport now :( I've had an amazing time here in
South Africa and I can't wait to return for another vacation
someday....AYOBA!!!

-Evina

Saturday, June 26, 2010

Game Day!

So I missed Fun Fashion Friday yesterday but I did spend the day
shopping! We're at our last city of the trip, Melville, which is known
as the SoHo of the Jo'burg area. I checked out a few really cool stores.
Black Coffee, a well known South African fashion line, had some really
cool dresses and awesome harem pants. They also had really nice
leather jewelry pieces. Nap was another great store that reminded me
of Anthropologie. I was able to get some cool home decor gifts for the
fam :) Finally, SKA, right in the heart of Melville had really fun
tops, dresses and accessories. I brought a Marc Jacob'esque top that I
can't wait to wear back home!
Heading to Rustenburg now for the USA vs Ghana Round of 16 match :)
Today I'm rocking a new pair of mini USA flag earrings that I also
bought at SKA. Go USA!!!

-Evina

Wednesday, June 23, 2010

USA!!!

I just watched the USA victory over Algeria live and I'm so excited
right now! I'm pretty sure my husband and brother-in-law were on tv
during the end of the game celebrating (shirtless, lol)! We're going
to live it up in Pretoria tonight!!!! Go USA!

-Evina

Tuesday, June 22, 2010

Lions, leopards and kudu...oh my!

We left the Sabi Sands Game Lodge today after an exciting 24 hours. We
went on a sunset game tour where we saw lots of impalas and kudu (a
well known animal here in S.A.). We rode through a huge herd of
African buffalos and found (and followed) a female leopard while she
searched for prey. The highlight of our evening ride was two lionesses
eating on a young giraffe :(
During the 6am morning ride we spotted three more different lionesses
(beginning their day long nap), hippos resting in the water, and the
same herd of African buffalos. After breakfast we did a bush
walk...yes I said walk! We went on foot with an armed ranger walking
many of the same paths we rode. We came across a wildebeest named
George, black-back jackels, and an one horn male impala.
The highlight of today was stubbling across a group of giraffes as we
drove down the road in our car leaving the game lodge!!! Awesome! Next
stop Pretoria...

-Evina

Sunday, June 20, 2010

In Jo'burg at Soccer City

I'm at Soccer City in Jo'burg and the atmosphere is amazing!!! I'm
about to watch the Ivory Coast vs. Brazil match. Tomorrow we wake up
nice and early to go to Kruger National Park for a two day game tour
(safari). Jo'burg has been really great! Met so many cool people. So
until next time...ayoba!

-Evina live from South Africa!

Friday, June 18, 2010

Fun Fashion Friday!

Hello again from South Africa! Today's post is dedicated to ELLE South
Africa. I bought a copy of their June issue at a rest stop a day ago
traveling from Cape Town to Port Elizabeth in SA. It was a special
issue because it came with a Mr.Price and ELLE collaboration tee shirt
that I can't wait to wear! I'll post photos once I get to a computer.
I love fashion mags from other countries...it's so cool to see a
different perspective of fashion! Enjoy the weekend!
Next up for me...USA vs Slovenia game at 4:30pm CAT today in J'burg :)

-Evina

Thursday, June 17, 2010

I drove on the left side of the road!

Our road trip has begun! We rode a beautiful but sometimes rainy route
from Capetown to the beautiful coastal city of Port Elizabeth. It's
winter here and it's pretty cold!!! But this morning I watched the sun
rise over the Indian Ocean which was awesome. Now we're heading to
Kroonstad to stay over night in a barn :) Unfortunately my iPhone
isn't working properly so post will be limited :( But I will have a
full update with pictures once I return to the states! So for
now...cheers from South Africa!

-Evina

Sunday, June 13, 2010

Apt in Capetown

After quite an adventurous night trying to find our apartment on the
Capetown equivilant of Bourbon St... we finally found our place! It
feels amazing waking up in Capetown. It rained pretty heavy all last
night so the air is cool and crisp this sunny morning. Today is our
day of exploring in Capetown, can't wait!

So...I'm still working on uploading photos correctly. Stay tuned :)

-Evina

Friday, June 11, 2010

Airtrain to JFK





Woohoo! •Evina Sent from my iPhone

Journey to South Africa...




photos from the Send-Off Series match USA vs Turkey
Today is the day...it's finally here! I depart for my awesome cross-country vacation in South Africa. I'm looking forward to the many funny stories I'm sure I'll have to tell when I get back. Stories related to renting cars in a country where they drive on the left instead of right (and using a stick-shifts with my left hand), cruising in Land Rover's on safari through Kruger National Park where elephants can just walk across the street right in front of us, and of course the intensity of watching live World Cup matches like USA vs Solvenia and Ivory Coast vs Brazil! I promise to do my best to blog, Tweet, and Facebook my journey.
So get ready...South Africa here we come!

Fun Fashion Friday!





With the steamy summer weather we had last week in NYC...I decided to take on a classic DIY project of creating a pair of denim cut-off shorts. Do-it-yourself projects are one of the fun things I love about fashion...turning something old into something new :)

Thursday, June 10, 2010

Life Backstage

Photo: smh.com.au




Photos: Style.com
This month, I've had the privilege of volunteering backstage at a few fashion shows here in NYC. I love the atmosphere backstage at a show from the anticipation to when the show starts to the thrill when it's finished. Above are a few images of looks I executed/dressed models for backstage from the recent NYC amFAR charity event, Oscar de la Renta Resort Collection, and Calvin Klein Resort Collection. 

Wednesday, June 9, 2010

Countdown to South Africa continues...


So the countdown is almost over and actual packing has commenced! I pride myself on being a great packer so one element of my trip that I recently had to figure out was my shoe situation. Shoes are what I base most of my outfits on. I really couldn't start packing until I knew what my primary footwear would be. I bought two pairs of Adidas Sambas this past weekend (Shoe Mania in NYC, buy one get the other 1/2 off!!!). I chose the Sambas because they are classic and sturdy. I'm definitely not turning my back on my longtime fave Chuck Taylor's, but since it will get to be as low as 40 degrees at night I wanted to make sure my feet wouldn't get cold :)

Friday, June 4, 2010

Fun Fashion Friday!

Happy Friday everyone! This Friday I'm dedicating my post to making dreams come true! I'm a huge believer in willing things to happen. I love fashion and want to always work in fashion so I have an aspiration/inspiration board in my closet with clippings of all the things I love about fashion and life. It's fun to look at in the morning when I'm getting ready and at night when I'm getting ready for bed (the numerous necklaces have been added over time out of necessity...running out of space, lol). I think everyone should have something that they can look at on a daily basis to give them a little inspiration. It helps to remind us of our goals in life. It could be a prayer printed out at your desk, a picture of your ideal retirement setting as your computer desktop background or a picture of your kids on your phone. Always try to have a little reminder close by of the things that make you smile!

Thursday, June 3, 2010

Sex & The City 2 Review

There has been much debate over the Sex & The City sequel. I was finally able to see SATC2 and I have to say "I LOVED IT!". I'm not sure why it received such harsh reviews. I know a lot of people complained about the over the top wardrobe but hello it's SATC in Abu Dhabi...if it wasn't over the top, I would have been disappointed! Of course I loved the comeback of the J'adore Dior tee (in photo above). During the movie I whispered to my friend, "I want to dress like that everyday!". I love the fact that the SATC ladies dress so well (thanks Patricia Fields!). I think all women should put forth the effort to add that extra sparkle to their lives. Don't get me wrong, it doesn't have to cost a fortune. Fashion is all about looking amazing using your budget. So I give SATC2 two thumbs up for reminding me to make sure I always put my best shoe forward whenever I walk out the door!

Tuesday, June 1, 2010

What I love!



I was recently asked to be featured in a publication for the company I work for and they wanted me to be photographed with "what I love". I'm not going to lie, I was a little torn on what to pick at first...my shoes, my handbags, there are so many things I love! Finally my friend and I decided on photographing me with fashion magazines (hello...I love fashion) with NYC as the backdrop (I heart NYC)! Check out a few of my favorite photos from the shoot...it was a lot of fun!