A quick post before I head out to work. Have a fabulous Saturday everyone!!! xoxo NINI

1. Roland Mouret Myrtha sheath dress, 2. Nars red lipstick, 3. Elizabeth & James Taylor sunnies, 4. ASOS clutch , 5. Giuseppe Zanotti nude patent leather wedges

I’m so excited to share one of my new designs with all my dear readers! At this time of year, my clients are looking for clothing that will work for the resort season but it isn’t the easiest season to find items for. The key is travel: whatever you pack for going away must be able to transition from day to night, must be light and compact and should work in both cold and warm climates.  I’ve personally been looking for the perfect piece that will work for both the city with leather leggings & heels or on a romantic cruise with a favorite swimsuit. When I designed this,  I had in mind lounging around with champagne and oversized sunnies.

I love this vivid blue. It is one of those colors that flatters most skin tones. This top is simple yet has lots of dramatic movement going on. I love the big snaps, the side slits and the blue/ Snake print on lambskin details on the cuff.  The blouse is see through and you have the option of wearing it with a black or nude camisole or just wearing it with a lace bra.  I’m really excited that this blouse turned out just like I had imagined and I’m so thankful for my wonderful team, without them I could not have brought my vision to life.

This is how I plan to wear the blouse:

In the city:

Look 1: With my favorite leather leggings or skinny black jeans and heels for a cocktail party.

Look 2: With dark blue skinny jeans and flat boots for casual meet-ups or errands.

Look 3: Over a mini skirt and ankle booties.

To the beach:

Look 1: Let the color speak for itself with white skinny jeans and a tank.

Look 2: Use it as a chic swimsuit cover up.

Look 3: Wear it with your shorts and flip-flops or resort shoes.

I’m also really excited that I finally I found a good pair of leather leggings that fits well with my budget. Have you found leather leggings you love that don’t fit perfectly? If the leather legging is too long on you, don’t cut the bottoms. Instead of cutting the hem, I added 8″ zipper on each leg. That way it will hang over my heels and help elongate the legs. You can click here to purchase the blouse and thank you so much for reading!!!!! xoxo NINI

Wearing: Nini blue lapis blouse $450 ( buy here ), Bird by Juicy Couture leather leggings, Christian Louboutin Lady Daf, vintage fox stole, Janis Savitt necklace

I’m honored to be a part of Miss Vietnam Texas 2012 as one of the judges. This is always a fabulous event hosted by the local magazine Vietnamese Kien Thuc. I love being a part of my community. I am always in awe of how important and comforting a community can be and I always come to this event with an open mind because I discover and learn something new about my culture each time.
This is my first time being a judge at a beauty pageant. When they first asked me I didn’t think that I would be qualified for this position because I had no experience being a judge. But they were so warm and encouraging that I took the role. I have to say I love it. I believe in volunteering my time and giving back to my community and this is a completely new way to do it. I’m just thrilled that I can help out. They did such a wonderful job putting the show together. Everything was well organized, from the frontstage to backstage. The event brought out about 1,000 people.  I’m very proud!
I wore a black velvet Vietnamese traditional Aodai. Not many young women would wear a black velvet Aodai as they would normally go for brighter shades and more flowing material. Back in our country, velvet Aodai are mostly reserved for older women. In my opinion, they just seem more sophisticated and classic. I decided to break the mold a bit and wear it because I love velvet in general and because I love how elegant it makes me feel when I’m wearing it.

With my friend Oanh of Devine Salon who is also my hair stylist. She’s an expert when it comes to hair. The only person in this world that I would trust to cut my hair. She’s amazing!! Her aodai is made out of a Hermes scarf and she designed it herself. Very clever!!!

With Miss Vietnam Texas 2012 Hac Nguyen. She’s just stunning!!

Hello everyone! I’m sorry for the lack of updates on the blog. I have been caught up with work projects and finally have some time off to share with you one of my many ways of styling outfits with pearls. Pearls are a pretty common possession among us girls. Many people have a string or two in their jewelry boxes. I just love pearls. They always add a touch of timelessness & elegant appeal to whatever you wear. But watch out for the danger of pearls: they can be aging so be careful not to make the look too serious.

My outfit is super simple. Leather leggings and a loose sweater work great for running around and getting some errands done, meeting up with a girlfriend for lunch or shopping. Adding a strand of pearls to the outfit will add a classic twist to it. The tame pearls are a great contrast to the sass of the leather leggings. I also added a long necklace and knotted it up. Super fun, easy and interesting. I got my necklace from eBay. They have a wonderful selection of fresh water pearls for excellent prices. Happy searching and have a wonderful end of the week!

Wearing: H&M ivory sweater, Balenciaga leather leggings, Charlotte Olympia red kitty wedges, pearls necklace from eBay and vintage, Chanel sequin bag, and Chanel sunnies, BNY gloves.

Sometimes we try on one outfit after another and nothing seems to work. We tend to complain that there is nothing in our closets to wear when we know that we have a closet full of clothes. This happened to me this week when I was getting ready to meet with a friend for dinner. I spent a half an hour in my closet trying on look after look but nothing seemed to excite me. I got frustrated until I found the perfect black tunic. I decided to keep it clean with this black cashmere sweater tunic/dress by Margiela and simple jewelry. Sometimes when I don’t know what I want I end up choosing something that will keep me comfortable and smart looking in this kind of cold weather. Finally!!! It was perfect. The sweater is short and I paired it with over the knee boots and leggings instead of pairing it with skinny heels. I wore this look again today to work. When in doubt wear black. That saying always works!!

Wearing: Maison Margiela Margiela cashmere tunic sweater, Balenciaga leggings, Barneys New York  OTK boots, faux fur bag, Sue Gragg rings