NY state of mind

Photos by Robert Garong

(Beret- Primark // Coat- Asos // Boots- Dolce Vita // Purse- Calvin Klein)

You hear the bustling noise of taxi cab doors shutting left and right. Subway trains navigating its way underground. Cars honking from ear to ear. Feet scurrying next to you from a passerby. The smell of freshly made pizza ringing up your nose from the pizza stand down the street. In the city that never sleeps this is the total normal everyday environment of a New Yorker. This is the city that I call my second home. 

NY holds a special place in my heart. It is the very place that inspired me to start this blog. 3 years ago I traveled to this city not knowing what I was going to return with. I was 19 at that time and I was seeking adventure and escape. Along that trip, I learned many things here and there. One of the most important was self love. Self love is the best type of love you can give to yourself. If you can't love yourself for who you are, then how can you love other people? I struggled with this for a long time because the old Lara felt like she was never good enough for anyone or anything (I know many of you can relate). But my one advice to you is to be strong. You are beautiful and you are loved. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise because you are invincible! Sometimes in life, all we need is for someone to push us in believing that we are valued. I hope this enlightens you in every way possible just as it did for me. 

Traveling by myself not only made me realize what I wanted, but it made me determined to make my dream of becoming a fashion blogger a reality. Fast forward to present day and here I am blogging my thoughts away as I compose this article. I may not be one of those Instagram famous bloggers you see on your feed but what's important is that I made my dream into a reality. I blog because I feel empowered to share my thoughts and style with the web. I love being in front of the camera because it makes me feel beautiful; inside and out. A picture is worth a thousand words, right? So let's make it count! 

I hope by the time you've finished reading this article, that you reflect on what you want to accomplish in the new year; whether it's a certain goal or a dream that you've always wanted to chase but have been too scared to pursue. If it scares you so much, maybe it's worth chasing! Life can be scary at times but what's the point of living if you're not willing to take that risk.

Xoxo,

Lara

Classic Edge

Photos by Robert Garong

(T-shirt Dress- Rosegal // Boots- Asos)

Hey girl hey!

I'm back with another post in collaboration with Rosegal. They sent me two t shirt dresses to style for the blog so this is my take on the trend. I went in going for the "I'm with the band" type of look. The distressed cuts on this t shirt give it such a tough girl vibe that makes it scream BAD ASS BITCH. You can wear this look to a rock n roll concert or to a girls night out on the town. (You can purchase this dress here.)

Their website says that a size small should be my go to fit for this t-shirt dress but since I'm not a fan of tightly fitted clothing, I went ahead and ordered a size medium. If you haven't noticed yet, Rosegal sizes do run small so ordering a size up should be ideal. 

Shop Rosegal's floral embroidered dress here

To update you babes on my life, I just had my wisdom teeth removed a couple weeks ago! And no, you will not find my post surgery video on World Star Hip Hop lol. Since I'm fully back to my normal cheek size, I can stuff my face with yummy food again! That also means I'm back to updating and posting on the blog too. It makes me wonder if blogging with my hamster cheeks would have been appealing to you. (I think not, haha)

Heaven has gained 3 beautiful angels up above. It breaks my heart to say that my beloved grandma, uncle, and my family priest had all passed away last week. It has been a difficult time for my family, especially for my father, to lose his mother. My family would like to thank you for the prayers we have received for each and everyone of them. It is truly appreciated from the bottom of our hearts.

If there's one thing I learned from the death of a loved one, it is that death does not symbolize an end of life, but the beginning of a rebirth.

Xoxo,

Lara

Bday Cake

Photos by Vera Bersabal

(Fur Faux Coat- Asos // Slip Dress- Asos (petite) // Choker- Born Pretty Store)

Goodbye 22 and HELLO jordan year!! -queues in bday song-

February is the month I look forward to each year because it holds a very special place in my heart. Not only is it my birth month but it is also my blog, FASHION THREADSS birth month too! 3 years ago on February 28, 2014, I launched my very first post on blogger debuting my fashionista heart and soul into the web. 

Starting off as the rookie in the blogger field was so nerve-wracking for me because I was unsure if people were even going to read my posts. Knowing most people, they just scroll through pictures and skip the boring reading stuff. But after sharing the link on Facebook and with the help of my family and friends, the overnight launch became a success! FASHION THREADSS had received over a 1k reads within 24 hours. That was the day I knew my dream of being a fashion blogger had potential to grow into something bigger. 

Although I still consider myself far from where I want to be with my blog, I want to use my story as an inspiration to you, yes you, reading this post. If you have a dream you want to pursue, don't be afraid to go for it and take the leap of faith. I know it seems scary at first because you're unsure of the road ahead but if you don't take action now, you're going to  be drowning yourself in the "What if's" of it. Take my advice and you'll thank me later. 

Fun Fact: My sister, Vera and I share the same bday. So we're almost like twins but one year apart! Pretty cool eh? I guess that makes us half a twin haha! If you follow her on social media go greet her happy bday as well!

Xo, 

Lara

Coffee is the New Black

Photos by Robert Garong

(Bomber Jacket- Asos / Dress Shirt- VSPink / Sunnies- ZeroUv)

Happy Sunday my loves! 

I'm no coffee lover but I had to cop this dress shirt cause it's the cutest thing ever. Dress shirts have been the trend since 2016 so I wanted to spruce my version up with a bomber jacket to get that tough girl look. Fashion has no gender boundaries which is what I love the most about it. I can wear an oversized mens flannel and make it look feminine with my fashionista touch!

This shoot day consisted of a trip to The Broad Museum in DTLA. The last sunday of January is know as free museum sunday. A select number of museums allow free admission the whole day to celebrate the event. Perfect for a family day or an artsy date. After finishing up at the broad, Robert and I hopped on over to the Disney Concert Hall to take these shots. It's not hard to miss this building because it's literally right next to the museum. The exterior silver architecture is such a true beauty. I do advise not to touch the building walls on a hot day cause you might get burned like I did. 

I've been on an inspiration high lately so I'm really excited to write more posts and maybe  start a youtube channel in a few months.

Xo,

Lara

Chic Chick

Photo by Vera Bersabal

(Necklace- BornPrettyStore, Jacket- Zara, Bodysuit- Forever21, Skirt-Brandy Melville, Boots- Asos)

Happy Sunday everyone! I'm currently writing out my thoughts while jamming out to OneRepublic's new album, Oh My My. It just seems to mix well with the heavy overcast in LA this morning.  

I've been wanting to get my hands on a choker for the fall season and lucky enough I was able to receive this gem from Born Pretty Store this month. For $1.99 it's such a steal!! Plus if you use my discount code BALT10 you get $$ off your purchase. I've linked the necklace below if you wanna check it out.

http://www.bornprettystore.com/women-fashion-long-string-choker-sweater-chain-adjustable-charm-necklace-jewelry-p-27570.html

Use BALT10 to get $$ off your entire purchase.

This Zara jacket has been hiding in my closet since august so I was ecstatic to be able to wear it out recently since the weather has been slowly cooling off. If you know me well enough I'm a huge fan of utility chic jackets. (this is like the 3rd pair i own haha) Anyone else agree with me that they just scream fall vibes? 

I hope everyone has a fun and safe halloween! Save me some twix bars okay? :D

Xo,

Lara