On The Streets @ Omaha Fashion Week

Before moving to Omaha, I had heard of Los Angeles Fashion Week, New York Fashion Week and Paris Fashion Week, but I had never heard of Omaha Fashion Week which is considered the nation's 5th largest fashion event in the Midwest, until I moved to Nebraska.

I had the opportunity to attend my first Omaha Fashion week event this past week (more like two weeks ago) and I gotta say, it was awesome! It was great to see the community come out and show support to upcoming artists and designers. 

The night was filled with a variety of themes; from Japanese-inspired kimonos by designer Kristen Van Hessche to a mythological folk-lore collection by Dan Richters, this avant-garde showcase was an experience to see.

Kristen Van Hessche
Inspired by a story of a fox that changes into a woman to seduce a man.

Lore by Dan Richters

Mythological, folk-lore, & fairy tales

When I think of the word avant-garde I think of Lady Gaga and her bold and flamboyant outfits, so intricately made that I wouldn't really know where I would wear these kinds of garments except maybe to a themed party or a red carpet event. The detail, texture, and the amount of time put on each piece had me at a "WOW" moment.

Get Plastered! Angela Balderston

Inspired by tribes of Africa  

Little Shell Designs by Michelle Kleineweber

A traditional Victorian-inspired collection 

The overall event was a success! It was great to see the creativity and imagination of each designer coming to life on the runway. Can't wait for the next OFW!

For more events or for the next Omaha Fashion Week, check out their website:

 http://omahafashionweek.com/

Follow them on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/OmahaFashionWeek

From LA, With Luv
Fati <3

On The Streets: Iowa State Fair

A few weekends ago a couple of friends and I took a road trip to Des Moines, Iowa to experience the popularly-known, Iowa State Fair. It is "the largest event in the state of Iowa and annually attracting more than a million people from all over the world!" 

As a newbie to the fair scene I was in complete surprise at the immense amount of things that one can do at a state fair. From going to a tiger show to trying fried food, it's an adventure all in one. One of the things that caught my interest was the fried food, now I'm not a big fan of fried  food but this was an exception. It was crazy to see the variety of food that one could try. You could walk around and easily be tempted to try something new. 

My friends would talk about their first experience in trying a fried Oreo or fried Snicker bar and how good it was, so I wanted to try it out for myself. 

Before

First bite

After

I have one word for you: melted chocolatey-goodness!! 

As we slowly finished out last bite, we decided to go and walk around the amusement park and see what cool rides they had! Although I didn't go on, I thought the Rock & Roll ride was pretty awesome, that car is a pretty sweet ride!

My time at the state fair was pretty amazing! I'm happy I got to try something new and spend my day with good people. Let the good times roll!

From LA With Luv,
Fati <3

On The Streets: Anime Expo 2014

Now I know this may be a bit of a late post, but bear with me because I have a lot to tell you guys about my adventures back  home and the places that I have discovered and been newly introduced to such as this one...

From July 3rd to July 6th, the largest anime and manga convention in North America happens to be held at the Los Angeles Convention Center. Formally known as the Anime Expo or AX, this 4-day event happens to bring the biggest and baddest of Cosplay characters, comics, exhibits, panels, fashion shows, and much much more. Pretty awesome right!? 

As a first timer I didn't know what to expect, luckily I had my friend; which was also his first time, to share the experience with me. Before I start describing all of the awesome people and things that I saw, here are a few items that you should consider bringing with you if this is your first time going to an expo:

1.) Backpack/Bag- If you don't want to be holding onto flyers, posters or even a water bottle, this will help you throughout the day.

2.) Wallet- There are soooo many booths to see and sooo many things to buy, NO pressure! 

3.) Your 1 or 4 day pass(es)- You might not want to forget these as they will be your key to enter the exhibit hall.

4.) Get out of your comfort zone- This event brings out a lot of the art and creativity behind cosplay (costume play), digital design, and cartoon culture. Dressing up is highly encouraged!

5.) Have Fun-  ^-^

Now let's get down to the nitty gritty! 

As my friend and I walked from the parking lot to the entrance of the Convention Center, we saw crowds and crowds of people wearing different types of costumes from various anime or manga shows, videos, comics, you name it. Here are a few that I captured on the way.

Yay! Sailor Moon

As we entered, it felt like we were entering another world. Everyone was in character mode and photographers acted like paparazzis, running everywhere trying to capture every celebrity and their signature pose. As we made our way through the crowd and up the escalator, we reached the Exhibit Hall. It was a bit confusing at first not knowing where to begin, so we just decided to start from the middle row and see what we could find. There were over 240 vendors and exhibitors featured within this exhibit hall, showcasing merchandise straight from Japan. There was also an artist alley way, where artists showcased their talents through web design, crochet, drawings, paintings, and even customized plush dolls. 

Sneak peak of her drawing

From the amount of walking we had done, it was time for a lunch break. As we walked outside to the main entrance there were still tons of people gathered and taking photos. For a Sunday afternoon, it was pretty busy. Once we were outside, I saw that there were a variety of food trucks lined up with different types of asian cuisines. My friend and I decided to go with a sushi burrito from Jogasaki. I gotta say, it was pretty delicious!

Photo courtesy of Urbanspoon

As I ate, I flipped through my camera to see all of the cool photos that I took. Out of the many cosplay costumes that I saw these two were my favorite. 

I wonder how long it took him to make this!

Look at that hair!!

It was an experience, which I call it the 'cosplay experience' in being able to capture these folks in character and admire their work and dedication in creating and wearing these costumes. A thing that really captured my attention was that I didn't only see anime and manga characters but also characters from Disney such as Elsa from Frozen, The Joker, Zelda & Link, Wario from Super Mario, and many others. It was just awesome to see everyone come together, which makes it an even more epic experience as it already is! 

 I have to say, my time at the Anime Expo was a success! I had a fantastic time getting to know more about about the Japanese culture in manga & anime and understand what cosplay is all about. If you haven't yet, be sure to check out Anime Expo's website for more info. on how you can get tickets for next years convention. On that note I should probably start figuring out what I am planning on wearing! Until next time!

Website: http://www.anime-expo.org/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/animeexpo

From LA, With Luv
Fati <3

A Promise to the Reader!

Happy first Monday of 2014 everyone!

I hope everyone had a fantabulous New Year!
I had a great time visiting family and friends and visiting my favorite places in and around the City of Angels. Blog posts will be up soon, so stay on the look-out for those! I am so excited to share with you my findings!

As we enter a new year, many of us make resolutions for ourselves to work on throughout the year and hopefully achieve them. This new year I propose a promise to you, the reader...

I promise to take you on a wild ride, on an adventure, on a journey to discover new places, people, and things that have not been seen or heard of before. To see the streets through my lens. To experience creativity and fashion through another perception.

 From LA, With Luv
Fati <3

Fati's: 6 Things I am Thankful For... (Final Part)

I hope you all had an awesome Thanksgiving, I know I did! I'm still feeling stuffed from all the yummy food!

We went to my friend's house in Lincoln, NE which is not that far from Omaha, only an hour away.  When we arrived she had made the turkey and Southern style dressin', which is like stuffing but made with cornbread. My boyfriend and I double teamed it and made beef taquitos which were scrumptious. And at the end of night, we celebrated with pumpkin pie!

After our dinner we decided to go Black Friday shopping at Target. I don't really shop on Black Friday, so I was shocked and amazed at how HUGE the line was. It was pretty much like a club like, it started at the front of the store and cornered the building. Our mission was to try to get in line since my friend's husband was trying to get a TV. That wasn't happening, so we decided to try Walmart. 

To make this long story short...he ended up not getting a TV, but bought a video game instead, I bought a sewing machine for $50 from Walmart, and we went back to my friend's house to play a game called Buzzer. What an eventful night!

Thinking about these events, makes me think of everything that I am thankful for. Here are the last three things I am thankful for:

#4 Boyfriend

We are two random peas in a pod. You compliment me with your nerdiness in techy stuff and I compliment you with my artsyness. We may like different things and do different things, but at the end we always have fun. Thank you for always supporting me and my projects and for always giving me advice to better myself. Thanks for brightening up my day with your randomness and your smile. I am so thankful to have you in my life! Te amo.

#5 Art

(Sylvia Ji)

I've always had a thing for art! I remember in my junior year of high school I really got into graffiti art. I was never big on doing big pieces on walls and stuff like that but I enjoyed drawing on people's black books and learning about different writing styles. I get so excited when I see street art because it's interesting to seen an artist's mindset when they are painting, or drawing, or even photographing something they have brainstormed and finally coming to life. 

Art is a way to escape reality and enter an imaginary world filled with vibrant colors and weird structured figures and characters. I am thankful for art, because I can express myself and bring out my creativity. I am able to express my emotions on a canvas or paper and set my mind free.

#6 Life

(Marcus Aurelius)

Life! How can I describe life... 

It is something you appreciate every moment of every day. You appreciate, you thank it because it is that thing that keeps you going. It is meant to be enjoyed, to be loved, to be lived drama-free. Life= YOU.

 I'm not much of a religious person, but I pray and give thanks to God for my life, for everything that I have accomplished thus far, for my family and for everyone that I care about, and for always protecting me. Looking back at the good and bad things that I have done in my life, it makes me motivated to change as an individual and live a better life than before. It has made me appreciate people and the little things that life brings. It has made me the person I am today!

THE END.

Thanks for taking the time in reading Things I am Thankful For !! More fashion and artist interviews coming up next week! Stay tuned!

From LA, With Luv

Fati <3