My Weekend at Omaha Fashion Week 2017

This past weekend I attended Omaha Fashion Week. This event went from February 21-26th and took place at the Omaha Design Center which is located in Downtown Omaha. I didn't get to attend the first three nights due to work and school but I heard a lot of great things about them. There was a Kids Rule fashion show where kids ages 5-12 had the opportunity to walk down the catwalk and also a Cancer Survivor show which featured over 100+ survivors as they took over the runway wearing items from local boutiques and shops. 

I attended the Saturday show which was the Designer Showcase III and featured designers such as Michael Drummond who was the headliner of the show, Mitchell Henderson, Madyssen Jean, Hannah Swanson, Mayaklee Gayed, Crystal Brakhage Designs, and Jane Round. 

Before the show commenced, I had some time to walk around and see what else they had going on. They had a variety of cool art pieces and sculptures from local artists, a photo booth area with a red carpet, some pop up shops, and much more. I even got to take a picture in the photo booth!

As I entered the main room, I saw two giant screens with timers to let us know when the show was about to begin. All the guests started filing in as they looked for their row and seat numbers. Every seat had a Omaha Fashion Magazine that guests could take home. 

As 8'o clock hit, the show began and the crowd went wild. Well, not really but they were pretty excited when the models came out on the runway. Below are some photos that I took throughout the show. 

I spotted some of the models after the first half of the show. I absolutely loved the flowery designs on Michael Drummond's pieces and the stitching details on Madyssen Jean's pieces. 

As the second half of the show began, one of the models came out wearing the famous SAC Federal Credit Union, Money Dress. This dress was made entirely out of money, can you believe that!?

Overall, I had a lot of fun attending Omaha Fashion Week. I think my favorite part of the night was seeing the different pieces that each designer put together as their collection and just admiring their work. I love attending these types of events because you get to appreciate fashion as a form of artistry and see the creativity that goes into creating a unique ensemble. 

Shout out to all the models, they did an amazing job working that runway and to the OFW crew for putting on a great event!

For more photos of Omaha Fashion Week, follow them on Instagram at @OmahaFashionWeek or check our their website, https://omahafashionweek.com/blog/

Until next time,

Fati <3

On The Streets at Hutchfest

Today, my friend Clarissa and I got to check out a local one-day event called, Hutchfest. This event brought artisans and makers from all around the Midwest together to celebrate and showcase their talent in modern maker designs and handmade goods. 

When Clarissa and I got to Turner Park, which is where the event was happening, we didn't know where to start since there were an array of vendor booths throughout the park. We decided to start off in the middle seeing how it was the easiest. We walked from one side of the park to the other, browsing, admiring, and also wishing we would have brought more money because there were tons of awesome things to buy. Check out some of the pictures I took at today's event!

Hood's Fine Beard Oils are makers from Lincoln, Nebraska. They specialize in oils and balms to maintain your beard and mustache!

Walking around and checking out some of the vendor booths!

 We stopped by Sweet Destructor's booth to see what they had. I fell in love with all of their ceramic eye mugs and plates. They also make ceramic pins, jewelry plates, succulent planters and so much more!  

Capturing some street style fashion!

I finally had the chance to check out Earthenjoy and see what cute items she's made. Joy is a local maker and creates ceramic jewelry, succulent planters, pins, and more.

My friend Clarissa and I.

There was a 16ft tall poster cat made by Hutch Modern. Along with it they had a wooden board with items or fake weapons that you could choose and have a 'cat fight!' It was so cool that we had to take a picture with it. 

Overall, it was a pretty funntastic day at Hutchfest. We both got to buy some earrings from some local shops and we got to know more about the artisan community. I think its pretty great to see events like this around town because it connects people to the artisan community and it just shows how much appreciate there is for handmade goods and local businesses. 

Don't forget to follow some of the vendors I've included in this post on social media!

Hood's Fine Beard Oils: http://hoodsfinebeardoils.com/

Sweet Destructor: http://sweetdestructor.bigcartel.com/

Hutch Modern: http://www.hutchmodern.com/

Earthenjoy: http://shopearthenjoy.com/

Until next time,

Fati <3

A Stroll Through the Old Market

Yesterday was a pretty fun day. I got to hang out with my boyfriend as we walked around the Old Market which is located in Downtown Omaha. It had been a while since I last visited this place so it was nice to get reacquainted with all the local shops and boutiques all around. What is really unique about the Old Market is the old style vibe that it gives with it's brick buildings, cobblestone streets, and even horse drawn carriages that can take you around town for a small fee. 

The Old Market is known as the premier arts and entertainment district. With it's long standing history as a commercial site for wholesale jobbing, you can still see remnants of old warehouses that have been renovated. It's one of the many cool places that Omaha offers. 

Seeing how it was Saturday, we had forgot that they had shut down a section of the street for the local Farmer's Market. Once we found parking a spot, we walked on over to see what they had going on. There were a lot of people walking around and checking out the local vendors and much more. It's always great to see people supporting local farmer's and small businesses by purchasing fresh produce from them.  Whenever there's a Farmer's Market going on, I am always drawn to the flowers. The bright and bold colors are always so welcoming. 

Our next and final stop since it was starting to get humid, was to the local bookstore. My boyfriend had been mentioning to me that he'd been wanting to go, so we finally had the chance to stop by! There's something about this place that is always so magical. I don't know if it's because of all the old books that they have but you can find a little bit of everything in here. I was walking around browsing at the books when I found a figure of a little man playing a guitar. It was the most random-est thing that I saw but it makes you appreciate that the most random-est places are the most unique. 

Until next time!
Fati <3

Happy Travels!!

The New Year means setting new goals, trying new things, and discovering new ways to experience life to the fullest. The other day one of my co-workers had asked me what my New Year's resolution was. I didn't know how to answer that question since there is always something that I want to accomplish. But then I told her that one of my resolutions for this year is to travel more and get to know more about the Midwest. I've been living in Omaha, Nebraska for about 3 years now and there are places that I have not had the chance to visit. But luckily, road trips are always a fun option for a weekend get-away! 

One of the things I love about road trips is being able to see the changes in scenery. Like when you're leaving Omaha for example, you go from city-scape to rural real quick. There are a bunch of farms, ongoing corn fields, random cows roaming around, and at times you get those random billboards promoting adult stores that makes you wonder why the heck they have them in the middle of know where. Beats me. 

Road trips are also an opportunity for me to take pictures and capture moments because who knows when I'll be back. With that said, here are a few highlights from a trip my boyfriend and I took before the New Year:

One of the places my boyfriend and I visited during our road trip was to St. Louis, Missouri. My boyfriend seemed pretty excited to show me around since he travels there for work sometimes. Although we didn't get to walk around St. Louis as much due to time, we did get to pass by Gateway Arch which is located in the Downtown area. Gateway Arch is about 630-feet tall and is known as the tallest man-made national monument in the United States. From what I've read online, you're able to take a trip to the top of the arch and experience an unforgettable view of the city and of the Mississippi River. I wasn't able to get a closer look of the arch due to all of the construction going on but it was still an amazing sight to see! 

As much as we wanted to stay in St. Louis, we filled up the tank and we were back on the road to our next stop...

4.5 hours later we had finally arrived in Nashville, Tennessee. All that driving made us both really hungry so we searched on Yelp to find what was close to us. My boyfriend's cousin had recommended us to try The Loveless Cafe. 

We were a bit confused as to where the cafe was located since there were three buildings on the same area. As we walked to the middle of the parking lot, we found the cafe! It was inside a white-colored country home that had a neon sign brightly lit with the words "OPEN". As we entered I was amazed by all of the photographs that hung on the wall of famous country singers and Hollywood actor/actresses. They also had a cute fireplace that had stockings hung from atop. There were so many things to look at that by the time the waitress came by, I hadn't taken pictures!

As the waitress walked us to our seats, I felt the biggest smile on my face because the cafe was so cool. The walls had colorful art pieces hung, the place mats had a crossword puzzle and a snippet about the Loveless Cafe, and even the bathrooms had a touch of retro style to them. As our waitress came by to take our order we each decided to try the sweet tea and their fried chicken salad. As she was about to enter our order she asked if we wanted to try their famous home made biscuits. My boyfriend and I looked at each other and said "Yes!". 

Once the waitress came back with our food all I could say was, Oh My Gosh!!! The food here is amazing! The sweet tea was not too sweet or bitter, the fried chicken salad was a mouthful of heaven, and the biscuits...the biscuits were phenomenal. (No exaggeration here). My boyfriend and I were both surprised at how good it was! As soon as our to-go boxes came and we paid the bill, we thanked the waitress for her recommendation and continued our adventure, with full stomachs. If you're traveling to Nashville I highly suggest checking out The Loveless Cafe! You won't regret it!

As soon as we left the cafe, my boyfriend asked me what I wanted to do. I told him I wanted to walk around Broadway Street because that was where all the country bars were. I'm not  big into country music but it would be fun to see what it was all about!  

As we reached Broadway Street, we were stunned to see how lively this place was. Every bar had a band or two performing. We didn't think there were many people in the bar because from the outside it looked empty but once you passed by them you can see people jamming out. There were also street performers singing and dancing as we walked passed them. It was pretty groovy!

We even found the Johnny Cash Museum which I was super excited about!!

Our time in Nashville was a great success! Even though we only saw a small portion of the city, we really enjoyed what we saw. I love how everything is influenced by history and music. Good times in Music City! 

As soon as we arrived to the car, my boyfriend entered the address to our final destination and we were back on the road. 3.5 hours later we arrived in Atlanta, Georgia! Yay!

As we entered Atlanta, we began to see tall skyscrapers and buildings emerging. A sudden feeling of nostalgia hit, as they passed. It reminded me of when I was back home in Los Angeles and how my mom used to drive my younger brother, sister, and I through the city to get to my grandma's house. I would just stare up from my window; looking and trying to figure out how high the buildings are. It was a feeling of happiness and awe. 

Our first stop was to the magical World of Coca Cola, located in Permberton Place, in Downtown Atlanta. There were so many people standing and walking around taking pictures! Since the line to enter was huge we decided to walk through the Cola-Cola gift shop instead. 

As we walked to the entrance, we spotted this giant Santa Claus ornament. It reminded me of the holiday Coca-Cola commercials where they have the Santa Claus or the polar bear take a sip of a refreshing bottle of coke. It was definitely a Kodak moment!

As soon as we walked in, we saw people left and right searching and buying unique Coca-Cola logo items. There were these giant plastic bottles that you can use as a piggy bank, they had oven mitts, retro inspired bags, baseball caps, and so much more. 

There were so any things that I wanted get, it was too hard to choose. I ended up buying some retro Coca Cola postcards, a pair of earrings, and a Coca Cola athletic jersey for my brother. (Shhh it's a secret! :)) One of the funny things that I saw was that whenever someone added a mystery bag to their order, the employees rang a bell and cheered for them. We had a really great time!

At the end of that adventure, we decided to explore more of Permberton Place and see what else we could find. Right across the street from where we were was Centennial Olympic Park: Home to the 1996 summer Olympic games, in Atlanta. This 21 acre-park is known for it's legacy for hosting this historic event, and for revitalizing residential and commercial development in Atlanta. I was just amazed at how beautiful this park is and how much history it has just by looking at the engraved bricks on the walkway. 

After a long day of walking around and exploring, it was time to have dinner. My boyfriend contacted his cousin who lives in Georgia and he suggested that we try a popular burger joint in town called, The Vortex. The name sounded pretty intense but we gave it a go! 

The Vortex is located in a neighborhood called the Little Five Points, which is about 10-15 minutes from Downtown. We definitely had no trouble finding the place, as you can see! The Vortex is known to have the "Best Burgers" and is ranked as "One of the Top 50 Restaurants Atlanta." My boyfriend's cousin suggested that we read the history and rules which were located behind the menu. The "Idiot-Free Zone" made me laugh. They sure got jokes! There were so many things that were unique about the place like the decorations which (a mix of antiques and other things), the giant motorcycle that was hung above the bar area, the mini medicine shot cups, and of course the delicious food! Since there's a bar, you have to 21 years old or older, to enter. 

As we slowly finished our final bites of yummy goodness we decided to go for a walk and see the last bits before the long voyage back. What I loved about Little Five Points was that it brought out the artistic culture. It had a variety of local vintage shops, boutiques, coffee and record shops, and a mini hang out spot for street performers. It was great way to end an adventure-filled day.

As we started to head back, I pulled out my camera and skimmed through all the pictures I took. It reminded me of how awesome it was to be able to plan a road trip with my boyfriend and be able to visit places that we've never been. This trip was filled with lots of sight-seeing, picture taking and delicious food, and was a weekend filled with happiness and travel adventures! 

Until next time!

From LA, With Luv
Fati <3