Shady's Back?!

Ok, Shady’s not back. He never left. Actually he’s pretty popular...aparently...well I don’t really remember him pass he’s D12 days but whatever.

So hello blogging world...again! This is my 3^rd return back to blogging and hopefully this time I will stick to it and become the Mariah of the fashion blogging. This return will be my “The Emancipation of Mimi” comeback! Wooooop!

Now the reason I am back is because, well I never should have left! Sometimes when you’re so busy with life and work, you get comfortable... complacent and you leave things or let them go by until they are no longer a priority. Well this year, 2012 will not be like that! I’m getting back to my roots and the things that I am passionate about! MMMMhhmmmmm that’s right sista’s! I feel like I have a unique fashiony perspective to voice and you can like my views or not but I think they will make for interesting reads.

So this is an introduction from Me to You...

Name: Monica Maria Morales Martinez (I have noticed it's a whole lot of M’s, no need to remind me)

Age: 25....fark!

Recognizer: Ma Curls

Profession: Fashion Stylist and Contributor

Actual Job that takes up MOST of my time: Head Stylist and PR/Marketing Coordinator of Sportsgirl, NSW

What I like to do when I’m not working or watching 30 rock whilst eating Doritos till I die: Shopping (online, westfields, boutiques, thrift stores, markets, garage sales...I aint picky), trolling fashion websites/blogs,  re-organizing my wardrobe, making jewelry and painting a vast array of things fluro, facebook stalking (I’m not as good as my housemate but he has taught me well), painting/drawing and working with new media, getting mad tanned at the beach...which under this overcast Sydney sky has been almost impossible and lastly hanging out with my favorite peeps at naval lodge, garradise and homo shore.

Who is Monicaca.blogspot.com for? It's for people who love fashion but are sick of the usual eastern suburbs, Olsen loving, belliage lob hair, lita wearing, serious as view point that is saturating the Australian blog market! Come here if you want to laugh and learn about high end fashion. I will keep it real for you...even though I do live in the eastern suburbs and have a soft spot for the Olsen twins...DAMN THOSE STYLIN’ SKINNY BITCHES!

Laterz Playaz.xxx

Throwing my blog lovin' around...

I feel that the tone of this entry is going to be very self indulgent (well, more self indulgent then the regular) but my blog IS called Monicaca and therefore about me so if your reading it you obviously want to know my thoughts!

Ahaha what a lovely way to start an entry... I must be super paranoid about being called a vain bitch or something.

Annnnnnnyways, I am a serial blog stalker and am always checking out all the international fashion blogs as I love the variety of people they photograph. As much I support Australian fashion and believe in it, the fact that we are obviously a season behind the rest of the world a sets us a bit behind the fashion pace. Not that we’re unfashionable by any means, it’s just that we are still a new country so were still finding our fashion feet. So that’s why I’ve never really checked out Australian fashion blogs as a lot of the tones are the same with the usual hipsters or off duty models with cut off shorts and doc martins on. This pisses me off as Australia, Sydney in particular, has such an variety of interesting and inspiring people who’s sense of style blows my mind.

Then about 3 months ago I came across this blog called wethepeoplestyle.com and I kind of became obsessed with it as it was what I was looking for in regards to an Australian street style blog. It features amazing photography, a great tone and such a varied selection of people.

And a couple of weeks back I was meeting up a girlfriend for lunch in the city when I was approached by this cute little blonde girl with wicked style and some sky high acne boots who asked if she could take my photo for her blog. She was wearing the acne boots so out of mad respect I of course I said yes.

Turns out wethespeoplestyle was her blog and she was lovely and super stylish so I recommend to check it out and follow her.

So here is her post of me...

Top, Sportsgirl
Jacket, Mok Theorm
Pants, Manning Cartell
Watch, Nu & Nan
Shoes, Kasui, newtown
Necklace, Lovisa 
Bag, China town, sydney

*Images sourced from wethepeoplestyle.comhttp://www.wethepeoplestyle.com/

Airport Security – Fashionistas ain’t no terrorists.

While checking out the street style photo’s of the latest fashion weeks and facebook stalking uber stylish friends (and yes any woman can do both simultaneously) I decided something, something that nobody can contradict. That high fashion demands respect if only for the reason that some of the things that these girls put on are lethal. Literarily...

Looking back through my style files I have realised that I have done some pretty crazy shit for fashion and worn lots of outlandish looks, not gaga crazy, but enough to make lots of pass-byers take a double look and that’s usually a “what the fuck is up with that crazy bitch” look. Whatever, it comes with the territory and if I don’t get looks I get an “average” complex. Lol.

So back to the story, for me, WITHOUT FAIL, airport security will always take longer than most people. I know, I know, I should tone down what I wear when I’m flying right? It’s about comfort? WRONG! In my eyes it’s about looking flossy, flossy when you land and stepping out with a strut. So after checking in and then waiting at the scanner thingo I start to get nervous and it starts to show. I look like I’m about to be caught out for drug trafficking or something dodgy but the reason I’m nervous is because my carry-on bag is filled with crazy ass shoes and lethal accessories and I am not over exaggerating. Studs so sharp they could seriously hurt somebody, bangles so big if you throw them at someone you would surely knock them out. I am really into military chic of late like bedazzled gun holsters and I have this belt made up of empty gun bullets and when travelling to Adelaide recently you should have seen them loose their shit! They had to call security and had to take me aside, it took them like 20 minutes to sort it out. And all this time there is a massive long queue waiting behind me that I’ve held up with all the people giving me THAT look. And before you ask the reason I don’t pack this stuff into my ordinary luggage is because they are my most precious/expensive things and if any of it got lost or broken I would be seriously gutted. Yes, better suffer the embarrassment and raised eyebrows then lose sight of my favourite pieces.


 “Why are you taking in gun bullets”? It’s a bullet belt you mofo, they were empty bullets and frikkin painted in hot pink and bronze, in the past it might have belong to a homo terrorist, but that’s about it.

I used these in a recent photo shoot and they looked sick!

P.S. Don’t try to be witty with airport security, it will put you in a worse situation than your already in.

Totally digging these Micheal Kors collars... want...

This homegirls feel me...

So if you see some crazy looking fashion girl stressing out at airport security, cut her some slack and throw her a smile. Would make my day :)


Monicaca out.xx


*images sourced from jac & jill and 5inchandup

Never underestimate the power of Accessories – A look into my cupboard...

So working as a stylist, you have to be mouldable. What I mean by this is you have to chop and change between looks, trends, style, people, colours, textures...pretty much you have to have your head around the whole shebang of what’s happened, what’s going on and what’s going to happen in fashion. Now that I think about it this is probably the reason my mind has little room for anything else...

What I find is that no matter who I am dressing I always have a signature. A vibe that follows anyone I style whether it be in personal styling, runway or editorial. And this signature is ACCESSORIES!  Necklaces, Bracelets, Bangles, Earrings, Rings, Brooches, Scarfs, Hats, Head Pieces, Belts, Shoes, Socks, Bags....DROOLING WHILST WRITING... I’m the type of person who will spend all my pay check on that YSL ring, who has worked styling jobs for payment in necklace form, who was nicknamed ‘the Christmas Tree’, who has had passer-byers yell out to me “hey, Mr T” numerous times (and thats CLEARLY because I wear alot of jewlery not because I am a black man, with a killer mohawk and throws snicker bars at everyone). Accessories make or break and outfit. They have the power to turn an outfit from gothic chic to ghetto fabulous, just depending on how you mix it. This entry isn’t going to be a lesson in style or anything it’s just me opening up part of my wardrobe to you.

So enjoy my favourite pieces!

Silverwear....

Perspex necklace I got from the Peeptoe warehouse sale. It was all broken and I paid for 5 bucks and re-glued it all together when I got home. When you have a vision just DIY it.

Crystals and hammered silver, always a good combo. A one off piece from China town, Sydney.

Ohmy goldness...

Dino - Resin and gold perspex, great statement piece.

This necklace I got from Asos and it reminds me of a hairstyle that little black girls in new york would have while skipping rope.

More is totes appropes when it comes to rings.

A mixture of Dino, Sportsgirl and House of Harlow

More is better, right? I love my Dino sun, mixed with glass rings from Sportsgirl.

Sportsgirl rings. Great selection for only $19.95.

If that wasn't a plug, I don't know what is! But for real, you can get high-end looking accessories for such achieveable price points if you just look around.

More Sportsgirl rings.

 Love my bull.

I always need a necklace but when my clothes are quite dramatic pendents are the go.

Bangle mania!

Check out the intricate feather detail. Everything from Dino is one off as it's hand crafted.

My Pamela Love claw comes with me everywhere...

And the one and only silver hoops, essential for any latina.

xo peeps

*Shot by Daniel D Boland

High Buns Mean No Dick?

So I had a client last week who I was doing personal styling with and when we met up the 1^st thing she let me know was “I’m going to London to see my boyfriend and so I want to dress for a man, not for women”. Which basically means "I want to look hot, not cool" and she gave me a list of things she would never wear which included anything too loose or oversized, anything vintage and DEFINATELY no high buns! Then it got me thinking that half the things I wear fitted into those categories, which may explain my singledom... Anyway, press the rewind button and I remember my 1^st week in fashion school and having a conversation with my friend about struggling in the morning when getting ready as some days you want to look ohmygod hot or other days just frikkin’ wack wicked. It’s a struggle let me tell you, to balance things you think are aaamazing, but makes males vom, with just the right amount of sexiness.


*this is probably why I keep myself tanned and wear heels with everything :)

So after having this client who had Gisele like locks, and left looking sexy as hell, I decided to look at one of this season’s biggest trends and see how they fair up with the male population. Some refer to them as High buns or the top knot or as a friend so eloquently put it “when someone pops a squat on a girls head”... well you say potaatoes I say pootatoes, you know how the rest goes.

High buns have always been a standard “model off duty look” but skyrocketed when it started to appear on some of runways most popular shows like Marc Jacobs, Lanvin and Nina Ricci and as we all want to look like our favourite girls it started to trickle down so that you now can’t throw a rock in a room and not hit a fashionista’s top knot. We love them, and it’s hard not to when Abbey Lee, Jesse Hart, Freja Erichsen and other beautiful girls we adore are rocking them. After asking what few STRAIGHT males I know, the general consensus wasn’t good. One of the guys said “it looks like the girl isn’t trying, like she can’t be bothered and so she has just tied it all up” geeee little do they know that amounts of bobby pins that go into making this look work!! Messy isn't messy these days, what messy is is standing infront of the mirror for 10 minutes and pulling strand by strand of hair out, hoping to get the perfect 'messy' look.
Another point of view was “the reason these models look hot with high buns is because they are models, anything looks good on them”, my beef with that is why should we suffer by denying ourselves top knots because we are not as genetically blessed? And a personal fav was "looks like it's sumo style"...ummm do you see these hot biatches wearing napies and flashing there morbidly obese bootys? I think not...

There are variations to this do, such as the super tight pulled back thin but tall bun...

Or a pulled back slightly loosely but with a bigger bun...

Then there is the outta control bun...

After giving you a look into the high bun I wanted to tell you another story... About a boy I knew in high school who we all thought was incredibly hot. After graduating I remember looking at photos of him and thinking, what the hell was I thinking? Then bumping into him a couple of year back he still looked the same and I still found him attractive and then I realised he wasn’t that physically hot it was his confidence that made him sooo attractive. He wasn’t arrogant, just confident and comfortable in himself. So the point I wanted to come back to ladies is that we all have our perceptions of what looks hot and what doesn’t  but I cannot stress this point enough, if you wear your look with confidence and the right amount of attitude it works. So don't dress to make men want you or to make other girls jealous, dress for yourself and work that turd on your head with  leather pants and sky high pumps like there’s no tomorrow.