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Camouflage Exposed Part II – Featuring beq Pettina

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Camo is a new leopard! Demilitarized, this eye-catching and impactful pattern is trooping in to win the final battle over other trendy prints. Intricate, arresting design combined with fine tailoring, dazzling fabrics and dashing hues makes a stylish knockout. From shoes and pants, through dresses, tops and coats, the camouflage trend transforms this utilitarian, obscure motif into the chic fashion staple. The effect is unexpected and astonishing, as the camo garments and accessories strike the senses with visually splendid palette and lavish lines.

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Camouflage Exposed Part I

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Deer hunting or war zone fighting, camouflage has been widely used for its disguising qualities for centuries. Nowadays however, it aggressively comes out of the forests and battlefields, and makes its striking appearance on the fashion runways in the collections of Valentino, Michael Kors, Jean Paul Gaultier, Christian Laboutin, Manolo Blahnik, Carolina Herrera, to enumerate a few. And this time, camouflage is applied not to hide or blend in but to be noticed and admired!

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Purple Reign – Featuring Jado Crown

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There is a color that has the magical power to spark off an aura of mystery and sophistication, boost your confidence, highlight your inner beauty and make you shine from within:

Purple

There is jewelry that embodies the harmony of nature, avant-garde vision of art combined with classical luxury. The jewelry that offers the intimacy between your natural beauty and nonpareil magnificence of form- the apogee of perfection:

Jado Crown 

What do these two have in common? They respond to the same set of highest aesthetics, incarnate passion and devotion. They are powerful expressions of ingeniousness, elegance and refinement. And they both represent uniqueness and royalty. Read more

Splash of Lemonade Part II

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Cheerfully yellow, this small but powerful fruit incarnates sunshine and emanates optimism. Lemon is perfect for preparing refreshing summer drinks but we can benefit from it even more now, during the fall season when we tend to lack vitamins and minerals. It is an excellent source of vitamins C and B, phosphorus and also flavonoids known for theirs cancer fighting and antibiotic effects. So when life gives you lemons, don’t make a sour face. Just squeeze all the juice out of them! Boil a cup of water with a cup of sugar, mix well with the juice and add few cups of mineral water, cool and voilà! Lemonade!

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Splash of Lemonade Part I

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Feeling thirsty? There is nothing more revitalizing than real lemonade with fresh slices of lemon. With the temperatures still close to 90F (32C) here, it’s been my favorite drink to quench my thirst on a hot summer day like this.

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Côte d’Azur Part II

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Summer breeze in your hair, blue sky above your head, happy sunlight on your face, soft sand between your toes and ocean of azure waters ahead of you. Piece of heaven to dream away these last days of August.

Come along with me on this new Côte d’Azur adventure! No tickets required, just a dash of imagination.

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Côte d’Azur Part I

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Are you still planning your vacation this year? If yes, the French Riviera is a hot destination to consider, with the average temperature above 85F (29C) in September. Beautiful marinas, deep azure blue of the Mediterranean waters, rich history, picturesque beaches, vivid colors and architecture of old towns are what have been attracting tourists from all over the world. Monaco, Nice, Antibes, Cannes, Saint-Tropez are only a few resorts on the Mediterranean coastline called in French- Côte d’Azur.

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Snake Enchantress Part II

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The serpent inspired pieces make my imagination run wild to far away destinations like Morocco, Egypt or India. I see a snake charmer with a turban on his head, sitting cross-legged on a colorful carpet on the street, with his pungi and a straw basket. He starts playing entrancing notes and suddenly, as lured by the tune, a cobra emerges from the basket in a hypnotizing dance. It’s a bit disappointing to find out that a serpent actually cannot hear any music and it only follows the movements of the pungi instrument and charmer’s hands, treating them as a predator. However demystified the snake charmer’s act is, the untamed animal and its intricate skin keep seducing like in the old times of Biblical Paradise.

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Snake Enchantress Part I

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The snake – one of the most known and mysterious mythological creatures. In different cultures and religions, it has been represented as a dragon, sea monster, guardian of temples, incarnation of evil, fertility force, symbol of rebirth or sexual desire. Dangerous, mystifying, fascinating. No wonder this magnetizing animal keeps inspiring fashion designers. Each season brings new shades of snakeskin pattern. Gucci, Burberry, Jimmy Choo, Diane von Furstenberg or Michael Kors, they all seem to be “amoureux” with snake and feature it in their collections.

And I too, must confess, have a little crash on snakeskin!

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What’s the Buzz? Part II

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Following the buzzing of the beetles, I found myself in the wild wonderland of the Adirondack Mountains in a place called Garnet Hill Lodge overlooking picturesque Thirteen Lake. A secluded retreat with a private beach where you can take a plunge into the pristine water and the only sounds you hear are the humming of dragonflies and eerie calls of a loon echoing across the lake. Mesmerizing!

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