TWO

TWO

Witchery Cape Dress (very similar) / Rubi Shoes pleather espadrilles 

I'm caught in-between wanting to explain that it feels like I've been running this blog a lot longer than 2 years, but also "WHERE HAS THE TIME GONE?!" I feel like I just hit publish on Like A Harte's first birthday post and here I am trying to find the words to thank you for sticking with me another year.

I feel like I've changed a lot in the past few months and I love being able to share it with you over my different social channels. I love reading all of your comments, how people have found me, getting asked advice and giving it - as well as keeping in touch with so many of you in general. So many of you have blogs that inspire me everyday and I love that we're all a little community that support each other. You are incredible. Thank-you, thank-you, thank-you.

On Sunday I ventured down to Cape Schanck with a friend to capture the vision I had in my head with a foil balloon and a pretty view. My judgement was cloudy on the logistics - balloon on a windy day? Good luck - but luckily this post's intention wasn't to focus on details but rather to say thank-you. I also went up a lighthouse for the first time to celebrate and forgot my phone in the process, but I assure you, the view was beautiful. Here's hoping my clumsiness ends here and another great year continues - full of travels, dream achieving, and doing what you love. I'll be bringing in a few different areas to the website soon to do more with health and lifestyle, so I'm excited for you all to see that. I'm also feeling another competition soon... ;-)

SASHES AND TIARAS.....Miss Earth 2017 National Costumes Competition: MY TOP 15 BEST!

SASHES AND TIARAS.....Miss Earth 2017 National Costumes Competition: MY TOP 15 BEST!

Filipiniana Winner: Miss Earth Philippines wins the Gold Medal for Asia at the "Miss Earth 2017 National Costumes Competition"--Century Park Hotel Manila Philippines

Photos courtesy of Miss Earth Facebook Page, OPMB Worldwide Facebook Page

Last night was the much-anticipated National Costumes Competition of the 2017 Miss Earth Beauty Pageant, occurring in the Philippines. The contest--which took place at the Century Park Hotel in Manila--featured the 86 contestants from all over the world showing off their National Costumes grouped by geographical regions including Central and North America, South America, Asia, Eastern Europe, Africa and so on.

Gold, silver and bronze medals were awarded for the top costumes (as deemed by the judges) for each geographical region. The Gold Medals (top prize) for National Costumes went to Miss Earth Philippines for Asia, Miss Earth Russia for Eastern Europe, Miss Earth Portugal for Central Western Europe, Miss Earth Bolivia for South America, Miss Earth Ghana for Africa, and Miss Earth Guatemala for Central and North America.

Medal Costume Couture: Winning costumes at the "Miss Earth 2017" National Costumes Competition, Century Park Hotel Manila Philippines

Now that we know the judges' picks, here are MY TOP 15 FAVORITES of the Miss Earth 2017 National Costumes beginning with NUMBER ONE:

1. Miss Earth Philippines Karen Ibasco: Karen won the Gold for Asia, and she gets MY GOLD PRIZE for BEST COSTUME of all the contestants! "Miss Earth Philippines'" costume was a Filipiniana Terno designed by Louis Pangilinan. It was EXTRAORDINARY! From the statement-making necklace...to the off-the-shoulder Mantilla top...to the fan...

Charles James Meets Filipiniana: Charles James gowns (left) and an example of a traditional Filipipiana Terno Dress (right)

...to the intricately designed and cross patterned multi-godet paneled Charles James-like crinoline gown-skirt...WOW! This costume should be in a museum! Kudos to the designer and all the very talented artists and sewers who made this.

2. Miss Earth Thailand Paweensuda Drouin: My second favorite was the costume worn by the stunning Paweensuda Drouin, Miss Earth Thailand. This stunning creation represents the Hmong Thai tribe, showcasing the gorgeous intricate silver headdress and batik printed fabric of the Hmong. The exquisite detail on the headdress alone deserves a medal! And I do love how chic the top and skirt look. Take that crown away and that outfit alone could be worn at a very fancy black-tie gala in Bangkok!

3. Miss Earth Nepal Rojina Shrestha: This costume was stage impacting, beautiful and fab enough to make my Top Three! The mixing of the Sari with the Hindu gods imagery...and those striking red and gold colors and silk fabrics...everything about this looked regal and very Costume Couture!

4. Miss Earth Guatemala Maria Jose Castaneda: Maria Jose's costume won the Gold for Central and North America. And I can see why; it was my 4th Best among the 86 contestants. This gorgeous creation was made and designed by Guatemalan designer Cesar Alejandro Portillo who creates many of the national costumes for "Miss Guatemala" contestants. This costume is to me THE BEST one in the "Pre-Columbian Fantasy Diva" category. The Guatemalan fabric, the colors, the feathered headdress, the sequined cape...I can't imagine how much work and time went into this and I really hope Cesar was paid A TON of money for this! Muy Bien! 

5. Miss Earth Ghana Maud Fadi: "Miss Earth Ghana" was my 5th Best and the  highest spot for a contestant form Africa. I was blown away by her presentation (she came out covered partially using her cape) and then opened it up to reveal the fabulous Kente cloth patterns. The aqua blue mermaid-shaped gown featured multicolored sequins at the bust and torso as well as bottom portion of the dress--and if that wasn't enough, it had a matching Kente cloth pleated peplum. Oh, and then there was her Ghana Coat of Arms headdress! This was a National Costume MOMENT Ladies & Gentlemen!

6. Miss Earth Japan Yasuyo Saito: "Miss Earth Japan" wore this multicolored kimono robe and dress--and she looked GLORIOUS! The costume itself was superb: The colors and the silk brocade fabrication were INCREDIBLE. Kimono DIVA!

7. Miss Earth Costa Rica Fernanda Rodriguez: At No. 7 in my Top 15 Best National Costume List is "Miss Earth Costa Rica". I loved the look of this costume, especially the bold colors and prominent feathers in the front. The costume itself represents the exotic plants and migratory birds that live together in Costa Rica and was designed by Filipino designer Maestro John. I wished he could have also designed fabulous shoes to have gone with the costume--as opposed to these off-the-rack nude platform heels.

8. Miss Earth Canada Jacqueline Marsh: OK, there are Drag Queens in Canada DYING to get their manicured hands on this costume!! This white and red UBER snowflake costume was created by Filipino designer Tohe Rojas Gantuangco and he did a FABULOUS job--take a look at all those HUNDREDS (possibly thousands!) of maple leaf snow flakes attached to her bodysuit and "wings". And the red sequined headdress as well as matching red details throughout the costume really brought home the "Go Canada!" theme.

9. Miss Earth Sri Lanka Shyama Dahayanaka: I loved "Miss Earth Sri Lanka's" Bird Couture costume at the "Miss Earth 2017" National Costume Competition. This feathered and multicolored costume represents the Sri Lanka Jungle Fowl (seen in lower top photo) and was very impacting for many reasons including that fabulous headdress, the sequined applique and of course, the actual fowl feathers. She was a Bird Goddess in this!

10. Miss Earth Malaysia Cherish Ng: "Miss Earth Malaysia" wore this costume titled "Khatulistiwa: the Goddess Flora" which was created by Borneo Republic Malaysia Creations. It was my No. 10 out of 15 Best Costumes of "Miss Earth 2017". The costume is inspired by the Latin name of Flora, the goddess of plants, flowers, and fertility as well as “Khatulistiwa”--the Malay word for equator. On Earth, the Equator is an imaginary line on the surface, dividing the Earth into Northern and Southern Hemispheres. As a country surrounded by the sea and located near the equator, Malaysia naturally receives plenty of sunlight. As a result, various species of flower can be seen across Malaysia. This costume symbolizes beautiful flowers in Malaysia. During the production of this costume, recycled items were used namely aluminum pull tabs from drink cans, plastic bottle caps, used buttons, used wire phone and used floor rugs. In other words, not only is this fabulous for the "Miss Earth" Beauty Pageant...this design would be great for the "Project Runway" Unconventional Challenge! 

11. Miss Earth Mongolia Tugs-Amgalan Batjargal: I liked this costume worn by "Miss Earth Mongolia". It looked refined, expensive and still stage-impacting. The silk fabric with fur trim looked rich and that headdress with jeweled and sequined details really took her to a Mongolian Queen level!

12. Miss Earth Vietnam La Thi Ha Thu: Made by Vietnamese designer Nguyen Minh Cong from one of his recent collections entitled "The Dreamers", this costume worn by "Miss Earth Vietnam" represents a strong female soldier. Made of a natural silk fabric, as well as glittering lame fabric, the look features a leotard/body suit, midriff peplum corset, overskirt and lotus flower details. The lotus flowers symbolize the "sturdiness and softness of Vietnamese women" according to the designer. I thought it was chic, modern and costume-impacting. I just wished she would have worn THE SAME DIVA shoes she wore in the pre-pageant photoshoot above--as opposed to the actual contest! What happened to those fabulous shoes? Were they lost in a luggage snafu?

13. Miss Earth  Panama Erika Parker: My thirteenth choice for Best Costume is "Miss Earth Panama". I loved the colors, the story, her presentation and yes--the CROWN! Her costume is entitled "Pollera Congo" (a pollera is a full skirt). This folkloric costume comes from the Panamanian province of Colon...

The costume represents the women of this area and their traditional dress. The woman is THE QUEEN and head of the family and therefore, the crown. The mixed pieces of fabric comes from when the ethnically African people in Panama were slaves, their masters would only give them leftovers of their fabric to use on their clothes and therefore, that's how they made their polleras...using discarded fabric from their Masters. The costume and overall look just made me smile. She may be barefoot but she looked RICH and EXUBERANT.

14. Miss Earth Mexico Karen Bustos: Karen comes from San Luis Potosi in Mexico and therefore, her costume paid tribute to the fabrication used in San Luis Potosi traditional dress. I loved the fashion-fab design (sleek column gown with side front slit!), the great red-and-white print, and super headdress adorned with red rose-shaped satin. I think it's so great when a designer can take a traditional folkloric dress and take it to another, almost-red carpet level! Muy bien!

15. Miss Earth Venezuela Ninoska Vasquez: Finally, I wanted to add the costume worn by "Miss earth Venezuela" in my Top 15 List. Ninoska's costume was designed by Carlos Perez and it was a sequined bodysuit of Earth Flora-and-Fauna...and Water Gorgeousness...

The look includes details representing Venezuelan Orchids, as well as the mountains, the rivers and birds of the country. To top it all off, the blue and silver crystals falling from her arm represent the glorious Angel Falls. In line with the "Miss Earth" theme, this costume is very representative of "Mother Earth" and all the natural wonders of that troubled South American country.

Just for fun...I wanted to add this "Miss Earth 2017 National Costumes Competition" Costumes Extra...Guess what country this "National Costume" is from?

No...not the nation of "McDonalds"...this is Miss Earth BELGIUM! And yes kids, she wore a costume featuring "French Fries". Why? Because if you know your food history...French Fries are actually from Belgium! Historians claim that potatoes were being fried--since the late 1600's (!) in Belgium. Soooo, yeah, that's Miss Earth Belgium's national costume. And I LIKE IT!

CONGRATULATIONS Miss Earth Philippines! Your costume was MY Number One Costume of the "Miss Earth 2017" National Costumes!

And don't forget about my PAGEANT COLORING BOOK!! Enjoy making your very own Pageant Evening Gown Contest via my coloring book! Click the photo to purchase on Amazon.com NOW!

How to Pack

How to Pack

Amazon.com

Packing for a trip. If you are like me, this is one of the most dreaded fashion situations you can face. I’m really hoping someone will invent a way to teleport your entire closet with you wherever you go. In the meantime, here are my tips, tricks and past mistakes in hopes of helping you become a better packer!

1. Brainstorm.

On my recent trip to Europe, I spent at least two months planning my outfits in advance. That might sound excessive, but I was visiting a climate that was very different from the one I live in, wearing shoes I never wear (flats) and I also wanted to come up with cute outfits I could use as blog posts. ;-) You may not need as much planning as I did, but I still think that doing some initial brainstorming can really help with packing. Write down outfit ideas for your trip in the days and weeks leading up to your trip. Use inspiration photos and fashion blogs to get fresh new ideas.

2. Check the weather.

Leading up to your trip you’ll want to be checking the weather on a fairly regular basis. I recommend checking online, but also asking people you know that live there or have been to that region at the same time of year. I am notoriously bad at packing correctly for the weather. On my recent trip to Europe, I underestimated how hot Rome would be despite having checked the weather a gazillion times. If you are unsure of the weather or visiting multiple climates as I was, I recommend bringing an item from either end of the spectrum (both a warm coat and a pair of summery sandals, for example) *just in case.*

3. Pick your shoes first.

So… where to begin? With your shoes, of course! My #1 packing tip is to start with your shoes. These are by far the biggest and bulkiest items in your suitcase, so I always start there first. Often, I will pick either black or brown shoes and stick with that same color theme for the whole trip. Another tip: wear your bulkiest pair of shoes on the plane (both directions) to save room in your suitcase.

4.  Pick your jackets next.

The weather research you do will help determine how heavy and how many jackets to bring, and I recommend picking them next since they are also one of the bulkiest items in your suitcase. Use the shoes and jackets as a guide, and then only pack the smaller items (tops, bottoms, dresses) that go with them.

5. Layer it up.

Even the best meteorologist can't detect quick weather changes, so whenever possible I suggest packing outfits that have varying “stages” like the one above, that you can be adjusted based on how cold or hot it turns out to be that day. This can also be a helpful way to pack if you are traveling from one very hot climate to a very cold climate in the same day, or if it's warm during the day and gets much colder at night. Try packing a cardigan that can go under each jacket you packed and/or a scarf or gloves that you can add to your outfits.

6. Pack full outfits.

To ensure that I don’t pack a single item I won’t use, I like to try everything on and pack full outfits, rather than bits and pieces. This method might not work for everyone, but it has been a huge space saver for me. (Bonus: if you take the time to snap a photo of each outfit, you can look back at the pictures to help you remember what's in your suitcase and choose which outfit to wear while you're on your trip!)

7. Reuse, reuse, reuse.

I try not to pack anything that I won’t wear twice, even on a short trip. Try to think of packing as a fun puzzle and challenge yourself to come up with a way to re-wear any given item more than once.

8. Evaluate.

At the end of packing, I recommend going through everything and do three things: 1. Count how many outfits you have. Make sure you haven’t packed too many outfits, or not enough. 2. Imagine as many scenarios as possible (museum, church, mountains, dinner) and make sure you have head-to-toe look for every occasion. 3. Pick which outfits you will wear on the plane in both directions.

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A Packing Case Study: What I Packed for Europe


My recent trip to Europe was 16 days, 7 flights, one train ride and three countries (England, France and Italy). This is everything I wore (minus two outfits, those photos were unfortunately erased). I packed: 

Three pairs of (cute) shoes.

• My super-comfy flat Bakers boots that I’ve had for a year.
• A new pair of Michael Kors loafers. I must’ve tried on 50 pairs of flats and these were by far the most comfy!
•  A new pair of boat shoes. These are a great alternative to sneakers since they have a cushy rubber bottom like sneakers but are much cuter (in my opinion).
•  My gym shoes. I had planned to work out at least 3 times, but only wound up wearing them once, on a run through the streets of Milan. I would consider leaving these behind next time, but then again that run was one of my favorite highlights of the trip, so it’s a tough call!

Four jackets.

• Trench coat. (didn't use it, not pictured)
• Wool navy coat. (worn 4 times)
• Camel blazer. (worn 4 times)
• Tan leather jacket. (worn 4 times)

Five bottoms.

• Dark skinny jeans. (worn 2 times)
• Black skinny jeans. (worn 2 times)
• Camel wool skirt. (worn 2 times)
• Red cords. (worn 2 times)
• Striped skirt. (worn 1 time)

Seven dresses.

• Light pink ruffles. (worn 1 time)
• Polka dots. (worn 1 time)
• Gray t-shirt dress. (worn 1 time, with leggings on the plane)
•  Camel t-shirt dress. (worn 1 time, with leggings on the plane)
• Sweater dress. (worn 2 times, not pictured)
• Olive dress. (worn 1 time)

Eight tops.

• Graphic tee.  (worn 1 time)
• Blue collared shirt. (worn 2 times)
• Plaid collared shirt.  (worn 1 time)
• Striped t-shirt. (worn 2 times)
• Mustard tank top.  (worn 1 time)
• Red silk blouse.  (worn 1 time)
• Leopard blouse. (worn 1 time)
• Polka dot blouse. (worn 1 time)

One purse.

• I brought one, large purse. It was big enough to stuff full on the airplane, but then small/lightweight enough to wear cross-body style while sightseeing. It usually contained a bottle of water, snacks, maps, and the usual stuff (wallet, lip gloss, sunglasses) for sightseeing.

Tons of accessories. 

• The right statement necklace can dramatically change your look, but as I discovered they are also very heavy, so choose wisely when packing these. I wore my heaviest necklace (Stella & Dot Jacqueline) three times on this trip.

What I packed but didn't need: 

• My trench coat (planned to wear it over the pink ruffled and polka dot dresses). It was much hotter in Italy than I thought it would be and I didn't need it.
• Four cardigans/sweaters that I packed "just in case." I really overdid it on this part. I'm a wuss when it comes to the cold, and overall I just really thought it would be much colder than it was in Italy and France. I wish I had done even more research on the weather beforehand to avoid this! I also wish I had considered the other end of the spectrum - a super-hot day, and packed a pair of flat sandals. These would have really come in handy in the 100-degree heat in Rome!
• I packed an "alternate" outfit at the very last minute that I didn’t wind up needing. I wore the other pieces, but not the cargo pants. Those were wasted space in my luggage!

Other packing tips for Europe:

• Since I was checking a bag, I felt free to stuff it full. This was a mistake. It wound up being over 50 pounds, which meant I was removing items at the airport and putting them into my purse. Which then meant I was carrying the world's heaviest purse on and off the plane. We also opted to take public transit to and from the airport most of the time, which resulted in my lugging my own 50 pound suitcase up and down stairs all over Europe. Choose wisely.
• Historical places like churches will make you cover your legs and arms when you enter. Since it was 100 degrees in Italy, I wore a breezy skirt and tank top and just covered up with a scarves (see photo above) as I entered the church.
• I packed my straightener, but not my hair dryer since hotels usually have those. You will need converters for anything you want to plug in (like your phone charger) so make sure to pick those up before your trip.
•  Don’t forget the snacks. I brought a jar of peanut butter that saved my life on a super-early flight. Nothing was open yet so that became my breakfast.

What are your best tips for packing?