Last month, I shared with you all my Spring/Summer 2016 fashion forecasts based on my visit to NYC Market, and now I’m so excited to reveal the stunning layout that is published in this month’s City Magazine!

The article is based on the blog post I wrote, but paired with beautiful photos that illustrate each trend. I am proud to be a contributor to a local publication that produces such high-quality work. Check out the spread, and pickup a copy for yourself at your local Barnes and Noble or Walgreens.

PS. You can catch me this Friday night on News Channel 9, I’ll be chatting about this blog and would love your support. Have a great weekend!

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Although I’ve been blogging for less than 12 months (February 2016 will mark a year!), it has become one of my favorite hobbies. Aside from working on my new business venture, writing for this blog is more than just an outlet— it’s become a source of creativity, a way to tap into and explore my thoughts and feelings, and has even served as stress relief.

It can be hard to set aside the time for creative pursuits, but I find it so important, that I wanted to dedicate a blog post to offer tips for those of you who may be interested in starting your own blog, on whatever topic you’re most passionate about. For me, it’s become an evolving (and public) journal of sorts. I’ve been able to express my thoughts on the blog, and gain awesome feedback from people all over the world. Talk about perspective!

My process:

1 . Create a running list of subjects and topics, sort of an on-going brainstorm of ideas that you’d like to build a fleshed-out story from. It’s helpful to plug these into a calendar so you can work these ideas around holidays, particular times of year, themes and trends to make these more timely.

2 . Do your homework. It’s important for me to stay informed about trends, designers and industry news since I author a fashion blog. My favorite “research” sources are WWD, style.com and other fashion bloggers like Sincerely Jules. I draw on my personal style, and what I see and experience during my travels to keep myself inspired and looking ahead.

3 . Choose your photos! When I’ve committed to a topic, I schedule a photo shoot with my good friend, City Magazine photographer, Dav Amed. We collaborate on ideas and suggestions for backgrounds, poses, and work hard to choose unique locations in El Paso. It can be difficult to find the right scenery, so I love to hear suggestions from my readers. Sometimes a photo or outfit inspires my blog topic, but it’s usually the other way around.

4 . Dress the part. After I schedule the photo shoot, I visit Dry: A Blow-Dry Bar for styling, where I have my hair and makeup done by one of the talented stylists. I usually shop my closet to find the right outfit, depending on my mood or the blog subject.

5 . Write! When I’m ready, I sit down with a cup of coffee in a quiet place to gather my thoughts, and start writing.

As you can see, this is a personal process that will surely vary from blogger to blogger, but having a thoughtful, genuine blog with compelling photos requires planning and work. I’d love your feedback and invite your own updates, questions and requests.

For more, follow me at Gesuina.Legaspy on Instagram, or facebook.com/GesuinaLegaspy

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There are many markets across the country for fashion buyers and editors to stock up on the latest and future trends, from Atlanta and Dallas, Vegas to LA, New York, Paris and many more. My absolute favorite market is the one in cool California.

There is so much to do and explore in L.A., I find myself so inspired after each trip. On my most recent market trip, I had the company of my wonderful husband. Pleasure and business at its best!

We arrived to Los Angeles on a Monday morning, ready to hit the day. We stopped by the Cooper Building first, where you can find most contemporary designers, fashion jewelry, accessories and shoes. – Just what I was searching for. We spent the day exploring together, a real treat since my husband never had a clue of the reality (and hard work) that goes into Market trips before this one. It felt good for him to witness my talents and expertise, and knowledge about fashion. We met several designers and along the way, discovered lots of great items for our grand opening in 2016. After wrapping up day 1, we headed down to the Perch for dinner and drinks, then rested for the next day.

On the second day, we hopped from from appointment to appointment. I can’t yet reveal the lines we chose, but I can assure you we picked up some chic shoes and fabulous fine jewelry that’s young and edgy, and the BEST handbags and scarves, too. After the success of day 2, we headed to Costa Mesa for dinner with friends by the bay, where we were merry all night.

Saving the best for last, day 3 beat them all. We spent most of our time shuffling from store to store for modern design inspiration, lines and creative ways to weave together these new ideas. We went to Kyle by Alene Too, and had lunch at Villa Blanca afterwards (longtime readers will remember that I am Lisa Vanderpump’s #1 fan).

Next, we stopped by a cool boutique called Satine that sold in-store art and carried all my favorite lines. You should really check out their store if you visit L.A. they have the edgiest little store that is certainly worth a special effort to see. We went to Maxfield’s, where stars like Justin Beiber frequent, it’s all high-end meets Rock and Roll. They have the hottest lines, from Hermes to Chanel, to Celine and RTA—a mixture of the best.

Then we headed to the famous celebrity boutique, Kitson. A staple in celebrity gossip magazines, I’m sure most of you have heard of this L.A. hotspot. There, we found the funniest gift items and lots of inspiration lines. One item of note was their exquisite customer service.

Finally, the creme de la creme of stores and the one that inspired me to pursue a career in fashion, the fabulous Elyse Walker. I once spotted the owner at Designers and Agents in NYC and fell in love. Her namesake store is the holy grail of specialty stores in my opinion, and I was thrilled to visit her beachside boutique in Santa Monica, where she has rolled three stores into one. The first, a clean, crisp room brimming with contemporary high-end merchandise, but also cool denim and everyday wear. The second room dons white carpet and velvet couches, the “designer room” where shoppers can find lines like Zimmerman, Valentino, and Brunello Cuchinelli. The third room was my personal favorite, with an open layout and setup so that the speciality handbags and shoes were the true focus. I was delighted to find a stocked bar, theist fashionable salesgirls and stylist, and the best handpicked mix of shoes and handbags in this room. A great way to cap off our trip to Market.

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Recently, I had the pleasure of meeting with the fabulous Shelley Mozelle, publisher of El Paso’s premiere lifestyle magazine, The City Magazine,” to discuss fashion. They stopped running a fashion column months ago since they weren’t having luck finding the right editor. Well, I’m thrilled to report that after a coffee-fueled brainstorming session, Shelley offered me the position of fashion contributor at the magazine!

I’m so excited to share this adventure with you all, my loyal friends and readers, and to be a part such a well-known, quality local publication. Shelley wrote a warm introduction to my first article in the October issue, where I touched on Fall trends. I was also featured in a section about local fashion bloggers, alongside one of my personal favorite fashionistas, Sheerstomping.

Look forward to the November issue, when I bring you more advice and facts about the fashion world. I am happy to be working with Shelley Mozelle, who is a truly sweet and wonderful person whom I feel grateful to have met. You can read more at www.citymagazineelpaso.com or purchase a copy at your local Walgreens!

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Recently, I received a blog topic request from Dana Jamieson, asking about transitioning Summer investment pieces into Fall staples. I’ve written before about how important it is to invest in versatile, quality clothing, but had never considered the importance of transitioning from season to season, instead of storing them for the same time the following year. What a great idea for a blog post!

Most fabrics can transition year round, but I put together a list of helpful hints to consider when planning your look ahead:

There are a few fabrics that are altogether “out” for Fall: linen, cotton voile and bright, white denim. Aside from these, feel free to mix and match your pieces by adding rich, Fall-hued accessories or pairing a light jacket or vest to make them appropriate for the cooler weather.

Above, I am wearing a dress I purchased from Veronica Beard in early June. It’s a pretty, cotton long-sleeve dress, yet I wore it with sandals all Summer long. For Fall, I will add a leather jacket and leather booties, and come Winter, I plan to pair it with tights, suede shoes and a fur vest. This single item will have worked for three different seasons while looking and feeling appropriate and on-trend. Depending on the weather, you can always add tights to dresses for a winter look, or a leather jacket for more versatility and edge. Accessorize with different colors, lengths, weight and fabrics, but most importantly, have fun experimenting to change your Summer pieces into the perfect Fall fashion!

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