Years ago, I had a dream and a vision of one day having my own store. My desire was not just about fashion, or styling or even selling. It was about the relationships I made in my time as a sales associate and then fashion buyer, and a wish to connect and share my passions. Today, I’ve got a year of “business owner” on my resume and I have to say, it wasn’t as scary or as hard as I thought it would be. I realized that by taking a risk, and a leap of faith, you can either sink or swim, and through hard work, I swam this year.

Sure, I haven’t reached all my goals for where I’d be now, and I have much to learn, but I’ve learned many lessons in just this short time. From business to personal growth experiences, this has been journey and an adventure, and I’m honestly proud (and not afraid to admit) how much fire I have inside, to excel, to persevere and to succeed. I believe that we all have the potential within us to achieve our goals and unleash the power within through positive self-talk, self motivation, eagerness and willingness to change and to make better choices than yesterday. I believe taking responsibility, change and growth, and not allowing yourself to play the victim, to use every situation as something that happens for us, not to us.

With all that I have learned this year, I take away with me something better than financial success: Experience. I am inspired and motivated to have an excellent 2017, with my husband, with my Gals and with my baby dachshunds, only the sky is the limit. The most precious thing we have in life is time. So friends, don’t waste it.

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One of my goals at the beginning of this year was to create a “vlog” for YouTube, not only to address the many styling questions we receive on social media, but also to offer fashion insight even separate from this blog. We launched our first video this summer, and since then, I feel like our whole team had really grown stronger and with each video, we are able to better express ourselves and our passion for fashion.

Before each vlog, resident GAL stylist and newly crowned Miss El Paso, Jessenia Cruz, and I, brainstorm topics and ideas. We watch other fashion vlogs and research trends and topics to pinpoint which subjects our subscribers and viewers would most like to see. In the beginning, we’d rehearse our segment, but we’ve learned that it’s best to just have fun, say what comes naturally, and let the conversation flow. The few times we tried to memorize a script, we sounded too rehearsed, so we much prefer having real conversations that just happen to be on camera—conversations just like we would in the store.

After we generate our topic and set a shoot date, our set director, Ladonna Apodaca, arranges all the visual details. Ladonna’s background is in set design, so having her professional, keen eye on our team is such a gift. Next, we call in makeup artist Claudia Castillo, from the Medspa at Southwest Plastic Surgery, who matches our makeup to the set lighting, and creates specific looks based on our story for that particular video. This really helps to set the tone!

Finally, videographer Tony Cedillo films our segment, which actually takes less time to shoot than the prep work. Jessenia and I have a blast together, so the filming is easy. Tony then takes the footage and perfects the sound, editing and music.

This week, Jessenia and I are proud to share our vlog about holiday dressing and styling tips for all occasions this season. We hope you enjoy watching Gal Talk just as much as we love creating it. Please subscribe to our channel Gal Talk and write in the comment box for more ideas you want to see on our future episodes!

Cheers and Happy Holidays!!

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About two weeks ago, I had the pleasure of visiting Los Angeles for Spring market. LA is one of my favorite cities, and whenever I go, I try to stop by a few shops and restaurants that I love, and this trip was no exception.

I’ve written before about how much I enjoy PUMP, an eatery owned by Lisa Vanderpump of the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, so I made it a point to return. To my surprise and delight, I was seated next to Lisa and her husband, Ken, during my meal. In a strange twist of luck, my seat broke from under me, which opened a friendly dialogue between Ken and I. We chatted a bit about potentially bringing Lisa to El Paso, when he jokingly said, “You will have to fly Giggy and me as well!” We exchanged contact information and I let him know I’d be in touch.

Before I hit the market the next day, I emailed Ken in hopes that he’d remember me. He did, and better yet, he invited my husband and I to Lisa’s Foundation Dog Gala that would be held in Beverly Hills two weeks later. Needless to say, I happily accepted. Back in El Paso, I rounded up a group of couples and reserved a table of ten at the Gala. Over the next two weeks, I felt like I was Cinderella getting ready for the ball, choosing the perfect gown, makeup, hair and of course, shoes.

We all flew up to LA the day of the gala and stayed at the Chamberlain Hotel. The day began at Sugarfish for a light lunch, then we went to Drybar for hair. We splurged a bit and had a limo pick us up for the grand ball. When we arrived, it was immediately clear that they do it big in Beverly Hills. The event was everything we expect and more– we were greeted with gift bags and “Pump and Glory” cocktails. Celebrity guests were everywhere, as they came out to raise awareness for dogs being tortured in Yulin, a country in China. Lisa, an animal lover, created a foundation called Vanderpump Dogs to help generate awareness and action for this cause.

Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, OC, and Dallas, plus Vanderpump Rules cast mates came out in support. Stars like Shiva Safai, Mohammad Hadid, Kyle Richards and her husband Mauricio, Lance Bass, Eric Bennet, Leona Lewis, Mario Lopez, Dr. Simaourian, and many others joined the fun. Other highlights were a silent auction and a lively auction for very lucky puppies – one pup was sold at $25,000! The life, right? We were honored to offer a gorgeous Carrol Dorsey Walker Swavorski crystal clutch from GAL to the auction. The clutch was named after Lisa’s daughter, Pandora.

Lisa delivered a beautiful and inspiring speech, urging guests to put action behind a cause they believe in. The night was a dream, and I was proud to help and be in support of such great cause. The evening was one to remember, with guest performances and special moments.

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Created in 2009 to create the perfect winter coat, Alessia Giacobino started the company known as Mr. and Mrs. Italy, she reinvented the classic parka by adding a modern twist. The designer began lining the Parka’s with exotic furs, adding fur trims on cuffs and hoods, and applying the same luxe touches to classic bomber jackets and trench coats.

Bomber, Army jackets, and trench coats are classic silhouettes from the 1920’s that continue to serve as must-haves, and the fur trims have made a good thing even better. The Mr. and Mrs. Italy offerings have become popular with stylish celebs like Rhianna and Cara Delevigne.

While the high-end label ranges in price from $2,500 to $10,000, Gal Fashion carries Mr. and Mrs. Italy-inspired pieces without the price tag. Jocelyn Furs, pictured here, are made of authentic fox and mink (always the first to sell out). Another more affordable option we carry at GAL are the faux fur options by Central Park West. These features adjustable and detachable faux add-ons to a wide range of styles.

Whether you’re in the market for faux or the real thing, we’ve got you covered when it comes to fun and fabulous furs this winter!

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During a trip to Los Angeles this past February, I paid a visit to Frame Denim to get an idea of the kind of denim trends I could scoop of for Fall. To my surprise, the sales girl implored me to buy a velvet blazer, swearing it was the next hottest item and on everyone’s order. I thought to myself, “Velvet? Really?” but took her word for it. I’m glad I did.

Velvet is one of those trends that seems to fall out of, then return, to popularity and this season, it’s back with a vengeance. If you’re going to invest in one piece this Autumn, make sure it’s in this soft, luxe fabric. There are plenty of options to choose from—I’m seeing velvet on everything from shoes to bomber jackets. The juxtaposition of the luxury fabric on traditionally casual pieces is fun and unexpected, all the makings of good fashion.

Trendsetters like Hailey Baldwin and Kendall Jenner are not waiting for the cool weather, but instead rocking this trend while temps are still soaring.

Though it’s still warm in Texas, you can already wear velvet pieces now as accent pieces, such as velvet booties with shorts or velvet cami dresses with wedges. There is no right or wrong way to rock the trend, just have fun with it, and don’t feel as if you have to wait for the cold to wear it. Dive into the luxe life!

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