Category Archives: Fashion

Meet your new favorite hair accessories designer

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Look, it’s Nicole Richie’ sister from another mister! No, it’s Melissa Fliss, my new favorite hair accessories designer and soon to be your favorite. Ever since she sent me samples of her new spring turbans (shown below), I’ve been hooked, rocking them nonstop indoors and out and getting tons of compliments wherever I go.

At just 30, the half-Mexican, half-Polish Fliss from Aurora, IL has accomplished so much already—her handmade Mila Rose Designs are sold at the Henri Bendel flagship store in New York City, and also on her website (for those of us who live elsewhere). She takes custom orders, so start thinking about that perfect hair accessory you want to wear yourself or give to a friend.

Fliss is also a Lucky Magazine contributor, and her latest column, “Dream, Believe, Achieve”, is all about how she can’t believe her dream of becoming a successful hair accessories designer has come true. Isn’t she super cute and inspiring? Best of all, she’s her own model!

Here are some of my favorite items from the spring Mila Rose collection.

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This was originally posted on GlamLatina.com. 

What’s in your suitcase: ChocQuibTown’s Goyo

Posted in Celebrity Interviews, Fashion, Music by

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Latin Grammys are just as much about the music as they are about the fashion, so we snuck into one of our favorite band’s room to see which looks they’re going to be rocking this week in Las Vegas.

Colombian hip-hop group ChocQuibTown, beloved at home in Choco and all around Latin America, is nominated in three categories this year – Album of the Year (Eso Es Lo Que Hay), Record of the Year (“Calentura,” featuring Tego Calderon and Zully Murillo), and Best Alternative Music Album.

But they’re not exactly new at this Latin Grammy thing. In 2009, they were up for Best New Artist, and they won Best Alternative Song in 2010 for “De Donde Vengo Yo.”

The band’s Colombian pride manifests itself strongly in the fashion choices of its lead singer Gloria Martinez (a.k.a. Goyo), as we were able to see firsthand during our visit to her hotel room in Vegas. “It’s really important for me to support local designers,” Goyo told me yesterday, right before our Twitcam with the group. If you missed it, check out the full, unedited video here.

The trio of Goyo, her brother Slow, and her hubby Tostao, had so much fun answering fan questions on Twitter, and shared everything from their favorite foods to their dreams of a possible collaboration with Calle 13, and even breaking into an awesome acapella of “Hasta El Techo” (fast foward to minute 14:00 of the Twitcam video)!

But first, I got an exclusive look at Goyo’s wardrobe for the rest of the week. She makes the best dressed list in my book for all of her originality and support of local designers.

Check out the pics on Fusion (ABC/Univision), where this story was originally published. 

What’s in your suitcase: Gaby Moreno

Posted in Celebrity Interviews, Fashion, Music by

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She’s one of the most exciting acts in Latin music, that much we knew. She’s even earned comparisons to the late, great Chavela Vargas. So it makes sense that Ricardo Arjona’s 30-year-old protege Gaby Moreno is in high demand.

I caught up with the Guatemalan chanteuse (who has a serious love for vintage) at a friend’s house in L.A., just as she drops her third album, the aptly titled, Postales, and preps for a trip to the Dominican Republic to perform with Arjona.

One of the many things that I learned about Gaby from rummaging through her carry-on is that she loves all of Woody Allen’s body of work. She loves Allen so much she wrote a song called “Daydream By Design” (from her sophomore album, Illustrated Songs, released last year) which she was hoping would be used in his film, Midnight in Paris. It may not have been used, but if you listen to it with your eyes closed, you can clearly hear Édith Piaf’s influence on this talented singer/songwriter. She loves Paris so much she’s already performed there three times this year.

Oh, and Marion Cotillard (who played Édith Piaf on the big screen and won an Oscar for it) is one of her fave actresses.

See a pattern here?

Gaby can switch effortlessly between Spanish and English, between blues, rancheras, pop, jazz, and R&B, and her newest release is evocative of the 1920s and 30s, like most of her wardrobe and accessories.

If you’re in the L.A. area, come through Largo tonight to watch Gaby play a live set as she celebrates the release of Postales on Arjona’s indie Metarmorfosis label.

When you’re done admiring all the goodies in Gaby’s suitcase, check out what Alex Cuba and Li Saumet of Bomba Estereo like to travel with. Everyone is so different so don’t ask me to pick favorites, although Gaby’s collection of hair accessories is kind of amazing….

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Check out the pics on Fusion (ABC/Univision), where this was originally posted.

Eva Mendes: My style icon is my Abuelita

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(L-R): Eva Mendes and her abuelita, Amada

(L-R): Eva Mendes and her abuelita, Amada

My girl Eva Mendes (aka La Dolce Evita, as I like to call her) walked the red carpet at the premiere of her new film The Place Beyond the Pines a few days ago at the Toronto International Film Festival rocking this gorgeous silk Prada turban. Minutes later, blogs A-Z started offering up how-to-wear-a-head-wrap tutorials left and right.

I was curious what inspired her to go with this look. While turbans have popped up on the runways in recent years, Eva told me she was inspired by her abuelita Amada.  Then she texted me this pic of them side-by-side. I don’t know if you can tell, but they’re wearing the same earrings. Now I see where she gets her looks!

As for me, I’m still trying to master the head wrap thing without looking crazy…

The Univision Shoe Diaries: Maria Elena Salinas

Posted in Fashion, Media, News, Videos by

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It’s no secret around the Univision offices that we have some shoe-a-holics in our midst. Our leading ladies confess to having a love affair with their shoes, but trust — this isn’t just a superficial addiction. In our new web series, “The Univision Shoe Diaries,” we’ll be talking to some of the most recognizable faces from the network (Maria Elena Salinas, Chiqui Delgado, Teresa Rodriguez, to name a few) individually to hear the stories behind their most cherished footwear.

Their stories will surprise you.

Let’s start with Maria Elena Salinas, co-anchor of Noticiero Univision and news magazine Aqui y Ahora, and a confessed shoe addict. On any given day, the click-clack of her fabulous heels can be heard in the halls of Univision’s Miami headquarters. But today, she wants to tell the story behind a far-from-glamorous pair.

More modest than many of the shoes in her closet (and trust us, she has some hot heels), these shoes serve Salinas as an important reminder. “I got to go home to my daughters and go into my air conditioned house, but so many people in Haiti didn’t,” she said. “So many kids never got to see their parents again and so many parents never got to be with their kids.”

“I rarely wear them, because they do have a special significance for me,” she added.

Aspiring journalists: take notes! This is how you win an Emmy.

Of course, Maria Elena also has lots of beautiful shoes in her closet (check out her shoe gallery on Fusion, where this story was originally posted). When you work as hard as she does, you should treat yourself once in a while.

What’s in your suitcase: Li Saumet of Bomba Estereo

Posted in Celebrity Interviews, Fashion, Music by

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Bomba Estereo’s Liliana Saumet is on the road a lot. As in, she’s not sure where she’s been in the last few days (San Francisco) or where she’s going next (home to Colombia). I caught up with the electro-tropical band’s vocalist during the L.A. stop of their Elegancia Tropical tour (check out their Tumblr for cool on-the-road photos). She happily showed me everything she travels with — from toiletries to lingerie.

Li kicks off my new column for Fusion called “What’s In Your Suitcase?” which is exactly what it sounds like, and something I’ll be doing with as many celebs as possible.

It’s funny how much you can tell about a person just by snooping through their luggage.

You never know when you’ll need cute lingerie! Liliana is a big fan of Victoria’s Secret bras and panties.

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