Summer basics

I'm in for some gruelling weeks, it's my last occassion to prepare for the most important exams in my life. Therefore, I decided I need a mini holiday before everything so I left with my family for a couple of days to Iasi- my eternal love. I loved refreshing my wardrobe by shopping some summer basics, discovering the best hot chocolate (on a hot summer night, I know, but I got this terrible flu) and the best ice cream combination (called "Crazy Nuts"- clue: Snickers ice cream overload), reading the exquisite British Vogue number featuring Kate Upton on the cover while enjoying some Arizona Green Tea, chilling with my cousin and my friends who live there and last but not least, going to the "Edge of Tomorrow" movie. To elaborate, I've never been a Tom Cruise fan but I like Emily Blunt and my cousin insisted it would be a great action movie so I gave in. I went there, armed with my caramel popcorn and 3D glassses , without knowing anything about it except the main cast. And it was amazing! If I would have known the main topic was the battle between humans and aliens , I wouldn't have walked into that cinema! But the script was genuinely funny - it was an unexpected surprise.

Now, let's talk a little about fashion. That is a MOSCHINO bag, to address the obvious question! I have always loved the Italian brand and swore that I would buy an iconic bag when I would have a salary in the future. But I have a massive amount of luck- I follow Harvey Nichols on Instagram because I love their store and they were holding an exciting competition, in order to celebrate Moschino's 30th birthday. The prize? A classic mini leather bag, in a navy shade!

Ever since I got the bag, I have unconciously adjusted all my outfits to match it and this weekend, while I was walking into Otter looking for some new flats (I'm currently between sizes, bye bye my actual shoe collection!) I laid my eyes on the perfect baby blue flats. They are the perfect summer essential, so comfy and easy to match with pretty much everything.

The dress has another story- I'm all about finding some basic and comfy dresses for the hot summer we're in for. My aunt travelled to Athens recently and she found this beautiful, chic yet super casual Gap dress. I adore the soft cotton it's made of, Gap is all about excellent fabrics. She always surprises me with the most incredible gifts, I guess I've been really lucky lately!

MOSCHINO bag, GAP dress, OTTER flats, FOSSIL watch

MARY MANAILA X FAME&PARTNERS: Campaign Photos

♪ Iggy Azalea - Impossible is nothing ♪

The last two weeks have been the busiest of this year so far! Two important exams, lots of trips, graduation, being valeditorian of my year and actually having to prepare a speech for the occasion, the prom and even a wedding in my family. Imagine how hard it was for me to find time to fit into my schedule the shoot for the dress I designed in collaboration with Fame&Partners! Every single day I would wake up and see the gourgeous powder peach gown hanging near my desk and I would say: "This is the day! I have to show my readers how it looks!", but then something terrible would happen like four days of straight rain or an unexpected departure.

We tried to capture all the little details you can't see on the site, like how the intricate lace has a 3D effect, with that extra layer of florals. Also, you can notice how the dress isn't actually see-through on the sides. When I started creating this dress I knew that I wanted an open back dress, but I was concerned about the bra situation. As always, the Fame&Partners team was amazing and ensured me they would do a special support thing in the front- similar to a corset. It turned out great, you can dance your heart out on your big night and not have to worry about anything falling out of place!

Now, a little bit about how I styled it: I chose some nude open-toe sandals because the summer vibes got to me, but you can easily match it with some elegant nude shoes (or something baby blue- like those Gianvito Rossi pumps that stole our hearts this season). My watch is a golden rose shade, but pure golden would work as well! As for the earrings, I have to admit I'm still on the quest for a statement pair! Any affordable suggestions anyone? So far I've only found Chanel earcuffs or J. Crew chandelier earrings online (a girl can dream). For the hair, I went for an easy peasy sock bun- why did no one tell me it only takes two minutes to make and yet it looks so fabulous?

I really look forward to hearing what you think about the concept of the dress and the collaboration, my dear readers! Brace yourselves for plenty of photos:

MARY MANAILA X FAME&PARTNERS dress, Zara shoes, Fossil watch

MARY MANAILA X FAME&PARTNERS

♪ Lorde - Love Club ♪

How should I start this post? I must have erased ten senteces by now, this always happens to me when I'm euphoric! So, I'm just going to write it down: IT'S FINALLY HERE! My collaboration with the incredible brand Fame&Partners! When I started this blog, I had no idea I would ever get to design something on my own thanks to it. I still pinch myself everyday when I talk to the talented team behind the Fame&Partners brand. 

It all started back in December, a couple weeks before I left for Paris. I received a mail that sounded too good to be true: how I would like to design a prom dress? As I'm in my last year of highschool I was like: "I very much need a prom dress!" but I couldn't quite process the fact girls all over the world could choose this dress as their prom number as well. It has been by far the most exciting creative endeavour I've ever been involved in. It took a lot of dedication from both parts, sacrifices to meet via Skype because of the different timezones and even accepting to change the final colour of the dress you're looking at. How so?

My primary inspiration was a photo you can see below in the Polyvore collage, featuring the back of a beautiful salmon colored dress. That moment, I knew my dress would have a similar cut in the back and I was opting between peach and lavander for the color of the dress. I decided for lavander in the end, but the tricky lace changed everything a couple months ago. I say "tricky" because both myself and the Fame&Partners team thought the lace was essential for the dress, yet the right fabric was nowhere to be found. In March, I received a photo of the most delicate lace from the design team and I told myself: this is THE lace we need! The only thing about the fabric was the fact that it only came in peach, so we decided the dress had to be salmon/peach again. I am honestly really happy about how it all turned out, this is perhaps the Universe's way of telling me that the dress was meant to be in this shade and I cannot wait to receive mine (it's on its way) and try it on!

You can find the dress for sale here or in their Ebay store. I made this Polyvore collage to show you a way to style it ( I intend to make a couple more suggestions in the future). I believe you should wear this dress with nude pumps or sandals (although, let's face it : those Givenchy rose gold sandals are probably the ultimate match made in heaven, but we can't all be incredibly rich) and with statement earrings (perhaps an earcuff? ). No necklace should appear, in my opinion, because the details of the dress in the neck area shouldn't be hidden.  As for the clutch? You can either match it with your shoes, go for a bold tone like bordeaux or intense purple or choose the ultimate accessory: a book clutch.

MARY MANAILA X FAME&PARTNERS by marymanaila featuring Yves Saint Laurent

If you have your prom coming up just like me, I'm sure you'll fall in love with Fame&Partners! They are amazing at designing unique prom dresses and they even give you the option to pick a dress and change it to your own taste. Their stylists are always there for you, ready to advise on how you should style your dress or what type of dress you would need for your body type! If you're not sure what your prom style is, you can take their quiz to find out, it was really accurate in my case! And have I mentioned there is a "twin alert" option as well?- you won't worry about having the same dress as a bunch of other girls on your special night. They are all creative and talented people, and I love their take on party wear and the process of finding the right dress!