Welcome to Miami...

Having spent my whole life in quaint Tampa, Florida, one could say I haven't had much exposure to the "big city life." My out-of-the-nest college years in Tallahassee unfortunately didn't provide much experience in this either. I am used to the small feel of Tampa Bay where everyone knows everyone, ten minutes is a far drive, and 'Bayshore' is the street where Gasparilla pirates invade. I also thought the infamous "South Tampa Moms" were a good talking piece... I hadn't seen anything yet! With my graduation quickly approaching, my mom decided to return to her roots and move back to Miami so she could spend more time with her parents while diving into a new, more posh market for her work. This has given me the best of both worlds, still having my dad's side in Tampa while being able to explore this wild, new world. My top two things about Miami are the people watching (you see some pre-tty interesting people here) and the fact that nothing is too wild to wear here. I have tons of clothes in my closet that never get put to use because I feel uncomfortable wearing them in judgmental Tampa. While a lot of 'Miamians' do just dress casual, I think it's more fun following the hotsy-totsy crowd (just the way they dress, not their attitudes). There's something about the Miami aura that makes me wanna get all dolled up! That being said, this past weekend while I was visiting my mom, I had the chance to rip the tags off of some of my new clothes and do as the locals do!


Saturday, we went to a nice brunch at Greenstreet's in Coconut Grove. This was the perfect opportunity for me to wear "the pants." I scooped them, with much hesitation, from Henry Girl Boutique in Tallahassee and although I loved them, I wasn't certain I could pull them off... what better place to give them a test run than Miami? And just like I thought, I fit right in with the heel-wearing, Michael Kors bearing, dog-toting Miami locals.

Today wasn't a trial day for my wardrobe, but I did get to experience my first Orchid Festival at Fairchild's Tropical Gardens. We walked through the flower-stuffed tents until our noses couldn't sniff any more and then headed off to yet another great people-watching lunch at a place called Crave in Merrick Park, where we discovered the reason for the name was that the food took so long to come, you're really craving it by the time you get it. To give them credit it was pretty packed, I enjoyed my meal, and the atmosphere was one I could have waited hours in.

Each day is a vacation in Miami, and my newest goal is to end up here after school! Miami has given me a chance to break out my sense of style without feeling uncomfortable, because no matter how absolutely ridiculous something I wear is, there will ALWAYS be someone to top me. I encourage you fashionistas to break out the style no matter where you live, but if you need a little encouragement, you can always come visit me in the magic city!

-LFH :)