Turquoise, diaNoche and the Sahara

{beads are about the size of a dime each - hand-faceted natural Arizona turquoise with no dyes or stabilizers}

When I saw this strand of turquoise beads in New York City last month I though of Veronica El-Showk, who writes the beautifully written blog diaNoche Living.

I had to buy these stunning blue beauties! They fit right in with the Spring and Summer fashion trends Veronica has been writing about recently...

{a diaNoche mood board showing Nile Blue as one of the swatches. From left to right:  Roberto Cavalli, Oracle Fox. }

Veronica posts on art, fashion, travel and interior design. Her latest posts have info she gleaned from a recent fashion trade show in Las Vegas on color forecasts for Spring and Summer '11 and '12. Here's an snip from diaNoche Living on the trend "Romantic and Adventurous Bohemian":

"...Think: Skin, suede, all about detail with a little bit of shine, animal print, safari animal, military detail with a pop of color, soft sand pink, peachy nudes, aqua sanded blues, beaded crochet, long, layered, dramatic, ethnic patterns, with wood, bone and metallic details..."

Blue in varying hues show up all over the upcoming Spring and Summer trends as a wonderful accent shade. Adore the pop of the blue necklace on the model wearing the white dress on the diaNoche mood board above!

{diaNoche Casablanca shirt with matte gold silkscreen print}

Veronica introduced diaNoche's apparel line recently, and here's one of her beautifully made shirts. Veronica and her husband Hedeer are world travelers, and there is a strong arabesque influence in her work as well as influence from her Colombian heritage. Look at the beautiful faceted details in the print on the shirt. They are so similar to the faceted shapes of my beads! I love it!

...Now, I have a confession to make. I used to subscribe to all the fashion magazines. I work in a fashion business, after all. But two years ago I let all the subscriptions drop. I enjoy fashion, but the magazines never made me feel uplifted, happy or inspired. 

They always left me feeling a bit sad. I can't put my finger on it exactly. The constant self-help and plastic surgery articles? Pouty underage models in layouts where I couldn't really see the clothing?  Pretty images that seemed vapid once I put the magazine down?

{The beautiful Veronica surrounded by the sands of the Sahara, Morocco}

It's blogs like diaNoche Living that have made me fall in love all over with fashion again. There is a passion and authenticity in Veronica's blog that I found lacking in the magazines. I'm inspired again.

Here's a  quote from Veronica's post "Sahara Sunset", one of my favorites:

"Because there is zero humidity [the Sahara sand] skims off  your skin and gives way to any form of weight or pressure.  It is simultaneously heavy and light and moody during sunset.  At first you find yourself in a sea of  Aperol that intensifies by the minute and then before you know it, it cools down to a soft pink that gives the scarce shrubs a silver hue.  Once the sun has dipped below the horizon, the grey sky turns the sand a gentle neutral amber color..."

Too dreamy! I will be sure to show what I dream up with my turquoise beads, soon. And, take the time to see Veronica's full line of clothing here!

Loretta