Dolce & Gabbana shot by Mark Iantosca

Take a peek inside my latest shoot for Dolce &Gabbana, just in time for their Dolce & Gabbana flagship store opening here in NYC! This is one iconic fashion house in Italy I’ve only dreamt of working with. Can you say #DGNYC?! The new store is absolutely beautiful! Giant glass windows, lush vevlet cushionings, and of course, some of the most beautiful pieces of clothing I’ve ever seen lining the walls. I got to meet with the Milano Dolce & Gabbana team just the other week for our fitting and I  fell in love with the Sicilian inspired looks. The stripes, the prints, the extra large earrings. Even the stilettos felt good on. I tried on everything from a super tiny floral mini, to a stripe on stripe matching bustier and skirt. I ended up falling in love with blue ensemble…it’s very Italian, very colorful, and most of all, it fit like a glove. The minute I had it on, the whole team knew this is what we’d shoot in. They wanted me to share my NYC story…and lord know, lots of crazy things happen in a short amount of time here.

We ended up shooting by the Brooklyn Bridge, a place that holds so much meaning to me. Fresh faced from LA, I moved to DUMBO, Brooklyn…living in an artist’s loft with 5 other people. Everyone in the house wasn’t originally a New Yorker, yet was here to make something of themselves…whether it be making art, or becoming an actor. Yoga happened in the living rooms, and the brick walls were covered in beautiful splashed paintings. I’m happy I had somewhat of a family to introduce me to this crazy place. I was just moving my modeling career to NYC, and was just adjusting to the humid summer heat. It wasn’t until I crossed the bridge over to the place to where it’d all happen, to the place I’d soon fall in love with, MANHATTAN. I remember walking from the West to the East Village and thinking…”how can this place be real?” It felt like a movie set. The energy, the beauty, sucked me in. The parks so picture-perfect always was so calmingly alluring, a place to stop and breathe in the midst of the neverending go, go, go. I never wanted to stop moving, and I couldn’t close my eyes. I craved to learn more about this beautiful place. To this day I remember this feeling, and I never ever wanted it to go away. When you’re so excited and visually stimulated you don’t know what to do! NYC suddenly wasn’t that scary and intimidating place I thought it was, but rather a place full of beauty and love. There were endless possibilites and doors just waiting to be opened. My sister and I would spend morning till night in the city on the weekends, before we ended up walking the Brooklyn Bridge back home late at night. We’d get ice cream to cool us down as we got back to the loft, just to laugh over our full day’s adventures. I never knew how quickly I’d be over that bridge, living in the city full time. I think I’ve moved 5 times since I’ve been here, but it’s worth it. All the little baby steps have led me to where I am now, and I couldn’t feel stronger or happier. I’ve met so many interesting people here, and people I’ll spend the rest of my live with. I’m so thankful for how everything’s worked out. It’s almost like a fairytale now that I think of it. It was at first just a summer in NYC for work…now it looks like NYC for life.

Read my entire Dolce & Gabbana story, and see more images, here on Swide.com

It’s Mother’s Day and there’s nothing more I want than to be with both my mom and my dad! I know they’re in LA together, probably having the time of their lives together, just missing their two daughters, both stuck on the East Coast. I’ve gone back and looked through the photos I have of my mom…and the more I look, the more I see her beauty, and still to this day, she looks exactly the same. My father was clearly obsessed with her, and took hundreds, thousands of photos of her, and of Dylana and I when we were kids. Beautiful photos that’ll last a lifetime. He was always the one behind the lens, capturing everything in sight. I guess I’m in love with photography because of him. She’s Chinese…grew up in Malaysia, before moving to London, then LA, where she met my father. Her beauty is timeless and she always has a serene look to her. As a child, I’d wanted nothing more than to be held and to play with her hair. She’s a woman unlike any other. She lives by Feng Shui and always told me she has a “sixth sense” (so oddly true!) Her style is impeccable, and I trust her opinion on anything I wear. Growing up, I’d sneak into her bathroom to try the lipsticks on her counter, and splash on her countless perfumes, before getting caught and carried out of the room before I made a mess. She was a glamorous woman. Ferragamo flats were her go-to, and little Chanel bags still to this day, hang in her wardrobe. Tall for an Asian woman, like the rest of her family, she’d float about in long beautiful maxi dresses, or sport a bustier and high waisted shorts on Ocean Ave. in Santa Monica as a young mom. She’s talkative and not really afraid of anything…and she’ll always fight for her family and what’s right. I mean, she has definitely put up with Dylana and I, and made a beautiful home to grow up in…filled with delicious curry soups and gorgeous gardens. My mom’s the perfectionist…and I love every little thing about her. Just writing this post makes me miss her even more. I love you Mom with all my heart! This is one woman to admire.

(Nightcap top, Gypsy Junkies pants, Pour La Victoire handbag, Karen London cuff and rings, Jenny Bird snake bracelets, “Natalie + Dylana Suarez x Modern Vice” VINTAGE JETT boot)

Now being back in NYC, I do miss those California sunsets. The way it seeps through the leaves behind this church. The smoke of barbeque making it’s way through the fence. The All-American hot summer nights, worthy of staying up until the sun rises. My friends and I here in New York are already planning out our Memorial Day weekend get-away, before everything’s suddenly booked. We’re thinking lots of beach, sand, and a bit of bronzer. I mean, why not?! I’m ready to bring back the little fringed tops, and sheer tie-dye flares. Pieces to throw over a bikini. Here, I’ve just come home from Venice Beach the other week, and came to this little spot. It’s where Dylana and I would always come to shoot after a long day’s work back in LA. The light is always extremely angelic, and it brings back floods of memories from our youth…jumping over fences of the empty parking lots, to just to get that shot. I still love sneaking back there now, when nobody’s looking. 

Here is just a sneaky peek into some of my latest work and a few of the little in-betweens (yep, that’s the beautiful tree house I was talking about!) I’m finally back in NYC, and already, I’ve barely had a moment to breath. From fittings to meetings, I’m been uptown and  downtwon about a million times already this week, but it’s all been worth the never ending go, go, go. Here is just a teeny tiny peek into my shoots for Glamour, and also with my Italian mates at Dolce & Gabbana, flown all the way here from Milano for our shoot! I’m continually inspired from all these people I meet and get to work with. I got to be Sicilian for a day shooting on location with Dolce & Gabbana, teetering about in my super high D&G stilettos. But it’s beautiful out…Spring is when everyone starts wanting to finally get back to shooting outside. The early morning sun hits my face in bed at 6 a.m. and the beautiful pink and white cherry blossoms are always brightening up my walks. Nights call for laughter, tacos, and wobbly strolls in my clogs down in Soho with the best mates. I love getting to call this city my home.

Continue to follow my adventures on Instagram, and more updates on my latest projects coming soon!