So Christmas and the New Year are upon us… who would have thought so soon? I’m busy packing for my family and I to leave New York for Sydney within the next day or two. You should see the looks I get when I mention my 22 month-old and 3 1/2 year old are making the journey with us… unbelievable! People cannot believe one travels with babes...

We are shooting the Autumn Sara catalogue in early January in Sydney. I look forward to seeing my wonderful friends who make up the crew. So much to catch up on… Hence the timing of our trip.

From my family to yours, I wish you and yours all the best for the holidays, Christmas and the New Year. It really is a magical time of year filled with love, joy and good times. Bring on the good memories that we will relish in years to come.

Take care and all my best,

Ljubenka

To those of you living in America… Happy Thanksgiving.

Hope your holiday was filled with love, cheer and delicious dishes and treats. My family and I celebrated the holiday however, without the traditional bird on the table (turkey). It’s not one of our favourite meats so we opted for seafood and lamb dishes (rather Australian of us wouldn’t you say)? We also had a yummy apple pie with vanilla ice cream to top the meal off.

Since my last post, the Sara Holiday catalogue has come out and hopefully reached all of you by now. I have some cute pieces I particularly like and would love to share them with you. They are:

Sara Print Tunic	Sara Empire Line Tunic	Sara Cargo Shorts	Sara Cargo Skirt
Sara Denim Shorts	Sara Skirted One Piece	Sara Crochet Trim Cover Up	Sara Maxi Crossover Dress
Sara Plain Tiered Maxi Skirt	Sara Stripe Tee	Sara Crossover Dress	Sara Sateen Crop Jacket
Sara Border Print Maxi Dress	Sara Textured Tunic	Sara Maxi Sundress

Have a great week. Keep the sunscreen flowing!

Be well.

Ljubenka

Who can believe it’s the end of October? Not me that’s for sure! Doesn't it appear that time flashes by faster and faster… or is it simply me?

That said, fall (autumn) is upon us in the northern hemisphere and our layers are slowly building up and up. Everyone I know here in the big apple is sad that our summer started and ended at record speed. It’s all about your summer here.

Great news for the southern hemisphere, bring on the heat, sun and fun of summer! Hence, the Sara High Summer catalogue. Just when you thought your summer options had come to a standstill, there is more!

My family and I are looking forward to spending Christmas and the New Year in Australia (in varied states of down under) as we get around to see both my husband’s and my families. These last few years we have ended up with one week or so to chill and spend time together in the sun on ‘holiday’. Not much time when you come to think of it… we need to change that I think!

Anyway, it’s the end of October and that spells out HALLOWEEN. Mila is dressing up as a princess (of course), and Levi will be a racing car driver. He is obsessed with cars! I can’t tell you how many he has of varying colours and sizes… cars, cars and more cars!

So on Sunday we attend the annual Halloween Parade in our wonderful neighbourhood. It really is so much fun to see the kids dress-up. Some adventurous adults take the plunge also… not my husband and I! We try and keep our cool on during the daytime anyway!

Have a fabulous start to the summer.

Be well.

L.

A few days ago, Fashion Week in New York came to an end for Spring 2012. The city was alive and pulsating with colour, prints, shine and a little pastel for those of you who like something a bit more, subtle. Let's not forget the people and media! Fashion Night Out kick started the event and I personally had a show and two parties to attend opening night. Nothing like it really!

What you and your friends can look forward to next spring (I know it seems an eternity away and let's face it... it is!), is some really pretty and some different trends to what we've seen of late. How exciting!

Spring 2012

Colour – feminine white & plenty of tangerine hues

Colour block dressing & graphic prints

Cropped tops – from tees to tanks/singlets

Floor-length dresses and skirts – oh so femme!

Metallics – super shiny with lots of sparkle

Pastel separates – think gelato shades of all flavours

Peplums - a pouf or flare at the waist on jackets, dresses, skirts and tops

Sporty fabrics – mesh all the way

Tropical Prints – especially on pants with super vibrant colours, and a lot of bird prints

White hot heels – say bye-bye to the nude of this year

Now the fashionista crowd travels to London, Milan then Paris. I wonder if we’ll see more of the same or something entirely different to what we've seen here in New York recently. Time will tell!

Have a wonderful week.

Be well.

L.

Here I sit in my dining room after a long day at work and I'm looking around me at the wall where our leak left a mark, thinking back to Saturday night when Hurricane Irene brushed and rushed past our apartment. What a weird night it was. 

The rain was thick and heavy and the wind carried a sense of the unknown... How bad were we going to be hit by Mother Nature? The million dollar question! We were one of the lucky ones. She came and went in about 12 hours or so and when we stepped outside of our home, we found ourselves thinking, "this is it?" Thank goodness it was. Life as we know it and back to normal.

I have since spoken to and heard varied stories of Irene's impact. From floods to power outages to fallen trees on property and cars to the tragic deaths... Irene touched the east coast of America very differently. We are most grateful it wasn’t worse in neighbourhood of New York City.

So, now to my favourite pieces from the Sara Spring collection. There are some cute outfits that are fun and flirty... Chambray, prints, spots and colour are options for the new season. 

Below are my personal must-haves: 

Sara Chambray Shirt Dress	Sara Tie Neck Tunic	Sara Shift Dress	Sara Maxi Dress
Sara Back Smoothing Bra	Sara Skirted One Piece	Sara Scoopneck Tankini Top	Sara Skirted Swim Briefs
Sara Tab Sleeved Cardigan

Enjoy the warmer weather approaching.

Be well.

L.

Did I mention that it’s HOT? Since returning home to New York earlier this month, summer has well and truly kicked in. Last week we went through our first ‘heat-wave’ of the season. What a concept... in coats for over two weeks in Australia then into a light summer dress and sandals within 24 hours! With the humidity, it feels like we’re in Singapore... forever glistening.

We’ve had a busy social month too with cousins and their families visiting and passing through the big apple. My agent from Australia popped over for dinner too… Hi Clint! It was fun and festive. I love it when we get a dose of ‘Australia’ right in our home.

Mila started ‘summer camp’ last week. It’s only four hours a day, three days a week for a month. She loves it and there wasn’t a second of separation anxiety or hesitation for her. For my husband and I, it was another story. We are starting to prepare ourselves for pre-school in the fall (September). Oh my! Already?! Mila of course cannot wait.

Other than two or three one-hour classes a week, Mila has been ours up until now. I’m starting to feel like a ‘real’ working mum now… preparing snack and lunch boxes for ‘school’ before work. On my days off, I have to set the alarm (not so much fun when for the last few years our days simply started when we naturally awoke somewhere between 8-9am… all late sleepers in our home fortunately). It appears we have to grow up and transition to the next phase of our lives as parents. It goes by all too quickly. I feel a little sad and nostalgic however, I'm certainly looking forward to what lies ahead too.

Enjoy your every day…

Be well.

L.

We are in the middle of our Sara Spring & Summer catalogue shoot in Sydney. This afternoon the crew & I fly to Noosa (Queensland) for four days. We hope the beautiful sunny weather lasts so we can get some beautiful shots of the new season’s collection.

Would you like a sneak preview of what’s to come? OK… you’ve twisted my arm. For Sara Spring & Summer, prints are big for the season. Eveningwear has beading and a great ruffle dress I simply love.

Stripes never left us and there’s a hint of the nautical. As far as bold colours go… purple, coral and green tones do the job this season. There’s nothing like a pop of colour to add some difference to your summer wardrobe.

Jeans are always a good basic and option in the warmer months. They go anywhere, anytime.

Some good news for those of you who simply can’t get enough of Sara bras… To add to the everyday essentials, there are some new and sexy styles coming your way.

Best I get back to the crew now. We have so much to shoot.

Have a wonderful week.

Be well.

L.

This is the amazing Sara crew on Monday afternoon once we wrapped-up our eight day spring & summer shoot in Noosa, Queensland. What a Mötley Crüe indeed! Thank you dear friends... I look forward to seeing you at the end of September.

Summer has finally arrived (not much of a spring to write about here)… Everyone in New York is thrilled about that and it’s all everyone seems to talk about. We are finally showing some skin and getting our dose of Vitamin D.

It certainly doesn’t take our little family of four as long to get out the door like it does in the colder months (think many many layers with a one and three year old)… Seriously in need of a chill-pill at times when attempting to get out the door in a timely fashion. Life is a little less complicated these days.

In a few weeks time, I’ll be returning to Australia to shoot the spring and summer Sara catalogues. I’m very excited to shoot the new seasons collection with the magical team that is the Sara crew.

We have a long weekend here this weekend... Memorial Day is on Monday. It unofficially kicks off summer in the U.S. A BBQ or two is on the cards I think. We have to make the most of this fabulous weather.

Enjoy your weekend.

L.

So another month passes us by… It’s almost the end of April and I cannot believe it. Here in NY, we’re not much closer to spring than we were last month unfortunately. We have small hints and signs emerging (flowers & trees are starting to bud and our courtyard is starting to look alive again). One certainly appreciates fabulous weather, when you get it!

Last month we shot the Sara Winter catalogue as you know.  I have selected some new personal favourite pieces (forgive me if I repeat myself from previous catalogues).  They include:

Sara Plain Shell Top	Sara Drape Cardigan	Sara Slim Cargo Pants	Sara Stud Tunic
Sara Cord Pants	Sara Military Check Shirt	Sara Cable Cardigan	Sara Crossover Knit Dress
Sara Drape Cardigan	Sara Contrast Trim Cardigan

Perhaps in my next blog, I’ll have some springtime news to share with you.

To those of you who celebrate it… Happy Easter! We plan on a little Easter egg hunt in our courtyard with the kids… Let’s hope it’s not snowing!

Be well.

L.

It’s officially spring here in the northern hemisphere however, it has not felt like it! We’ve had a couple of mild teasers although nothing to write home about. I can’t even imagine shedding my winter layers just yet. Enough already.

So, with New York fashion week well and truly behind us, spring fashion for 2011 is everywhere. All the storefront windows are brimming with soft, sexy hints of warmer weather to come. Bring it on I say!

Some major trends to look forward to include:

• Bright prints (splash of colour)
• Crochet & sheer tops in cosmetic neutrals (oh so feminine)
• Flare denim jeans (bring back the ‘70s)
• Friendship bracelets in all palettes and styles
• Maxi dresses (loving these)
• Maxi skirts (something a little newer to our wardrobes)
• Mixed metal accessories
• Oversized glam shades (when did they ever go away?)
• Stripes (everywhere)
• Wedges (love these babies)

Happy days!

Be well.

L.