Last week we celebrated one full year of Lulu Abroad. Yay again! And since then, guess what? I haven’t been updating as often as I wish. Anyone who has a blog of any sort knows how much commitment and time is takes to produce new content on a regular basis. It’s no joke! (you saw it here)

And those who have liked the blog enough to stick around for a while also know I do my best to deliver better-than-I-thought-was-possible-for-Flavia material for you. Which doesn’t exactly make my life easier. But I love it and there’s that.

Which first leads me to apologize for being absent. And second to warn you all: this will continue to repeat itself. Life is getting busier, the wind is blowing in the right direction, I’m pursuing my dreams and things are finally happening. Apology #2 coming right up: Sorry for being so vague but when it comes to sharing this stuff I tend to be a little reserved.

But don’t go anywhere! Better yet, go, wait and come back! The blog will continue to live and that could mean even more so through video content. Exciting, no? The bottom line is that it won’t be updated as often as it was before. I know that part sucks. And so there’s no reason to “keep you here”  (no checking for daily updates anymore more) but I’d love a sporadic visit (just once in whenever?)

How will you know to check back for new stuff? As always, I’ll let you know through Facebook, Youtube, Twitter, Instagram (@luluabroad), Pinterest and Bloglovin.

Not a social media geek? Subscribe here! This is not a definitive thing though and if anything changes, you’ll be the first to know!

See ya whenever?

I can’t believe it’s been a year, huh? It seems like just a few weeks ago when my very first post went live on September 19, 2011. If you ask me, I’ve really enjoyed the times I’ve spent creating new content for my own little piece of the internet. Of course there were also times when joy gave way to stress and I wanted to pull my hair out, but nothing crazy.

I’ve learned a great deal. Went from not knowing what cache and cookies were to improvising html tricks here and there. A  year ago I didn’t know how much of a difference this blog would make in my life. And now I’m glad I do. So in celebration of Lulu Abroad’s first blogiversary I present you with “A Day in The Life”, a close look at my routine as a personal style blogger.

And of course, the blog wouldn’t be the same if it wasn’t for each one of you who stop by to check on me. Thank you for reading. Cheers! 

Not that I’ll be attending prom anytime soon (2004 is long gone) but this blue cocktail dress brought me back to the old times when the clear-sunglass lens trend had its days of glory and “One More Time” by Daft Punk was my jam. Maybe with the conclusion of summer and all the festivities the next two seasons come along with, my brain skipped ahead, sort of. See this week’s video lookbook above for some awkwardly early inspiration.

betsey johnson dress (really love this), drapes by ashley scott earrings, christian louboutin shoes

modcloth dress, thread necklace thanks to sandra batts bijoux, mac lipstick ruby woo

As announced here a week ago, Sunday night I performed for the first time at Davenports Piano Bar. It’s hard to describe the whole experience and I’m still processing it in my head. Although it’s always been a dream of mine, I never knew how great it’d feel to stand up there behind that mic and just sing my feelings away.

The sensation of belonging right there, on that stage in one way or another is the realization of a dream.

Incessantly biting off my nails, rushing to the bathroom to wipe of my tears (yes, I cried before the show and the mascara was not water proof), mispronouncing a word here and there, tripping on the microphone cord, forgetting the lyrics, cracking my voice: all of those fears faded away as soon as I stepped on stage to made a proud discovery. I can actually do this.

Keeping within the Summer theme for the show and inspired by Eva Cassidy’s and Norah Jones’s interpretations of this great classic, I performed “Summertime” accompanied by the talented Claire Bigley on the piano.“Hot Stuff” by Donna Summer (which was a number one summer hit in 1979) followed, and I also shared the stage with Cara Dawn (she sings “Time after Time” like no other here), who I not only admire so much as a musician but who’s become a true inspiration to me and a great friend. Together we sang “The boy is Mine”, a 1998 number one summer hit.

I must thank Gillian Kelly our musical director for putting together such a fun show. Claire Bigley for giving us the beautiful accompaniment, the other vocalists for being so patient with the newbie, my friends and family that came to the show, my family in Brazil who are always so supportive, and especially my husband, who’s played audience and heard me practice the songs enough times to never wanna hear them again.

 
I write this post in honor of my grandpa who passed away a few days ago. He was my very first “audience” when I was a little girl I’d wrap a scarf around my head, grab the hair brush (you know, the mic) and perform as he kindly applauded.
 
 

I should first apologize for my unannounced absence but it’s for a good reason. I’ve kept busy with rehearsals for my singing debut.

                                                    Photos by Kicko Campos

You read it right. For the first time ever I’ll perform along side other talented vocalists at Davenports Piano Bar Cabaret, September 2nd at 7:00pm in Chicago. And for someone who’s used to the shower a mic stand is a big deal. If you’ve been following me you probably know I sing in all my videos (but if I’m breaking the news right now just head over to my Youtube channel for samples) and that I can’t do without music. But performing live is new scary territory.

Thankfully, I’ve been working with two incredible vocal coaches (check them out here) and that put me at ease. Back to the show, it’s a collection of No 1 summer hits top 40 to Broadway. Till then what I’m singing (and wearing) will be kept secret but if you really wanna know, make reservations here under Cabaret and I’ll see you then!

alexander wang tank top, club monaco skirt, top brought in brazil, rayban sunglasses, prada sandals, proenza schouler bag

And that’s what I wore to a fun afternoon at the Lincoln Park Zoo, where we filmed the new video look book “Jar of Hearts”. It was hot and I was lazy, so comfort took the lead here. Wondering about the bright orange top? Rechillier is the technique, craftmenship that originated in northeast Brazil. It transitioned to mainstream in the past few years and now you can find it pretty much anywhere in the country. Definitely one of my favorite international pieces.

Ever since my husband and I moved to Chicago the Lincoln Park Zoo has become one of our top rated things to do on the weekends. During our last trip, we filmed another video lookbook edited by the sound of “Jar of Hearts”. Push play to watch:

 
Perfect days like this are what Chicago summers are famous for. If you haven’t visited, you must. Little insider tip: entrance to the zoo is totally free!