In the immediate wake of the down-on-NYFW post I wrote yesterday comes an example of fashion I feel good getting excited about.

Vegan Fashion Week was held from February 1—4 at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles and California Market Center in Downtown LA. The event gives an empowering platform to conscious brands and designers to showcase game-changing fashion.

Vegan designers and activists were invited to showcase innovative, cruelty-free, and sustainable collections. They offered an inspiring look into a future—a place where compassion is the industry norm.

Groundbreaking textile solutions were presented, including Piñatex® pineapple leather (woah!), apple leather, eco-friendly faux fur by Ecopel®, faux wool, and more. If you’ve never heard of some of these, you’re not alone—but how exciting. And you know I love faux-fur! 😉

Designers included Dr. Martens, Matea Benedetti, Noemie Devime, Altiir, Bayem, Ecopel, Enda, New Rock, Mink Shoes, Mistohn, Sarah Regensburger, Chloe Trujillo, Vegan Club, WastedLA, and Arsayo.

Apparently, the event was such a success that Vegan Fashion Week creator Emmanuelle Rienda is already preparing for next season’s showing: “I am on a mission to challenge the fashion industry at its roots until cruelty-free is the norm.”

Here are some looks from the runway & a few snaps backstage.

Winter’s here, and that means you get to live your life to the faux-est.

I recently bought a (non-vintage, full disclosure) statement faux fur scarf that I just can’t stop wearing, and it made me wonder what glam & fuzzy vintage gems are out there in my favorite online market place.

Naturally, that led to scrolling through Etsy all night to seek out the crème de la crème for you!

Not only is faux fur super-stylish, but it’s much nicer to our animal friends. Add to that the fact that shopping vintage is better for the planet, and you’ve got a double dose of good karma to keep you warm this winter.

I believe that’s what they call a win-win. *~eyebrow waggle~*

Scroll below for my top picks for the cutest vintage faux fur coats on Etsy right now, from under $65 to $250.

Introducing… the project I’ve been going nuts over for the past couple of weeks! The Hey Mishka Vintage shop is officially open for holiday 2018.

I’ve been hunting high and low, online, offline, upstate, and all over NYC for magical vintage pieces that you can rock during the holidays. I’ll be adding additional styles to the shop all week and into the new year.

We did an exciting shoot in my apartment at the end of November to kick off the launch. It was a day of pastries, xmas lights, and standing on a step ladder to capture big smiles and candy cane-garnished toasts. So fun!

I hope it gets you in the holiday spirit and gives you a few outfit ideas, too.

Some of you may remember the vintage shops I’ve had connected to this blog in the past—and the fact that shooting DIY lookbooks in my various apartments has been a long-standing passion of mine.

Treasure hunting for special pieces and sharing them on my blog has also been a passion for the past decade! This time, the shop is bigger, better, and more festive than ever.

See the full lookbook below—and shop Hey Mishka Vintage holiday 2018! You can also get on the mailing list to receive updates on new arrivals and sales.

Have you ever hit a breaking point in your overwhelm where your brain just forces you into a mandatory summer chill session?

Maybe it’s a summer thing…

I hit that point last week. I won’t even try to make it sound cute: I was a stressed out mess over everything from work to personal stuff, and no amount of list-making or staring at the computer screen was helping.

I thought I could hustle through it, but no. My brain was like, “That’s it, Mishka. Slow the eff down.”

I fully admit that I may have too many projects going on right now. As basic as it sounds, I love doing stuff! Making things, going places, collaborating…

I mean, you guys know me.

But sometimes, a girl’s gotta grab a bottle of brut rosé—this one, in particular, is perfection, and I grabbed it while leaving Grand Central—and just recline in the grass.

So that’s exactly what I did.

I ended up taking an entire day mid-week to slow down and defrag my brain.

(Remember manually defragging your PC? I used to love watching those little cubes get organized!)

I popped that bottle, sprawled out on the lawn and attempted to reach a place of relative zen. I still thought about projects (and I still took these photos—guilty), but once the tripod was shoved aside, I was able to chill out and just enjoy the day.

Aaah, what a feeling! Summer in the Hudson Valley has been amazing. Knowing that I’m returning to the city in August has helped me to appreciate it even more.

On a total whim the other night, I took a pair of scissors to my hair and chopped off 6″ or so. Maybe even more! It was getting super long, and even though I was having fun styling it this winter, I felt that cliche need for a change of some kind. It sounds silly if you’ve never done it, but it really does change your life when you lob off this much hair.

The last time I cut my hair into a short bob (way shorter than this) was when I was 25—here’s evidence!

Just like the first time, I felt like I had some heavy energy to shed. Some demons to release. January wasn’t the easiest month, and I sort of felt like I was dragging the 2017 version of myself along for the ride.

Aside from the idea of releasing energy and feeling lighter, I really like how it looks! I can wear it down with bangs or flip it over on my head for a sort of instant hairdo.

I was never really into “doing” hair or figuring out what style works for me. It has all been trial and error. Having long hair often meant just trying it up so I didn’t have to deal with it either way. Even when I dropped a fat stack of cash on balayage last spring, I had no idea how to make it work for me.

So, here we are. Short hair, happy Mishka, and my favorite hat.

Spring is finally here! My brain is a veritable explosion of boozy brunches and cherry blossoms! Also? I’ve officially put away my winter wardrobe.

It was a relatively mild winter in terms of snow storms and such, but it felt so, so long, and there’s just nothing as amazing as seeing the flowers and leaves pop into view after months of grey.

It’s been a long time since I did an outfit post, too, so I thought the onset of this delightful season would be the perfect time to share a few of my favorite recent finds.

Here’s what I wore over the weekend when I was traipsing around my nabe and stopped for an iced chai at Brooklyn Kolache.

Just a few postcards from New York Cit-ay!

This week I did some sketching, got glittery nails, toasted the end of winter with some bubbly rosé, wore my new cat-eye sunnies everywhere, and soaked in the sights and sounds of this crazy place I call home.

I also got a new necklace, which I fell in love with and then promptly broke. Story of my life.

What are YOU up to this week?

After every 3,000 words we write, Krystal and I have a cocktail. It’s called motivation!

“There is no time for cut-and-dried monotony. There is time for work. And time for love. That leaves no other time.” — Coco Chanel

Brooklyn weekends are getting lovely thanks to the sun staying up in the sky longer… but it’s still chilly outside.

Another BK trend right now? Blustery, cold nights. Lately I’ve been draping myself in a cozy scarf and big cushy knit cardigan for evening rooftop hangs… which my friends and I are pretty fond of all year round.

One of my favorite scarves this winter has been this cute pink and black plaid wrap by Free Endearment. The brand gifted it to me to take for a test run and it definitely earned a hook on my coat rack.

Tropical prints, luxe silhouettes… easy dresses that beg for the sun to come out. That’s what I’m craving as the NYC winter continues to cascade down in the form of sleet and snow. Luckily, Mara Hoffman‘s newest arrivals are doing their part to lift my spirits with all of the above.

She imagines every scenario in which a girl wants to look amazing, from wandering the coast to lounging by the pool. Is it any wonder I’m in love? Here are five of my favorites from her newest resort collection.

1. Tank Dress

2. Triangle Top Cutout Maxi Dress

3. Jaquard Cropped Top

4. Linen Cropped Top

5. Poncho Sweater

So we’re officially a week into November, and I’m really starting to enjoy this chilly weather. This morning I’ve got my mug of green tea, my favorite candle burning, and some brand new slippers on my feet. The stuff fall weekends are made of!

While I can reminisce about sunny summer days and tropical prints all day long, there’s no denying that fall fashion is a different kind of addicting. Here are 5 outfits that are perfect for November to get you inspired for that epic fall shopping haul.

Above: 1. Bauble Bar Violet Meteor Drops 2. Rag & Bone Mila distressed cut-off denim shorts 3. Topshop Double Layer Sheer Solid Sweat 4. J.Crew Diamond Dot Tights 5. Rupert & Sanderson Leather Parnassus Ankle Boots

Above: 1. Donna Karan Oversized alpaca, silk, cashmere and wool-blend cardigan 2. AUDEN Lenox Bib Necklace 3. Topshop Jacquard Swing Slip Dress 4. Essie Nail Polish in Mademoiselle 5. H&M Cable-knit Knee Socks 6. Dirty Laundry Tall Tales Lace-Up Tall Boots

Above: 1. Topshop Freedom Found Collection Engaved Disc Bracelet 2. Topshop Outline Detail Cuff 3. Free People Hybrid Strappy Leather Bootie 4. APIECE APART striped woven alpaca-blend poncho 5. Rick Owens Stretch leather and cotton-blend leggings

Above: 1. H&M Jacquard-knit Cardigan 2. Dara Ettinger Top Dipped Gold And Pink Agate Jill Ring 3. Milly Jacquard mini dress 4. H&M Macramé Bag 5. Free People Fleet Lace Up Boots

Above: 1. Leif Gem Collector Beanie 2. Nars Nail Polish in Schiap 3. Rick Owens ‘Nasha’ ankle boots 4. Diane Von Furstenberg wrap style jumpsuit 5. Vivienne Westwood Anglomania Atmos chunky-knit wool-blend cardigan

Speaking of shopping… I just learned about the Amazon universal wishlist button, which lets you build a wishlist on amazon.com from any other retail sites on the web, including marketplaces like Etsy, and then share it. It’s perfect for the holiday season—you can tell your family and friends to set one up, so you can get a glimpse at what they want this year. *wink wink*

Time to play dress up…