Welcome to the latest edition of Really Love My ..., a series where I feature the most loved pieces in my wardrobe. In 2019 I shared on my annual birthday wishlist that I wanted an All Saints Leather Jacket and my then boyfriend, now fiancé, got me the All Saints Dalby Leather Biker Jacket my birthday in September of that year. This jacket essentially replaced one that I had worn for the past four seasons and was a much needed upgrade. If you have been around Sparkles and Shoes a long time you may recall my post Cupcakes and Cashmere Vegan Leather Jacket. I had purchased this jacket from Shopbop and it quickly became a favorite, so much so that a few years later I featured it in this post, Really Love My … Vegan Leather Jacket. Well that jacket has ...

The Colosseum Really is Colossal
"Are you not entertained? Are you not entertained? Is this not why you are here?" This might be the most recognizable quote from the movie Gladiator which one the Academy Award for best picture 20 years ago. Even though it may be considered a bit dated when you are standing in the middle of the Colosseum it was the first thing that came to mind. Speaking of old tough, forget about two decades - the Colosseum was built nearly 2,000 years ago and for the part that still stands - having withstood a number of earthquakes - it is an engineering marvel.Not only famed because it is still standing but also because of how quickly it was able to be built. Duomo in Florence took more than 100 years to build and this was erected from stone and concrete in only eight years but when you ...

Style Icon: Olivia Culpo
In Gaurav Gupta at the 2019 Miss Universe Pageant (source) Welcome to latest edition of my Style Icon series, where I feature ladies with amazing wardrobes whether models, bloggers, socialites, or royalty. However, after almost 30 features this might be my very first pageant queen. Eight years ago Olivia Culpo won Miss Rhode Island, then won Miss USA, and then was crowned Miss Universe. Since then the 28 year-old has had her hand in many cookie jars including modeling, acting, and influencing - have you SEEN her Instagram? She made headlines a few years ago dating Nick Jonas but today I only want to talk about her killer wardrobe.She does a great job mixing high and low pieces from affordable options to including Fendi and Nina ...

Black Watch with a Bow
First, I have to tell you all I learned something new this week - did you know the pattern of this top is called black watch? No? Me neither! Speaking of this week had a lot of ups and downs, both personally and professionally, but in an a-typical fashion I wanted to share the details of one work meeting I found particularly interesting. I double checked and everything about this is public but we spoke about how COVID is affecting people. YouGov has done a ton of research on this and I was surprised by the headline "Britons most likely to say COVID has taken a toll on their mental health." For a country that is notoriously tightlipped Brits more than people from any other nations said COVID was having a negative impact on their mental health - and I believe ...