Spotted: Oxford's Myra Mendoza

Name: Myra Mendoza

Occupation/What you're great at: I am equal parts geeky graphic designer (at Oxford University Press @ day & freelance @ night) and music / beauty / style / food & drink / tattoo / and travel enthusiast. Recently, I've been working closely with music producer and DJ, Tommy Bones, with social media marketing and designing his promo artwork. 

Where are you from? Jersey City, NJ! I love my hometown. I've seen it grow after all these years. Take the Path train and get off the Grove Street stop. There are now so many art galleries, restaurant options—including a beer garden—shops, pretty brownstones, and more. There's a huge art community there so every year they have the Jersey City Artist Studio Tour where you can walk into artists' studios. If you want to take in breathtaking views of the NYC skyline, get off the Pavonia/Newport or Exchange Place stops. 

Where do you live? UES, but I spend most of my days exploring Astoria, Queens since I know a hot DJ who lives there ;) 

Vintage tribal necklace & red/gold leather clutch (via Bum-Cake)

What/who inspires you to create or where do you get your inspiration from?

I'm a type geek so I get really excited over discovering new typefaces. I'm also inspired by great photography. I follow so many amazing photographers on Instagram, Tumblr, and various photo blogs.

If your weren’t living/working in NYC, you’d be? I'm an island girl so it would be on a tropical island running my own cute cafe.

Who’s your style inspirer? My style icons are Debbie Harry from Blondie, Iris Apfel, and I love Rihanna's style, particularly when it comes to her hair and make-up. She's not afraid to be bold and adventurous and I'm inspired by women like that. 

How would you describe your style?

My zodiac sign is Cancer so I'm moody by nature and my outfit du jour all depends on my mood. I'm also a Gemini cusp baby so I like to switch it up! One day it's a glamorous Myra, next day I'll be in all black, dark make up, torn stockings, and biker boots. It's all about being unpredictable and keeping things fun.

Why do you like vintage pieces? Vintage pieces are my style source of inspiration! They're unique so it's a great way to show your creativity. I would use one or two vintage pieces and plan my outfit around it. 

What’s your favorite vintage item? I have a couple of beautiful brooches from the 1950's. My absolute favorite though is this red leather clutch that I purchased from Bum-Cake Vintage. I use it almost everyday! It goes with everything in my closet.

You're makeup always looks fab—what are your beauty secrets?

Drinking lots of water! I've also been trying to eat healthier these days since my boyfriend is all about organic, all-natural, vegetable-based food. In terms of cosmetics, I can't live without my NARS larger than life eyeliner, but I'm a MAC Cosmetics girl. If you've never visited the MAC Pro Store in Chelsea, you should! It's an artists' environment with a photo studio and library with resources. Skip the crowds at the MAC counter and visit this place. My fave MAC lipsticks: Spirit (slight reddish brown so it looks natural with my complexion), Viva Glam (red), So Chaud (coral), Rebel (dark burgundy), and Girl About Town (hot pink). 

What kind of music have you been listening to lately? A lot of house music since I've been working closely with Tommy Bones. I've been taking a lot of notes on the history of house music, who the pioneers are and important names to remember, and different styles throughout the world. He tells me stories of clubbing in the 90s and I wish I could have been part of it. 

Favorite party spot in the city? On Thursday nights, I'm usually at the rooftop of Penthouse 808 at the Ravel Hotel in LIC where Tommy Bones plays from 7-11pm. I love reggae so sometimes, I'll also go to the Downtown Top Rankin party at Happy Ending on Thursday, 11p-3am. On Sunday evenings, the Funkbox party at Sullivan Room is where to be. So many great dancers!

Anything else you’d like to say? Thank you so much to Bum-Cake Vintage for featuring me on your blog! I feel so honored since I'm a huge fan of your look books and I can't wait to stop by your booths this summer to pick up more pieces!

You can contact Myra @ myamend[at]yahoo.com | IG: @jademya77 | Twitter: @jademya 

ALL PHOTOS BY: JAMIL SMITH (also on IG: commonwealthj)

Cloudy Days

I'm wearing my fave Victorian-inspired vintage blouse from the 1980's (by Sonya Ratay)

Obviously the weather was bad... peep the hair, ugh!

My good 'ol faithful maxi dress from the early 90's

This was obviously a serious moment... just kidding, but she happened to shoot this with a piece of crystal in front of the lens to get this cool effect and not photoshop... pretty cool, huh? :-p

Photos by: Michelle Smyth

A couple months ago, on a cold and rainy day in Brooklyn, photographer Michelle Smyth and I spent the afternoon taking these pics! It was probably one of the most chill, laid back shoots I've ever been a part of—we chatted about girl stuff, drank tea... It was great! I must say that her photography has a solemn yet pure type of vibe, which is pretty cool. Check out more of Michelle's work at MichelleSmyth.com.

I heart David

Don't you just LOVE David?!! Aaaaggghhhhh... (don't mind me...)

Not to be soooooo "cliche," but "muah—smooches" 

Writer's block on the ad libs, but whatev... 

Photos by: Sade Craig

Outfit: T-shirt- Vintage (and for sale), shorts- h&m, tights- dkny, heels- zara, necklace- vintage, hoops- craft fair fresh, purse- hot red and vintage 

So apparently "I <3 David"... and you're probably thinking "Who the heck is David"? Well by David, I mean Bradley haha. Anyway, this is a 1980's vintage t-shirt that I surprisingly found in Brooklyn. Yes, it's for sale and no, I don't wear this as my own—I just modeled it this one time. I really love that there are numbers on the back like a jersey (it's the perfect detail to add). The letters and the heart on the front are kind of velvety too, which is pretty nice. Got questions? Email me: christiana [at] bum-cake.com.

Oh, one more thing... this was shot when it was still cold out, soooooo please disregard the tights, haha.

Hangin' with GirlsWithCurls

We trekked over the Manhattan Bridge on the hottest day ever...

           Come visit me sometime...

Daniel wearing his Bum-Cake Vintage cross necklace

All Photos by: Daniel Racz via GirlsWithCurls

Soooo I basically spent a weekend with the adventurous Daniel Racz from GirlsWithCurls and it happened to be pretty freakin' cool... We met in DUMBO, Brooklyn wandering around the neighborhood, discovering awesome shops and cafes, and then we decided to trek over the Manhattan Bridge straight into Chinatown. It was literally the hottest day ever, but we managed to discover some cool things around the city and Brooklyn, while my curls were being documented. After a long day in the city, he visited my booth at Artists & Fleas the next day... He got to see my real passion--sharing vintage awesomeness with the world haha. Anyway, Daniel was sweet enough to cop a vintage cross necklace that I must say, totally matches his style! In a nutshell, we had a great time... A lot of curl talk in the midst of exploring the coolest city in the world while trying to beat the heat. See more from our weekend at: GirlsWithCurls.tumblr.com.