Weed Leaf and Mummy / Washington D.C.

Colorful, style conscious people make me question my black, white and grey wardrobe. Everything this kid is wearing would look terrible on me, but he has put the outfit together with such effortless style and attitude that everything works. I love the way he manages to wear printed shorts with a graphic t-shirt and then pile on the wooden beads. My favorite is his wooden, Egyptian, mummy mask necklace.

O Canada / Casco Viejo

I am often a tourist, but I hate tourist-wear: cargo shorts, standard t-shirt, practical sandals (which no one can really pull off), or even worse, running sneakers with knee-high socks (Why? Really - why? When did calves become offensive and need to be covered up?). It is such a relief to meet a stylish tourist. This women hails from Canada, and speaks French, English, and Arabic - all of which is impressive in itself, but her Missoni-inspired dress, hot pink lipstick and cute, pink, and comfortable (props for comfortable) sandals made her stand out in Casco Viejo. Plus, the way she effortlessly carries her camera around her neck makes her look more like a photographer than a tourist. Which is fantastic, because after all, no one really wants to look like a tourist.

Clashing Prints / Casco Viejo

I finally wandered out of the apartment, which isn't to say that my cheeks aren't puffy anymore; it's more like cabin fever really, really gets to me. The photos above are of a Kuna Indian in Casco Viejo - the historical, Unesco-protected, area of Panama City, Panama.

I love the Kuna. I admire their courageous and loud colors, because while I practically wear a uniform of minimalist black and white, these women have no problem clashing prints and executing it with grace. My favorite thing about the Kuna style, however, is their beaded arm and leg bracelets. The women wear one, long, wrapped bracelet on each wrist and then wrap their legs up to the knee in the same beaded style. Apparently, they wear the beaded leg bracelets for nine months straight because the only way to remove them is to cut them off. I loved the bright beads so much that I asked them to wrap my left arm up to my elbow in an orange, green, black, red, and gold bracelet. Now to see if I can manage to stick with it for nine months...