If you are like me and late on the crop-top riding train, welcome! It has taken me 31 years to feel comfortable wearing a crop top. I blame it on my latin catholic upbringing for my modest style, but alas, here we are! I started embracing more midriff baring clothing with our Lyla top. Alone, the Lyla isn’t too cropped, but when tied in a knot, it shows some skin! Fast forward two years, and now I’m really going for it. The Sol top is our first true crop top. Hitting several inches above my belly button, it’s the shortest top I own. And to be honest, it felt very weird the first time I wore it ..read more

Can you guess which garment is this year’s best seller? If you guessed the Oasis, you are correct! I knew from the moment I put the sample on it would be a hit. There is something wonderful and freeing about wearing a garment made in a flowy gauze that has tiers and elastic shirring. Elastic shirring, also known as smocking, is when fabric is gathered with elastic and thread sewn together like a chainlink. I designed the Oasis to have elastic shirring across the bust so it doesn’t have to be worn with a bra. After 2020, my goal was to wear bras as little as possible. The best feature of the Oa ..read more

Fashion has been a constant in my life since I was old enough to dress myself (or maybe even before – my grandma used to always tell me about the phase I had where I would only let people dress me in pink). But it’s meaning to me has changed significantly throughout my life. I can remember the moment in my freshman year of high school when I decided to stop dressing for myself and instead dressing “hot” so boys would like me. I can remember how much my life changed when I gained weight in college and officially became plus sized. And I definitely remember the freeing feeling of coming out as a ..read more

Well, I think it’s safe to say we know what my favorite garment is this season. Give me all the smocked garments and I will safely wear it everyday. It also doesn’t hurt that I can go braless making it the best thing to put on my body. Outfit 1: Smocked Work It’s been a while since I worked in an office, but I think this counts as work-appropriate! Since the Indra is longer in length, it doesn’t show any midriff with the Fauna pant. I’m wearing the Indra in gingham and the Fauna in terra! Details: Indra in Gingham Fauna Pant in Terra St. Agni Mules Outfit 2: Smocked Date Night This dress is fu ..read more

Elastic waistbands are life. I wear them most days because what can be more comfortable? I’d like to introduce you to the newest elastic band garment– the Jade Skirt! We designed the Jade skirt after the Oasis dress and immediately fell in love. I don’t typically wear skirts (haven’t owned one in years), but I wanted to challenge myself by creating 10 outfits. Below you’ll see 5 of the outfits, but watch the video to see all 10! Outfit 1: Family Dinner The Jade skirt Is incredibly versatile and makes a statement in gingham. Paired with the Granada shirt, it makes me feel like Audrey Hepburn. T ..read more

The Desierto is one of my favorite collections ever– and I don’t say that lightly. After a year spent indoors, I wanted to create dreamy garments that instantly make you feel better. So we pushed ourselves out of our comfort zone and created new designs with new fabrics. The Desierto designs are more feminine and include intricate details we didn’t think were possible to do in-house. * Earlier this week on Instagram, I posted about how we were able to make the Oasis dresses in our studio since it isn’t an easy process.* We found fabrics to match the Desierto design’s dreaminess — organic cotto ..read more

For the first time ever, we decided to host a 5-day outfit challenge on Instagram. I typically feel restless towards the end of winter and need a creative challenge. I asked on Instagram stories what garment I should wear 5 days in a row. The Stella Jumpsuit beat the Lena pant by a slim margin. So, here we are! I wore the Stella Jumpsuit in olive sweater this week. The Stella Jumpsuit is one of our original designs. I designed it a year after launching Sotela because I was pregnant and knew I needed something that would grow with me. Its wrap design allows it to adjust in the waist while also ..read more

Welcome to the second installment of the Black History Month list! This week, I will share artists with beautiful and inspiring artwork. I encourage you to support their work in any way you can! Artists 1.Liana Farmer @bylianarae – Liana is one of the few artists who hand paints each order! She uses earthy colors, which you know I love.  2. Reyna Noriega – @reynanoriega_ – Reyna is an Afro-latina visual artist and educator. Her colorful artwork is inspired by her culture and experiences.  3. Melissa Koby @mkoby_ – Melissa has some of the most beautiful artwork I’ve ever seen. I have ..read more

Black History Month is a time to celebrate and amplify Black voices. For so long, Black artists, creators, makers, poets, writers, and icons have been silenced. We (non-Black people) have so much to learn and understand about the systemic racism that has withheld the contributions of Black Americans.  It’s the first time I’m truly learning about Black history and how it began. The textbook narrative I was taught only highlighted several key figures in history while dismissing everyone else. I was taught the Black history that focused on pain and suffering, rather than the whole experience ..read more

Every year, we decide to release a few garments mid-season as sort of a “mini” collection. Usually they are ideas that come to us later (after the initial launch) or based on customer recommendations. This winter mini collection is very small as it includes two “new” garments. They are revamp designs of current favorites such as the Granada shirt and Amor Shift. However, they are now available in our olive and camel sweater fabrics. After seeing so many ‘shackets’ on Instagram, I knew it was something we had to try. For those of you who are new to the idea, they are a hybrid of a shirt and jac ..read more