Australian fashion designer Collette Dinnigan with a design from her bridal collection. 

Spring is upon us! And while we want to spend as much time outside to enjoy the warmer temperatures and the sunshine, I actually suggest you go inside for a bit. That is, go inside of the Natural History Museum in Washington DC and see "Wilderness Forever: 50 Years of Protecting America's Wild Places." You may miss a minute or two of sunshine but you will gain a deep understanding of the beauty of the country and the need for us to protect America's wilderness. 

As the Wilderness Act celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2014, the Smithsonian joined the celebrations in partnerships with Nature’s Best Photography and Wilderness50. The Natural History Museum produced this exhibition. It is a real gem as it features juried photographs selected from over 5,000 entries. Take a look below and don't tell me these photos don't take your breath away. 

Flowers from my Grandmother's garden. Prague, Czech Republic. 

Photo taken in April 2016. Credit: Martin Chabica.

Look by Jil Sander from the fashion house's Fall/Winter 2012 collection. 

I love hiking and can honestly tell you that some of my favorite excursions took place not too long ago when I traveled to Costa Rica with a friend of mine. The country is strikingly beautiful - the green is greener in Costa Rica; the views are impressive. 

One of my favorite moments was a peaceful walk to see the Arenal Volcano. It is positioned in Costa Rica's fertile norther lowlands. It is a staple of the area - it's height is imposing. The volcano is in its resting phase at the moment and while you won't be able to watch explosions, I still recommend you make a point of going to Arenal.

The path to the viewing site leads through a lovely field - you will be surrounded by greenery and lovely touches of color as blooming flowers peak out from the dense forest. And then, a lovely view will open up - there will be immense clouds, open landscape, and in the midst of it your eyesight will be drawn to the Arenal Volcano. 

So, when in Costa Rica, take a stroll to the Arenal Volcano as it will give you a sense of the present moment and magic travel brings about. 

I grew up in the Czech Republic and while I do not remember the 1970s, I have read a lot about the era and have heard many stories from my family about their experience. For my latest collection for Fashion Design - a class I am taking at the Academy of Art University - I decided to use the times as an inspiration. 

I am intrigued with societies living under strict political regimes and it has been a great experience to work to transfer the ideology/propaganda into a collection of garments that would appeal for a contemporary customer. I played around with the idea of uniform and limited access to variety, which could be easily linked to the era. Crowd mentality was promoted by the government as individualism and independent opinion were considered a threat to the running of the society. All of these ideas emerged in my collection through the garments I decided to use (e.g., uniform-like silhouettes) and through the details I implemented (e.g., pockets that stand out). 

My collection is called Isolate Acts of Protest as it honors individuals and small actions that would make one stand out of the crowd and the uniformity of the society. Below are a few looks from the collection with imagery that explains my creative process. 

I find that when I select inspiration that is close to my heart, my work benefits immensely as I am comfortable in the design process and I want to delve deep into the topic. History of my country is definitely one of these topics. I am excited and proud of my collection. 

​Want to see all of the elements of this collection? Check out the full presentation here!

Sunset. Chesapeake Bay, Maryland.

Published by the Chesapeake Bay Foundation as Photo of the Week: Sailing the Bay (November 2, 2015) on their website and on their Facebook page. 

"I took this photo in September 2015 during a few sailboats trips, along the Rhode River, I took with my boyfriend. He is an experienced sailor; I am learning. I love being out on the Bay—the area is beautiful and offers so many lovely coves. And witnessing these sunsets certainly adds to my interest to learn about sailing, to spend time on the water, and to explore the Chesapeake Bay." - Martina Sestakova