Friday, April 30, 2010

Lana Fe, Here to Stay


Safety pins have really been integrated into the fashion scene lately. As one of the simplest, yet most common tools used behind the scene and for the unfinished products in this industry, they are now making their way onto the finished products! I've seen them used on tops, bottoms, dresses, jackets, and even handbags (like this one here,which was featured on Gossip Girl)! Now, I assure you, you haven't seen safety pins until you've seen new designer Lana Fe's jewelry! Inspired by her travels, and especially by the architecture of New York City, Lana Fe brings us some of the most unique and intricate pieces I have ever laid my eyes on. She is a super creative artist and I love how she hasn't just strategically placed safety pins in her designs, but rather, she has completely dedicated her work to the safety pin itself, as she uses it as her sole medium. Not only is her work true art, but it can also act as a key statement piece and will add edge to any outfit!

1.
2.3.4.5.
1. Manhattan Skyline Ring-Black/Silver, 2. Mini Manhattan Skyline Ring-Gold, 3. Paris Louvre Ring-Silver/Gold, 4. Mexico Glorietta Bracelet-Silver/Gold, 5. Chrysler Building Necklace

To see more and to shop Lana Fe click here


xx.
M

LL Bean Signature... Inspired By Our Heritage. Designed For Today.

Uh-oh J. Crew, LL Bean is making a play for your preppy chic reign and at a much lower price point. Let the style wars begin!

I'll admit I only visit LL Bean for my cold weather accessories. When I want fashion, LL Bean does not come to mind, but the signature line just may change that. I found several looks in the collection that I really like.


Perfect for lunch with the girls!


Cape Cod Early Dinner Date

Love the madras plaid top and those wedge sandals.

Very Jackie Kennedy inspired.

Yes, my darling husband Rex (lol) does have a boat. We sail most weekends.
These preppy looks may be a little tame for some, but remember accessories have the power to change the look of an outfit. I like to tap into my preppy side every now and then so these outfits are calling my name.

I'm adding LL Bean Signature to my list of brands to watch. Alex Carleton, Creative Director for LL Bean Signature has created a much needed style upgrade for this classic American brand.


Thursday, April 29, 2010

A Life of Style: Hair Care Boot Camp

The picture on the left pretty much sums up how I feel about my hair as of late. I'm such a drama queen at times! Lol!!

I made the mistake of switching hairstylists and getting my hair cut again. The grass isn't always greener on the other side, my new stylist does amazing work, but she's obsessed with cutting a lot of her clients hair short. Super. Short.

In my opinion, short hair is too much work. I don't have the patience to fuss over my hair. I need my hair to be a workable length so that I can quickly style it and go about my day. I may have mentioned in this series how lazy I am when it comes to my hair.

So I've started a new agressive hair growth regimen:

The first step will be returning to my former stylist. He knows my hair and really worked on making my hair healthy.

Step two involves vitamins, vitamins, vitamins. I changed up my vitamins and I'll share them in a separate post.

Step three is my special hair mix:
  • Rosemary Oil - 1 oz.

  • Grapeseed Oil - 4 tbsp.

  • Avocado Oil - 4 tbsp.

  • Organic Coconut Oil - 1 heaping tbsp.

  • 2-4 drops of Dr. Miracle's Healing Oil & 1 drop of Tea Tree Oil

I mix the above oils and apply to my scalp one to two times a week. This mix works well for my hair. My relaxed hair drinks this up.

And the last part of my regimen which I can't stress enough is water, water, water. I have cut down on the high fructose sugary juices and eliminated pop (soda). My main drinks are water, Nantucket Nectar juices, and GTS Organic Raw Kombucha (YUM!!!).

Soon I'll be able to add eliminating heat to my regimen but with my hair being so short I have to curl it. Luckily I learned that grapeseed oil is not only a strengthening oil but a natural heat protectant that can resist heat up to 425 degrees.

Hopefully I'll have some good growth over the next few months. I'll update my progress in June.


For more information:

Now Foods is a natural product company whose products are in many health food stores.

Organic Coconut Oil

Organic Kombucha

Dr. Miracle's Healing Oil


Indian Summer



Native American styles keep popping up (like here) and I just keep on loving it allllllll.

xx.
M

Wednesday, April 28, 2010

Effortlessly Fab

When it comes to fashion and style, I believe in an effortless and fabulous look. I don't like over the top fussy. You've seen women with ensembles that cause that confused look to come across your face and you think what is she wearing? There is something to be said about people who can make a few basics look catwalk ready. The following celebs got it right:


Halle Berry in black leggings, an embellished top w/ a black vest. Very rocker chic!

Kimora Lee & baby Kenzo (isn't he a doll?) Airport styling at it's best. This is a very
easy look that anyone can recreate. Well maybe not the Birkin bag, lol!

Carrying a baby in 4.5" sandals? That's the type of mommy I want to be ;)

A muted yet fun print dress and metallic heels plus Kerry Washington's
natural beauty makes this chic simple and a modern classic.



Snake of a Statement



Talk about a statement piece. This belts crazzzzzzy.
And what did I tell you about snakes as a hot accessory? Need a reminder? Click here and here.


xx.
M


Tuesday, April 27, 2010

Desperate Housewives/Josh Zuckerman



I like to see an actor, that I think the world doesn't know about, and give this person a shout out! I have been watching Desperate Housewives, since it has first aired. Now mind you, some of the seasons have sucked, but this one is actually pretty good. Sometimes I'm like "why am I sticking with this show"? This season hasn't let me down, and is pretty intriguing. Now there is an actor on this show, who usually has one or two lines every episode. In Desperate Housewives famous form of writing, now the whole series is spinning around his character. I was so impressed by this young actor, and was blown away by his work. I'm sure he has done tons of film, however, he is not a house hold name, and I'm thinking he will be soon. This actor was so connected, so corky, honest, and intriguing. The things he is doing with his work on Desperate Housewives equals a BRAVO from me. I think the world needs to watch, because JOSH ZUCKERMAN is the new amazing boy in Hollywood!

Monday, April 26, 2010

Nire` Collection Summer 2010


Erin Tufts and Cassie Conrad are the masterminds behind the up-and-coming line, Nire`. While Ms. Tufts designs the clothing, Ms. Conrad acts as the main stylist. Together, they run a business that is based on outfitting real women who like to look fashionable but dress comfortably! They describe this coming season's creations as "chic, with edge!" And once I hear "edge," you knowwww I'm in!
I was lucky enough to not only meet the designer, Erin, a Louisiana native whom now resides in NYC, but she asked me to help style and to model for the Nire` website and look book! We had a BLAST shooting and I can tell you first hand that the clothes are AMAZING! Not only does the Nire` Collection exemplify practical and super, super comfortable clothing, but each piece for Summer 2010 is fun and totallllly current.

Here's a little "behind the scenes" look at the shoot:

Me & Deigner, Erin Tufts
Photographer Anthony Jensen, Model Maureen Lennon, Make-Up Artist Corinne Van Vliet, Designer Erin Tufts, Model Brittany Garrett, Me-Model Megan Averbuch


And these are the looks that made the website and Summer 2010 Look Book!

Hair & Make Up by Corinne Van Vliet
Photography by Anthony Jensen

Check out Nire Collection here
Check more behind the scenes pictures on the Nire Collection blog, here
To purchase Nire Collection click here or contact me
10% of all Nire Collection sales go to Children Mending Hearts Charity


xx.
M

Sunday, April 25, 2010

This Weekend


Hello Lovelies!!! I hope all is well and fabulous in your world. It's Sunday and a new week is upon us. How was your weekend? Mine was interesting and I decided to blog about it. Here goes!

A few months ago, I was asked to speak at the first seminar for the newly launched women's empowerment organization, Aspire for Higher. The founder asked that I present on image and style, both of which are my passions. Initially I declined the request because public speaking is the very last thing I ever want to do. I'd rather electric slide over hot coals at gun point than stand in front of a group of people and talk. Pretty extreme, huh? As a child, I was painfully shy and some of that shyness has carried over into my adulthood. There are moments when that shy little girl reappears and I prefer to be in the background...unnoticed.

The founder asked me again to present and I said yes.Why did I say yes??? After talking to my mom (aka my biggest cheerleader who thinks I can do any and everything), I felt a little better. Soon after committing to speak, I began working on my presentation. Creating my PowerPoint and writing out my note cards was the easy part. I probably drove my amazingly supportive bff crazy asking her to proof the drafts of my presentation and telling her how nervous I was about speaking in public.

Between my mom's "You can do this. Stop saying you're shy, you have no reason to be shy." and my bff telling me "Kim you're not talking about the mating rituals of insects, you're talking about image and style. You know this stuff." I started to feel that maybe I could do it and actually do a good job.

It can be hard to shake old thoughts so every time I thought about the actual speaking and presenting, I got queasy. As the date got closer, I was thinking of ways to get out of my presentation and I came up with some pretty outlandish excuses. I was actually contemplating an illness the day of the event,lol!

Fast forward to the big day and I awoke with a tummy full of butterflies. As I picked out my ensemble and chose my makeup, one may have thought I was about to attend a funeral. I said a short prayer and some affirmations before I left the house.

Well not to toot my own horn but toot-toot... I did really well. I'm so proud of myself. My PowerPoint was well received by the ladies. My presentation was entitled Image 101 (title slide pictured above), I spoke about the importance of image, developing your personal style, wardrobe essentials, accessories, and using image to attract people and opportunities into your life.

Initially I was very nervous but the more I talked the more the jitters went away. I remembered all the tips from speech class; I smiled, made eye contact with the crowd, and even tossed in a few funny one-liners. Yay me!!! There were a couple areas that I need to work on. I heard myself say "Um" twice. I think I'll invest in working with a coach.

After my presentation I was on top of the world! I had an amazing boost of confidence and dare I say I can see more speaking engagements in my future. I think I may have conquered a fear this weekend.

What fears have you conquered? Let me know in the comments section.


Firm seeks fees for helping Annie Liebovitz avoid Bankruptcy

I would say that this is the definition of irony, the firm you hire to keep you out of bankruptcy then sues you into default to pay for their original services. Shouldn't those fees have been rolled into the original amount, much like Mortgage closing costs? I'm sure that thought entered Annie Leibovitz's mind when she got the bill from Brunswick Capital Partners. They want around $800,000 in fees for helping Leibovitz raise about $40 million from investors.

(via the NY Times)

Seeing Lace



Lace is big for spring. I'm seeing a lot of it lately. Apparently...so is she. And don't you just love this picture?


xx.
M

Saturday, April 24, 2010

Museum Project 2 (Rated R) Not Intended For Children!






Tiffany and I are a tiny bit late on our second museum date, and we are going to try to get together sooner next time around. I always say better late than never. The second museum date was very intriguing and interesting as we went to The Museum of Sex in Manhattan. Tiffany had talked up the Museum of Sex so much, because she went to the one in Amsterdam. I didn't know what to expect in a big old museum like this one. However, it was naughty, funny, and sometimes an educational experience for me. Now this museum is very over priced for a museum, so if you go make sure you have your wallet open and ready. What ever happened to the five dollar donation that most museums have in the city? This was I guess like going to Madam Tussuad's, but not that expensive. Tiffany came prepared with her student I.D. and a coupon, so we only paid thirteen bucks.

You start off in a room full of ....well.... basically porn videos. This was really alarming, as you first walk into the room. You get the history of sex, oral, threesomes, orgy, four play, etc. I watched videos of Paris Hilton giving a blow job, Collin Farrell penetration, and many others. I had no idea that the sex museum could use this material???

After leaving that room I went up stairs to look at the history of a condom, and that was pretty interesting. I also saw the first vibrators, and how they changed through out time. Then it went into diseases, and it was very educational about HIV, and other sexually transmitted diseases. I also learned about studies that they had in the 60's with African American men. How they kept injecting a group of African American Men with Syphilis, and tried to cure them, and kept doing so until they died. In exchange for food, and boarding. Yet again treating my people like lab rats. This section of the museum became very educational for me. I also saw pictures of what Syphilis did to peoples bodies. Man was that gross, this disease just ate away at the human tissue. Lot's of safe sex practices on this floor, and some fun art etc.

We went around the river bend, to another room where I saw sex toys, paintings, photos and dolls! There were these very artistic photos of people having sex, in positions, I have never seen or even thought about. Rubber sex suits, slings, and all kinds of craziness were in this room. Tiffany loved the Japanese porno animation section, and found this to be very intriguing to her. I watched her, as she glistened looking at the cartoons on the wall. She asked me "If you can draw, why not do a Disney cartoon, why would someone chose to do sex animation"? I found this to be an interesting question, and one I couldn't answer.

Lastly we went upstairs and watched a ton of animals having sex. The interesting part to me, is to watch the homosexual section of the animals. I had no idea there were gay Lion's, Tigers, and Bears..Oh My!??!! We laughed a ton in this museum, and I was surprisingly educated in some of the sections in this museum. I highly recommend the sex museum, however, you have to take it seriously. Americans, in my opinion, make such a big deal out of the human body and sex. Maybe I am a free spirit like the Europeans, but it was not such a taboo for me. I will admit, this museum could be fun to go to with a spouse, because I sure left wanting to have sex. Nevertheless, no sex for me, because I am single and not in love. Well, that is whole different story, but it was a hot, amazing time with my good friend Tiffany! Stayed tuned for museum project three, we promise it will be not rated R!

Friday, April 23, 2010

Cynthia Rowley: SLIM



Cynthia Rowley's show this past fashion week (see it here) was probably my favorite show of the week. So, I was totally stoked when I received the look book and the fabulous news that she would launch a new collection of body wear that combines elements of shape wear and lingerie! The line is called SLIM and is coming in Fall of 2010. I'm officially sold on anything by Cynthia Rowley!

For more on Cynthia Rowley click here
Photos courtesy of Lee Clower. Check out more of Lee's work here


xx.
M