Model of the Day - Herieth Paul

At 14, Hereith went to her local open-call casting and was signed immediately. Now aged 16, she is with agency Women Direct and walked for Philip Lim and Lacoste at the Spring 2011 shows.

Herieth Paul

Born in Tanzania and raised in Canada she features in Diesel’s latest campaign and walked for Lanvin at the Pre-Fall show last week.

Paul in the Diesel campaign

Uber photographer Steven Meisel shot her for  January’s Italian Vogue in the company of Freja Baha and Fei Fei Sun. We predict big things for this girl!

Paul in Italian Vogue

Preview Monday!

Stay tuned on Friday for Tutorial Friday!

ladies who lounge

I am having a very lounge-y day here.

I was scheduled to be in NYC, and a delayed shipment of wellies now has my trip rescheduled until Tues (could only happen to an artist). Spending a day in comfy clothes and dreaming up new possibilities for the quickly growing company. 

olivia graham, jean yu

Quinceaneras, bat mitzvahs, and ruffles ruffles ruffles

This is embarrassing.

Today I dressed kind of like a goth adolescent preparing for her quinceanera. Not that I've ever been to one, but like I've seen on Wizards of Waverly Place and late-night programming on Telemundo.

I imagine a quinceanera is kind of like a Latin American Bat Mitzvah, minus the Hebrew and phlegmatic accents.  For those non-Jews reading, allow me to explain exactly what it is. A Bat Mitzvah is a rite of passage for a thirteen year-old girl. It's a ceremony symbolizing the passage into Jewish adulthood, requiring years of preparation (in the form of tediously long Hebrew lessons, the consumption of bland, downright bizarre foods (gefilte fish, kugel, and charoset come to mind) and painfully long family traditions. For months beforehand you attend Hebrew school, where you learn violent songs about Passover and practice warbling your Torah portion with an ancient rabbi. On the big Bat Mitzvah day, you climb up onto the synagogue stage and read your Hebrew portion while your parents beam proudly from the congregation. Then you give saccharine-sweet speeches of tearful thanks to your parents and siblings. After synagogue there's a huge reception, either at a catering hall or restaurant, which is decorated with towering balloon sculptures and centerpieces made from fresh flowers and curled ribbons and cartoonish cardboard cutouts.

I had an epic Bat Mitzvah. My mother rented out an entire restaurant and invited every relative in the Tri-State Area (and some strangers from California.) I wore a off-the-shoulder white lace dress with rhinestones and beads and more lace and satin ribbons and pantyhose and white satin pumps. There were ruffles. Many, many ruffles. It was 1986, so it was okay.

The hotness that was thirteen year-old me in my Bat Mitzvah dress, with an entourage of male suitors.

In my adolescent years I attended quite a few Bat Mitzvah's, which was a fairly common experience as a Jewish girl growing up on Long Island. A Bat Mitzvah was announced with invitations constructed from four (or more) layers of embossed cardstock and translucent paper and satin ribbons, and packaged in it's own keepsake box. Each layer of paper symbolized how much money your parents were willing to flush down the toilet for your special special day. Invitations were no joke. Parents scrutinized them like Cold War spies deciphering code intercepted by intelligence agencies.

The typical Bat Mitzvah reception featured thirteen year-old's swaying to loud music (preferably from a band and not, God forbid, a DJ, because ohmygawd a band is like so much classier, you don't even want to know what the neighbors will think if we have a DJ, people will talk), and a Kosher buffet, and elaborately themed centerpieces (usually CANDYLAND!, or ON BROADWAY! or ADVENTURES AROUND THE WORLD!) and distant cousins shoving envelopes stuffed with money in your face. In my days, Bat Mitzvahs also included glow sticks and custom-made tee shirts with the date and location of the event, just in case you forgot where you slow danced for the first time and nearly got kissed right before your Grandma Helen interrupted looking for the ladies room.

As I looked at myself in today's outfit, with it's ruffled beaded sequined tunic, I immediately remembered my bat Mitzvah dress, resplendent in it's ruffled glory. I'll admit that I'm uncertain if this outfit is really me (and the tunic made me photograph lumpier than I actually am....and even after three kids, I'm in pretty decent shape) but I felt like trying something new. What do you think? Does it work or not? Is there something you'd change?

Forever 21 tunic; Gap Outlet jeggings; thrifted Justin boots; Coach bag; Forever 21 bracelets; Betsey Johnson gold watch; target rhinestone pyramid studs

 

Cheap Chic Treat: FREE Nail Varnish!

That’s right, free nail varnish! Nails Inc. has teamed up with Diet Coke to create a limited edition catwalk-inspired nail polish collection. The new shades - Denim, Caramel, Plum and Heather Grey - are free with the purchase of two 500ml bottles of Diet Coke at selected Boots stores.

Best of British Talent Party

Fashion mag InStyle held a ‘Best of British Talent’ party last Wednesday at Shoreditch House to celebrate the BAFTA awards which are being held in February.

Corinne Bailey Rae

Britain’s best were out in force, kind of like a practice run for the main bash on February 13. Read on to see what they wore.

Thandie Newton in Jonathan Saunders

Elarica Gallagher in Dolce & Gabbana

Gemma Chan in Christopher Kane

Leah Weller in Dolce & Gabbana

Corrine Bailey Rae in Alexander McQueen

Memory Lane - Fashion Designers in Colour part 1

Let’s take a stroll down memory lane in search of the first notable designer of colour. It wasn’t until the nineteenth century that fashion design as an art form came into existence. Before that, clothing design was the province of anonymous dressmakers.

Charles Frederick Worth changed all that. Worth was actually a Englishman who moved across the channel to France and made his name by becoming a huge favourite of Empress Eugenie, wife of Napoleon III. He set up his maison couture (or fashion house) in Paris in 1858, marking the city out as the fashion headquarters of the world.

As you can see in this photo below, Worth used lavish textiles and ornamental embroidery picked out in metallic thread and glass or crystal beads.

Charles Frederick Worth dress circa 1887 (L)

Meanwhile, across the pond in the United States of America, a former slave Elizabeth Keckley was making waves of her own. Keckley was taught dressmaking skills by her mother and had used them to buy her freedom and that of her son from her slave master. Soon afterward, she moved to the nation’s capital where she became dressmaker of choice to the Washington political wives.

Photos of Elizabeth Keckley at different stages of her life

An introduction to Mary Todd, wife of President Abraham Lincoln, soon followed. Keckley became her personal modiste, designing her dresses for both inaugurations in 1861 and 1865.

Mary Todd Lincoln and her inauguration dresses

The two women developed a great friendship, with Keckley proving to be a huge support to Mrs Lincoln after the deaths of two of her sons, and later after the assassination of her husband. Sadly, their friendship ended after Keckley published a book called Behind the Scenes or Thirty Years a Slave and Four in the White House.

A ‘kiss-n-tell’ scandal ahead of its time, Keckley insisted she wrote the book in an ‘attempt to place Mrs Lincoln in a better light before the world.’ However, the ensuing furore led to the diminishing of her white clientele. Keckley later became a university lecturer before dying in the National Home for Destitute Coloured Women and Children in Washington DC.

We'll continue our look at the history of black and mixed race fashion designers next week.

Some peppy pink nail art (pic heavy)

I still like the sponge technique, but I am getting better with managing this technique....I think it is on the lumpy side, much more lumpy-er than regular sponging bet less messy and more managable. I  achieved this look the same way as my previous mani ( with video!!!!1) but concentrated on the tips of my nails.... 

I started with 2 coats of Billie Purple Rain, and followed that with 3 coats of the WnW Lavender Creme which is a hot pink creme. I added 2 coats of Pure Ice Rio over the pink area, then added a coat of Nailene Tc to finish this off.

With WnW Lavender Creme, applied with the brush, I removed as much polish as possible and pounced on the pink diagonally across the tips of my nails.

w 2/ coats of Pure Ice Rio, layered over the Lavender Creme

 with a coat of TC

Below - I havent worn this pretty pink polish as a full mani, even though I have had it for a long time. It is a very vibrant pink creme, though it is called 'Lavender' creme LOL. It was on the sheer side so this is 3 coats, (most hot bright pinks I have are sheer)

 WnW Lavender Creme

Above, I like how this turned out and will probably try this again soon. With the polish brush and a small amount of polish on the brush, I gently pounced on the surface of my nail over a base of Sally Hansen Chrome in Moonstone, using WnW Lavender Creme and SH Hot Magenta,followed by 2 coats of Maybelline Colorama in Cold as Ice and a coat of TC


stuff I used; SH Chrome Moonstone, WnW Lavender Creme, SH Hot Magenta, Colorama Cold as Ice

w/WnW Lavender Creme

w/ Sally Hansen Hot Magenta

 

w/ 2 coats of Maybelline Color-Rama in Cold as Ice & a coat of Nailene TC

♥

Week in review: January 23

I hope everyone is enjoying a relaxing weekend! I've spent the past two days sleeping late and catching up on housework (Note to self: Put away laundry immediately after folding. I have this annoying habit of leaving everything crammed together in the basket while I pick out what I need each morning. I am a lazy lazy girl.) I also indulged in a salmon burger and the most amazing sweet potato fries on the planet at Square Burger in Downtown McKinney, chased after my kids at the playground, went to church, thrifted, and cleaned out our garage with my husband (which resembled an archeological dig.)

It was a busy week for blogging too! 

• I started a Thrifting 101 series with tips for newbies dealing with the squick factor; 
•  Questioned how to dress respectfully without sacrificing my personal sense of style;
• Dealt with a case of the Mondays; 
• Dressed like a bag of Skittles; 
• Gushed about my feature in this week's IFB Links a la Mode; 
• Discussed the different shopping styles between the sexes; 
• Answered questions regarding blogger mechanics for Fashion Beauty Friend Friday;
• and humorously explored my obsession with catalogs.

I've really, really enjoyed reading everyone's comments (keep 'em coming!) and am especially thankful to have so many new folllowers! Y'all have no idea how much your support and interest means to me. If you're visiting my blog for the first time, please consider becoming a follower, tweeting with me on Twitter, or becoming a Facebook fan. As a relatively new blogger, I get embarrassingly, ridiculously excited when reading a new comment or gaining a new follower. I appreciate you all so much!

Bright Young Things

Department store Selfridges are supporting 20 emerging fashion designers as part of their ‘Bright Young Things’ initiative.

Created to nurture up-and-coming talent, designers have created their own windows for the store and their work is for sale online and at two pop-up shops showcasing signature pieces and limited edition products designed exclusively for Selfridges.

One of the designers they are supporting is Royal College of Arts graduate Frances Conteh who presented her Spring/Summer 2011 collection as part of the On|Off schedule at London Fashion Week in 2010.

Famed for her stunning knitwear, the designs are produced using a variety of luxury silks, cashwool and Mohair. Available only at Selfridges, you could be snapping up a collectable of the future!

Frances' shop window at Selfridges

Zoya's Beyonnce

So here are some swatches of Beyonnce. This color almost reminds me of a Tropical Sunset. Such a gorgeous color!

Catalogs: Living the dream

Vintage cars draped in Pendleton blankets. Sandy beaches with hammocks swaying in the breeze. A quick flip through a catalog encourages daydreams of living in these fantasy worlds. I squeal with glee at the the sight of a freshly printed catalog in my mailbox. I love them - the way sweaters and tees are stacked enticingly by color; the creative names for colors (beige becomes "beechwood;") the perfectly styled models gazing thoughtfully into the distance. I am not the only one in love with catalogs: James Stegall once wrote a sad missive to the ladies of Lands End. Each catalog has it's own distinctive style, marketed to a specific customer.

Victoria's Secret: Your apartment is so warm you don't need clothes, and every room includes a plush chaise lounge for napping and sexy time. Despite a closet overfilling with silk chemises and cotton boy-shorts, you choose to wear a boned periwinkle corset that is slightly too small for your heaving bosom. You like the feel of sand on your ass. I mean REALLY like it. Also, you have no nipples.

Williams-Sonoma: There is nothing you will not infuse in olive oil.

L.L. Bean: You live just outside of somewhere named Portland (Oregon, Maine, whatever.) You love wearing high-performance outerwear on your day hikes with your golden retriever. In the evenings, you curl up with the New York Times on your enormous red couch, wearing slippers made of boiled wool.

Urban Outfitters: You go to rock shows in your romper. Your apartment is full of sarcastic coffee table books and repurposed window frames , but you don't care because you are always a little drunk, and you look beautiful all the time even though you never wash your hair. Your boyfriend's t-shirt has a Midwestern state on it, and yours has a bird turning into a roller skate, and sometimes you trade and nobody notices.

Brooks Brothers: You are rich, Republican and possibly a little bit evil.
 
Anthropologie: You have a collection of first-edition Jane Austin novels. Your job involves traveling to Prague and being pensive in rooms. You have a wrought-iron bed. You know how to applique. You buy your art from Etsy. You own a cedar chest filled with heirloom lace. You wear a plumed fascinator constructed of netting and Victoria daydreams to dinner, and no one notices.

J Crew: Your luggage has been lost on your way to East Hampton or Côte d'Azur or wherever you are vacationing that weekend. You are left with only the contents of your carry-on bag: a few silk chemises, a bathing suit, 5 necklaces, a pashmina, two skirts, a cardigan, a pair of socks. In an attempt to make the best of the situation, you wear everything at once and belt it together. It inexplicably looks amazing. Also, you have lots and lots of money. 

Here is my mostly-cataloged outfit from today. I would fit in perfectly in Anthropologie's romantic, muted world, where models gaze wistfully from frosted glass windows and jewelry is glistening dewdrops of wonder. And I thought this blazer would be perfect for the latest challenge on Everybody, Everywhere.

Juicy Couture velveteen blazer; Velvet ruffled top, Anthropologie rufled denim skirt; Anthropologie tights; vintage thrifted boots; vintage thrifted Coach satchel.

Problem Skin? Meet Your New Best Friends

We are not exaggerating when we say this – these products from Aveda can transform your skin! One of our staffers will explain. 

Unfortunately, I'm one of those poeple who’ve never had good skin. As a teenager I had the usual spots and as a result, some rather unattractive scarring. I had tried all sorts of over the counter and even prescribed treatments. Nothing worked. Well, my concealer from Mac did! 

Fast forward a few years and I stumble across the Fresh Lifestyle Salon & Spa in Blackheath, London that uses Aveda products. I’ve never really been a facial type of gal as I honestly couldn’t see any difference afterwards so thought of it as an indulgent treat rather than a monthly necessity.

I looked through their treatments and saw the Outer Peace™ Blemish Relief Facial (£60 for 60mins) - A deep cleansing customised facial for blemished skin that treats both the symptoms and causes to ensure that skin stays clear.

It sounded good so I went for it. My therapist, the lovely Michaela, put in work! I had masques, massages, extractions, steam treatments – the works. It was so good I fell asleep. And snored! (Only once but oh the shame!)

Afterwards my skin felt tingly clean and smoother than it has ever been. She recommended various products via a personalised facial prescription but if I bought them all it would have cost over £200 (eye creams, firming lotions etc) and we’re in a recession! She said if I wanted to see results I should get Enbrightenment™ Correcting Serum and apply it daily. I did and after 6 weeks the scarring was much less prominent. At £38.50 for a 30 ml tube, it isn’t cheap but boy is it worth it! 

Correcting Serum

Spurred on, I looked at my facial prescription and bought two more products, Outer Peace^TM Blemish Relief Pads (50 pads for £20.50) to exfoliate and unplug pores and Outer Peace^TM Foaming Cleanser (125 ml for £16.50) for a deep clean. I use them religiously and go for facials every 3 months to have the kind of clean I can’t do at home.My skin has never looked better, even my Mother said so, and that has never happened!

Blemish Relief Pads

Foaming Cleanser

My skin tone is much more even, my pores smaller, my skin brighter, I could go on! Of course the scarring isn’t completely gone but it is much less noticeable and lets just say, I’ve not bought a new concealer in over 6 months!