10.20.2009

Makeup a look

Get ready - Francois Nars is celebrating 15 years with a new book epitomizing his beauty products and imagery. Creating both the makeup and photos for the new Chandelier Creative published set, "15x15" is due out mid-November.

"When you do something for 15 years, you want to do something fun but [that is] still a nice piece of work. Plus, the Nars brand people wanted me to do something to remind people I'm still here," Nars laughed.

10.15.2009

what fall?

I know it is fall, but just a little color really makes my day.

so thanks.

run for it

Vogue just published a piece on iMinds, a company that offers up informative tracks for download in an easy, breezy way that gets you through your workout a lot faster, so it seems. From film noir, the Barbary pirates and even the Federal Reserve, for all those multi-taskers out there who are looking for a bit more excitement while going out on their daily run, this has got to be it. i must admit that often times i'm way too consumed with my own schedule to put in a real 30 minutes of stride, and this might be the way to cure it.

Check it out: iMinds.com
(ps. i'm not getting paid for this, thank you very much!)

10.13.2009

it is a style bubble

oh hello.

this 100% certified organic cotton tee is designed by an avid blogger and fashion friend Style Bubble via Borders & Frontiers. I love it and just can't wait to order. Hand printed with halftone print and made to order, this is a stylish way to say 'hello blogging world...'

10.08.2009

change yourself

color rules are out



Splash News

When it comes to fashion rules in sunny When it comes to fashion rules in sunny southern California, most of the time it is hard to take note. Luckily for San Diegans this year, the rest of the nation is getting a clue to our year round summer fresh style. The comfy sweater and loads of layers are still a necessity this fall season, but one serious update says US Weekly contributor Jill Martin is that you can throw all those color rules out the door. Thankfully for some of us, that means that we can keep out our favorite pair of white summery slacks and brilliantly colored tanks at the top of our drawers this season. What makes this news even more exciting is that most boutiques that have sales, like Go of La Jolla, Gap, and Let's Go in Fashion Valley, are all pricing down some of our favorite summer must haves. Instead of forcing yourself to push your florescent orange tank in the back of your closet, pair it with some serious layers to get the most out of your wardrobe and spruce up the season. Who says fall has to be boring? Turn the drabbest season into a spit fire of fun with some colorful hues that are likely to brighten up your mood as well as the weather (whenever it finally does turn dreary).

Mog and Rue in Encinitas has some great must have denim right now, including the ultra chic and comfortable 7 for all Mankind straight legs in white, while all your favorite national stores like Anthropologie, J. Crew, Abercrombie & Fitch and others (all found atFashion Valley Mall) are spots to easily find your favorite rebel pair of white paints or accessories. Check out some of your favorite stars adding a splash of white or color to their winter frocks, like Sienna during a chilly out in London recently in a Chloe suit. Shoshanna Lonstein's fall 2009 collection

valentino designs his way into history

Valentino and Giancarlo, Vanity Fair

It is a story about love, but it isn't your typical boy-meets- girl fantasy. It's the love between a man and beauty. "I love beautiful things, I can't help it," says Valentino Garavani, the subject of the Matt Tyrnauer documentary Valentino: the Last Emperor. The film that documents Valentino's last two years as creative director of his namesake and 45th year in the business epitomizes its title – from his Paris fashion week to the 45th anniversary party, Valentino remains the last designer of his generation, who can connect the designs and fashion aesthetic of the past toward the future. Today his dresses remain iconic, from the black and white floor length design that Julia Roberts wore on the eve of her first Academy Award win to the signature Valentino red (which he says himself is overdone and too simplistic), the story is not your average designer masterpiece. Though it focuses on the clothes, the only perspective it takes is through the eyes of Valentino, a three-piece-suit 75-year-old who has a keen taste for specifics and doesn't easily compromise. While only briefly does the camera capture this legendary designer at a desk sketching and in the studio picking at a few dresses, it is enough to reinstate his final days on the runway.

The film coincided with his 45th year as a designer as well as his last as creative chairman of the Valentino Design Company. Yet the brief encounters with his sketchpad, a pencil and his perfectionist charm are enough to convince any fashionista that his work is visionary –just a simple sparkle addition to a white frock can change into a bedazzled evening gown, while a swanky red, over the shoulder dress with the right undergarments can become the perfect runway garment. It's about knowing what is beautiful, which for Valentino came at an early age. A lover of old films, he first found his fashion calling when he was watching Judy Garland and others on screen and felt he had to capture their beauty himself. "This was the best thing for me to do was to make dresses," he said at a press conference captured on film during his final years, "I am a disaster in everything else."

While Tyrnauer, a Vanity Fair Magazine correspondent, focuses on the drama, the story closes with the 45th anniversary celebration. Highlighting nearly five decades of design, Valentino and Giancarlo Giammetti, his companion and business partner of 50 years, leave the business for retirement amidst the turmoil of new partners. There will only be one Valentino, however, as Valentino: The Last Emperorclearly captures; "After me, the flood," he says in Italian. 'Do you know what that means?"

What makes his outfits worthwhile is that his garments can be taken straight from the lengthy crystalline runway to your own special event. While today's modern designers focus on extravagant runway show with accessories for brand name strength, Valentino was anything but accepting of such changing times. "The world for which those kinds of clothes were designed was disappearing, so Valentino and Giancarlo had to make it exist," Joan Juliet Buck said to Vanity Fair. Though his designs are sometimes pricier than our usual San Diego garb, a quick glimpse through some of Valentino's dresses in local shops like Neiman Marcus attribute to the thousand dollar price tag and would really spruce up your beachwear.



Out now is the DVD, which can be purchased online as well as rented through outlets like Netflix. If you're in the mood for a bit of Valentino yourself, shop Valentino's Boutique in South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesa or retailers like Neiman Marcus in Fashion Valley, Encore of La Jolla, Saks Fifth Avenue, Nordstrom or more.

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