When people ask what I do I have a wide variety of responses. Writer, Editor, Superhero, fangirl, foodie, luchadora, pretzel vendor, fashionista, oh and that thing I do, Wardrobe Styling and Image Branding.
Sure I like pretty clothes that are nice and Michael Kors and Tom Ford are my heroes. But bring me a dress that is over the top couture insanity and I’m hooked. I want to work with it, love it and stick every client I have in it.
My client and friend Joy Villa is something special. She’s diverse, beautiful, 1000% vegan, a hardcore physically fit songstress. She is something special and her style is off the hook.
Photo by Thorsten von Overgarrd, Nichole Ray Artistry doing Joy’s Grammy make-up
She called me ecstatic, she was headed to the Grammy’s in a few weeks and needed something as amazing, and over the top as her personality. I hooked her up with Andre Soriano, and magic happened. Joy chose the most amazing, creative thing Andre has ever sent down the runway, the couture cage dress made of snow fencing. AS a stylist I make sure that the dress they choose is the MAIN event, but always have other wardrobe choices for parties and after parties
During the fitting we chose three dresses all of which she wore like a supermodel. Stunning and sensual she wore the first, and sexiest to Jay-Z’s ‘Rocnation’ brunch.
This dress was skin-tight and Joy looked beautiful while she mingled with celebrities.
Photo by Thorsten von Overgarrd
Photo by Thorsten von OvergarrdPhoto by Thorsten von Overgarrd
Photo by Thorsten von Overgarrd
But let’s look at what you really came here for, The third and most outrageous was the orange dress that made headlines around the world.
Joy and I had an AMAZING fitting with Andre.
Up in the hills of Hollywood strange and beautiful things happen. At the fitting I met the beautiful Ruby Roxanne or Ruby Roxanne Designs and Hollywood Dolls.
Her partner in crime is ex-Pussycat Doll Kaya Jones. Her line is just what we needed for Joy to look gorgeous and we added Swarovski drop earrings and this leather and Swarovski bracelet;
With Nichole Ray Artistry on make-up the day of Joy turned out an unforgettable Grammy look.
Photo by Thorsten von Overgarrd and touch up by me
Love it or hate it Joy Villa rocked it at the Grammy’s and got center stage at the Grammy’s. (And to answer the burning question, yes I put pasties on her and she was not completely nude.)
Apparently we rocked it because as much as she may have gotten some bad reviews we are trending at 81,000 hits in Asia and are on blogs in the UK, France, Germany, Poland, Czech Republic and all over the Philippines.
I want to say congratulations to my team, Andre Soriano (couture King), Ruby Roxanne Designs (Jewelry is everything), Nichole Ray Artistry (her skin was perfection), Thorsten von Overgarrd (one of the best photogs I have ever met) and especially to Joy Villa for rocking the red caret and her amazing energy the whole time!
Don’t know who Joy Villa is, but want to find out? Check out her Vagabonds video below;
There is nothing in life we appreciate over more than super smooth, couture, limited edition fashion and accessories. Especially when involving an edgy, sophisticated, cool that reminds us how ‘special’, ‘one of a kind’ and ‘super exclusive’ we are. Add sustainability (we love that), and polymers we can pronounce and we’re sold.
With this damned heat, sun and Indian Summer we’re all experience we need shades 24/7. Unfortunately most are cheap, break and last about 5 minutes.
But…what if, you could have the James Bond of shades? Durable, almost unbreakable and made by some cool scientists in Philadelphia who decided durability and design were the ‘cool’ new thing to do.
I spoke with one of the co-founders, a young genius, Joseph Wang over the phone and this is what I learned. Three incredible young men came together with a vision, some scientific knowledge and a goddamn great idea. Cody, Eric and Joe decided to create and amazing line of sunglasses, named Barring Eyewear, and succeeded. Each one named after a neighborhood in their hometown they have created a sustainable, and slightly invincible product.
Superior, above par, hand-made and packed, they created and started selling Barring eyewear. Their customer? Someone who was looking for something a little more beautiful and durable than the average shade. In doing so their project has soared to greater heights. Not just in their current market, but as a multi-level, superior product.
Let’s talk science, because you need to know how bad ass these are….
Manufactured with high-grade, tri-acetate cellulose (TAC), every lens features TAC polarization, wrinkle protection technology, scratch & shatter resistant layers, and provides 100% UV protection from UVA and UVB rays. Polarized and Category 3, UV protection, this combination provides crisp vision and eliminates glare. All of their lenses are FDA approved and exceed European Union standards.
Sweet deal!
Want? Yes. Need? Yes, Please! Because it get’s better.
All frames come with a branded wooden case or branded sunglasses case (NOIR glasses), a microfiber wipe, and a dual draw string micro-fiber travel bag, making it a great for you and/or a loved one.
As if the beautiful packing, product and scratch resistant lenses weren’t enough to sell me, they offer a LIFETIME WARRANTY!!
Barring Eyewear also gives back.
In 2014 due to an unfortunate loss of a family member, the owners of Barring Eyewear decided to start donating to charity. They are donating $1 of every sale to Cancer Research. You know how much I admire and adore promoting companies that give back. Barring is not a just superior in product, but attitude as well.
Check out the gallery below to see their product line to get your shopping glands salivating;
Let’s go over how ‘cool’ Barring is again, shall we?
Barring Eyewear is handmade, scratch resistant, polymer rich, sustainable and charitable. Talk about the gift that keeps on giving.
If you want to order yours click the glasses below and it will take you to their main store where you can order yours.
Now for the semi-bad news. They are so damn hot on the market right now they are selling out. Pre-sale selling out. There are only 200 of each Barring Eyewear item made, making these ULTRA Exclusive. We love exclusive but it makes things a little harder to get. Especially as we go into the gift-giving Holiday months.
If the glasses you want ARE sold out you can PRE-ORDER yours by going to their Indie Gogo site below.
(A very cool post note for Philadelphia, PA customers. If you live in the Philly, PA or surrounding area Barring Eyewear offers a ‘Concierge‘ service that comes straight to you! Contact Barring@BarringEyewear.com to make an appointment now!)
In the last month Fashion land has gotten crazy busy. I forgot I had a blog, and started living la vida ‘Devil Wears Prada’. No life, lot’s of fashion business.
This includes getting swept up in my newest venture as….a judge. No not American Idol (Seacrest I’m waiting for your call), but in something just as crazy good.
Drum roll please…..
TA-DAH! It’s LA Fashion Week Design Competiton!
Aren’t you excited? You should be. Here’s why LAFW Design Competition is going to rock your little designer socks.
LAFWDC is massive. Ten contestants will be showcasing their amazing work on the runway at Penthouse 1050. We have amazing sponsors from Runway Rythm, gift bags sponsored by the lovely SKINNY Bags, Es Kae Noir, Jay’s Party Cakes and celebrity host Ilisa Juried (Pussycat Dolls, BET Awards for Beyonce). Besides our 10 contestants, celebrity judge Dom Streater, winner of Project RUNWAY season 13, will be showcasing her collection. All in the heart of Downtown Los Angeles.
Oh, and I will be there judging the heck out of these designers. Food, celebrities, music and FASH-ION! What more could you want? Oh right, a link to the event.
Thank god for Style.com and their runway reporting. They report every collection, designer and runway worldwide and those of us in the industry would be lost without them. Especially when we are on the wrong side of the country during NYFW. But business is business and while I hustle and shake in LA (new products, events and interviews coming up) I still have my eye on Fashion Week’s around the world. You, my faithful reader’s, need to be in the know Otherwise there will be mayhem and fashionistas wandering the streets assuming Crocs, and the Kardashian’s are fashionable (gag).
Let’s get started;
This fashion week has been a bluster of basics and classic, romantic notions bring out baby pinks and icy blue to the runway. Chic silhouettes we saw with a touch of mad men, have turned to classic romantics and A-Line sporty outfits with a dash of sex.
Flowing figures and classic summer sexy hit DVF, aka, Diane Von Furstenburg. Diane is a great go to for classy and clean career wear. I highly recommend if you want to look top-notch A list fabulous for a job interview or day time event investing. Her clothing is always perfection.
DVF came through again on the SS 2015 runway. Relying on stripes and checked material adding length and volume created a work worthy collection with a little extra leg, and flare that came as a sexy surprise to her normally subdued dresses.
Angeline Jolie has inspired a leggy look recently in gown’s and I completely approve.
Though many opted for orange this year DVF took to emerald bring and this stunning yellow on model Lais Ribeiro.
Ending the show in true runway fashion, model Naomi Campbell finished the spring collection in this flurry of tulle boasting orange, bright pink and white in an empire waist-lined, babydoll dress.
Well played Dian Von Furstenbeg.
Moving on to a personal favorite, Zac Posen. His collections always bring me back to embracing my sexy side and make me feel like a woman. His designs create a perfect figure on any woman and his use of textile is genius!
We find that this Spring/Summer season Posen’s simple, classical, feminine beauty reigned free with minimalist black’s and white.
Adding the intensity of crimson orange to his collection Posen pair’s it with tight angle’s that create a thin and tall female form. Beauty fanatics, note the orange nail polish and lipstick Posen chose to feature on his models for dramatic flair.
Zac Posen continues to create the ideal of feminine grace in his collection by ending it with this beautiful gown fit for a queen in pure and simple white.
Over at another NYFW favorit BCBG Max Azria chose a more floral and romantic feel with in his collection for Spring/Summer 2015. Fading from barely-there neutral pink to the palest of blues and back to pink again. BCBG Max Azria touched on an almost art nouveau feel with yards of flowing fabric.
A dash of floral mixed pink’s and blue’s on Miho Mijaljcic create’s a perfect mix of elegant for this maxi dress.
And back to baby blue…
This Spring maxi dresses have dominated the runway, leaving skin bare with a combination of sheer panels, deep V’s and off the shoulder or one shoulder pieces. Glowingly graceful is taking hold with career women boasting tight silhouette’s and deep slit’s in their skirt’s and suits.
It’s all about adding a dash of sexy to your daily routine so if you thought of slacking on exercise this winter, fuggedaboutit. Skin is in, and we’re going girly.
Time to start shopping for those skinny and sporty dresses and skirts for next season. Leave the pants at home and don’t forget to pair some gold greens, yellows, pink and my personal favorite ORANGE in with your shopping. If you aren’t sure how to do color try adding a hint to your nails, lip color or accessories.
I’ll keep updating as we travel the runways around the world. Keep checking back for updates!
Yes I have been missing and yes I am still in California suffering the wrath and indignity of NOT being at NYFW. Actually I am gearing up for LAFW because there is a lot I am involved in and have to stay West Coast bound.
Since you, dear reader, aren’t there either but are most definitely craving the feel, insanity and sore feet, I give you;
MERCEDES BENZ NEW YORK FASHION WEEK LIVE!!!
Well almost.
That above is a screenshot your fearless fashionista took of the LIVE Herve Leger show.
What’s in store so far for SS 2015? White’s, brown’s, pinks/coral, neon with attention to metallic detailing. But I know how dead set everyone is on drawing their own style and details from the SS 2015 fashion season.
Ready to start viewing? Don’t worry between show’s they re-broadcast the good stuff and highlight’s so you won’t get bored.
Onward and forward darlings;
I can’t disguise that I am a Mert & Marcus fan girl. Their work is stunning, and often beyond comparison. Although everyone on Twitter is raving about the new shot they did with, Madonna (think sexy sultry HOT), I’m over taken with a new, raw and gentler beauty portrayed in their “Super Normal Super Beauties” editorial this September in W Magazine (also feat. on Models.com).
Despite the unadorned models and the dressed down look (shout out to the wardrobe stylist Edward Enninful), Mert and Marcus bring forth an inner beauty proving these runway divas and men are ‘Super Normal’, and damn beautiful. Mert & Marcus 25 photos prove pure beauty is best in its true form, and trumps all. Including, any overdone editorial.
Enjoy the 25 images of Mert & Marcus (Including some not safe for work images) in the gallery below.
Leave it to the french fashion house of Balmain to take three everlasting and powerful beauties to grace their new campaign. Partnering with W Magazine, Balmain presents one of the most striking covers of the year.
The cover itself is stunning, but W mag and Olivier Rousteing, the new head of Balmain take things up a notch inside the pages of the magazine. Snagging the powerhouses that are Rihanna, Naomi Campbell and Iman, W magazine creates an overpowering editorial.
Olivier Rousteing proves without a doubt (pictured above), at 27, he is beyond brilliant as the new head designer and creative director of Balmain. We can’t wait to see what he comes up with next. Bring it Balmain!
When Karl Lagerfeld said , “It’s never too early to care about fashion.”, I don’t think this is what he envisioned.
Baby Kimye, aka North West is looking darling in Chanel including her first garishly, over priced baby Chanel bag.
According to the nice people at the Huffpost, baby North is posing as a model for the CR Fashion Book.
I can just hear it; “With her mother’s good looks and her daddies ego North Strikes a fierce baby pose sans booties.This evening attire can be yours for around $20,000 dollars you were using to re-finance your house.”
OR you can just take in the cuteness people. Yeah, I can’t hate on North West. It is the one thing Kanye and Kim did right.
LA at a glance seems vapid at best. Movie stars with purse dogs, overly blond athletic men and women, juice bars and cleanses, power luncheons and a cadre of meandering, very lost tourists. One would never think that there is a massive and newly booming fashion industry and art collective in the land of twinkling stars and tinsel.
With the established Style Fashion week twice a year, the celebrity clientele, the art/runway shows, and Santee fashion district in DTLA, it’s beyond booming, it’s a massive industry on the West Coast demanding attention. Showcasing names like Rodarte, Band of Outsiders, Betsey Johnson, Rebecca Minkoff LA, and James Perse has brought an influx of ex-NY artists and designers to the palm dotted coast.
Being a stylist and writer leads you unbelievable places and doing surreal things. One of these was to the heart of Bohemian Society’s headquarters, and Victor Wilde’s kitchen. I had spoken with his amazing PR people on the phone, and they agreed to do a clothing pull for a charity shoot I was working on. Then they suggested I interview Victor Wilde, the creative director and designer of The Bohemian Society, while I was there.
Never look a gift horse in the mouth, instead run with it.
Victor Wilde is the head fashion designer of The Bohemian Society. The Bohemian Society in the last 10 years, boasts a celebrity clientele, dressing supermodels and musicians and is distributed in several high-end Los Angeles boutiques, and worldwide through ASOS.
In his downtown LA loft, you can see his influences. Modern art, recycled and eco sustainable materials, with a heavy Japanese influence. When I asked about it, he admitted he’d, “been to Japan 7 times.” Being a traveler was the key to bonding with Victor. We talked about travel, the international influences on design, and I asked about his background fashion.
Victor Wilde grew up in a fast paced NYC in Brooklyn. “Growing up East Coast you have to be cool.” In Brooklyn that is no small feat. “Kids judge you by what you wear, how you look”, he said, and you have to ‘grow some balls’ quickly. Victor had a better eye than most at a young age for fashion, and in Jr. High School he was voted best dressed. Not bad for a young man barely emerging from his adolescence.
Being young and fashionable was not the only reason Victor progressed in his field. “People said I should to be in fashion. I started dating a model; she was working for one of the biggest wholesale/retailers at the time. People would come in to the store, and she would buy their clothes and sell them, and I thought, I can do better than that. I thought of The Bohemian Society.”
Unlike most designers Victor had no fashion or design background. He admitted, “I didn’t know what the hell I was doing. I started creating t-shirts, and within two weeks, she was showing my clothes in the window.”
Yet, Victor Wilde is an artist and his true love is artistic performance. I asked about the part of fashion he loved most and what he was moving towards. ‘(I love) the showiness, and the performance part of it.” His latest projects include working with the insanely talented Swedish film maker Jonas Akerlund, and albino supermodel Shaun Ross (Lana Del Rey’s ‘Tropico’, Katy Perry’s ET), on the ‘Beauty Defined’ project.
Shaun Ross in Bohemian Society
In Akerlund’s last installment, the video explains how unique difference is always right, and others degrading natural and odd beauty were wrong. Supermodel Shaun Ross narrative is about his beauty while visually Ross parades through a throng of tourists on Hollywood blvd., in Bohemian Society couture.
This is a theme in Victor’s continuing vision for The Bohemian Society as well. With the fashion industry being a multimedia animal, this creates the perfect platform for Victor Wilde to create and produce his art. A vision of showing & creating, raw beauty.
Timur and the Dime Museum in Bohemian Society
“My next collection will be highly based on interviews with people without any clothes. I paused, ”That’s actually really brilliant. I mean if you are going to get the bare truth…”.
Part of that is Victor’s choice to use and re-use eco-sustainable good’s. I noticed that the loft is decorated with vintage pieces of clothing, art and random finds. His Spring/Summer 2014 collection was made primarily out of the most amazing, ethereal looking WWII parachute material. How did it start and why use it?
“The recycled stuff I couldn’t afford stuff so my girlfriend and I would go out and steal vintage clothing and remake it”. I went to college in North Carolina and then moved to NY and became and performance artist. He explained he used what he had around him in art and design.
I asked if being eco-friendly was an important ‘part of his personality’. “Yes, it reflects part of who I am. I’ve been a vegetarian my whole life by choice. As child I refused to eat meat. My Mom actually used to chase me around the kitchen with chicken and beef”. Being an ex-East Coaster myself, there was much discussion about the horrors of East Coast unhealthy living.
As we speak more, he admits his most recent project was costuming an opera. Not the traditional kind of course, but a rock opera. “I was there for about a week. It played at a festival so it played only one day. “Really?”, I ask, “Yes, it was in Miami, but next year it’s in Brooklyn.”
His current collection for The Bohemian Society’s Fall/Winter collection 2014? “It’s named Wild at Heart. It’s Victor Wilde. A reflection of me, influenced by the Movie (“Wild at Heart” by David Lynch) and it’s sexy, and androgynous. “
Androgyny brings to mind Bowie immediately and we talk over coffee about that, music, Tim Curry and more art. As far as I can tell, Victor Wilde is an artist, a designer, a costumer, a performer and a multimedia mad genius.
When I asked what he wanted to work on, “Anything that interests me”.
It seems with all of his interests, world domination may not be out of the picture.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Keep an eye out for The Bohemian Society’s Fall/Winter 2014 line online and in stores. Bohemian Society is carried at;
This week I am meeting with the head of Bohemian Society, Victor. As I was researching him, his line and his daring and beautiful editorial’s, I noticed he worked with one of my favorite model’s du monde, Shaun Ross. If you haven’t heard of Shaun Ross, you will, NOW.
Shaun Ross in Bohemian Society
Shaun Ross is an amazing model who has worked runway, worked with Lana Del Rey, Katy Perry and appeared on a little show called ‘American Horror Story’. What makes him so distinct? He’s a black albino with white skin and natural blonde hair. Add the talent that is Jonas Akerlund, a Swedish (team Svenske) visionary of our time who has made video art again. The thought of the two of these talents alone is mind-blowing but all three?
Jonas Akerlund, with Bohemian society and Shaun Ross have created the final chapter of the amazing #DefineBeauty films.
Beyond the Skin
Jonas Åkerlund Takes Model Shaun Ross on a Hyperkinetic Trip Through LA in the Final #DefineBeauty Film
Here is an amazing editorial, with three if my favorite minds meeting, to make beautiful art.
Nicholas Ghesquiere is a man who never stop’s amazing me. As a stylist and fashion obsessed follower the man, the designer, is what pure fashion genius look’s like. Thankfully, for his first editorial as the head of Louis Vuitton he does not disappoint.
Reigning in the talents of Annie Leibovitz, Bruce Weber and Juergen Teller this editorial is over the top gorgeous.
Thank’s to the people at Style.com we are in the know. The editorial simply named ‘Series 1’ and according to their awesome writer’s, star’s the amazing talent of;
Charlotte Gainsbourg (Ghesquière’s longtime muse), Liya Kedebe, Freja Beha Erichsen (the Fall ’14 show opener), and Jean Campbell.
Breathe in the beauty and watch the editorial below
For more information on Ghesquiere new campaign from Style.com, click the link below;
If there is one thing I know, and love, it’s street style. We Angelenos pride ourselves on making mad, sexy street wear for divas who know how to bring it. The other thing I know is that women know clothes, and know we have the ultimate label to satisfy out ‘Beautiful Addiction’.
Now that I have your attention let’s talk shop, or shopping.
‘Beautiful Addiction’ is the very saucy and multi-faceted collection by CEO and designer Sheila Marie of Sheiki Jeans. After years of dressing sexy celebs like Aubrey O’ Day and Kendra Wilkinson, Sheila has created this amazing new line. Welcome to the sexy line for street style, ‘Beautiful Addiction’.
Split into three categories, for the discriminating shopper, you can shop the collections ‘Tribal, Electric and Serenity’. ‘Beautiful Addiction’ has everything from Coachella cool to OzFest awesome.
Even cooler fact. Sheila makes every piece of clothing ecologically sustainable. What does that mean? Beautiful Addiction uses fabric derived from eco-friendly resources, and her company motto is: Reduce, Reuse and Recycle sooooo, this collection is a no-guilt buy!
Beautiful Addiction just released their sexy, and very edgy, Spring/Summer 2014 collection. Their collection consists of edgy printed leggings and maxi skirts, with coordinating crop tops and hoodies. That way you can mix and match as the Polar Vortex melts into sexy sun. It’s time to shop for a new wardrobe that shows off that HOT gym body you’ve been hiding all winter.
Let’s satisfy your Beautiful Addiction ladies! Click any of the pictures and shop Beautiful Addiction clothing NOW!!
I know I have been missing in action. But while you were all snuggled into your beds by the fireplace I was braving LAFW in 6 inch heels. Although I left with a terrible injury (damn those heels), it was all worth it.
Thanks to a wonderful meeting of minds, Pre and Post LAFW, I’ve been booked as guest judge with the effervescent talent known as Dom Streater. If you aren’t familiar with the crazy talent of Dom Streater she was the winner of Project Runway, Season 12.
Here’s the best part, we’ll be judging 10 contestants showing their designs on the runway and give $1,000 to the winner.
This company is one of the reasons I love and adore working in the fashion industry. Smart, chic, modern and damn sexy, Skingraft is ‘IT’. To get back to business, here is their Spring/Summer editorial video.
HEATHYRWOLFE.COM 