Sneak Peak Into Katie James Pixelated Design
Hi Everyone,
I'm writing up letters of agreement for people who will do contract work with me for Katie James Pixelated, you know, the new online specialty division of Katie James. The stages in my brain to get this all done, is really almost overwhelming. But that's ok. I started on the design of the new website while on the train to my favorite hair salon in New Haven, CT to get my striking new look. Then, I had to make some letterhead for a proposal, because once I had a direction of the new website design, I couldn't use my old design that was my band-aid solution until something like this was ready.
So this is a header for the top of stationery, specifically for a Proposal. Each letterhead will have its own kind, meaning, the word in the blue box will change to say what it is. So for a letter of agreement, "Letter of Agreement" will go in that blue box. Makes filing a breeze. To me, the design just makes me happy. It's refreshing, and I love looking at it. I hope you like it and don't think it too boring...
I'm writing up letters of agreement for people who will do contract work with me for Katie James Pixelated, you know, the new online specialty division of Katie James. The stages in my brain to get this all done, is really almost overwhelming. But that's ok. I started on the design of the new website while on the train to my favorite hair salon in New Haven, CT to get my striking new look. Then, I had to make some letterhead for a proposal, because once I had a direction of the new website design, I couldn't use my old design that was my band-aid solution until something like this was ready.
So this is a header for the top of stationery, specifically for a Proposal. Each letterhead will have its own kind, meaning, the word in the blue box will change to say what it is. So for a letter of agreement, "Letter of Agreement" will go in that blue box. Makes filing a breeze. To me, the design just makes me happy. It's refreshing, and I love looking at it. I hope you like it and don't think it too boring...
Almost got this wedding dress fabric from Mood
I think the worst part about this wedding dress stuff has been deciding on the overall shape of the dress, and deciding on the fabric. There are so many fun possibilities! I know that once the two pieces are decided, it's easier to design it 'live' so to speak. But sheesh! So this fabric was pretty awesome. It is a cotton/linen type, with strips of cotton sewn on top of it in swirly shapes. Totally cool and couture looking, and only $14 a yard. $14 in Mood is on the lower end.
It was so hard to decide! Jenny came to the store and is holding it tight in back, so that we can see the shape to make sure it wouldn't look padded on me. But in the end, I couldn't stray from my vision of dupioni, and the dress I sketched on the plane with its possibility for details. So I ended up getting that tulle I have above my head for the veil, which is sprinkled with flowers on the bottom. I want to cut out some of my own flowers for another layer of tulle, and stitch them on the bottom. The veil will be layered and short.
So. While I didn't get this fabric, and did find an ivory dupioni, I think I will go back and get this fabric for a rehearsal dinner splash of a dress!
Onward!
Mariah Carey - Allure 4/2008
Because I am a beauty product junkie, I have a subscription to Allure. Let's just get that out of the way. Month after month, I am treated to the same boring excessively airbrushed covers. This month's issue features Mariah Carey wearing someone else's nose and an accompanying article that was as full of air as marshmallow fluff.*
If you are just emerging from a coma and find this issue next to the call button you will learn that Mariah a)is mixed race, b) was married unhappily to the head of her old record label, c) suffered a very public meltdown, d) and is very chaste in spite of her tramp on acid presence.
I wonder if an actual person wrote this dreck or if it was just spit out of some random rainbow word generator. I also wonder if the editor of Allure secretly hates Mariah because the accompanying red carpet pictures of the singer taken over the years are truly hideous.
Source: designer<3er/lsa>
The rest of the issue, on the other hand is surprisingly okay. It contains, not one but two multi-page spreads featuring black models, Ubah and Chanel Iman. Actually there are three if you count the photo of model Israela in a makeup editorial. There's also a brief piece on Rashida Jones and her mother Peggy Lipton that really has nothing to do with the beauty treatment article that follows it.You know what bugs me about sample inserts? Unless it is lotion or perfume, the insert is completely useless. I have only ever seen one shade of foundation on those sample cards and it is always in "ivory." That shade doesn't even match most of the white women I know. Of course, this hardly matters because I can never resist trying the sample anyway which winds up making me look like I have some kind of skin pigment disorder.
The rest of the magazine is typical Allure: anti-aging articles, the "body makeover" section, a rundown of skin treatments like serums, overpriced creams and micro-dermabrasion (this one used an black woman as the tester.)
All in all, I'd say the April issue is one of the better ones to come out in recent months and worth a look the next time you're in line at the grocer.
*Does anyone else remember that stuff? I don't even want to think about what it was made of. When I was a kid I remember spreading it and peanut butter on sandwiches. If I caught my husband feeding that crap to my kid I might just strangle him.
Summer's Bare Necessities
This is truly a unique editorial and is one of my all time favorites. It features Naomi Campbell, Tyra Banks and Beverly Peele and was photographed by Patrick Demarchelier for American Vogue, May 1992.
Source: scanned by hfgl
Source: scanned by hfgl
Laser Hair Removal : 10th Appointment. Yes, 10th.
If you've been following this personal series in laser hair removal with me and American Laser Center, you will have noticed that I skipped a post about my 9th appointment. That is because nothing happened after that appointment, and even I was bored with writing about it. For my 10th appointment, which was booked for 2 hours, you can imagine that I was finally a little ticked. I appreciate the lengthy time session, but come on. I can't keep doing this. If you've been following earlier comments and posts, you'll see that I'm really an enthusiast for laser hair removal, and for my American Laser Center office, that used to be on Central Park West but is now on W. 57th Street, just around the corner.
Sadly, I have become one of the frustrated American Laser Center people who find this series when researching on Google. Aside from the fact that nothing happened after my 9th appointment, which used a "new" machine that went up to 50 instead of 30, and I insisted on being at 40 which had been unprecedented in that office before, I finally got the defensive treatment from "management" that so many other girls complain about, as expressed in this review article, for example. Here are some great review comments from customers who did good research, and here are some more truthful review comments where people get upset, and I think I lost a reader. :(
To recap: I am having my thighs, bikini and little love trail done. I'm blond with dark leg hair (if guys are reading this, just know that this is not the article for you, so move on please, unless you are considering laser for your back, for example). The thigh hair has gotten much softer, but there is a lot of little active follicles that are not going away. I used to say 80% gone, but really, it's like 70%. Or maybe even more depressing, 60%. The bikini is truly 85% gone, but again, it's my 10th appointment, so in my opinion, it should be 100% gone. American Laser Center quotes 6 appointments, and then "gives" you 2 extra years, which I thought was a great cushion. But now am realizing that it might be a sad reality. Even more frustrating is when I hear success stories from friends who go to other laser companies and are done in 4 appointments. My Syrian friend, for example, did her face and arm pits, and the hair was gone in 4 appointments. She has just started her arms.
The laser has never hurt me, and I have never seen "hair shedding" or "hair falling out". My last appointment on the supposedly stronger and new machine did finally hurt, and I was on a setting that most others do not go to, or so I was told by the technician. That was for my 9th appointment, and I saw no results. Zero.
As to why I'm mad, and am now an angry American Laser Center customer? The office manager became very defensive with me when I stated a complaint, and blamed me for my poor treatment. The conversation went something like this:
Me: Do other girls take 10 appointments to get rid of hair?
Office Manager: Yes, it varies. Some do.
Me: About how many of them are there? Am I in the minority? The majority? How many other girls take 10 appointments?
Office Manager: Have you been double-something (I forgot the term...means to go over the area twice with the laser)?
Me: No...
Office Manager: Well, you should have been double-something. You are booked today for the double.
Me: I didn't know the double-something existed. I only know that when I booked this appointment, a girl booked me for 2 hours, and that is the first time I've ever been booked for 2 hours. And I was on the new machine last time.
Office Manager: Well, you should have been doing the double, so you are booked for it, and that should help. Next time, just make sure you note that you want the double-something. You're not booked on the new machine this time.
Me: I'm not a laser expert. I did not know about the possibility of the double-something, I just know that I am here for my 10th appointment. And why aren't I on the stronger machine?
Office Manager: If you have been unhappy with your treatment, you should have told me.
Me: I tell the technicians every time I am in an appointment. I ask them every single time if it's normal for others to be here for this long. They just say that it varies, they take a little picture of my skin, and file it away.
Office Manager: Well they have not told me. I should tell them to come to me when clients are unhappy. And I've just had a turn-over of all of my girls, so everyone is new.
Me: I have told all of the girls twice. I told X, I told Y.
Office Manager: Well X and Y aren't here anymore.
Me: I realize that, but they new, twice each of them, and another girl, because I have had so many appointments.
Office Manager: The next time you have an appointment, just make sure to note that you want the stronger machine and the double something.
The conversation kind of fizzled out after that. There was no "I'm so sorry..." or "We should have been doing this..." or "About 10% of people take 10 or more appointments" which leads me to believe that most of them take this long. Which is a damaging way to present a case when you are considering a $2000 investment that thank goodness I have paid off, so now get to be angry.
During my appointment, I expressed, again, these concerns to the technician. I was on my second round with her, meaning, I had had her the last time on the stronger machine. She suggested that perhaps the stronger machine was not good for me, since I had seen zero results, and to maybe continue on the old machine and double up. She said that she has seen differences with the two machines - that some people see results on it while others don't, and vice versa with the old machine.
I'll wait a few weeks before posting again, to see what kind of effect there was. The technician also suggested exfoliating the areas to work out the dead hairs that may be stuck under the skin. Fair enough. Stay tuned, and chime in if you've had a similar experience, or if you've found success under 6 appointments, or if 6 is just a myth.
See all posts about my laser appointments and findings >
Disclaimer: FashionMista, nor its author, are qualified to give medical advice and cannot be held responsible for anything that may occur. Should you have a medical concern, please consult your physician.
Sadly, I have become one of the frustrated American Laser Center people who find this series when researching on Google. Aside from the fact that nothing happened after my 9th appointment, which used a "new" machine that went up to 50 instead of 30, and I insisted on being at 40 which had been unprecedented in that office before, I finally got the defensive treatment from "management" that so many other girls complain about, as expressed in this review article, for example. Here are some great review comments from customers who did good research, and here are some more truthful review comments where people get upset, and I think I lost a reader. :(
To recap: I am having my thighs, bikini and little love trail done. I'm blond with dark leg hair (if guys are reading this, just know that this is not the article for you, so move on please, unless you are considering laser for your back, for example). The thigh hair has gotten much softer, but there is a lot of little active follicles that are not going away. I used to say 80% gone, but really, it's like 70%. Or maybe even more depressing, 60%. The bikini is truly 85% gone, but again, it's my 10th appointment, so in my opinion, it should be 100% gone. American Laser Center quotes 6 appointments, and then "gives" you 2 extra years, which I thought was a great cushion. But now am realizing that it might be a sad reality. Even more frustrating is when I hear success stories from friends who go to other laser companies and are done in 4 appointments. My Syrian friend, for example, did her face and arm pits, and the hair was gone in 4 appointments. She has just started her arms.
The laser has never hurt me, and I have never seen "hair shedding" or "hair falling out". My last appointment on the supposedly stronger and new machine did finally hurt, and I was on a setting that most others do not go to, or so I was told by the technician. That was for my 9th appointment, and I saw no results. Zero.
As to why I'm mad, and am now an angry American Laser Center customer? The office manager became very defensive with me when I stated a complaint, and blamed me for my poor treatment. The conversation went something like this:
Me: Do other girls take 10 appointments to get rid of hair?
Office Manager: Yes, it varies. Some do.
Me: About how many of them are there? Am I in the minority? The majority? How many other girls take 10 appointments?
Office Manager: Have you been double-something (I forgot the term...means to go over the area twice with the laser)?
Me: No...
Office Manager: Well, you should have been double-something. You are booked today for the double.
Me: I didn't know the double-something existed. I only know that when I booked this appointment, a girl booked me for 2 hours, and that is the first time I've ever been booked for 2 hours. And I was on the new machine last time.
Office Manager: Well, you should have been doing the double, so you are booked for it, and that should help. Next time, just make sure you note that you want the double-something. You're not booked on the new machine this time.
Me: I'm not a laser expert. I did not know about the possibility of the double-something, I just know that I am here for my 10th appointment. And why aren't I on the stronger machine?
Office Manager: If you have been unhappy with your treatment, you should have told me.
Me: I tell the technicians every time I am in an appointment. I ask them every single time if it's normal for others to be here for this long. They just say that it varies, they take a little picture of my skin, and file it away.
Office Manager: Well they have not told me. I should tell them to come to me when clients are unhappy. And I've just had a turn-over of all of my girls, so everyone is new.
Me: I have told all of the girls twice. I told X, I told Y.
Office Manager: Well X and Y aren't here anymore.
Me: I realize that, but they new, twice each of them, and another girl, because I have had so many appointments.
Office Manager: The next time you have an appointment, just make sure to note that you want the stronger machine and the double something.
The conversation kind of fizzled out after that. There was no "I'm so sorry..." or "We should have been doing this..." or "About 10% of people take 10 or more appointments" which leads me to believe that most of them take this long. Which is a damaging way to present a case when you are considering a $2000 investment that thank goodness I have paid off, so now get to be angry.
During my appointment, I expressed, again, these concerns to the technician. I was on my second round with her, meaning, I had had her the last time on the stronger machine. She suggested that perhaps the stronger machine was not good for me, since I had seen zero results, and to maybe continue on the old machine and double up. She said that she has seen differences with the two machines - that some people see results on it while others don't, and vice versa with the old machine.
I'll wait a few weeks before posting again, to see what kind of effect there was. The technician also suggested exfoliating the areas to work out the dead hairs that may be stuck under the skin. Fair enough. Stay tuned, and chime in if you've had a similar experience, or if you've found success under 6 appointments, or if 6 is just a myth.
See all posts about my laser appointments and findings >
Disclaimer: FashionMista, nor its author, are qualified to give medical advice and cannot be held responsible for anything that may occur. Should you have a medical concern, please consult your physician.
Old Navy - Nina Keita
Someone mentioned these Old Navy ads in the comments yesterday.
Coincidentally, I'd noticed the ad a few days ago. First because the dark skinned model in the ads, Nina Keita, has been featured in quite a few Old Navy ads recently and second, because her "love interest" in the ad is white.
I guess I'm so accustomed to seeing these types of ads go in a different direction that changing it up a bit immediately transforms me into a deer-in-the-headlights.
Ordinarily, this type of commercial would usually show the group of young white women (with their one black friend) flirting with a groups of white guys (and their one black friend) at a mall or amusement park. The end of the ad would show everyone matched up by race having a great time sharing fountain drinks.
I always thought that this set up put way too much pressure of the black friends. What if they didn't like each other? What if one of them way gay? Clearly, these were the only two black people in town. How was it that they were only just now meeting one another? Good Lord, what if they were related? Would their white friends care? Did anyone even bother to ask them how they felt about not being given a choice?
I've read many a designer complain that if they use a black or other non-white model in an ad or on the runway, then the consumer will pay more attention to the model than the product.
I think this is only partially true. I always pause at a ad with a person of color partly because of the rarity of black models in national campaigns but when I do I always note who is producing the ad. I can't watch Nina Keita stroll around town in that Old Navy green tube dress without wondering how it would look on my body. On the flip side, models like Jessica Stam, Kate Moss and Gisele appear in so many similar advertisements that I'd be hard pressed to tell any of the campaigns apart.
How exactly does that work in the designer's favor?
Launch of Safi Fragrance by Nyakio Grieco in Los Angeles
I love the range of body products put out by Nyakio Grieco. Now, she's added a perfume to the collection called Safi. I have yet to come across a description of the scent so I'll have to wait and see if it becomes available locally. It should be available soon online at Apothia.
In other Blogs...
A post called "Darker Skinned Glamour Girls" on Racialicious caught my eye this morning. In it Latoya Peterson wrote about something she noticed while paging through an issue of the UK beauty magazine "Pride." She writes:
Hmm, I thought to myself, they have a lot of dark skinned women in this magazine. Wonder why?
Then I wondered to myself why I thought it would be strange to have dark skinned women in a magazine that caters to black women. That should have been a no-brainer. So why was I surprised?
and later,
It just seems like fashion has a specific look that is acceptable for dark skinned women. It is almost as if the woman is not dark with close cropped hair and a bone-thin physique, she simply does not exist.
I've had that same thought go through my head. Nothing will get me to pause on a page longer than the inclusion of a woman with dark skin. It's like I'm staring at a unicorn or something.
Aside from Naomi, off the top of my head I'm having a little trouble thinking of a "glamour girl" model who has very dark skin and honestly even Naomi is probably somewhere in the middle of our color spectrum.This is not to imply that they aren't out there but when one does see them, they usually fall into a certain mold.
There seems to be a handful of lovely Africans dividing up some of the crumbs brushed down to non-white models in the industry but in spite of the many different types of beauty represented on that continent, most fashion mucks seem to only want to focus on the girls with keen features like Liya Kebede or the cropped hair darker skinned models like Alek or Ajuma.
The first type can appear in the Estee Lauder and Tiffany and Co. ads while the latter is going to see a lot of leopard skin in the course of her career.Of course there are exceptions.
Sessilee Lopez is currently appearing in ads for Lanvin but her dark skin is seemingly used as one the stylist's props.
Also, Naomi is still thriving in her career but she is such an icon at this point that it hardly seems fair to compare her success to the plight of a model of color with no real name recognition. Her ads for Pinko (see above photo) has the feel of a celebrity endorsement.
Of course, none of this is new especially in this industry but I always find myself hoping that one of these days I'll be surprised in a good way when paging through a mag.
photo source: TFS/simplylovely
Happy Easter from Pink Marshmellow Stripper Bunnies - hehe!
One of the cutest pictures ever. My godmother sent it to me. Love it!
Martini Glass Dress - drawn on the plane - thoughts?
Thanks to the iPhone and Flickr, I can send this photo and blog from the Jetblue plane. On the left (or top) is the front of the dress. On the right (or bottom) is a side view so that we can see how the bustle and skirt would look from the side. This dress would bustle up twice at the bottom, and be let out for the walk down the isle. The sash at the butt would stay. Skirt in front and side would flare out. Buttons down back. Rouching at lower part of the dress, but must see how that looks...
Tempted By The Design of Another - Romona Keveza
See that fabric? The white one on the left? That's a yard of embroidered silk dupioni that I bought in the hopes that it could work as my dream wedding dress. This isn't a dream wedding dress of "There exists no other wedding dress in the world that is good enough for me." Well, sort of. I just want to design my own. I have a good relationship with a great seamstress, who was actually the right hand woman to a designer on Tommy Hilfigure's design TV show, so I can design a wedding dress. She knows how to construct it, and I know how to invent it. Working with her is also just very fun because once I decide on a direction, and have a good drawing of what I want, I become the dress form and we design on my body in muslin, debating over certain drapes or cuts. Here's our portfolio. I call it the Dress Up Box.
Here's Jenny draping the yardage of fabric I bought at Mood to see how it would fall, before I went home to make some final decisions on the shape of the dress. The woman in the back is someone else's mother who was doing a dress for her daughter. Everyone was in on the show.
So. Where is this rambling post going, you wonder. I'll tell you. For the creation of this post, I am in Scottsdale, AZ. I am here because my mom lives in Ohio, and I live in New York. She was insisting that we have a head-to-head meeting on wedding things so that she could show me all of the magazine pages she had clipped, folded, post-it-ed. She has created three filing systems and sent me two. She doesn't remember sending me the first one. The third one was actually very cute, not trapper-keeper-ish, and had little manila envelopes in it. Anyway, Arizona seemed the most logical place for us to meet up. ;) Kidding. One of our uncles has a house out here, and they share it with our gigantic family, so we squeezed into the space for a little Spring Break of sorts. The point is: she made me go wedding dress shopping.
Wedding dress shopping is not my favorite thing to do. Most of the time I gag. I gag at poly satin, sequins, and poly satin. Boutique gowns are beautiful, but why not create my own. We went to two stores, the first of which was Demetrios Bride. Let me tell you, if you ever go there, run away. If anyone tells you to go there, run away. They are charging high prices for the cheapest of poly satin. And by poly satin, I mean polyester. You should go there only to try on shapes and silhouettes. If it's in your budget, fine. But if it really is your budget, I think you should tromp to some consignment stores and find a beautifully made wedding gown. Or ebay. Our purpose was to try on shapes, and we had 45min, so it was fine.
The second stop was Destiny Bride. Potential trap #1: it is a boutique setting, literally hidden from the rest of the very nice strip mall (think little Paris allies) and is in an exposed brick building overlooking a twinkling courtyard with a fountain and trees. I know. You're saying: "Katie! Dress! Think dress!" Not that I cared, right? Because I'm designing my own, right? This is just to please my mom, right? Yeah right. So my sister, who had been texting the whole time at Demetrios, was totally involved at Destiny Bride, zipping me into all of my gowns, got a blister from all of the work (she wanted to do it), and had the most to say about each dress. My mom was shockingly quiet and became a spectator, which never happens in boutiques.
Get to the point. Ok. The point is, the second dress I tried on was a Romona Keveza. Here are some pictures of others of her dresses. Beautiful. A strapless, straight across the top, ivory gown with pleats across the bodice and on the train with a dramatic dip down the back, like on an old wooden roller coaster. Beautiful, but I wanted that dramatic dip in my back anyway. It did have a gorgeous cut for the skirt. She calls it a "flute." Mom calls it a trumpet. It's basically an upside down champaign glass with a low a-line, so you get the full curve of your body while it flares at the bottom and tucks under your butt, so that if you don't really have a butt, like me, you do in this cut of a dress, but in a good way. How do I know that the designer calls it a "flute"? Because she was there in the store for a trunk show. We randomly went on trunk show day. The gown had a matching veil, which was equally beautiful and long, and while it was shockingly simple and beautiful, I learned that I feel very claustrophobic in long veils. So. No long veils for me. Romona even showed me how I could carry it on my arm while we danced - she being my partner on the pedestal I was standing on - and still, I could not feel like an independent woman in this long veil. I know, weird.
Genevieve, our wonderful helper who had the most fun glitter eye shadow, brought me another Romona dress that she saw me glance at, but did not take. Because why would I. I'm designing my own, right? She brought it in, my sister zipped me up (ps: somehow these dresses all fit without pinning) and I walked out onto the pedestal. The dress was ivory with wide, black lace trimming across the straight bodice, and lining the train, which was another flute cut, but a more dramatic cut. It looked like an upside down martini glass and billowed back in a way that I had never imagined. The silk used for it was perfect. The perfect weight to allow this billowing, yet stiff second round of a skirt to keep its shape while twisting with me wherever I turned. It was so Spanish, and so beautiful. Very plain, very elegant, very knockout and very much fitting all of my curves quite comfortably. I walked all around the store to watch this train follow me and to understand how I felt in this shape that just kept feeling right in all of the right places. I walked around closets of Vera Wang, Bagley Mishka, the "under $3000" closet, the sample sale closet, another private showing room, in between pedestals and chairs, and back to my pedestal. Black lace on ivory. Beautiful. I loved it.
The only link I've found to a picture so far is here: look for the black lace trim:
http://video.brides.com/?fr_story=675bbad8ce0e71d63004fe5e3937b2460bc256aa&rf=bm
Nine dresses later, one of which was the FUNNEST fairy-godmother/Glenda, Good Which of the North dress, we tried on the first Romona dress again, the one with the pleating, just to make sure it should be retired. They offered to bring in the veil, but I couldn't do it. The trunk show reception had started by then, and I now had a secret audience. I may have sold this dress to two of the women who were there. For kicks, I tried the black lace, Spanish dress. I say for kicks because I felt that I wouldn't see it again, and the idea of it wasn't leaving my mind. My sister zipped me up again. Genevieve, witnessing my former and unfortunate claustrophobia, brought up a shorter veil of two types of tulle - one normal white tulle, with maybe two layers of a French square fishnet-almost tulle. One hour later, the dress was still on. Literally. It did not come off of my body. It was so White Stripes, and I was so loving it.
Enter the giant problem. It was like I was cheating on myself with this dress. Later, over glasses of white wine at the Painted Horse, my sister likened it to me kissing another. And it was. It was like I had just kissed Jack White and was planning an elopement. My mom was especially quiet. Black is not her favorite color. It's not even a color. And the colors for the wedding are cream, chocolate brown and the softest pink. I'm in love with the fabric for the bridesmaid dresses, and I know that it's all about The Dress, but I'm not going to have some satin bridesmaid dresses, and Anthropology didn't deliver any designs I liked. When I found this fabric, I bought 12 yards of it. Sure, I could make and sell skirts out of it, but this all fit. As Genevieve (loved Genevieve) explained as she was trying to understand my deliberation, it's all like a puppet show. I've built pieces of the puppet show, and they are very important to me. I want to wear a long string of fresh water pearls that my grandfather gave to me. The reception is going to be, basically, in a barn. The "I Do" is going to be outside, on an 50 foot cliff. If it doesn't rain. My sister reminded me that I want to play Juno on repeat after the ceremony for the cocktail hour before the reception, and the Juno soundtrack makes you bounce, a lot. So we all bounced. Me, my sister, and Genevieve all sang the Vampire song to see how the dress did. They said it was fine.
The option: the black lace can become antique white. This changes the entire look of the dress. I mean, it does. You lose the immediate Spanish look that I was loving. And I know I'm not Spanish, but I was many lives ago. I am convinced I was a flamenco dancer. But without the black, you still have a heck of a silhouette, the skirt of which I could attempt to create, but I could not capture that second billow of a skirt with the fabric I have chosen. And I wouldn't want to. I didn't think of it, and I'm true to that. Yes, I see that the mermaid, champaign cut is my cut, and I can now decide on that. I've already sketched some dresses that are curvy, but I could decide if I wanted to not have the traditional full skirt that is just so fun to pick up and run across the yard in. And I would run across the yard. I'm a runner.
My mom and sister and I held a conference in the private showing room, surrounded by exposed brick overlooking the twinkling courtyard through an old-paned window. Twinkling because it was dark outside. Yes, once again, my mom and I (my sister is new to this because she has no patience to shop with us) had closed down yet another boutique. The shop ladies came in to brief us on our options, because I wanted the exact dress that was on my body. That's how well it fit. And it was still on my body, as was the veil. There was a trunk show discount, and a sample discount, although they didn't want to lose the sample because it had just come in and was new. In our privacy, I almost cried at the idea of not designing my dress, and began resigning to the fact that I would have to become a wedding dress designer, since I was now suppressing this desire. Maybe I just miss designing clothing because I've been designing websites so much and allocating money to debt instead of fabric and Jenny, which is my passion.
So that's the drama in my head. I can't do the black lace. My grandmother, who has four little diamonds in my engagement ring, really didn't like black, and although she would have thought I looked lovely at the top of the isle, the black might have branded her mind. The ivory lace, on the other hand, would work. The necklace would work with it, the bridesmaid dresses would work, and work very well, actually, because the dress now takes on an antique quality. I could find vintage shoes. And I could definitely make the veil. I have bushels of tulle right now. All I need to do is sew them onto a comb. And that would be nice - a new veil in the family that someone else could use if they wanted. A new tradition. If Oliver the Terrible didn't tear it to shreds. I've have to lock him up while I make it.
And there, Mistas, is the situation. Can the black laced flamenco dancer work in white lace? Can Jack White be the White Stripes with white on white? Even if it's antique? Is it enough to drop the black lace for the antique white, which loses the drama for which I loved, and forgo the dream? Your comments are very much appreciated.
Correction: Manic Monday Mis-naming
Ok, so I've been double corrected on my Facebook Wall for saying that Cyndi Lauper sang Manic Monday. It was The Bangles. Wikipedia has confirmed. I was first corrected with the wrong name,
but totally good guess and I was believing it, but then Daisyhead chimed in and accused us of being too young to even be discussing this. Now, the first corrector and I were at high school dances together shortly after this song came out (ok, like maybe 6 or 8 years after the song came out), so it's in our realm. I knew shortly after typing it that I might be wrong, and did not bother to fact check, when I put on said Cyndi Lauper album...and didn't hear the song. So.
Now, go buy their album through my affiliate links to Amazon. I need to start making some money. Did my taxes for this year, and while I did make a profit in my first year of business, which is viewed as "awesome" by my accountant, and while my standard of living has not changed, and I continue to get pedis, the bank, when it comes to a housing loan, has decided that I am at poverty level. Although my credit score is A+.
So buy this album! I am!
but totally good guess and I was believing it, but then Daisyhead chimed in and accused us of being too young to even be discussing this. Now, the first corrector and I were at high school dances together shortly after this song came out (ok, like maybe 6 or 8 years after the song came out), so it's in our realm. I knew shortly after typing it that I might be wrong, and did not bother to fact check, when I put on said Cyndi Lauper album...and didn't hear the song. So.
Now, go buy their album through my affiliate links to Amazon. I need to start making some money. Did my taxes for this year, and while I did make a profit in my first year of business, which is viewed as "awesome" by my accountant, and while my standard of living has not changed, and I continue to get pedis, the bank, when it comes to a housing loan, has decided that I am at poverty level. Although my credit score is A+.
So buy this album! I am!
Work It Girl
Style.com has named London native Jourdan Dunn among its list of Top Models for the Fall 2008 ready-to-wear season. She made news earlier by becoming the first black model in TEN YEARS to walk for Italian fashion giant Prada.Ms. Dunn and Chanel Iman seemed to be the black "it" girls of the moment. Hopefully they will also get the much needed support of fashion magazine editors and photographers to boost their respective careers to the next level. I'd hate to see either woman's career taper off the way former "it" girl Gerren Taylor's did.
The 17 year old beauty was also seen on runways for Louis Vuitton, Zac Posen, and Dries Van Noten among others.
Not surprising, Dunn is the only woman of color on this season's list.
King James Covers Vogue's "Sh-ape" Issue
You know what? I don't even know if I have the energy to go there with this jacked up cover so I'm only going to make two points.
First, why does Anna Wintour have such a hard nipples for black folks with their mouths hanging wide open on her magazine? Specifically, I'm thinking about Jennifer Hudson's horribly unflattering cover last year.
Second, the first image that came into my mind when I saw Lebron's contorted expression and Gisele (in Calvin Klein) looking like a windswept maiden was this one:
That is all. I'm think I'm going to have to lay down now.
Dad and Brother Predicting Weather from Almanac for Wedding Weekend
Dad and Brother Predicting Weather from Almanac for Wedding Weekend, originally uploaded by KT Flicker.
Shortly after this jam session on the laptops, Dad disappeared. He did not report his findings. My brother, on the other hand, found all sorts of bride tips, including "if it rains the night before, don't wear heels the next day for an outside wedding." We're thinking that D.A.D. (stands for Dads Against Democrats) saw rain.
Dad and Brother Discussing Tents (again) for Wedding
Dan and Brother Discussing Tents (again) for Wedding, originally uploaded by KT Flicker.
Here we are, sitting around the table after eating "burgies", and the men are discussing the potential for rain for the wedding. The wedding is Labor Day in Maine, and two Labor Days ago (which was later in September at the time) was when Katrina hit. Sooooo....the potential for a tent is very real, IMO. Dad, on the other hand, is a very positive man (ie trying to cut cost for tent) and so believes it will be sunny.
Will There Ever Be an African Vogue?
Do you remember when Vogue India hit the stands and Australian model Gemma Ward was front and center flanked by two presumably Indian models in what I like to call "the coveted Beyonce spot?" All I could do was laugh at how predictable that move was on the editors part.
In the months since that launch last year, Vogue India has featured a dazzling array of Bollywood actresses and models on the cover. It's as if to say, "yeah, we thought the cover on that premiere issue was lame too but we fully intend to make up for it!"
Anytime I think about that launch I wonder if an African country will ever get its own Vogue. Maybe a Vogue Nigeria or a South African Vogue.
I've debated back and forth on message boards about who would be chosen for the imaginary inagural cover. Legendary Iman? Alek Wek? Liya? Oluchi? Gemma in a safari hat?
I read an article in The Times this morning about Oluchi in which she was quoted as saying that top magazines in South Africa (like Glamour and GQ) refuse to put blacks on their covers. This in a country that is 79% black.
She said:
“As a Nigerian and an African I have done so much in my career to represent everything African in Western countries. There is a diverse group of people in South Africa, be it black, white, Asian. ...If you pick up Vogue India everything about it, from the first page to the last, is very Indian...I would like to see that in South Africa. They [magazines] need to embrace diversity and show more love ...It doesn’t give me joy to pick up a copy of South African GQ and feel like I’m reading American GQ."
Damn.
This saddens me. I recall seeing the cover of South African ELLE once with a dark skinned woman on the cover and for months I tried to find an issue at various newsstands only to come up empty. I was dying to know if the cover I saw was an anomoly. So far, I'm not willing to pony up the $90 or so for a subscription to find out.
Back to my magazine fantasy...I picture two covers. The first one featuring a mix of models from all over the continent with Iman or Liya Kebede, Alek Wek or Ajuma to show the very different types of African beauty. My second thought has editors mixing it up a bit more with the likes of a Jourdan Dunn, Emanuela dePaula, Chanel Iman, Chrystelle Saint-Louis Augustin, or Damaris Lewis to illustrate how there isn't a corner of the world that hasn't been touched by this so called dark continent's beauty and influence.
Seriously, I could ponder this for hours. I am so much more satisfied by made up magazines than by their real conterparts. Maybe there's an editor out there dreaming of this launch too, and of Gemma Ward posing on an elephant for the cover.
London Telegraph: Model Waris Dirie Says She Was Abducted
Waris Dirie, the former supermodel and James Bond girl turned United Nations women's rights ambassador, has claimed she was abducted and assaulted during a three day period she went missing in Brussels last week.Miss Dirie was admitted to hospital, in her hometown of Vienna, with an arm injury and abrasions to her legs. Gerald Ganzger, her lawyer, alleged the injuries had been inflicted by a Belgian taxi driver who abducted and attempted to rape her while holding her hostage in his flat for two days.
Miss Dirie, a 43-year-old naturalised Austrian, went missing in the early hours of last Wednesday morning just hours before she was due to speak alongside Condoleezza Rice, US Secretary of State, at a top level European Union conference on women's rights.
Her disappearance sparked a national manhunt. Following her initial reappearance on Friday afternoon, Miss Dirie apologised for a "misunderstanding" and said she was "lost".
Walter Lutschinger, her manager, has tried to explain why Miss Dirie did not tell police of the attack. "I think that she was simply in extreme shock," he said.
Jos Colpin, the Brussels prosecutor, expressed police bafflement. "It was made clear by her that she was the victim of nothing. Naturally we will open a new dossier if a new charge is made."
The mystery over Mis Dirie's missing days also deepened after a 45-year old Belgian man, known only as William D, came forward to say that he picked up Miss Dirie in a bar.
The window cleaner first spotted the former model on Thursday in a scruffy Brussels bar, Chez Henri, before approaching her over a glass of red wine the next day. After inviting her back to his home to eat, William D. and Miss Dirie were stopped by police officers, who had recognised her.
"If only I had taken another way home or a taxi, I could have had a good time with a splendid woman," he told La Dernière La Dernière Heure newspaper.
SourceEssence, I wish I could quit you
I used to love Essence Magazine...when I was 16. Back then it was like Cosmo for black teens full of articles about famous people, lifestyles and hairstyles that I could never quite pull off. There was also the occasional article about sex which made reading the magazine seem like a very grown up thing to do. I always looked forward to seeing who would be on the next month's cover and then gobbled up the issue in no time flat.Flash forward more years than I care to reveal and the magazine is still around, only my feelings for it have changed.
As a girl growing up reading the magazine I guess I thought it would grow up with me but this is clearly not the case. Everything about Essence is the same as it has been for twenty years. It looks the same, weighs the same, talks about the same "safe" celebrities ad nauseum and features damn near the same articles month after month.
You always know what you are getting with Essence and maybe that's good enough for some readers but it's like boring sex. Everyone has it at some point, but if it's always the same it might be time to see a therapist.
To be fair, Essence is really the only magazine of its type out there. It has a healthy circulation and doesn't seem to be starved for advertisers. Its closest rivals might be Jewel or Heart & Soul but really, the former is still too green and the latter makes me feel like I'm reading a browner version of Redbook.
After it became clear that Suede was never coming back from its hiatus, I secretly wondered if some Suede's fresh attitude would eventually start to invade
Essence but it didn't. Suzanne Boyd left the company and it was back to business as usual.
So what about that content? There's usually an "inspirational" letter from the editor that I don't read, some beauty products shot against a white
background, a page or two of hairstyles, the ubiquitous "I'm in an interracial relationship" article, one page confessional essays, the cover story, a poorly
shot fashion layout sometimes featuring an America's Next Top model contestant, some recipes,and another "inspirational" essay by former editor Susan Taylor.
The end. Lather. Rinse. Repeat.
I guess their philosophy is "if it ain't broke why fix it?" I'm sure there are a lot of Essence readers who like it just the way it is. I'm just not one of them and I refuse to believe I'm alone in that.
One particular issue of Essence that stands out in my mind is one that featured Lil' Kim on the cover some years back. At the time I was surprised that Essence would put a rapper of Kim's particular niche on the cover so I snapped up the issue only to get home and find that there was no interview with Kim in the magazine. There were just details from the 10 hour plus photo-shoot and an "open letter" to Kim written by an editor. Not even a write around, just a letter saying nothing new about her provocative image. It was, in a word, lame.
That pretty much sums up what Essence has become to me. A pretty cover photo to draw you in and not much going on between the sheets.
Will I buy this month's issue featuring Erykah Badu? I don't know, but I won't lie, I will probably page through it at the grocery.
Iman (1985)
Iman is photographed here by Peter Beard, the photographer credited with "discovering" her while she was a student at the university in Nairobi.Source: Omifan/TFS
Erykah Badu in a Bottle
According to Vogue.com.uk, Erykah Badu will be the face of Tom Ford's next fragrance. Let me tell you that those are two names that I never thought I'd be typing in the same sentence.
I haven't really been a fan of Ford since he left Gucci and as lovely as his first fragrance is, I though the ad campaign was unappealing. In spite of that, I am looking forward to seeing what these two come up with. Erykah is as unique and intoxication as the black orchid for which Ford's last fragrance was named and self-promotion is Ford's middle name -- I'm sure the end product will be provocative. I just hope it's in a good way.
Stay tuned...
Edit: Here is a link to a video of Erykah discussing the campaign from Youtube. (Thanks Camille!)
Photo credit: Dallas News
Slow Blogging Day
Has it really been three years since Essence put Suede Magazine on permanent "hiatus" after only four issues? If you are like me, you still have those issues tucked away somewhere and occasionally take them out and flip through the pages, dreaming about what might have been. I mean, the magazine was in no way perfect but I definitely appreciated what they were trying to do.
Suede's former editor, Suzanne Boyd has a new job. She's in charge of revamping a Canadian baby boomer magazine called CARP. The new title will be Zoomer and is being billed as a fashion and lifestyle magazine for near-retirement demographic. Sigh. I wish her the best but the news puts another nail in the coffin that was my desire for Suede to rise from the ashes.
I got the March issue of Harper's Bazaar in the mail today. For some reason Lindsay Lohan is on the cover. I honestly can't remember why I subscribed to this magazine in the first place.
There's not much of interest in the magazine, save the regular "Diet News" feature. I'm always fascinated by what other people eat and what they do for exercise. Not that I plan on doing any of the routines myself, I just like to live vicariously through other people's personal trainers. This month spotlights Keisha Nash-Whitaker. She must have a great publicist.
If you're interested the super slim model/actress/entrepreneur eats a half bagle w/ salmon and cream cheese for breakfast, a tuna melt or turkey burger for lunch and a sensible dinner with her family. I read previously that she was vegan but here she says that husband Forrest Whitaker and her oldest daughter are vegetarian but she still gets her meat on.
I also got Nylon in the mail recently. This one I don't feel as bad about because I got the subscription for free. I've always liked the layout of it but I find it kind of dull. I think I'm older than their target audience. There is one editorial featuring a black model which was unexpected but it's not exactly worth buying.
Slow week, I'm crossing my fingers that Entertainment Weekly shows up tomorrow.
Manic Manic Manic Monday
Mistas! Where to begin, because this day has been going so fast with no end in site. And I just remembered, that I just bought a Cindi Lauper album, so I could play Manic Monday as I compose this, but I won't because that would put me over the edge and I would never get off the computer, when I need to get off the computer to feed the animals, pick up some salmon for my man who is hard at work until 9pm every night (fish easier on the tummy for late eaters), and type this post, which does take time.
Mondays I'm always full of fresh energy, and this Monday, I promised myself I would not work on real estate stuff and would only do work. But after I bought the Suzi Orman Fico Kit for David (bought one for myself last week...I'm an A student for credit!), all I could do was plug in more numbers into color coded Excel sheets that I created this weekend, that kept me on the couch for the whole entire beautiful day to see what we could afford for real estate!
Back up Katie. Real estate, you ask. Where, you ask. Ohio. Ohio? The place that is on CNN every day with the stagering forclosure rate and the new story that Cleveland wants to sue the banks to get some cash? Ohio. Columbus. Columbus, the birthplace of David, and home to many, very well renovated homes and condos in downtown Columbus and in German Village, and area just outside that has several cute homes. Now, for David, I've been considering Columbus, but haven't found a home I'd want to uproot to (tho we'd try to find a cheap apartment here in NY as well). Then one day, we drove past this development. A blue brick house, to be exact (take the walking tour, I dare you), and I fell in love. In love. The kind of love I felt when I found out that the city of Charleston, SC had a college in it, which is where I ended up going. Didn't care about any of the other colleges, I just wanted the College of Charleston, and by Goodness, it was a good fit. And I had a great tan.
Columbus. What do you think inspired that whole registry? The blue house. And Jeni's Ice Cream was the first thing to make me truly consider Columbus. However, our families are up in arms with worry. We are jumping into this. So we did the research, and let me tell you, an intense real estate search can take over your life. I've learned about tax abatements, condo association fees, what is payed when into what escrow account, the rate of sales and houses in contracts this January compared to last January, realtors buying up forclosure properties and selling them for like $70K, how a few .points hugely effects your mortgage payment, maybe more than your down payment, what my lovely credit score is (I'm sorry, I'm just so proud), and I finally paid off my credit card debt!!!!
So do you see the manic? Katie James continues to expand, this time into strategy to help people with SEO and social bookmarking and potential advertising partnerships, so it's all very exciting. I'm taking the train to New Haven this week to get my hair cut at my favorite salon, and what am I making myself do on that train ride and while I get my color done? Design my own overdue Katie James Pixelated website, so that That It Girl can have a prettier place to live, so that services can be laid out like a French cafe menu, and so that I can just add to it whenever.
But now this expulsion must end. Dinah is jumping on me, the clock in the church tower struck 8pm, and I think that means my fish place to get the salmon has closed. Must run down the street to catch it. Oh, here are some words today from my brother, which were too cute not to pass on. Perhaps it will give more of an idea of where we come from, in terms of energy:
"katie!! you have to live here!! i just got really excited for no reason (mainly I'm caffeinated and its 65 degrees and I'm editing my new showreel which kinda pumps you up when you watch it over and over). So I ran out of the house, through the park, over the sledding hill, and did some pull ups to kill some steam. But its such a great feeling to be in this place! with the doors open and the great air coming through. There's people out in the park and everybody's walking dogs through the neighborhood, the tennis courts are lit up and people are playing tennis. (I don't know if its spring time in NY but it sure is here)."
He proceeded to tell me about a stable house which we think is a dream, but maybe too small. Oh, here it is. Trouble is, there are more dream ones where that came from. Here are 2 others dream houses:
And the ultimate cuteness: a blue cottage. With a weird growth coming out the top. And it has a hydrangia bush. But it does have a view of Long John Silvers. But look at the shingles! And the cobble stone street!
I know. I am the worst buyer right now. I must lose the love, then place the bid and walk away. This weekend, David and I are flying there to consider all of these in person. Stay tuned, because I'll be posting pics as we tour the homes via Flickr to here.
Mondays I'm always full of fresh energy, and this Monday, I promised myself I would not work on real estate stuff and would only do work. But after I bought the Suzi Orman Fico Kit for David (bought one for myself last week...I'm an A student for credit!), all I could do was plug in more numbers into color coded Excel sheets that I created this weekend, that kept me on the couch for the whole entire beautiful day to see what we could afford for real estate!
Back up Katie. Real estate, you ask. Where, you ask. Ohio. Ohio? The place that is on CNN every day with the stagering forclosure rate and the new story that Cleveland wants to sue the banks to get some cash? Ohio. Columbus. Columbus, the birthplace of David, and home to many, very well renovated homes and condos in downtown Columbus and in German Village, and area just outside that has several cute homes. Now, for David, I've been considering Columbus, but haven't found a home I'd want to uproot to (tho we'd try to find a cheap apartment here in NY as well). Then one day, we drove past this development. A blue brick house, to be exact (take the walking tour, I dare you), and I fell in love. In love. The kind of love I felt when I found out that the city of Charleston, SC had a college in it, which is where I ended up going. Didn't care about any of the other colleges, I just wanted the College of Charleston, and by Goodness, it was a good fit. And I had a great tan.
Columbus. What do you think inspired that whole registry? The blue house. And Jeni's Ice Cream was the first thing to make me truly consider Columbus. However, our families are up in arms with worry. We are jumping into this. So we did the research, and let me tell you, an intense real estate search can take over your life. I've learned about tax abatements, condo association fees, what is payed when into what escrow account, the rate of sales and houses in contracts this January compared to last January, realtors buying up forclosure properties and selling them for like $70K, how a few .points hugely effects your mortgage payment, maybe more than your down payment, what my lovely credit score is (I'm sorry, I'm just so proud), and I finally paid off my credit card debt!!!!
So do you see the manic? Katie James continues to expand, this time into strategy to help people with SEO and social bookmarking and potential advertising partnerships, so it's all very exciting. I'm taking the train to New Haven this week to get my hair cut at my favorite salon, and what am I making myself do on that train ride and while I get my color done? Design my own overdue Katie James Pixelated website, so that That It Girl can have a prettier place to live, so that services can be laid out like a French cafe menu, and so that I can just add to it whenever.
But now this expulsion must end. Dinah is jumping on me, the clock in the church tower struck 8pm, and I think that means my fish place to get the salmon has closed. Must run down the street to catch it. Oh, here are some words today from my brother, which were too cute not to pass on. Perhaps it will give more of an idea of where we come from, in terms of energy:
"katie!! you have to live here!! i just got really excited for no reason (mainly I'm caffeinated and its 65 degrees and I'm editing my new showreel which kinda pumps you up when you watch it over and over). So I ran out of the house, through the park, over the sledding hill, and did some pull ups to kill some steam. But its such a great feeling to be in this place! with the doors open and the great air coming through. There's people out in the park and everybody's walking dogs through the neighborhood, the tennis courts are lit up and people are playing tennis. (I don't know if its spring time in NY but it sure is here)."
He proceeded to tell me about a stable house which we think is a dream, but maybe too small. Oh, here it is. Trouble is, there are more dream ones where that came from. Here are 2 others dream houses:
And the ultimate cuteness: a blue cottage. With a weird growth coming out the top. And it has a hydrangia bush. But it does have a view of Long John Silvers. But look at the shingles! And the cobble stone street!
I know. I am the worst buyer right now. I must lose the love, then place the bid and walk away. This weekend, David and I are flying there to consider all of these in person. Stay tuned, because I'll be posting pics as we tour the homes via Flickr to here.
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