Style Maven: Patricia Field

Per the video above, being that this is the "January" of fashion, what more of a perfect moment to highlight fashion visionary, Patricia Field, who, in my fashion, while she doesn't consider herself to be a visionary , in my fashion, she really helped to shape the modern view of fashion, if not through my favorite movie, "The Devil Wears Prada", or her resume of business ventures in retail, it is most certainly through her participation in the looks of the coveted HBO series, Sex and the City! In my fashion, during the 90's and early millennia, “Sex and the City” set the standard for being an independent career women during a time when women were exploring a new reality where classic views on misogyny and gender relations were being challenged and exploited like never before. The fashions styled by Field during the show's run was the driving vehicle to delivering the shows retrospective on the the female point of view—which then got me to thinking: 1) how does a stylist translate a message effectively with clothes, and 2) what makes a great stylist, a “great” stylist and fashion visionary?

When one thinks of the 2005 movie, "The Devil Wears Prada", yes we first think of the insufferable, Miranda Priestly, played by, Meryl Streep, with that glamorous white bob. We also think about the bumbling naivete of, Andy Saks, played by Anne Hathaway. But the main reason we remember this movie is because of the character that had no lines the entire movie—the clothes! The clothes chosen for the movie is what furthers that voyeuristic view of the fashion industry depicted in the movie, for which reason, I'm sure, served as a large inspiration for those of us pursuing careers in fashion now—at  least it was for me! In 2007, on the way home from a high school class trip to New York, "The Devil Wears Prada" was the in-house movie on the bus ride—that’s when my head space turned from "reality" to obsessing about the glorious world of fashion. I was absolutely captivated by the beautiful images and the possibility of being in a position that allowed me to be surrounded with the ultimate in beauty all the time, at all times of my day. The prospect of dealing with fabulous clothes, photographs, and gorgeous people all the while exploiting the beauty of our world aiding in consumer’s buying decisions by suggesting what designers around the world were producing marvelous creations seemed like a natural progression of where to use my talents considering, at the that time, I was an obsessive photojournalist and photographer for my school’s yearbook.

Even though I must confess, the sardonic, aloof, austere attitude depicted of Miranda Priestly tickled me so; it is the thought of being around physical beauty all day that energizes my love for the industry. The movie did a good job of depicting the process of developing a world class fashion magazine. While fictional, "The Devil Wears Prada" uses a lot of fictional use of real fashion figures which helps to take us further behind the scenes of the fashion industry and the people who run it. The styling of each character is, in my fashion, what gives us that real life sense of what the fashion world should be if we were a part of the industry ourselves. It’s as actor, Stanley Tucci (who plays Nigel), says in one of the DVD featurettes, “Fashion is the film. We [actors] are the adjuncts to the film.” Considering all of this, I suppose it would be accurate to say that indirectly, Patricia Field, would qualify as one of my greatest inspirations in fashion.

Serious Style: Working With What You Got

As I mentioned in my Editor’s Letter at the beginning of the month, I wanted to touch on interior design and sustaining a comfortable abode. When Dwight and I first moved into our apartment a year ago, to test out the cable, we watched a movie OnDemand. Feeling our inner child, we choose to watch a movie we hadn’t seen since grade school—FernGully: The Last Rainforest. This animated movie which came out in 1992, is a movie that takes a stand against deforestation and the negative impacts of industrialization on the natural environment (the movie probably serving as the catalyst to my compassion towards the care of Mother Nature).  It’s a gorgeous movie that took a microscopic view of the creatures and fairy people that made up the rainforest, and that’s when Dwight and I were instantly struck with the inspiration for our house—a botanical garden of cozy comfort. We wanted to re-create that dank, yet soothing aura like that at the bottom of the rainforest floor. Since then we have thus made that vision come together quite nicely, especially evident by our guest’s compliments and their reluctance to leave once they claim a comfortable spot on our sofa. (Contrary to popular practice, in my fashion, considering our home didn't look exactly how we wanted it to look when we moved in, now would be the perfect time for us to have a housewarming!)

Through the years we have been able to be quite” resourceful”, which is our master plan of decoration! In my fashion, being resourceful means finding multiple uses for one object, especially when it comes to design. Design is all about being abstract and finding beauty in the strangest places. For example, at the beginning of this month I challenged myself to put old pieces of our broken furniture I had kept (pieces of furniture that I "intended" on putting back in place someday) together in a way that would be useful as a night stand. The pieces I had to use were the bottom board of a broken drawer, and plank pieces from the back of our old bed frame. The concept for execution: simple, modern, and useful. Dwight suggested we go get wood glue, spending no more than 5 dollars, and I fashioned the plank pieces onto the board in a simple, modern design. I waited about 2-3 days for it to dry (3 to be safe). It worked perfectly.

1) Gather pieces; 2) Make measurements; 3) Add pieces to board; 4) Wait to dry

This is why I am a heavy advocate for being environmentally conscious. There are so many uses for the things we consider trash! Recycling and being "resourceful" is a great way to build personal style because it’s nice to keep the stuff in your life that resonates with you in one way or another because as supermodel, Dayle Haddon, postulated about modeling in the recent HBO documentary About Face: Supermodels Then and Now the same can be thought about style: It is about, "how you  translate your experiences, good and bad, into something that is meaningful to yourself and other people." The dismembered pieces of furniture that at one time served one purpose, now, serve a whole new purpose, bringing an old piece of my past back to life as it assumes its new position in my life as my new night stand—and, I only spent 5 dollars in the process to make something I really needed, and saving money, I am sure, would be reason enough for most of us to be “resourceful” and think twice before we throw out an “old” item.

THE FINAL PRODUCT

Preserving Style: Teavana

"It's tea time."
Vogue, December 2003

Lately I have been on an experimental quest to find the best tasting teas for my daily morning wake up. With Green tea, Chamomile tea, and Earl Grey, being my usual favorites, this month I have been mulling over the tastes of other traditional style black teas including English Breakfast, Lady Grey, and Irish Breakfast tea flavors (aside: Lady Grey being a new favorite). These black tea flavors have been good for waking me up for these chillier fall days we've been getting as of late. Last month was the perfect time for me to have tried out a fruitier line of teas which included flavors such as Peach, Blueberry, Wild Berry, Raspberry, and Black Cherry. It was perfection because instead of drinking hot teas during the hot months, these fruitier flavors as iced tea woke me up just as well as hot tea, for the chilled shock of berries was a real eye opener. Always with a pinch of honey to sweeten my drink and I am good to go.

Last weekend walking in Stoney Point Fashion Park, a cute Teavana associate gave me a few samples of their new Golden Mojito flavored White Tea, which had my tongue’s taste buds spiking every which way from the sweet and sour tastes of this warming tea. As described in the pamphlet I was given upon my departure, this particular tea is a "sweet and sour citrus blend of three types of pineapple, sweet orange and 'super fruit' sea buckthorn." I love when you drink tea and you get that sensation as if as I had been warmed by a cashmere scarf that has draped itself around me from the inside out. One can feel the warm passing of herbal liquidity flowing like a river down ones throat and into the stomach where its comfort can really be felt. Perhaps I adopted my love for tea from my mother whom all my life filled the morning air of our house with her aromatic teas and occasional potpourri. She would boil a large pot of potpourri which would fill the air of the house in an arid scent of those dried flowers and leaves, and then she would brew her tea (iced or hot) in her over-sized coffee mug. 

All in all, tea really helps to inspire me for the day. When I take a sip, it’s like my mind dissolves for a second and brings itself back together; a sip, acting as the equivalent of the "refresh" button on one's internet browser. After each sip, I feel calmer, and more collected then before—a more spirited state of mind, especially because I know that what I am drinking is insanely good for my body, anti-oxidant and nutrient wise. I know coffee lovers may feel the same way about coffee as I do about tea (for there was a time when I too used to use coffee to get through the day at work), but just knowing that my body is getting its daily source of disease fighting nutrients has a lot to do with that smug comfort I feel as I drink down a cup of mother nature's herbal delight. 

If you are feeling as though you need to spike up your internal health to look good externally, try drinking tea consistently and try to distinguish the differences in your health per the inclusion of tea in your diet. As my mother always told me "cleanliness is closer to godliness". Tea is great way to flush out the mess in your life, physically and mentally. Read some facts below from the Teavana’s brochure I was given:

WHITE AYURVEDIC CHAI TEA

GOLDEN MONKEY BLACK TEA

MONKEY PICKED OOLONG TEA

BLUEBERRY BLISS ROOIBOS TEA

GYOKURO IMPERIAL GREEN TEA

Preserving Style: Breath IS Life

Preserving Style: Yoga, June 2012

If you recall from June when I focused on "movement" and how connecting one’s mind with one’s body brings a certain calm to ones demeanor in my Yoga post for Preserving Style. For me, yoga helps me to set the pace for my day. Diana Vreeland said, "How can one start their day without a healthy base?" I tend to agree! In the mornings I gauge how my body feels, and working out, doing exercises like yoga, really helps to get my breath together in the morning to control how fast or slow I want to move for that day. It’s like when one irons a shirt before putting it on. You have to iron out the wrinkles if you want to look crisp all day. 

In my fashion, one’s style is mostly important to keep us positive throughout the day. I find the hardest thing to do in life is to feel truly good about yourself, especially with everyone trying to tell you how to live YOUR life. If you don't feel good about yourself, you won't be of much use to anybody in this life if I’m not mistaken. It’s not until you know thyself, when one can actually BE thy best self for the people around us.

If you are not familiar with a program on Oprah’s OWN Network entitled “Super Soul Sunday”, she features a popular Reverend to the All Saints Episcopal Church in Pasadena, California by the name of Ed Bacon. Dwight and I caught the tail end of the program on our way out the door to church with our cousins and among all of his wise talk on faith and spirituality, he had some very insightful advice on how our connection with our breath is vital to listening to those cues life throws in our face telling us the direction to take in our lives. Read the information I extracted from the “The Book of Yoga: The Complete Step-by-Step Guide” by Lucy Lidell. Going into this week take this information into consideration and try to see if you find a difference within one’s self. 

Style Watch: Ciara

Ciara is right on track with her promo for her new album to be released next month. She revealed her album artwork in June, the look of which I deemed positively "à la mode", and as of September 13, 2012 she has released her first video, "Sorry" for the album entitled, "One Women Army". This video says, "Ciara-style" all the way, especially considering this is yet another video where the movement of her body sucks you into the feel of the song, as if we were swallowing chocolate. As we saw in her album artwork her hair has gone from black to blonde, which in my fashion, was a good direction for her to go right now, especially at a time when this September's Vogue has proclaimed that, "Hair is the new makeup." Her new blond hair does well to frame her beautifully sculpted facial features. Ciara's healthy, luscious looking hair, coupled with her long, athletic frame make her such a specimen to be entertained by, especially considering the message of the song. This is actually a good song for my fellow men to pay attention to, not just because of her sheer sexiness, but even Dwight has told me that saying sorry does in fact go a long way when we find ourselves in the heat of the moment. Its about patience. In my fashion, this song is the Ciara-caliber we expect when she entertains. 

à la mode: Heroes of 25

I just had to share these gorgeous photos from models.com of some of my favorite models from the new magazine, 25, which released its first issue for July 2012 this past June. 25 Magazine is designed by one of my personal favorite models, Anja Rubik (the first featured photograph below). Anja Rubik is a highly successful model as she is widely featured in many big money campaigns such as Chole, Fendi, and Giuseppe Zanotti."Born in Poland and raised in Greece, Canada, and South Africa, she's fluent in several languages and exudes a calm, soulful worldliness, no doubt a result of years of solitary traveling," as New York Magazine describes her in an exclusive interview of which I provide excerpts from below. In the exclusive, Rubik explains how she became the editor of the magazine and what point of view she wants to portray in the world of fashion. I implore all to view the full interview here to understand Rubik's vision of sexuality in the modeling industry, being that she aimed to view it from a women's point of view. What I find most intriguing about her magazine is her approach to sexuality being that it speaks well for this month's theme on the female point of view. Sex has become quite a touchy subject for people to talk about, and I feel we all can learn a few things or two from her point of view for her consideration of eroticism and sexuality speaks for the transformation of the view of sex throughout history, and where we are now in our thinking. It's interesting for their to be a magazine which addresses the issue from a female viewpoint.

So how did you come up with the sex concept?
It was bothering me how the world is nowadays – how we approach nudity and sexuality and beauty. I thought it was really, really wrong, and I wanted to create something that goes back to the erotica of the seventies. I was searching for inspiration, and I looked at this magazine Viva, from the late sixties and early seventies, that inspired me. It was a Penthouse publication for women. I thought it was so beautiful and innocent, and very sensual and erotic, but all in very good taste. What happened to all of that? Nowadays, sex and nudity is either so vulgar or so prude. So I wanted to create something inspiring, and beautiful, and sensual, to get people to think in a different way.

A subject you explore a lot is the difference between porn and eroticism. Did you come to any conclusions about that?

I think it comes in waves, erotica. You know, back in the seventies, our approach to sex and everything was so much more beautiful and intentional. And then it changed throughout the eighties, and it became so harsh, and then the whole wave of AIDS brought so much fear, and in the nineties it became really, really rough. In general, I think erotica is a more sensual, more natural approach to nudity and sex. And I think porn has become really artificial, and sometimes it’s very, very vulgar. You have all these plastic surgeries, implanted breasts, and implants in the bottom and implants in the mouth, so much that the mouth starts to look like the vagina. I think we’re missing the innocence and beauty of sex, and at the end of the day, sex is something so, so natural.

Will the next issue of the magazine have a similar theme of erotica, or are you going to take on a whole new topic?
That’s a theme I want to continue in all the issues. I think it’s very interesting that we don’t have many magazines that are erotic. You do have things like Purple, but that’s more from a man’s point of view rather than from a woman’s point of view. 

Will you have male photographers in the next issue?
Yes. I want to keep presenting a women’s point of view on erotica, but I think it’s also open to men as well. I would hate anyone to say that the magazine is feminist. I would hope that a man can enjoy it as well. When I say feminism, I mean the kind that is very extreme. When it comes to religion or any point of view, if you become extreme in your beliefs then you lose yourself, and lose balance, and lose touch with reality. Obviously I want to support women, and I believe in women, and I think we should support each other, but we shouldn’t go into extremes. Some women can get very aggressive towards men, but we need men and love men, so keeping the right balance is the most important thing.

I love that the magazine doesn’t have a cover, but instead just comes in a box. 

We wanted to create something erotic, so we made it without the cover in a box because it’s almost like a naked body without any clothing, and you can see the spine. It’s very feminine, very sensual, so when you slide it out of the box it’s almost like a body sliding on sheets. It should be very fragile but strong inside. Like a woman who seems fragile but is very tough and strong.

The following women were photographed by photographer, Paola Kudacki, this spread focuses on women with “brains, savvy and, perhaps most significantly, dedication to a cause close to their heart”. 

Anja Rubik

Liya Kebede

Liya Kebede

Elettra Wiedemann

Summer Rayne

Coco Rocha

Iman Abdulmajid

Iman Abdulmajid

Petra Nemcova

Veronika Varekova

Helena Christensen

Katharina Harf

EDITOR'S LETTER: September 2012

Sitting outside during a bad thunder storm during my 15 minute break at my jobs downtown office, it was quite the relaxing break as I witnessed the beginning stages of a thunder storm, mesmerized by the back and forth of the repeated gusts of whip-lashing wind that swayed the trees of the city side to side. As I sat  underneath the outside break area overpass it was relaxing to be outside right before the storm to watch it, unaffected by the pending precipitation, feeling the churning air that created that tense aura of a restless mother nature. I started thinking about how the environment around us really has an effect on how we feel, and in turn, how we look. It made me think about the manic personality our mother nature has, and how her moods as of late have been quite the buzz worthy news that has taken hold of television sets world wide. Earthquakes in Virginia, the devastation of tsunamis, hurricanes, tornados, and other vicious natural disasters; I then could not help to think about the phrase, "Hell hath no fury like a women scorned."

Think about it: why do we love our women so much, mothers in particular? The reason I love my mother is because she did an excellent job of creating an comfortable home environment with which to come home to. Mothers have a tendency to create that feeling for us. Of course, while my parents, together, worked to get what they have now, it was obvious how my mother's attention to the overall comfort of her family, mixed with an innate design aesthetic for the representation of our family unit, was strongly felt whenever I returned home. Half the joy of loving these women is for this reason, right? She provided a fabulous home environment and she taught me how to sustain a comfortable interior. After all, in my fashion, the comfort of one's home has a lot to do with how comfortable we are when we leave the home too.

On a global scale, Mother Nature has created a fantastic home, for all of us. All of us living on this planet must respect the land she hath provided for us, for all that she has provided for us to in order to sustain our lives are provided for us without any work from us as her children. Is that not why we respect the women who birthed us? From what I have observed, mothers feel their worst when they are not appreciated for their work. That is why I feel we should respect our Mother Nature as best we can, even down to that menial straw wrapper we rip off and throw out our window at the fast food drive-through.  

Candace Banks is an all beautifully strong all natural beauty. A perfect example of the balance of "feminine power"

As most people know about me I am a strong proponent of being environmentally conscious, and is why I seek to ask, "How Would Your Mother Feel?". Mother Nature is our home planet, the reason we have somewhere to live and enjoy this hing we call life. Green house gases are created by emissions from the various machine technology we have developed through time, and in turn, we have damaged our mother nature quite substantially. Is it safe to fathom that Mother Nature feels quite unappreciated, and in a effort to straighten herself out has to release some steam to let us know how she feels (i.e. tsunamis, hurricanes, tornados, and other vicious natural disasters)? Think about she feels, for "Hell hath no fury like a women scorned."