Happy Leap Year! Now, I've said it before, I will say it again. It's not blondes who have all the fun, it's redheads! Well after Fashion Week ended I was bored with my look and wanted something bold, fresh, and fun. What is a strawberry blonde girl to do? Become a Redhead! REALLY Red! I searched Pinterest tirelessly for hair colors that caught my eye...
I wanted something bold and very saturated. I knew I wanted red, but that is a shade with a thousand meanings. I did not want to become a redhead if it meant carrot or Ariel. But I have gone auburn before and wanted something much more fierce than that.
Here is me before.
Then I took a trip to Ricky's, lingered on hair swatches with the minutest differences and consulted with Pinterest on my phone. And I must say, this color was the hardest to dye my hair at home, only attempt if you are really very good with your hair. I saturated my hair in sections working bottom to top, root to end. My whole sink and arms was tattooed in red from places my hair had brushed or my bottle had dripped. While my hair set I played Mary Poppins scrubbing (literally with a Brillo pad) to get my sink white again, and washing my skin back to normal.
Here is me now.
This is just the bold red color I had in mind and it really does garner a lot of attention. To become a redhead, at least in NY, you have to be able to handle a few more cat calls than normal. But you also get positive attention from this rockstar color, and I love how it electrifies every outfit I wear!
Last week I went on an adventure vintage shopping in the East Village. I found a lot of great stores but this boutique I happened to stumble upon as I was leaving. JULA has an array of affordably priced women's wear and really cute jewelry sourced from New York City. The storefront caught my eye and I ventured in, didn't realize I'd be leaving with the gold bracelet I've been looking for!
JULA, like most shopping in the East Village, has a small store space with a carefully selected collection. The clothing is simple and girly and the handbags are structured and colorful.
The jewelry was my favorite, a lot of gold which I love. The necklaces ranged from very delicate to bold statement necklaces. The same goes for the bracelets. This boutique was the perfect way to end my shopping the East Village.
This was the most jam packed weekend I have had since New Year's, mainly because New York Fashion Week does tend to demand 100% of your social life. So apparently I managed to fit 2 months of social events into 2 days. What I did this weekend started with a band in the Lower East Side and lots of catch up with good friends, followed by seeing The Artist in an iconic NYC theatre, and ended (very late) with a viewing of the 84th Annual Academy Awards! And I found that The Oscars did not disappoint!
The dresses from The Oscar's Red Carpet this year were pretty (I have a few of my favs below, in no particular order) but I must say I was far more excited (and impressed) with the movie round-up for this year's Academy Awards.
Well one movie at The Oscars that blew me away, The Artist, a classic silent film, was beautiful, enrapturing, and truly unique. A marvelous tribute to the magic of the movies and how you should feel when you experience a film. I walked across Central Park to the NYC icon The Paris Theatre (the French theatre Carrie visits in Sex and the City) and was transported into movie magic by the ambience and the incredible film that was The Artist! Here's a snippet in case you are behind...
I also ventured to the Lower East Side, the grunge hip Manhattan neighborhood known for vintage shopping, tattoo parlors, and lots 'o bars, and met up with a few friends to hear a new band. (I love New York). Stephie Coplan and the Pedestrians ended up being really fun. Catchy songs with a less hateful Lily Allen sense of humor, these guys put on a fun show! Please be sure to give their single Jerk a listen! The Lower East Side is so great for diving into a bar and discovering musicians. We happened to be invited to The Living Room for a listen and I'm glad we did!
Oh and I almost forgot to mention...did anyone miss Angelina Jolie's Barbizon leg at The Oscars? I was already laughing the second she stood still. But in case you missed it...there is a twitter account created in her honor...@AngiesRightLeg. I died laughing when I saw this tweet. In 10 minutes it had 1,600 followers by the end of the night it had accrued 6,500 followers and counting. I'm so glad someone finally called her out on her bullshhh...well you know. But in all seriousness...she really needs to eat a burger, the girl looks terrible.
Back in January New York City was dusted with just a little snow. It was the kind I like because it had melted by the next day. Well I took a stroll through Riverside Park to enjoy the view and to share some pics with you which I posted the next day. I also happened to run into street photographer/blogger extraordinair Lord Ashbury!
He grabbed a shot of me walking in Riverside Park and boy can he take a picture! Now I must apologize because he did happen to catch me with zero makeup on, just popped out of the apartment for a quick stroll and a stop for some groceries...so that goes to show you, you should always look your best walking out of the house. Mais t'inquiete pas my dears, c'est la vie.
Lord Ashbury continually snaps great photos of the style throughout New York City for his site, so be sure to stop by and be inspired. He got plenty of goods from the recent New York Fashion Week and this vixen in the patterned fur has me particularly dreamy eyed.
My lovelies, I started The Embellished Life close to 3 years ago wow! Can't believe it's been that long and to start my blog I basically just started typing. A screen shot of my original blog compared to today's would be vastly different. I have enjoyed every step along the journey to start a fashion blog so when Jennifer Nelson from the Academy of Art University in San Francisco reached out to me to guest blog a post for tips and advice on blogging, I loved it!
So please gain some fashionspiration and get those fingers typing!
Fashion
blogs are quickly becoming the next big thing in the fashion industry. Don’t
miss this incredible opportunity to be on the cutting edge of fashion by
starting a fashion blog. By following this advice about how to make a fashion
blog, you will have all the tools you need to spin up a successful fashion
blog! Here are five fashion blogging tips that will keep your fans coming back
for more!
Tip 1: Be in the Know
The fashion blogging revolution is shaking up
the industry, and you have to know what’s out there. Read the fashion blogs of successful fashion schools, fashion merchandising schools, fashion community sites and
research blogs. If you know the type of blogs you like, then honing in on your
blogging style will be a synch.
Tip 2: Gotta Love It
What makes you and your fashion style unique
is what will keep your readers coming back for more! Are you a bargain fashionista who enjoys
finding the best fashionable deals? Or would you rather post pictures of how to
make every day wear more chic? You could also blog about trend spotting or high
fashion. Deciding whether you would like to showcase your fashion photography
with a small caption or write full fashion articles is a good place to begin. Blogging
takes time and dedication, so if you are not writing about what you absolutely
love then you could burn yourself out in no time. You know your style; don’t be afraid to put it out there.
You could
have the best, most relatable fashion blog, but if your blog’s name is hard to
spell, or even worse, hard to remember, your readers could get lost. Your name
should be catchy but hint at what your blog is about. Keep it simple. Keep it
fun. Make it fashionable!
Tip 4: Create a Couture Template
Find a blog
hosting service that works for you. Make sure to choose a template that is fun,
easy on the eyes and simple to manage. The most imperative aspect of your fashion
blog is that your content is intuitive and fun to navigate, and easy to search.
Tip 5: Don’t Be Fashionably Late
There is nothing worse than anticipating
new content from your favorite fashion bloggers only to be let down by the same
old posts. Some fashion bloggers update their blog many times every day, so if
you have limited time, make sure you are updating your blog at least once a
week to keep your readers coming back for more.
Every New York Fashion Week Diet Coke sponsors the Red Dress Heart Truth fashion show, where designers donate dresses and celebrities walk the runway to raise awareness for heart health with the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI). It is always a fun show, and Fall/Winter 2012 was no exception.
The director helping the celebs with their walk for the show while we set up. This New York Fashion Week the celebs included Christie Brinkley, Minka Kelly, Gloria Estafan, Chaka Khan, Jenna Elfman and more.
The red carpet outside got a surprise snow flurry before the show, I stopped for a second to glimpse through the window and was shocked it was snowing!
Diet Coke supports this heart health cause whole heartedly and they make it fun for the guests in the process. Every guest went home with a cute Diet Coke bag filled with goodies. Diet Coke also always parks in the New York Fashion Week tents at Lincoln Center providing drinks and Heart Truth facts for visitors.
The lights from the runway always make it difficult to snap decent photos so here are some from the Heart Truth Facebook Page. Be sure to stop over and LIKE them! Spread awareness for heart health!
Minka Kelly in Diane von Furstenburg
(all runway photos from Red Dress Heart Truth Facebook Page)
The Red Dress Heart Truth show was a fun New York Fashion Week show to work, there was a huge crowd that came and everyone really enjoyed themselves. What was your favorite dress? Be sure to visit the Heart Truth Facebook page and let me know!
I've never been a big fan of rules when it comes to my wardrobe...just ask my high school teachers. So naturally, wearing white after Labor Day falls into that category. As SJP once said, When you encounter a fashion rule, break it. So here is my Ralph Lauren Chic style for the office, it's very winter equestrian n'est ce pas?
Ralph Lauren chic always has that classic Americana style which I don't often infuse into my style, but every once and a while it is fun to play with. Besides, you pull fashionspiration from absolutely everywhere, never forget that.
The day is finally here HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY mes cheris! May your valentine, whomever they be, know they are the luckiest person in the world to be with you. For today's 14 Days of Valentines I wanted to feature something that involves spending time together. And what better than sharing great wine, good cheese and chocolates and snuggling up together to watch a film about love? Day 14: Film.
Yes, I know these are all borderline chic flicks, well the Notebook is all the way, especially if your man is not a film buff and will REALLY not get the Classic Old Hollywood films but hey...it's Valentine's Day. This is the one day a year I agree you get to play the sappy-love movie card (which in my defense I always advocate should not be forced on the guy). Well if you are lucky to have a Valentine for these 14 Days of Valentines, I hope you have come up with some great gift ideas and that it is a memorable Valentines!
Like I said on Twitter (PS: don't forget to follow me for all your Behind the Scenes NY Fashion Week Updates)...anyways like I said on Twitter, this Valentines Day and probably many more to come over the next several years I will be dating Fashion Week. And of course I always have my girlfriends as my Valentines (they are my loves)...and New York City. You see?! So much to love!
No matter what you do, be sure you find something that you love and celebrate it!!
Don't forget that card! I could not skip Day 13: Paper in my 14 Days of Valentines...don't you remember growing up in school with your box full of Valentine's Cards from your friends (and boyfriends) on Valentine's Day? Mine were full of Rainbow Bright, Power Rangers, Transformers, Disney Princesses, Care Bears...all wishing me a HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!
I may be at Lincoln Center working those runways for New York Fashion Week but I still love Valentine's Day and will just have to celebrate it a few days late with my friends. Look at all the great things paper can buy for Valentines. More than just cards you have travel journals, diaries, stationary, and amazing coffee table books which I have a serious obsession with!
Art is a product of original thought, creative compilation, and lots of blood, sweat, and tears...so please, please do not copy the content posted on this blog without permission.
Many photos are the property of Jessica Kelly Photography although not all are ghost marked, please do not use content unless an appropriate hyperlink back is created. And please shoot me an email... I like to spread the content love as a community.
I have tried to credit any outside content pulled as best I can. If you see anything miss credited please feel free to let me know so that I can fix that!
