July 31, 2012

Les Femme MODA Petite: let's do kid's fashions!







look 1 :
  skirt crewcuts ( love it and it comes in tons of colors!) . shirt: levi's , similar here ( i'd love to style this one too) . shoes: bensimons via gilt, or these ones are adorable.





look 2: 
 collectible t: crewcuts. jeans: dkny.  shoes: converse  ( this style is awesome too) . hat: gap kids, or love this one too.  necklace: crewcuts ( very similar ) . bag: crewcuts.




look 3:
  shirt gap ( old ) , similar or better here . shorts gap ( old), similar. shoes: bensimons ( love these too!)  . hat: gap.
{today only GAP is offering 25% off sale! That's pretty much nearly free for what they have on sale right now code GAPSUMMER. RUN!}


 Just yesterday I went to pick up a couple of things  from one of my favorite places * stay tuned! they have the best collection ever! i'll share my favorites just even maybe tomorrow!* and could not help but laugh when I saw my two girls that so knowledgeably were looking through the sizes and seeing if they could find  for themselves. 

I think it's time for a little Les Femme Moda Petite. 

Though, to be honest, I often seriously wish I would have what kids clothing lines make. Those jeans in Look 2 ? Why not in adult size?! Or that skirt in Look 1?! { although I'll share a secret : if you are a xs/s size in women's, size 12/14 crewcuts will fit just fine! and their collection this fall is amazing! i'm contemplating on this top. what do you think? }

THOUGHTS ON KIDS STYLE IN GENERAL?

 FAVORITE DESIGN LINE?
I'm all ears!

July 30, 2012

Live you dream : Motherhood and career in ballet. Do they mix?

{photo}

I've come to a great article with the words that cannot be more true : 

 “You’ll be able to dance a lot longer than you’ll be able to have babies,” Toni was once told by choreographer, Karen Stokes. Though she has now found this to be true, (“I’m 41, still going strong.”), Toni had a late start in her professional career and thought she had to get in as much dance as possible before having a child. 

“I didn’t believe I would be able to dance after having a baby; that having both a child and an active dance career would be too demanding.” 

And more : 

Sara and Toni acknowledge that many professional dancers choose to retire from performance before having children.

 “It takes an amazing amount of energy to maintain a home and family when children are small. It’s a 24 -hour job.” Reflecting on what she has witnessed in contemporary dance, Toni says, “I think most mothers choose their families with the idea that they will return to performing as their child gets older. Then they find it hard to make their way back.” In ballet, a return after long absence is even less likely. Says Sara, “You have to want both. Not everyone wants to have kids while they are dancing.” 

 {photo}

{read the article HERE }

All I can say - I AGREE! 

The decision to have children young ( and add to it the fact of not being sure if marriage and family were in the plans at all for the next decade if not longer) was a bit intimidating. Scary sometimes. The typical suggestion given to me was " just wait... not now... you are still young". 

Yet.

Having children YOUNG is the best thing - I believe - one can do to be a successful dancer. 

It is true that you need to want both. It is also true that it is a 24 hour job, sometimes feels like 30 hour job in a 24 hour time period. ( but then when ballet is not? I remember dreaming about what I do and working on turn out while eating dinner long before I had children. You just never stop ) 

 But it is the best decision I've ever made. 

I watched dancers that perfected their careers without families. I watched dancers that perfected their careers while juggling motherhood. Both can be done. 
I found that going through the motions of motherhood opens a channel that one did not know existed. It is difficult to describe in words. There aren't any. 

It is also a fact that daring comes with younger age.
Having gone through the experience of motherhood at young age - in my mid 20s was when I had my first child -  I am not sure I would repeat the same a decade later. As I grow older , I am not sure I grow wiser, but I do know that my fears of "what if" grow at a fast speed. I can see - completely -  how , when talking to many dancers that are my age now - they are fearful of what pregnancy may bring, what it can do and what it can ruin for them. Being in your 30s is a wonderful time - so far best ever , as you lived long enough to have enough achievements to look at - but at the same time there are plentiful of opportunities to not want to put your life on pause. I wouldn't want to, had I not known different. Had I not known that you don't have to. 

There are many things I could talk about forever. And it would take, probably, a book to describe all my thoughts of going through experience of motherhood while dancing professionally...With four children... ( i can't believe it still. Four? from ME?! I must be crazy. Except that I am SO. HAPPY) 
So, here I'd like to summarize to this:

To each its own time. There is no right or wrong to when one needs - if even so - to have a marriage and/or a family. But if there is a desire to... A longing in the heart, a dream... 
Then do NOT wait. Go for it. You will be happy that you did. There are no words to describe the happiness of motherhood. And there are no words to describe the feeling when little warm and squishy hands give you flowers and tightly hug your neck after the concert. No words to describe the extra boost of energy you get when you think of those warm cheeks and happy eyes that will greet you when you are done. No words to describe what it can compare to , because it can't.

It's worth the double work hours.
Every minute of it.

sara webb rehearsing pregnant


ANY THOUGHTS ON MOTHERHOOD AND A CAREER?





July 26, 2012

RUNWAY SHOW

runway show

shoes, skirt, top, jacket ( also made an appearance here) , bag, scarf, bracelet

I'm OVER THE MOON excited!

I am going to a RUNWAY SHOW of one of my favorite designers from this style/caliber.

More so.
We are having brunch with the designer and a creative team.
It took some sleep of my nights in the last few days.

I've been tossing and turning over what to wear to look casual enough yet on-top-of it enough.
I want the "really-no-big-deal" ( because I know every one else that's coming thinks that)  casual but a very trendy look.

This is the idea number one. I'll accessorize more, this is just the basic canvas. Considering the deep color tones that are a trend for fall ( blue and jade are huge), but with it still being summer I'm thinking of combining both over a neutral pallet. ( remember here ? you can't go wrong with neutral. or this one is a great example too.)

WHAT DO YOU THINK?


July 25, 2012

Solly Baby or why you need a Baby Wrap.




Can you guess what WE have been doing lately? 

Yep, we are that lucky! 


It is no secret that I am a BIG ( like HUGE) fan of baby wearing ( you can find it  here and here) . And it is a must to have some good accessories for it.

I am not strictly a "wrap" or "carrier" person. I think it's important to have both.

 I love MyCarrier, but for the days I am not on planning on putting the baby on and want to bring my Xplory ( say, i'm running to a meeting or rehearsal, and need a place to put the baby down), it is SO EASY to just throw a wrap into my bag, and fish it out when I need it. 

I had about 100 wraps  between my all kids, until I found Solly. 

Solly Baby wraps are thin,  breathable and light yet extremely STURDY  ( 3 y/o toddler-proof), that WILL. NOT. BLEED on your clothes during hot and steamy summer. You know those lovely colored streaks you get on your white tee? None of that with Solly. 

Add to it "all organic, bamboo, natural dyes" combines with very affordable price - and Solly Baby Wrap is a must have for ANY new or not so new mama.

  




And If you haven't seen her A-MAZING striped wrap ( that I am a very happy owner of ) RUN! 
Pre-order or put yourself on wait-list if necessary, this is the hottest seller of the year in the baby wrap world , and I am suspecting - considering the rate of popularity - it will be making it appearance during Fashion's Night Out and FW in Fall. 

Keep you eyes open! 

And note the Freshly Picked moccasins beautifying those little chubby dangling feet. Aren't they the cutest ever? Kardashians think so too

Honestly, I have the coolest friends ever.



WHICH ONE IS YOUR FAVORITE? 


July 24, 2012

Les Femme MODA: the secret of blue jean and white tee








jeans : gstar raw. tee : emerson fry. bag: tory burch. necklace: jcrew, emerson fry. shoes: tory burch, old. arm candy: dkny, gorjana, nordstrom.



Never underestimate a power of basics - from neutral pastels to black and whites it will never fail you, done right. 

White tee and blue jeans are some of the simplest ways to look cool chic. 

Here are some secrets :

* look for simple straight leg TRUE light blue jean.
rips or not, the color is your key - too light and it will not be the same.

* get the right crew neck white tee
look for short but high crew neck.
many people hate crew necks, but here is the secret : make sure it is high enough ( many crew necks are more like boat necks) , and get it short enough. It should hit around your hipbones.

*make a pop with accessories or make up. 
neutral outfit is your perfect canvas. 
people will look at YOU.
 make use of it!

GET THE LOOK : 

blue jeans : gstars, or love similar, or here, here and here ( perfect light blue and great price too!)
white tee : here , here, here or here ( amazing price! who doesn't love that?!)
bag - same style, or similar ( great price!)
shoes: similar style or budget version here , here or here.
bracelets : love this, this and this ( fall collection on SALE! awesome or what?!)
lips love, love ( it's actually very beautiful red in person)  and love
nails here or here ( natural!)

July 20, 2012

Lanvin's FALL 2012 new face?


HAVE YOU HEARD?
Fashion world is making changes!

"Fashion houses usually release ad campaigns featuring ambiguously young pin-thin models or shining starlets set to open a big upcoming movie.
But not Lanvin.

The luxury brand’s fall 2012 campaign, released in part on Wednesday, features several “real” men and women, stylish people plucked from the streets. Among them is Jacquie Tajah Murdock, an 82-year-old African-American woman who was born in Harlem and has a long career as a dancer. She currently is retired and living on a fixed income in New York University faculty housing in Greenwich Village.
For as long as she can remember, Murdock says, it has been her dream to go to Paris—but she still has never been. “I wanted to become another Josephine Baker or a high-fashion model on the runway—but the opportunity was not there for women of color,” she told The Daily Beast when reached by phone Wednesday.



At 17, Murdock appeared onstage at the legendary Apollo Theatre for the first time, in a troupe called Norma Miller’s Jazz Dancers, and has been dancing ever since. She is an expert in Russian ballet, was a belly dancer at Manhattan’s Istanbul Club in the 1960s, which brought her to Egypt, and was one of the first black typists at Universal Films in 1948. She has earned three degrees, including a master’s in “Media Ecology” at NYU, where she was an administrative assistant to a research professor for 30 years.  She currently is a lecturer and performer at the Jazz Museum in Harlem, has been honored at the Apollo Theatre, and has performed at Frederick Douglass Academy and the Harlem School of the Arts. She is now working on a book about her life.


Murdock  was walking through her neighborhood last year when she was spotted by Ari Seth Cohen, who runs the popular blog Advanced Style, for older men and women with distinguished personal style. He photographed her and put her on the blog and in his book, Advanced Style, which was published last May. She appeared on the Today show following publication to speak about it, and has received a lot of attention for her style ever since.
Cohen, who helped Lanvin cast its campaign, called to ask Murdock if she would be interested in interviewing. She immediately met with Lanvin designer Alber Elbaz and famed photographer Steven Meisel, and told them about her dancing. She explained that she once had portrayed Dora Dean—“the toast of Paris”—onstage at the Apollo."
                                                 {continue reading}

 Now HOW COOL IS THAT?! 
I'm extremely excited from all angles possible :  DANCE AND FASHION UNITED!

WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS?



July 19, 2012

Style and Fashion : Fall/Winter 2012



Have you seen the Fall Collection from JCrew ( and more additional styles) ? I'm over the moon in LOVE with it. I'm not sure whether it is bright pops of color, polka dots or cleverly done neutrals , but it's the best one I've seen and only imagine what they are saving for winter! 

 











I love the light blue and brown polka dots combos, love the menswear done in such feminine way, love the dipped toe shoes and animal print done modern.

ANYONE WANTS TO SHARE THEIR FAVORITE COLLECTION FOR FALL 2012?
WE'RE ALL EARS!  







July 17, 2012

Solly Baby CASTING CALL


All right, all beautiful Mamas and Babies! 

Solly Baby - my absolute FAVORITE baby wrap is searching for models for their new line.
If your baby is 6 months or younger, make sure to send your info! 

Elle - CEO and Founder - is amazingly talented and beautiful person * inside and out* and we were so lucky to be a part of her business last year!
{sniff. one more reason i wish my baby didn't grow so fast}

You can find more information on her site here. Oh, and that striped ORGANIC bamboo wrap is to die for. I think there should be a way to start a fashion of wearing wraps even if you don't have a baby or your baby is too big - new fashion trend. Yay?  

A few reasons why The Wrap by Solly Baby is different than other wraps:

We use all natural, USA made fabrics so they are the softest, most luxurious knits you’ll find anywhere.
The Wrap is lighter and slimmer than any other stretchy wrap, making it ideal even on the hottest days.
Our solid color wraps are custom-dyed using environmentally friendly, soy-based dyes. This makes for the most stylish baby carrier (possibly ever?) that is never outdated and will make you feel like having a baby was the best fashion choice you’ve ever made.
It’s not baby gear. Our wraps are so small that you can keep it in your diaper bag all of the time without even noticing it’s there. Talk about convenient!
Our wraps are the only wraps (patent pending) that fold into themselves and are tucked nicely right into a little pouch on end of the wrap. This makes it so you’ll never need to haul another bag around or worry about losing it.
I used to lose my son’s pacifier all of the time when I would carry him so we added a little, hidden pocket on one end of the wrap for easy storage that’s right on hand when you need it.
Every part of our wraps is made in the USA right down to the letter-pressed instructions. We want to make sure our wraps are made properly and with care.
We care! We donate 5% of ALL of our profits to charities that help to improve maternal care for mothers across the world!

A few reasons why baby wearing is amazing:

It’s one of the best (and easiest!) ways to promote bonding with your baby
Gives you your hands back while keeping your baby close
Helps to calm even the fussiest baby
Provides a womb-like environment for baby that makes them feel secure, safe, and comfortable
Wraps distribute the weight evenly all over your upper body so it won’t tug on your shoulders or back and it naturally distributes baby’s weight correctly as well, without putting extra pressure on baby’s joints and spine like most carriers do
It feels like your baby is giving you a big, sweet hug every time you wear it!


 
And I think you know how I feel about baby wearing. Having a toddler and a baby, it's a lifesaver, when I want to have less bulk, use a single stroller, and connect with my baby.
I can honestly say, ever since taking into babywearing, we ALL have become MUCH happier.

 
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