Where is Your Copy of the Advice Sisters Enews?

you are a subscriber to the bi-monthly, free newsletter, the Advice Sisters Enews, you already received the information below and more, with live links!

This time, I'm not going to put the entire Enews online in this blog. If you want to information in the Enews, I hope you will subscribe. The Advice Sisters Enews is free, delivered to your in-box bi-monthly. It features Advice Sisters news, tips, reviews, expert advice,the latest in style and culture, and more. It isn't too late to get your own subscription, and get the Late Winter, 2007 Advice Sisters Enews delivered right to your in-box. Here are just a few of the highlights:


"The Devil (and You) Wear Prada, Contest: Five lucky people have won more than $1,000 worth of ultra-luxe products from Benefit, Dior, and Z. Bigatti. *sorry, you have to be a subscriber to the Advice Sisters Enews to get the link

Fair Game on NPR with Faith Saile: At precisely 22.30 minutes into the 50-minute+ Valetine's Day "Fair Game" show Black Holes, Neuroscience, and Michael Jackson you will hear a segment about what couples should and should not do behind closed doors. *sorry, you have to be a subscriber to the Advice Sisters Enews to get the link

What Works Beauty, Cosmetics & Fashion Review March 2007 is focused primarily on color cosmetics to add new life to your Spring fashions, along with new fragrances, skin and body-care products, kits and gifts, nail, hair and men's products. *sorry, you have to be a subscriber to the Advice Sisters Enews to get the link


THE ADVICE SISTERS "ABOUT TOWN"


MERCEDES BENZ FASHION WEEK Fashion Week for Fall, 2007, was a busy one, thanks to my colleagues, who facilitated backstage access for me at some of the hottest shows Here are the links to all the posts I created for Fashion Week Fall 2007: Alice Ritter, Akiko Ogawa, Gustavo Arrango *backstage coverage , Alice Roi *backstage coverage , Venexiana, Alexandre Herchovitch *backstage coverage , Araks *backstage coverage, Ellen Tracy *backstage coverage , Vanidades Fashion Lounge, Bill Blass *backstage coverage, Cynthia Rowley Hair & Makeup and Runway Show (& the Cynthia Rowley/Jillian Dempsey Makeup Collection for Fall 2007 for Avon) , Carmen Marc Valvo *backstage coverage, Zang Toi , Alison's Fashion Week "must-haves" *sorry, you have to be a subscriber to the Advice Sisters Enews to get the links

Book Reviews: These non-fiction books are some of the latest titles from major publishing companies. From secrets, to starvation, to sex, they'll educate, inspire, and entertain you *sorry, you have to be a subscriber to the Advice Sisters Enews to get the full reviews. Sign up now: http://www.advicesisters.net/thankyou.html

Write about what you know" is the advice that is often given to beginner authors. Amanda Kerlin obviously listened, and it's for that reason that Secrets of the Model Dorm by Amanda Kerlin and Phil Oh (Atria Books, 2007) succeeds. Ms. Kerlin is a statuesque and beautiful young woman who has "been there and done that" when it comes to modeling....

The Honeymoon's Over by Andrea Chapin and Sally Wofford-Girand (Warner Books, February 2007) is a book of original essays by female writers about love, marriage and divorce. Most of these are short, and well-written, but while they are amusing as stories, the book's main attraction is the way it connects women to women, with powerful emotions that most of us have felt in some way or another, at some time or another. .........


Gaining by Aimee Liu (Warner Books, February 2007) is an attention-grabbing, often intimate look at the life and mindset of Ms. Liu , a recovering anorexic, and the primarily women (a few men too) who she has followed up with after a hiatus of a few decades. Her first book, "Solitare," was about her battle with anorexia, but this one is more like a Part 2, or a sequel.....

Satisfaction: Women, Sex, and the Quest for Intimacy by Anita H. Clayton with Robin Cantor-Cooke (Ballantine Books), could have been a dry discourse on female sexuality, but it is a surprisingly entertaining and empowering book about how why women settle for lackluster sex lives, even though they may be high-powered in all other aspects of their lives.....


Sex on the Brain by Daniel G. Amen, M.d. (Harmony Books, 2007)takes a more cerebral approach to the subject of better sex, with a serious, if somewhat clinical view on the subject matter, but it is no less interesting. The information is irresistible.....


A Perfect Mess by Eric Abrahamson and David H. Freedman (Little Brown 2006) will not give you the secrets to a tidy desk, but it might make you re-think the costs and benefits of organization......

Welcome to Your Crisis by Laura Day (Little Brown 2006) confirms what I've been told most of my life, that out of adversity, comes opportunity. As it states on the back cover: "The moment your life falls, apart, it is also the moment your new life begins." ....

Ellen Tracy-Mercedez Benz Fashion Week Fall 2007

I am excited to be going to the Bill Blass runway show this morning but I'm running late! Last night I attended the Ellen Tracy runway show, so I'll write about that show first.

I love Ellen Tracy clothes. The sophisticated, classic shapes are the darlings of fashionable working women of all ages. Beautifully constructed of great fabrics, with an eye to detail...how could you not love them! FYI: I always thought that Ellen Tracy was a woman, but I learned that the company was started in 1949 as a blouse company by a man--Herbert Gallen. He hired Linda Allard who eventually became Ellen Tracy's Design Director. Her name was added to the Ellen Tracy label in 1984. COMPANY, a line for weekend and dress-down-day clothes, was started in 1991. Confused? Now George Collins Sharp is Vice President of Design Ellen Tracy and he was backstage at the show, of course. I took a few photos of him (check the Advice Sisters Features Pagehttp://www.advicesisters.net/Features/Features.html in a few weeks to see links to my photo-essay features on Fashion Week).
My first stop was backstage, to watch NARS makeup artist James Boehmer explain his concept for the show. Here's the model, TAO. She's beautiful without any makeup, but this look was particularly flattering and ladylike. James explained that while there was "nothing special" in terms of a theme for the makeup for Ellen Tracy, he wanted to make it elegant. He said he was inspired (a bit) by the Robert Palmer girl and Helmut Newton but in a more modern way, without the harsh angles and deep blush. The clothes reminded James of YSL "Le Smoking Collection" and so he wanted to have a strong eye AND lip--aggressive but elegant makeup. Interestingly though, here's no blush at all in this look. James simply added a bit of highlighter put high on cheekbones so that the face glows a bit when the model turns. Again, the look is all about color and technique. The eye makeup goes all the way into the brows, but all the harsh lines are removed by blending, blending and more blending! The eye makeup is really several different colors (plus a smudged and blended black eye pencil) James used a Duo Cream Eyeshadow: "Madagascar" and blended it, blended, it and then applied "Zardoz" and blended it, blended it, and blended it. The cream duo is a sheer formula created by NARS to use alone, or underneath NARS powder eye shadows for more color, depth and intensity. Lots and lots of mascara was also applied and black liner smudged top and bottom (a LOT of smudging). Brows were gelled, but no color was applied. He applied a beautiful, creamy, velvet-matte red brick lip pencil on each model ("Forbidden Red"). He lines Tao's lips first, then filled them in with the pencil. James said that when he was talking to the designer about the makeup for the show, they kept going back and forth about the lips--should it be a stain, or a lipstick. Lipstick definitely won out. The red lip against the creamy, matte skin was the perfect accompaniment to the sweaters, coats, and pants. I'll share more of the actual colors and products plus more photos, in the upcoming Advice Sisters Ellen Tracy/NARS feature.

RAMONA from Bumble & Bumble did the hair--sleek, very tight buns full of product for shine and manageability. Creative Nail design did the manicures--a ladylike, totally sheer, iridescent pink called "Negligee"

This show was really all about city chic, as you can see from this photo of took of beautiful Ajuma striding down the runway, wearing a cinnamon alpaca coat, Cinnamon iridescent taffeta blouse, Mahogany stretch viscose 2/4 sleeve sweater, and softly draping, mahogany crepe pants. I love this warm, Fall color, and it showed up in a variety of pieces, and even in a leather jacket. Another standout was a paprika (bright warm red) angora doubleface jacket worn with mahogany silk mesh sleeveless turtleneck and mahogany stretch stain skinny pants (couldn't get a photo of it--sorry)


There was also lots of city-sleek black which looked particularly great with the classy, elegant makeup and sleek hair. Ellen Tracy showed a number of jaunty fedoras, wide patent leather belts in black and brown, and lots of very large satchels in patent leather. There were knit scarves and tunics, too. One black cashmere cable knit sweater sparkled with a sprinkling of black beads and was worn with a stunning, ivory alpaca coat and black flannell pants with a deep pleat.

Black predominated. No surprise here--black is the uniform of chic women, everywhere. In fact, there were few surprises--just lots of urban chic clothes minus tacky, wacky or weird. Every piece in this Fall 2007 Ellen Tracy collection is something a real person would want to own. It's wearable chic you'll want the minute the collection hits the stores.

Mercedes Benz Fashion Week Fall 2007-ARAKS

I wondered what time the PR staff from People's Revolution had to get up to be at the front of the Altman Building. There they were, and all smiles too, when I arrived at 9:45 A.M. on Super Bowl Sunday. More amazingly, as always, the PR people were beautifully dressed up, even though it was ever chillier today than yesterday and they were sitting right behind the front doors. Since I already knew where backstage was from Gustavo Arango's show on Saturday, I immediately made my way downstairs to the back stage area, to interview James Boehmer, the lead makeup artist for NARS Cosmetics. I met Rachel, my friendly, helpful contact from NARS, and she introduced me to James. I guess I got there a bit later than usual, because many of the models were already "done," but there were still some being made up. James graciously stopped what he was doing to chat with me, stopping our interview only occasionally to check one of the other makeup artists' work.

As you can see from this close-up, this look for ARAKS for Fall is about a balanced, fresh feeling on the entire face. It's not just eyes, or cheeks, or lips. James said the look was inspired by Elizabeth Bennett in Pride and Prejudice (and that was totally in keeping with the romantic nature of the clothes, too). I loved the slightly flushed, "English rose" cheeks and soft pink lip and you will too, it's just about perfect to add some life to your complexion, especially since you'll be wearing a lot of soft and subdued colors this Fall. The Fall ARAKS look is all about the skin...a flawless but fresh face, NARS "Turkish Red" Cream blush and "Desire" pink powder blush adding a hit of color, but not harsh or brash. "Blend, blend, blend" advises James. On Eyes was part of a new shadow duo that won't be available until the end of August, but worth the wait. "Calahari" is a soft brown" that was blended with another new color "Voyage," a soft fawn with a bit of glitter. On lips, NARS"Tempest" lip gloss --a pink with a bit of mauve, but softened so that it will be universally flattering. It looked beautiful on all the models. This is less about "drama" or making a "statement," and more about bringing your own, natural, glowing, beauty. I'll be posting more photos of makeup and hair, and the clothes, of course, shortly on the Advice Sisters web --- check our FEATURES page http://www.advicesisters.net/Features/Features.html for all the latest after Fashion Week, along with "do-the-look" makeup instructions, courtesy of NARS.

After speaking with James, I wandered over to Peter Elofsson and his artistic team from RUSK. Peter did the hair for ARAKS last season, too. When I arrived, he was busy using a straightening/smoothing iron on a model. Peter explained that his look for ARAKS was inspired by the elegance of the clothes--a soft of Catherine Deneuve feel, but with more "street" (meaning; texture) in it. You'll see that in my photos. Nearly all of the models had long hair, so the "texture" was added by "bending" the hair a bit (you can see this clearly in my photos, which I'll be using in my photo essays on the Advice Sisters Web Site. Hair had a side part and some models had a tiny silver barette holding a few pieces back to the side. Then, hair was sprayed with a RUSK hair spray to keep it in place, but still swingy. For Fall, Peter says long hair isn't just going to "hang" anymore, but will have a sharper edge and more details.

FYI: Creative Nail design (they did the nails for ARAKS last season, too) did the model's manicures with "Fedora," a very dark polish, and "Decadence," a translucent red.


and the ARAKS collection clothes? Unlike the Spring season's diaphanous clothes, these were more substantial for Fall, with soft movement from rich wools, silk and cotton fabrics. There was some color in this collection, although it was still subdued and mostly dark shades of blue, berry, green, and silver (plus the usual black, ivory, coal, and white) One that I particularly liked was a wool/cotton double face dress with bell sleeves that was in a color called "Night," just a shade lighter than the color of the sky just before all the light dies after the day is over. Another was a coat in a color I'd call "Raspberry" but I think it was called "Gooseberry" in the show description. It was tailored, but with gathering in the back, so it looked dressy, and elegant. A pine silk twill drop shoulder dress with drop puff sleeve was fresh and young, and very pretty. The fashion critics may disagree with me, but the only "miss" for me were the outfits with knickers or shorts, paired with lace-up boots. "Hot pants" or long knickers are "stage-y" and cute for a party, but not flattering on everyone. A cute look that is easy to wear and modern, were the lace-up ankle boots with traditional "oxford" detailing shown with many of the outfits.

Venexiana-Sat Feb 3rd-Mercedes Benz Fashion Week

My last show on Saturday night was Kati Stern Venexiana. I was tired, but really excited to see this show. I wondered if the super-cold weather and the Saturday night schedule would thin out the crowd, but by showtime, the venue was packed! I didn't have backstage access for this one, but Paul Labrecque did the hair and makeup for this show, and nails were by Creative Nail Design. Front my front-row seat, I could see that the focus was on glossy pink lips, with expressively-done eyes in earth-toned shadows, but very well defined. Hair was side-parted, long, flowing, bouncy and full of body and wavy curls. The look was pretty and modern, but with womanly (not little girl) elegance and a hint of "avant-garde."

Venexiana 's clothes are similar: modern, but especially in the evening gowns, there was a definite red carpet elegance--and just a bit of "off-beat" in a silvery rope draped around a black evening gown and trailing up and over one shoulder, for example, for a beautiful coat cinched with a huge belt. Another trend this season is undeniably socks. At Venexiana, high-heeled suede and leather pumps (some in bright colors such as turquoise,platform "tap shoes," and some in unexpected, grey suede) were worn with ankle or knee socks, even with flowing dresses such as flowing, polka-dot one in the photo I took, below:

I am wondering whether or not you need to purchase new shoes a size larger to allow for these bulky socks. Your budget might not allow for new shoe purchases to fit this trend, but

this "little girl" look is somehow, likeable (not to mention it's got to be warmer than wearing hose).

The designer, Katie Stern studied fashion, architecture and music, and designed costumes for Carnevale in Venice where she also spends a lot of her time. Her collection for Fall, 2007 really did mix a lot of unusual fabrics together in unique ways, such as leather with lace and metal and fur. There weren't any PETA people outside the tents that I could see, and the fur coats going down the runway were covet-able and luxe, some (as I mentioned above) paired with wide belts that made these coats, which could have been otherwise bulky, almost dress-like. The evening gowns were done in luxury fabrics of silk, charmeuse, chiffon, and accented in some cases with sparkling, Swarovki crystals. Predominant colors were chocolate and grey, with some taupe and black and hits of color through accessories. At the end, however, the designer herself took a turn down the runway, wearing a bright chartreuse dress with satin ruffled collar and chiffon flounce at the bottom (for more photos of the show including the designer, check our advice sisters web site FEATURES page http://www.advicesisters.net/Features/Features.html in the coming weeks for the link to my photo essay on Venexiana!