This past week I had the pleasure of hearing three very talented women speak at the City of West Hollywood’s Women in Leadership panel.  Cecilia Moreno, publisher and editorial director of GENLUX magazine, Marianne Lowenthal executive vice president of development for Combined Properties and Bonnie Niijst, president and CEO of Zeesman Communications, Inc. shared with the audience how confidence plays a role in their individual images and leadership plays a role in their lives.  This engaging panel inspired me to write about The Image of Leadership.

When I think of leadership, I think of the people whose images have inspired me, such as my Father, Pope John Paul II, and Viola Vaughn to name only a few.  All of these people have four attributes that scream leadership:

Faith - Without faith what do we have?  Faith helps us wake up in the morning, faith allows a true leader to see beyond the chaos and disaster and faith keeps a leader with her feet firmly on the ground. On the leadership panel Cecilia Moreno entertained the audience by recounting the story behind the movie 300 with a great deal of energy and humor.  She spoke about how there was no room for weakness of heart and in her retelling of the story of Leonidas and his 300 warriors, I was reminded of how important faith is for a leader.  In order for Leonidas to pit his army against Xerxes’ army (who reportedly outmanned him by more than 41 times)  he had to have faith – Faith in his leadership, faith in his men and faith in his belief that they could make a stand.

Work – Have you ever met a respected leader who didn’t work hard?   They don’t exist, because in order to be a good leader, it takes hard work and dedication.  In order for people to follow you, they have to believe that you walk the talk.  I think of Nike’s tag line, “just do it”, as you’ll notice, the tag line doesn’t say “just have someone else do it for you”.

Tenacity – What leader can say that they reached a point where it seems as if there is no way that they can continue?  Every single one of them I’m sure, and what makes them true leaders is that they process that thought and move on quickly presenting an image of tenacity and resilience to those they lead.  Can you imagine if your leader was wishy-washy and said things like “I’m not sure I can go on”?  How would that fly?  Check out the Celebrity Apprentice show where Claudia Jordan gets fired, as Joan Rivers said “she’s mushy” aka lacking in tenacity – That’s how it flies.

Humility – I recently lost my father, and as expected, one remembers the many wonderful qualities of the deceased loved one.  My father was an entertaining, fun-loving, wonderful husband, amazing father, stalwart brother and a good son.  These things I have always known about him, but I had forgotten how respected he was as a leader.  At his wake I was brought to tears time and time again when people with whom he worked with for over 30 years and youngsters whom he was just beginning to lead shared with me how he made an impact on their lives.  My father had a great deal of humility – It made him a great leader and a great man.

As you present your image and personal brand to the world every day, reflect on your leadership qualities and how they make an impact on others.

"Off with Her Head-Marie Antoinette"

Lately I’ve been reading fashion and celebrity  gossip magazines and I’ve noticed a distinct French Revolutionary theme – You know, the “off with her head” kind of thinking.  It makes sense given the recession that people are more aware of those with restraint or lack thereof.  And because celebrities’ entire lives are blotched onto every media surface known to mankind, well they seem to be our society’s primary target.

Which begs the question – In recessionary times are people, especially famous people, tasked with a duty to show some restraint?  And by restraint, I mean maybe don’t flash your $5 million engagement ring or keep it on the low that you just dropped £10 million on setting up your new household in New York. However, this doesn’t just apply to celebrities.  Look around you, sometimes I wonder what people’s reality is when I hear one person say she doesn’t understand why everyone is up in arms about the market, “it’s not like it’s dropped over 40%, they should be out there shopping, especially for my $250 scarves!”  Reeeally?  And while I’m all for cool, mack-daddy SUV’s (yah, if you live in Evergreen, Colorado and need the all-wheel drive because they have blizzards there!), I have to wonder what the brand new owner of the Cadillac  SUV with at least $30k of after-market customization sitting next to me at a traffic light was thinking.  Is he part of the cast of Entourage maybe?  I guess if I’m thinking this, I wager that others may be thinking the same thing– What message are we sending to each other and the world if we can’t even control our personal spending in an economic time which we’ve never experienced the like of before?  In a world where retirees are looking for work because their retirement plans are in the trash and where it’s not unusual to see news of 30,000 people being laid off.  I just have to wonder.  And then of course, being a bride really brings this home with a resounding “WHAP”.  According to The Knot Americans spend just under $28k on their weddings and many wedding sites recommend that the bride spend 10% of the wedding budget on her dress.  Reeeally?  And they also think it’s reasonable to pay $10/per person for wedding favors and don’t get me started on the wedding stationary.  After an hour of going through wedding sites, it’s enough to make me sick to my stomach.  I’m not kidding.  I feel as though there is a distinct part of the world that is so incredibly out of touch with our financial reality.  So this is my “off with her head” thinking and then I get slapped back into taking responsibility for my own way of living.

Beyonce Fashion Rocks 2008 - Dave Alloca/People Magazine

Look it, as a luxury loving Fashionista who is now a Recessionista, I’m not so glib as to sit here and place judgment on those who love luxury.  And by no means will I support beating up on those who work hard, they should be rewarded for it.  And if you work hard for your money then technically you should spend it the way you want to.  Neither do I believe that completely stopping consumer spending will in any way help dig us out of our economic hole – in fact that will take us only deeper into the hole.  BUT “off with her head” is still chasing me around like a cat after its cat nip.  So dear reader, I invite you to reflect on it.  I suppose it comes down to responsibility because the same people sitting in judgment are the ones buying into the billion dollar gossip magazine industry – How else do you think they know about Beyonce’s engagement ring (the upkeep of which probably costs more than that of a bank teller’s yearly salary)?  It seems we are all sitting in it together – We can’t escape our mutual responsibility.  So what role are you playing in our world of rampant consumerism?

And on that note, I’ll share one more thing of interest.  There were a multitude of bare necks at the 2009 Golden Globes. Yes there was bling on many wrists but there was a conspicuous lack of hefty-price tag jewelry on women’s necks.  Iiiinteresting.

Next week I’ll look at the other side of the coin.  Perhaps there is something to be said for a touch of glamour  in this doom and gloom day when every time you open the Wall Street Journal all you see is the drama of the stock market,  more news about corporate gluttony and what other retailer is slashing jobs.

Viviana M. Rueda
La Fashionista (Recessionista for now)

The first full work week of the New Year has gone by.  You know what’s so great about January?  It’s the month when everyone is so bright-eyed about change and sticking to it…well you know where that goes?  Oh, in the bag by March if you’re lucky.  Why?  Because most of the changes that we say we are going to make require a change of lifestyle as well as stopping the incessant negotiation in your mind saying “blah!  You don’t want to get out of bed for a run?  It’s bloody 50 degrees out there and DARK!  Stay in bed.”  You know the drill.

And by now you are wondering why my image, fashion, lifestyle blog is being dedicated to this topic.  Well, it has everything to do with your image and lifestyle.  Image isn’t just the clothes that you wear or your general appearance. Image is who you are in every sense of the word.  It’s the brand that you promote to the world and as such, any changes that you incorporate into your lifestyle (negative or positive) are part of your image.

So, I’m throwing out a challenge, mostly for me, but you are welcome to join me.  You see, I’m inundated by fashion mags with these fabulously chic women living in fabulously chic places (apparently L.A. has become chic?  When did that happen?) and talking about how they are incorporating changes for  the “new them” for 2009.  So I myself have been inspired to incorporate a few of these changes.

One woman in particular inspired me.  Living in soggy England she has committed to changing the following for the New Year (she started early, naturally, or it wouldn’t have been ready for the January issue), and I’m committing to mirroring her, sort of.  For the next 30 days (the plan being much longer but starting with baby steps):
1. Eating a balanced diet.  Okay.  This woman literally weighed her food for a month.  Those of you who have seen me cook know that I’ve trouble with a measuring cup, I mean hell, who needs to have a consistent recipe as long as it tastes delicious?  In all seriousness this may be the easiest for me to do because now that I’ve imposed a draconian budget on myself, then there’s no eating out which equates great control over my food.
2. Dental hygiene. Brushing and flossing every day but I’m throwing in going to the Dentist.  Sounds easy to you but I believe there must be a phobia of going to the Dentist and I’ve a full dose of it.  To paint a picture…I should have gone in September (really much earlier than that, but we are sticking with this date).  Going to the Dentist for me is like throwing a cat into a cold bucket of water.  There’s screeching, yowling, and I come out of the Dentist looking like a wet cat.  Verrry unhappy.

What I look like coming out of the Dentist

3. Exercise.  This woman committed to a minimum of 30 minutes of cardio 7 days per week plus 3-4 days of strength training.  She actually found the running easy even with living in consistently soggy England, and you’d think that I would too given that I was an athlete for most of my life except that I gave up working out along with my gym membership in 2008.  UGH.  Even though construction starts at 5 am. right outside my window I can’t seem to pull my lazy butt out of bed for a run (reference the earlier mind conversation).  So my goal is running 5 days per week to get to a point that I can realistically run a ½ marathon in the first half of this year.
4. Quitting smoking.  Easy!  I don’t smoke.  Okay, very rarely…When my New Yorker and Danish smoker friends are around (bad friends!  That’s right, it’s all their fault).  This is what was REALLY hard for her and this will be a non-issue for me.  Et voila.
5. Sex.  Stop snickering.  She really did add it to her list.  Apparently her poor husband hasn’t had a good night of sleep since the market went ape…go figure…that actually kills sex drive.  You may be asking why this is important for your health?  Apparently the release of oxytocin is beneficial and sex reduces stress.  Well halleluiah, why didn’t tell me that!  If that’s the case, maybe I’ll take up the world’s oldest profession (just kidding Honey).  This woman committed to 3 days per week and more than achieved her goal because her husband took it on as a contest.  Ah…and me.  Well I’m testing to see if my fiancée reads my blog because he’d kill me if he were to realize that I’m speaking of this publicly.  Suffice it to say that for the sake of this experiment…there will a goal. Enough said.
6. Sleep.  Oh Lord Almighty.   This is going to kill me.  Did you know that you are supposed to sleep 7 to 9 hours per day.  Yeah, yeah, yeah.  I used to be one of you people who would say “I only need 4 hours of sleep per day.”  Uhm.  Yah.  And you’ll age like a prune too not to mention what you are doing to rest of your system.  But I’m the pot calling kettle black because I can’t sleep to save my life.  So, for this experiment I’m committing to 8 hours per day and getting to bed by 10 p.m.  Since I’m downtown’s lightest sleeper I don’t know how well I’ll stay asleep but I will commit to going back to my doctor prescribed diet which helps me sleep.  But I’m starting slowly so for the 1st 30 days, I’m cutting out all caffeine and all refined sugar, only eating bread once per week and indulging in alcohol only on the weekends.  The woman in England cut down her drinking to a glass and a half of wine per night (this lady is my kind of lush) so I’m thinking I’m making a difference (work with me here even if I’m not).

Okay.  That’s more than enough change for me in 30 days.  She took on wearing sunscreen every day (I already do that), getting rid of all red meat (surprisingly easy when you’re on a budget), and getting rid of salt.  If I get rid of salt in my house my fiancé will look slightly like I will when I emerge from the Dentist’s office.

This is my New Year’s Redux my dear readers and I challenge you to try something for yourself – Go realistic…deciding to run a marathon next month when you don’t run more than 2 miles now…bad idea unless you like throwing out your hip and walking like a Rottweiler with hip dysplasia for a month.  Been there…Done it…Don’t suggest it.    Try balancing your diet by having an orange a day.  Incorporate a couple of snacks (uhm healthy) into your diet so that you are eating 5 meals a day instead of slogging through 2 or 3 huge meals.  Wake up a little earlier every day and take a bath, incorporate a meditation routine which for some could be going for a walk by yourself, or actual sitting meditation.  Go to bed 30 minutes early and catch up on your reading.  Start small.  Success for most of us requires baby steps.

I wish you luck and wish me luck, although I must say that with a wedding looming at the end of this year I’ve a goal to shoot for which usually makes these things much easier for me to incorporate.   But it’s a new year and we’ll see how it goes!

“It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent, but the most responsive to change.”
-Charles Darwin

This blog is dedicated to one of my favorite days of the year- Thanksgiving.  Yah, yah.  It’s a holiday where everyone is reminded to thank God, the Universe, the Roman Deities or whatever it is that you believe in for everything that you have.  Some people are cynical about it because you should be thankful every day.  And that’s true.  You should.  But we are human and we forget.  So thank you dear Plymouth settlers and gracious Wampanoag Indians for celebrating the autumn harvest and giving us (and Butterball) a day to reflect for all that we should be thankful for.  And maybe, just maybe, we’ll remember to be thankful every morning of our lives by squeezing the hand of a loved one; remembering that we have our health; scratching a beloved pet behind the ear; or saying “I appreciate you” to someone in our lives.

And for added inspiration, check out the top 10 2008 CNN Heroes.  I had the privilege of attending the taping of this show and call me a big weenie for crying (which to the distress of my fiancée, I did so throughout the show), but I am in AWE of these people.  They reminded me that EVERYONE can make a difference, no matter how rich, or how poor – No matter how privileged or underprivileged.

Witnessing the work that these people have dedicated themselves to makes me give thanks for the ones that I love.  It reminded me that despite the many challenges that we humans encounter all over the world, we are all loved, we are all one and even the smallest thing that you can do for another makes an impact.

If you’d like to watch this inspirational show and see what these humanitarians are doing for others, tune into CNN on Thanksgiving Night at 9 p.m. ET.

Wishing you a Thanksgiving of good food, great company and much gratitude,
Viviana M. Rueda

Hola People’s – It’s summer and that means it’s time to bare your legs.  Knobby kneed, skinny, long, short, tanned, white as can be…all legs deserve a day in shorts.  So here’s my scoop on what to wear and what to not wear.

Ladies:  It’s all about your shape, i.e. the silhoutte that you create.  Pretty much remember that and you’ll find it easier to dress. 

Petite – If you are itsey-bitsey, then you should wear shorts that are mid-thigh length.  Be careful to not wear long shorts that will overwhelm your build.  If you are really thin you can get away with “longish” shorts but always make sure they hit above the knee.  If you’ve curves, use them and go for the mid-thigh length and think of using belts and ties to emphasize your little waist.

Pear-Shaped – aka you’ve smaller shoulders in ratio to your hips.  Steer toward solid shorts in straight cuts and you can wear them at the knee or just above the knee (depending on your height).  Go for solids and then pair with flashier tops.  The idea is to draw the eye up toward your upper body.

Plus Sizes – Look for fuss-free shorts with minimal details.  Opt for knee-length and pleat-free bermudas.  The more clean cut the better.

Everyone – Unless you’ve the height of Heidi Klum, Gisele’s legs, and you are eighteen….stay clear of the trendy, trendy styles.  If you are all of the above…Woot-Woot!  Then apparently I’ve arrived because you’re an uber successful runway model and you’re reading my Blog!  Fabulous darling.  Seriously, avoid baggy pockets and for most of you, avoid pockets period, where possible, cuffed shorts should not be tight on your thighs, hem any shorts that have unflattering hemlines and make sure that a. your behind isn’t hanging out when you sit and b. if it is…cover it up por favor.

Gentlemen – Generally speaking you don’t have quite as many options on the styles of shorts.  BUT this season there seems to be a multitude of colors for you to partake of.  If you aren’t scared of color and the occasion serves, feel free to indulge in some of this Summer’s vibrant colors.

If you aren’t overly tall, I’d recommend that you steer clear of shorts with patterns (those Hawaiian-print shorts that you like to wear for volleyball…yep, you know the ones.  They probably aren’t doing your legs justice).  Opt for single-tone shorts.  Also stay clear of any fussy details and embroidery.  Alas you’ll probably want to stay clear of the brilliantly designed cargo short (aaah…the military and their fabulously utilitarian designs).  UNLESS of course you manage to find a pair that don’t make you look like a safari guide ambushed you. 

If you are tall – God bless because your girlfriend is digging the fact that she can store all of her junk in the pockets of your cargo shorts (I’m not the only one that does this right?).  You’ll need to make sure that your shorts aren’t too long because you’ll risk looking like a daddy long-legs. 

For all guys, try to keep your shorts clean cut. 

As for pairing your shorts.  For the right occasion you can count on a nicely tailored pair of shorts to work as a casual chic look by dressing them up with a beautiful long-sleeve shirt, or a summer sweater and a nice sandal.  Pair it with a fashionable braided belt and you are good to go.

If you want to wear your trendy surf t-shirt opt to pair it with casual shorts like cargos and your flip-flops.

Now go forth and wear your shorts!

Happy Hot Summer Weather
Viviana M. Rueda
Creative Founder
Vivendi Fashionista

Hola my savvy fashionistas -

Today, I won’t expound…on much that is.  Today, I’m just here to say – GO GREEN.

Be chic, be trendy (only affordably though, don’t go spending $700 on trendy Gucci puhleeze, unless your name is Carrie Bradshaw and Big is footing the bill, or you are Ivana ex-Trump’s new eye candy) and stop using those nasty plastic bags that are plaguing the earth.

Check out this site and get your trendy bags for FREE!  Si people!  FREE.  Well, you pay for shipping that is.  It’s like $4.99.

Go to Original Green Bags and get youself some pretty, free, and guilt-free bags.

Thought for the day…what are you doing with your plastic bottles?  At the risk of you thinking that the Rueda Fashionista has turned into a tree-hugging, granola crunching type…Firstly, trees give me a rash and granola gives me love handles and don’t even go there with the Birkenstocks, I don’t care that they come in all sorts of styles and colors, they are still a fashion no-no!  I do invite you however to consider what you are doing with your drinking water and all those nasty, not-so-chic plastic water bottles.  Aluminum bottles….just a thought.

Happy Viviana Environment Day – Please save the rainforest so that I can honeymoon there.

Last night I had the opportunity to participate in a focus group that was reviewing women’s ideas about brands and what makes a good community experience.  I’m being vague because I’m not sure how much I want to share about the project but suffice it to say that it’s about building a shopping and community experience that involves high-end brands and luxury.  MMMM….I know how to pick a focus group, don’t I?  by the by, if you never done  a focus group try it, it’s fun and interesting, although mind you…not all of them provide luxury settings with hors d’oeuvres and champagne.  Like I said, I know how to pick ‘em!

So as I went home I got to thinking about the amazing challenge for any business that wants to focus on promoting brands that not only speak to luxury but also have a certain level of social consciousness, while steering clear of potential PR nightmares (imagine if you aligned with a group that turned out to be of the ecological-saboteur ilk).  There’s a demographic of well-heeled consumers who want to feel like they make a difference in the world while they drive their $175,000 car and wear their $2,000 shoes that were hand made out of sustainable products (does this make sense to anyone by the way?) by a small community of Indians in the remote Andes.  Ah yes…the days of the Ferrari in the driveway, the house in Aspen and the country club membership are indeed changing.  Now you can have that AND save the planet.

Well, I don’t know about you, but I find it fascinating to look at how companies grapple with this dynamic.  Take for instance the whole “green” craze.  If I had some extra time in my 80-hour workweek, I’d love to understand more clearly what that means exactly.  ”We’ve gone green!” is all over marketing campaigns.  Frankly, it smells of “All our products are lite!”.  Remember that craze in the early 90’s, when everything was “light” or “lite” and when you realized it was all marketing hype you were like 15 pounds heavier?  Ah, hello…consumer beware.  Small wonder that people were confused about gaining weight from “light” potato chips!  The only thing “light” about them was the color!  Anyhow. 

Point is, that I find this new age of branding fascinating and if as a business person you could leverage this into your own life, well, done in the right way and in integrity, it really could make a difference in the world, in your personal life and in your business. 

And the cool thing is that a lot of people are jumping on the band wagon with the same thought.  For instance, in the realm of the beauty products world there are companies such as Kiehl’s, that partner with Moroccan women to produce their “Superbly Restorative Dry Oil”, which is made out of a nut from trees found in the  Sous Valley.  Not only does the initiative help the Cooperative in terms of establishing and growing local businesses but it also aids in the teaching women how to read and write and how to run the their own businesses.  The oil by the way is said to be very effective to treat scars and split ends.  Many other companies develop innovative beauty products using rare ingredients from far-flung places while taking care to use fair-trade practices and implementing business practices that help the local communities from which they get their products.  Here in the U.S., high-end handbag designer, Nancy Gale, has co-founded an initiative called “In True Fashion” that encourages American school children to explore entrepreneurship by giving them the opportunity to design handbags, which are then voted on by the public.  The winning design is then mass-produced by the handbag line, JAMAH (which incidentally means “Be Who You Are” in Swahili).  Pretty cool stuff, this creating awesome products and making a difference in people’s lives.  I LIKE this kind of branding.

Tip of the Week
See how many of the products that you use in your life are from companies that have cool and interesting community involvement initiatives.  You may not be independently wealthy and have an extra three weeks to volunteer in Somalia building schools, but wouldn’t it be cool to realize that you buy coffee at a coffee shop that promotes small farmers so that they don’t have to say for instance, plant illegal crops in order to sustain a good standard of living?  Or that the company that makes your body lotion is providing funds to help establish a community of businesswomen who in the past had zero opportunities to keep their families out of extreme poverty?  Something to think about.

Viviana M. Rueda
Creative Founder
Vivendi Fashionista

I often hear people say that men have little choice or variety in their fashion choices, which launches me into one of my favorite topics – that being the breadth of creativity that men can engage in with fashion-related self expression.  I want to dedicate some attention to the man’s necktie, otherwise popularly known in the U.S. as the “tie”.  Other variations of the name include cravat, ascot, bows, and bandanas.  Although I tend to this think that these are really more styles of ties than alternate names.

In terms of longevity, the tie seems to have quite a history.  If you are familiar with the Chinese emperor who chose to be buried with 7,500 terra cotta soldiers, (personally I think this guy was scared of the dark) you may remember that each soldier is wearing a neck cloth.  Think of it as the BC (as in Before Christ) necktie.  Who knew there would be Fashionistas in the afterlife?  Apparently this Emperor thought they should be prepared just in case the fashion police was there to greet them in heaven, hell or whatever there is on the other side.  The Romans also sported neckwear – Check out Trajan’s column, it depicts soldiers with neckwear. 

What’s so beautiful about the tie is that men have so much variety!  You can choose from woven designs to prints and from there the creativity abounds.  Not so surprising then that I’ll have plenty to write about in future Blogs as it pertains to ties.  You’ll see future Blogs on necktie styles, how to wear neckties, how to tie neckties, what to wear with neckties, what not to wear with neckties….blah, blah, blah.  I bet you never thought there could be so much content dedicated to the tie.  But this piece of men’s clothing has a long and colorful history.

For now I want to share a story about the striped tie.   The striped tie has been associated in modern history with true and tried conservative attire.  This is most probably because striped designs were appropriated for a variety of uses by many military groups.  The Brits for instance used stripes for regimental colors.    In fact, all British regiments had a specific color scheme that belonged to only them.  The direction of the stripe was also very specific.  It had to run diagonally from the left shoulder down toward the right side of the body.  This was for very logical aesthetic reasons (shocking that the Brits would be so orderly).  Men’s jackets traditionally buttoned left over right so that you could easily reach your sword.  Brilliant design!!!  Then the Americans came along and changed the stripes to go the over way – oh, HOW gauche!  As you can imagine, there for a time the British were a tad annoyed to see their long-time respected colors being abducted by Americans. 

The striped tie is pretty much a standard issue tie that should be in any man’s wardrobe.  Firstly, the sumptuous array of colors and fabrics for striped ties give you a great deal of levity for self-expression plus the striped tie allows you to leverage the play of stripes against your body and face.  The diagonal line helps to lean out and soften a broad face, neck or chest. 

So, next time that you go to pick out a striped necktie, you’ll be much more appreciative of its history!
 
Tip of the Week
For this Spring/Summer you’ll find that as to be expected, there are lighter colors, although Summer tends to be running to the range of medium colors rather than pastels.  The necktie also continues to lose width (I would recommend you to stick to a standard width unless you’ve the interest and budget to indulge in trends).  This is the time of the year to explore floral patterns if you can carry them. 

Happy Tie-Wearing!

Viviana M. Rueda
Creative Founder
Vivendi Fashionista