The goal of this blog is to dispel that twisted feeling of dread in your stomach that you get when you realize that you have a business holiday party to attend after work and then yet another holiday party with your friends after that.  Now why would someone experience dread at the thought of having fun with colleagues and friends over the holidays?  Well, if you live in L.A. there’s no godly way that you’re going to be able to drive home from work to change for a party, drive to your work-related party and then do the same thing over again for the party with your friends.  Actually, this is virtually impossible in any city!

So, I’m here to help dispel that feeling of dread.  In three easy steps I can help you change your outfit from work, to business holiday party, to personal holiday party.

1.  The Work Look:  Wear a shift.  Look for something simple and classic and if you want to make it super easy, black.  Think little black dress with an appropriate hemline for work – This isn’t the time to show off your gams starting at mid-thigh if you know what I mean.  Throw on a chic jacket, sweater or whatever will cover your shoulders that is appropriate for your work environment.  Personally I’m a big fan of the statement fitted jacket in a color that contrasts nicely with the little black dress.  Wear day appropriate makeup – aka put together but not screaming “look at me”.  Depending on your work environment, throw on some layered chains or a subtle pearl necklace.   Complete your look with a statement bag and nicely-turned out heels.

Piazza Sempione Dress

2.  The Work Holiday Party:  Retouch your makeup.  You can get away with a more pronounced look but don’t go for the “I’m hitting the club after this party” look.  Change your jewelry to a statement piece.  Think long Coco Chanel pearls looped around three times.  Personally I’m a huge favorite of these stunners by Claudia Endler Designs - gorgeous modern and contemporary interpretation of the classic. 

Claudia Endler Designs Pearl Necklace

Emitations Ring

Take off the work jacket and go for a hot, fitted leather jacket that ends at your waist.  Not your look?  Wear a wrap to keep the cold away, you’ll be taking it off at the party anyhow.  Shoes, here’s another shot to go sexy.  Go strappy or go stacked heels – just go with statement. 

Christian Louboutin Ernesta Sandal

All three looks can be prepared the night before, just drop the component into your stylish tote or leather overnighter (I do hope you have one, yes?) and you are ready to rock-n-roll.

Happy Holidays Chicas! Party Safely and With Style!

For anyone not around in the 1960’s, the term “Mod” doesn’t necessarily mean anything.  When I grew up it was often used to refer to avant-garde fashionable types.  We used the term when describing the appearance of cool or chic people who usually dressed all in black, with crisp and structured lines, sleek haircuts and black sunglasses.  Very London.  So it’s not a surprise that the term came about in the 1960’s in London amongst cliques of London youngsters who had inclinations toward new fashions, slim-cut Italian fashions and modern jazz.  But now there’s a new meaning to Mod and it’s actually an acronym for “Model off Duty”.  What does this mean?  It means that when you walk out the door you look so chic it’s break taking but the look is so unassuming it’s as if you didn’t even bother to look in the mirror.  And why on earth would you look in the mirror after all?  You’re paid the big bucks because you’re gorgeous.  Think Kate Moss, Bianca Brandolini d’Adda, Lily Donaldson, Agyness Deyn,  and Caroline Trentini.   

Model Lily Donaldson

Now for the rest of us earthly creatures, we must rely on subterfuge, stylist tips and tricks, and down-right scrappy ingenuity to achieve the MOD look.   But chickies you can, if you want to.  It’s not necessarily about being a stunning beauty, although having 180 cm of almost all leg really doesn’t hurt.  As I’ve said before, it’s how you carry yourself, your confidence in being a woman, and a dedication to understanding silhouettes and design.  With these things you can achieve a MOD look.  Some of my favorite suggestions for Spring 2009 follow.  And by the way, a lot of these looks don’t need to be uber high fashion, head down to Santee Alley, The FIDIM store in downtown L.A., rifle the sale jewelry box at Banana Republic, shop the discount stores online – Looking MOD is much easier when you’ve a huge checking account but by no means does it require you to be a millionaire.  Case in point, check out the youngsters that attend FIDIM in downtown L.A.  Trust me, these kids rarely have a couple of dimes to rub together and they can pull MOD off. 

Claudia Endler Wide Cuff www.claudiaendler.com

Chunky bangles.  Think African- or Asian-inspired.  And layer them.  I love thick wire bangles that you can stack.  Check out bangles at Tejani or Claudia Endler.  Tejani has super small sizes too for you tiny girls.

Looking to be brave?  If your physique can carry it off…mix patterns.  Some of the most chic outfits I’ve ever seen are mixed patterns. 

Block patterns – Look for color block prints that are layered in funky ways.  Where to find these?  Check out stores such as Zara, H&M and Forever 21.

Gucci Spring 2009

Crazy shoes – crazy heels!  Okay this is the time to indulge in off-the-hook high heels and funky shoes.   Work it while it’s hot.  One of these days we’ll go back to boring and boring (hopefully not).  And for the sake of your ankles as well as for making the MOD look appear credible, learn to walk in massive heels, or you’ll ruin the effect.

To look super chic and very  Balenciaga, flaunt clothing with zipper accents.  Very 1980’s punk and new wave.  Oh Hello WHAM!

www.bananarepublic.com

Big necklaces.  Make a statement!  Layer multiple long strands or short strands for a Coco Chanel feel.  But don’t forget to do what she used to do before going out – Remove one piece of jewelry.   For layering options check out the May Yeung Spring 2009 Collection, classic and timeless, you can mix and match these babies for multipe ROI.

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)

So I’m getting married in November and true to form, I’m doing things the Viviana way rather than the standard issue, everyone else does it this-way. I mean, I bought my wedding gown before setting the tone of our wedding and now I’m setting the tone of our wedding to my gown – what would one expect of a Fashionista?  I mean, really?  Given the business that I’m in naturally there is a certain element of glamour when dressing women or men for formal affairs, but honestly we tend to focus primarily on personal branding and the reality of daily life, i.e. training them on how to use their image for a positive impact, and effectively using their budget to have a functional wardrobe that fully supports their personal goals and ambitions…sometimes this means a little glamour but not the all out, glamazon fashionista you look like you walked onto a red carpet or into a society ballroom type of glamour, which has become my wedding state of mind.

Okay, so like 99.9% of women have some sort of a  fairytale love affair with weddings.  It’s our time to indulge in creating an atmosphere that is solely the vision of you and your groom (okay, family plays a part in it of course, but you know what I mean).  Every woman has had a wedding in their mind that was spectacular whether it’s their dreamy contemporary-chic vineyard wedding or a glorious cathedral wedding a la Princess Diana.  And mine has always had illusions of glamour, well, because when you spend your summers helping your Wedding Dress Designer Godmother finish socialites’ wedding gowns you get it in your head that everyone has these sumptuous and glamorous weddings.  How’s that for preconceived notions?

Princess Diana Wedding

Take the fact that I’m fascinated by glamour, couture, bling and everything having to do with luxury (I’m a luxury-loving Taurus what can I say) and add that to a tanked economy and what do you get?  A Recessionary Fashionista (sounds like a political group) or a Recessionista.  What does that mean?  It means I’m having my cake and eating it too Ms. Antoinette!  How?  Creativity darling, creativity.

Romona Keveza - Encore Bridal

Darlings if you love couture, why pay full price unless your are Lauren Davis?  Check out couture bridal consignment extraordinaire Julie Jones of Encore Bridal, I found my dream, 1930’s Hollywood Glamour-inspired Ristarose gown there for (ahem, less than a bride should be able to get away with legally).  Truly, if couture is what you are after, get ye to the exquisite taste of this Bridal Fashionista.  Not only does she have style in spades but Julie provides the level of service that one expects at a salon where the prices start at $5,000.

And ps you can make your own veil…buy a pattern from Vogue, some tulle, some crystals, pearls, etc from Michael’s, a glue gun and you are on your way to a beautiful veil, or you can pay up to $400 for one.  Recessionista says, get crafty…Martha Stewart is and she’s a stylish billionaire…

Here’s a really wonderfully convenient thing about wedding attire as it relates to the shoes.  Guess what?  Unless your groom plans on twirling you over his head on the dance floor or you are doing the traditional wedding garter thing, odds are that your shoes will be visible to..oh, NOBODY, and if they do see them, they’ll be too drunk to see if they are designer or not. So, what I recommend is that you hop onto your online resource for bargain shoes and shop away!  Better yet, go to Macy’s or Bloomies, or (egads!) Sears and see what they have to offer in the “fancy” shoe section.  Are they going to be Manolos, uhm no!  But you wouldn’t do to your Manolos what will probably happen to your wedding shoes after hours of tramping through the ceremony, the reception and then the dance floor until the wee hours of the morning.  My point is this – Go Recessionista budget by shopping the less expensive stores because you’ll trash your shoes.  Also, look for COMFORT!  This is key, you may even discover that your typical three+ inch heel will not do for your wedding day because it’s quite a feat going 8-10 hours in high heels.  Eschew the traditional wedding boutiques and online sites for shoes…they will charge you an arm and a leg ladies!  Buy shoes that you can reuse after the wedding thereby truly getting your highest bang for your buck.  If you really must buy specific wedding shoes, customize them at Artyce Designs.  They’ll not be recession-friendly prices but at least you’ll have customized and unique shoes to show for it!  Think Value Ms. Recessionista.

Diamonds are a girl's best friend

Diamonds baby.  Oh yes.  I’ve always adored diamonds.  In fact I believe I used to chew on my mother’s wedding band when I was a baby -  Diamonds are a girl’s best friend.  That said, the reality of shopping for diamonds after you’ve watched your IRA leap down an abyss, is…ahh, no bueno.  So for the Recessionistas of the world I suggest two options, well-designed, white gold or sterling silver Cubic Zirconia (CZ).  Who will know?  You and only you unless you plan on showing your diamonds to a jeweler at  your wedding who’ll be conveniently equipped with a loupe.  Seriously, anyone getting that close of a look at your wedding finger better be your husband or your jeweler or you’ve other complications to contend with.  Suffice it to say that a very worldly and chic friend of mine went eight years with a beautiful CZ as her solitaire with no one knowing the difference, except her jewelery designer.  If that’s not your thing, then consider synthetic diamonds. For some people it’s not even the recession but they’ve political issues with buying African diamonds, well then grow your diamond.  They are exactly the same thing people!  And they can be lower grade or even higher grade than natural diamonds.  For some spectacularly well designed and tasteful wedding jewelry I recommend Emitation.  These people really have their act together for the right price. It’s a Vivendi Fashionista must.

Tejani Wedding Necklace

Or check out Tejani. Gorgeous designs, at a slightly higher price point but uhm still decidedly less expensive than diamonds and for those of you who still want the real thing, you’ll have to skip the diamonds but opt for elegant and dainty at May Yeung Designs.  This designer specializes in quality designs using gold, silver, pearls, and Swarovski crystals all at prices for the Recessionista.  She’ll also do custom designs for some bridal parties.

Planning, planning, planning.  Wedding vendors are hoping that you don’t do your research because my dear ones there is indeed a dirty little conspiracy called the “let’s mark it up because it’s a wedding”.  Knowledge is power and once you’re armed with an understanding about the costs related to reception sites, photography, flowers, etc, etc, etc…then you’ll be able to a. find the type of deals that you need and want and b. negotiate from a position of knowledge.  You should also consider talking to 2-3 wedding coordinators.  Although some do prefer to throw lavish affairs others will save you on costly mistakes and will negotiate for you so that you stay within your budget.  I recommend The Haber Event Group and Cassandra Santor..  Lastly, bear in mind that the economic slow down is hitting EVERYONE, even the wealthy have slowed down in throwing lavish events, ergo party locations, restaurants, caterers etc all need the business right now.

Suggest Recessionary Wedding Planning Books:

How to Have a Big Wedding on a Small Budget

Bridal Bargains, 9th Edition: Secrets to Throwing a Fantastic Wedding on a Realistic Budget

That’s my recessionista bridal planning insight for now.  I’m off to shop online vendors for party favors – Recessionista + Internet =’s True love.

Ciao!

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

So it’s a new year and a time to reflect and plan.   Which means scheduling a talk with my investment advisor to talk about why I shouldn’t jump out the window at the astronomical dive that my retirement accounts have taken and why sticking to investment fundamentals will eventually pay off.  Which brings me to today’s Blog topic…sticking to style  fundamentals will pay off…almost immediately.

Follow these fundamental rules and your outfits will appear like you’ve a stylist on staff:

1.     Learn what works for you.  I love slinky skinny pants but I know full well that my physique is simply not suited for them, I’ll leave them to Kate Moss.
2.    Approach dressing as if clothes were meant to showcase you – I.E. this is when people say “the clothes were wearing the woman”…try to avoid this.
3.    Learn from the experts or the people who pay the experts.  With as much as we are deluged by fashion and media blasts, take advantage of all of this free information.  Investigate which celebrities have your body type and see how their stylists dress them.
4.    Wear clothes that fit you.  This means using a tailor.  Find one now if you don’t have one.  These people make your wardrobe work and last so that you get your full investment out of it.  A word about fit.  For some reason it’s become acceptable for skinny people to live in bags (or clothing that looks like it’s been issued by the makers of Glad trash bags) and for curvaceous people to wear overly tight clothing.  For those of you wearing your clothing too big, your friends are too nice to tell you that you look like Frodo and those of you with the muffin tops…the only muffins we should be seeing are those from Sprinkles.  Make sure that your clothes fit people!  Not only will you look better but you’ll be SO much more comfortable!
5.    Understand how fabrics work with your body.  Tightly woven fabrics such as denim are best for semi-fitted looks (until you add a little spandex – thank you whoever invented spandex).  High quality knits can serve to enhance your shape and knits that fit badly can serve to make you look like an umpa-lumpa.  So test out fabrics, see which ones work best for you.
6.    Proportion is your friend.  If you are 5’3 for instance, it won’t do for you to wear a long, long skirt, unless you want to look like an Amish grandmother, which is okay if you are or if perhaps you are trying out for a part in the remake of Witness.  But if you aren’t, well then we’ve a problem.  A short, fitted jacket on the other hand will create a sharp image for you.  Proportion applies to all of us, including you tall and leggy folk.  If your legs go on for miles it might be wise to avoid wearing a micro-mini during the day.  This proportion is best left to the traipsing down a fashion runway.  Unless of course you are intent on causing an accident or being asked “how much?”
7.    Patterns, embellishments and color can be your friend or your enemy.  If you’ve seen the glorious embellishments of recent years on jean pockets on rumps that simply do not need embellishment then I need say no more.  Or the trend that I saw a few months ago in Denmark for dropped jeans pockets, which of course unintentionally dropped the behind of every woman wearing these jeans.  No bueno.  On the other hand, if your rump is flat as a door, bring on the embellishment and an illusion of “baby got back” will appear…Not quite but certainly enough.
8.    Work with your strengths.  If you’ve a gorgeous collarbone, find ways to show it off, calves like Sophia Loren, break out the pencil skirts, calves like my last quarter horse jumper, break out the long boots and sport a skirt.
9.    Develop signature looks.   Think Coco Chanel, the woman who draped herself in long necklaces and yet made it a rule to remove at least one piece of jewelry before walking out the door to make sure it wasn’t “too much”.    Diana Vreeland was renowned for her brilliantly lacquered nails.  Always wearing a statement piece of jewelry, carrying chic vintage handbags, owing unique shoes, or wearing scarves and dark sunglasses (think Jackie O) will all serve to create an impression.
10.    Wear your clothes like you’ve just won the lottery or gotten the promotion you’ve always wanted.  A silhouette that is perfectly proportioned for your physique just looks silly if you don’t stand up straight and own it.

I leave you with these thoughts on style fundamentals and I wish everyone a year full of wonderful surprises, exciting opportunities, timeless style (and great silhouettes), good health and much prosperity.

Viviana M. Rueda
Vivendi Fashionista

Slouchy boots, peek-toe gladiator boots, bold jewel-toned colors in the Fall/Winter collections, navy blue nail colors and electronic beats with a tangy after-taste.  Envision a time when nightclubs actually enforced a dress code.  When no man would be caught dead going out at night wearing a suit and tennis shoes – Which by the by, this look is only generally carried off by billionaire types such as Howard Hughes or “I could get a ticket by thinking you’re hot” boys such as Justin Timberlake.  When women’s hair was big and the suits (men and women’s) screamed power and women’s makeup…looked like makeup (who wants natural anyhow?).  A time when “goth” didn’t’ exist but the words “new wave” conjured an image of chic, edgy and underground.  The kind of cool you wanted to play with but were sort of scared to.

If you are tracking with me, then you too may be feeling like you’ve been transported back to the 1980’s (hello Buck Rogers, bidi-bidi-bidi).  From fashion to music it’s a flashback of the glorious 1980’s.  And they were glorious. Bring on the power suit, the big, chunky jewelry (also back in fashion).  And either my imagination is getting the best of me, but even the boys in hip-hop are getting into the ‘80s groove.  Just listen to the beat of Love Lockdown, drop in a dance beat and you’re back in a neon-lit nightclub breaking it down next to a leggy siren in a mini-skirt, tight leggings and hair all spiked up courtesy of AquaNet.  And on the subject of the leggings trend – Ladies, I’ve three words for you “danger Will Robinson”.  Unless you are uber hot or uber Fashionista cool don’t go there.  Additionally, there is an age-expiration date to this trend.  If you happen to be one of those who sashayed across a tabletop dancing to “I don’t want your love”, you may apply for the age-expiration category at this time.   So…unless you plan on making an impact with your image as an “eccentric”, don’t even step into your living room in leggings.  These puppies should have the words “handle with care” stamped all over them.  Especially the liquid leggings. Latex-like Batman leggings- So shiny that your friends can find you at the club to hand deliver you your sugar-free Red Bull and vodka.  Party-on.

What’s my point?  If you lived in the glorious days when techno was born, when most women spent a few hours tweaking their hair to get just the right height to complement their ripped fishnets and Max Headroom-esque shoulder pads and when having deep purple hair color meant you were going through your “teen years”, then you’ll get a giggle out of this.  And you’ll gain a new appreciation for the distinctly 1980’s-inspired trends roaming the fashion magazines, streets and airwaves.  And if none of this resonates, mix yourself a sex-on-the-beach cocktail and rent Miami Vice (the real one, not the Collin Farrell one).

I’m off to find my overly-long strands of baroque pearls - Yet another trend from the 80’s, stolen out of another era, courtesy of the killer chic Ms. Coco Chanel.

Viviana M. Rueda
Fashion Fury

Ps. Seeing lots of hot colors for future trends. Think patent-leather heels in peach and strawberry pink. Sheesh, maybe I can find my Body Glove neon green bikini too.

Moo.  I say MOO!  Why am I lowing like a cow you ask (in Hindi it’s “Ambaa” in case you were curious)?  To make a point that we humans are a funny lot.  Anyone notice the herd mentality in play at the current moment?  Reality is it’s always in play but right now it’s particularly amusing, or not depending on what color of lenses you decide to look through on any given day.  From the stock market to the fashion world I have this sense that we are just a bunch of cows heading over a cliff together.

I’ll leave the economic world for others to pontificate on but allow me to pull out my soap box for the fashion world.  So I headed down to the Spring 2009 shows a couple of weeks ago to amuse myself by watching the buyers and the accompanying brouhaha.  This is always fun because you’ll find a little bit of everything at these events.  From the hardcore corporate Devil-Wears-Prada Fashionista (Oh my God, I’m like one stomach flu away from a size 0) to the uber stressed out rep who has realized that her orders have taken a nose dive because her designer didn’t invest in branding and come recession time….big buyers invest in big brands.  Moo, I say MOO!

Not even the trays of roaming margaritas and bleached blonde models handing out soda pop lightened up the mood.  So to get myself out of this funk I decided to watch everyone’s choice of clothing and once again I say MOO.  I had a conversation with a friend recently who used to frequent the shows and she was commenting on how she’d notice gaggles of girls roaming the floors wearing identical outfits and she wondered “Do they like what they are wearing?”   And I had to wonder.

Firstly, I witnessed a woman teeter across 9th in a pair of booties so inappropriate for the occasion she looked like she’d just had her feet wrapped with traditional Japanese foot binding.  No bueno!  Then as I entered the elevator I watched a woman in her 40’s step out in the skinniest jeans which ooh-la-la so chic but uhm, she looked like a lollipop because the skinny jean just wasn’t designed for the Jessica Rabbit physique if you know what I mean.   And last but not least, of course everyone was sporting their trendy hats.  Don’t get me wrong, I’m digging on hats and wish men still wore them and suits every day (so sexy), but seriously it looked like a scene out the Thomas Crown Affair as I came out of the elevator.  This of course all occurred in a matter of about 2 minutes.  Fashion overload!

What’s my point on this soap box rant?  Before you head out to work, to party, to pontificate, or whatever, think MOO and ask if you are following the herd or if you are respecting the true and tried basics of dressing well.  Is it age appropriate?  Is it occasion appropriate?  Does the silhouette work for you?  Does it fit you?  Do you exude confidence?  And with this I head out to find my “Fashion Disaster” outfit for Halloween.  I just hope that people realize it’s a joke and not a serious attempt at channeling Carrie Bradshaw in the first few seasons of S&C.

Peace Out or Moo Out as the case may be.
Viviana M. Rueda
Anti-Herder (I hope)
Fashion Advisor and Devotee

I’ve been mourning the loss of a pair of fantabulous deep-v neck, chocolate brown ankle boots for the last three weeks. Porque you ask (for those of you non-Los Angelinos that’s “why” in Spanish)? Because I was daft enough to pass up a killer deal at this amazing shoe store (Carla F) in Aalborg! I had told myself that I’d invest in at least a few Danish designers and I was feeling…well a tad guilty and lighter of pocket and I second-guessed myself. As with most things in life, second-guessing yourself is no bueno!   Now I’m going to have to invest in some Via Spigas or Steve Maddens.

Which leads me to my shopping travel advisory. Do shop. Do not second guess yourself. Do look for unique pieces that you won’t find back home.

There’s something so cool about a piece of clothing or an accessory that comes with a story. Like the one-of-a-kind handbag that I found in the back of a 100-year old shop in Barbastro. I randomly found this antiques shop as I was walking back to my cousin’s home down the most ridiculously narrow medieval street. I hadn’t planned on shopping but I did need a great brown purse for going out at night!

Do research the local shopping areas and designers. Utilize your concierge, Lonely Planet, travel magazine (Conde Nast and Town & Country Travel are awesome resources), etc, etc, to find out where you should go to find local shopping meccas. Another fun way to do this – find the general vicinity of the type of shopping that you’d like to do. Typically it’s a street, district or mall/bazaar. Grab yourself an espresso (or whatever local brew appeals to you) and sit down to watch the foot traffic. When you see a Fashionista tail her/him (try to avoid doing the weird stalker dude thing though) to a cool store. Generally speaking if you land yourself in the right district finding the stores that you’ll like won’t be hard, merchandising in most parts of the world tends to be the same (with exceptions, if you go shopping in Kabul I don’t know what to tell you) so window displays and signage will prompt you as to whether you’ll like the brand or not.

Prior to your trip, go through your closet (say hello to the travel wardrobe audit) and see if you are missing any signature/basic pieces. For instance, if you are missing long brown boots and you are going to Paris during the winter, odds are that you’ll find an awesome pair there. Especially if you hit up Christian Louboutin. Bring a list of the wardrobe items that you need and it will be much easier for you to spot good deals. I’m not saying that going “off the cuff” isn’t fine as well, but the list helps to ensure that your new wardrobe investment will be easier to style with the remainder of your wardrobe AND you won’t end up with another pink cashmere sweater to add to your existing collection of 20 pink sweaters.

And when you do find a piece that is within your budget, and perfect for you…don’t let your friend talk you out of finishing your shopping just because she’s antsy (move it along back to hotel by yourself sistah!). I missed out on the most awesome orange patent-leather clutch because of this. My bad, I should have kindly suggested that she go back to the hotel and take a nap while I haggled over the clutch. As with local shopping make sure that the person accompanying you on the shopping trip is appreciative of the process.

Last but not least, and wrapping up to my first shopping travel advisory point – Don’t second guess your purchase (unless it means emptying your checking account, which I really don’t recommend). If it’s right, buy it.

And now I’m off to dream of the silk chiffon emerald-green creation by Catherine Malandrino that is my new obsession. Given that I just came from the opening of Catherine Malandrino Maison on La Cienega, it’s a small wonder I’m not obsessing about the entire store. For any woman with a discriminating image to portray and who appreciates stunningly feminine clothing, this store is a MUST on your future shopping circuit.  Plus, unless the champagne was playing tricks on me, I seem to recall walking through a little French Bistro as I tried to get away from the photogs shooting madly at Dita Von Teese.  Danger Will Robinson!  Couture, Champagne & French Pastries, Oh My!

Viviana M. Rueda