Cool Stuff - Fashion! A highly entertaining trilogy

I am a huge fan of fashion documentaries. I've watched anything from the Canal + bio on Karl Lagerfeld's life, to Diana Vreeland's the eye has to travel which I'll have to write a separate post about. With that being said, I was browsing through one of my favorite stores (both online and the actual physical one at Rue St. Honore) and found this gem!
It's called Fashion! (with an exclamation mark) by Olivier Nicklaus a delightful almost 6 hour documentary that tells the story of the last 3 decades of fashion, the 3-part DVD is composed by:

- The Golden 80's
- Antifashion (aka the 90's)
- Go Global (aka 2000's)

On a whim, I've placed the order through Colette's website and 48 hours later (no joke), the package arrived! My heart was pounding, I was so delighted that I wrote a long email sharing my wonderful experience and sent it to Colette: no response! What is the matter with you FRENCH PEOPLE?
Anyhow, I got home, put on my comfy PJ's, took the Vanilla Hagen Dazs out of the freezer and even made my husband watch it with me (he will never confess, but I am sure he enjoyed it as much as I did or even more - love you, honey!).
So if you are looking for something to do on a stay in Saturday night (pretty sure you don't have those, right?) or a lazy Sunday morning, this is a great suggestion.
Go to Colette and grab yours!

The look - Snake print + Hues of blue

After working very hard to make sure our lecture went smoothly, Sunday came! Oh, how I love Sundays! Being able to get up later, sip a cup of hot cocoa in bed with my hubbie, read a book (currenty The Gospel according to Coco Chanel by Karen Karbo), just being plain lazy!

So I wanted a comfy, effortless look that I could just throw on to go to Sunday morning church, so I wore one of my favorite animal prints: snake! And paired it up with different shades of my favorite color for the moment: Blue.

I have been wearing so much blue lately, I could easily say I've got the blues. Anyhow, here is my look:

Maxi dress - Armani Exchange (old), similar here

Grey cardigan - Armani Exchange (old), similar here

Necklace - Anthropologie (sold out), similar here

Pumps - Jean Michel Cazabat, available in red here

Cool Stuff - Tatiana Sorokko's Lecture

On my previous post I showed you my look at Tatiana Sorokko's lecture, but never got to tell you what the event was all about. The amazing Russian supermodel Tatiana Sorokko accepted the invitation of non-profit Visions of La Moda, where I am the chief sewing and design instructor, to come and do a full lecture for a limited list of guests.

On her lecture, Tatiana talked about her exquisite collection of couture items (over 250 items among clothing and accessories) as well as her career as a supermodel. I was so delighted to finally meet her and more so when I saw how sweet, humble and intelligent she is. Here are some more pictures of this prestigious event.

                

With the gorgeous Barbie Villanueva

Julia Barboza, Traci Peace-Greco, Alika Mailly, the students Cheyenne and Arielle, me and the fabulous journalist Fabiola Kramsky-Gascon

Again, the gorgeous Fabiola Kramsky-Gascon with Traci Peace-Greco

Frank Greco, Traci Peace-Greco, Fabiola Kramsky-Gascon and her husband the district attorney George Gascon

Traci Peace-Greco and Carolyne Zinko from the San Francisco Chronicle

VOLM students Arielle and Cheyenne, Alika Maily, Julia Barbosa, the amazing Tatiana Sorokko and me

Julia Barboza, me and Alika Mailly

Thank you so much for reading and hope you've enjoyed this lecture as much as I did!

The Look - Tatiana Sorokko's Lecture

This weekend was very special for Visions Of La Moda, o non-profit where I am a volunteer. We had a very special guest coming in for a lecture: the supermodel Tatiana Sorokko.

She spoke on the subjects of fashion and art and of course her fabulous carrier as a super model and couture collector. With her having such an extensive resume, I though I should dress to impress.

Trench - H&M (old), similar here

Dress - Hunter Dixon (sold out), similar here

Scarf - Hermes , similar here

Shoes - Christian Louboutin (old), similar here

Bag - YSL

What do you guys think? Xoxo

Look du Jour, au travail

Business wear are two words that can easily mean dull. All the pantsuits, button down boring shirts, odd length skirts paired with sober colors don't add an inch of style to most people's outfits. Thinking of that , jazzing up my daily outfits became a goal.

Bright colors, strategically placed accessories and a little make up can do wonders for one's look. I do have to admit, I enjoy some freedom most mortals don't since my husband and I own our business. But I still think about my full look before putting a single piece of clothing on. So this is what I've chosen to wear on this cloudy Thursday.

Shirt: Meadow Rue sold at Antrhopologie (old), similar here

Skirt: Valentino RED (sold out), add to wish list here

Pumps: Gucci

Trench: H&M (old), similar here

Necklace: Antropologie (sold out), similar here

Cuff: Vintage (A lovely gift from my husband)

Bag: YSL 

Thank you so much for reading! Hope you've enjoyed this look. Beijos!

Cool stuff - Paleolithic diet

San Franciscans are know for being nit picking about their food. Is this apple organic? Is it fair trade? How many miles did it travel to get to this store and how much carbon dioxide did it produce? What about the beef, is it grass fed? Is it free range? Does it contain any GMOs?
So living here in the past 4.5 years, I have become much more concerned about the food I eat than what I previously have. Anyone can supply me with the full resume for this non-fat, cold pressed almond milk before you put it in my latte?
During this search for perfect nutrition, my Pilates instructor told me about the Paleolithic diet aka Paleo or Primal which is much more of a lifestyle than a diet. Basically is going back to our origins and finding nutrition that respects our DNA. We eat like our ancestors did back in the caveman days.
So what is so different about that diet? To start with, no processed foods are allowed (no shakes, no bars, no magic powder), only real food that looks like food should be consumed, anything artificial did not exist back in the stone era.
Also, if anything cannot be eaten raw, then you should ditch it. That includes all grains - corn, wheat, soy and similar. It also includes all legumes - beans of any kind; also avoid tubers such as potatoes and dairy.
OMG, so what can you eat? Vegetables of any kind, fruits, leafy salads, protein (even the fatty ones such as bacon and eggs) and nuts.
It has been quite a hard process migrating from my cheese and bread current diet to eating Paleo, needless to say my French husband has complained a "little". But I am definitely making progress and doing better today than I was doing yesterday.
The benefits I've noticed so far besides the slight weight lost (2 lbs in one week without eating any less than usual), are my digestive system is working better and I have this overall feeling of wellness.
If you are interested in learning more about the Paleo lifestyle, there is a website which is ideal for beginners called Mark's daily apple.
Below are some images of paleo meals:

For Paleo recipes, you can go to Elana's Pantry 

Thank you so much for reading and hope you guys have enjoyed my perspective on Paleo.

Nicolas Ghesquiere - where are you going?

There was a rumor, an unsettling feeling a few seasons ago chez Balenciaga. Each collection looked better than the previous one, sales going trough the roof, but it looked like the design team was not that cohesive anymore. Fast forward, we are in November 2102 and the breaking news finally come out: Nicolas Ghesquiere, head of Balenciaga, the one that changed the brand's image forever is leaving the company.
Why? We are still to discover. Who will ever be able to replace him? Another great question. But my main question is: where are you going, Nicolas Ghesquiere?
After being the head of a major brand, what more can a fashion designer's heart desire? I've overhead rumors that LVMH has its eyes on him. Mmmm, let's just wait and see!

A portrait of Nicolas

Pictures of Balenciaga's 2013 Spring collection: simply genius!