The London Sessions 100% easy-to-listen to and you will instantly connect with the songs. The beats are infectious (listen to Right Now and I dare you not to start moving!)… What I love is the video for Right Now ~ it’s old school Mary doing her classic, slightly-rhythmless-bop but you’ll bump it in your car, as your pre-game on Friday night, and you’ll request it as the club. The entire album seems to be a journey across a few
I can’t even believe I’m sharing this with you so early but as one of my fellow Junior Leaguers says, “I’m an enabler”. That’s only partly true…..(smh). Seriously, check out where I’m going with this first list ~ only one “real” piece of clothing and everything is basically to advance the vision that is “happier, more fit Monica”. And nothing is over $100! The piece I think I may love the most is the faux fur vest because I’m a
It’snot that I haven’t been reading but I’ve been on-the-grustle [my word for grind + hustle] BIG time these last few weeks and unfortunately something always suffers – in this case, it’s my posts and what I’ve been able to share with you all. I’m not quite back but I’m getting it together which brings me to my point for this post Everything I’m reading is about motivating me and business practices for client sessions. You’ll find most of them
Confirmed by his wife, Annette, the iconic American fashion designer Oscar De La Renta passed away yesterday after a long battle with cancer that started in 2006. He was 82 years old. Will he be missed? Of course! While many of us may not have been privy to or owned his clothes, we see their inspiration and likenesses running around on catwalks and walkways everywhere. If there is a dress in your closet with an ultra-feminine look or feel, likely
I’m not a bargain hunter and everyone knows this….but there’s a new website that you need to check out because it tracks the real price drops across 54 online retailers! It’s devoted to fashion and, yes, you have to login using Facebook. Check out Biggest Price Drop! You now have an easy way to make sure those shoes you want are truly a bargain…! Caution: the prices change constantly so you’ve got to be vigilant. This ish just got real…
Last week was New York Fashion Week (#NYFW) so everything I read was focused on what’s on the runway and how to move from the catwalk to the walkway. And of course, I got to share my thoughts on some of the latest NYFW trends on Let’s Talk Live on Friday…along with two other fashion folks, Julia Farr and Grant Harris. It was such an honor and such a blast!! Fashion as an Inescapable Institution (The Society Pages) In fashion,
A friend once told me the best way to make something viral or “sticky” is to join a conversation already in progress. Tradition says there are two ways to get your designer junkie on, cash or credit, but where there’s a need, there’s a startup. [Enter stage left] A service that provides fast, reasonable installment loans…CommunityLend. Here’s what I know so far: it’s payment at the point of sale not like an in-store credit card (interest rates as high as 29%)
I’m a huge fan of lists – I use them for my everyday to-do’s, for my desired travel destinations, for my will-have-at-some-point-in-the-future items, my bucket list, etc. Plus I have a strange but real love for paper…. I thought I was just a little anal retentive and then I found out a lot of my friends do it too! Well Business Insider created a list of the 22 lists everyone should make and I wanted to share it so you
One of the topics I discuss in my book is the percentage or amount of clothing that should stay in your closet at a certain age ~ simply put, the older you get, the less movement in and out of your closet. There are summer clothes that, regardless of age or stage or stylishness, need to be put away as we move into fall. Let’s start with: Swimsuits Linen clothing White eyelet Sundresses Strappy sandals Cotton footwear (espadrilles, etc.) Lightweight,
The #September issue of most fashion, style and/or lifestyle magazines is their biggest issue, so I am head-over-heels excited that your truly made a byline in Real Simple! Ok now that that’s out of the way, here’s what else I’ve been perusing over the last week. Given the VMAs and Emmys took place, some of what I read had to do with pure fashion and who wore what when…. See How Much Chanel Bag Prices Have Skyrocketed This Decade (Racked.com) The
I’ve got all of these books to read for Elle Magazine…..so it’s taking quite a bit of time needless to say. I should manage to get through a few while on my flight to Seattle (my book signing event is Thursday – you can still RSVP here!). In addition to these items, I found these reads to be enlightening and fascinating: Calling All Female Entrepreneurs: The Story Exchange Wants YOU to Share Your Story! (Tim Shingle) Ralph Lauren’s Men’s RTW Spring
I am enjoying this new post series not only because it’s clearly inspiring some of you to read more but because it almost forces me to read more. While I’m skimming lots of magazines, this post helps me to see if what I’m reading is actually worthy of being read. A kind of oxynororn, right?! This week, I managed to read quite a few short but totally fruitful….if popular culture, Beyonce, social media and fashion are your thing: Beyonce, a
You’ve got to be asking yourself, “Why did Monica read that book?” I don’t have kids and although I am fond of reading and did read this book as a kid, my motive was different this go-round. What would you wear if you visited Willy Wonka’s factory? This is a big question because, if you remember, Willy Wonka only chose five people in the entire world to go….you’d have to make an awesome impression! I’m good but this took a lot
This week has been God-awful-slow so I’ve turned my attention to cleaning up the massive backlog of magazines. I started by organizing them by month – yes, I have unread magazine from June! I commenced to reading/scanning them and then moving them to the garbage (or recycling bin). The most interesting reads popped up this week: Roland Mouret Unveils His Collaboration With Banana Republic (Vogue.com) 3 Ways to Make Your Home a Spiritual Space (wellandgood.com) The 6 Essential People You
I love BaubleBar baubles…they’re always fun and current! They even gifted me with three lovely necklaces including the Constellation Frontal necklace (available now at Nordstrom) and I want to give it to you! Just my way of saying “thanks for hanging with me“…. This necklace was just made available at Nordstrom on July 18th ~ in time for the Anniversary Sale! Enter now and come back daily to earn extra points! a Rafflecopter giveaway
Sometimes I think I read a lot and other times, I’m certain I’m lacking (see my stack of magazines in my creative space). Perhaps as a way to force myself to read more, I’m kicking off “What I’m Reading Wednesday“…thinking there may be a few you’d find interesting. Enjoy!! Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl (Amazon) – reading it for my book club A World Cup Victory for Louis Vuitton (New York Times) Tall Girls, Rejoice: TTYA Designs
We live in age of technology ~ ipads and tablets, smartphones, apps and mobile settings….but paper still exists. For me, there is something wonderful about the tactile nature of paper and thus, while I get several magazines online/electronically, there are still some that require my fingers to page. What magazines or publications do you still want to ‘thumb through’?
I love paper! Don’t get me wrong – I’m a little techy too always listening for something tech-based to solve a problem or provide a shortcut but there’s something lovely and visceral about paper. Tech can do the shortcuts but we solve our problems and think “aloud” using paper. And this 4.5 x 6.2 in notebook is particularly well-suited for your thoughts – it’s titled “Dreams / Schemes” I’m definitely scooping a few to pen my thoughts…and dreams and schemes!
I like coffee (see previous post about “Morning Beats & Reading Treats“) so when I saw this video on PureWow, I was convinced I had to share. Warm weather is around the corner and why blow that $728 at Starbucks when you can do it at home and make it just the way you want it? This just means I need to make sure I have the perfect mug…!
This post was inspired by Bittersweet by Miranda Beverly-Whittemore, a novel that exposes the gothic underbelly of an American dynasty, and an outsider’s hunger to belong. Join From Left to Write on May 20 we discuss Bittersweet. As a member, I received a copy of the book for review purposes. Imagine if someone told you to be someone else. Or, better yet, someone thought you weren’t good enough “as-is” and asked you to change to fit it….or maybe, slightly more disconcerting, you
I am a member of the Collective Bias® Social Fabric® Community. This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper amplification for Collective Bias, Millstone® Coffee, and Mr. Coffee®. This is what my mornings have become…. Some fun, melodic tunes, a fashion magazine, and my morning coffee! I’ve always been more of a morning person but this new habit has sealed the deal – not to mention that I can do it outside on my deck before the
I’m part of this book club, From Left to Write and one of the books we reviewed for May was Thrive by Arianna Huffington. The book was prompted by a broken cheekbone and nasty gash over here eye which was caused by passing out from exhaustion. Whoa! In spring 2009, I missed a flight for work and had a meltdown. As I was sitting in O’Hare airport, I ran my fingers through my hair and came up with a fairly
I am a member of the Collective Bias® Social Fabric® Community. This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper amplification for Collective Bias and its advertiser. I hesitated doing any post related to Mother’s Day and that’s simply because I don’t have a mother….anymore. My mother passed away in 2001 and since then, I haven’t actually celebrated the holiday – truthfully, I’ve tucked myself away from the day and the corresponding celebrations. This year I wanted to try
In conjunction with Walker’s Legacy, I’ll be spending an hour on Google Hangout to talk to women about the game changing pieces to add to their wardrobe! Our session will be hosted by Brittany Jacobs, so join us! Monday, April 28th 1:00 – 2:00PM EST Join by clicking here: tell me the game changing pieces to own! Use hashtag #WSAWstyle
Sergio Rossi. Costume National. Miu Miu. Yves Saint Laurent. Self-proclaimed “shoe fetishist”, Francesco Russo creates truly sexy footwear. Are you familiar with the iconic YSL “Tribute”? Well he designed that…. As the designer of women’s footwear for Dior, the 39-year-old launched his namesake label last September on Paris’ Rue de Valois. Having seen some of his renderings (see above), I am anxiously anticipating how I can scoop a pair of these new “classics” like the R026. “It looks like your
Washington, DC Metro Area
barnettm@blueprintforstyle.com
(209) STY-LISH
If you have general questions, feel free to use the form below to send us a quick message.
