NYLON TV + 7 JEANS

This is a video clip of Nylon magizine's trip to the Seven Jeans factory to see just how the perfect pair of jeans are made. This look into what it takes to make a pair of these jeans might clear up just why they cost about $200 per pair!!

How to Spot the Not

Today online shopping has given buyers the power to get anything imaginable right at their finger tips. While this can be a positive it presents the issue of counterfeit or knockoff goods being sold to unsespecting buyers. With sites like e-bay selling “designer” products for example luxury handbags at a fraction of the cost it is important to become aware of "how to spot the not", or being knowledgeable on how to tell an authentic product from a fake.

If you are buying a purse either on the street or at a flee market, the chances of getting a real designer bag at a a deep bargain price is slim to none. This is because Chanel or Louis Vuitton goods for example are never sold out of the trunk of someone’s car!! Also always look out for the feel of a bag, flimsy hardware, fake leather, and a “Made in Taiwan” label should be a dead give away. When shopping online it is harder to tell what you are actually purchasing and you are not able to really look at or touch what you are buying until it has been bought and shipped to you. Be sure to be smart about pricing and read all the fine print, phrases like “inspired by”, mean that it is not the real think. Even the best most realistic knockoffs with authenticity cards included can be identified as frauds. Many brands including Kate Spade, and Coach have specific tips about the labels on their bags to tell if it is the real thing or not available on their websites. In the end the only way to guarantee buying authentic products is by getting them straight from the manufacturer or an authorized dealer.

fOrEvEr TwEnTy OnE

Forever 21 is known today as a paradise for those who want to keep up with all of the current trends with out breaking the bank. It was started in 1984 in California, and originally called Fashion 21. By the end of the first year of business the store’s sales had raised from 35,000 to 700,000 dollars, due to this success the creator began opening new stores every six months. The name was eventually changed to Forever 21 and today an astounding 90 stores are being opened each year.

The extensive collection of clothing and accessories available at Forever 21 has something to offer everyone. The store provides an upbeat and fun shopping atmosphere. While they offer a ton of different types of clothing in trendy cuts and colors it can be a challenge to sort through the racks and tables of clothing to find exactly what you are looking for. Even though shopping here can be time consuming with a little bit of patience you can easily find adorable tops, dresses, and chic jeans and shorts.

Forever 21 stores also offer “Brilliant Buys”, these are certain items that are available at great values. For example just last weekend I was able to pick up a couple of great jersey knit sun dresses for ten dollars each available in many different styles. Just be aware that even though most pieces are relatively inexpensive allowing shoppers to try many different looks, that the bill can really add up when shopping at this fashion forward store.

Creative Nonfiction

This semester was the first time I was formally introduced to the genre of creative nonfiction. With that being said I can now reflect back on some of my favorite books from when I was younger and can now realize they are forms of creative nonfiction. For example, I loved to immerse myself in the stories of young girls throughout different periods of history. Without even realizing it I was learning about different time periods in American History, like The Revolutionary War, or The Great Depression, this was because I could relate to the stories of the girls my age that had lived through these events. Creative nonfiction can be defined as the use of literary elements when describing actual facts or events. To me creative nonfiction is using personal experience and outside knowledge and incorporating it into pieces of writing that would otherwise be considered nonfiction.

Both All Around the Town by Herbert Asbury, and The Curve of Binding Energy by John McGhee are excellent examples of creative nonfiction. They take actual events, and interpret them in a more human and creative way. Through creative nonfiction writing both the actual writers and those who will be reading the piece can make connections to the information giving them a better understanding of the subject and sparking their interest. For example, John McPhee warned his readers about the safeguards that are needed for protecting nuclear weapons. While this could have been an extremely dry topic, the way he presented the information through the life and views of Ted Taylor brought the material to life. Creative nonfiction can be thought of as a stretching of facts to make a story more memorable, examples of this can be seen throughout All Around the Town. One of the short stories that stuck out in my mind is “The Sawing of Manhattan Island.” This particular story is about Lozier and John DeVoe; they pull off a great hoax on the people of Manhattan. They are able to convince Mayor Allen that it would be necessary to saw off the island of Manhattan, and then sail it past Ellis Island, where it could be spun around and floated into a new position. Lozier having a very charismatic and persuasive personality was able to get people to want to be a part of this project by supplying food and doing different outrageous jobs. The hoax was in the fact that they were able to not only trick people into believing that Manhattan would really be sawed off; but also that between 500 and 1,000 people showed up at Bowery and Spring Street ready to kick off the project. In the end, the hoax is pulled off because Lozier and DeVoe escape to Brooklyn, and are never arrested because no one will admit to falling for the ridiculous scheme. The combination of facts and story telling elements make this story not only creative nonfiction but something that is enjoyable to read, and also leaves the reader questioning whether or not this story itself is also a hoax.

While I believe that creative nonfiction is an important style of writing to understand and to be able to use when appropriate, there are also some people who have found valid reasons to critique it. It can be viewed as an excuse for authors to take something that is fictional and loosely use it to create their own stories and opinions, with out using enough credible information to be considered any type of nonfiction. An example of this can be seen in James Frey’s now controversial “memoir” A Million Little Pieces. After the book was published it was discovered that a lot of the information in the book was not true but fabricated. While Frey did go to rehab, a lot of the events that took place in the story did not actually happen in the time he spent there. In a way this makes me question this as a work of creative nonfiction and just how much personal or creative material can be used in a piece of writing before it is considered fiction. I can see how there is a very fine line between creative nonfiction and straight fiction writing. It is essential for authors to create the right balance to prevent problems in credibility similar to those that James Frey faced.

While the use of creative nonfiction may not be appropriate for all subjects, I believe that an understanding of the properties of this genre can help in any area of study. Even though bringing aspects of your own life or experience into a history term paper for example might not be a good idea unless you were specifically assigned to do so, being able to connect the things that you can relate to or enjoy to assignments and course material can make work more enjoyable, well written, and relatable to your own life. The use of creative nonfiction takes away from just doing assignments because you have to do them. An understanding of this style of writing helps you to think about topics beyond what is presented and gain a deeper and more personal understanding.

Project Runway

Season four of Bravo’s hit show Project Runway has just come to an end, and the winner was, youngest contestant this season, Christian Siriano. Christian is a twenty-one year old freelance designer from Annapolis, Maryland. He studied fashion design at The Baltimore School for the Arts, and The American Intercontinental University in London. Christian got started in fashion at the age of thirteen when he got a job at “Bubbles” a local salon. One of his big breaks came in 2005 while studying in London he showed a small line at London’s Fashion Week, which led to the opportunity to work for two of his all time favorite designers, Alexander McQueen, and Vivian Westwood. With a quirky personality, unique perspective on challenges, and catch phrases such as “fierce”, Christian quickly became a favorite on the show. Christian describes his own “design aesthetic” as being a “Euro urban, expressive, creative style with news shapes and attention to detail.” He also believes that the five must have clothing items for everyone are, a fabulous black dress, an amazing blazer, a pair of fierce pumps, some great denim, and a favorite vintage shirt. To the delight of viewers of the show Christians work can be seen in a spread in Elle Magazine. While his line is not yet ready to be purchased on bluefly.com, it is coming soon and in the mean time looks inspired by the collection are available.

In Style’s Top 20 Beauty Essentials

This is the list of In Style magazine’s top twenty makeup trends for this spring. They have covered everything from the freshest new products, to different brushes for application, as well as the hippest ways to carry around all the products needed to take any look from a basic day to a stunning evening look.

1)Customizable Lip Color: easily blended into countless shades to match any spring outfit

2)Clump-Free Mascara: to prevent stuck together lashes

3)An Everyday Watch: perfect for casual outfits and running errands

4)A Double-Duty Liner: can vary intensity of any look with two complementary shades that can be worn together or alone

5)Iridescent Eye Shadow: perfectly light and airy for the start of spring

6)Flawless Foundation: the starting point of any pulled together look

7)Perfectly Pink Powder: gives your cheeks an ideal flushed look with out being overdone

8)A Classic Makeup Bag: splurge on a designer bag the great quality will last for years and make it well worth the price

9)Color-Complementing Compact: there are many products available formulated to accentuate your specific eye color

10)Chic Shades: sunglasses are always the ultimate accessory for spring!

11)Leather Wristlet: great way to carry the essentials for quick touchups

12)Evening Eye Brush: pointed eyeliner brush works wonders for precision application

13)Liquid Liner: try this in a shocking shade of violet

14)Bold Polish: make a loud statement on your nails and toes with out taking to big of a risk this season

15)Colorful Mascara: in eye-popping shades like bright pink and blue layered to compliment each other and any eye color

16)Luminous Liquid: light moisturizer to make skin glow from the inside out

17)Beauty Bling Dior and YSL offer products from lip gloss to solid perfume in sparkling wearable packaging

18)Cocktail Ring: great for drawing attention to perfectly manicured nails

19)Lip Gloss for Night: shimmering light reflecting gloss is just enough to balance defined eyes

20)A Natural Bronzer: wake up your skin with a little bronzer or peach blush

Trends: To Wear or not to Wear

Have you ever found that no matter how hard you try some trends just don’t work? But still appear to be effortlessly worn by others… I have found that the key to pulling off many trends is to incorporate the look into your own wardrobe and not blindly following what others are doing. By using the basic concepts and making them work for your lifestyle, body type, and own taste you can make almost any trend work for you.

One trend that I have noticed is either put together and worn so well or a complete bust is the “lingerie look.” When paired with the right pieces and done subtly this can be a great idea. But there is a fine line between looking pulled together and like you just rolled out of bed. A tip to insure that this look will be a fashion hit is to keep in mind that tops made out of satiny fabrics with show every little problem area so don’t wear them too tight, a more relaxed fit is best. Also always look for unique details or lace accents that make this look your own. This is best worn with feminine and almost airy pieces like a skirt on, and a pair of open toed heels. Jeans or a tight fitting skirt and pumps can make this look cheap and somewhat tasteless. To prevent looking too bare this trend looks extra classy when worn with a cardigan sweater. To top off this ultra girly look pull everything together with a chic clutch.

For those who have a bold sense of style a graphic printed dress or top is a great staple for the upcoming spring season. While almost the opposite of the dainty “lingerie look” this trend also can easy go from cool to clown if you are not conscious of what you wear it with. To keep this trend from looking to “80’s” try the hot abstract patterns in smock or trapeze shapes or a floaty top. When accessorizing it is not necessary to pile on the jewelry and is best to just let the dress speak for itself. As with any smocked or flowing dress a belt is a great way to give a more defined shape. When paired with wedged shoes and a classic style bag in a daring and unexpected color this look is defiantly a hit

It seems that lately everyone is “going green”. While turning off the lights and trying to recycle are small steps in the right direction Smashbox Cosmetics has come up with a new gimmick for the many environmental and beauty conscious girls for this spring. Their spring 2008 make up collection or the Green Room line features products that are completely eco-friendly. These products are perfect for spring and also biodegradable and recyclable. Smashbox has teamed up with Trees for the Future so that with every purchase of one of these products a moringa tree will be planted in a developing country. The products are the same that many women have grown to know and love from Smashbox they are just packaged in more environmentally conscious ways. These products are now available at Sephora, Nordstrums, Ulta, Bloomingdales, Fred Segal, and online at smashbox.com.