" The Fitness Guru", Kathy Smith also has Tips on How to Exercise the Brain

AT 61, SMITH IS NOT JUST ABOUT FITNESS, BUT SHE ENCOURAGES WOMEN TO BE GRATEFUL FOR WHAT THEY DO HAVE,  INSTEAD OF BEING DISAPPOINTED FOR WHAT THEY DON'T HAVE

"MORE" Beauty Contest Winners Over 50 (this time 70!)

More Conducts a Beauty Search Every Year. Nearly 1500 women met the challenge and Four were picked as winners.

This is one of the finalists.

Making the most of her 70s

Evelyn Harris
Age 71

Why she feels more beautiful in her 70s
“I have lived a lovely, joyful, sad and magical life, and I feel that is reflected in my face. My son Josh, a Navy SEAL, died in Afghanistan five years ago, and we lost my two-year-old grandson, Beau, to a metabolic disease six years ago. But I’ve found so much happiness as the mother of three, a grandmother of two other boys and wife to my husband, Sam, who has been my wonderful, constant companion for 49 years.”

Why she loves living in the South
“Since 1975, I have lived on a farm in Lexington, North Carolina, a town where people care about one another and are not shy about saying it. What
a precious thing!”

Want Advice On How to Age Gracefully: Check Out These New Books Recommended by the Wall Street Journal

THE WALL STREET JOURNAL PICKS THE 2013 BEST BOOKS AS THE TOP GUIDES TO LIFE AFTER FIFTY: Billy Crystal, Mireille Guiliano and others offer advice on how to live healthier and happier.

There's no better season than the present to read books that bring good tidings, tested strategies and sound advice about how to live healthier, happier lives in the year—and years—ahead.

Here are their recommendations for the year's best books for staying fit in all ways as you explore the territory ahead. by Diane  Cole 

Belly Laughs

"Still Foolin' 'Em: Where I've Been, Where I'm Going, and Where the Hell Are My Keys?" is comedian Billy Crystal's autobiographical musings on aging, decade by decade, and the perfect antidote for milestone birthday blues. Having trouble deciphering text and Facebook abbreviations? Invent your own, says Mr. Crystal, starting with GNIB ("Good news, it's benign"), OMG ("Oh, my gout") and WAI ("Where am I?"). He also has a full chapter on "The Five Stages of Forgetting Things"—a blank page.

Be prepared for some coarse language and a few rants too many, as well as a bit too much about his starring roles in films you may have missed. But his theme is on target: Whatever decade of life you're in, humor is the best strategy for keeping your own foibles—and everyone else's—in perspective.

Rewind to the Future

In her informative and witty "Counterclockwise: My Year of Hypnosis, Hormones, Dark Chocolate and Other Adventures in the World of Anti-Aging," journalist Lauren Kessler sets out to find "the best research and the worst scams" in the wannabe-fountain-of-youth marketplace.

"What exactly is possible in this brave new (scientific, medical and commercial) world full of tantalizing research, bold promises, controversial therapies, and perhaps a bit too much wishful thinking?" she asks.

She consults with plastic surgeons, seeks out medical tests that may (or may not) shed light on how her cells are aging, grows grumpy on a calorie-restriction diet, and investigates unsubstantiated claims of a multiplicity of vitamins and herbal supplements. Her conclusion: Ultimately, nothing beats "the sweaty truth" of exercise.

Mental Gymnastics

And don't forget to exercise your mind. "Our brain's health may be the most powerful indicator of how long you will live," begins "Your Best Brain Ever: A Complete Guide and Workout" by Michael S. Sweeney with Cynthia R. Green. It's a research-filled yet highly approachable guide to the scientific why and the practical how of keeping your brain in top shape whatever your age. The authors' "fitness regimen" for maintaining neural health through the decades can be summarized as: use your brain matter, or risk losing it. But they also provide numerous practical strategies for maintaining neuroplasticity—essentially, the ability to keep on learning and adapting—primarily through continued social, intellectual and physical engagement, but also via numerous "brain booster" exercises.

A Glass Half-Full

In "Up: How Positive Outlook Can Transform Our Health and Aging," physician and medical researcher Hilary Tindle promotes pragmatic optimism as a powerful tool for improving not just how we look at life, but how we age through life. No, it isn't about being a Pollyanna. It's about being "up"—cultivating an outlook and attitude that favors possibilities. Beyond the behavioral impact, Dr. Tindle presents an impressive array of research to show how the psychology of outlook affects the biochemistry of aging, down to the cellular level. Finally, she provides a practical seven-step plan for helping the glass look less empty, more full. Think of it not as a workout, she suggests, but as working "up."

A Guide For Guys…

At more than 500 pages, "A Man's Guide to Healthy Aging: Stay Smart, Strong and Active" by Edward H. Thompson Jr. and Lenard W. Kaye covers almost everything you need to know, but might be afraid to ask, about keeping fit mentally, physically, socially, intellectually and sexually through the decades. The authors directly address the necessity of a book focused solely on men: Because many men equate seeking medical help with weakness, they are about 50% less likely to seek out health services than women are.

Chapters give equal weight to mind and body, openly discuss issues of intimacy and aging, explore the stresses and costs of masculine stereotypes and present the latest medical and psychological advice for navigating a healthy course.

And One For Gals

"French Women Don't Get Facelifts: The Secret of Aging With Style and Attitude" is best-selling author Mireille Guiliano's latest follow-up to the series that began with "French Women Don't Get Fat." Her style is chic, her attitude is self-declared French. (And there are recipes!) Some of the advice is familiar (stay active, seek out new interests, most of all be comfortable in your own skin, even if it has a few more wrinkles). But her grooming and fashion tips on keeping hair, makeup and wardrobe both agelessly attractive and age-appropriate are choice and delivered with charm.

"This book isn't about actual face-lifts—or about not having them," she writes. "It is about face-lifts in the sense of aging with attitude and the decisions one makes through the decades." Sit down with the book as if with a girlfriend over coffee or a glass of (French) wine.

http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB20001424052702303763804579181721429104110

George Clooney on the Cover of W Magazine!! I think he likes the Fashionista's

What else needs to be said?

December 13, 2013

Michael Kors was the first Designer to Use Instagram. He Had Lots to be Thankful For On Thanksgiving

December 27, 2013 Fashion Blog No comments


How Michael Kors Made an Impression on Thanksgiving

A week before Thanksgiving Instagram announced that it would be selling advertising. The Friday after Thanksgiving, Michael Kors was the first Designer to post on to Instagram. When everyone else is posting photos of turkeys and stuffing, how do you stand out? You post the above picture and tack on some Thanksgiving message, like “Thinking of all of you on Thanksgiving! #CelebrateWith….


This post received 66.3 thousand hits. The brand took advantage of the opportunity to stage their holiday theme. Their hashtag (#) CelebrateWith.. was used again the next day and garnered over 6 million impressions on Instagram alone.

The lesson: any brand can capitalize on the holiday season and find a unique way to engage with an eager audience who is preparing for a big purchase. In posting a photo that “stood out” he created a converstation which is always good for business!!!


Stay posted to find out how his sales went this holiday season. I think they were big.




Read More

Keep Your Eye Out for Carolina Herrera for This Spring!!!

Elegant, Feminine, and Luxurious Fabrics Make for A Wonderful Carolina Herrera Spring Collection

It will take some guts to wear a couple of these.

Have You Ever Wondered Where the Word "FASHIONISTA" Came from? Well, You Are About to Find Out.

A TRAGIC STORY GIVES RISE TO THE TERM "FASHIONISTA"

Gia Carangi 

Stephen Fried is an American journalist educated at the University of Pennsylvania.  He does investigative journalism and writes non-fiction. The first book he wrote was Thing of Beauty: The Tragedy of Supermodel Gia which was published in 1993. This was a biography of the model Gia Carangi, who was immersed in the fashion industry .

Some in the fashion industry refer to Gia as the first "Supermodel". During her years as a fashion model, she appeared on the cover of Vogue Magazine in America, France and Italy and numerous other Magazines.  Sadly, she became addicted to heroin. Her career began to decline and she contracted HIV.  She died of AIDS at the age of 26. (What a tragic story)

During the time that Mr. Fried was writing about Gia, in the late 70's and early 80's,  she was sitting for photo shoots. There was no way for him to refer to all of the people sitting at the magazine or print ad. Eventually, he became tired of "listing all of the fashion editors, art directors, hairstylists, makeup artists, all their assistants, and models." He comments that it "was like a small army of people descending on the scene."

As Mr. Fried was researching this time period he also remembered that the Nicaraguan Revolution was also occurring.  The Revolution was brought by the Sandinista National Liberation Front, also referred to as Sandinistas. Their revolution against the Somoza dictatorship was well publicized throughout the world.  Among Mr. Fried's journalist friends the term "ista" was added to many things as a  joke. And so it just sort of happened. In order  to short-cut having to name the "small army" of professionals at a photo shoot, he called them "fashionistas"!!

"A Lexis/Nexus search demonstrated that this word was used three times in 1994, 26 times in 1995, 54 times in 1996 and 74 times in 1997." Then, in 1999 the Oxford English Dictionary announced that "fashionista" was officially going to be included as new word!!! It is defined as: "a person in the creation or promotion of high fashion such as a designer, photographer, model, fashion writer, etc..  Also, a devotee of the fashion industry; a wearer of high fashion clothes.

So, now you know. Sad, but true!

Ralph Lauren Introduces the Soft "Ricky" Bag Honoring his Love for his Wife, Ricky

Ralph and Ricky Lauren , A Couple who Inspires All of Us to Dream About Our Own Soul's Journey

"...my clothes are the kind of clothes that mothers and daughters can wear, in terms of concept...It's not about age. Its about taste, and its about lifestyle. I believe women of all ages can wear anything."  Ralph Lauren

Many hours I spend at book stores combing through Fashion magazines from Italy, France, England, Australia,or wherever to see if I can find ANYONE who looks over 30.  This past weekend, I was at Barnes and Noble for at least 2  hours and the only photo that caught my eye was that of Ralph Lauren with his wife, Ricky. In the article, he basically gives most, if not all of the credit to his success to Ricky. Unabashedly, he states that he doesn't know where he would be without her. And, there was a gorgeous picture of Ricky, who now must be at least in her late 60's and probably close to her '70's

Ralph has designed and created a handbag which he has named the "Ricky out of deference to his lovely wife.  It struck me as how odd it  was to see the marriage of two such high profile people that has lasted as long as theirs, since 1964 ( that's almost 40 years).  But more than that, there was a photo of Ricky, a beautiful woman, not young, with whom he is still so madly in love. It was such a stark contrast from all of the other magazines I had been perusing where EVERY woman was young.

Ricky is not trying to "look young", and is not wearing clothes that are "too young" for her. It piqued my interest and so, I downloaded some photos of Ralph and Ricky so that I could 

put on my blog an elegant woman who is stylish, fashionable and not "young." She and Ralph look so happy together.  It made me sad that all we ever really see is something like  the National Enquirer pointing out someone's cellulite, or some other flaw. 

One of the things I do with my clients as a "light worker", or as a "Shaman in training" is: I try to envision my client's soul on it's "epic journey" in this life time. In other words, I try to help my client create a map, not in the mind, but in their soul, of their purpose in this lifetime. This is not about being a designer, or being rich, or even famous, but it is about feeling that you are fulfilling the dreams you born with. This picture left me with the feeling that these two people have created their dreams in this lifetime, and isn't that what all of us really want ?  Rarely do we get this from our media.  But here, we have: a couple together out of love. You can feel that Ralph is respectful of his wife who may be  "getting older" but you can feel that he feels she is just as beautiful, if not more. We also see a woman who is aging and yet still so sophisticated, beautiful and comfortable with herself. And yes, she is wearing beautiful clothes that are highly fashioned and she still looks elegant.