Cover Me: Riddle Me This…

Stepping Up

During NYFW Fall 2012, J.Mendel gave us a big show.  Front row seats were full of celebrity guests. Fashionable noted, two sunglass clad twins. Also spotted front row was fashion commentator and stylist, Mary Alice Stephenson. I got a chance to speak with fashion’s globe-trotting Queen backstage at J.Mendel.

rby-mary-alice-stephenson-prabal-gurung-fall-2012-s2
rby-mary-alice-stephenson-prabal-gurung-fall-2012-s2
kristen-wiig-2012-oscars-j-mendel-dress
kristen-wiig-2012-oscars-j-mendel-dress
J.Mendel: Pre-Fall 2012
J.Mendel: Pre-Fall 2012

For this year’s Academy Awards red carpet breakdown, Wendy Williams called on Stephenson. She has also  dressed major celebrities such as Sarah Jessica Parker,  and she  is a major contributor to Harper’s Bazzaar, so I knew I was in good hands talking about the inspiration for the J.Mendel show. Minus her credentials, I may have been a little taken by all her compliments to my outfit.

J.Mendel Fall 2012
J.Mendel Fall 2012
J.Mendel Fall 2012
J.Mendel Fall 2012
J.Mendel Fall 2012
J.Mendel Fall 2012

 Kristen Wigg won Oscar gold in  J.Mendel this year. J.Mendel is known for amazing furs and modern evening wear, which did not disappoint. I picked a few pieces to highlight Fall 2012.

J.Mendel Fall 2012
J.Mendel Fall 2012
J.Mendel Fall 2012
J.Mendel Fall 2012
J.Mendel Fall 2012
J.Mendel Fall 2012

Closet Confessions: Thatcher Fashion

And the winner is…

Vogue January 2012: Meryl Streep
Vogue January 2012: Meryl Streep

I went to see Meryl Streep’s latest film last night, Iron Lady,the biopic about Margaret Thatcher, Great Britain’s first female Prime Minister. I am not a political analysis or film citric, so I won’t be discussing or reviewing the film on those merits, I am just a fashion lover. However, I will say Meryl Streep was amazing.

Vogue January 2012: Meryl Streep
Vogue January 2012: Meryl Streep

The costume selection was classic to Thatcher ‘s character, a balance of ladylike dressing and powerhouse feminist. Yet, behind clothing regalia was a story about a fearless woman, whose hand print has been left on a country, and an era. The film made me think about female role models in society, and the decision women make everyday between family, self, and fulfillment.  With narrow archetypical roles for women, Meryl is cast as another ice villain (The Devil Wears Prada), but Streep’s portrayal humanized Thatcher flawlessly.

Vogue January 2012: Meryl Streep
Vogue January 2012: Meryl Streep
Vogue January 2012: Meryl Streep
Vogue January 2012: Meryl Streep

This is not a female empowerment movie, but a film about self-confidence and personal belief. What I took away from the film is to follow your dreams. We should all be so lucky to have a partner, parent, or friend who engorged us every step of the way. Someone who says to us “you can do it.” When I get dressed with consciousness I feel empowered, to know my decision about what I wear is to claim myself.  There is a moment in the film when Thatcher’s father tells her not to follow that pack, hard words for a girl to hear, but I felt the strength in those words. When we allow others to represent us, we strip away our power: “Poor is the man whose pleasures depend on the permission of another (Madonna, Justify My Love).”

Bazaar--December 2011 Cover
Bazaar--December 2011 Cover
Cindy Crawford: Harper's Bazaar December 2011
Cindy Crawford: Harper's Bazaar December 2011

Take a look at my video discussing my thoughts on Cindy Crawford’s daughter, Kaia in her Versace advertisement. Please leave me comments about your opinions and ideas about role models and power.

cindy-crawford-daughter
Versace: cindy-crawford-daughter

=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cc5IiGNyc0M&feature=youtu.be]

Closet Confessions: Cover Girls

Duran Duran: Love, Music, Fashion!

Bazaar--December 2011 Cover
Bazaar--December 2011 Cover

What do you get when you mix top models with music? A hot track! Harper’s Bazaar December 2011, British Edition, goes behind the scene of Duran Duran’s music video Girl Panic, documenting fabulous mega models.

Bazaar 2011 December: Girl Panic
Bazaar 2011 December: Girl Panic

I love mixing fashion, music, and models it just makes sense. Who doesn’t want to scream into a hair brush when they hear these songs!

=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sSMbOuNBV0s&feature=relmfu

And who can forget the ultimate Super Model Video, George Michael: Freedom ’90!