Spring RTW Fashion Week: Mara Hoffman

Aloha! No wonder I loved this collection. Her choice of bright Hawaiian floral colors, bronzed skin, bare mid-drifts and palm fronds in hair…the Hawaiian islands are a trending theme throughout her line. Geometric patterns. Ukulele inspired.

Backstage before the show, Hoffman told Style.com, "I realized everyone isn't necessarily looking to wear Alex Wang, so I decided to stay true to myself and bring my energy, pure and clean."  Now props to Alexander (he did after all design the first lady’s inauguration dress)  but this is way more my vibe.

Mara explains, “Each season, my goal is to take the audience on a journey and express the transcendent feeling of love & positivity. This is what we wish to be known for and want to capture in our shows; always celebrating beauty and having a little fun with it.”   I think this is why I chose this brand. She speaks my language. J

Look:  Bohemian, Color-Blocking, Tribal, Tropical, Urban beachy, Flowy Maxi dresses, Geometric patterns, Peekaboo cutouts, Bermuda shorts

Reviews:

NY Mag: “Beachy keen kaleidoscope of bright tribal prints, layered with a surfgirl's insouciance. Bonus palm fronds.”

"Kitschy? Sure. But Hoffman's enthusiastic clientele will ultimately take away the languid Polynesian-print cutout dresses, on-trend board shorts, and best-selling bikinis." — Style.com



"Mara Hoffman’s collection was a great day at the beach..." —NYMag

Resources:

Style.com

Nymag.com

Vogue.com

Spring RTW 2013: Versace

Well this season the trends are clear... peekaboo cutouts, bermuda shorts, lace trim, blazers, geometric designs, and statement sunglasses.  Who took stole the show this year? Versace. Hands down.

 I’m in love. I have never been so excited about a runway collection. Donatella hit the nail on the head.  Does she live in LA these days? Because my fellow Los Angeleons are also going to fall in love, and don her digs to Coachella and festivals round the globe.

ßThis dress is F*ing gorgeous. May I live a hundred years and never eat again…this was one of the most stunning looks on the runway. This dress is trend perfection. Geometrics found in the peekaboo cut—gorgeous lines, flowing fabric, beautiful natural ocean blue and gold color with 70’s vibe. The name says it all—desert goddess.

**Note: I actually hunted online to see how much damage my much coveted dress would be… $10,996.00 (did I mention this is in EU?) 

It beats the price of her fringe tye-die garbadine dress at $32,306 EU. 

 News/Gossip/Buzz:

Damn you Heidi Klum! Not just for being 40 and hotter than most 20 year olds…I just discovered that she wore exclusively practically this entire collection at the 2012 MTV EMA awards. So jelly.

  

Jessica Biel also took notice as she also wore my favorite dress (this time in a dark grey color) to the premiere of her new film ‘Playing for Keeps.”

Jennifer Lopez wore the collection for her February 2013 Harper Bazaar’s cover story.

…Well, it’s good to know great minds think a like.  ;-)

 Look: “Lighter, looser, leggier,” ~Vogue.

1970’s, Bohemian, Fringe, Grunge, Rocker-Chick, Sexy, Sheer

Silhouttes/Shapes:

Geometric, peekaboo cutouts, flowing loos fabric, lots of leg, one shoulder, short or long, belted waist

Details:

·      Lace

·      Leather details on belts

·      Fringe

·      strappy

    Texture/Fabrics/Trims:

·      feather-weight tye-died washed silk, flowy,

·      lace an fringe trim

Accessories:

Feathered and fringed gold necklaces and earrings

Gladiator shoes aren’t going anywhere. In fact, they’re being taken up a knotch and brought to new heights. Wish I had splurged on those 2012 Herve Leger pair I was oogling last summer—turns out they would have lasted the extra season and been the perfect accompaniment to Versace’s 2013 Spring Wardrobe.

I love the sexy silhoute that strappy neutral heeled sandals give. Classic in my book for making legs look mile long

Cross-body bags –perfect for dancing!

Extra long black blazer to cover up—classic rocker chick look

Hair and Beauty:

Don’t toss those bottles of spray tan just yet! These girls are as bronzed as always. Makeup is sun-kissed face with black smokey lined eyes.  Hair is natural, center part, and 70’s stylin

References:

Style.com

Vogue.com

Glamour.com

Celebritybuzz.com

Marieclaire.co.uk

wwd.com

KiteboardING 101 -- Getting Started

KiteboardING 101

Part II: Get Started

Part II of today's official “Kitesurfing” Day! Bing.com is promoting a #summerofdoing …basically cool adjectives of ING sports and hobbies with this week all about #Riding

Last year I hosted a Learn to Kiteboard video series for the International Kitesurfing Organization (IKO). They are the worldwide premiere school for learning to kite. A lot about kitesurfing is counter-intuitive, so learning from a certified instructor allows you to learn the sport quickly and safely.

Trailer for the series:

You can go to http://ikointl.com for tips, locations, schools, and general information on taking your kitesurfing ability to new levels. Create a log- in for a free 15 day trial and access to all 21 learn to kite videos. The series takes you through the basics of equipment, learning to ride, edging upwind, self lauch,  self rescue and jumping.

KiteboardING 101 -- Q and A

KiteboardING 101

Part I: Frequent Q & A’s

Part II: Get Started

Today is officially “Kitesurfing” Day! (In honor of the kitesurfing day, be sure to use the hashtag #kitesurfing as often as you can today!)  Bing.com is promoting a #summerofdoing …basically cool adjectives of ING sports and hobbies with this week all about #Riding

For all those kiteboarding newbies out there I’d like to take advantage of this social media blitz to answer popular questions every non-kiteboarder asks.  Part Two KiteboardING 101 will focus specifically on “RIDING.”

For all you seasoned kiters…you might get a chuckle cuz I know you’ve heard these before. Maybe this time the guy on the beach watching the “parasailing” who asks you twenty questions while you’re rigging your lines will read this instead.

Q: "What’s the difference between kitesurfing and kiteboarding?"

A: The two words are often used interchangeably to generically describe the sport. The most accurate descriptions use kitesurfing for wave riding a directional board or surfboard and kiteboarding typically refers to wake or freestyle ridingusing a twintip board.

Q: "Can I rent one of those things?"

A: No, you can’t. Especially not if you’re going to ask that question. Sorry! There are places and shops that demo gear to kiteboarders. There are some countries/areas that rent gear but you have to demonstrate or prove your skills first. Bottom line, if you’re new take a lesson from a pro or certified instructor. You’ll be glad you did.

Q: "How much does the whole kit cost?"

To buy new, the whole package of kite, bar, lines, board, harness will easily cost you in the $2,000 -- $3,000 range. Used you can find a decent package for around $1000 but it might take some hunting and it will take some knowledge of equipment to ensure you get good equipment.

Q: "How long does it take to learn?"

A: It all depends on the person. I know people that successfully got on the board day one, and I’ve seen people who have been flying the kite for weeks and still haven’t touched a board. What I will say is this:  yes, any experience with other boardsports or wind sports will be helpful.  90% of learning to kiteboard is mastering flying the kite. How consecutively you go out will make difference too. Time on the water and muscle memory play a huge role in the learning curve. Typically what I’ve witnessed is three consecutive days with minimum of two hours per day will get you on the water with a board. How long it takes to get self-sufficient is a whole other story.

Q: "Will the kite launch you into the sky?"

A: Only if you make it. The wind blows parallel to the ground, not from the ground up. The kite acts like a sail and naturally wants to drag you in in the direction of the wind aka downwind.

Q: "How high can you jump?"

A: What’s funny about this question is that no matter how progressive freestyle riding gets, people always want to know this. Typically kiteboarders can jump as high as 40 ft but there are always those that can go even bigger. Shout out to Ruben Lenten for taking the crowd pleasing awe of heights to a new dimension, making his mega-loops famous. http://binged.it/M5kUIq

To Conference Or Un-Conference: Not Even A Question.

I don’t have a dog in this fight. I don’t own a start-up. I’m not a VC. But I do gravitate toward creativity, innovation, and problem solving.

I moved to Venice, CA a little over a year ago and in this time have immersed myself in the growing “silicon beach” scene on the Westside of LA. I increasingly find myself attending various events, talks and parties. As a newbie to the scene, some conferences and meet ups are worth attending, others are not. But with the ever-growing number of events to go to, most with fees associated...How do you know which ones are best? What is going to be worth your while?

Just this past month, I have attended two formal global conferences: All Things Digital (D10) in Palos Verde, California and LeWeb in London.

A little "team building" exercise for
entrepreneurs by Naish at MaiTai Maui, 2012

Below are some helpful hints on getting the most of out conferences and events.  But the moral of the story? Unconference wins. What are un-conferences? It’s a networking event within a group that the focus is simply socializing.  Forming relationships, meeting new people, and making connections that you can later take to the meeting room. It allows for a much more relaxed, no pressure environment to get to know the potential people you might do business with. Think of it as a party with like-minded people.

So, if you do attend conferences (which we all still have to do). Here’s what I learned:

Real value from any event comes from socializing and meetings in the hallways. Most of my best contacts and favorite contacts are people I’ve met hanging out in the hallway, through friends or at the receptions after.

And for comparison...a classic tech event.  Reminds me
of  college. When I was more interested in checking out
who's in the room than the class itself.

Conferences are a waste of time and money unless you are a) looking to meet investors b) presenting—therefore gaining media attention and recognition amongst your peers c) you are the media d) have specific goals, clients, information, or networking you are looking to gain d)looking for a job, scoping the competition

Think ahead of time what you want out of it, and how you’re going to get it. Rarely do the talks themselves provide valuable enough to attend live when you can just cherry pick the good ones online for free.

Authenticity goes a long way. I have honestly been disappointed by the quality of some of the moderators and interviewers on stage. I can only handle so much ass kissing. I can only handle so much antagonizing. Do your homework. Play fair. And don’t forget, this is an industry conference. People don’t need a 101. They are going because they are already in the industry and are looking for more value. Individuals pay a lot of good money to attend. We want good, honest, interesting questions. If a company is successful, what problems did you face along the way? What are the questions or problems your company is honestly facing right now? How did you overcome you previous challenges? Get specific. We’re here to learn. We’re here to gain insight from those that have been there done that. Whether that’s on the marketplace, the industry as a whole, company issues, or individual thoughts. Just please please give us substance.

Until then, why would anybody pay hundreds to thousands of dollars to attend a conference when I can sit in the comforts of your own home watching the videos stream live or replayed on youtube. 

Go Big. Go London.

Ever since I did my first street mural on the side of a building, I can't look at a simple canvas the same again. I am addicted to the rush of creating something even larger, even bigger, even greater than I ever imagined. It seems that every city, every home I enter, I look at giant walls as my own personal canvas.

I went to a London for a variety of reasons. LeWeb tech conference, the Royal Henley Regatta...But I only had one goal in mind. I want to do cool street art installations in as many cities as possible; London the first on the list.

Some signs, I can't help myslef ;)

When selecting a location it's important for me to do it legally. Or at least try my best to. **Disclaimer: there are always exceptions to that rule ;)  I consider myself an artist (not a criminal) so seek approval and often commission for pieces. I'm a people pleaser. I want to create inspiring art in spaces that both the owner and the general public will enjoy.

How to get started in a new city? I start by contacting every person I know in the area and searching online for the popular street art destinations. Turns out London has several neighborhoods all over the city famous for street art, Shoreditch one of the most visited.

I believe when you put your mind to something you're meant to do, life will help you there. While at a dinner for LeWeb, I sat next to a fantastic woman who introduced me to Spencer Hyman, founder of Art Finder --an amazing interactive app to finding and learning about the art in your area. Perfect!

Remi's recent UK masterpiece

Through Spencer I met Caro Howell, and Remi Rough. Caro is Director of the Foundlings Museum. A museum based on a special hospital that fostered, educated and taught arts to London's abandoned children (an inspiring place and worth the visit if you're ever in the area. Remi, one of the UK and the world's most widely recognized street artists. Remi gave me a mini tour of a few of his massive installations across the city and pointed me toward Leake Street Tunnel, right below the Waterloo Station. Leak St tunnel became renown for its high profile taggers (Banksy's notorious "cans" festival made it's mark) and that it is the only privately owned space allowing any and all public graffiti.

Nevermind big ben, the royal henley, the amazing shopping at Herrod's... give me some spray cans and a dirty tunnel and I might just be the happiest girl yet. This piece was especially fun... xoxo

Triple-S: Sun. Style. Swag.

LF Team Rider Claire Lutz shows off her kite scoop.
Now shut your mouths boys, that's not polite. ;)

Ok... so maybe that's not what REAL Kiteboarding's Triple-S Invitational stands for (Surf, Slick and Sliders) but on Thursday June 7, the hottest action by far was found off the water.

That evening marked the second annual Sunset Swim Charity Runway Event.  All the models were (quite awesomely) fellow kiters! My favorite photo is of the front row guys gawking at Liquid Force rider Claire Lutz as she strutted her kite scoop across the runway. Even more bonus for supporting these lovely ladies, all proceeds from the auction went to support Athletes For Cancer. KB4C has their annual Hood River event during RoSham this July 13-15th, whoop! 

Props of the night go to LF and REAL team rider Sensi Graves. Not only did she win a wild card competitor position, her new bikini line SENSI --for kiters by kiters-- showcased in the fashion show. This girl's got mad skills and an even bigger heart.

Becky Willard strutting her stuff in original
 Gretta Kruesi hand-painted SENSI bikini

Sensi asked me while we were on Maui last winter to hand paint one of her bikinis as a donated item for the fashion show/  auction. I've done shoe art, street art, and board art...but this was my debut on swimwear. I found it a bit tricky with the ruching already sewn in. Fabric paint is pretty thick and difficult to use, which is why it's best known popularity was in the 80's and early 90's as puffy paint and tie-dye. However. As cool as I used to think my big sister's custom sweatshirts were, I opted for using a brush technique, to soften and add sophistication to the neon generation of wearable art.

In the end was happy to see it quickly bid upon, raising money for the cause. And stoked to have my first swimsuit worn by, and hometown of Charleston represented by fellow Naish rider Becky Willard.

For the Triple-S being such a bro-fest, Thursday night was all about the ladies.

For full Triple-S coverage go to: http://www.realwatersports.com/news/category/triple-s-invitational/