An Introduction: REAL FASHION FOR REAL PEOPLE
Let’s face it. We could all use a little help in the fashion department, whether it be a total make-over, finding the right styles for our body types, or even just help discovering the latest fashion by the next hot designers. Lucky for us the Brand Equity Showroom Fashion Agents Brandy Bustamante (“BB”) and Heather Ellis are here to help!
Together they will show you how to get in touch with your inner TRAffIK Stopping Fashionista!
We now invite you to learn a little more about both BB and Heather and discover why their motto is: “Fashion is our ART…Make Fashion Your ART.”
“Karl Lagerfeild may be a bit risqué with his opinions of fashion but he was right when he said, “Fashion is about dreams and illusions.” Fashion for me is collages that can be made up from the pages of magazines, artwork, or a scene from an old movie. I didn’t take the traditional path of attending a school geared towards Fashion to get into this industry, but several years ago the doors to this plethora of a career opened unexpectedly placing me in this wonderful world of designers and agents. Growing up, I never would have imagined that life would organically place me in this instrumental role within the Fashion Industry, an industry that I don’t see myself stepping out of for a long while.
There are so many big fashion-related dreams out there and you don’t necessarily need Fashion 101 from a fancy fashion school to make them come true. I am in no way shape or form bashing what a fashion institute offers, rather sharing career advice from one who has and continues to invest time to gain working knowledge and experience in this business of Fashion.
As I continue to piece together my career collage, I will lace you in sharing my experiences. Heather and I will bring you the imaginative and amazing people we may meet, the bright lights of colorful photo shoots we style, designers with innovative ideas, the action of runway shows and most importantly the real life and behind the scenes of a fashion agent – the sales, the grind and the showroom. Our main goal is to not only give career advice but to bring the inside of fashion OUT. We want to share the trends, the beauty secrets and the REAL FASHION WITH REAL PEOPLE. So whether it be a local fashionista we want to acknowledge for being smashing, how to wear a seemingly odd accessory, or just sharing our own beauty picks from our purse – we will be digging up new haute trends and recreating the “how to’s” for the old trends.
About Heather by Heather
The thing that really inspired me to want to co-create this column with BB is that I have a real desire to help people find themselves, and find freedom, in Fashion. To me it’s like art, it’s simply a matter of personal taste. Sure there are trends, and some aspects of Fashion may not work for every body type– but if you like it, you can make it yours. Fashion is everyone. You just have to know where to look and sometimes, how and when to take some risks.
This idea inspires me more than anything because I love to see people being creative with Fashion. I truly look at Fashion as an art form. Sometimes I paint myself with bright colors and sometimes I feel that black says it all. Either way I’m always expressing myself creatively through fashion– and that’s what BB and I would like to share with you. Sometimes it will be something exciting like a fashion show or a brand new line we just found. Sometimes we might offer advice about how to get the most out of your closet for the next six months while spending very little on new clothes (we know times are tough!). We might blog about a new Fashion School we find….or job opportunities in fashion that require no school at all (they do exist!).
We want to hear from you too– Maybe you know of a new line we haven’t found yet (maybe your own!) – tell us about it! We are constantly on the hunt for REAL FASHION FOR REAL PEOPLE and we are committed to sharing it with YOU!
Stay tuned for more from BB and Heather the TRAffIK Fashion Girls. Here’s a little of what you can expect from them and from REAL FASHION FOR REAL PEOPLE :
- The Return of the column From our Make-Up Bags to Yours with BB’s and Heather’s (and if time allows her, Siria’s as well) must have Beauty and Style Picks
- How-to’s – BB and Heather will show you exactly how to wear some of the hottest new trends as well as accessories (brooches, belts, scarves) you may already own in great new ways
- Insider Info from the events that BB and Heather attend or are involved with, like Project Las Vegas (Feb.16-18)
- Q &A’s with Fashion Industry Insiders – So that you can continue to learn about the inner workings of the Fashion Industry. They will also tackle any questions that you may have.
- Special Features on What to Wear and Where – So you and your boyfriend/girlfriend have different styles? Maybe his/her look is a little too “rock ‘n’ roll” for that professional event you really wanted to attend. No worries, BB and Heather will show you how he/she can stay true to their own style while modifying their look to make it a little more event appropriate.
The Fashion Girls Want to Hear From You!
You can contact The Fashion Girls, BB and Heather, at thefashiongirls@intraffik.com with your questions that they’ll personally take some time to answer each month, your fashion dilemmas, or just to share your new style and beauty discoveries!
You can also follow The Fashion Girls on Twitter at http://twitter.com/fashiongirls513!
DELTRON 3030 RECOMMENDED: The Cribs – Ignore the Ignorant
Now that football is over let’s throw down some mid 90’s baseball analogies. David Cone was easily one of my favorite pitchers growing up. He was a pitbull on the mound and refused to back down from anyone. Sadly he was stuck on some truly terrible teams late in his tenure with the Mets. Coney couldn’t win a world series with them (and they were ready to rebuild*) so he got shipped out to the Blue Jays, then the Royals, back to the Blue Jays, then the Yanks. Along the way he was labeled as a hired gun. As a stud arm who could make a good team great he embraced the role of ace mercenary. Part of me thinks Johnny Marr is a bit of a Coney. Marr, who really has no need to slum since he can live off of his sweet royalties from The Smiths, has jumped on board in the past with The Pretenders and Modest Mouse. Now he’s reaching even lower (in name only) with The Cribs. Honestly the Cribs didn’t need the name check..but if that’s what it takes for people to recognize them as a good band then that’s what it takes. I’m been a huge advocate of the band since their Boondock Saints sampling single “I Gotta Go To LA” and their anti hipster anthem “Hey Scenesters” . Having a veteran in the rotation has really given The Cribs a new sense of purpose. Their newly minted confidence really resonates on this album. Marr’s influence and steady veteran hand can instantly be felt with the fantastic one-two punch of “We Were Aborted” and “Cheat on Me”. Thanks to the help of Johnny Marr a good band just got better. David Cone: Made playoff teams better. Johnny Marr: Making good bands better. Note The Mets traded Coney for Jeff Kent and Ryan Thompson. Thompson was an instant bust and Kent really never meshed or blossomed with the Mets. Four Years later he was shipped to the Indians for a washed up at 27 Carlos Baerga. I’m still bitter obviously.
Catch The Cribs w/ JohnnyMarr @Coachella on Friday April 16th.
Highlights: “We Were Aborted,” “Cheat On Me, Save Your Secrets,” “Last Year’s Snow”
WHEN GERMS LEAD TO CHEMISTRY…
You never know what you’re going to catch on TV on a Saturday morning at 4:45 a.m. Sometimes, luck and insomnia are on your side (especially if you slept most of the previous day away while fighting a sore throat and fever) and you happen to catch a 15 minute Talk Back produced educational segment on Germs sandwiched in between an episode of “The Office” (the original British version) and “The Mighty Boosh.”
Now mind you, this wasn’t your typical 20/20 or Dateline type of expose. No, it was a “quick, don’t let them know what hit them” interactive (“write this down”) episode in the series “Look Around You” spoofing those “made for schools educational science videos” that were forced upon us in elementary school (even then they were outdated).
In reality this write-up should be dedicated to the brilliance of Peter Serafinowicz, creator of these spoofs. However, instead all of those petri dishes brought back memories of my high school Chemistry class, so that shall be the focus of this column entry.
Before getting to the Chemistry, let me tell you what I learned:
-Germs originated in Germany and then spread elsewhere (Not to be confused with The Germs who “originated” in Los Angeles and then spread “elsewhere” )
- If someone consumes a few drops of liquid sewage and coughs in your direction it may take as little as 3 hours for your temperature to go from 98.4 degrees to 107.2 degrees. (I had a fever. Does hot chocolate from the McCafe count as liquid sewage? Because that’s all I felt like consuming.)
- I could easily get sick by kissing a dog or a tramp or by using a friend’s recorder (It’s safe to say I didn’t get sick by doing any of these).
Now on to the Chemistry…
When we last left off with this particular Chemistry class it had gotten me into trouble with an ex-boyfriend. Science and I have never really gotten along. I appreciate it and actually know some scientists (yes, even of the rocket variety), chemists, and NASA engineers, but the scientific route has never been for me. Really, it’s all my fault. Science has repeatedly unsuccessfully tried to sweep me off my feet. I’ll blame it on timing as every time it’s tried to woo me, I’ve usually been in a relationship with History or English. (more…)
OUT TO SEE…YEAR LONG DISASTER
A friend recently returned to the United States from South Korea. She is teaching English across the Pacific and is on a two month long vacation. To celebrate her return, we decided we’d head off to check out the local music scene. Via e-mail, I suggested two places as possibilities: either Spaceland or Silverlake Lounge. I also gave her a couple myspace links so that she could listen to the residency bands at both locations and decide which she liked best. We ran into some immediate problems. I didn’t realize that her Internet access was spotty (she didn’t have a cell phone as she’d cancelled her cell phone plan when she left for South Korea). I started to feel some pressure when I got a text from another friend asking what the plan was.
After finally exchanging some e-mails (she headed off to the library), she said she wasn’t able to listen to any of the bands at the two venues and wanted me to make the decision. I replied back saying we’d go to Spaceland and if she’d just call me to determine an appropriate time to pick her up.
She called me up later, using her mother’s phone. Unfortunately, I was on my work phone with my boss when she called. So when I picked up my cell phone, I asked if she’d call me back in five minutes. She didn’t call back. After 30 minutes, I decided I better call her back. She didn’t answer. I waited another thirty minutes before calling again and got her mother who promptly hung up on me. Hmm . . . I called back. The phone was handed over to the daughter. All was settled and so I sent a verification of location and time to our other friends via text messages.
(The six hours or so that the above planning unfolded over made me feel like I was living in the aftermath of “2012” or in the middle of “Book of Eli” or “The Road.” Technology had taken a step back and I was at a total loss on how to function without it. If the post-apocalyptic world ends up anyway like “The Road” you surely don’t want to travel along side me because we’ll be fresh meat for the cannibals.)
I got to my friend’s house and was immediately offered something to eat. Do you want some dinner? – no, really, I think we should just head off to Spaceland. Have a brownie? – which was promptly put into a sandwich bag. How about some Korean candy? – I was given a handful and decided to have one. Nasty, and promptly returned the additional candies back into the bag, sorry for offending. Have some sweet bread? –no, seriously, we should go.
We got to Spaceland and a couple of our friends were already there. (more…)
DELTRON 3030 RECOMMENDED: The Magnetic Fields – Realism
Today’s kind of a big day for us TV geeks. In honor of the premiere episode from Lost’s last season I present to you the Magnetic Fields’ solid new album, Realism. As I sit here and wonder how Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse will be able to tie together all their loose ends I can kind of relate. You see I just painted myself into a corner by trying to tie Lost together with the music styling of Stephen Merritt and company. Let me start with the obvious linkage that is the band’s name. Ask any Lostie (yes, this is what they liked to be called) about electromagnetic phenomenon and they’ll begin spouting off about the pockets of magnetic fields in the Dharma Stations, The Swan and The Orchid. The entire five seasons, starting with the crash of Oceanic 815, and up to this point has all been driven narratively by these magnetic fields. I could sit here all day and go chapter by chapter but the end result would just be bewildered looks and Charlotte-esque nose bleeds from frontal lobe overload.
Emotionally the series was driven by the love triangle between the steady hand of reason, Jack Shephard, the bad boy with a heart of gold, Sawyer, and the flip flopping freckled fox on the lam, Kate Austen. I’m sure you’re sitting there how does this possibly relate to the new Magnetic Fields album. It does. trust me. During the five seasons that ran romantic choices were made over and over again. People were scorned. Relationships began and ended. I forgot how many times Kate changed her mind romantically but it was the type of stuff that drives us guys nuts. She was (is) a regular John Kerry (dated political reference in honor of Lost’s time travel). She also seemed to get captured far too often for an “outlaw”. I was reminded of all of this as I watched the amazing 8:15 recap. After that I listened to the lead track on Realism and it sounded tailor made for Lost’s season 5 cliffhanger.
You Must Have Lost Your Mind
You think you can leave the past behind
You must be out of your mind
If you think you can simply press rewind
You must be out of your mind, son
You must be out of your mind
In season 5’s finale (spoiler alert) Jack Shephard, a man of science and reason saw a major character arc. After countless failures in decision making and failed relationships with Kate, Jack became a man of blind destiny, thanks to the prodding of a now dead Daniel Farraday. Jack finally had an answer to all of his problems, much to the chagrin of the constantly love torn Kate. Jack’s motivation was clear; Drop a hydrogen bomb down a shat and reboot his life. All of those past mistakes and failures would go away. Mind you there was no guarantee that these actions weren’t the actual cause of the incident in the original time line nor was there a promise that the passengers of Oceanic 815 would survive such a cataclysmic event but hat didn’t matter to him. The past was too painful. Blowing up the station and leaving the past behind was worth the risk. The promise of a new beginning was the perfect driving force for the doctor with a god complex.
You want to kindle that old flame
I don’t remember your real name
It must be something scandalous
Lurks in your shadows
As the screen went to white (instead of the standard fade to black) one had to wonder if it worked and if Dr Jack, with his memories wiped clean, would get his chance to rekindle a romance with Kate…even if they’d now be complete strangers…and she’d be in handcuffs. Did somebody say conjugals?
Tonight we’ll find out.
Beyond this track and my forced Lost analogy Realism is full of stripped down orchestral pop mixed with beautiful storytelling. Gone is the overdone distortion of their previous album aptly named “Distortion”. Instead Merritt returns to an unplugged folksy sound that is reminiscent of earlier records…especially when Claudia Gonson chimes in.
Highlights: “You Must Be Out of Your Mind,” “Always Already Gone,” “I Don’t Know What To Say,”
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FITNESS 101: MACHINES vs. DUMBBELLS
Audra Yocom is a certified personal trainer based out of Los Angeles and Las Vegas, who brings you monthly fitness tips and helps us to disspell those myths we’ve all been subjected to regarding fitness at one point or another in our battle with the bulge. To learn more about Audra or to inquire about training sessions visit her site http://audrayocom.com.
Most health and fitness professionals agree dumbbells reign supreme over machines. Each workout method does, however, serve its purpose. When training my clients I prefer using dumbbells or free weights over machines when possible, but I find I can’t eliminate machines altogether especially if my client has injuries to compensate for. Before we dive too deep into this though let’s first take a broad look at some of the advantages and disadvantages of each: (more…)