Monday, July 21, 2014

Nail Esteem

You know what is one of the worst feelings in the world? Having disgusting looking nails. You know what I'm talkin' about-- when you haven't painted them in 2 1/2 weeks, and the polish is half chipped off. Or sometimes they have sharp, uneven edges because you accidentally broke them off while you were trying to pry open a can, and you just couldn't find the damn can opener! Or maybe you bit them off because you're frustrated and you really just needed to, OKAY?!?!?!?!?


Believe me, I get it! Maintaining your nails is hard! Between dealing with your family, impressing your boss, going to the ends of the earth to maintain your rockin' bod, AND catching up with friends, who has the time to paint their nails? At the end of the day, all I want to do is lay in my bed and watch Netflix.

And you can FORGET about paying to get your nails done every other week! I can barely afford to buy my own groceries each week (which reminds me.... please remind me to get a real job!)

But you know what? As busy as life can get, I've learned that I HAVE to make time to paint my nails. Because when I go out in public, whether it be the grocery store or work, I cannot stop staring at my disgusting nails! Not to mention, I totally lose focus because all I can think about is what everyone ELSE must be thinking when they see them...

"Holy shit, I didn't know cutting nails with a weed-wacker was a real thing..."
"Jesus... who's grave did SHE dig up?"
"Yikes.... you know, bad nails have always been a turn off for me."
"And she wants to work at Oscar de la Renta someday? LOLOLOL" 
 
Sometimes I'll even sit on my hands so my fellow co-workers can't see the horror of my nail-care negligence. But then I turn into that weird girl who sits on her hands all the time.... and who wants to be that? I've got enough quirks to worry about....

Maybe if I keep my hands in my pockets... they won't notice.

When it comes down to it though, you really shouldn't care about what other people think of you. But, for me personally, having crummy nails makes ME feel crummy. It's like when you haven't gone to the gym in a month, and your self-esteem goes to shit because you totally feel heavier, and you know there is absolutely no good reason why you couldn't spare an hour to just go to the gym.

Lesson to be learned here? Nail esteem is a real thing! So ladies, if you're feelin' down... do yourself a favor. Do your nails, put on your best dress, and be the strong, confident woman that you deserve to be!  



XoXoXo


Fashion Fox

Saturday, July 19, 2014

"Ain't It De Truth?" Broadway's Tony Award Winning Show, After Midnight, Breathes Back Life into the 1920's

     Well ladies and gents, I can say from personal experience that broadway’s spectacle, After Midnight, absolutely deserved it’s award for 'Best Choreography' at this year’s Tony Awards.  I was very lucky to see DulĂ© Hill, Patti Labelle, and the rest of this amazing cast perform on their second to last show date. 

    Now I promise I’ll talk about the costumes, but can we PLEASE just talk about Little Miss Labelle for a second? This woman is 70 years old and she is still out there lookin’, and singin’, and struttin’ her stuff like she is 30! I was absolutely blown away. Patti, I want to be you when I grow up. 

     For those who have not seen the show, After Midnight is a Broadway production of City Center Encores' Cotton Club Parade. The musical celebrates Duke Ellington’s years at the Cotton Club using his original arrangements and performed by a world-class big band of 17 musicians. So basically the show is one big tribute to the Jazz Era in Harlem, and all the things that happened AFTER the sun went down. 

     The cast members’ and the orchestra’s energy filled the entire theatre to the point where I was ready to get up and join in on the party. When you have stars like Patti Labelle headlining your show, you KNOW the singing will be phenomenal but, just as the Tony’s promised, the dancing was equally as breathtaking. I saw tap dancing like I have never seen before, of which I would not have believed possible if I hadn’t see it with my own eyes. AND I was pleasantly surprised that Broadway has started to showcase animation style dancing through this show! (For those of you who watch SYTYCD…. you know exactly what I’m talking about ;) ) 



     But enough of that. Let’s talk fashion. The costumes were JUST as fabulous. Designed by Isabel Toledo, After Midnight’s costume collection brought every audience member back to the 1920’s (even if we weren’t exactly born yet).

     As you can see from this photo, Miss Labelle’s costumes were all 1920’s flapper fab! As if the crowd needed MORE reason to erupt when she stepped foot on stage, Patti’s dresses were snug in all the right places, and showed us that those hips can move mountains! 








     Another show-stopping costume set included the bird-like showgirl ensemble worn by Bahiyah Hibah (left), Taeler Cyrus (center), and Marija Juliette Abney (right). Each of the dancer’s costumes were designed similarly to give the audience a sense of unity, yet each were unique in shape so the audience could easily distinguish each dancer and her movements. I thought this was very interesting considering that showgirl costumes (like those that are worn by dance groups such as the Rockettes) are typically designed to be identical.

  




   Of course, we can’t forget about the men! Toledo took a similar route with a group of three men who came out in slick suites and wide brimmed hats to sing a hilarious rendition of "Diga Diga Doo." The design of the mens’ suits were almost completely identical; however, the three were distinguished from each other by the bright colors of their attire. For example, the man who had an exceptionally low singing range wore a suit and hat completely washed in dark purple. Together, each unique member of the trio complimented each other very well in both sound and style. 

     You know, I just need to acknowledge just HOW difficult costuming for a Broadway show really is! I can’t even fathom how much time goes into each piece, but the costume design is SO important. Unlike television and film where a director can zoom in on a character to attract the audience’s attention to the character, live theatre does not have that capability. Therefore, in order to keep the audience focused on the most significant events, the director, actor, AND design team must all work together to create focus. Costumes play a huge part in directing the attention of audiences. For example, there was one specific dress in the show that I thought succeeded in this effort to direct focus. In one scene, three girls came out wearing slim black,white, and champagne colored dresses with white berets on the top of their heads. The costume was very french, but with a touch of jazz. The black was cut perfectly onto the sides of the dress, making the ever-so-small silhouettes of the dancers look even smaller! In addition, the movement of the fabric was phenomenal. During the dance, the girls spun around while holding red balloons, and kicked their legs high into the air. The dresses draped their bodies perfectly and seemed to be easy to dance in, which MUST have been a top priority for the show. So, bravo Toledo! Not only did you make them look amazing, but you made it so they stole the attention from the whole number! 


     Unfortunately the show is closed now, so if you haven’t seen it yet… I’m afraid you missed out on quite a show. Regardless, I encourage you, if you are close to the city, GO SEE A BROADWAY SHOW! If you are a student, you can go and get student rush tickets on the day of the show for a RIDICULOUSLY low price! Personally, going to Broadway is one of my most favorite things to do. Theatre exposes us to so much culture, and I truly believe you can learn something from every show you see whether it be something about human nature, or even something about history! And the best part is…. you are laughing (and I guess sometimes crying…. but in a totally good way) the whole way through. 

Stay tuned for more Broadway reviews to come!




XoX


Fashion Fox 






Hidden Gems




     Bill Cunningham once said, "He who seeks beauty shall find it." However, it seems there is beauty behind every corner in New York City.

     Meet Iuliia Koloskova. Iuliia is an amazing spray paint artist that I happened to stumble upon during a walk down seventh avenue on this lazy Saturday. Playing upbeat music and flipping her paint cans into the air, Iuliia creates the most intricate and beautiful artwork right on the street. I stood, unable to look away, as she painted and carved images onto the page. From the looks of her work, it would appear the detail would have taken hours to perfect, yet Iuliia is able to visualize AND portray her art in three minutes flat.

     Iuliia's talent is undeniable, and her work is not only amazing, but inspiring as well. It is people like her that make me love this great big world we live in. It is a shame her talents are so unrecognized. How is it that we can make people with little to no particular talent famous, and yet the truly talented people get the short end of the stick? This, I will never understand. Although, maybe it is just meant to be. After all, finding a hidden gem makes them all the more special.

 

    If you want to see more of Iuliia's work, follow her on Instagram @MYSPRAYART or like her on Facebook at www.facebook.com/mysprayart. If you can find her on the streets, you can go home with one of her amazing paintings for only $20-30!  






Friday, July 18, 2014

Ralph Lauren Dresses PERFECT For Your Summer Work Attire



Floral! Floral! Floral!

 
Polka dots? Soo 1950's <3 <3
     Walked into Macy's the other day just to browse at some dresses for work... only to discover that the Ralph Lauren dress collection is without a doubt my newest obsession. I fell in love with every single dress in this collection, all of which were classy, sophisticated, and fabulous. Ralphie, if I had the money, I would buy ALL these dresses to compose myself one killer work wardrobe! Until then... I'll just play dress up.
Beautiful blue print <3
Sassin' in this brown and white floral print




Xoxo,

Fashion Fox
                                                                                                                                                                   XoXoXoXo
                        Red hot red to spice things up...