Divine Design Gala Rocks the Holidays

By Laura Medina

Last night and this year, Project Angel Food's Divine Design Sale and the glamorous Opening Gala Dinner turned 21 years-old.

This intrepid charity sale and fundraiser has stood the test of time for two decades, setting the standard for other holiday charity galas and fundraisers to follow and emulate.

This year's chair duo, George Anderson (President of Creative Services at The Cimarron Group) and Karo Vartanian (film and tv costume designer and stylist), sense that Divine Design Opening Gala and VIP Shopping were getting set in their ways, setting the standards.  They thought it is about time they shake things up to keep the Gala, the charity, and the foundation alive and vital for the next twenty-one years.  The theme, this time around...a "Rock n Roll Holiday."  The former Robinson-May Department-cum-Divine Design Sale Marketplace is generously garnished by rock n' roll photographs by IMG Images and rock photographer, Steve Erle.  Last night's entertainment wasn't the usual prim n' proper runway show marching down the catwalk but...a hot and sexy dance troupe rolling and pumping to rock n' roll classics like Ike & Tina Turner's "Proud Mary."



This year's honoree is a Project Angel Food/Divine Design Sale steadfast...fashion designer, David Meister. In the past five years covering Divine Design Sale Gala's red carpet, Mr. Meister never failed to show up.  Sure, there had been and will be celebrities whose star wattage shines brighter than Mr. Meister's but their one time appearance is a fleeting comet to Mr. Meister's constant glow, a reassuring and consistent glow spotlighting the mission of Divine Design Sale and Project Angel Food.

Each and every year this scribe interviews him, he always reminds people about the purpose about this charity sale.  The funds raised from this holiday sale pays for 11,000 meals every week that are being delivered to 2,176 severly ill people, with 567 new intakes during the year.  What started out as a compassionate meal delivery service to people stricken with AIDS, has grown to taking care for people sicken by cancer, congestive heart failure, emphysema/COPD, stroke/cardio vascular, and diabetes.  Money raised from this sale also pays for two nutritionists who inspect each and every meal before it goes into mass production and delivery.

The meals are free of charge, on-staff dieticians tailored each meal to each individual condition, and cooked by professional chefs.  Vegetables and fruits are now grown in their new Urban Gardens Initative, taking over neglected city lots to supply fresh produce.

In monetary value, each meal costs $5 but Project Angel Food never charges to those in need.  Plus, the home-bound and striken always like to someone check on them. 

This year's entertainment was rock n' roll dance troupe.

Fellow Midwestner, actress Jenny Garth honored David Meister with the award.

Actors, Jane Lynch and Eric McCormick having a chat.

Jenny and David showing off his award for dedicated support to Divine Design and Project Angel Food.

It's not just the entertainment or the theme that changed.

Time Warner is the major sponsor of this year's Divine Design Sale.  The fundraising sale is rocking with technology.

The media/communications company kindly offers a wifi/entertainment lounge for weary bargainistas, kind-hearted fashionistas, and their patient but tired spouses. While one shops for great deals on great finds, one can drop one's significant other at the Time Warner Lounge to make the shopping easier on them.  Think of it as a really awesome day care center for weary partners.



Time Warner has more up its sleeve; and exhausted shoppers and their company have more to do than be couch potatoes surfing the net or watching tv.

Shoppers can jump in a green screen booth, act out their favorite tv fantasies then have them super-imposed on a scene.

Virtual make-believe bringing back the fun of being a kid again but at an higher form.

The tv screen doesn't have to be stationary.  Cute attendants, like this guy, are wearing special tee-shirts with a live screen sewn into the tee.

Now, you'll have a real reason to watch a cute guy while you shop the huge markdowns each day for this 3 days sale.  Saturday is the 70% off sale, followed by Sunday's 80% sale then finalizing with the mad rush of Monday's 90%.  Suggestion, wearing a helmut and some really cool body armor.

A No-Fuss Straight-forward Skincare Line ...Recipe for Men

By Laura Medina

Ok, this might be my last "Movember" piece for this month with the holidays quickly approaching.

However, this will not be the last of my menswear and men's skincare picks.

In the past six years researching and trying some really deluxe men's skincare lines (some so effective and refreshing, it is the women who are stealing them now!), this guinea pig of beauty has been fortunate enough in seeing "crinkles and wrinkles" being eased and soften and the skin brightened.

Sweden's Recipe for Men is no exception.

Developed by one of the members of the Swedish Olympic ski team where the air is so pure...that it is cold and dry enough to crack one's skin with sun-damaged faces and painfully chapped lips.

Searching for something effective and natural that is durable to endure the elements while soothing enough to heal the skin, their goal was to create a straight-forward, quick-acting skincare with active ingredients, smooth textures, and subtle fragrances, elemental enough for no-fuss men.

The clean-smelling, effective has been a big hit among straight-forward, results-driven women too, who don't want the coying smell of girlish sugar and vanilla (not that's anything wrong with that. Proper fragrances for proper place and time).  

Recipe for Men has driven a Movember contest, "Grow A Mo' Contest," where men are encouraged to grow their best mustaches, photograph them then post them on the company's facebook's page.  Supporting the efforts of those raising money for men's health, they're giving prizes to their favorite entries.  There were winners every week, you can enter your mo' at growamo@recipeformenusa.com until the end of this month.

Just because Movember is coming to an end, to make room for the holidays, now is the perfect time to try and use Recipe for Men for incoming snow, blizzard, and blistery winds.  Just what Recipe for Men is made for.

Shop eBay in Bliss. Not a Black & Blue Friday

By Laura Medina

Did waiting in line for a week got you all blue?  Did you had to do a Turkey Day BBQ because you were waiting in line for that kinda-sorta discount?

Are you spending more time and money in the emergency room because you really did got all black and blue busting a fight over that one and only discount?

Other than other notable Black Friday offers, let eBay's Buy in Bliss pampering event ease you into a more festive and luxurious mood for the holidays.

Ok, today is a good day to find discounts on rare European finds, such as London-based glittery Aruna Seth's pumps on www.arunaseth.com...

Ankar Sweden is Sweden's answer to London bespoken tailoring and Norway's Moods of Norway, WWW.ANKARSWEDEN.COM... 

You can do all that and shop on eBay for authentic sales and knock-down discounts on iPads at today's eBay's "Buy in Bliss" at Westwood's W Hotel's Bliss Spa.

Pick one, pick two, shoot...pick three at eBay's "Buy in Bliss" where you can shop on an iPad while patiently waiting in the Lounge...

While you shop and browse, you can make your hot cocoa or tea with a mini pitcher of honey, select some nibbles, or for the holidays, Bliss generously set up a tray of peppermint stick, a bowl of hot cocoa mix, and thermos of hot water, and mugs where you can mix in scoops of hot cocoa, pour in some hot water, then stir the mix all in with a peppermint stick.

Once your appointment is ready, you can take your iPad and your mug of peppermint hot cocoa to your waiting room.

Inside the spa room, you can shop while getting a "Sooth Your Stocking Stuffers" Foot Massage, and/or a mini "A Pedicure for Your Mistletoe" for a complete foot prep or top it off with a "We Wish You a Merry Manicure."

Whatever combo you do pick, you finished your shopping at a steeper discount on eBay without a bruise or broken bones, in a soothing atmosphere, the foot massage rubbed the knots out of your soles (or soul) then your finger tips and toes are all decorated in twinkly nail polish tinsel.

Recharge and done, you can use the holidays for the most important person in the world...yourself.

Hanz de Fuko for Movember and the Dads

By Laura Medina

Whether handsome, hipster Hollywood dads are raving about the ease of Hanz de Fuko's Quicksand pomade for easy molding and grip and standing http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ARhXPf4Ypqs

...or demostration of Sponge Wax, as above and in this video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p7reAAM31Tc&feature=bf_prev&list=PLD2B0E70B2E2D385E,  Hanz de Fuko Haircare is strong as it is organic.

Because of that, they's really supportive for Movemember.

If you want healthy, guilt-free hair, give Hanz de Fuko a try and watch this video, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ns0AodlxCOk then start rubbing and tufting.

http://www.hanzdefuko.com is where you can his products or at the Private Room in Beverly Hills.

November is for "Movember" Men's Health Month

By Laura Medina

We all know last month, October, was Breast Cancer Month.

Now, we're more concerned about stuffing our faces, on Thanksgiving, so we have enough fuel to stand in-line overnight so we can fight the crowds for knock-down discounts on Black Friday.

What most folks are forgetting is the new tradition..."Movember"...otherwise known as Men's Health Month.  What started out as Prostate and Testicle Cancer Awareness Month, has morphed into bringing awareness to health problems affecting men in general.  Modeling on the sociable Breast Cancer Month, Movember practitioners hold heart pressure screenings in barbershops.  They grow mustaches to bring awareness of men's health to the uninformed.

Their female counterparts wear necklaces with mustaches emblems to show their support. 

For the ladies, Dinair, the spray-on foundation company, is tossing in 10 mustache stencils and filling in their makeup compressors with dark foundation so you can spray on your "Movember" mustache.

Whether you’re feeling like a slick bandit, a charming Frenchmen or Hollywood’s Gable, Dinair has more than 10 styles for you to choose from.

Prices range from $6 - $32 for stencil and airbrush makeup kit begins at $29.99.

You can order your "Movember" mustache kit at www.airbrushmakeup.com.

Use the youtube guide in how to spray on your "Movember" mustache,
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UtPGjCsX8Hc&feature=youtu.be



You can learn more about Men's Health Care Month and get involved by visiting www.movember.com.

Expect more Movember or Dude-awareness awareness this week and later until the first day of December.

Don't forget the guys.

Target Teaming Up with Neiman Marcus for the Holidays

By Laura Medina

We all gotta thank Target for its generosity in forming our habit...ok, our addiction...to their limited edition designer collaborations.  Once in a lifetime moments that have us rushing our nearest Target or crashing its website in a nanosecond.  Some collections cause riots and fear in employees.

Fear not, fellow Target junkies.  In the spirit of holiday spirit of giving and giving back, the stellar constellation of established design legends, such as: Diane von Furstenburg, Carolina Herrea, Oscar de la Renta, Judith Leiber, Lela Rose, Marc Jacobs, Tracy Reese, and Robert Rodriguez, supported by the young, emerging vanguards of fashion: Alice + Olivia, Band of Outsiders, Brian Atwood, Derek Lam, Marchesa, Prabal Gurung, Proenza Schouler, rag & bone, Rodarte, Skaist-Taylor, Thom Browne, and Tory Burch, are teaming up with Target, through Neiman Marcus, to raise funds up to $1 Million for the Council of Fashion Designers of America.  The profits from this rare collaboration will fund and finance future generations of American fashion designers.

Alrighty...let's get to the heart of the matter...top shelf designer-quality clothes at mass-market prices.

What is really great for the holidays, you can obtain these goodies at Target stores, if those are the only things you have in your local area, or at Neiman Marcus, where the lucky few will get a kick at paying under $200 for established designer names...and they're fresh.  These items will be available on these stores' online sites, Target.com and NeimanMarcus.com as well.

This is the list of what will be the most desirable.  Thom Browne's white-piped, navy blazer.   Rag & Bones sweaters that comes with its an accompanying bar set and flask.  People can finally afford a Robert Rodriguez top or/and dress.  The same can be said for Lela Rose.  Moms..and dads can deck the halls with little dresses from Marchesa and Jason Wu.  Fur hat and vest by Skaist-Levy, Marc Jacobs scarf and Prabal Gurung's cape can easily top off exising wardrobes at Neiman Marcus quality at Target prices.

There are more than clothes here. This rare collaboration offers other top-shelf lifestyle and home decor options such as keepsake boxes, a bike, luggage, and a yoga mat.

Ever dream of owning a Judith Leiber but have nightmares about the price?  The Target/Neiman Marcus fairies banish that.  Starting December 1st, you can own a Judith Lieber mirror compact for under $100.

The all-encompassing Diane von Furstenberg gives you a peace of mind through her yoga mat then a keepsake/jewelry box for memories.  Alice + Olivia's bike and carry-on, roll-on luggage are the true girl-on-the-go.  Derek Lam's leopard-print slippers and skateboard are for all the young dudes.  Also for the young dudes or dudettes, Rag & Bones' bar set and flask.  Brian Atwood is the easiest to please with the classic combination of studded sunglasses in rose-colored lenses with a pair of studded, black leather gloves.

'Tis is the holiday where there is everything for everyone for every budget.

This rare high-low fashion cosmic bang will occur, around the corner, on December 1st.





Hot for Winter...H&M's Martin Margiela Collection

By Laura Medina

The Martin Margiela Collection for H&M is hot on everyone's heels for the speeding holidays.  Some boutiques will launch the collection Wednesday, some Saturday.

Regardless, people are hungry enough for line up first thing in a dark morning, just to grab piece from this exclusive collection by this reclusive but highly regarded designer.

Pre-Hurricane Sandy Manhattan played host to the premiere viewing where dancers present the clothes in a dance routine on a snow-covered floor, dancing out a snowflake pattern.



Of course, there are perks to being a celebrity.

The celebrities were actually the first ones to model the outfits from the collection itself.

Julianne Moore, Sarah Jessica Parker, Mena Suvari, Kanye West, Helena Christensen, Selma Blair, Alan Cumming and Chase Crawford are normal folks too.  They like the idea that this is luxury for the masses; and this wasn't your average cut-and-dry runway show but a real dance where you can watch the outfits in full movement.

You watch and listen to their comments and watch the dance routine on http://about.hm.com/content/hm/NewsroomSection/en_us/NewsRoom/NewsroomDetails/MMM-with-HM-Fashion-Event.images.videos.html/etc/tags/hm/filters/categories/fashion

Anyone who knows fashion knows that this limited edition release was a temporary but big semi-comeback for this reclusive Belgian designer, a former Jean-Paul Gaultier assistant who was deeply influenced by Rei Kawakubo, the minimalist deconstructionist.

Having just one piece from this arriving H&M collection is not just marked-down post-avant garde haute couture but the last chance to actually buy and own a Martin Margiela, before he returns to the sunset of retirement, is like having the last chance to own a piece of art work.

An art work that you can wear and pass down to future generations.

A rare moment in time from this quiet designer. 

Yohan Blake, "My Brother is a Star!"

By Laura Medina

That's Beverly Hills publicist, Charmaine Blake, exclaiming with pride about her baby brother, London 2012 Olympiad, Yohan Blake.

A party was thrown in his honor, by his extremely proud big sister Charmaine, at the Sofitel Hotel's Stone Rose Bar last week.

Before he hit the red carpet, there was a crowd of fans, hoisting up collages of him, already waiting and cheering for him.

He was kind enough to sign autographs before setting foot on the carpet.

Once he did, celebrities, already at the party, rushed outside just to have their photographs taken with him.

Just like his big sister said with pride, "My brother is a star!

What a Way to Vote, at the Luxe Hotel

By Laura Medina

Sick of standing in long, long, long lines at some grungy makeshift polling place?

Worse, make do in a voting tent during Hurricane Sandy's aftermath?

The Luxe Hotel takes the sting out of voting.

Today, and only today and tonight, The Luxe Hotel of Brentwood rewards those who make the effort.

After voting in the ballroom, voters are treated to a day-long gourmet buffet.

Those voting early in the morning had their breakfast of muffin, almond/chocolate crossiants and plain crossiants.

By noon, the staff switch over to a lunch buffet fully stocked with boxed Chinese Chicken Salad and platters of salmon, beef, ham, and chicken finger sandwiches.

Those voting late are gifted with 15% discount on tonight's dinner or for a near future dinner reservation..;they're being fair.

Voters commented how gracious and how generous the hotel is for those who vote.

Good feelings for those who made the effort.

Regardless who wins, there will always be the Luxe Hotel.

Escape from NY...& NJ

By Laura Medina

During the start of his trunk show tour in West Hollywood, on Melrose Avenue, Alvin Valley a.k.a. "The King of Pants," was so glad he escaped New York in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy..;and he loves LA, the warm, dry, and sunny sunshine, the electricity, the infrastructure, and the only-in-LA amenities...no hurricanes.  He was also thrilled his whole current collection arrived in West Hollywood, all in one piece and dry.

Cointreau's Head Mixologist, Kyle Ford consider this Mansion Cointreau L.A. stop a working vacation.  There are lights, electricity, obviously plenty of libation, and warm, cooked meals (he doesn't care if they're piping hot hor d' oeuvres).  This sure beats being without electricity for a week in Manhattan, cooking noodles by candle light, lighting a match to his stove in order to cook. 

A publicist commented she worked all week with little or no electricity in the Garden State.

LalaLand looks like paradise to these Hurrican Sandy survivors; and they still retain their graciousness with thankfulness.



Since these survivors survived with style and grace, why can't we lucky Los Angelenos help out our fellow East Coast fashionistas get back on their feet?

This Thursday night, November 8th, at the Christopher Guy Showroom on 8900 Beverly Boulevard, Suite 106.

They're throwing a fundraiser from 6pm until 8pm. Donations are obviously very much welcomed.

Let them know you're coming by RSVPing at rsvp@corymartinevents.com.

Any amount of cash is welcomed.  Cold cocktails and warm hors d' oeuvres will be there, can't say that in New Jersey right now.

Reverse French for the Elections 2012

By Laura Medina

Essie is continuously hunting for the emerging trends reflecting today's society at that particular moment.

One of their Fall Collections 2012, obviously, reflects the issues concerning their customers, but they lend a sense of humor to them.

The two major trends in their current Fall Collection is the 2012 Presidential Election and HBO's "Broadwalk Empire."

The hottest nail polishes are "Skirting the Issue," an exquisite, fashionable burgundy wine, and "Miss Fancy Pants", a refined, chic, greige, a wink-wink nod to the candidates and the campaign.

What the Essie trend team saw from the New York Fashion Week and Paris Fashion Week was the "Reversed French" Manicure influenced by the Flappers from HBO's "Broadwalk Empire." 

Interestingly, the gray base and burgundy overcoat are the exact same colors Flappers wore in the Twenties.

At the base of the cuticle, paint "Miss Fancy Pants" covering the lower half of the nails, whether it be a stripe or an oval.

You paint the rest of the nails with "Skirting the Issue", painting and forming an oval or an half-moon over the griege "Miss Fancy Pants" at the base.

Now, your tips are polished for the polls tomorrow.

The House of Cointreau

By Laura Medina

Does Hurrican Sandy and the Elections getting you down?

You can lift your spirits...for FREE...this upcoming Wednesday, November 7th and Thursday, November 8th from 7:00pm – 10:00pm

Both events are open to consumers. You can rsvp at www.LaMaisonCointreau.com. 

It's at Carondelet House, 627 S Carondelet Street, Los Angeles, CA 90057.

Soak in the Cointreau!






















,

Behind the Silk & the Beading, Sue Wong's Life Lessons

By Laura Medina

Looking back on her life, her past work, life experiences, and the lessons she learned,  Sue Wong thinks it is an honor to be profiled in the 3-D documentary, "Fashion And Culture In Los Angeles" where her recent  "Spring Transcendent" 2013 Collection" runway show at L.A. Live was filmed as the highlight of the 3-D documentary by Catherine Bauknight, Director/ Producer and Associate Producer, LeeAnn Vasquez.

Being one of the subject matters profiled in this documentary gives Ms. Wong the time to reflect on her life, the ups and downs, and the life lessons gained along her journey.  This made her realize, now is the time to allow people and her fans, who she was and she is and to give back by offering aspiring designers and fans the lessons she learned from her journey as a 6 years-old immigrant to a very successful and influential fashion designer she is today...

Looking Back and Who She is Now...

"I’ve been in business for 28 years.   I’ve been a designer for many, many decades. 

I’m a veteran.  I’m a survivor.  I’m very, very good at what I do.  I’m a pro.  I’m a seasoned pro." 

 "I’m not some neophyte just starting out here in the game.  I’ve been doing this for a very long time."

"I’m well-respected in my profession.  I’m respected for my craft, for the quality of the design work that I do; the artistry of the work that I do.  There’s a lot of personality in the works of my clothes."

"There are a lot of thought processes in my clothes.  They’re not three seams and a zipper.  

"They’re not out there for overt commercialism.  There is a lot of soulfulness in what I do."

Her Life Story…

"I exemplify a lot of things to a lot of different people. I am good role model for a lot of creative people who aspire to be in this industry."

"But beyond that, my whole life story and the trajectory of where the journey has taken me, I also think it is also a very inspiring story. Because, it is a story that really comes from riches to rag, or rather back to rags then back to riches again. So, I had my falls, so to speak. I had my ups and downs. You know, scaled to the top of the pinnacle then to plunge back to the abyss in the valley twice in my life."

From escaping Communist China at age 6 and a half to ironing laundry at her family laundering business in Los Angeles to...

"I become an over-whelming huge success at the age of 25. I was probably making the equivalent of 3 Million dollars every year because I made this company from nothing to huge, mega-corporation. You know, bring in half a billion dollars in today’s dollars in a three years period. My boss treated me very well."

"By the time I was 30, I lost everything."

"You know, I had four homes. I had 2 homes at the tip of Point Dume. You know, 3 acres at the tip of Point Dume in Malibu. I had my house in the Hollywood Hills. I had my ocean front property in Hawaii. I was flying first class in the Concorde everywhere. You know, I was wearing designer clothes. I was living the All-American Dream by the time I was 25."

"By the time I was 30, I lost it all. I was bankrupt. I lost it all through a devastating divorce. Whatever is left over, I put everything that I had into the first Sue Wong, not ever having run a business before. I fell victim to con artists who really took my money and drain everything that I have in a year. So, basically I had nothing."

"My two kids were babies. They were 1 ½ and 2 ½ and I had nothing. I had no job. I had no future. I had no money. I had no homes left and I had to start all over again in life. In my youthful arrogance, I thought I can get it back in two seconds."

"It took me twenty years to climb back." 

Sue Wong on How She Built a Business...

"When I started my own business, I couldn’t really afford a huge staff and I did everything.  I was the chief cook and bottle washer, too.  I would design and staff.   Because I did everything, sometimes I only have three days to pull a collection together.  That was when I was making my first samples, here, in-house.  I would stay up all-night, you know, when I put my kids to sleep in the shipping department, on cardboard boxes. "

"This is true, ok…not exaggerating,.. then I would stay up all night making up the samples. Next morning, the show would start then I really have to be present to receive the customers.  So, I would design, make the sample, run to the market to really get the orders then come back and calculate all the orders and do the productions-by myself- you know…dying the zippers, dying the trim and getting the right thread, talking to the piece goods." 

"My nerves were frayed.  Then, sending them out for cutting, before that, you send it out for grading and marking, sending them out for cutting, sending them out to contractors…You know, all these various components gathered is enough to drive you crazy.  Sometimes, when the garments come back, it would break your heart because the quality wouldn’t be right. So, you have to scrap together $75,000 that you can ill-afford, can’t afford to sacrifice to start all-over again.  My mother would come in and inspected every garment then you would really pick my own orders.  Then, Francisco my custodian, help me pack everything then ship it through UPS."

"That was the way for a very long time."

"People don’t know my sweat, blood, and tears."

"They really don’t what it took to build this company."

"People come up to me, all the time, because they see what I have today and say, “Sue, you are so lucky.” And, you know what I say to them? I stare them in the eye and say, “Luck has nothing to do with it. That took a lot of hard work and endless toil and commitment and responsibility and sacrifice to my art in order to get where I am.”

"So, this did not come easy. It was hard won."

 

On Being a Fashion Stalwart...

"I can tell you this, after all these years in the business, I am the the Last of the Mohicans. In the terms of LA designers, my generation, surviving…I am still standing. I am still at my craft. Better than ever, in top form, at the top of my game. Also came from years and years of refining my practice, years and years of refining my art, to a point that I can came in for a few hours and accomplish what takes a typical LA designer three weeks to complete. "

Sue on being a Survivor...

"Of course, I do. Of course, I do. I lived quite the…what you call it… I lived quite the eventual life."

"You know, I came from nothing. I’ve basically made something out of myself."

"I’m basically an immigrant to this country."

"My mother escaped the Communists when I was five years old. She basically traded her wedding jewelry to the border guard to, basically, let us to freedom then I came to this country when I was 6 ½ years old. My parents, the typical immigrants’ tale."

"I grew up in my parents’ home. They had a Chinese hand laundry, dry cleaning business; and I pressed shirts and helped out in the laundry until twelve midnight, every single night. So, I know the value of hard work."

"Basically, people who come from abundance, from wealthy families, are spoiled. They don’t know what it means to have sacrifice or commitment or responsibility. I try to really instill that in my staff; and they have no clue in some cases. They have no clue to what it really takes to make it. All the years of sacrifice. All the years of scarcity. All the years of struggle. I’ve been through it all. "

What it takes to be a designer...

"To be a really good visionary, you have to have a psychic eye because everything is pulled from the either. I’m an artist. Artists are really tapped into the esoteric energy. I see the garment in the mind’s eye, long before it is formed. I have dreams. I dream what color stitch, the color beads…everything what it should be."

"You have to be a good visionary."

"If you really want to become a good artist, you to be awake in that department. To be a good purveyor of civilization, which I am as a designer, you can’t be myopic and really be a fashion designer, I have to aware of everything that goes in contemporary civilization. Whether it be music or food or architecture or art or literature, anything that really drives civilization. One thing, I am not au courant, is politics because politics real bore me because they are plays of egos by really insecure men…and I find that incredibly boring."


What People will Learn from Watching the Documentary...

"They will see things do not fall into place happenstance. There is no such thing as an accident. There is no such thing as luck. You make your own luck. We all create our own destiny. "

"I have a huge trio of art in my Malibu house and the title of them is: “Think. Act. Become.”

"We become our own destiny, not only of what you put forth into action but also in your thoughts."

"Everything begins on the mental plane, you put energy to thought. People don’t understand thoughts are living things. They live in another realm where you give it enough energy, it manifest in this realm. That becomes action. Your actions become your destiny. So, it’s all Think, Act, Become."

"So, by being a really good example for other people, that I tell it like it is. I’ve always tell it like it is. I really don’t high gloss the story."

On Handling Success...

"I know what it took for me to make it and anybody who thinks they can do it in an easy way -no. If they think so and become it, they not be prepared for it. Then, they will be in store for a great, big burn-out because they will not be able to handle their success. That’s the truth. You know, look all around you in Hollywood, those young stars, the Lindsay Lohans of this planet…you know, it’s too much, too soon. They’re not equipped with the wisdom or the personal fortitude to handle it, just don’t have it within them. So glad I had success early in life then a burn-out early in life…so glad it happen to me at that age as I was turning 30 because I feel like I am more much better equipped to handle success on a big scale level."

On Success, the Second Time Around...

"Hopefully with a lot more wisdom. Not to be associated with any creepy men. Nobody needs them in life. No decent women needs that debacle around her neck. We’re better off without them if that is the case."

"I live alone right now. I’m dating. I’m having fun right now. I have no one special in my life right now. Not lonely. Not needy. Not desperate."

On Outfitting the "Twilight" Cast for Movie Premieres...

"I enjoyed that very much. My clothes speak very much to the romance in those vampire movies. A realm where a mortal and a spirit is a very romantic concept. I much rather prefer Dracula as a romantic figure. It’s about immortal love."

Her good friend wrote the screenplay “Bram Stroker” as a romantic movie.

"All my clothes are about light and darkness anyway. The prevailing theme in my collection is “Devil or Angel.” “Good Girl vs. Bad Girl.” The Dark vs. the Light. Light vs. Shadow. It is really a consistent theme in human nature. I see light is defined by shadow. Like you see a piece of architecture, when you see it in full-on light, it’s not particularly interesting. Once you have some shadow casted, the shadows defined the form. The darkness, the unconsciousness of human nature, that is what is done to the light."

"As shadowy figures in our unconsciousness struggle to find that light. That’s the whole purpose of being human and having this journey here."

On Being in Other Movies and Projects...

"I have other projects in the work which I am not at liberty to say. Expect a lot of exciting things to come up."