Friday 30 March 2012

WT. . . ?

What does that mean?


Tuesday 13 March 2012

Fashion Star Premier–My Opinion

I love Project Runway, America’s Top Model and all those fashion-related shows. So when my husband Peter read from the morning paper that a new show Fashion Star was premiering, I thought I’d check it out.

We’re about 15 minutes in and I have to say I am loving the concept.

Hosted by Elle MacPherson (check out the promo shot on the NBC Website. Not sure it’s her best.) Nicole Ritchie, Jessica Simpson and John Varvatos (all having successful fashion lines themselves) are mentors to all the designers.

Up-and-coming, yet unknown designers send their one signature piece in three  different looks down the runway.

The models are generic enough that it’s easy to focus on the designs. The lighting and production values are pretty fabulous as well, almost to the point of cheesiness. Fashion show dancers? Really? Somebody pass the crackers.

Macy’s, Saks and H&M sit on the panel as buyers. Once the designers are brought onto the stage, the fashion mentors give their opinions on the designs. Then the cameras turn to the retail buyers.

Now here’s where it gets exciting.

The designers sometimes insult the mentors. One guy tells Jessica Simpson that if she knew anything about fashion she would know his stuff is fashion forward.

NO OFFER x 3

The designers sometimes get snarky with the buyers. One designer tells Saks that he didn’t feel like putting forth his best design effort until next week.

NO OFFER x 3

The designers, mostly starving, wait for real offers from the buyers. The buyers will either submit ‘no offer’, or what they are willing to pay for that design.

In the first 15 minutes, a bartender with a fantastic skirt made $80,000 with Saks. Her designs will be available within the year at the store.

So cool.

If a designer receives a “NO Offer”, they are up for elimination. Eventually, they will pare 16 down to 1 designer, who will then win a $6,000,000 contract.

Though the fromage runs thick on the production values of the show I enjoy watching the designers. I also really enjoy pretending I know as much as the buyers and will calmly nod or shake my head in agreement with decisions.

It’s so fun to armchair judge.

Fashion Star provides instant gratification as well because the designs are already complete, thereby eliminating the sometimes tiresome creation process of other shows.

Opinions?

Monday 5 March 2012

From The Secret Daily Teachings

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“Whatever feelings you have within you are attracting your tomorrow.

Worry attracts more worry. Anxiety attracts more anxiety. Unhappiness attracts more unhappiness. Dissatisfaction attracts more dissatisfaction.

AND . . .

Joy attracts more joy. Happiness attracts more happiness. Peace attracts more peace. Gratitude attracts more gratitude. Kindness attracts more kindness. Love attracts more love.

Your job is an inside one. To change your world, all you have to do is change the way you feel inside. How easy is that?”

 

Not So Good Things. . .

I am a positive person. It’s in my blood. It’s always half-full and things are always great and can only go downhill if I allow them to. It happens sometimes.

Sometimes, I just want to lift my middle finger high in the air for all to see, just so they know I feel, how cranky I am that my life isn’t as sunny as I’d like it to be.

But here’s the rub. Beyond the middle finger, sometimes I am so perplexed by human behaviour that it makes me want to cry – because there is nothing I can do about it.

What can I do about the high school kids that think so little of life that a gun and death to others are the only answer? What can I do or say to the parents that don’t know their kids at all – that can let their kids go so far into the dark that they would take their own lives?

What can I do when this happens again and again through history?

What can we do?

What can I do about the tornadoes that take lives? What can I do about toddlers ripped from their mother's arms only to die, cold and broken miles away?

What can I do when the whole nation mourns Whitney Houston (as I did), but doesn’t mourn the domestic violence in our world, the poverty, the war, the genocide and starvation?

How can I get through to the people that hate a president but won’t give him a chance to make the change the U.S. so desperately needs?

Monday blues, that’s what it is. I am weeping for a world I feel helpless to change, yet my corner of the planet is a wonderful, blessed life where my biggest complaint is that there is  nothing good on television.

What can we do?