This post was inspired by my beautifully creative and ever fashionable friend, Mei Chen, who made a super cool charm necklace that I’ve been coveting for months.

Steve Damstra, Charm Necklace Super Model

CHARM SCHOOL 101

I bet we can all conjure up some memory of charm jewelry.  As a child, my grandmother gave me a bracelet that I would diligently add charms to like it was my job.  Of course, there’s the infamous “Best Friend” charm that was worn by BFFs during junior high.  We all secretly wanted to be the lucky one to score the “Be Fri” side rather than the sort of pathetic “st end” side.  Dog tags even decorate the necks of both our military and our four-legged friends.  In some form, these kitschy trinkets can be worn by everyone.

Designers and jewelers are fully on board with the charm trend which means that today, you can buy charm jewelry in nearly every boutique and specialty store, but for those of us looking to save a buck and make a profoundly personal statement, fashioning your own is surely the way to go.  Not to mention, in this economy, jewelry made of eclectic and inexpensive pieces that actually hold some meaning to you are a welcomed alternative to the traditional and fancy jewels of old.

Please know that I wouldn’t suggest that you even entertain the thought of designing your own charm jewelry unless I knew it was a fairly simple thing to do and expect that you will get proud satisfaction out of creating something beautiful yourself.  So, in the interest of inspiring your creative juices, here are some tips and tricks to help make you into a bonafide jewelry designer.

Classic Vintage Bracelets

Tools Needed to Tinker
chain or chain(s)
pliers
jump rings
clasps
bobbles and charms

Design Tips

• Choose the “look”.  As you can see by the bracelets I made a while back, I opted for a more classic vintage statement, choosing ornate charms that have mass appeal.  Inspired by this article, I’m now planning to get whimsical and edgy by choosing charms and trinkets that really express my individuality.  I’ll personally be looking to pull together an eclectic mix of random goodies including dance shoes, horses, skeletons, pearls, the “welcome to Las Vegas” sign, and a pocket watch from my grandmother.

• That brings me to this point – to keep things edgy and contemporary it’s best to mix and not match.  We all know that Hi-Low dressing is “in”, do the same when choosing your chains and charms.  Try real gold, silver and even diamonds with plastic.  Or combine a variety of chains as one necklace.

• To balance your design and give your piece a polished look choose one centerpiece or statement charm that has some weight to it and garners a little attention.

• If you’re in need of a little inspiration, shop online and in stores for designer jewelry you like and reproduce it with your own flair.  But, keep it simple.  The more complicated teh design, the easier to make mistakes that call attention to your amateur jeweler status.

• Whether you go for a traditional look or something that’s totally free-spirited, choose charms that make you happy, make you laugh, and remind you of something, or someone, or some place that’s special you.

Treasure Chests
Keep in mind that charms can be made out of nearly anything.  Mei used a tiny harmonica in her necklace, and I’ll be using part of an old key chain and my husband’s, itty-bitty (and too cute for words) baby ring.  eBay and flea markets are great sources for odd and interesting items.

A simple google search for “jewelry findings” will bring up loads of online sources.  Here are just a couple I’ve personally used Jewelry Supply, Fire Mountain Gems

Of course, if you happen to live in NYC or LA, there are countless wholesale stores in the Bead District and Jewelry District respectively that are sure to serve as a great resource.  Just be sure to confirm with them in advance that they will sell retail to you before spending time picking out fabulous things that you won’t be able to buy.
For my collection designs I mainly shop from my trusty NYC purveyors Margola, M&J, Beads World, and Botani.

The Marvelous Mei Chen

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Charms even look good on clothing.  I’ve been decorating tees and leggings for a while with great success.  I find it turns a comfy and otherwise basic garment into something special and interesting.  Isn’t it always good to add a little dahlightful flair to your day?

Unbelievably, New York Fashion Week is here again and that means the haute topic for the upcoming weeks will be the grand shows, the celebrity sightings and the upcoming fads.  As far as carry-over trends go, you wouldn’t be mistaken if you confidently declared leggings, layers, chunky booties and drapey tunics to be the ultimate surviving trend.  But, you would be overlooking an even more important trend that has the Garment District struggling to hold onto.  Survival.  How does a designer keep creativity alive and put out a press-worthy collection that people will actually buy during an extended shopping slow-down.

Beginning tomorrow, designers will be flooding the tents to reveal the formula for success they’ve chosen during this recession and I thought I would offer up some of my own predictions.

Prediction no. ONE – Acute Arithmetic
Being that designers have had some time now to adjust their businesses to the depressed economy, I forecast that smart designers will send their lanky models down the runway in highly edited, thoughtful collections comprised of rich accent pieces.  I also expect that those pieces will be given a friendlier price-point.  Business math is simple, either make less profit per piece and sell lots of units or, make large margins per piece and sell fewer units.  Rather than taint their designer name with pedestrian prices, some brands will opt to launch a lower-end line in hopes of capturing a broad clientele and, if managed correctly, that business model may add up to huge profits once the economy rebounds and the more expensive label is, once again, attainable.

Prediction no. TWO – Evolved Chatter
Like clock-work, at the start of every season, fashion circles begin waxing poetic about all the same – ever so important – stuff.  Silhouettes are scrutinized, the season’s color is ordained, artistic inspiration is exposed and the evolution of trends and themes are explored.  I know I’m going out on a limb with this prediction, but here it goes.  I forecast that this year, fashion’s conventional chatter will evolve to include a deeper and more educated discussion of brand positioning, marketing, costing and quality.  Of course, girlfriends will still discuss how shoes can make an outfit and how to update your look with the proper accessories, but knowing that they have to edit their purchases more than ever, a brand’s quality, vision and creative use of social media outlets will become an important part of the conversation.

Prediction no. THREE – Genuine Style
I forecast that mere financial survival instincts will accidentally encourage those people who are accustomed to purchasing a brand new seasonal wardrobe to re-assess their current closets and do with what they already own.  And in doing so, this simple act of “suffering” might just help them to finally identify their genuine personal style.  It simply isn’t reality today to adopt a designer’s avant-garde definition of what today’s style is.  As we know, that vision will last a whole three months before seeming entirely ridiculous (and a pure waste of money).  Just watch an old episode of Sex and the City and you’ll see how following trends has an uncanny ability to date you to no end.  Dressing like “you” is always on trend.

Prediction no. FOUR – Responsive Renewal
It may sound silly, but the excitement created when store windows are transformed from season to season communicates that change, everywhere, is in the air.  It’s time to re-new and evolve.  The mere predictability of this metamorphosis stimulates a sense of comfort.  We know that life is moving forward, just as it should.  Everything is on track, and everything is fine.  This season, during a time when it seems there are too many unknowns to manage gracefully, empowering a sense of the status quo is more important than ever.  With the introduction of new frocks hanging on racks that have been cut into the latest silhouettes from seasonally appropriate colors, comes revitalized enthusiasm, a fresh source of inspiration and a feeling of optimism.  Regeneration becomes tangible and our spirits are lifted.  Even if we do more window shopping than actual shopping, we know that our world is on track and we’re moving forward.

No joking, The Dead Weather literally rocked my world and put on the best concert I’ve seen in a very, very, very long time.

I was also happy to see that Jack White’s fans dressed for the occasion and provided some fashionable and tasty eye-candy.

I will leave you with some snaps I got from the Wiltern theater in Los Angeles and simply say – if you have the chance to catch a show, do yourself the favor and see this freaking amazing band!

I went to my first large public concert in LA the other night.  The band was Kings of Leon.  The venue was the Forum.  The fashion was…mostly boring.

As one who naturally observes my surroundings and finds inspiration in random places, I was almost looking forward to the people-watching as much as I was the music.  After all, this is LA and I was eager to see how the city’s hip locals would dress themselves for the evening.

I guess I set myself up for disappointment.  It seems LA’s style – like its relaxing weather, mellow pace and pleasant attitude – is lax.  It’s as though people dressed for the beach but ended up at a concert.  A handful of girls must have come straight from their Las Vegas cocktail-serving job, and most of the guys looked like they’ve been living in a tent (I know Hung is a good show, but emulating Ray’s lifestyle won’t make your unit any bigger) .  There were a few notable vintage exceptions who, though I couldn’t get their photo, stood out because they looked smart, classy and clean.

I think these photos (pardon low-light iPhone quality) do a fair job of illustrating the overall fashion mood, so let me know what you think.  In some small way, I have to admit there’s something liberating about the thought of sporting your lounge wear while rocking out to a great band.  I just wish people would put more effort into expressing their personal style while wearing the exact same thing as everyone around them.

color me pretty

Just because it’s dahlightful to dress up your eyes in colorful paint, and because I hear from so many of my friends that they “can’t get away with” fancying up their face in carefree color, I thought I would share my makeup look for today.

I’ve gone for an electric lime as it’s light enough for day and originates in the Neutral color family but, when used properly, it delivers an unexpected punch.  These eyes can go as easily to the yoga studio as they can to the design studio and they can even take you out on the town for an unexpected lunch date.

Come on ladies, you don’t have to commit to a runway eyelid painted from brow to lash to have some fun with your makeup – truth is, most of us shouldn’t go all the way there.  In the real world, a little color goes a long way, and nothing will put a twinkle in your eye the way energetic shadow will.

what I used
Make Up For Ever eyeshadow in color No. 304, Diamond Lime

what I did
I primed the entire lid with a light pink, natural shimmer then used my Stila double sided brush to apply the punchy shadow liner.  Today I applied a thin line of color to both the upper and lower lids, but often I simply apply a bolder, thicker line (covering half the space between my lash and crease) to the top only.

* To get the brightest color and best consistency from the shadow I wet my brush with water and then pick up the color with the damp brush.  You’ll find the shadow goes on with ultimate smoothness and creates the optimal opaque effect that you want for this bright look.

Finish off with your trusty dark mascara, and you’re good to go!  But be careful, there’s no telling how your juiced up lids will affect your mood, so wait a few hours before operating heavy machinery.

some things to consider
*Choose a color that flatters your skin tone and makes your eyes pop.
*Don’t get caught up with matching your eyeshadow to your outfit.  Bold contrasting colors are best.
*Too much is too much.  When choosing attention deserving eyeshadow, opt for monochromatic clothing so as not to compete.
*Focus on one element.  The old rule applies – if you choose bright eyeshadow, go with a neutral lip.
*Have fun with it!  You can always wash off any mistakes and start over.

As most of you know, I’m a bit crazy when it comes to protecting my face from the sun (check out my SPF post).  This summer though, I’ve taken my protective prowess to a whole new level by including driving gloves in my repertoire.

I know it may sound extreme but I’ve heard that hands are the first things to age and I personally don’t want my hands to look like Yoda while my face stays plump and smooth like the proverbial baby bottom.  Putting those two things together is just plain creepy.

You can Google how to prevent hands from aging and everyone will give you the same advice:

Moisturize
Exfoliate
Use sunscreen
Wear gloves when working with chemicals
Wear gloves when gardening
Wear gloves in cold weather

BUT – no one recommends wearing gloves while in the sun (though I suspect that if China opened up their restrictions on the internet we would get plenty of new sun protection advice).

Again, I’m perfectly happy to stand out as the one freak who thinks this makes good sense.  I’ll leave it to you to decide if you want to join the freak train with me.  Just in case you’re on board, here are some sources for cool and attractive gloves.

Glove It stained glass glove

NOTES
1.  I’m not recommending those gloves made specifically for sun protection due to purely aesthetic reasons.  They’re hideous.  The gloves I’ve chosen are designed for other, athletic, purposes but they double as UV protective driving gloves.  That said, please ensure that you read the fine print as most golf and tennis gloves are sold individually so you’ll need to buy the right and left hand separately (unless you’re going for an eclectic mix of baby bottom and Yoda).

2.  Also, steer clear of the brand Evertan or Lady First altogether.  They are made with netting that allows sun to penetrate through the glove which obviously defeats the whole purpose.

For those of you with long fingernails and a huge engagement rock try Lady Classic

For you divas with unique flair and a loud personality check out Glove it

Walter Genuin golf glove

Those athletic types out there might love to jump right in and shop REI’s vast collection of gloves made for cycling, paddling, hiking, you name it.

As for me, I’m just rockin’ my classic Walter Genuin gloves.  I love the two-toned designs and variety of color options.

I’m well aware that wearing gloves in the summer might attract attention, but I suspect that the King of Pop would approve.

I like to think that I had something to do with the proliferation of the decorated tee trend.  Early in 2003 I was working with a couture evening wear designer, Anne Bowen, when I thought – why not add the same semi-precious stones from a $20,000 dress to a simple tank?  After all, everyone I knew lived in tanks and jeans, so wouldn’t it be fab to make that simple casual uniform a little more chic and snazzy?  Certainly, special elements shouldn’t only be reserved for formal couture pieces.

I went home and hand-beaded small stones on my husbands wife-beater tank.  I wanted it to be pretty but still funky so I would add an occasional safety pin or random top stitch.  I knew I had come up with something different, but wondered if it was too edgy and “out there” to work within a sea of graphic tee regurgitation.

I wore the tank proudly all over NYC’s fashion district.  To designer showrooms and studios, fabric stores, bead stores, sample makers, you name it.  And, without fail, I would get loads of compliments.  It was the perfect trend research.  I encountered professional designers and technicians as well as PR mavens, sales reps, and interning fashionistas.  I figured if all these people could appreciate the idea I may be onto something.  So I beaded five more tanks, and my first brand, Wifebeader, was born.

It turns out, the fashion world was ready for a change, and retail giants Anthropologie and Bloomingdales both picked up my freshman line.  Back then, Wifebeader was one of a handful of brands that offered decoration, but we were the only brand that used semi-precious stones and delicately hand-stitched every bead.

Today, you can find decorated tanks and tees everywhere from H&M and Target to Barney’s and Saks, so cutting edge designers must amp up their gimmicks to get attention.  One designer, LnA, is generating buzz with their Music Tee, a collaboration with the Invisible DJ.  Here’s the low-down, it’s simply another traditional graphic tee printed with the album’s cover on the front and the playlist on the back (I have concert t-shirts from the 80’s in that style).  Their concept does get more interesting though.  Each tee is imprinted with a code that allows you to download the tracks online for free, or rather, after you’ve shelled out the $60 for the tee.

To sum it all up – if you’re in the market for another graphic t-shirt and you happen to love the Invisible DJ’s skills for curating up and coming artists, this is a fun way to spend some cash.  If you’re drawers are stuffed with silk-screened tees and your iPod is flowing with enough techno tunes to keep your heart beating all day, treat yourself to a yummy sushi dinner instead.  Regardless of the fact that I’m personally opting for hamachi sashimi and nigori sake, the marketing person in me gives the team kick-butt kudos for beautifully executing a fun project that has gotten attention and landed them plenty of good press.

To all my creative Dahlight-ers.  If you have any sweet ideas for t-shirt collaborations and/or unique ways to make a basic wardrobe staple interesting and new please send them my way.  With your blessing, we’ll produce the winning designs/concepts and offer them for sale through our retailers.  Who knows?  Maybe you too will land some fashionable press.

For a breezy summer statement – take the styling into your own hands

When the summer comes, I’m often conflicted as to my style.  The trend-setting designer in me wants to maintain a big city look but the carefree wave-lover in me wants to go totally Wahine (Polynesian Goddess).

So, what’s a girl to do? This summer I’ll be expressing my own personality, conflicted as it may be, by wrapping my favorite fabrics around myself for an updated take on the sarong/pareo.

Sarongs are perhaps the best multi-tasking piece of clothing ever conceived of, and those of you who know me know how much I value multi-function fashion.  Very simply, a sarong is a piece of fabric typically measuring 2 yards by 1 yard that is historically decorated with ornate and colorful motifs.

Because of the simplicity of the pattern, a sarong literally begins as a blank slate which leaves the artistry to the fabric printer.  By using dyes and paints in batik or tie-dye style and employing the colorful weaving technique as seen in Ikat, the plain piece of fabric becomes wearable art.  Then through extravagant wrapping and tying, the fabric becomes clothing.

As interesting as the history may be, I want to concentrate on how to urbanize this basic traditional item by making it modern and new.  If you already have a sarong that you love and you can to this post for wrapping and tying techniques fit for any urban fashionista, go straight to the last paragraph, and enjoy!

Let’s start with the fabric itself.  I’m all for the oceanic tie-dye prints and the floral Polynesian prints if you’re looking for an island  look, and for those fabrics patterns you can shop online for a finished product.  Simply Google “sarong”. But, if you’re looking to mix things up and show your trend-setting taste, opt for a more contemporary fabric.  An inspired trip to the fabric store will most certainly reveal your inner designer and turn out something uniquely fabulous.

I personally will be working with some scrap fabrics I have on-hand in the studio to create my urbanized sarong.  That means I will be using anything from Scottish plaid prints to delicate ombre, laser burnouts, and cartoon skeletons.  I’m not kidding when I say let your inspiration lead you.  After all, the very definition of avant garde is ‘the advanced group whose works are characterized chiefly by unorthodox and experimental methods.”  Let’s goal ourselves at creating a statement piece.

A few things to consider when choosing your fabrics

• Lightweight woven fabrics with a soft hand and superior drape are ideal but a light jersey fabric will work if you’re wanting a stretchy drape in your fabric.

• Opt for double sided fabrics, those that are dyed so the color is on both faces of the fabric rather than those that are printed leaving you with one face side and one blank/white side.

• Choose a pattern that works in all directions so that you can use the fabric both vertically and horizontally.

• Choose silks for a city look and choose cotton for travel and beaching.

• Ensure your fabric bolt is wide enough to give you all the endless styling options you’ll want (1 yard wide is ideal).  If the width of the raw fabric is the proper width, you can always cut it to the length you need (2 yards for dress sizes 2 to 8.  Buy a longer piece if you wear a larger dress size).

• Go as bright and bold or as subtle and subdued as you want.  You’re the designer, go with your instincts.

Finishing your fabric

The best way to finish the edges of your fabrics, assuming they are delicate and drape well, is by serging a rolled hem edge.  If this is too much work and you don’t have a serging machine lying around, you can add a trim around the circumference of the fabric (ribbon etc) and use a zigzag stitch to attach it ensuring the main fabrics edge is folded back 1/4″ and the trim is placed on top of the fold covering its raw edge.  You may choose to add a trim totally for design purposes too!

If all this is too much hassle, simply allow your woven cotton fabric to fray evenly and you have no sewing to do at all.  For my upcoming Hawaii trip I’m taking that route myself.

For those of you who are really inspired – channel the traditional artists and hand paint or tie-dye a plain piece of fabric yourself!  Just think what a fun gift this could be too.

Turning your fabric into a garment

There are nearly infinite ways to tie your sarong, and you’ll want to defer to your creativity and take your personal body shape into account to wrap and drape in the most flattering way.

To get your juices flowing, check out Black Pearl Design’s video or photo instruction.  You’ll surely find at least a few styles you’ll want to start with and you can take it from there.

Remember, don’t be embarrassed to brag.  Send me photos of your inspired designs and styling techniques!

Dyeing for a new color?

On the Today Show this morning, a professional hair stylist offered some, sort of helpful, tips on how to dye your hair at home.  Though I’m certainly not a professional stylist, I’ve logged hundreds of hours in my make-shift bathroom salon playing with every color from platinum blond to midnight blue. My current color of choice is vibrant red.  I’m having a lot of fun with this look and find that the shade makes me feel bright, fun, strong, sexy and a little bit like a rock star.

Red being the most notoriously difficult color to maintain without hideous fading, I’m an absolute advocate for getting your own hands dirty with goopy chemicals in the name of affordable vanity.  After calculating my savings, I’m dahlighted to report that I save on average $650 a year by playing beauty school student at home.

Below are some dye-it-yourself tips and tricks that I’ve learned, sometimes the hard way, over the years.  Please note that these tips are specifically for use with professional dyes found in beauty supply stores, and not for those dyes found in grocery and convenient stores.  Why?  Because the product is superior and the cost and difficulty level are about the same.  Most importantly, professional brands offer the most unique colors with countless shade options, so you can have more fun with it.  So without further delay, let’s get this party started!

Choose the right color

It’s probably the most obvious and seemingly most difficult step of the whole process.  And, it’s the most important thing to get right.  Identifying the best single shade to suit you when choosing between thousands of colors made by dozens of companies is a dramatic and daunting task.  But don’t let that intimidate you.

Knowing that it’s hard to envision how a color will work against my skin tone, I’ve been known to try on wigs to get an overall idea when making a dramatic or non-natural color change. To get my current color, which is a revved up take on a potentially natural color, I spent some valuable time in my stylist’s chair and let her find the perfect shade for me.

This is my most favorite tip that I learned a few colors ago.  By allowing a professional to be the original chemist, you will forgo self doubt, achieve a dynamic and modern color, and avoid a tearful reveal.  Once you have the right color, it is much easier to match your hair to the dyes available at the beauty supply store.

My new favorite brand of dye is Schwarzkopf’s Igora Royal.  Offering seasonal colors, their chemists are always researching and forecasting trends to ensure their colors are fashion-forward.  They offer the most vibrant colors I’ve found (not including Manic Panic and other punk dye brands).  I also find my hair is softer after coloring with Igora and somehow their product doesn’t satin my skin!

P.S.  once you’ve settled on the perfect color be sure to keep the box or color tube after using so you don’t risk buying the wrong color next time.  A hard lesson learned.

Invest in professional tools

Likely, you’ll only have to buy tools once and you will get a lifetime of use out of them, so definitely invest in the proper tools for the job.  Folica is a great source for beauty supplies and they have even packaged all the perfect coloring tools for easy and convenient purchase.

Dress for success

If you’re ever a bit spacey like me, you will find this tip to be a humongous help.  I can’t tell you how many times I’ve made this mistake (I did it 2 weeks ago), and every time I want to kick my own ass.

WEAR A BUTTON DOWN SHIRT or, as my husband prefers, wear no shirt at all.  You don’t want to find yourself all amped up to rinse and reveal your new color only to find you can’t get your top off to shower.  I only hope that I’ll remember to take my own advice next time, and the next…

Follow the instructions on the box

Each brand will have their own recommendations, so this is one time in life that you’ll want to read the fine print.  Generically though, it’s safe to say that you should mix equal parts 20% peroxide with equal parts dye and leave it on virgin hair for 30 minutes.  I always opt for the non-drip peroxides as they create a thicker consistency that’s easier for me to work with.

You can always consult the sales person at your beauty supply shop if you have any doubt about the lift (peroxide volume) your natural hair will need in order to achieve the color you want.

P.S.  Don’t be afraid to open up the color box in the store after you’ve purchased it to confirm that you bought all the correct things you’ll need.  Its not fun getting preparing everything only to find out you have to make a trip back to the store for missing items.

Avoid stains…on your skin, floors, hands, walls, pets, bathtub…

Outline your hairline and ears with Vaseline to minimize skin stains but be careful not to get it on hairs you want to dye as it will impede the process.  I personally prefer being left with a slightly red halo outlining my hairline for the following day than be left with uncolored baby hairs.  There’s just something strange about a redhead pulling her hair up to expose blond temple and neck hair.

Have plenty of rags on hand, remove all good towels and fabrics from your salon space, and drape porous furniture with more rags.

Ensure your pets are safely in another room so as not to inadvertently dye their coat if begged for a belly scratch.  Or, for some of you out there, to avoid the urge to consciously dye their coat a fresh new shade.

Clean up all skin stains immediately using diluted nail polish remover.  I also find that Lava Soap works well, but that’s mainly due to its exfoliating properties.  Your floors, basins and walls may take a bleaching product to remove all traced of darker colors.

P.S.  tile grout is especially porous and if you’re like me, you’ll prefer taking a little time in preparation to cover it up than a lot of time, and sweat, scrubbing it later.

Section your hair evenly

This is really just to give you an organized map of your head.  When you have smaller areas to work with you can focus on one specific section without loose hair interrupting your work.

Apply the dye

You can choose to begin applying color to any section you want first, but I find that by working from back to front I minimize my messiness.  Evenly coat your brush by dipping it into the bowl and apply color from scalp to the end of virgin hair (you will only color the roots if you are dyeing your hair the same color as before).

Use the pointy end of the brush to neatly grab a paper thin amount of hair to paint.  Paint it, then fold it over the other painted mini sections.  Repeat dozens of times through each section until every single hair is covered.

Begin timing – see details below.

P.S.  It helps me to get a detailed look at my head under different lighting, so go outside with a mirror to get a second look.

P.P.S.  Once each section is thoroughly covered, you can use any remaining dye to arbitrarily paint vertical low/high-lights on your head.  No fear, the color will not set dramatically but will rather result in a more natural, highlighted look.

Time it

I try to work quickly, but thoroughly, and begin timing my color with the final stroke of the brush.  While some sections will obviously be sitting with color longer, good professional dyes ensure that the color processes evenly.

Rinse thoroughly

Rinse your head with cool water.  Apply a little water at first and work the dye into a lather to loosen it up after being caked onto your scalp for 30 minutes.  Be patient and rinse until the water runs clear.

Condition, condition, condition

Refer to your product’s specific instructions as some brands will advise against shampooing immediately after color application.  I can’t come up with much of a reason for this, but I am one who washes my hair only when absolutely necessary in order to preserve moisture and vibrant color.  Regardless of your shampooing preference, use a color heavy duty, super charged conditioner after coloring for sure.

Maintain your color

I mentioned above that I rarely use shampoo.  It may sound weird and gross, but I have very fine hair, that’s obviously color treated, and I’m always working against my hair’s natural inclination to frizz (and fritz) out.  Nothing looks worse to me than parched unhealthy locks regardless of the color, which is why I quickly ended my fascination for platinum hair.

This means that I wash my hair every 3 or 5 days, depending on my activity level, and I alternate between a gentle shampoo and a color enhancing shampoo.  Currently in my shower are Bumble and Bumble’s Gentle Shampoo and Davines Alchemic Shampoo in red.  For those in between days when I need a little refreshing but don’t want to shampoo, I will thoroughly rinse my hair with cool water and apply a light conditioner.

By washing with cool water, reducing your use of shampoos and detergents, conditioning with color depositing products, and avoiding too much time in harsh sun, you will succeed in maintaining that freshly dyed.  Just be sure to keep those roots up, and always be open to shade changes (even if they’re slight) to keep things fun and new.

I hope you’ve found some of my tips helpful, and please comment with anything you’d like to add.  I’m always looking to improve on my techniques.

Wishing you a luxuriantly colorful adventure that delivers an inspired and glowing new look.

xx  laura

Final P.S.  If you want to get a better understanding of the whole coloring process and all its geeky chemistry, check out the links available at Style Hair Magazine

When will we outgrow the legging trend?

I designed my first pair of leggings over three years ago when the trend was on the cusp of exploding – for the first time – again.  At that time my collection mainly focused on embellished tops, but as a self-professed entrepreneur, I wanted to capitalize on the moment and thus added the stretchy lycra infused staple to my mix.  They flew out of the warehouse as soon as we received them.

And, the enthusiasm has barely cooled today.  I have to admit that I only expected to get two or three seasons out of the trend.  For that matter, from a styling perspective, I hoped that was as long as they would last.  I never expected to be delivering leggings to stores with the same fervor today.

This morning Woman’s Wear Daily reported that it is “the trend that keeps on giving”.  I suppose that women have become comfortable with the layered look, appreciate the comfort of dressing their trunks in a “second-skin”, and are thrilled to find a replacement for their proverbial denim-dependence.  So, go ahead ladies, keep reaching for those stretchy saviors.  But, be careful of getting caught in a boring rut.

It was my own fear of “boring” that prevented me from designing a basic ballet class costume.  I’ll leave that to others.  I personally like to take trend to a more interesting and unique place.  By adding Swarovski crystals, interesting buttons, metal charms, eyelets, and silkscreens to a basic legging, I’ve been able to keep things fresh during the design process.  After all, a legging is the simplest of patterns so to keep things fun, you have to express your vision through some other addition.

Drum roll…designer secret coming your way.  You can add similar design touches yourself!  Just pull a pair of basic leggings from your drawer, let your creative juices flow, and voila.  You have a one-of-a-kind creation that’s perfectly on trend.  And, more importantly, expresses your own individual style.

For those of you who don’t find that tip alluring enough and for those of you looking for an admittedly fashion-forward take on the legging trend, check out my Longfellows (silk/cotton 54″ inseam stirrup pants).  I humbly offer that the Today Show, Ugly Betty, and Glamour are fans, but I also admit without selfishness that these long fellows are not for every fashionista.