Last week’s color? Bright Orange!

Well it was bright orange if you were in Northern Minnesota! Last week was the opening weekend for deer hunting, and while I don’t personally like to hunt, I do love visiting with my dad’s extended family, as well as venison jerky and summer sausage. So, to stake a claim to my share, I had to face the frigid weather and find something fashionable to report on! So, off to my grandma’s house I went! She lives just a few miles from the Canadian border! Once I landed in Minneapolis, I had to jump into a car and drive an additional 6 hours to get to her house! I am a wimp when it comes to cold weather – I am a Californian! But local (and not so local) hunters hit the woods in numbers pretty staggering when you consider the weather. It was tough. There was rain that would quickly turn to ice – the temperature fluctuated between “just above” or “just below” freezing! Yet, I am pretty sure I saw all 6 people per square mile (the average # of people who live in this region) -as just about everyone (even the kids) donned neon orange! This is sort of a side note, and I may be partial, but are my childhood friend and cousin’s kids not just about the cutest you have ever seen!

Behind The Scenes – SVOBODA’s Holiday Photoshoot!

I thought I would be fun to post a few of the “behind the scenes” pictures taken at SVOBODA’s last photo shoot!  Enjoy!

What’s The Key To A Fashionable Halloween? Accessories, Of Course!

Last weekend, Kristine (my sister), Vikram (my man) and I set off in search of fashionable Halloween costumes for all our upcoming parties! 

The challenge: Create a fashionable (we are fashion designers after all) Halloween Costume that doesn’t cost a lot (it is just one day people) and wasn’t overly sexy/fantasy (hey, we still had to work with a lot of the attendees). 

Toward the end of my search (and just a few hours before my first party), I came across a cute wig labeled “Couture Geisha Wig,” but it instantly made me think ”Harajuku girl!”  The wig was jet black with two large buns surrounded with multiple pink ribbons.  It was perfect! 

Thinking over my current wardrobe at home, I knew I had a lot of pink make up, as well as some baby pink tights and a multi-strand pink necklace I picked up for a previous photo shoot.  I also had a long, sheer and beaded Anna Scholz caftan that I thought I should be able to wear as a dress if I wore it layered over one of my full body black slip dresses!  So, as it turns out, the only things I had to purchase were the wig, a pair of loosely knitted diamond fish net tights - now, I just needed some shoes! 

I found pink patent leather shoes at Payless ShoeSourcefor $5 USD.  In this moment, I must give Payless ShoeSource a shout out!  These $5 shoes were more comfortable than the $350 Kenneth Cole heals I wore last weekend!

Kristine’s party was themed “Heavy Metal.”  She found a cool black and gold foil shirt on the sale rack at Marshall’s, which she paired with a SVOBODA denim mini skirt!  She had a pair of bright blue stirup tights from Nordstrom.com, which she wore under loosely knitted diamond fish net tights and orange patent leather shoes (also from Payless)!  She then spiced up the outfit with jewerly reminicent of an 80’s Madonna girl!  She wore multiple necklaces – from our own collections – topped off by strands of pearls!  The best part of her outfit was a wet-on Hawaiian Hula dancer tattoo that she wore on her forearm! 

We went out and had a great time – after all that is what Halloween is about - and it was very nice to do so without breaking the bank!  

Elastic Fantastic Chronosynclastic Infundibulum

Elastic Fantastic Chronosynclastic Infundibulum (EFCI for short) is the place where all things come together to make one.  Last weekend, we (Kristine Svoboda, Vik Natarajan and I) were invited to the sprawling Laguna Beach, CA home of Sumter Pendergrast, Jr.  Sumter is the owner of (and artist behind) EFCI clothing line.  To be perfectly honest, I have met him a few times before, but I didn’t get that he was cool until I actually spent a little time with him (and a few of his good friends) on Saturday evening.  If you have to know, it isn’t his good looks or kickin’ style that makes him cool – those things are a dime a dozen in Orange County, CA. First, he made a carrot cake (with buttercream frosting) from scratch for his business partner’s birthday.  Second, we drank a lot of his wine and he didn’t whine.  As we finished one bottle of wine, Kristine grabbed a few more from his private stash and then asked if there was one bottle he’d rather we opened – he told her to open them all.  Third, he plays the guitar, sings & writes songs well enough to be a big time/mainstream rockstar.  Visit his site, support his clothing line, make him famous.

Lee Lee’s Valise – Brooklyn, NYC Baby!

Oh my gosh – I just got done watching the video below!  One of my favorite stores in New York City, Lee Lee’s Valise, created and launched it on their website.  I’ll give you a quick glimpse – the video showcases a kick butt fashion event we (SVOBODA & Anna Scholz) held at Lee Lee’s Valise during New York Fashion week in September!  The video is so cute & absolutely reflects the tone & feeling of the event!  Please check out the link below, as well as their website & don’t forget to visit their store when you are in New York City!

http://leeleesvalise.com/category/web-casts

 

 

 

Why I Love Fashion? Weho, CA

Everytime I, a cute and chubby midwestern girl, go out on the town - I am reminded exactly why I love fashion!  In three words: Fashion is fun!  Fashion makes life more fun and it makes others interested in you – or at least in learning more about you! 

I was in West Hollywood, CA for  Love Your Body Day.  Last weekend (Saturday, October 11 & Sunday, October 12) was the Love Your Body Launch Party & Love Your Body main event.  After the main event (a fashion show, of course), my sister and I met up with a handful of industry insiders (fashion designers, boutique owners, models, stylists, etc.)  at the Abbey.  

We were drinking our mojitos, chatting, laughing minding our own business when no less than 4 different pairs or groups of guys came up to us to tell us we rocked!  One guy said “I’ve been watching your group all night.”  I said “Oh yeah, why?”  He said “Hunny, you ladies are fabulous!  Great hair (although mine was flat by this time), great clothes, great style – plus you guys are laughing and having so much fun.  You are Hot! Hot! Hot!”  Yeah, I am not going to lie, it felt good.

If you want to know a little bit more about Love Your Body Day – it is the brain child of (the talent & very hardworking) Chenese Lewis!  It is put on by Hollywood NOW.  This year it was hosted by the fabulous actress, comedian, author, playwright and TV personality Kim Coles!  I had the great honor of meeting Kim Coles at the launch party on Saturday night at Here in West Hollywood.  I have to tell you – she is one cool celebrity!  In addition to the usual suspects, we were also introduced to a blonde amazon plus size duo – Laura & Lisa – the sisters behind Curvy Girl Clothing!  We talked politics.  I also met Joy Nash – the actress & producer of Fat Rant.  After watching it the first time, I sent a YouTube link to all my friends.  I wrote a note that said “I wish I was smart & talented enough to have created this video!” If you haven’t seen Fat Rant, you need to watch it!

My favorite part of Love Your Body Day was, of course, the fashion show!  SVOBODA jeans looked slamming!  To top it off, they showed the jeans on a wide variety of body types and sizes!  Browse my pictures below!