Color Trending for 2010:  Blue has been gone for so long, it’s making its way back onto the color wheel.  With a heavy emphasis on earth tones, golden honey especially, blue walls took a back seat.  Now we see it’s reemerging in every form.  Robin’s egg blue (or Tiffany’s box blue, if you prefer) and shades of everything from tans to deep chocolate browns are showing up in design everywhere.  Embrace the color blue, it’s on its way back.   

If you are part of the majority, you’ve fallen in love with AMC’s Mad Men.  Mad Men is a show about an advertising agency in Manhattan on Madison Avenue, thus the moniker Mad (Madison Avenue) Men.  The crazy vintage style makes you swoon!  It was a time where women were extremely sheltered, yet they smoked cigarettes and drank scotch from rocks glasses all day long….while pregnant.   Boozing and smoking are also commonplace in the work environment.  The blatant sexual harassment and gross neglect to identify women as equals to men is surreal.  It’s ironic to look at that era of time.  It was a time when politically correct or dysfunctional never crossed their minds.  The retro decor and fashions are delicious, with the main character, Don Draper, always in an impeccable suit.  Joan Holloway is the resident sex-kitten with pin-up girl looks and curves.  This is definitely one to Tivo!

   “I have one pair of skinny jeans that I keep trying to wear, but they last all of seven minutes on me.  I feel like a pork sausage.”  Michelle Pfeiffer on skinny jeans. 

It’s late September and summer is feeling like it’s over.  I had such a great spring/summer growing season (see picture) with flowers, herbs, vegetables, peppers, etc.  May is such a perfect time to find the greenest of greens in nature.  But fall definitely has its perks, too…especially for colors.  Fall definitely has its advantages in the style department…think hats, boots, beautiful soft sweaters and scarves.  Yum!

Goodbye to summer.

Here are five great magazines to get to know better. 

  Body + Soul Magazine:  Articles on whole living, living green, health and fitness articles, recipes.

  Cooking Light:  Hundreds of light, low calorie, and low fat recipes each month.  Great fitness articles.  Wellness.

  Organic Gardening:  Advice on green gardening, eco-issues, environmental issues, living organically.

  Every Day with Rachael Ray:  Many recipes each month, lifestyle advice, decor, girlfriends, household tips, etc.

  Cincinnati Magazine:  A favorite resource guide for local Cincinnatians.  Shopping, dining, events in and around Cincinnati.

Express deserves some love for the sexy jeans they make.  meow!  Their jeans are always so consistently great looking.  They also make your legs look a mile long.  Slimming and sexy…what’s not to love?  …And in case you are reading, Express, I’ll have a Stella, low rise, fit and flare in a 2 please!  xoxo

Recently, I received a comment from a reader in regard to a prior blog post on Thoughts on Business Casual.   She asked what the big deal was with dressing for success?  She stated that as long as your clothes are clean and ironed, we really shouldn’t fuss about what we wear to work. 

Au contraire, reasons of which will be displayed below.  Dressing for success is more than your appearance, it’s a mind-set.  When you are in appropriate business dress, it changes your demeanor; it changes the way in which you carry yourself.  The way in which you carry yourself can project how people perceive you.  If you radiate confidence and professionalism, it shows, and you’ll earn the respect of colleagues.  And if you are dressed inappropriate or look like a slouch, you’ll project that, too. 

Business dress is implemented for a reason…we need guidelines.   The following are pictures of women in their “business attire.”  It becomes blatantly obvious that we need guidelines as to what is appropriate…and what is not.  While these clothes are clean and pressed, they are completely inappropriate for the business world. 

However, another post followed the first post.  Our same reader wants to know why it’s unacceptable to wear Crocs to work.  She also wants to know why it’s inappropriate to wear open-toe heels to work.  …..I’ll be glad to explain.  Most corporate employers have very strict attire guidelines for the office.  That is the first and foremost reason one should look professional and appropriate at work.  However, lets gather some visuals to further drive the point home, shall we?  We don’t want open-toe shoes, essentially because everyone does not have the same hygiene standards.  Below are some examples of why you don’t want to see one’s feet in the workplace, i.e., dry, cracked heels, dirty soles of feet, blisters, corns, dirty toenails, long toenails, chipped nail polish, etc.  Do you want to see that…..do you?  It makes you re-think the whole foot exposure in the office, yes?   

Lets look at another example of inappropriate shoe-wear in the office.  Perhaps visuals will help to clarify how overtly wrong Crocs are for an office and professional setting.  As Bill Maher once said….“Crocs are for pre-schoolers and mental patients.”   

I do hope this clears up any confusion as to why we need guidelines on business attire in an office/corporate setting.  If this does not bring clarity, however …you’ll need to contact Stacy London, stat, for a fashion intervention. 

Going Green goes far beyond recycling.  Lyocell is a fabric most know better by its brand name Tencel. It has a soft finish, packs light and is made from cellulose (vegetable matter), or wood pulp, typically a mix of hardwood trees like oak and birch. This makes it a natural fabric, and it is noted for its durability and strength, in addition to its eco-friendly manufacturing techniques.

Lyocell is made by chipping wood, breaking down the wood fibers with the non-toxic chemical amine oxide, and then placing the material in a spinneret. The spinneret produces long fibers, which are then dried and woven into cloth.  …What’s not to love about that?  Be cognizant of what you are buying.  Buy Green!

Links to some of my personal favorite blogs….check them out, you’ll see why!

Favorite Style Icon Blog:  http://ultimatecarolyn.blogspot.com/

Favorite Inspiration Blog:  http://nieniedialogues.com/

Favorite Bloggers Group:  http://www.CincinnatiWomenBloggers.com

Favorite Cincinnati Food Review Blog:  http://winemedinemecincinnati.com/

Favorite Cincinnati Downtown Living Blog:  http://5chw4r7z.blogspot.com/

Favorite Local Eco-Awareness Blog:    http://www.parkandvine.com/

Favorite Adult Swim Website:  http://www.dlisted.com 

Favorite Domestic Blog:  http://thepioneerwoman.com/

Favorite Green Blog:  http://www.treehugger.com