Oscar Fashion Thoughts

Safe, that's what I think Oscar fashion was  this year.  It's not a bad four letter word, just not very exciting.  There were wonderful gowns, worn well, and seemed to suit the person who put it on.  Great, lovely, but eh - not anything to jump and down with glee over.

That said, here's how it broke down for me.  First up, those who dressed as suited their public image, and it worked fabulously.  They are Gwyneth Paltrow in Calvin Klein, Jennifer Hudson in Versace, and Michelle Williams in Chanel.

Each is totally different and they look beautiful, probably because they were happy with what they were wearing and weren't dealing with something wearing them.  Loved the liquid gold look of Gwyneth's dress, the blood orange [some said tangerine] color of Jennifer's, and the don't need to flash the flesh to be sexy of Michelle's.

Next would be the rarely talked about gals who looked better than great, but the pundits didn't take the time to highlight them - but I will.  Aishwarya Rai in Armani Prive and Camila Alves in Kaufman Franco. 

Gorgeous ladies, not matter what they're wearing, and both have seriously handsome partners, but the media focused on fashion said nothing.  Shame.  I should confess that Aishwarya Rai had a hand in shapping my heroine for India, so I'm biased when it comes to her.

And then there are the two that made me smile - which is close to an ooo or ahhh.  Reese Witherspoon in Armani Prive and Hailee Steinfeld in Marchesa.

Reese's hair and simple gown was perfect, she looked great and comfortable in what she had on.  Hailee is fourteen years old, fourteen, and she looked the bomb!  Love it from her shoes to headband.

Last, but not least, is the one gown that made me think - well, now, that is fashion!  Hilary Swank in Gucci looked great.  She wasn't as physically tight as she usually is, which made the match of her and her dress work really well.  The last time I adored her choice was when she wore the Guy Laroche to the Oscars and won.

There you have, the last of my fashion thoughts from this years award season.  Thank you mannaismayaadventure for the pictures.

Sun and Surf is so Sexy!

This is Lee Kholafai and here he definitely makes me think of the Sun and Surf as Sexy!

Thank you Hunk du Jour [NSFW] - you made my day.

A Small Snippet About Tattoos

My Angel, New Zealand, and Dragon Lust [a seriously naughty free read from All Romance] are three books of mine where the heroes have tattooes.  I've also mentioned before about the hero in Missing in Paradise has tattoos and thought I'd share a bit more about ink.  The ones I mention the hero having are very personal to him and are unique in style.

That's right, if you don't know much about the ink, then I'll tell you there are many different styles in how they're drawn.  I recently stumbled across Venus [above] and tracked it back to the original Washington Post article, Thinking of Inking?, where you can run your mouse over the examples and read where they came from, as well as other images of how they work to how to take them off.  Very interesting.

One I didn't find any information mentioned, but unearthed during my research, I used in Missing in Paradise was a 3D style - an example of which is to the left.  I was intrigued by this type of tattoo and redesigned it for my hero who has it in a place that covers something up, cool, right?

Need a Hat for Your Man?

Not for his head, but for his penis.

That's right, there are knitted caps for the penis, including this one for Easter [or maybe because your guy resembles a bunny in a different way] on Etsy.

Keep the winter chill out of his pants!

Where's My Head At?

Two stories written and submitted, so now I'm looking at my to-do list at various writing tasks, as in research and actual writing, and it shouldn't surprise anyone reading this that it's wildly varied. So much so, I thought I'd give you a visual glimpse into my brain:

Five different stories, in five different stages of completion, with four different sub-genres/themes.

Lovely!  Variety is the spice of life, at least it is mine as an author.

Anyway, so where am I going next?  The eyes have it, I think.

Another Great Fashion Find

Recently I was looking through a magazine and the fashion being shown was credited to Vintage Luxury.  I was intrigued and, a few days later, went online to seek out more information.

Their store is the Fashion element of 1stDibs.com, which also offers Furniture & Lighting, Fine Art, Jewelry & Watches and Special Searches.  If you love vintage clothes, then this is a treasure trove of delight, and if I had $8,900 I'd buy my dream dress: 

Mariano Fortuny Shell Pink Delphos
italy

Mariano Fortuny shell pink pleated silk Delphos gown circa 1930. Striated white murano glass bead and silk cord trimmed down side seams and armhole. Silk belt stencilled in silver foliate patterns.

As renown specialists in Fortuny, Vintage Luxury is always interested in acquiring the finest examples of Fortuny including entire collections.

Size is flexible due to pleating.

I can put finding this gown into my weird coicidence file.  You see, I was researching Fortuny gowns about 4-5 months ago for a book, and that was when I figured if I knew where one was, I'd wear it to Authors After Dark's Mythos Masquerade in August.  Now I know where one is and it's way out of the budget.

Oh well, but I shall keep tabs on Vintage Luxury, there are other gowns and jewelry that are gorgeous, maybe they'll come down in price.

By the way, AAD registration is going to close soon, have you signed up to go to Philadelphia yet?  No?  Have you heard about where it's going to be in 2012?  No?  Well I can help you with that one - it's going to be in New Orleans, August 8-12!  The hotel is right there in the heart of Bourbon Street and there are some seriously cool happenings scheduled.  I'll be there and hope you can make it as well.

Shall We Surf?

Since Missing in Paradise is in front of me and the hero is a surfer, I thought I'd share some Hump Day Inspiration in the form of fitness model Eric Carlson with a surfboard - nice!

When 3 of My Favorite Things Become 1!

I love art.

I love fashion.

I love paper engineering.

Put the three together and you'll find the Pulp Fashion: The Art of Isabelle de Borchgrave exhibition running from February 5-June 5 2011 at the Legion of Honor, Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco.  The website describes the exhibit best:

Belgian artist Isabelle de Borchgrave is a painter by training, but textile and costume are her muses. Working in collaboration with leading costume historians and young fashion designers, de Borchgrave crafts a world of splendor from the simplest rag paper. Painting and manipulating the paper, she forms trompe l’oeil masterpieces of elaborate dresses inspired by rich depictions in early European painting or by iconic costumes in museum collections around the world. The Legion of Honor is the first American museum to dedicate an entire exhibition to the work of Isabelle de Borchgrave, although her creations have been widely displayed in Europe.

Pulp Fashion draws on several themes and presents quintessential examples in the history of costume—from Renaissance finery of the Medici family and gowns worn by Elizabeth I and Marie-Antoinette to the creations of the grand couturiers Frederick Worth, Paul Poiret, Christian Dior, and Coco Chanel. Special attention is given to the creations and studio of Mariano Fortuny, the eccentric early-20th-century artist who is both a major source of inspiration to de Borchgrave and a kindred spirit.

Oh my goodness, I'm in heaven, and shall make it to this show!  I must!

By the way, Isabelle de Borchgrave is the artist of the show, is also the creator of the Fashion a la Mode pop-up book that I treasure and now see it's out of print.  Sorry, not parting with mine, but there are two books associated with the show:  Pulp Fashion and Paper Illusions, the first I'll pick up at the show and the other is on my wishlist.

Naughty Thought for Monday

Mikhail Baryshnikov is one of the sexiest men to ever exist.  Even if you aren't a fan of ballet, to watch him dance shows a masterful athlete very intune with his body, and sharing what it's capable of doing in a beautiful way.

Gorgeous.

Now to the reason Misha has come to mind:  tights.

Not the same as he or any other dancer wears, but tights all the same.

I saw the picture below, unfortunately don't remember where, but I saved it.  As I used various terms to find the image so I could give the person credit for sparking my brain I unearthed a market I hadn't known existed. 

Men, apparently, need tights - sorry, pantyhose made specifically for men.  There's a fashion magazine for the male hosiery niche called e-MANcipate.net, but I'm afraid I stumbled upon the pantyhose for men section on the Underware Store first and that colored my image of the item in question.  The tights on the latter site I won't show, trust me, it's an image you won't ever be able to wipe out of your head.  I will, however, share this from the male tights page:

Smooth, elegant, silky, all qualities that women have enjoyed for years on their legs but men have been illogically left without.

Thank you to The Art Desk for the picture of Baryshnikov and whomever had the tights pic, um, thanks for letting me know someone actually wanted to wear these modern day torture devices.

Okay, fair enough, but I would have thought of all the things women do and wear, tights have to be one of the most uncomfortable and they've done nothing to improve the product.  Guys, come on, do something about these horrible things.

Best Doggie Hairdos or are they Don'ts?

The fab S sent these to me, yes, there are more, but these are the ones I couldn't stop laughing and querying the owners sanity.

First up is the ladies.

Now for the man missing only his business suit and briefcase, although the hair reminds too much of a bad toupe plopped on an unsuspecting head.

And the young'un of the bunch, which is the saddest of them all.  He's cute au naturel!

Okay, what do you think?

Grammy, BAFTA and Brit Fashion Thoughts

Wow, three events in the space of a few days, and I was totally underwhelmed with them all.  What a pisser.  That said, I thought I'd share a few I liked, although I couldn't find the designers names for them all.  Again, what a pisser.

First up is the Grammy's, known for being outrageous and adventurous.  My favorites at this event were Keri Hilson in Basil Soda [music, grrr] and Naya Rivera.  Fun from head to toy.

At the same time as the Grammy's was the BAFTA's, British Academy of Film and Television, and the mood is elegant.  I liked Julianne Moore in Tom Ford and Thandie Newton in Monique Lhullier.  Color, glorious color, and lush fabrics - yummy!

Last but not least was The BRIT's and the outrageous abounded, but Fearne Cotton in a simple studded dress with red shoes made me smile.  Those shoes said Dorothy from the The Wizard of Oz to me.

I'm ready, bring on the Oscars!

Photos don't always inspire a thousand words...

but they can push me to do something, or not as the case may be.

I will always make sure every chair I ever choose to purchase is not just interesting, but comfortable to use - this one does not look like I could spend much time in it.

Oh, but the man, Oliver Cheshire photographed by Mariano Vivanco for the soon to be released [March 22 2011] book Uomini, does put more than a thousand words in my head.

Location! Location! Location!

Yeah, Marsyas is finished, and I thought I'd share that the story takes place in Ancient Greece.

Thinking back to the four previous stories in the Mythological Messes Redux series, only one [Double Punch takes place largely in San Francisco] has a footing in contemporary times.  Mount Olympus, various temples, residential dwellings, settings out amongst nature and a forge are where most of the important things take place in this series.

A great deal of information is known about what life was during this time and the scenery is also fairly well established, which offers a good base to write a story based in this period.  The series is founded in giving mythological characters a second chance at a new ending and I think from the offer through to the outcome needs to be plausible.  The most difficult part in writing this series is when I needed to take a known site and manipulate it enough to suit the story, without creating something that wouldn't be possible during that period.

Yes, I love a challenge, and you'll have to check out Marsyas when it's released to see how it all turns out.

The Romance of Books

This is no surprise to anyone who reads this blog, but I'll reiterate.  I love books, no matter what format they're in, and so the cutie was given two books for Valentine's Day.  Romantic, right?  I thought so because his TBR stack was low and he didn't get the two latest books from two of his favorite authors for Christmas.  That's love. 

What were they?

Levithans of Jupiter by Ben Bova and Ark by Stephen Baxter

Both are part of a series and can be found in the Science Fiction/Fantasy section, go check them out for your fan of the genre.

Do You Dream of Being a Prince(ss)?

Stephen Friedman Gallery in London may offer you the best chance you'll ever have to be a Prince(ss) - at least for a few minutes and maybe even with a picture to prove it.

American artist Jennifer Rubell has installed a life-sized sculpture [by Daniel Druet, careful, music on website] of Prince William, the future king of England called Engagement. Anyone can go stand beside the figure, place an arm through Wills, and slip a finger into a duplicate of the official engagement ring.

Woohoo, your engaged! Seriously, I hope some guy slips his finger into the ring, and has a picture taken. Wouldn't that be fabulous?!?

Thank you Jennifer Rubell for the picture and fun art installation, plot bunnies abound - anyone else see time travel potential?

Fashion Faux Pas or Putting It All Out There?

Leona Lewis designed a dress and wore to the Justin Bieber: Never Say Never movie premier.  Fair enough.  However, I'm left wondering if she's wearing what she wants, a good kiss, or would this be a fashion faux pas?

Personally, I'm going for the latter, but only because I honestly don't care if she's looking for a lip lock, someone to notice her lips, or whatever the subliminal meaning might be in chosing to slap a puffy set on her chest.  Wait, maybe she's hiding a boob job gone wrong.  No?  Looking for attention?  Maybe.

Beautiful woman, shoddy dress.  Shame.

Sorry, I love fashion, and this was just ugly as sin.

Vent finished :-)

Oh, thank you Skinny vs Curvy for bringing this to my attention, you know which way I voted, and OK! Magazine in the UK for the picture.

Hump Day Reflections

Is it cold where you are?  Need a coat?  I'm sure, if you asked nicely, Justin Woltering would give you this one.

Want to make a spectacular book?

Then maybe one of Carol Barton's classes, where you learn to make your own pop-up and sculptural books, is in your neighborhood.  Here's her 2011 calendar:

June 11, Free Family Day Workshop, National Building Museum, Washington, D.C., http://www.nbm.org/families-kids

May 7- 8, Pop-Up Workshop, Society for Contemporary Craft, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, [412-261-7003]http://www.contemporarycraft.org/

May 16 - 27, Paper Engineering Workshop, Paper and Book Intensive, Oxbow, Michigan, http://www.paperbookintensive.org/

June 24 - 25, Carousel and Tunnel Book Workshops, Focus on Book Arts Conference, Forest Grove, Oregon (near Portland), Pacific University Campus, http://www.focusonbookarts.org/

July 31 - August 6, Sculptural Books, Arrowmont School of Crafts, Gatlinburg, Tennessee, http://www.arrowmont.org/

Fun, fun, fun!

Naughty Thought for Monday

Crocheted urinary tract from Neatorama and I ask why?

That's all, just why?

Our Monthly Entertainment for 2011

as in our calendar, is the Fabulous Frogs by David McEnery.

He makes us smile and shall give us the giggles for the rest of the year!  Now I just need to sit down with 2010's and transfer over the birthdays.  I'm not late, am I?

SAG Fashion Thoughts

SAG, Screen Actors Guild, is another great award ceremony.  Not to watch, but to feed my need for fashion, and I wasn't disappointed this year.

Most looked great, but I got a kick out of the risk takers.  In black it was Julie Bowen in a Catherine Malandrino sleek one-piece, Christine Hendricks in a long sparkling smoking jacket from L'Wren Scott, and Dianna Agron in vintage vintage Chanel Couture.  On the red side was Sarah Hyland in Max Mara Elegante and Julianna Margulies in Yves St Laurent.  And then Hailee Steinfeld and Jennifer Lawrence brought it all together by keeping it fun, bright, and age appropriate in Prada and Oscar de la Renta, respectively.

My favorite couldn't be narrowed down from three.

Kyra Sedgwick in vintage Thierry Mugler, Rosario Dawson in J Mendel, and Tina Fey in Oscar de la Renta.  All are great dresses and perfectly put together on the ladies.

It's Groundhog Day, Now What?

A few years ago my friends and I met up at the local diner on Groundhog Day.  One of the Fab 5 brought Clarissa, the stuffed groundhog they just happened to have.

It was a hoot of a breakfast and while we chatted, the five of us decided winter was over.  We'd had enough.  To mark the moment, we put a pair of sunglasses on our groundhog and called it done with a picture.

Well, I'm of the same mood this year.  Winter has been long, cold, and I'm done with it, so out came the picture.  Clarissa the groundhog stayed in her burrow, therefore winter is DONE!

Woohoo!

Ultimate Plot Point

Plots come in a variety of shapes and sizes.  Some are a straight line, others whirl about like they're caught in a windstorm, but no matter what they look like the plot usually hinge on a finite point.  As I was working on the latest WIP, it came to me that the ultimate point of the plotline in this one is hybris [sometimes spelt hubris].  A rare word to think about, but not really considering the piece is a part of my Mythological Messes Redux series, all of which have starting points in Greek Mythology.

Here's a bit more about hybris from Wiktionary:

Etymology
From Ancient Greek ὕβρις (hybris, “insolence, sexual outrage”).

Noun
hubris (uncountable)

1. Excessive pride, presumption or arrogance (originally toward the gods).
2. Unchecked arrogance

Hmmm, are you wondering how hybris plays out in this one?

Time to Talk Big Organs

Not to long ago I brought up the Self Chek scheme and where I saw the article, Osocio [Social advertising and non-profit campaigns from around the globe].  Well, they've brought another program to my attention, and it has a fashion link:  Marc Jacobs.

Unfortuantely the article points out a few hard truths and questions what the motives are behind the campaign.

I have no idea why Jacobs put his name on this project and I don't care.  It's creative, pushes buttons, and makes concern over skin cancer hip and wearable.  What I do hope is that someone will push the designer to use his clout and get the shirts in stores.  Shoot, sell them in Target, but get them out there and make the  NYU School of Medicine’s Interdisciplinary Melanoma Cooperative Group some money!

I'd buy the Sean Avery tee in a heartbeat and it's not because it's blue :-)

By the way, in case you missed it, the big organ referred to in the title is our skin.

Getting Out and Talking Books!

The Romance Unlimited gang will be talking and signing books Saturday, January 29 from 2-5:00pm est, at Borders [1 North Galleria Drive, Middletown, NY].

Who will be there?

Stella Price
Cat Johnson
Allie Boniface
and me, Tilly Greene!

The original four authors and it shall be great fun - we look forward to seeing you!

When Research Gives Too Much Information

I have hit a difficult junction with my current WIP, part of the Mythological Messes Redux series, where I've unearthed a great deal of information, albeit interesting, but it's far too convoluted to put into a story.

Let me ask if you know anything about Centaurs?  Satyrs?  Yes, of course you do, but what about Ipotane?  Ipotane?  No?  What if I told you they were the "original version of satyrs" and yet have more in common with centaurs?  Confused?  Not to worry, I am as well and studied the subject for many years, but there you have it - too much information.

Centuars are part human and part horse.
Satyrs are part human and part goat.
Ipotane are part human and part horse.

Just in case you're wondering, Fauns are not listed above because they're part of Roman Mythology, although time has brought them into association with satyrs and the Greek god Pan, and I'm not even going to bring up the Silene issue.

Phrew, told you there was bit too much, and yet interesting, information.

Anyway, here's the question:  Should I be factual with my character who is actually a Ipotane, has previously been called a satyr, but use centaur instead because they're more known and that's what he looks like?  Feels a bit like a lie to me.  I guess I should also mention that my hero has a minor position in Greek Mythology, but I'm reworking his myth a bit so he can bet a redux - originally he died.  Yup, lots and lots of stuff circling this WIP, when really it's a simple tale of love discovered in the most unlikely places.

Well, I think there is a point when the reference books need to be put down and a line needs to be drawn, and I'm doing it here.  He is an Ipotane and I'll work that into the story. 

What do you think?

Hump Day Reflections

I know someone who is studying really really hard and mentioned last week about enjoying the brief timeout to drool gorgeous men present and I thought I'd seek out a few more to keep the chick working hard on the books. 

Because the weather has been so bad, here's Vertigo by Olaf Wipperfurth [careful, music on site] via Homotography - Enjoy E!

What Reading Non-Fiction Taught Me

I'm an art lover, no question about it, and it isn't just the viewing that I find enjoyable.  I read about various subjects in the art world to learn more.  Currently on my TBR stack is Rogues' Gallery: The Secret Story of the Lust, Lies, Greed, and Betrayals That Made the Metropolitan Museum of Art by Michael Gross and for Christmas I was given Loot: The Battle over the Stolen Treasures of the Ancient World by Sharon Waxman.  About ready to delve into writing another Mythological Messes Redux book, I picked up Loot, and ended up with a lesson in how not to write.

There were all sorts of interseting twists and turns that were brought up, and details I knew nothing about as a bog-standard art lover.  Yes, I'm eager to revisit The Met, Getty, British Museum and Louvre, and go to others for the first time, with a fresh outlook.  However, the tone permeating the book was decidedly uncomfortable, and left me with a sour taste.  Nevermind.  It's personal how a reader reacts to a book and this one had all sorts of interesting and, oddly enough, timely events within the art world explained that I'll hold onto despite the negative flavor.

One of these was within days of finishing the chapters on Egypt, Zahi Hawass [Secretary General of Supreme Council of Antiquities], and the country's stance to protect and share the ancient monuments only to have the news come out that they were closing King Tut's Tomb for good.

A Pledge and a Challenge!

Making a difference-the pledge. I pledge-do you? I challenge you...

I challenge you to the 'reuse fashion' pledge" here are the rules and the signed pledge form. Pass along!

REUSE: The Pledge
I, Tilly Greene, pledge that I shall abstain from the purchase of "new" manufactured items of clothing, for the period of 2 months. I pledge that i shall refashion, renovate, recycle preloved items for myself by purchasing only what I need from a used clothing store, or make the item myself, for the term of my contract. I pledge that I will share the love and post a photo(s) of my refashioned, recycled, crafted or created item of clothing on my blog (s), here on Facebook-or other online venues so that others may share the joy that reusing brings, and show the world how easy it is to make a difference, 'going green' to help the environment!

Signed Tilly Greene


The Rules
1. No buying new! (handmade- or used only) All clothing must be Recycled, Renovated, Preloved or Thrifted, or Handmade only for the term. Employment related and special needs clothing (ie sports,) shoes and undies are not part of the "used / home made" rules.

2. In extreme circumstances, maybe a special event, or the worlds greatest and most amazing never to be repeated sale that you simply can not pass up, you may use the Get out of Refashionista Jail Free card. You are able to use this card once during the 2 month part of your contract. Of course you need to fess up on the blog and display what you bought so the world can judge for itself if it was indeed a 'fashion-must-have' emergency.

3. You must post on you blog(s), Facebook or other on line venues at least once a week to let the community know what you've been up to. This will not only give you brag points, but inspire and encorouge others.

4. You need to be honest and admit when you've fallen off the Refashionista Wagon! And suffer the 'comments' that your actions caused.

And you...
Are you up for it? Can you go two months without buying anything "new"?  I'll be posting mainly on Facebook [this is the main me] because that's where I was challenge, but anything big [using my free card or actually crafting something] I'll share here as well.

One of the reasons I accepted this challenge we're in the midst of Fashionmania otherwise known as award season, oh, and because of the heroine in Missing in Paradise. Why? She just so happens to be the reuse guru - love the oddity of timing :-)

The cute dress above, made from phonebooks, was designed by Jolis Paons and posted on Crafty Crafty.  They have an entire section devoted to recycled fashion - fascinating stuff.

Movie Talk

Sometimes I pick a movie out of the blue.  Maybe there's an actor/actress/director whose work I enjoy, heard some good things about it or, like in this case, it's set in an area near where the cutie was born and we went to university.

Red Riding is a trilogy that I put into our Netflix list to watch instantly before the holidays and we finally got to them this past week.  Wow, seriously, while the write up was fairly straightforward, we were still hooked by the intensity, history, and oh yes the plot.

Let me back up.  There was a serial killer active in the 70-80's in and around Leeds called the Yorkshire Ripper - who happens to have been in the news (appealing his being told he'll never, ever, be released) whilst we were over there for the holidays.  People were still talking about it when I arrived for Uni and, as many mystery/true crime events will do, my imagination perked up.  Unbeknowst to me, for a few days over one of the holidays I stayed at a friends dorm, and behind it is where the last victim was found.  After that brief stay, my friends told me all about the Ripper - thank goodness it was after.

Anyway, the movie goes way beyond that horrible time, and shine the light on what else was going on in the area.  No good by the police, politicians, businessmen and, I won't give the very last bad guy away so let's leave it with folks from all areas of society.

A few words that come to mind for this flick:  gripping, dark, cringe-worthy and bloody good!

Oh, one more thing, they're based on a quartet by David Peace which was recently released in the US.  The covers give hints of what the big crescendo that happens in that particular book, although they do nothing to pull a reader in if they know nothing about the storyline.  After watching the movies I'll be buying all four!  But will it be paperback or ebook?  Hmmm :-)

As a side note and quoted directly from the Yorkshire website:  The term 'riding' is of Viking origin and derives from Threthingr meaning a third part. There were indeed three ridings in Yorkshire - the East Riding, West Riding and North Riding.  Okay, I'm biased, but this is a beautiful area of England, full of history and the people are wonderful.  I would strongly suggest you spend time there if you're going to England.

Golden Globes Fashion Thoughts

The award season is here and that means it's time to indulge my passion for fashion!

Sunday was full of football, both the British and US version, and then the Golden Globes started.  There were a few films noted that I hadn't heard of before and am now eager to see, and some I'd wanted to see that now I must see - but none of that matters when it comes to great, fabulous, fashion.

My favorite isn't so much a single gown as it was a color:  green.  The two that made me sit up and take notice were the Monique Lhuillier worn by Catherine Zeta-Jones, the Vera Wang dress Mila Kunis chose, and Donna Karan on Elisabeth Moss.

What else caught my eye was simple elegant drama and Eva Longoria in Zac Posen and Olivia Wilde in Marchesa were the two I liked the most.  Even though the pictures don't show it, but the latter was a chocolate brown - yummy.

Something else I quite liked that came from the former group was how refreshing it was to see curves were embraced.  Sofia Vergara in Vera Wang was my favorite in this grouping, if not overall.  There's something about the black belt on the red dress that just pulls it all together and looks totally wearable while still being formal.

There you go, my brief thoughts on the Golden Globes fashion, now, just around the corner are the SAG Awards [January 30], Grammys and BAFTA Awards [both February 13] with the Super Bowl [February 6]sandwiched in between - oh yes, I can't wait for all the fun!

In fact, there will be a contest sandwiched in there, so keep your eyes peeled!

By the way, thank you to Skinny vs Curvy for the pics above.

Do Unto Others

Remember hearing that as a kid?

Do unto others as you would have them do unto you, otherwise known as The Golden Rule.  Did you know that throughout time just about every spiritual group has personalized The Golden Rule, but it pretty much remains the same?  I didn't, but am now hoping people will think more often about this Rule.

Anyway, got off on a tagent there, Do Unto Others is a Self Chec advertisement.  A couple of months ago I was on Osocio, Social Advertising and Non-profit Campaigns site, and read their Love Yourself article posted by Tom Meggison.  Fabulous work and he's right, Iggy Pop is an interesting person to be inspired by and yet it suits the Self Chec objective perfectly [you may need to read the short article to understand that one].

By the way, Self Chec means just that, check yourself - in this case for testicular cancer - and if not you, then Do Unto Others.

Updated Note posted at 8:07am:  In case you didn't know, I use the Share on Facebook button found at the bottom of my blog postings, and have never, ever, had any troubles - until today.  Someone told Facebook to stop this Self Chec poster from being put onto their site because its, I assume, offensive to them - are you kidding me?  When given a chance to inform Facebook that I disagreed and why, I took it, we'll see if anything comes of it.  Meanwhile, my hackles are up!

Inspiration Shared

As I'm writing or finished with a project, I'll often share what inpsired the plot, characters, etc, but this time it's different.  This time I'm going to share the inspiration and we'll see if anything comes of it.  So here you go, The Octopus Chair by Maximo Riera.

Elegant and yet eerie.  Maybe something for next Halloween.