I want it all, that's why I strive for it

First of all...
I am the worst blogger ever...
And if there was any excuse for my absence on the blog scene it would be that I am now profitably (to an extent) employed and seriously busy/lazy/not prioritizing correctly.

Yes I am now employed in retail (woo!)
Also, since I have a job, I can buy magazines and feel less guilty about it...
So here comes the reason for my hasty and visually bland post:

I was sitting here, technically 'on the clock' nannying, enjoying the newest issue of InStyle, drooling profusely, and dog-tagging pages like a maniac, when I decided that I should visit said dog-tagged websites.
TA-DA!
Low-and-behold, my own magazine-addict, fashion-whoring, page-ripping nirvana.
No joke.

Scope out www.maghound.com it's like crack, only cheaper, and not as detrimental to the health of the masses.
Their selection is not amazing but it will do (and it definitely favors those of us fashion minded folk.)

Thank me later when you are spending $11 per month to get 7 killer fashion/lifestyle mags delivered directly to your mailbox, and you can no longer afford to pay for them because you become so distracted by their  brilliance, you no longer make it to work, or for that matter leave your house. Actually, now that I reflect on that possibility, maybe forget I told you all about it.
More tidbits soon, se prometo.

Tonight, I'mma let you do your thang

I know, I know I'm a little late
BUT
BIFF (The Boulder International Film Festival) is going on today and tomorrow (with tomorrow as the last day.) Don't feel bad if you missed out this year, I only recently jumped on the bandwagon.
BIFF is pretty sweet, and it's becoming widely recognized as a hip and edgy film festival (go CO) check it out at their website.

Also, they need millions (okay maybe a few hundred) volunteers to make the festival run smoothly, so if you put this in your calendar for next year, you can be a part of the whole shebang and get a cute BIFF t-shirt, bonus!


Image source: BIFF

The next blip on my radar is something the wonderful Fashion Denver is sponsoring, the 2nd Annual DiverCity Fashion Show: Mile High City Glamour.
It's being held at The Church on February 18th and sounds like it has the potential to be pretty badass. I will be there with bells *and my camera* on.
 Check out Fashion Denver's website for more info... also you will be in the loop if you sign up for their newsletter: they're a part of a lot of local fashiony events (duh.)


Image source: Fashion Denver

And last but certainly not least, um.... who knew that Aspen had a fashion week?
I know it's no New York Fashion Week... but pretty exciting still!
This little diddy doesn't take place until March so you have time to fully update your Apres ski-wear and head up the mountain to mingle with... well whoever else knows about Aspen Fashion Week.
Soooo just a heads up, their website makes me want to pull my freshly-highlighted hair out, but hey, they can't do it all...


Image source: Aspen Fashion Week

I will hide you in my walls

So I accidentally stumbled upon* quite a gem.
I can honestly say that I have no recollection at all of how I found this website, although I have some brief fleeting images of the incident.
I know I was looking at some type of pictures, and in the bottom corner (I might have made that part up) Dripbook was cited as their source. I was like... pfff wtf is Dripbook?! Like Facebook but for.... Yeah I had no idea, but with one cool/inspiring/nicely shot image after the other citing it as their source, I thought I should explore it.
And here we are.

Dripbook calls itself a promotional tool for creative visual artists. Basically, it's an easy, organized, fast way to create an online portfolio. Even better yet, you can export these visual portfolios to other places  like Facebook, your iPhone, wherever. There are other features such as the ability to export a custom website with your portfolio, instant-updates, an organization that makes it easy to find what you're looking for, and the ability to contact any creative ingenue without even having a Dripbook account.

What's the catch? It costs money (insert collective groan.)
But... Not a lot of money, anywhere between $10-39 per month depending on membership... And there's a 30 day free trial.

Lucky for you and me, it is entirely free to explore, so if you go to Dripbook.com and something tickles your fancy, you can click, and TaDa! there you have their clean, organized, easy to view, portfolio and deets! Amazing. So good. You can also browse by genre, books versus creatives, or tags.

Photo Source: All photos from Dripbook.com

 So fab.
Who's ready for Fashion Week?!
XoXo






*Not to be confused with literally 'stumbling upon,' aka using StumbleUpon's browser toolbar, which is also a PHENOMENAL way to find new cool things.

With the moon I run, far from the carnage of the firey sun

I just died a little bit inside.
(In a good way, if that's possible)

As you may (or may not) know, Paris' Haute Couture Week is going on right now, ending tomorrow, Thursday the 28th.
For those of you who are more or less fashion-lingo challenged... 


couture:
 (noun)

1.	the occupation of a couturier; dressmaking and designing.

2.	fashion designers or couturiers collectively.

3.	the clothes and related articles designed by such designers.

4.	the business establishments of such designers, esp. where clothes are made to order.

Definition from dictionary.com


Although the average fashionista might know this much about couture, it doesn't really outline the specifics (like how to obtain the couture title.) Thankfully, we have the wonderful, ever-knowledgeable staff at Fashionista to clear things up.
The article Couture: A Lesson explains the process behind becoming a couturier (and being able to design couture,) as well as shows the in-depth description of Chanel's Couture line that walked yesterday.

Upon reading the runway details of Karl Lagerfeld's show,  I was entranced. It sounded like an amazing line, but of course, descriptions can decieve, so I delved deeper into the endless media hole that is the Word Wide Web...

And found this gem:
Paris Haute Couture: Chanel Spring/Summer 2010 Collection


I could definitely do without some teen blogger's hair woes, and Kanye's over-rated model GF (I'm pretty sure I don't need to mention anything about her attire), but then it gets good when the wonderful UK Telegraph shows us some video clips from Karl's sparkly silver show.
The article that accompanies the video describes the shock and awe (finally) at Chanel's choices: no LBD, shorts as part of a suit, lack of gold/chain accents... OMG could Chanel be updating their look to keep up with the times? Even with their Couture line? Sacré bleu!

Image Sources: (L-R) all from Dailymail. Copright Reuters, AFP/Getty Images, AFP/Getty Images.

 

I, for one, applaud Karl for the 'neon-baroque' collection. My favorite things were the hair, tulle as an accent and accessory, and the obviously genius mix of baroque/futuristic elements without that tacky, been-there-done-that kind of look.

Love it. As if you couldn't tell...

Walk, walk, fashion baby

What a marvelous Colorado weekend...

Mine started off with quite a bang at the Fashion Denver Open House on Friday night.
First of all, Fashion Denver is doing amazing things for Colorado designers and for the 'industry' as a whole, if you haven't checked out their website/store/facebook page yet, then you need to.
The new space is fabulous, very spacious, nicely decorated, and an overall visual joy. I don't know much about the previous store, but it must be quite the victory to be growing out of a smaller venue and into this one.

There were a fair number of the FD designers attending the event, which was nice, attendees were able to mingle with the designers, talk fashion, maybe even buy something.
As promised, Rebelle by Tootsies Hair Salon and Tootsies Nail Shoppe were there touching up make up, dolling out men's quick shaves, painting nails, and of course enjoying the party as much as the rest of us. And finally, if you got there early enough to be able to walk to the back of the shop, Hypnotiq had some of their girls bartending and passing out Hypno gift bags.
The event was very well attended, lively, fun (I loved the min-mock-Parisian-fashion shows,) and made me want to be a part of practically everything Fashion Denver has to offer.

You can check their website out for more information or just go visit them at 1070 Bannock Street.

Cheers! Happy Monday!

All images: Copyright Brianna Maya Charles

 

Girl Save Your Soul

I know all of you are sitting around just waiting for the weekend to begin... it is Wednesday after all.
So
I have some suggestions for you.





Friday, January 22nd, 2010
5-9pm

To kick your weekend off right, the wonderful Fashion Denver is celebrating their new digs with a free, open to the public open house. It should be a good time had by all with their new designers being showcased, a trunk show, fashion shows, mini-manis, updos and other delish stylish events.

Image source: Fashion Denver

  

Saturday/Sunday, January 23/24th, 2010

All day (3:00pm on weekends: free guided tour of Embrace!)

The Denver Art Museum has a seriously cool exhibit going on called Embrace! It's very cool, with artist's work all over the walls, dripping from the ceilings, and inhabiting crawl-like-spaces. The other exhibit that I really loved (which I don't remember loving as much the last time I visited the DAM) was the permanent Modern & Contemporary Art. Loved it, so luxe, check it out.

Image source: Denver Art Museum

That's all for now, have a great weekend, and look forward to some rockin' pics very, very soon.

XoXo

 ZJG3863N7UCS

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My heart be beating over

Warning: this is a seriously addictive website.

If you have any deadlines at work, house cleaning to do, parties or meetings to attend in the next 4-6 hours, I would suggest postponing a visit to this site on a later date.
Say a nice, calm, Sunday evening or something...

With that being said...
If you love fashion, have ever considered styling, used to adore paper dolls, have a speedy internet connection, and as aforementioned, have a vast amount of free time on your hands, then surf on, fashionistas:

Looklet

You have to have a (free) account in order to save outfits, rate others, or enter styling contests, but you can look and play all you want sans sign-up. Looklet has been growing and improving continuiously since May 2009 when I began using it. They add clothing nearly every day, models ever so often, and have styling contests (with prizes!) at least once a month. It's delish.

If you fall in love with a piece you're using on your little digital model, you can either go directly to the site of the designer via link or can use Looket's provided information to Google it. Ingenious.

The only downsides are homogeneous body types, digital flaws (with fit or with placement,) and their failure to delve into the male side of things.

My creative, ever-whirring mind has created a mental list of ways they could improve, but you know, as usual, they didn't ask me. AND they're pretty damn awesome so far, so rock on.

If you want some inspiration and a little glimpse into my 'lookbook,' then here I am.

And for your viewing pleasure, a few recent looks from my site:

Image Source: Looklet.com/Breezy3

Tryin' on all our clothes, boys blowin' up our phones

First thing's first.
I am borderline cheap. Some might call it savvy, maybe I'm just a bargain hunter, all I know is paying full price does not come naturally to me, and in this day in age, the 'skills' I have aquired come in handy.
Now.
Here are a few sites that I try to hit daily, looking for awesome deals, inspiration, or just plain lust. Most of you have probably heard of Gilt Group, and the other sites I post are similar in theory (high-end lines of clothing, bags, shoes, and sometimes other goods are posted for a limited amount of time at a discounted price.)
All of the links provided (via site name or picture) are FREE invitation links! You can join any and all of them, but hurry, there are some good sales going on right now  and when they run out of merch, you're out of luck.

Gilt Group/Gilt Fuse 
My first taste of online, discount luxury. Gilt is growing, it now includes Gilt Group, Gilt Fuse, Gilt Man and Jetsetter. I, for one, love Gilt Fuse for their cheaper, edgier choices, but always sneak a look at the original Gilt Group as well. Their upcoming sales are posted near the bottom of the website, with a link enabling you to add sales to your personal calendar. Bomb.

*Upcoming Lustworthy Sale*
 Stella McCartney (1/19 starting 10am MST)
Image source: Gilt Group

Rue La La
Very well organized, they have their sale calendar on the right hand side along with a way for you to email yourself a reminder of any upcoming sale. All boutiques open 11am ET, so rise and shine!

*Upcoming Lustworthy Sale*
L.A.M.B. Shoes (1/19 at 11am ET)
Image source: Ruelala

HauteLook
This site probably provides the most sales, as well as the most broad in terms of brand, price, department, etc. It's a hit or miss really, but it's totally worth checking out. Right now they have a Romeo and Juliet Couture sale going on, drool...

*Upcoming Lustworthy Sale*
BCBGMAXAZRIA clothing (1/19 at 8am PT)
Image source: HauteLook

Beyond the Rack
This site tends to have more demin, urban brands, and handbag designers. On the other hand, if those aren't your thing, don't cross it off your list just yet, it has a lot of other sales to offer as well.

*Upcoming Lustworthy Sale*
J Brand [my fave!] (1/20 at 11am ET)
Image source: Beyond the Rack

Let me know what you think, and I know there are other sites like this out there, hit me up if there are some amazing ones I'm not aware of!

Fashion, put it all on me

Well

This is the 'official' big announcement- from this day forward Caos y Belleza will be a... dun dun dun... FASHION blog. That's right ladies and gentlemen.

I am very grateful to everyone who followed my adventures in the wonderful Buenos Aires, and now I will venture into another sphere of the world(wide web, that is.)

This will be a mix of great online deals on fashion, what other amazing bloggers have their well-trained eyes on, what's to come, what's fleeting season to season, the hottest trends and designs, street fashion, wonderful photography and frankly, anything that catches my Magpie-like eye.

All images I use (unless I mark them as otherwise) are not mine, they are copy-written, and I will do my best to share their copyrights, as well as the site that I scooped them off of. If I use my own work, which I hope to do, I would love it if whoever pulls my pictures off the blog will offer the same courtesy to me.


Enjoy, my fellow fashionistas!