Girls Rule, Boys Drool

After a very enticing Armani Jeans ad endorsed by professional soccer player/sex symbol Christiano Ronaldo was released last year, a similarly styled short has been created for all the fellas out there to enjoy. Even though I am partial to Christiano's for obvious reasons, even I can't denounce Megan Fox's level of hotness.

Bikini Season has come early!

Want to be a part of the next big thing in San Diego?

Bikini Week, slated for May of 2011, is the third annual swimwear fashion expo to hit the streets of San Diego.  With the Bikini Week production team backing Parris Harris next Saturday, Kress Nightclub will be putting on a swimwear fashion presentation previewing the looks that will be shown in both the Bikini Week Tour and Bikini Week San Diego.

BWT commences later this month, touring seven spring break destination cities including Lake Havasu, Palm Springs and Las Vegas.  Each stop will comprise of multiple fashion presentations, photo shoots and promotional events.  Once the tour has ended, focus will shift to the mainstage in San Diego where a whopping SEVEN DAY EXPO will commence all over the city.  Bikini Week San Diego is on its third run under direction of ASC's Michael Lee McGriff, and will be bigger and better than ever with production assistance from outside contractors, interns, and none other than GO Fashion!

The goal of Bikini Week San Diego is not just to showcase the latest and greatest of the swimwear industry's trends, but also to provide a retail aspect to vendors seeking interaction with their customers.  Since ASR has been cancelled from the San Diego list of events, vendors and brands participating in this one of a kind event are given the opportunity to sell directly with those looking to buy: not retailers, but CONSUMERS.  Details regarding the separate presnetations, events and trade shows will be updated on the BWSD website once the tour has commenced.

During Bikini Week Tour and Bikini Week San Diego, three contests will run concurrent to the fashion events.  The following categories open to the public:

-All American Bikini Girl
-All American Bikini Designer
-All American Bikini Photographer

In addition to contest participants, the Bikini Week staff is seeking interns for the following categories:

-Social Media
-Model Dressing
-VIP hosting
-Research & Promotion

If you are interested in participating in any of this unique, exciting, FUN opportunities or for more information on the tour, Bikini Week San Diego and the contests running from now until June, check out the Bikini Week 2011 website!

TB Insider brought to you by Trendy Blair

Huge news in Fashion people!!  My good friend Trendy Blair has gotten the up to date news on Galliano's status at Maison de Dior, check it out!

Although it is sad to see you go John, anti-Semitism is so last century!

Aur Revoir Galliano!

Project Ethos gets FLUXXed up in San Diego

Project Ethos, a production hybrid that elegantly brings together various artistic mediums into fabulous one night showcases, has returned to San Diego for another enticing presentation.  This past weekend, the PE team combined live art installations with a stellar musical performance by MANN and a high fashion runway show.  Local designers were showcased at the exclusive event, including Tatiana Zaykovskaya (Tatiana Z), Keisha Audrey (Keisha Audrey  Designs), Yrenne Landeros, Kenneth Barlis, Stacie Tailor (Stacie May), Cardiwrap By Kymaro and Frederick’s of Hollywood Swimwear.  Frederick's, known for their sexy lingerie and lounge wear, is launching their new swim line exclusively at PE events across the country this season.

The show had many different aspects that either delivered or failed to deliver the results typical of Project Ethos shows.  Although the production standards were definitely met, and in some cases exceeded, some of the designers were far less couture than others and like most locally sourced shows, some of the models seemed more comfortable in their skin than others.   The opening musical performance was more impressive than I expected, although I must admit I didn't expect much since I had never heard of MANN or his hit single "Buzzin", and set the mood for a fun laid pack evening.   Once the music and lights lowered and the fashion presentation began, a very strange ballet performance was used to mark the start of the runway show.  It seemed as though models tried to use ballet as an artistic measure, but it came across like the producers were trying to hard.  Ballet has a few verticals that cross over into runway, but the vibe set by the musical performance and later in the music, choreography and styles used in the show did not have anything remotely relevant to ballet or its grace.

Overall, as much as San Diego is in dire need of a fashion element, the designers based out of San Diego seem to lack in some of the creatiive genius that makes LA, New York and Miami all renowned for their fashion scenes.  Of all of the designer sets, the only one's I could really find use for were Cardiwrap By Kymaro, Tatiana Z and Yrenne Landeros.  

Cardiwrap was the opening scene and although I could not stand the spandex harem pants (bleck!), the chameleon like quality of the upper half of the looks was practical and pleasant.  After a typically cheap looking collection from Frederick's swim wear line, Stacie May's retro boho looks were playful but her prints made me dizzy with discomfort.  The next two acts I won't even dwell on; the ghetto prom collection by Kenneth Barlis and the horrendous DIY carpet collection by Keisha Audrey were straight up beat.  Most of this time was spent sipping champagne and making sure my flyaway's were behaving... 

Cardiwrap By Kimaro

Then, like a beacon of light, came the most fun presentation of the bunch.  Yrenne Landeros' garments were by far the best.  With a trendy-feminine theme showing off mini hem's, rompers and cutouts, the designer utilized playful colors and patterns with bursts reds and yellows that really spoke to not only the vibrancy of the line and its birthplace, but also the vitaminwater zero challenge incorporated by the producers of PE.  Her music was hip, the models had fun and most importantly, virtually all of the looks were 100% wearable.  The hot item that grabbed everyone's eye was a yellow skirt laden with black leather straps, giving off an edgy vibe that was seriously lacking from every other collection that came down the runway.  Her tribal print cutout dress was ravishing and if I could pick one item to wear outta that place, that would have been it.

The famous yellow skirt!  Bangin!

The Tatiana Z collection came at the end and was one of the most well rounded collections of the evening.  Complete with gorgeous maxi dresses and fun cocktail dresses with couture ruffles incorporated (a bit avant garde, but street friendly), the designers evening wear set was feminine, contemporary and chic.  Her peace sign handbag was a hit and was an example of how functionally she utilized her accessories.

Tatiana Z from the front row

Overall, it was nice to see a fully produced show at a premier venue in San Diego, but in the right hands, the producers could have been somewhat more selective with their designers.  It's about quality not quantity, I would have much rather watched a shorter version highlighting my three faves then sitting through the agony of some of the other segments.

In addition to the presentations given over the course of the evening, there were a few local industry and socialite sightings that were note worthy.  Amy Grace Winn of Grace Styling sat front row at the seven segment fashion show, right across the runway from Project Runway's own Gordana Gehlhausen.   Also spotted was the GO Fashion team, another up and coming fashion event production company born out of San Diego.  

i got soul but i'm not a soldier

I have finally given in and accepted American Idol into my life.  I have always thought the show was such a reflection of mainstream music fads and tasteless competitors desperate to get on TV.  I don't know if it's J Lo's wardrobe or Stephen Tyler's lips, but I have suddenly taken a long overdue liking to this incredibly commercialized show.  Besides the charismatic judge additions though, the music being performed on the show - even during auditions- has gotten better.  From Casey Abrams from the LA audition who got down with "Don't Need No Doctor" to Stefano from San Francisco's casting singing Marvin Gaye's "I Heard it Through the Grapevine", I started to think maybe it is possible that not all of the people on this show are wannabe Justin and Christina's...

I have been listening to a lot of Motown jams and Jazz standards lately, getting through my workdays with the Temptations station on Pandora and spending my evenings with Ella Fitzgerald on vinyl.  Maybe it was when I was sick and spending three whoppin hours watching The Temptations on VH-1, or maybe it was my dad's vintage taste in records, but something about the sound of a warm, deep soulful voice just speaks to me.

Fashion 2.0

It is nice to see when two very different worlds collide to build a harmonious relationship.  My two loves, technology and fashion, have made some major progress in their growing relationship over the past few years.  Through multiple vehicles including inspiring viral videos, all access backstage footage for the public to view, social media deals and web development innovations, fashion companies have been very vocal about their views.  The integration of these exciting new processes and agents have not only helped designers communicate to their audiences more effectively, but also help the growing fashion community express their own views to the designers they know and love.

One of my favorite things to do in the morning is check out Mashable's top stories and nothing gets me more buzzed then seeing fashion pop up in one of their showcased headlines.  Beyond the realms of fashion blogging and the plethora of viral videos that have been created by world renowned designers such as Karl Lagerfeld, there are other avant-garde ideas popping up on the web that fashionistas must check out.

One of the more recent article I stumbled upon involve live fashion advice from experts and/or consumers.  Delivered in the form of both mobile app's and websites, these forums are the answer to every indecisive shopper's dilemma.  Glamour Magazine's Ask A Stylist iPhone app has assisted many, utilizing the mobile photo upload function to broadcast your question to a professional stylist or to your peers via one of your social media networks.  This is genius!!!  If I had this app on my phone during college I probably could have afforded a much more selective wardrobe.

E-vite techniques have also become widely popular among bidding and bargain sites for high end apparel and accessories on sites like Rue La La and Gilt.  The access these sites give to designer duds at extremely outrageous (in a good way) prices has made it so simple for any aspiring A-lister to look sharp.

The more fashion mobilizes its inner nerd, the more us fashion freaks are able to continue shopping the looks we love in easy, affordable ways.  And the more state-of-the-art functions fashion can perform, the better!