Time For Action

We have all heard the old adage "Actions Speak Louder Then Words" but we all don't live by it. Lately I have encountered several people who talk a good game but those words are unsupported by their actions. People need to start to make the distinction between action and intention. To intend to do something or convey something is one thing, but it is not actually DOING IT. We are all guilty of it. It is about literally taking the steps toward bringing congruency between what you intend to do and what you actually do.

What have you been intending to do? call a friend? apologize for hurting someone? correct a mistake? take up a hobby? Whatever it is the time is now for some ACTION. No more excuses, No more intention and No words necessary ... Get up and DO IT! What are you waiting for? to be a year older? or for more precious time to pass you by? You will thank yourself later, I promise.

Pretty Peplum's

I never thought I would see the day; the resurrection of the peplum. I remember them from the 80's and I now see them on the runways! Once again, the Fashion industry is based on the recycling and re-working of ideas from days gone by. To me, this is why Vintage clothing is SO CHIC! and at Evolution Vintage why I can Re-Style Fashion's past current. The origin of the peplum was not in the 80's but all the way pack to the 1920's when it rocked frocks in a different forms.

Peplum Suit Design Sketch - 1930's 

 PEPLUM: A Short, flared, gathered or pleated piece of fabric attached at the waist of a woman's jacket, dress or blouse. A peplum has many forms: At Givenchy on a sleeveless top.

A Vintage 1980's "Puff Peplum" in a floral print (Sex and the City Movie 1)

And in 2012

Basic Black

Evolution Vintage 1980's Black Dress

Polka Dot Peplum

Peplum with Pants

Peplum in a Print

Animal print at Evolution Vintage (Detachable Peplum)

Peplum a la Celeb

Pouty in a Peplum

Can YOU be Pretty in a Peplum???

So Glovely

I am totally in love with the Patricia Field Half gloves ($48) I purchased as a Pre-Christmas gift to myself. I love to go to her website for a treat now and then. 

So for Spring/Summer I have to say the most GLOVELY thing is fingerless gloves.

Any fashionsita knows that as of late design genius Karl Lagerfeld has been King of the gloves and been rocking them down the runway since about 2002/2003. Post dramatic weight loss he changed his signature look and added the gloves.

I am in LOVE with the CHANEL fingerless gloves in black and white!

And even thumbless they are super CHIC!

Rianna is SO GLOVELY in these too

Can afford the CC pair? Don't worry once again Pat Field has something for all you GLOVERs out there.

MINI-Fingerless Gloves $34

SPY Fingerless Gloves $42

Exploring Carnism

I have been a Vegetarian for almost 5 years and soon to be a full VEGAN and I find myself over and over again defending or justifying my choice to not consume meat to friends, family and strangers. Today I had a carnivorous friend tell me that she took the time to watch "Meet your Meat", "If Slaughterhouses Had Glass Walls" (Narrated by Paul McCartney) and "Meat is Not Green". She is now questioning her meat eating and never realized or made the connection that what was on her plate is brutally treated and then slaughtered for "her taste buds".

Many meat eaters sit at home and chow down on a steak while they pet their cats, or spend hundreds of dollars a month on their dogs (food, grooming, etc) and eat chicken. I was once that person and now feel ashamed and a little daft that I did not make the connection.

I wanted to share an interesting theory as to why/how we as humans can make that disconnect (besides rationalizing unhealthy behaviour). Melanie Joy (PhD) explains "Carnism" in this short video clip.

It is the psychological phenomenon behind why people eat certain animals and not others.

Check out Dr. Joy's Book "Why We Love Dogs, Eat Pigs, and Wear Cows" if you want to explore the subject in greater depth.

Get Waisted ~ With Glitter

I love accessories, shoes, scarves, cocktail rings, cuffs AND BELTS! the last time I "got waisted" was with a mix of scarves, belts and ties to add drama to your mid section. This time it is with GLITTER.

Designer Christine Brown of GLITZY GLAMOURLOU has created the most amazing Bow Belts that I feel compelled to share with those of you who share my obsession with sparkle!

If you are also as obsessed with Fashion reality TV as I am you may recognize Christine from the Bravo TV Series "Mad Fashion"

Back to the Glitzy GLAM bow belts; How does she do it? They are made from FAUX Alligator materials and secured with a double snap. They come in a variety of colours and would GLAM up any little black dress! Sizes Range from XS (23-24") - XL (31-32"). She also takes CUSTOM orders if you require a larger size to accent your fabulous curves!

I chatted with Christine recently about her creations;

LISA: What inspires you to design?

CHRISTINE: Getting to be in control of every part of the process is what inspires me to design. When I buy something off the rack there's always something that I wish I could change, I may love the silhouette but the fabric feels cheap or the color is not right. By being the designer I get to make sure all those things are exactly how I want them to be, which means I get my one of a kind dream dress every time:)

LISA: Where does your passion for GLITZ come from?

CHRISTINE: I was born with a passion for glitz! I'm always wearing something glitzy. It makes me feel polished.

LISA: Are all your belts hand made?

CHRISTINE: Yes, all my bow belts are handmade by me :)

LISA: Tell us about your other collections.

CHRISTINE: I like to create mini collections because I think they're more fun. My very first collection "Pretty Pretty Princess" consisted of bright, frilly, party dresses with lots of tulle and LOTS of rhinestones. My second collection "Let Them Eat Cake" was inspired by Marie Antoinette and the the pastel colors seen throughout Versaille. In order to create the very structural silhouettes, I made the fabric by layering different vinyls together and I hand painted the lace with pearlized pastel paints to give it a rich look. I used lots of spray glitter, pearls and rhinestones to really make it shimmer and I had roses and butterflies made from the fabric I had created to use as embellishments. (This has been favorite collection so far!) My last collection " Mommy and Me" consisted of colorful matching shift dresses for women, children and dogs. I wore most of these in season one of Mad Fashion and my puppy "Babs" made her debut in one as well!

LISA: If you had one piece of STYLE advice for my readers what would it be?

CHRISTINE: My one piece of style advice is to have things altered. It makes such a huge difference!

Want to get your sparkle on??? SAVE 25% off your purchase using code EVOLUTIONVINTAGE

Kardashian Kopy

I love how history repeats itself over and over through the beautiful and vast land of FASHION! We all know that what was once old eventually becomes "new" again and fashions past always inspires fashion's future.

The same can be said about advertising in fashion. I just saw this ad for the Kardashian Kollection at Sears

and I was instantly reminded of the 1988 Gianni Versace ad campaign shot by the late, great Richard Avedon

Just a random observation ...

Who Shops the Kardashian Kollection for Sears?? Tell me what your FAV pieces are.

Mommy I want a T21 Barbie

World Down Syndrome Day has just passed and I blogged yesterday about teaching our children as they are the one's who suffer at the hands of our (parents/adults) influence; right or wrong. They are naturally unassuming and non-judgemental I feel. It is not until we put our own biases, opinions, likes and dislikes on them by way of modelling, do they form "opinions" about people, places or things that surround them in the world.

I also thought a lot about the benefits of play and what children play with and how it influences their opinions and view of the world. We are still susceptible as adults to influence of images and items to tell us what "Beautiful" looks like or is supposed to look like. You can then imagine the influence toys have on children and their perception of beauty.

Barbie is a teacher to children. She comes in many forms, face shapes, skin colors, and cultural backgrounds. Her body shape has yet to change (but that is a whole other blog) but I noticed a group not represented; people with Down Syndrome (or Trisomy 21 - T21). Barbie has come a long way since her debut in 1959. She has evolved to include a vast array of ethnic and cultural groups, mixed races, celebrities and more.

Kimora Lee Simmons Barbie ~ A beautiful mixed race face!

BUT WHERE IS THE T21 BARBIE MATTEL?

Let's do the math from a business perspective, because let's be real it is all about the dollars and cents to large corporations.

There are approximately 5.8 MILLION people worldwide with Down Syndrome (Approx 400,000 in the United States). They all have a family, siblings, friends, classmates and others who love them and are DOWN with inclusion. That is not to say that they ALL want a Trisomy 21 Barbie, however this is an entire market that has been untapped. Not to mention the millions of children that may want to naturally choose the beautiful Barbie with the almond shaped eyes!

I would love my daughters (bio and step)to be able to play with a T21 Barbie and share with their friends, promote inclusion, respect and tolerance through play! Barbie could use a T21 male counterpart too, move over Ken time for a Blake Barbie ;)

My Challenge to Mattel: Look into this possibility of making Barbie not only chic, global and fun but also representative to everyone! I will offer my services to creatively consult on the line!

I think Barbies creator Ruth Handler intended Barbie to be accessible and representative to all, don't you?

A World DS Celebration!

Today is World Down Syndrome Day ~ Cleverly selected on March 21 (3:21) as to represent the 3 copies of the 21st chromosome! 21 March 2012 marks the 7th anniversary of World Down Syndrome Day and for the first time TODAY will be officially observed by the United Nations.

The most important message of today is that people with Down Syndrome are more alike than they are different. They deserve the same respect, opportunities and celebration of their uniqueness in the same manner that each and every other unique human being does.

You can read our story HERE Posted on our friend Tori's blog EdiTORIAL from October's Down Syndrome Awareness Month!! Tori's Down with inclusion and acceptance! xo

I feel that the best we can do to promote acceptance and tolerance is to PRACTICE IT in our daily lives. My 4 year old watches and listens to EVERYTHING and takes her cues from what I model for her. She likes what I like or approve of and "dislikes" what I have an adverse reaction to (ex: Spiders). Educate yourself about the world around you. Not just people with DS but humanity in general. Different races and customs, religions, developmental disabilities, and MORE. We live in an amazingly diverse world that is ripe for discovery. I don't have the naive expectation that we will accept EVERYTHING that this diverse world has to offer but we can all RESPECT it and acknowledge each others differences as just that, Different .. not WRONG. I for one am happy when I am faced with something unique or set apart from what I call the "Herd Mentality".

Words cannot convey how my life has changed over the last 10 months. The evolution and growth has been astonishing to me and all thanks to a little boy with a little something extra! I know Blake will continue to be my greatest teacher and I look forward to all of life's adventures with him and our family.

How will you teach your children? your friends or family? about tolerance, acceptance and LOVE?

How will you CELEBRATE diversity today and all days?

Visit World Down Syndrome Day Page & Support the National Down Syndrome Society

Check out my fried Kelle's Blog & her NEW BOOK BLOOM!

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The Look Of The Irish

June Haver 1940’s

Another St. Patrick's Day is upon us and today I reflect on my McGee heritage. My mother's side of the house is 100% IRISH hailing from Tipperary (Irish: Tiobraid Árann) which is a town and a civil parish in South Tipperary in Ireland. My Great/Great Grandparents were married in the Kilcooley Abbey. To my McGee clan St. Patrick's Day has always been celebrated with food, drink, song and a wee jig.

An Old Irish Blessing: May love and laughter light your days, and warm your heart and home. May good and faithful friends be yours, wherever you may roam. May peace and plenty bless your world with joy that long endures. May all life's passing seasons bring the best to you and yours!

Want the LOOK of the Irish?? ~ Check out some fabulous Irish inspired "Green" pieces from EVOLUTION VINTAGE