11.15.2012
10 Things Every Woman Should Have, According to Oscar de la Renta (and me)


Harper’s Bazaar always has the best “how to” articles and clearly, when Oscar de la Renta is speaking…I listen.  A few months back I blogged a list of 30 things every woman should have and know by the time she’s 30 but THIS list, is ageless.

1. A great romance.  I don’t have much to say on this subject matter at the moment, sadly, but I do think it’s something that should be on everyone’s list.

2. Face-framing earrings. Luxury always makes me feel better, even when it’s not actually expensive.

3. A small bag. Oscar says it’s “full of mystery,” which I love.  WHO doesn’t love a mystery?  You’re left wondering, what could she possibly even carry in that teeny, tiny purse?

4. Black lace. Extremely feminine, extremely sexy…flattering on everyone.

5. A confident walk. Probably the most important, a confident walk just exudes happiness.  Oscar says “you have to walk like you have three men walking behind you.”  AMAZING.

6. A cause to support. Truth be told, volunteering every Monday for an at-risk teen girls home has consistently been one of the highlights of my week for over a year now. There’s something about being passionate about a cause that, even when you’re feeling fat, down in the dumps, etc. just makes you feel like you have a purpose.

7. Red carnations. Carnations can be attractively tacky and, even though I’m not sure where Oscar was really going with this, I still support anything red.

8. A signature scent. Narciso Rodriguez for Her has been my signature scent since, oh…around 2006ish?  Swear to god, every time I wear it, a guy will tell me how amazing I smell.

9. Very tall shoes. As a former Manhattan dweller, I was always anti-high heel…mainly due to the fact that I always had to walk everywhere and wearing 6 inch heels in the snow and/or rain is a recipe for disaster.  However, now that I’m in LA (and driving like it’s my job), I’m way into it.  They make your legs look slimmer and instantly improve posture. GO.

10. A competitive streak. It’s funny how sometimes this can develop later on in life, no?  I never considered myself a competitive person growing up BUT, as I got older, I suddenly found myself wanting to win. EVERYTHING.  ALL of the time.  Most of the time, it’s a good quality to have…as long as I reign it in, when necessary.  My friends know what I’m talking about here, ha.


08.08.2012
Gwen Stefani on the September cover of Harper’s Bazaar!

I love, love, love Gwen Stefani and really, any time she graces the cover of a magazine, I melt a little bit inside.  You can read the full article here and highlights are below.

On her body:

While she is (no pun intended) no doubt proud of her physique, it’s not Gwen’s favorite topic of conversation. “I hate talking about my body [all the time]; it’s ridiculous,” she says, referring to the number of times someone has asked how to get her six-pack abs. “There is no secret: You just have to eat healthy, work out, and torture yourself!” Jumping around onstage for a few hours for thousands of screaming fans is great cardio, and she says she hits the gym when her hectic mother-of-two schedule allows. “But it’s more for my brain than it is for my body.” Not that it’s all about mental health. On how she stays sample-size: “I like to wear clothes too much, so I try to keep focused.”

On her platinum blonde hair:

“Do you think Marilyn Monroe had to talk about this?” she asks, smiling. “Well, I heard she did hers with a Q-tip every 10 days, so I try to follow Marilyn’s rule.” I mention that she’s never been photographed with dark roots, and she points to the houndstooth fedora she is wearing. “And you’ll never see me with roots either.”

On why she’s in it for the music:

“We didn’t even do it because we were trying to make it. Now everybody wants to be famous. It doesn’t even matter what you do,” Gwen says. “Let me tell you how that first record happened: My boyfriend had broken up with me and I was devastated, so I wrote all these songs. I didn’t even know I could write. I was just a girl who was in love with this guy, then suddenly I’m a songwriter, and I’ve gotten you back so good. I went from being nothing, from being an ordinary, nerdy girl, to having power.”

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