Wednesday 31 December 2014

Tuesday 30 December 2014

Dress For The Theater of Your Life Everyday, Especially the Holidays.

Lynn Dell Cohen dresses for the theater of her life everyday, so she had no problem looking absolutely smashing for a holiday party thrown by our dear friend Carol Markel. Here is a little excerpt from a poem by Carol from her wonderful blog http://femmeetfleur.blogspot.com :


With happiness I must cheer,
we made it through another year.

With health issues only minor,
we can say that we feel finer.

To all our friends, both far and wide,
we refrain from comments snide.
Advanced Style ladies both classic and quirky,
May your holiday dinner be tofurky.

Monday 29 December 2014

Friday 26 December 2014

Wednesday 24 December 2014

The Color of Life

Text by Sue Kreitman

How old am I? Somewhere between my mid seventies, and eternity. By the time my mother was my age, she was dead for 25 years, so you can understand why I consider growing old an adventure and a privilege.

But I must tell you that I am not really an old lady; just cleverly disguised as one. Art and colour keep me young, keep me sane. Working as I do as an untutored ‘outsider’ artist is my therapy, my medicine, my joy and my purpose in life.  

I mentor and support visionary young artists and a few old ones as well. I create and curate iconoclastic art exhibitions. My life has purpose and my mind and imagination are always going full tilt.

Colour surrounds me: I revel in it, splash it everywhere, gulp it with a spoon. I am immersed in art. I make it, collect it, it fills and defines my existence. Childish, shamanistic, wild and anarchic, it is as far outside the box as it is possible to be. Box?? There is no box!

When I leave the house, I cannot bear to leave my collections and creations behind. So I wrap, festoon, curate myself before I sashay out into the world. The kimonos I wear everyday are hand painted by Diane Goldie, or collaged by Lauren Shanley, or designed by me, and stitched together by a local tailor.  My necklaces are art objects, usually rather large, and created by me, or by artist friends.

How lucky I am: relatively healthy, a supportive family, a wild assortment of vivid and talented friends. At this age, we may not be dead yet, but we can almost see it from here. It’s the Memento Mori thing: remember death, but choose life for as long as you possibly can.

Be bold, be adventurous.  Do profound things, dazzle yourself and the world. Contribute to society, and live large. Life is short, make every moment count. It is never too late to find your passion.
http://www.suekreitzman.com

Tuesday 23 December 2014

Romero's Mom

I have been excited to meet makeup artist, Romero Jennings', gorgeous mother ever since someone tagged #advancedstyle on a photo of her from his instagram page. I have been following their stylish adventures ever since. Nancy was an absolute joy to photograph and didn't even complain when we took her outside on a cold winter's day to take some more shots. I asked Romero to share a few words about his stunning mother below:

My mom was born in Panama in the 30" but lived a big portion of her life in Jamaica. The influence of both cultures makes her an excellent cook! Nancy comes from a line of stylish women. Her mother made all her own clothing which allowed her to spend plenty of money on beautiful shoes and jewelry!
Nancy loves hearing all my tales of life backstage at fashion week! She feels somehow that she is there with me in spirit. She especially loves to find out what is hot and what is not! My mom has always been know for her  signature red or shocking pink lipstick and a generous coat of mascara topped off with translucent face powder!
 Of course her favorite makeup brand is M.A.C cosmetics and her go to lipsticks are Candy Yum Yum , which she is wearing in the photos, and her favorite red lipstick -relentlessly red! She has a passion for huge oversized eyeglasses which has now become her signature! Nancy has a passion for fashion and feels that leopard is a neutral that goes with everything! At 75-year-old she still loves going to work every single day.

Monday 22 December 2014

Friday 19 December 2014

Thursday 18 December 2014

A Serendipitous Meeting

I was walking home from a coffee date with Ilona in the West Village when I spotted the stunning woman above. When I approached her to ask for a photograph she replied, "Darling don't you recognize me, it's Emily from Paris." I had photographed Emily two years ago when she was on vacation in France and I was in Paris shooting for my book. It was so much fun to see her again and I can't wait to get together for some more photos after the holidays. Check out Emily's equally fantastic summer travel look below.

Wednesday 17 December 2014

Tuesday 16 December 2014

The turning point in the process of growing up is when you discover the core of strength within you that survives all hurt. ~ Max Lerner


Hello old friends how are you? Hope life is good and treat you kind,  it's been a while right? and looking at number of messages and emails that stacking up in my email, comment on my instagram, my ask.fm complaining about my M.I.A I know some of you miss me so bad....  but you know what? I miss you even more. It's been 10 month and 11 days since my last post, what a bad bad blogger right? I can't believe some of you still send me messages to make some update, because if I were you I will already loose my faith. I miss blogging so much and many times actually tried to make a new post, but something always held me back. But if I don't start I will might just stop, so I was thinking... I have to make post! tonight! no matter what! and here I am.

 By the way, I just realized something it's been years and years of my blogging years and I haven't make any change to my blog layout since century ago and thinking to make a change bit ( years of blogging doesn't improve my html skill at all... at all... so please bare with me... hahaha. )

Been away for so long, we've got so many things to catch up.... let's see what's new? what's new?
well... I'm proudly announce my new brand, it's a bags brand that I build my own called EN.PENS you can check it out in here > EN.PENS <  it's been a busy year for me thanks to EN.PENS and all of my customers of course, I'm must say I'm so overwhelmed by the response ( overwhelmed in a very happy way!) . How can't I? when the bags that is suppose for 3 month stock, sold out within a week? you're all the best! I think I should make a special post for more story and detail about my brand, :)

Have I told you that I have my own column in one of the best ( if not the best) teen magazine in my country ? yes I'm a blogger columnist for GoGirl! magazine. It's actually been more than a year or so. Received so many heart warming feed back about my column, couldn't be more happier! Couldn't help to not feel like a little Carrie Bradshaw every time I typing my article in my laptop ( again, planning to share more detail about this in separated post ) for everyone who told me that they missed my writings, ramblings and all, I'm actually still writing and sharing things in my article every month.

What else? oh! I'm having DIY book project with some other blogger and hopefully will be out in January, so excited! *hint I will show you how to make porcelain blazer inspired by Roberto Cavalli in a very low budget... hohoho...

And few months back you can find my face in The Body Shop store all around my country, yes I've become The body shop ambassador for tea tree collection and  colour crush, not something I used to do, but because it's The Body Shop it's whole different story, I use their products since I can remember, my papa always bought buckets and buckets of their prouducts, it's growing on me. So it's like meant to be.

I have braces on now.

I'm freakin 10th grader now! yeah officially high school girl... *wink

No ... still no boyfriend. 

The last but not least, I found myself change a lot this year. 2013 and 2014 will be the year that I will remember my whole life, because aside from great things that happened to me,  2013 is the year where I lost the most precious thing in my life, my reason to breathe, my half, my everything and 2014 is the year where I learned to survive through it. There's so many moment I can just collapse and couldn't breathe just by the memory of it. An event that changed my life drastically, turned my life upside down, I've never been so crushed before and when I learn to passed through it I found myself wiser, not stronger only wiser, because I've never been vulnerable like I am right now, I will be forever have this big deep hole of ache in me. This is probably the real reason I can't blogging these past 10 months, it's hard to do something when your reason to live was not with you anymore and all you can do is make yourself so busy so you don't have time to think about it. I'll share with you when I'm ready. It can be tomorrow or years from now. Who knows.

That is all I can remember for now... but you can always look up to my instagram @nuhevita for more news and all, I shared my daily life there. I know it's been a crazy years and I keep myself busy to the point I feel exhausted but this is what life about, we're human, carry on, move on, survive with the best efforts. People around me keep telling me to take some rest, play and have parties like girls my age should, I told them that being busy it's the only thing that keep me sane right now, this is my kind of party. Loud musics, dark places with crazy lighting never been my thing after all.


When I stand before God at the end of my life, I would hope that I would not have a single bit of talent left, and could say, 'I used everything you gave me'.

Erma Bombeck 

So here I am now, going 16 and wiser than I ever before, I learned so many things in this couple of years and hopefully can share things with you. Because all I know right now is to live the best I can like my old man always wants me to. 


Life is full of beauty. Notice it. Notice the bumble bee, the small child, and the smiling faces. 
Smell the rain, and feel the wind. Live your life to the fullest potential,
 and fight for your dreams.

Ashley Smith

http://www.sheinside.com/Black-White-Long-Sleeve-Striped-Top-With-Purple-Skirt-p-184049-cat-1780.html#goods_description_top

Cute striped top and Purple skirt ( they actually a set ) from Sheinside // Bag EN.PENS 


http://www.sheinside.com/Black-White-Long-Sleeve-Striped-Top-With-Purple-Skirt-p-184049-cat-1780.html#goods_description_top

http://www.sheinside.com/Black-White-Long-Sleeve-Striped-Top-With-Purple-Skirt-p-184049-cat-1780.html#goods_description_top

http://www.sheinside.com/Black-White-Long-Sleeve-Striped-Top-With-Purple-Skirt-p-184049-cat-1780.html#goods_description_top

http://www.sheinside.com/Black-White-Long-Sleeve-Striped-Top-With-Purple-Skirt-p-184049-cat-1780.html#goods_description_top

http://www.sheinside.com/Black-White-Long-Sleeve-Striped-Top-With-Purple-Skirt-p-184049-cat-1780.html#goods_description_top

http://instagram.com/enpens

http://www.sheinside.com/Black-White-Long-Sleeve-Striped-Top-With-Purple-Skirt-p-184049-cat-1780.html#goods_description_top




Monday 15 December 2014

Ruth and Anne Marie

Lina and I have had the pleasure to meet so many creative and inspiring people throughout our travels with the film.The Advanced Style Documentary always attracts the most wonderfully dressed audiences!  When Ruth and Anne Marie entered the movie theater for one of our IDFA screenings, we couldn't stop admiring their fantastic combinations of patterns and color. After the screening I had the chance to take some photos of this dynamic duo. Read more about their stylish friendship below:

It all began in 1973. Ruth started a shop with secondhand clothes, vintage,
in the 'Jordaan' in Amsterdam. In 1975 Anne-Marie came along in her shop,
mostly on Saturdays, because she worked as a X-ray assistant during the week.
  
Later she continued coming to Ruth’s other new shop in the same street.
We were both very interested in fashion & style, so we talked about it and started
visiting each other.

In 1980 and 1981 Ruth had her daughters Eva & Esther, so she was very busy with that, and Anne-Marie was busy with her new relationship. We had less contact then.
But in spite of our different lives we kept in touch throughout the years.

These last years we made some city trips, f.e. Paris, Lisbon. We visit markets together and sometimes sell vintage clothes & bric-à-brac.
And since the last 5 years we have been getting a lot of attention whenever we are together on special occasions, like fashion shows and openings.

We never tell each other what we are going to wear, but we always match as we share more or less the same style. We call it a mixed style since it is a combination of vintage, second hand and designer clothes.We always have so much fun!

Friday 12 December 2014

Jennifer Dolan: A Mother's Influence

Jennifer Dolan with her daughter Amanda
Earlier this week I went to Greenwich, Connecticut to photograph a fabulous new woman for the blog. I met Jennifer Dolan's daughter, Amanda, at the post office last month after she stopped to tell me how much she enjoyed the Advanced Style Documentary. She said that I must meet her mother and quickly followed up with an email full of wonderful photos. I loved Jennifer's mix of east coast prep with futuristic style elements inspired by her love of Star Trek. Amanda, Jennifer, and I had a lovely afternoon filled lively conversation and memories of our beloved grandmothers. Check out how Jennifer and her mother LaLa inspired Amanda's creative journey below:  


“I was Never Afraid to Make a Statement”
-Jennifer Dolan, 68, Greenwich, Connecticut

My Mother was born with Courage. It must have started In Utero. Her Mother, Lilyan (called ‘LaLa’ by Us Grandkids) was the Original Style Statement Maker. With flaming red hair and an ever present matching Strawberry Lip- she never left the house without looking iconic. Leopard Print, Rhinestones, and False Eyelashes were her Basics. She lit the Style-Courage Revolution Torch..which then was passed on to my Mother..

Mom carries that torch to this day.. She fanned its flames in the 1960’s- becoming a trailblazer as the first Woman Student at The University of Miami’s Accounting Program.  

Having the Moxie to be both Beautiful, Stylish AND Smart..she went on to become one of the Vice Presidents of the New York Times Company for the next thirty years.

Her boldness continued to burn bright throughout two bouts with Breast and Ovarian Cancer.  With a bold red lip and an array of colorful turbans Mom fought her illness with ultimate grace, pluckiness and an unwavering will to move forward..

Retired and in good health now.. she still makes a stylish declaration every single day. A Mix of the Classics with a Futuristic Modern Twist- A Mom of all Ages. 

And so now this torch is being passed to me..Will I be afraid to make my own statement? The answer is no. I started my Vintage Clothing business already backed by The Greats..a bloodline of Fearless Supernovas. Generations of women before me who lit the Spark.  

Mom taught me that if you have Courage in Your Personal life, then You Undoubtedly have Courage in Your Personal Style. The two go Hand and Hand.. So shine Bright.

By: Amanda Dolan, 32, New York, New York
Founder of SparkPretty.com

Thursday 11 December 2014

Wednesday 10 December 2014

Tuesday 9 December 2014

Market Style

I loved discovering the Noordermarkt upon my last visit to Amsterdam. The market was filled with incredible food, great vintage clothing, wonderful people to photograph. This woman had a huge crowd waiting for her homemade jam, but she took a quick second to allow me to take her picture. You can tell that she takes pride in what she does and I love how elegantly she looks for a cold morning's full of work. All of the market vendors had unique looks perfectly complimenting their wares. I highly recommend a trip to the Noordermarkt when in Amsterdam and make sure to buy some of this woman's delicious jam.

Monday 8 December 2014

Reflections

It's been a while since my last visit with author, Alice Carey. She's been traveling back and forth from her home in Ireland working on the finishing touches to the Irish version of her book, I'll Know It When I See It.  Alice is a wonderful storyteller. I love how she is able to reflect upon her past through wonderful descriptions of her style -- each piece of clothing tells a story. Check out Alice Carey's latest thoughts below:

At some point during this photo shoot with Ari, I looked down at my kilt and remembered wearing one a long time ago.  There I am with my mother at CLEARYS, Dublin, buying a kilt quite like this one.  Yet that kilt was a girl’s.  This one is a man’s, complete with jacket that I bought at a Vintage Ireland Antique Fair.

My kilt was another reminder that I’m no longer a girl.  Yet part of me is still a girl - plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose.  “The more it changes, the more it stays the same” - while the woman I am has drifted away from her.

In some ways we’re still the same.  We both wear kilts.  We both wear tweed jackets and sensible shoes.  Even though I sometimes think about buying a pair of ‘manolos’, I stick with Doc Martin.

After Ari left, I walked along the river remembering that girl.  There she is in a nice navy blazer and kilt striding along beside me.  Isn’t she the cat’s meow!  And here I am, an older woman, still I hope, the cat’s meow.     

Friday 5 December 2014

Carla Palermo Revisited

Last time I was in Amsterdam I stumbled upon a great vintage store with an even more wonderful owner, Carla Palermo. I visited Carla's shop again last week when I was in Holland for my TEDx talk. Carla looked as splendid as always and we had a very fun time looking around the store and catching up. If you happen to be in Amsterdam stop in and say hello for me:
Carla Palermo on Huidenstraat 4.

Thursday 4 December 2014

Market Style

 
I always meet the most interesting people at local markets and antique fairs. This striking gentleman was selling vintage coats when I stopped him for a photo. He told me that he used to train prize race horses in Spain. I'll have to come back to Amsterdam soon to hear the rest of his wonderful stories.

Wednesday 3 December 2014

Tuesday 2 December 2014

Monday 1 December 2014

"This is my Ferrari, for now."

Last Friday I had the honor of speaking at the 2014 session of TEDxAmsterdam. It was such an incredible experience getting to meet so many fascinating people and a pleasure to hear them share their inspired stories on stage.  I was lucky to have my dear friend and muse, Debra Rapoport, accompany me on stage to share her story on aging with creativity. If you would like to watch our TEDxAmsterdam talk CLICK HERE.

I have been taking a lot of pictures while out and about in Amsterdam. This wonderful woman was sitting a booth at the Noordermarkt when I asked if I could take her photograph. After a few quick snaps she announced proudly, "This is my Ferrari, for now."

Friday 28 November 2014