The boyfriend blazer still going....

The boyfriend blazer has found new sophistication and will be with us as a part of 2010 fashion trends.
How to wear a boyfriend blazer you ask? There are two, simple rules for wearing the boyfriend blazer...
Make it oversized
Any boyfriend fashion trend is about wearing clothing that looks a size too big for you, hence, as if you've borrowed it from your boyfriend. It's no different with the boyfriend blazer fashion trend here. The key is to only go up one size, it shouldn't swallow you. Look to have the jacket's shoulders coming no more than an inch and a half away from your own, perfect for accented shoulders.
Roll up your sleeves
This is a crucial element of the boyfriend blazer trend. Rolling or pushing up the sleeves on the blazer goes to balance out the look by implying that the sleeves would otherwise be too long for your arms; also exposing the wrists to make the look more feminine.

Jessica Stylist/Model

Alexander McQueen

I know that it has been a while since Mr.McQueen tragically took his life February 11th, but I still stop and think "Why did he have to go and do that?" Now we have one less of the few who are amazing.

I love fashion, quite the cliche, and I could not afford Alexander McQueen, but I always followed his style, and I eventually acquired one of his dresses at a sample show. I was elated. It was perfect. It embodied everything that he was known for. It had the most amazing fabric and techniques; draping, folds, beading, silk-screening, and embroidery. This designer attacked these typical styles in his designs every season.

The layers in his clothing were mind-boggling, as well as the ornamentation. It was definitely a little bit over the top, and most women could not wear his clothing, but it intrigued me to no end.

I need to quote Hal Rubenstein: "Whether it was breathtaking, terrifying, or merely entrancing, he insisted that fashion should haunt, dare, enchant and awake the senses as well as adorn."

Many people might think of fashion as merely a whimsy to take up one's time, but I view it completely differently. To create art takes a vision; to create beautiful clothes is an art; being gifted in the art of sewing, being able to create amazing sculptural and innovative silhouettes.

I am just sad that someone was in such great pain. We should not only celebrate artists, but just being alive. It is a cliche, but sometimes we need to be reminded. Love and peace to all. Lila.

The retouching issue: going au natural

When J. LaMore received its May copy of Marie Claire magazine, the cover pictured a natural-looking Jessica Simpson with the caption, “The Real Jessica: no makeup, no retouching, no regrets” splayed across the front. This revolt against retouching is just the most recent of a handful of publications and celebrities who are embracing The Real Thing: last year French Elle featured a slew of actresses sans makeup (including on the cover), Britney Spears recently convinced Candie’s to release the unretouched pictures of her campaign for the brand along with the retouched (you can get a peek here), and Kim Kardashian and Joy Bryant posed nude AND unretouched for the May issue of Harper’s Bazaar.

After all the debates about too-skinny models, unrealistic beauty standards and people like Heidi Montag getting horrific amounts of plastic surgery done in the name of perfection, this new trend towards the natural comes as quite the sigh of relief. And the fact that the fashion industry is beginning to realize the standards of perfection they pose on not only regular women, but models and celebrities too, are unhealthy and often unattainable for anyone seems like a step in the right direction towards promoting healthy self-images in women.

The reality of retouching and airbrushing being banished completely, however, is highly improbable. Just a page before Simpson’s no-makeup no-retouch spread is an ad for her shoe and clothing line where she stands, slim, statuesque and glowing with none of the visible beauty marks or lines that appear on her face on the cover. But I don’t think retouching should be entirely eliminated, of course there will be the occasional stray pimple that will not suffice in a beauty ad, but cutting down body parts or making faces glow with a plastic-y sheen isn’t really what consumers want to see anymore. We’ve wised up. We know what’s fake and what’s not and it’s about time publications, advertisers, celebrities and the like acknowledged that no one is perfect. And that’s okay.

See more on this issue.

Mandy
Creative Director

J. LaMore in Madison Magazine

Madison Magazine is a hugely popular magazine for the Madison area featuring articles on local business, dining and my favorite part -the "Style & Shopping " section which lists current fashion items. This months topic was "Get Graphic" - this spring's bold prints are designed to make a statement. The items on there had fun and colorful prints and then I saw this Lauren Moshi "Camilliam Rose" tank from jlamore.com listed on there (April 2010 page 19)..YEAH! I love to see stores that I shop at featured in magazines....Lauren Moshi is a designer who you could definitely get addicted to her clothing and her clothes are worn by the trendiest celebs....Every piece is its own edgy style and makes a fashion statement....I love how the red rose and silver chains pop against the blue.

My other favorite is the Lauren Moshi "Ruffle Rock" Top. Both of these tops would look amazing with a pair of skinnys and a bold pair of heels!

Mandy
Sun Prairie, WI

Wow! What great dresses!

Hi Jennifer and gang! I just saw the new arrivals and these two dresses by Susana Monaco really caught my eye. Both of them are so beautiful! The colors and the style are the perfect combination for me. Actually, all the Susana Monaco dresses and tops are fantastic.

Nice job you guys.

Lynn
Los Angeles, CA

Beating the Office Blahs :)

When the weather starts to warm up I start to get Spring fever :) I mean...who doesn't? Going to the office and staying there 9-5 is always a struggle when the sun is calling my name. Here are a couple tips that I found useful to beat the Office Blahs!!!

• Always take a lunch - get a change of scenery for a while, it will keep the creativity up


• Don't fargo vacation days- not taking a break can lead to on the job mistakes and sickness


• Delegate- share the work load with your co-workers, your not the only soul in the office

Hope these tips are helpful :)

Kalyn New York

Chelsea Handler

Hi Friends and Bloggers:
I am a huge fan of Chelsea Handler and her show Chelsea Lately on E! She is soooo funny making fun of celebrities and the latest in headlines. And , of course, you cannot forget her hilarious sidekick Chuy, or affectionately known as, her "lil nugget". If you have not seen this show, try and catch it at least once at 10:00pm(central time) weekdays and see what you think. She is laugh out loud funny but knows when to draw the line on being offensive. She usually has about 20 minutes of a round table with 3 comedians and then one guest interview. She definitely is gaining in popularity and has found a huge following. She origionally started out on a show called "Girls Behaving Badly" and performing stand up comedy and then started her show in 2007.
Her 3rd and newest book just came out called "Chelsea Chelsea Bang Bang". I did not read her other two but heard that both "Are You There Vodka? It's Me Chelsea" and "My Horizontal Life: A Collection of One Night Stands" were both on the New York Times best seller list. I cannot wait to read this book!

ps~If Chelsea Handler is a little to tame for you, there is always Kathy Griffin!

Mandy
Madison, WI

Beer Can Chicken

I absolutely love this simple delicious recipe for cooking a whole chicken!

Beer Can Chicken

1 (4-pound) whole chicken
2 tablespoons vegetable or olive oil
2 tablespoons salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
3 tablespoons of your favorite dry spice rub
1 can beer

Remove neck and giblets from chicken and discard. Rinse chicken inside and out, and pat dry with paper towels. Rub chicken lightly with oil then rub inside and out with salt, pepper and dry rub. Set aside.

Open beer can and take several gulps (make them big gulps so that the can is half full). Place beer can on a solid surface. Grabbing a chicken leg in each hand, plunk the bird cavity over the beer can. Transfer the bird-on-a-can to your grill and place in the center of the grate, balancing the bird on its 2 legs and the can like a tripod.

Cook the chicken over medium-high, indirect heat (i.e. no coals or burners on directly under the bird), with the grill cover on, for approximately 1 1/4 hours or until the internal temperature registers 165 degrees F in the breast area and 180 degrees F in the thigh, or until the thigh juice runs clear when stabbed with a sharp knife.

Remove from grill and let rest for 10 minutes before carving.

I've made this recipe many times and it turns out amazing! Enjoy!

Jennifer

Love the Smokey Eyes. . . !

Hi everyone: I've been on a ten day holiday in the country and now I'm back at work from the much needed break.

On my break, I spent a few days at a spa in South Hampton and it was absolutely wonderful. Massages, mani-pedi's and I got my hair and make-up done as a nice little treat. As most of you know I love makeup and the professional at the spa was raving about the smokey eye look.

The smokey eye is a myriad of pastel purples and blues with pops of cream, white, and black—and this young gal captured the palette perfectly, all on one eye. According to her, the eyes reflect “amped-up” versions of the hues that you would see in a garden; lavender becomes a striking amethyst tone, pale blue transforms into a silvery aqua, and cream comes forth as gold. All swirl around the white of the eye, with bold black liner and fringe as a frame. This look is so soft and pleasing that I wanted her to teach me how to apply it and she did. It's very easy to do and I love it.

The accentuating color stick by Shisheido is easy to use as well as the Shisheido Illuminizer Satin Eye Color. You can also add the Amethyst color that brings out the soft lavender. I love this look and I hope al of you do too!

Clare
london, England

Fresh Veggies

Wow, Lila, thanks for the great recipes! Lucky for me, I happen to love fruits and vegetables. I actually have cravings for broccoli! Strange, but true!

Jim and I have decided to plant two large raised vegetable gardens this year. Growing up, my mom was a gardener. Some of my favorite memories involve planting, tending to, and devouring the fresh produce. I can taste the freshness of a ripe carrot like it was yesterday. They never taste the same when I buy them at the grocery store.

We're trying to decide what to plant, this is tough. I love green beans, carrots, zucchini, broccoli, peppers, and tomatoes, so I'm pretty sure those are all in the plan. I'd love to add some fresh herbs too. I like to cook with thyme, rosemary, and basil. I'm hoping these will be fairly easy to add to the mix. We thought about adding sweet corn, until my brother in law (who farms) told us each corn stalk only has one ear of corn! Considering space is a premium for us, I'd rather get our sweet corn from the farmers market!

I'd love to hear if anyone has any tips on gardening. Has anyone tried growing a completely organic garden?

Jennifer

Health Starts Here

I believe that some of the fundamentals of healthy eating are to eat well, have fun, and take charge. Eat a diversity of whole foods--real, fresh, natural, organic, local, seasonal and unprocessed as much as possible. Accentuate plant-based foods, no matter what type of diet you generally follow. Finally, avoid the consumption of refined, highly processed foods and non-nutritive substances, such as artificial flavorings, colors, preservatives, and hydrogenated fats.

Food should be delicious, pleasurable and fun. This inspires and nourishes body, mind, and spirit. Celebrating where and how our food is grown and its bond with nature further complements and enriches our relationship with our food and environment.

If you dislike leafy greens and/or green veggies, such as I do, here are 2 recipes for you to try. These are great if you have children because you can "hide" the veggies.

It's Easy Being Green Smoothie

Ingredients:

16 ounces fresh squeezed OJ
2 bunches of Kale (approximately 16 ounces, or 2 cups)
2 frozen, ripe bananas
1-2 cups frozen mango
mint leaves to taste

In a blender, blend the OJ with Kale until smooth. Add frozen fruit until completely blended and thick. For a creamsicle taste use half OJ and half unsweetened almond milk.


Nutrient Rich Chocolate Smoothie

Ingredients:

6 ounces of unsweetened Almond Milk
4 ounces of Pomegranate Juice
6 ounces of organic baby spinach
1 banana, frozen
Dates to taste
3 Tbs Raw Cacao powder
2 cups frozen blueberries
1 Tb Flax Seeds

Place all ingredients in a blender and process until smooth.

These smoothies taste great, and you can't even taste the vegetables.
Just remember:

Have fun!!!! Explore new flavors and textures!!!!!!!

Lila

Black Orchid "Betty Hook & Eye" Crop Jean

I've never been a huge fan of white jeans but ever since we received the Black Orchid "Betty Hook & Eye" Crop Jean I find myself reaching for them over and over for styling jlamore.com! They are the perfect jean to have over the warm summer months to add a little color to your wardrobe :) I have styled these jeans with boots, flats, and heels....everything works!

Jess

Stylist/Model