When Fashion Meets Business: FAB Counsel Event

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k150_19heel iconSo you wanna be a fashion designer? You may have some great sketches and great ideas, but do you know how to balance your money records, do your taxes, register your company name and trademark your designs?

When you have a creative mind, turning that into a business can be tricky and challenging (and frankly, not nearly as much fun.) That’s why there are pros who can help you out.

This week, another FABulous fashion and business event took place with the FAB Counsel offering a panel discussion of business, marketing and finance needs when you’re thinking of starting a fashion business.

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On the panel:

  • Mary Vallarta, Founder of FAB Counsel speaking on marketing strategy
  • Members of the Fashion Law Group – speaking on trademarks and intellectual property
  • Alexandra Scoggin: VP of Business Development at Bibby Financial (and one ultra stylish lady in her own right!) speaking on getting business loans
  • Members of PMA Accounting Services – speaking on financial record-keeping and taxes for small businesses

Every member of the panel may work in the not-so-glamorous tasks of dealing with financials and paperwork, but they all had a passion for fashion and helping start-up entrepreneurs.

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Some notes I came away with:

– Before you start a business, do your research. Know the market and the demographics of your customers.

– Know your competition and learn from them.

– Don’t over-reach, go niche. Gain people’s attention and spread your voice.

– Law may not be the sexiest part of your business but it’s  something you need to know

– Don’t skimp on marketing. You have to get your name out there and do it well.

– Don’t be afraid to ask for help, there are professionals out there who know how to do what you don’t.

– Choosing a business entity is all about minimizing risk

– You have to understand your finances. You need to know how much it cosst to produce each item and what you can afford to sell it for.

– Keep a separate bank account just for your business. You’ll need a DBA fictitious business name to start a bank account under a business name.

– There has been a spike in sole proprietorship audits. Get a CPA  to help you with your financials, then you have the time to be the creative that you are.

And an extra bonus of the night was the location in Tarina Tarantino flagship boutique on Melrose, where it was eye-candy galore in this very pink and ultra girly store chock full of their signature chunky, playful, blingy jewelry and rhinestone encrusted cosmetics. As an extra bonus, we also heard some words of wisdom from Tarina Tarantino’s head of marketing.

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So if you’re looking to set out on your own fashion biz, check out upcoming FAB Counsel events, they offer the knowledge you need!

Be FABulous,
Kastle

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Dress Like Mad Men

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k150_19heel iconWith just a few days to go before the premiere of Season 6 of Mad Men,  I figured it was time to let you in on some secrets I know in how to live the Mad Men lifestyle – mainly how to dress and drink like our favorite characters. Today’s blog post will let you in on how to shop for the looks seen on the show.

While I have always love ‘60s fashions for their fun silhouettes and bold colors, Mad Men has brought those styles back with a distinction all their own. Now when I go out in my best ‘60s era vintage I’m told,  “you dress so Mad Men,” which I of course take as a compliment because I love the show so much.

k_jbryant1Part of the reason I love it is the care they’ve taken to get every detail right to recreate the decade of so many cultural shifts. Part of that credit goes to costume designer Janie Bryant, who I had the pleasure of meeting during a book signing at my favorite vintage store in Burbank:

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 The store not only has supplied some of the amazing vintage seen on the show but it is such a joy to shop in. It’s in a gorgeous space with frescoed ceilings, the clothes are tagged by era, everything piece is in nearly perfect condition, they have a HUGE inventory of women’s and men’s wear at fantastic prices and the staff is super friendly and helpful.

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Clever Vintage Clothing

Another vintage source that has amazing owners is Clever Vintage who I’ve frequently featured in this blog because not only are co-owners Dave and Sabino so knowledgeable about their fashion history and doing custom styling, the are also fabulous party pals! Dave and Sabino travel all across the country to curate their vintage treasures. You can purchase their fine pieces at one of the many shows they participate in, including Helm’s Design District Vintage Boutique and Burbank Pickwick. Check the events page on their website for upcoming dates or make an appointment at their downtown showroom.  They did wardrobe for Peggy and Betty in two separate episodes. Remember these outfits?

 

It was a genius move of marketing to get a major department store to work with Janie Bryant to design a line of contemporary clothing with a retro feel and make it accessible to everyone.  Banana Republic has been launching a new Mad Men collection at  the start of each season for the past few years and this one is no exception. Bold patterns and rich colors are featured here.  And these are great pieces for me to wear to work and still have a mod feel since I don’t dare subject my delicate vintage to long office hours.

 

Check out their inspiration and behind the scenes of the collection here.

And get 25% off through April 30 with this coupon.

What Katie Did Lingerie

Now, even your best vintage won’t look authentic unless you have the right undergarments.  Want to look and walk like Joan? Put yourself into one of these corsets and not only will you have an hourglass figure like you’ve never seen, but you’ll just WALK in a different way, a SEXY way!

What Katie Did specializes in designs influences by the glamour of the ‘40s and ‘50s film stars but with contemporary fabric and structure. Plus, were else can you find a gorgeous bullet bra these days?

 

     

And if you can’t get your hand on any of these clothes, you can always dress up virtually and “Mad Men Yourself” through the AMC website:

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So if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go get dressed up and mix a cocktail. Can’t wait for Season 6, starting on April 7th!

Stay tuned for Part II of Mad Men series next week where I show you more of how you can live the Mad Men lifestyle!

Now go shop!
Kastle

Photos of Vintage Playclothes by Kastle
Photos of Clever Vintage, Banana Republic Mad Men Collection, What Katie Did via Pinterest

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The Makeup Show LA 2013

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k150_19Stiletto_City_heel_iconSZDI can’t think of a better way to spend a day than surrounded by makeup. All those little jewel-tone colors, powders and brushes just waiting to make us beautiful. I was a kid in a literal candy store at The Makeup Show this weekend where beauty brands come to showcase their products, launch new ones and cater to the makeup artistry industry in the quest to make people gorgeous.

Along with the wealth of product displays and head-turning looks on everyone from the attendees to the workers in the booths to the made-over models, there were panels to teach everyone new techniques, new products and a little business sense for professionals in the beauty industry.

I made a point to catch demonstrations from two of my favorite brands, NARS and Stila Cosmetics and they didn’t disappoint. Here’s what I learned:

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NARS

One of the most respected brands out there, NARS offers top-notch quality, colors that are innovative and on trend, and the wear is long lasting. I learned about their Botan brush that buffs their triple-milled loose powder into the skin for a flawless finish, the spring launch of their new light reflecting, translucent powder – great for under the eyes for no creasing and slight highlight, and their new satin lip pencils – the smooth, long lasting sister of their awesome velvet matte pencil, which I’m absolutely in LOVE with. You won’t believe the moisturizing, non- smudging color that comes from these little pencils. I wish I could afford them in every color!

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Stila

Being a fan of ‘60s style, I couldn’t resist a demo in “Mod Makeup” done the Stila way. I learned about their Beauty Balm, applied over moisturizer and under foundation for a slight dewy glow of mannequin-smoothness all over the face. I was impressed with the Stay All Day Foundation (applied with a spatula – now that’s a serious foundation!) with a matching concealer in the bottle cap that is high definition at its finest. And the glory of the Smudge Pot in black for the ultimate smoky eye paired with a pink Barbie lips for a look that screams Brigitte Bardot! Makeup artist and Stila Executive Director, Dominick Briguglio was also hilariously charming in his demo.

I was tempted to blow out my credit card on the deep discounts offered at all the booths but I had to control myself and just make a wish list.

Some other product discoveries I found included

Skyn Demure Temporary Tattoos

Ja’Maal Buster Lashes and cute hot pink Applicator

Senna Cosmetics Brow Palettes

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I stopped by the Beautylish Business Forum to catch a presentation on Social Media and the Internet in the Beauty Business and learned a few tricks on self-branding. The hot tip I learned – there’s no need to reinvent the wheel. Look at what some of the most successful makeup artists are doing on the web and model them. Between Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Pinterest and Instragram, you can show your talent as instantly and easily as uploading a photo.

Walking around, I was blown away by some of the special effect makeup being done on the spot and of course all of the creative and beautifully made-up faces in the crowd. Check out the gallery by clicking the image below:

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What a great event! Check it out as it moves on to New York, Chicago, Orlando and Europe.  I’ll be back next year for sure!

Kiss and make up,
Kastle

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Dinair: Airbrush Makeup

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k150_19heel iconA few months ago at the Mimi Mae opening party, I met two fun ladies from Dinair  who told me the awesome benefits of airbrush makeup. I’d never tried it before and was curious about how it work and what it looks like. They said, “stop by and get a demo to see for myself.”

So I did just that. Dinair has its corporate headquarters and a groundfloor showroom in the North Hollywood area, where you can get an airbrush makeover to see how the tool works and test-run the product.

Set up with Vanity Girl Hollywood makeup mirrors* and an assortment of little bottles in all shades and colors, I was shown how to load the airbrush tool with a few drops of foundation and use the right amount of pressure to apply for light to full coverage. The airbrush feels like cool air being blown on your face as the foundation mist is so light it never feels wet.

I was then given some blush and choice of eyeshadow – I chose a champagne color with some dramatic shading of dark blue. My makeup artist was even able to do eyeliner by holding the airbrush close to the skin and using a dotting technique. She also filled in my eyebrows with the help of a stencil.

She finished off the look with some highlighter on my cheekbones and a quick blast of  “sealer” all over.

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I looked in the mirror and loved it. The foundation was so smooth and the coverage was way more even than I get with regular makeup applied with a sponge, my fingers or a brush.

I wore it out for the night and the makeup stayed put. I only had to do a little powder on my nose late into the evening but other than that, no shininess or creasing.

I was impressed. Want to try it? Ring up Dinair and get a demo. They’re open on weekdays and Saturdays. The kits are available in the showroom or for purchase online starting at $129 for the Personal Basic Makeup System. They also have more extensive professional artist systems, a body kit for “Air Tans” (a little more involved as you’d probably need someone to do it for you and a tent to stand in so it doesn’t go all over the room.) I was also intrigued with the stencils to do body jewelry, temporary tattoos and wild eye makeup.

Get airbrushed!
Kastle

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Oscar Night 2013

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k150_19heel iconOscar night is always a big night – whether you stay home in your PJs or head to a swanky party.  Being a big movie goer, I had my picks for the winners and I had a fancy dress that was perfect for a big Oscar party at the Egyptian Theatre that I was invited to by my pal Margot. It’s not every day you get to watch TV on a big movie screen and seeing the stars in this way certainly makes it a special event. Margot invited a group of friends for a private party to watch the show right across the street from the big event itself! I invited along my pals Dave and Sabino of Clever Vintage Clothing to Tweet along with me about the fashions and winner reactions.

Some thoughts on fashions:

Best: Jennifer Lawrence, Nicole Kidman, Anne Hathaway, Charlize Theron, Amy Adams and of course, Helen Hunt for wearing an affordable, eco-friendly H&M gown.

Worst: Barbra Streisand channeling Cher, Jane Fonda – too ’80s and George Clooney going Kris Kringle with his grey beard.

Some thoughts on the wins:

I couldn’t not have been happier that Argo won for best picture! Period.

And now some pix from our Oscar night:

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With Margot

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With Dave and Sabino of Clever Vintage

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brianSabinoPhotographer Brian Boskind with Sabino

Special thanks to Margot for a fun evening!

A golden night,
Kastle

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London Calling: TopShop Comes to LA

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k150_17heel iconWhenever I’m in London, I make a point to hit TopShop. I’ve been known to do some serious damage to my credit card in that store, stuffing my suitcase with their unique, fun styles. I’ve longed for the day it didn’t take an international flight to shop there. So I was especially excited to hear they were opening in Los Angeles.  Last weekend, I ventured over to the Grove — early in the morning to avoid the crowds — to check out the newly opened TopShop/TopMan LA.  I found plenty of eye candy from bold print skirts and tops, comic book graphic splashed skirts, vintage-looking, beaded party dresses and a wall of shoes I could have easily filled my closet with.

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I headed for the fitting room with an armful of skirts and dresses and emerged with some purchases. However, not without discovering many of the sizes run small and most of the skirts in the store did not come in sizes larger than an 6 or 8, so there wasn’t an option to buy a larger size to avoid everything being ultra skin tight. I overheard other people commenting in the dressing room that everything was running small on them as well. Buyer be warned.  A few skirts I really wanted I just had to put back on the rack. Sorry, the stuffed sausage look isn’t my thing!

To make up for my disappointment, I headed for the accessories and found some super cute checkered and houndstooth print ankle socks and a Peter Pan collar-style necklace made out of faux pearls. I was able to put them together for an awesome ‘60s style outfit for club Spin Out that night. See pix below.

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And check out the video of TopShop’s opening celebration:

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rvg-ZckH95c]

See a slideshow peek inside the store HERE.

TopShop at the Grove in West Hollywood for a little bit of English style!

It’s tops!
Kastle

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Socializing Over Social Media and Art

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k150_17heel iconIt was one of those California days when the sunshine made the city sparkle, bright and full of promise. It was the perfect setting to gather at the Getty, with its spectacular hilltop views across Los Angeles, and meet a group of social media enthusiasts to share ideas, tips and Twitter handles, take in some amazing art exhibits – and of course have unlimited Instagram moments. They came to be social about social, meet people face to face, and see what unfolds when as life imitates Tweets. This was the Getty Social.

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Kastle at the Getty @StilettoCity

Put together by:

This unique “Tweetup” didn’t have a set agenda other than to meet like-minded Socialistas and revel in our current engaging and ever-changing social culture. It was an in-person and online mix of stimulus as people talked and pecked away on their smart phones simultaneously.

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Beverly Macy @Beverly Macy

The highlight of the event was a keynote speech by Nic Adler (son of music producer Lou Adler and actress Britt Ekland), a band manager, promoter, and restauranteur and owner of the Roxy Theatre on the Sunset Strip, best known to this group as the man who got the Sunset Strip to go social with by taking the Roxy venue’s social media strategy into the stratosphere.

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Nic Adler @NicAdler

Some highlights of Adler’s talk included the story of how the Roxy really started listening to what their customers were saying about the venue on social media and how making little changes and becoming engaged with the community lead to building a large and loyal following.

He then encouraged us all to turn and snap a photo of the person sitting next to us and share it. So here’s a pic of my pal Jon, social superstar in his own right, who I know from attending UCLA’s Social Media Marketing class.

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Jon Burk @MrJonBurk

After, we were turned loose on the Getty to take in some of the exhibits and spectacular views. I enjoyed the “Farewell to Surrealism” exhibit, soaked up the gorgeous black and white photography of Robert Mapplethrope, and was particularly moved by the city scene compositions of photographer Ray K. Metzker. My how photography has changed with phone pix and Instagram as we capture real life moments more than ever!

Check out some of the photos and tweets of the day by looking up #GettySocial on Twitter and Instagram.

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View at the Getty @GettyMuseum

Tweet up people!
Kastle

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Backbeat: The Beatles Backstory

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k150_17heel iconEvery famous story has a backstory and the Beatles were no exception. Before they were the Fab Four, they were the rowdy five, with the addition of one Stuart Sutcliffe, roommate of John Lennon’s, a painter who John talked into being in his band as they went from Liverpool to play dive bars in Hamburg, Germany.

While many know the Beatles’ music, they may not know of this gifted artist, who played the bass like a brooding James Dean, fell in love with a cute-as-pixie German photographer and saw an untimely demise from an undetected brain tumor. But this is the Beatles’ roots, when they were a scrappy band of greasers playing bluesy rock ‘n’ roll covers and polishing their chops to become the most famous band in the world.

 

“Backbeat the Musical,” based on the 1994 film of the same name, is as artfully done as one of Astrid Kirchherr’s  photos, starting with a burst of rock that doesn’t let up. You feel like you’re part of those heady club days as the Beatles face the drama of a young band starting out. (Trust me, I’ve hung around enough bands to know!) Many kudos should be given to the actors for their perfect-pitch English accents, singing voices (particularly Daniel Healy as Paul McCartney) and spot-on art direction for capturing the era, which my boyfriend pointed out, had period-correct guitars.

I saw the film a few years back and I dare to say, I enjoyed this is even more. “Backbeat” is only at the Ahmanson Theatre for a short run through March 1, if you’re a fan of the Beatles, the ‘60s era or just rock ‘n’ roll, you won’t want to miss it!

Some pix from the night:

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Ready for the show!

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Audience members workin’ some vintage style

Check out the trailer for the musical:

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kJ58OxhIV18&w=560&h=315]

And a scene from the movie:

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See more of Astrid Kirchherr’s photos on the Stiletto City Pinterest Board HERE

Love me do,
Kastle

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FabCounsel: Connecting with Style

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k150_17heel iconAt a recent networking party, I met Mary Vallarta, a petite dynamo in the fashion industry who has a passion for what’s trending in style, a head for business and a special social skill for connecting people. Having a background as a buyer and plenty of experience in the fashion biz, she decided to put her know-how to and connections to good use. She founded the FabCounsel to help people succeed in the fashion industry.

FabCounsel provides a wealth of resouces on how to break into the industry on its online site and Mary (pictured here) hosts events around town to give people interested in the industry the opportunity to meet and learn from each other. I recently attended her event “How To IMG_5811.jpgSell Your Fashion Line to Buyers and Retailers,” which took place downtown at chic boutique Brigade. A roomful of fashionistas filled the room to hear from esteemed panelists that  included: Alicia Allen, Director of Men’s Apparel for HauteLook, who spoke from her work in the corporate retail world, Kuo Yang, owner & founder of Brigade sharing his perspective as a small boutique owner and what he looks for in buying people’s lines to carry in his store, and Vanessa Lee, an experienced sales executive who’s worked with companies including Eight Sixty, Collective Concepts, Creative Commune, Daniel Rainn. She shared her knowledge in the art of selling, how to approach buyers, what to prep for before a sales meeting, what to bring to the meetings, how to follow up.

Some notes:

  • You have 15-20 seconds to make your pitch – know how to sell what you’re offering.
  • Know your target – where you fit in the market and the void that you fill.
  • Build your contacts – people want to do business with people they know.
  • Incentivize – offer something to get you in, a partial commission or something creative.
  • Build great collateral – line sheets and a look book that shows your designs. Get press clippings.
  • This is LA, go after celebrities and gift them items. While New York and Paris have the big fashion shows, we have red carpets. Those are our fashion shows.

Afterwards there was plenty of mingling, shopping and of course, checking out each other’s outfits! Here are the party pix:

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Just fab!
Kastle

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How to Create Faux Bangs

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heel iconYou may have noticed, bangs are the “it” hairstyle lately. It became official when First Lady Michelle Obama stepped out a couple of days before her husband’s inauguration sporting a rockin’, heavy bang hairstyle. I love bangs, but unfortunately, my wavy, thick hair simply won’t let me have them. So I’ve had to learn how to create faux bangs.

Trust me, I’ve tried to make my hair do bangs. I usually end up with clumps of hair curling into an unsightly claw-like disaster on my forehead and no amount of setting gel and straightening iron can give me natural, wispy bangs.

If you feel my pain but would also like to have bangs, there’s also a new trend of just clipping in some extensions. Now we’re talkin’! I found this video from beauty guru Michelle Phan that teaches you how to make your own with some items from the beauty supply and super glue!

You can also buy clip-in bangs at most hair supply stores. Some are quite expensive. I found some nice affordable ones by Jessica Simpson/Ken Paves on Amazon.If you’re ready to make the cut and get some real bangs, check out this article on how to pick the right bangs for your face shape HERE.

For my retro gals, you can do what I do, and roll ya some “Faux Bettie Bangs,” as in pin-up model, Bettie Page.

For more bang looks, check out the Stiletto City Pinterest board “Bang Bangs!”

Bang your own drum,
Kastle

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