Deconstructed

Vogue Night Out Paris Style

Yes Yes I know...

I have been less then stellar about updating... Blame it on the bad internet in Europe, the chaos that is traveling, or life getting in the way... But why don't we focus on the good? I"M BACK! ;)

And yes I know what your thinking... we've heard this before... but honestly I can say I"M BACK for good! But we do have A LOT of catching up to do... So for the next week or so I will be recapping my time living in Paris (attending the Paris Fashion Institute), and the 3 week European Vacation. After we get through all that, I'll resume with daily blogs about Fashion, Life, Entertainment, Dance, etc...Look forward to a re-vamping of this blog ;)

LETS get back to September 10, 2009- VOGUE'S NIGHT OUT in PARIS, FRANCE!

What a fabulous evening it was! Walking from Chanel to Prada to Balenciaga...

Drinking champagne, eating macaroons, looking at fabulous clothing, and of course- PEOPLE WATCHING...

Obviously, Paris' Version of VNO was not as big as New York's VNO... But it was definitely a wonderful evening. The best part? Getting all dressed up with your good friends before hand!

(me, valarie, alice, and nicole)

And its never a good night out in Paris without some amazing Metro Photos!!!

(Stacey and I)

(yup if you squint, you'll see a guy in green with a microphone... he was serenading us -karaoke style-to a little josh groban... in broken english...with backup singers... to say the least it was AMAZING lol)

And how about this little sight that we randomly ran into?.... yup the first time I saw it in person!!

Come back tomorrow for more about my Paris trip ;)

xoxo-ak-xoxo

My Trip to the Louvre

Happy Monday!!!

I apologize for not updating but this weekend I caught the dreaded cold/flu ;( BUT all is getting better!!!And I have SO MUCH to update you all on. First off, on Wednesday (i think...) we went to the Louvre!!! 

And here we are!!!!!!!!!!

Nicole, Emily, Valerie, Alice, Molly, Ann-marie, Stacy, Janina, Stephanie

Valerie & Nicole

Nicole, Alice, Stacy, and I

Nicole and I.

I don't wanna bore you with photos, but honestly there are so many cool photos that I have to show you!

FIRST OFF: EGYPT

(um is it weird I wear headbands the same way?)

(there was just something so spooky about her.. beautiful but spooky)

(Yup there's a dead dude in there.... creepy i know!)

NOW ONTO: ROMANS & GREEKS & ART YOU'VE SEEN IN TEXT BOOKS

(don't you feel like you need to name them?... maybe thats just me...)

 

(this is the epitome of that nightmare everyone has in their life... you know the one where you are in a crowded area...everyone is looking at you...and then you figure out that your only wearing you bday suit? lol yup here it is in stone. They still had the same nightmare a gazillion years ago! lol;)

 

(probably the most beautiful sculpture in the Louvre... it was amazing. Totally going to work with photoshop and this picture ;)

 

(the original gladiator sandal)

  

   

   

 

(isn't she pretty? I think I liked her more then the mono lisa...shhh) 

 

(AGH I wanna be a princess and wear a badass cape and tiara!!!!)

(Alice and I are pretty sure this is a window that Tom Hanks probably jumped out of in the DiVinci Code... of course this is coming from Alice and I who were GOING to dress up like Tom Hanks and Silas for the trip....you can judge we don't care!)

I have so many more beautiful pictures! But I'll stop there! Hope you enjoyed!!!!

Tomorrow I'll post about Vogue's Fashion Night Out in Paris!

xoxo-ak-xoxo

Pret-A-Porter Paris

Bonjour friends ;)

So today (Monday) we went to Pret-A-Porter Paris. This is like a trade show for next spring/summer fashions. Buyers can come and sample and order clothing for next season. It was awesome- def. made me want to own a boutique and come to Paris and buy for the shop :) maybe one day!!!

Here are some more photos: (i couldn't take too many inside but here are some)

And here are some of the newspapers/pamphlets and my pass:

Also, Diane Pernet showed us some Brazil fashion companies that are also involved in a Social Entreprenurship Project. From what I gathered, they involve lower class women to help them design and make the clothing. Thus producing designers/business women :) I think it was wonderful that Pret-A-Porter had a "SO ETHIC" area which all the designs were truly green or helping better the world. It shows that Fashion is not vain, but can help the world become a better place. Which in this day and age, I think that is a beautiful thing to do ;)

So today was lovely-as it can only be in Paris!! Tomorrow is full of classes then Wednesday is another day out!! Check back for more fun photos & stories!

Au Revoir-

xoxo-ak-xoxo

Paris Flea Market & Godfrey Deeny

Bonjour!!

So on Sunday we went to a flea market! I'm not sure the name of the market, but it was fun!!

Designer clothing, old furniture, old books, postcards, paintings, you name it they had it! Here are some photos...

 

buttons buttons buttons....

having some ham and cheese & fries... Nicole (CAN), Valerie (Taiwan), Stacy (Australia)

Stephanie (US), Su Mei (Malaysia), and Ann-Marie (US)

I thought Max would like this plane hanging from the ceiling of a vendor.

Thursday night we had Godfrey Deeny as our guest lecturer. Mr. Godfrey Deeny is a famous fashion critic and editor of "Fashion Wire Daily". Europe's "Women's Wear Daily" basically. He was amazing and full of interesting information. Above is Myself, Godfrey, Nicole, and Emily (canada).

More tomorrow;)

xoxo-ak-xoxo

I"M IN PARIS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

BONJOUR from Paris! 

I'm here!! It was an "interesting" plane ride over but I made it! Yes they do put those air sickness bags on the plane for a reason- yuck! But through it all I made it!!!!!! And i'm so excited I did! For those of you wondering, I am over here attending the Paris Fashion Institute ;) And so far, I ABSOLUTELY love it! Any school that gives you homework to go shopping is my kind of place!! I arrived last tuesday morning around 6:00 am. My room is nice- i'll def. post on that later this week! By 2:00, I was in orientation and by 6:00 at a designer show opening!! Crazy jet lag but so worth it!

The Gallery show was "Philippe David" who is a fabric designer. His fabrics are BEAUTIFUL! I esp. loved his floral and embroidered fabrics! He is also our fabric teacher. He's wonderful!! Here are some photos:

Beautiful, right?

Then we had a 3 days of intense classes. Andrea Grifoni is our Product development professor. ABSOLUTELY incredible!! And THE Diane Pernet is our "Fashion Today" teacher. You can read her blog at: A Shaded View on Fashion. Freakin' AMAZING!!! I did a presentation, in her class, on the photographer Nick Knight. If you haven't seen his photography YOU HAVE TO! SOOO beautiful! I might do a post later on about him. But if you want more information, visit his site at SHOWstudio.com.

We also have an Illustrations class, French class (with the most adorable teacher ever) and a few more that are starting this week. 

On Saturday we went "shopping" for homework around the Saint Germain des Pres area. OMG so beautiful! First stop was Cafe de Flore. AHHH their french onion soup was the best soup I have EVER EVER eaten!! And the waiter gave us 3 table coverings(that are so beautifully painted) to take with us. A wonderful experience. No Karl Lagerfeld sightings, but wonderful food!

We shopped a little more, then went to The World famous Laduree. Ok, if you haven't had their raspberry macaroons... you need to because its like HEAVEN! AHHHH!! Honestly- you need to go.

 

(here is myself and Nicole from Canada eating at Laduree)

I also found a new dutch store called "Noa Noa" that has beautiful clothing! I found myself handing over my debit card and treating myself to a new dress ;) so excited!!!

I also found my future husband... he's 5 years old but hey whatever hahahahha jk. He was dressed in jeans, polo and a sports jacket... add that bed head hair and DAMN he's gonna be good looking when he's older... actually the majority of the guys over here are pretty good looking... lol 

Which brings me to the fact that children in Paris are dressed better then I am lol AHHH every kid is so stylish... there will most certainly be a blog before I leave dedicated to children's fashion because it is everywhere! 

Here are some other photos from the day o'shopping:

(Valerie from Taiwan and I with a pink bunny randomly on the street)

isn't it beautiful!?

Isn't this window display so beautiful!? It was an amazing store that sold hand made umbrellas and little trinkets.. so amazing.

So today we went to a flea market, but i'm going to post about that tomorrow ;) At 9:00 am tomorrow we are going with Diane to Pret-a-Porter (spelling might not be correct, sorry). This is where the buyers go to sample the next season's fashions ;) SHOULD BE FUN!!

I had to get settled here in Paris, but look forward to daily if not every other day post here on this blog ;) PLEASE feel free to comment so I know SOMEONE is looking at it lol :)

And let me know if there is anywhere you all want to see! I'll go and take some photos!!!

I'll also be blogging in October from Italy and Amsterdam as well ;) 

So come back tomorrow for flea market photos!

xoxo-

ak

the return of TOP TEN TUESDAY

Happy Tuesday Everyone!

In the spirit of returning to actually posting on the blog (sometimes life gets in the way) I am bringing back some of the Blog Schedule (look on the right side column)

SO welcome back to TOP TEN TUESDAY!

Todays Top Ten:

TOP TEN SIMPLE WAYS TO MAKE ANY DAY BETTER (the ak version):

10. Eat a banana with peanut butter and granola on it... its yummy and healthy!

9. The discovery that a new magazine came out and you get to buy it!

8. A nice breeze, a good book, and the time to sit in our gazebo and enjoy life ;)

7. A good cup of coffee

6. Having that good cup of coffee with a good friend (preferably a fellow Viz girl outside the starbucks by Mason)

5. Style.com fashion runway videos

4. A daily trip to Barnes and Noble

3. A shopping spree at Target to find all that stuff you never knew you needed.... however $100 later your day might not be that great... lol but hey it was fun wasn't it?

2. Finding a new song on itunes to choreograph to!

1. Spending time with the one and only Noodle :)

Have a beautiful day!

xoxo-ak-xoxo

Happy Monday! Here's a family pic

Happy Monday Blogging Buddies!

Hope your weekend was fantastic-

this post is going to be short today- but fear not!! 

I'll be back tomorrow with fun fun stuff this week!

Recently- Our family was interviewed for a local newspaper about our business and we had to take a family pic to accompany the story. So I set up the tri-pod, put the camera on timer and we had ourselves a little photo shoot on our back deck ;)

I think it turned out pretty good especially Noodle ;)

Speaking of family photos, have your check out awkwardfamilyphotos.com

I have to say- I LOVE that website omg so funny. 

Have a wonderful evening- see ya tomorrow

xoxo-ak-xoxo

The Beverly Hills Annex

For about a year, I have been working on opening an online vintage boutique called 

"The Beverly Hills Annex."

I'm excited to say- We're almost ready to open for business- YAY! In August, we will officially be open!!

Our merchandise includes vintage clothing & designer resale clothing ;) I'm truly proud of the merchandise we have and hope everyone loves it as much as I do ;) 

Last Friday, BHA had our 2nd modeling photo shoot- it was wonderful and I have to thank everyone involved:

Models- Alison, Sophia, Emily, Tess, Leslie, Erica, Claire, & Madison.

Hair/Make-up: Emma

and of course: Jack & Matt

Here is a sneak peek:

I still have to fancy up the photos and photoshop them, but I'm so excited to show you all of the clothes!!!! Thank You THank YOu Thank You to all the models and everyone who helped!!!

xoxo-ak-xoxo

"those dancing feet"... and why i've been absent from the blog

Well HELLO!!! 

During the month of June, I was honored to be apart of the fabulous cast of 42nd Street!!! I had the best time! Ever since I saw my dad in the show, I have ALWAYS wanted to be in 42nd street. And this year- YAY I auditioned and booked it!

The cast was absolutely brilliant! Truly, I have formed friendships that I know will last long past this summer ;) Not only is this one of my favorite shows, but 42nd Street is an ENSEMBLE show- which I love sooo much! I've been raised to be a true and blue "CHORUS GIRL" and its a blessing to dance in the ensemble in this show. 

And lets not forget how f*#&ing talented the cast was in this show! Tony Award winners, broadway stars, Radio City Rockettes... It was so humbling and such a tremendous honor to be performing along side of these folk. So if any of the cast is reading this- thank you so much for your talents, friendships, and for doing many "from the scissors" with me ;) I can't explain was a dream come true this summer has already become ;)

So enough sappy-memory filled paragraphs- lets get to the photos shall we??

\

During the hot Sunday on stage rehearsal

Michael and I- My partner for "Habit" I nicknamed this outfit- Holy Satin Crotch Rocket... yup

My favorite Costume "MONEY"

Kirstin & I as blondes ;)

Brynley and Brayden came to see Opening Night!

 

Hookers forever!!!!

Lets talk about this photo real quick... here is my caption:

Cara: "With My Boyfriend..."

Lois: "With My Husband..."

Me: "With my by myself...."

And if your not laughing... here is the reason:

(courtesy of NBC.com)

See ya tomorrow :)

xoxo-ak-xoxo

see you tuesday ;)