The Edition That Launched One Hundred Prints

Ladies Lotto member Sara Rosen cordially invites you to the launch party for Edition One Hundred. Edition One Hundred features limited edition prints (100 only!) by artists including Martha Cooper, Estevan Oriol, Retna, and many others. All prints are $100 and are available exclusively at http://www.editiononehundred.com. Spy Miss Rosen's blog for more information: http://missrosen.wordpress.com/2010/09/20/edition-one-hundred-la-launch-oct-2/. 10% of sales goes to a charity or cause of each artist's choosing.


Saturday, October 2nd
7-10pm

Exhibition continues through October 18th

A & I Lab
933 North Highland Avenue
Hollywood, California


Edition One Hundred was curated by Sara Rosen, Veronica Thomas and Cat Jimenez (Founder). DJ Valida provides the musical stimulation. There will be libations and palate pleasers too!

Designers You Don't Know @ NYFW SS11 - Part I

As the S/S 11 Fashion Season is wrapping up in Paris at the moment, I figure I would post some photos I took during NYFW SS11 of some shows and presentations of some designers you may or may have not heard of.  All photos were taken by me, Susie G, with my Canon G11.

ALEJANDRO INGLEMO

ALTHEA HARPER

MANUEL DE LA CRUZ

PAMELA LOVE

There are more photos but blogger is being a total pain in my butt right now, so watch out for a Part II!

P.S. F**K I LOVE YOU LOS ANGELES

F**K I LOVE YOU LOS ANGELES
HVW8 Art + Design Gallery presents: Original Installation and Work by Raif Adelberg


Opening Reception Saturday, October 2nd
7:30-10pm

October 2, 2010- November 1, 2010
Hours: Tuesday – Sunday, 1– 6pm & by appointment

HVW8 Art + Design Gallery
661 N. Spaulding Avenue
Los Angeles, California
323.655.4898

www.hvw8.com
www.raifadelger.com
www.funkiloveyoushop.com
with Support from American Rag Cie

Step inside the HVW8 Gallery and see artist / designer Raif Adelberg transform the space into a punk rock flophouse. Channeling CBGB, Barbara Kruger, and Vivienne Westwood, the space Raif creates is called Dead Boys Clubhouse. It’s an environmental space that pops up around the world and creates this incestuous gang.

Want to know more? Visit http://hvw8.com/2010/09/21/fk-i-love-you-los-angeles/

Modern Mamahood: Not Your Mom's Vision Board

My Mamahood Vision Board

I have a feeling that Ladies Lotto members are no strangers to "Law of Attraction" theory and the wildly popular "vision board" technique to manifest amazing people, experiences and things into our lives.

I've done a few vision boards in my life and they do indeed serve to not only focus my attention on goals, hopes and dreams, but I've also managed to manifest at least 75% of every board I've created.

Question -- have you ever thought of creating a vision board as motivation for being a more awesome mom?

I hadn't either. But right when I started my four weeks off of work before my due-date (had an over-the-top stressful 9-5 and just needed to stop), I decided to hit up a life coach who luckily had a small baby herself and fully understood where I was at in life at that moment.

I had more concerns than I thought which came out when I was talking to my coach. For example, was I going to be able to be present for my child and much more selfless than I was? I felt like I was so stressed and so busy with work that I practically missed the excitement and anticipation of my pregnancy and hadn't really connected with the fact that I was going to have a baby soon, despite practicing self-hypnosis for childbirth every single day for 30min.

My coach said my apprehensions were completely normal and suggested I create a vision board based around what kind of mother I want to be and what parenthood means to me. So I created a new board and included some great calming images, lots of elements from nature and phrases like "I am Powerful" and "My happiness is tied to how I feel about myself. I want my girls to see a mother who takes care of herself -Michelle Obama".

I looked at it every day in those next four weeks (which turned into five weeks ugh!), and it's always been in the main room I hang out in with my babygirl. Now days we look at the pictures together, which is always a sweet moment. I'm relieved to know that I've become the mother I'd envisioned -- cool, calm, (usually) focused and always present to her needs.

I highly recommend this exercise, and it's probably something I'll revisit again soon since vision boards work best when new ones are created every several months or so. Please share if you've had vision board success or you're intrigued by the idea of a specific mamahood vision board.

The Modern Mamahood Column on the Ladies Lotto Blog:

As our Ladies Lotto community grows and evolves, we now have quite a few mamas and mamas-to-be! The LL Modern Mamahood weekly column presents the issues and products related to being a Ladies Lotto Mama. Blogger: Lana Perry

Because I Am A Lady, That's Why

Adorable. Fierce. Reality.

http://whi.s3.prod.lg1x8.simplecdn.net/images/3946171/tumblr_l8xo2ceVct1qcpylbo1_500_large.jpg?1284797639

Flashback: I Don't Give A Damn

Bad Reputation - Joan Jett
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5RAQXg0IdfI

An obvious classic, Joan Jett helped change the rock n roll game. Saw her perform only once at legendary club CBGBs (RIP). Do you give a damn about your bad reputation?

Under the Sign of Virgo: Ladies Lotto Los Angeles

Ladies Lotto gathered in one of downtown Los Angeles' hottest boutiques, Virgo. Drinks were flowing, women networking and discounts galore! See the beautiful and fashionably brilliant ladies in action!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/22759170@N02/sets/72157624896730285/show/

Cruelty Free Beauty and Hygiene

Ladies Lotto loves our animal friends. We care about the lives of others and are smart enough to understand the power of our dollars. With that said, be an intelligent consumer and spend your money on products, brands and companies that reflect your ethical stance.

Yes, you can look good and feel good knowing your hard earned dollars are being spent in the right direction.

In case you're curious, Peta has made a list of companies that test and do not test on animals (bunnies, dogs, cats, etc). Every step counts, check out the link below to see how your brands compare and what brands you should be supporting.

http://www.peta.org/living/beauty-and-personal-care/companies/default.aspx

Modern Mamahood: Discipline for Beginners

I've always felt that moms who are best at discipline are those who can make an impact with only a look or the tone of their voice. I can recall one booty-swat (for breaking mom's skin with nails down her back, age 2yrs), two slaps across the face (for being nonstop disrespectful age 7yrs-ish), but countless scary facial expressions and severely angry sounding instructions that were enough for me to behave.

It's so hard to think of having to use even a nasty tone with our sweet peas, but pushing limits is the way children grow and learn about how to be in society and within their family. It's our responsibility as their parent to show them these limits and also to harness a level of control that will be the foundation for getting through their crazy teenage years -- remember how many limits we pushed then?

My daughter, RJ, is now 14.5 months and has been testing her limits for awhile now; she's definitely no longer a "baby" but very much a toddler. She gets enraged with anger sometimes when she doesn't get her way and will swat and say "nah! nah!" for "no! no!", scream and be very dramatic. In order to avoid the kind of child that I see on Supernanny we've had to start disciplining.

How do you discipline before a child is ready for a time-out, or doesn't need one? Here are some tips:

1. The most effective discipline I've seen work firsthand is to tell your child not to do something. If they do it again, I say "If you do that again, I'm taking it away", and then they do it again and I take it away. Easy.
   
2. Try to save the word NO for really extreme or dangerous situations, (like throwing your cell phone in the toilet). For other instructions that don't put you, your child or an object in danger, teaching them to understand phrases like "Not in the mouth" or "That's mommy's", will work better for you all when you need to urgently get their attention with a stern, loud "NO!".
   
3. If your child has a bit of a temper like mine (must have skipped a generation!), it's important you let him or her express their anger. Tell them you understand that they are angry and it's okay to be upset. Let them vent a little, cry, scream, kick, etc, just like we need to do in our adult way.
4. Toddlers can understand so much more of what we say than what they can show us. Explain to your child that they can't or must do something, looking them directly in their eye at their level.
5. Don't go on and on trying to reason with your child; they understand you but don't go overboard. A simple sentence explanation is fine, and repeating the same thing more works too.
   
6. Once they modify their behavior, be sure to positively reinforce that right away by saying "good girl/boy", clapping, or whatever it is that you do. This is a massively important part of disciplining.
   
7. As always, distraction is the best way to move forward! Never underestimate the power of crazy faces, weird noises and ice cubes.
   

The Modern Mamahood Column on the Ladies Lotto Blog:

As our Ladies Lotto community grows and evolves, we now have quite a few mamas and mamas-to-be! The LL Modern Mamahood weekly column presents the issues and products related to being a Ladies Lotto Mama. Blogger: Lana Perry

Get Ready to MOVE! At PS 1 Next Month NYC!

MOVE! MoMa PS1 from V Magazine on Vimeo.

Tonight! Ladies Lotto Virgo Style with Lovemade in LA!

Hosted by Virgo & Lovemade...

Ladies Lotto presents the Fashion Edition

TONIGHT!!!!!!!!!
Wednesday, September 22nd.
6:30-9:30PM

Virgo
216 E. 9th Street
Los Angeles, CA 90015

Meet. Connect. Collaborate. Manifest.

15% off of the entire store!

RSVP NOW: RSVPLA@LADIESLOTTO.COM

Taking Flight

Visit Ladies Lotto to view the slideshow

We are Owls is the brainchild of high school friends Connie Lui, Ling Chen and her cousin Emily Chen. What started out as camaraderie over late night hang out sessions turned into an amazing line of luxe scarves that are just in time for the crisp, cool fall. Recently, I sat down with the ladies of We are Owls over a great meal at Fatty Fish -- not to be confused with the "Fatty" franchise -- on the Upper East Side of NYC. We're all addicted to Japanese food so there was no better place to discuss their new line and first season.

The sky is the limit for these talented, beautiful birds.

How did you ladies meet?
Emily: Well, obviously [Ling and I] are cousins; just two weeks apart but more like sisters in a way. She used to come over all the time because she’s the only child and my family is like five; I have two brothers and two sisters. So we’re more like sisters. I treated her like my little sister. She was our little sister.
Connie: And Ling and I met in high school; LaGuardia [High School]. And Emily I met because of Ling and we just started hanging out. It just happened. We became really close friends. Watching movies, whatever. Then we all went to college. Emily went to FIT. [Emily] went for fashion and I went for photo but we’d always see each other and then I transferred to Parsons and [Ling] was already going for fashion so it was pretty interesting.
Ling: It’s like ten years.
Connie: More like fifteen, sixteen years. However long I’ve known you, Kizzy.

What was the impetus to create We are Owls?
Connie: We always wanted to create something together but it just never happened. We talked and talked about starting our own line but we never knew what it was until it just happened one day.
Emily: We knew it had something to do with fashion.

Ling: Definitely!
Connie: But we didn’t know what it was; if it was going to be a clothing line or whatever -- accessories. Then we were having brunch one day and one of our friends -- she’s actually writing our press release right now -- she was like why isn’t there a line that’s doing this...and it just sparked this idea in our heads. We were like dude, we can totally do this. We have all the goods.

So, you had the showroom and buying component, and you have the design and media branding.
Emily: It just made sense we had to do something now. It was now or never.
Connie: All the pieces fit together. It was like, “oh my God, you can do the designing [Ling] and you know all the production.
Ling: We researched it.
Connie: Emily built all these relationships from working in the show room and had the sales experience.
Emily: Our showroom had a West Coast location. I took care of all international account and East Coast too. They were really supportive -- everyone.
Ling: Everyone who worked at my company was really supportive too.

It’s like what we spoke about earlier. [Connie] coming from Sub Rosa and having people who helped you roll out the site.
Connie: Right. I have the experience in branding and I come from graphic design and I can do all our look books and when I went to FIT I majored in photography so I can shoot all our products. Working at a digital agency I knew the importance of social media and all those things. We had all the pieces.
Ling: Also just talking about support; our families have been very supportive financially, emotionally everything; just loving the brand.

Support is definitely something amazing to have as young designers. There are a lot of people who strike out and they have no support system what so ever. Even if you are incredibly talented; if you don’t have not just the financial backing but people who’re really providing that support from the heart.
Connie: It is and I think it’s from building those relationships and the friendships we’ve developed over the years from working and meeting new people. that alone; just meeting good people and working with good people.
Emily: The energy has to be good.

Why “We are Owls”?
Connie: We’ve always been fascinated by the beauty and the mysterious quality of that particular bird and we really relate to it. It wakes up at night and does all the hunting and whatever it needs to survive. We have our day jobs so we get together after work at night and we’re inspired. So we’re relating ourselves to owls and that’s how we came up with the name.

I just love the imagery and as a kid I really liked owls although they freaked me out a bit. I always thought of owls as really intelligent animals.
Connie: Right.

And the way they spin their heads almost 360 degrees. Do you feel as if you do that with We are Owls because you cover all the bases in terms of production; photography; branding; buying and design?
Connie: [As] three women, each of us have really distinct styles ourselves. When we design we keep in mind all the different markets that we’re trying to cover.
Emily: Like what I like and what our buyers will like.

Just sitting here and looking at the three of you I already see there’s a huge difference.
Emily: Yeah, you can definitely tell by the way we dress. There are the trendy people we have to appeal to then there are the more conservative people so we’ll have some safe pieces. Because the three of us are so different and we work well together...
Connie and Ling: We compromise!
Emily: We listen to each other.
Ling: We value each others opinions.

You pointed out that you design for multiple types. Men can wear these too. You design for so many different people. There are a lot of designers who have their heads up their bums and they don’t think about the customer. They believe they’re the only ones that can dictate fashion because they are fashion designers so that’s refreshing to hear.
Ling: It’s also easier because it’s an accessory so we can do that. We design for everybody.
Emily: Some stuff is unisex and my boss will wear them and my friends will wear them.
Connie: We have some of those pieces. I like very gender neutral stuff. I like things that can be worn by a guy and I like those pieces and I think there are girls that like that too. We try to cater to that as well. Emily on the other [side] of the spectrum is very trendy and feminine. She likes that kind of stuff. It’s interesting because we all understand and like such similar things but we may not wear what the other person wears. I really like Emily’s style. I like the bags and I like the shoes and all those things she buys. I wouldn’t necessarily buy them but it’s still to my taste. And it’s the same thing for them [in relation] to me. That’s how we work so well together.
Emily: That’s where understanding is.
Ling: There is trust.

We are Owls L-R: Emily Chen, Ling Chen and Connie Lui

Another important factor!
Emily: At the end of the day we all have the same goal.
Connie: We let each other run the area that they know well. Emily knows the market. She sells to those people. I trust when she gives me feedback on what we should do; “Guys, this is a little too crazy. Tone it down. The same applies to me when I say dude, this logo is going to totally rock out.
Emily: Ling’s the designer and we just let her do her thing.
Connie: She’s the vision!
Emily: We believe in her vision.
Ling: Yeah, they let me design.

No micromanaging?
All: No!

What’s the creative process like with three people? It’s not that men don’t have their own thing going on but I’ve heard men working together in a room and it’s not nice at all.
Emily: When [Ling] designs she’ll take my input.
Connie: Usually Ling comes up with the concept; the idea. She gets inspired by something. I’ll let [Ling] speak to that.
Ling: Yeah, I’d just get inspired by something and throw it out to them to see what they think. Sometimes we’ll change or add on to it.

So, you start designing from there?
Connie: We defer to [Ling].
Emily: We’re like yeah, that’s a good idea.
Ling: (Laughs) They’re like do it! Do it! So I just do it.

Do you go to the factories? What’s the production process like?
Emily: Mostly Ling does the production process.
Ling: Yeah, I deal with the factory. There is trust there. We haven’t gone back for production but I am thinking about going back for spring. There’s a lot of email, talking on Skype.

Is it difficult managing the time?
Ling: We’re always pushing. Always pushing -- emailing everyday.
Connie: That’s the nature of the beast; the nature of fashion. No matter how far ahead you begin or start you always end up short of time.
Ling: Time is so tight. There is a language barrier. He speaks really good english but I feel that I have to use simple words.

Comprehension?
Ling: Yeah. It’s always the tech packs. If I get that clear then it’s fine.

Do you see scarves being it for We are Owls?
Connie: No, it’s just the beginning.
Emily: This is just our beginning.
Connie: We’re taking over the world! (Everyone laughs). One little thing at a time.

You watched too much Pinky and the Brain in high school.
Connie: Yes, I did.
Emily: Eventually, yes.
Connie: What we really want to do is make sure we do what we’re doing well and perfecting that. Owning this part that we feel is missing in the industry; accessible luxury.
Ling: We try to keep it at a really good price point.
Connie: Our stuff is quality; the highest quality. We want to keep the price as low as possible and accessible to everyone. It’s really learning and perfecting this for now.

It’s not just luxury, also quality. I can tell from looking at the pieces that they are high quality pieces. I feel as if people get confused by luxury.
Connie: That’s what we want to maintain for our brand.
Emily: We inspect everything before it ships.
Ling: We quality check every single piece. Every single piece.

That makes a huge difference for the consumer. It’s good to know they have me in mind.
Emily: Someone’s paying for that we want to make sure it’s in perfect condition.
Connie: We put ourselves in the same shoes as the customer. If I am spending this much money on something it should be the best quality. That is really important to us.

You’re selling out [of scarves] right now. Do you create small orders?
Emily: In the beginning we cut to order. We wanted everything to be perfect.
Connie: It’s our first season so we played it safe because we didn’t know where it would go. It beat our expectations. We were surprised.
Emily: It’s not that we don’t believe in our product. We do. It’s been amazing.
Connie: It’s a huge risk to take when it’s your first line and first season. We just wanted to make sure we had the best quality stuff; on time shipment and you know making sure we get what people want.

What did it feel like when you got picked up by your first stockist?
Emily: Oh my god, I called [Connie], I called Ling.
Ling: It was surprising, especially when we got Shopbop’s order.
Emily: We were just so excited.

Shopbop was your absolute first?
Emily: No, but it was one of our biggest! One that we really targeted.
Connie: We were like “we made it!”
Emily: Then Ron Herman picked it up and [Henri] Bendel.
Connie: And then a ton of awesome international stores that we didn’t expect; like this great store in Germany called CVG. She also had a showroom and wanted to represent us. That was a confirmation for us that we are creating a good product. It gives us the confidence to say wow, we are doing this! We’re going in the right direction and are putting out something good.

You’re getting a welcome reception not just in the US but all over the world.
Emily: All over the world.
Connie: In Japan.
Emily: We’re in really good stores.
Connie: Taiwan, even Russia.

I can’t remember the last time I went to the site before and saw nothing. Then I went back a week ago and was looking through all the stores you’re in and I was like what the...?
Emily: We’re in more than 100 stores for our first season. Everywhere, international and US.
Connie: And it goes back to this being the right time because Emily had the relationships.
Emily: We had the showroom.
Connie: We felt confident enough to do this. It felt right because I would like to think that we’re smart ladies and we don’t usually jump into something if we don’t feel confident. This was one of those rare times when we were like, if we don’t do this we are missing out; we’re totally going to regret this. It’s been an amazing first season.

Now the fun part. I’d like each of you to describe your own personal style and how you’d wear a We are Owls piece.
All: (Laugh)
Connie: Oh no!
Kizzy: Who wants to go first?
Connie: I think Emily should go first.
Emily: My favorite piece is the Carmilla. I would wear it for fall with all my beautiful jackets. It’s easy. I just throw it on with my dresses or denim when I’m going to work. There’s no dress code.
Connie: [Ling], I assume it’s hard for you because they are all your babies.
Ling: (Laughs) Actually, I am over fall. I’m on to the next season.
Connie: Like, we gave you this -- go fend for yourself.
Ling: Actually, I think I’m going to wear the black and white leopard. It goes well with all the clothes I have. My uniform is usually jeans and a t-shirt. If I go out at night I wear a pair of heels.
Connie: I would say if I were to wear anything for fall it would be the one I designed. It’s the poem one. For me it’s a huge statement to the current state of the world. How I think people should stop, think and listen to things around them. It’s an old rhyme I found from somewhere. It’s anonymous and I don’t know who wrote it. It goes something like:

A wise old owl lived in an oak
The more he saw the less he spoke
The less he spoke, the more he heard
Why can’t we be like this wise old bird

Connie: That was something I found to be really meaningful for me at the time. As a graphic designer type for me is really important. I decided to do calligraphy for the piece. So that’s what I would wear and my style is really, very simple. Very black and white, neutral. I like our scarves because it’s a highlight accessory that makes my outfit much cooler.

You do wear a lot of black and white but when I see you there are a lot of textures going on and that makes it richer instead of oh look at me, I’m James Dean.
Connie: Thanks Kizzy. You’re going to make me sound so much cooler than I really am.

Who is We are Owls for?
Connie: It’s for everyone!

9/22/10 VINCE. x NYLON Magazine Party @ LA

LA LADIES - The VINCE. store on Melrose is having a party with NYLON Magazine!  Fefe Dobson is hosting and there will be drinks, music, discounts, gifts with purchase, and other bits of awesome. Reyka Vodka + Dirty Blonde Cocktails will be served so this will be the go-to after-work  joint. 

DON'T FORGET TO RSVP TO VINCE@NYLONMAG.COM

The Shortlist: A Biennial of Creative Video

The Guggenheim Museum curators put together a short list of the most creative online videos from around the globe. The project is supported by HP and Intel (they are getting around) and has been narrowed down from 23,300 submissions! The jury included Laurie Anderson and Ryan McGinley so you know there are some really creative videos.

Check them out here: http://www.youtube.com/play

Pop-Up Shop and Showroom at The Ace Hotel NYC

Some of our friends are involved in a pop up shop at the Ace Hotel in Manhattan. The event begins today from 5-8pm.

Room #811 at the Ace Hotel, 20 West 29th Street.

More info: http://shinysquirrel.typepad.com/shiny_squirrel_/2010/09/ace-hotel-pop-up-showroom-sample-sale-.html

LLadies Love: Discounts on silverLAEK(EN)/Antler Vault

Ladies Lotto has yet another discount for members and newsletter readers. Designer Mallyce Miller scored a hit with her clothing line LAEKEN, now she’s created a jewelry line called silverLAEK(EN) — sold under ANTLER VAULT on Etsy.



If you see something you like, mention Ladies Lotto when you drop Mallyce a line at info[at]laekencollection.com and you’ll score a 10% discount.

You've got to be in it to win it and to get discounts on cool brands before the jump.

Une Very Stylish Fille

Ladies Lotto's resident street style blogger Susie G of CLICK/CLASH has been caught on the opposite side of the lens. Our very stylish fille was selected as one of The Twenty Most Stylish People From Day Eight of Fashion Week by Nymag.com.

Check out the wild 80%20 Nory platform creepers in giraffe. Very stylish indeed!

Find out what Susie G's been up to while guest blogging for 80%20.

NYC: Hellz x Baby -G Collaboration Release Party

You and a guest are cordially invited to attend the

Hellz x Baby -G Collaboration release party


September 22, 2010
7pm-11pm

1OAK
453 W. 17 TH ST.
NYC

Featuring DJ Elle and Special Guests

Non trasferable | RSVP: NGIANCASPRO@COYNEPR.COM


Your presence is greatly appreciated on this special occasion.

Exercise Will Not Make You Lose Weight, Seriously!?

Bad news my friends, it seems like more and more scientific evidence shows that exercise won't make you lose weight. Yup. It's a sad state of affairs when you realize those hours of spinning (painful on the tush) and pole dancing (do I look like a slut in these lucite stilettos?) classes are not going to do sh*t.

Okay, being a little dramatic here. Exercise is certainly good for your health on many levels, helping you to look and feel good. But if you're interested in dropping some weight it turns out that DIET is a key ingredient to weight loss and "intense workout in the gym is actually less effective than gentle exercise in terms of weight loss". Eating a diet with an abundance of fruits and veggies, pumping up your whole grain game, cutting out sugar and just eating LESS will help increase weight loss.

Read more about what UK scientists have found: http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2010/sep/19/exercise-dieting-public-health

Exercise Your Body and Spirit While Relieving Fall Allergies: Yoga Does A Runny Nose Good

I thought I'd beat allergies this season but today has proven the opposite. Sniffling, I googled fall allergies herbal remedies and came across Yoga for allergies. As a novice yogi (I received my certification through Integral Yoga last year), I do my fair share of breathing and asanas but honestly, have been slacking lately due to a significant increase in my workload. I've gone thru a box of tissues since noon, it's time to get the yoga practice back in full effect!

Here's a direct quote from Alternative Medicine Zone, see if these techniques help you out this allergy season.

Hay fever and other allergic reactions are widespread with fall in the air and ragweed pollen being rife. One answer to the coughs and runny noses and sniffles could be certain breathing exercises and yoga for allergies. While this is not an instant fix, regular practice could well offer relief –

Kapalbhati Pranayam: This consists of quick and forceful inhalations and passive exhalations. This can offer relief from a lot of allergy symptoms by clearing the nasal passage. But this breathing exercise is important to perform properly; otherwise you will end up not inhaling enough oxygen and become lightheaded.

Nadi Shodhna: If you are very congested you may not be able to perform this breathing exercise because it involves breathing in through one nostril and exhaling through the other and then switching and doing the opposite.

Yoga Asanas that may help with allergies include the Shoulder-stand or the salamba sarvangasana which can help to improve drainage of nasal passages and hence help to open them, because of the inverted pose adopted. The Bridge pose of the setu bandha sarvangasana uses the backbend to help expand the lungs and the chest improving and increasing the breathing capacity.

Lady Gaga Stands Against "Don't Ask, Don't Tell"

You've probably seen this but Lady Gaga takes a political stand by calling on the Senate to vote with Sen. Reid and Sen. Carl Levin in opposing the filibuster, defeat amendments to strike repeal, and defeat any crippling amendments - to put an end to the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy effective since 1993.

If you want equality, you've got to demand it for everyone.

The video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GG5VK2lquEc

Take Action:
http://www.sldn.org/blog/archives/gaga

Strange Girls...

http://thisisnthappiness.com/post/229874102/baby-blue

Los Angeles: Ladies Lotto Fashion Edition is Sept 22nd.

Hosted by Virgo & Lovemade...

Ladies Lotto presents the Fashion Edition

Wednesday, September 22nd.
6:30-9:30PM

Virgo
216 E. 9th Street
Los Angeles, CA 90015

Meet. Connect. Collaborate. Manifest.

15% off of the entire store!

RSVP NOW: RSVPLA@LADIESLOTTO.COM

Flashback: Who Took the Bomp?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EU1CDSP7FRk

Deceptacon by LeTigre*

*The first time I heard this song I nearly fell out of my seat. I was working at a feminist publishing company and Kathleen Hanna was one of my favorite icons. Do you have any stories about this flashback?

100 Days of Active Resistance

“The principle idea of Active Resistance is that you get out of life what you put in and that real experience of the world involves thinking” – Vivienne Westwood.

Personal favorite fashion designer Vivienne Westwood and denim brand Lee Jeans have joined forces to raise awareness about global climate change through the medium of art.  A viral video was just launched on Tuesday to encourage the public to submit images for the 100 Days of Active Resistance (www.ar100days.com) online installation.  To submit an entry, applicants must fill out a form at http://ar100days.com/index.php/submit/ and have their photo follow the entry guidelines as listed on the site.

The installation will start on September 28, 2010 and continue for 100 days till January 5, 2011.  Every day for one hundred days one image will be selected and shared online on www.ar100days.com and at the close of 100 days, the 100 chosen images will become a part of a London exhibition dedicated to the project.

For more information on Active Resistance, please check out http://activeresistance.co.uk/.

Katayone Adeli please come back!!

I was reading a pant story today in Elle and they mentioned designer Katayone Adeli who blew up in the early 00's with no ads, press or runway shows. (Just a name check from Gwenyth Paltrow and a cult following and she was good to go.) I got put on to her in school and quickly went for broke buying her stuff. I ripped my favorite pair of purple thin whale corduroys on my BMX going crosstown NYC to class but later salvaged them into daisy dukes :-) I've managed to be more careful with my other pairs --- to this day no one has made a more perfect pair of pants --- and she kinda disappeared. In 2008 she started KA7 with Seven Jeans and made some good pieces with them --- but then they kinda disappeared too. Hopefully she resurfaces...we need her!

In my favorite Katayone Blazer, NYC (photo by Mel D Cole)

So long ago in 2003.

Angry Fashionistas Take It to the Streets

Young black women, feeling more and more under represented in the fashion world, took their frustrations to the street on the opening day of Fashion Week (Sept 9th).

Find out more at Clutch Magazine:

http://clutchmagonline.com/newsgossipinfo/young-women-stage-fashion-in-action-demonstration-at-new-york-fashion-week/

Modern Mamahood: Troubleshooting Baby Eczema

I was sort of in denial that my adorable little shnookums had baby skin issues. As she grew from the newborn stage into infancy and was coordinated enough to actually itch, it became much harder to ignore. Her skin was red and bumpy on her cheeks and by her elbow and knee joints. All signs pointed to baby eczema.

Over the course of a few months, with our doctor’s recommendation, we tried Aveeno Baby’s Soothing Relief Moisture Cream (recommended for eczema) and Aquaphor Healing Ointment and stopped with the bubbles and scented soap in the tub, replaced it with Aquaphor Gentle Baby Wash and ensured my husband stopped slathering her with the classic Johnson’s Baby Oil every night. Great suggestions, but nothing was working for her.

Finally when she was about 7 months, we brought our RJ in to the doctor to resolve the problem. He gave her a prescription for steroids, which was a scary way of saying low percentage cortisone cream. After a few days of usage on her trouble-spots, her skin was in the clear!

What we were left with was a WAY less fussy baby! Turns our all that itching was the cause of lots of irritability. Still, the problem was not completely gone; she’ll get outbreaks if she’s sweaty and sometimes if we introduce new foods, which I hear is common.

Since I love skincare products that smell good, I had to figure out something that would work for her sensitive baby skin that had a nice fresh baby-friendly scent. We've successfully reintroduced the Aveeno Baby lotion and for bath time we swear by the Oatmeal Ginger Almond soap bar found at Trader Joe’s. It smells delicious and the all-natural ingredients do wonders for her skin (and mine too -- I use it on my face!)

Delicious soap bar from Trader Joe's

Finally, I've got a child with that baby soft skin we all love thanks to lots of experimentation and finally listening to her doctor. Now let's just hope she doesn't inherit mommy's teenage and apparently adult pimple issues!


The Modern Mamahood Column on the Ladies Lotto Blog: As our Ladies Lotto community grows and evolves, we now have quite a few mamas and mamas-to-be! The LL Modern Mamahood weekly column presents the issues and products related to being a Ladies Lotto Mama. Blogger: Lana Perry

Ladies Lotto at Red Velvet Lounge Photos - Were You There?

Photos by Susie G & Katie Dicicco

Ladies Lotto Networking Event at Red Velvet Lounge in NYC. We had so much fun, over 100 of the finest female creative tastemakers in NYC came out to network, taste amazing Baked By Melissa cupcakes courtesy of Red Velvet Lounge, sip on XANTE liqueur and chase it with refreshing bubbly from Perrier. Tunes by Susie G + Lacee Swan.

Are You In It To Win It? Hope to see you at our next event!

xo

Flashback: Back On the Chain Gang

Chrissie Hynde is a bad ass.


Back on the Chain Gang - The Pretenders
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CK3uf5V0pDA

NYC: You're Invited to an Exclusive Preview for STYLETHIRTEEN!

FRIDAY IS FASHION'S NIGHT OUT! Kick off your night with an exclusive preview of STYLETHIRTEEN!

Please join us for the private preview and launch of STYLETHIRTEEN.COM, the new online fashion and accessories boutique.

When:
Friday, September 10th
[Private Event from 5pm-7pm | Main Event from 7-10pm]

Where:
The Style 13 "Style House"
262 Mott Street (between Houston & Prince)

RSVP:
RSVP@LADIESLOTTO.COM

Open bar by Aquavit

Shana Tovah

Shana tovah umetukah / a happy and sweet New Year to all.

Bat Your Eyes In September

Feeling flirty? So do we! Take a peek at this fun roundup and start fall with your prettiest eyes!

Eyelash Extension Giveaway in Los Angeles / Rejuvalife

Los Angeles ladies, check in to the Rejuvalife Vitality Institute for your eyelash extension needs. Cool thing is - they're running a giveaway for a mini-set of lashes (a $100 value). All you gotta do is tweet. Click here to enter!

Lash Allure Giveaway / POSHGLAM

POSHGLAM is running a giveaway for the Lash Allure MD, a growth serum that claims to give women fuller and longer lashes in just two weeks. Click here to enter!

Favorite mascara

I always make a point not to pay over $20 for mascara. Maybelline Define-A-Lash Pulse Perfection Mascara in Blackest Black seriously does the trick for $14.99.

Eyelash Backlash

Yes - this chick won the record for longest eyelashes in the world. Did they grow? Were they glued on? Either way, what a great example of what NOT to do with your lashes this fall! ;)