StyleWhipped

Danielle Aspromatis: Double Duty

Place cards at a party are great. Edible favors at a party are great. So why not combine the two into one genius entity?? I love killing two birds with one stone in all aspects in my life so no matter how big or how small your event is, add a little something special by directing your guests to their seats AND giving them a little treat. Year-round crowd-pleasers are chocolates, wine, champagne, cookies...the possibilities are endless depending on what the occassion is and what the details are.

Fall wedding? Use cellophane wrapped candy apples with place cards attached to guide your guests on where to go. Summer birthday party? Old fashioned glass bottles of lemonade will refresh your guests and point them in the right direction. Throwing an "It's a girl" baby shower? Drop a few sticks of pink rock candy into a cellophane bag and attach an escort card with a ribbon. Here's a chance to really use some creativity...and your place card table will quickly go from typical to the unexpected. You don't need to wait til you have a big party to throw to execute this perfect pairing of favor and place card; your next dinner party or holiday dinner could benefit from this and eliminate the usual unavoidable confusion as to who sits where...even if its as simple as a handful of jellybeans in a cellophane bag or a fresh piece of fruit; it is so simple to execute and the effort goes a long way!

- Danielle

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Letter From the Editor: Print It Out

There is, as always, a lot going on over here at Stylewhipped. We just finished up New York Fashion Week, and can't wait to bring you some of the best trends as they make it onto our favorite online retail sites.

This past week, someone asked me an interesting question. They wanted to know, if I could only offer one piece of advice to someone who wanted to update their wardrobe, what would that one thing be that I would suggest? And I didn't even hesitate before I said, "add in more prints!" Now, yes, everyone knows that I have a small obsession personally with finding amazing prints. I am not your typical, always-in-head-to-toe-black New Yorker. I think that it stems from the fact that I truly think that fashion - as a form of self-expression - should be fun! What we put on our bodies should lift us up, make us feel good, and be noticeable (in a good way) to those around us. When you wear a good print (and when I say good, I mean attractive, proportionate, not too loud, and that works with the rest of your outfit), you are saying to the world "I am important - look at me." You are also saying "my whole look has visual interest, so I'm intentionally catching your attention."

This concept of adding more interesting prints goes for both women and men, and I think if you are someone who doesn't usually wear anything but solids (or think you can't "pull off prints"), it's so much easier (and more necessary!) than you think. Like I said, prints add visual interest and put an end to everything in your wardrobe looking vaguely the same. And there are many (many, many) types of prints...plaids, florals, paisleys, stripes, and so on. There are, of course, a few little rules to follow. If it hurts your eyes to look at a print on the hanger, it's going to hurt everyone else's eyes to look at you in it. Try to keep prints above the waist (printed shirt? always super cute. printed pants? often a little strange.). Be aware of size (yes, size does matter!)...if the one repeating image in the print is bigger than your hand, it's too big. You don't want to be overwhelmed, you want to enhance. And lastly, be aware of what else you put on...wearing a print often means you need less accessories, less sparkle, etc. And guys...if you feel that rocking a printed shirt is a big step for you, consider wearing it under a blazer...that way, you're only showing a mere section of print instead of the whole shirt!

I found a great print for women as well as a perfect take on plaid/checks for guys...both of these shown below somehow manage to project luxury, glamour & true fashion...which is way more than I can say for a solid tank top or plain blue dress shirt...;)

(click on each to buy)

So go, buy one print and make me happy. But more importantly, make yourself happy. (Because I promise it will...)

~ Alison.

Rebecca Gordon - How I Cured My Taxi Addiction

Everyone who has ever lived in New York, and most who have ever spent a weekend here, have some sort of crazy cab story.  Twice in two weeks this past year I had cab drivers knowingly  drive the wrong way down one way streets; a cab driver once told me how great I smelled and then went on to tell me that driving a cab was something he did to supplement his income as some sort of business owner and then told me again how great I smelled; and once I was in a cab that hopped the curb on the west side highway after I suggested maybe the driver wanted to drive closer to the speed limit.  The day a good friend told me she almost lost it trying to get a cab in the rain, I thought I had heard the craziest of cab stories.  As the story goes, a woman was about to be the fifth person to take a cab that was rightfully for my friend* and my friend ran up to her and said “If you take this cab, I will effing hurt you.” My friend got the cab and we all got a good laugh (I am sure the other woman is still shaking, but this is how serious things can get in the rain when people steal cabs).  I didn’t think it could get any more ridiculous. And then I took a cab to JFK very early on a Saturday morning in October.

Somehow, the driver managed to get completely lost and, because I have never had to drive to the airport in NYC, I was unable to help him find the way (but I did know he was lost).  By the time we got to the airport, I was cutting it close to making my flight, even with all the extra time I always leave myself.  When the total fare amount came up on the screen, I selected credit card as my payment of choice (as my friends know all too well, I never carry cash and this has only become worse now that cabs have to accept credit).  And then the screen went blank and I couldn’t do anything. When I asked the cab driver to reset the machine, he told me the machine was fine and my card was broken. I tried another card and the same thing happened.  The cab driver then started yelling at me telling me I had to pay.  I told him I would happily pay but I didn’t have any cash and was about to miss my flight. He called another driver over and this other driver confirmed the machine did not work, but my driver was not convinced and continued yelling. I calmly asked for his contact information in order to send him the money and offered to give him my business card, but he was having none of it and continued to scream at me. I said “Sir, I am willing to pay you, but your machine is not working and you won’t give me your information so I am going to get out of the cab and get my flight.” I then started getting out of the cab and the driver yelled some more. He was yelling so much that a traffic cop came over and I felt relieved that someone was going to help me (I am not being a wimp here, this guy was really screaming at me and it was frightening). It turned out the traffic cop was just coming for entertainment purposes. Apparently he only got involved in traffic related business of which there was none, so he was free to watch the show that is my life. After enjoying a few minutes of the yelling, the traffic cop told me there was an ATM just inside the sliding doors. I told the driver he could come with me and I would get cash to pay for the cab. He then tried to block my way as I tried to go to the ATM and, of course, continued to scream at me as we walked together to the ATM.  The screaming continued while I was at the ATM and I figured it was making me nervous because I was having trouble getting it to work.  The yelling was so intense that the handsome Australian man in line behind me twice told the driver to stop talking to a lady** like that. After three attempts, I asked the handsome Australian man to try the machine and he had no luck either.  At this point, I was fairly certain I was missing my flight and maybe going to get arrested (I did tell the driver at some point to “go ahead and call the cops, but I am getting on that plane!”).  Then the strangest thing happened, the  handsome Australian man took out the largest roll of cash ever*** and asked me how much money I needed.  I thanked him profusely, told him how much I needed and insisted he take my business card (even though he said repeatedly he did not want repayment).  He then gave the cab driver the money (and I then put it all together to realize this guy did not need the ATM but had come over to help me). After witnessing this act of kindness, one might think the cab driver’s heart would soften or he would at least go on his way.  One would be wrong. The cab driver told the handsome Australian he still owed fifty cents, as if the handsome Australian were actually responsible for paying the fare. The Australian gave him one more dollar and then started giving him the what-for about talking to a lady like that.  After noticing the Australian was wearing a wedding ring and could not be my future husband, I ran to security and made my flight.****  The plane took off with my faith in New Yorkers (or handsome Australian men in New York) restored.

And this is why I took the subway home this Sunday night after a family dinner, even though I was carrying a big bag with my workout clothes and a large box of wine glasses. I knew the subway would take my card, know the way to my destination and only yell at me to announce the next stop.

~Rebecca

*I am withholding her name to protect her.

**Me, a lady!

***Probably not "ever", but you get the point.

****Of course, a bunch of other things went close to wrong – the security line was miles long, my gate had changed without me knowing it and so when I got to the empty gate I assumed I had missed the flight that was actually boarding twenty minutes late three gates down – but I made the flight and including all these details would make the story too long/boring. You are welcome.

His & Hers

I have this theory that the smaller the girl, the bigger the accessories should be (I am super tiny...why would I also want my accessories to be super tiny?!). I also think that the opposite is true for men...the bigger the guy, the bigger his accessories need to be (I even recently featured massive cufflinks from Montegrappa on here). I also reeeally like accessories that can easily be unisex. And the continues-to-be-trendy oversized watches are a perfect example of the unisex accessory. And since I am also a big fan of the Nixon line of watches (there is a secret surfer-girl side of me...who loves a surfer guy with a great tan, sun-bleached hair and board shorts...), what better to feature today than their new "Spur" watch...

The "Spur" is really oversized at 42mm (the largest I've seen that still works on a woman is 44mm, but that is even a bit much), so it's perfect as both a "his" and as a "hers." It also comes in four metals (silver, black, yellow gold and rose gold), so there are three (there are two versions of the silver) that are exceptionally masculine, and all five versions work for you ladies. But I'd keep the feminine yellow- and rose-gold options for the girls only, please. And because Nixon really is a serious surf company, these gorgeous, look-way-more-expensive-than-they-are watches are also water resistant to 100 meters, and made from sturdy stainless steel. But they are also cheekily fashionable, with a tiny diamond on the dial where the "6" should be. And speaking of the price tag, these range from $250-$300, depending on the metal.

I personally own a Nixon watch that I found at a little surf shop near my beach house. It was also available at big box department stores like Nordstrom, but something felt so much more authentic about buying it in my flip-flops, from a guy with equally floppy hair...

~ Alison.

Danielle Aspromatis: The Back Story

Everyone awaits the moment at a wedding when a bride comes down the aisle....beautiful dress, gorgeous makeup and hair, bouquet, veil, sparkly jewelry, designer shoes peaking out...there's just so much to look at when the bride is making her way down to her groom. But what about the guest's view of the bride when she's already at the alter or under the chuppah? I love when a bride chooses to wear a dress with intricate back detail or an alluring open back. It's different, sexy, and makes for amazing photo opportunities. Lace is one material that lends incredibly for back details, and sweetens the look, making a show of skin still very classy and elegant. Other details I love for the back of a dress? Rhinestones, beading, draping, and sashes of contrasting colors. 

As a guest at an event, don't be afraid to bare a little skin as well! Don't forget the rules of balance though; if you show skin in the back you have to make sure that you have more coverage in the front! With award season upon us, you can be sure that we will see some amazing open back details on the red carpet for the Oscars. There are always those daring actresses that go low in the back and look phenomenal! Here are a few of my favorites from Claire, Emma, Eva, Selena and Anne. Stunning!

-Danielle

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jennifer Corcione: A More Wholesome Approach

For those who had the chance to watch the Grammys on Sunday night, all of us witnessed a night of tribute to some of the most iconic artists the music industry has been privileged to know. From a Beach Boys reunion to a guitar rock-off from some of the greats (Paul McCartney, Joe Walsh, Springsteen—to name a few) to Adele receiving more mini gramophones than she could carry, I found myself riveted with love and respect for music and the journey it has taken through the years.

Yet aside from all the glitz and glamour of the night, the real inspiration (for me—at least) was Diana Ross receiving the Lifetime Achievement Award, an honor that is bestowed upon those who have made their mark in music. While Diana Ross has not won a Grammy in her career (yet…I’m still hoping she will, because she deserves it), her passion has inspired fans and fellow musicians of all kinds. Yet I was more interested in talking with someone who is inspired by her in more ways than just her career: her oldest daughter, Rhonda Ross [Kendrick].

Having the chance to talk with Rhonda recently, I couldn’t help but be a little bit nervous and intrigued. When faced with an opportunity to talk to a woman who was raised with the roots of Motown in her blood (her biological father being Berry Gordy), I wanted to know more about Rhonda’s personal journey. As daughter to two of the largest music moguls, to being an actress, to her music, the shift into real estate, and now creating a website that promotes holistic medicine in lieu of pharmaceutical remedies.

Primarily, when most think of Rhonda, (if they’re a soaps fan) they may remember her three-year stint as Toni Burrell from the daytime soap, Another World. Ross recalls her three-year run on Another World as an experience that pushed her as an actor. “It was an amazing training ground,” Ross recollects, explaining how the cast truly bonded through long hours, carpooling with one another to the set, and being placed in a location where there was little outside of the proverbial ‘bubble.’ “There was a camaraderie that came from the show that was second to none.”  

Within music, Rhonda found her inspiration to create a neo-soul/jazz/R&B sound through many of the greats (Billie Holiday, Rodney Kendrick – her husband, Jill Scott, Kirk Franklin, Abbey Lincoln); the most important influence being her mom. She attributes a great portion of her passion, talent, and especially voice to her mom. “People say there’s a quality of my voice that sounds like her,” said Rhonda.

“I love watching her perform, even though I’ve seen her perform countless times. She brings life to every moment and adores sharing that with her audience. I love the way she thinks, how she takes a melody and finds the simple story. She’s a purist; delivers the melody and lyric in a way that speaks to the heart.”

Breaking away from the entertainment industry, Ross found her way into real estate, a field that at first confused me (and according to her, many others), yet played into the mindset that she received from her father, Motown founder Berry Gordy. “It seems odd, doesn’t it?” Ross said with a little bit of a chuckle. “It seems odd to many people. I’m an artist; I get that from my mom’s side. But my father created Motown and he’s more of an entrepreneur.”

Today, Rhonda is on a new mission: to share holistic medicine on a larger scale. Teaming up with Kevin Burke, Kathy Leone, and Richard Rodman, this dream team created the website Wholesome to suggest natural remedies in place of more mainstream medicine. For Rhonda, Wholesome means more than just a new website; initially the idea was inspired by her own experience. “I have been interested in holistic medicine since 2000,” shares Ross. “I look to it for different reasons. If I have a headache, I don’t just assume I need an aspirin.”

The site offers treatments such as raw garlic when you have a cold instead of reaching for NyQuil, the benefits of walking barefoot to balance out more than just your equilibrium, and promoting businesses that help parents create healthier eating habits for their children.  

Be that as it may, Wholesome has a deeper meaning to Ross than just sharing remedies with readers. The true motivation stems from her experience of being a mother; it’s from this that she finds true passion to promote the positive effects of natural medicine.  “It’s interesting, it’s my personal passion,” she shares. “Wholesome extends beyond that. What I want for him [my son], I want for other children, other mothers, and other families. Everything I do comes out of passion for my child.”

I wondered how someone with so many different career paths continued to persevere and dominate. Attributing some of that strength to her mother, Ross shared what I felt was the best advice she had been given:

“Do what you love and follow your passion. My mother never advocated for us to do something for money. She always told us to do what we loved, what we felt was right.”

To learn more about Wholesome and learn about the benefits of holistic medicine, you can check it out here: Wholesome.

~ Jenn 

Party Perfect

There is still that little girl in me who wants to wear a party dress to school. Of course, now I just wear inappropriately fancy outfits to go to a diner in New Jersey, but hey...listen, there's really nothing I can do about it. So when I do see a perfect "party dress," I still get really, really excited and can't wait to figure out what event I'm going to wear it to (and again, that "event" could be going out to dinner...).

One of my favorite silhouettes to wear to a party (especially during the winter) is a mini dress with long sleeves. It lets you show off the fact that you're still going running everyday even though it's cold out, but covers you up enough to be both a little demure and keep you a little warm! And this amazing number from Alice + Olivia is exactly the look that I want to wear all the time. With it's mid-thigh length, illusion sleeves (lending a little extra dose of sexy...), and ombre effect of pewter sequins on both the sleeves and the skirt, this is a little retro, a lot modern, and just a ton of fun! Adding to the fun factor is the fact that this can really be styled so many different ways (with tights or bare-legged, with metallic heels or black patent booties...the options are endless...).

So go find your version of a "party"...because this one deserves to be taken out on the town!

~ Alison.

Event Recap: The Pampered Chef's "Buddle Up For a BBQ"

Just recently, I went uptown to the gorgeous 230 Fifth event space & rooftop to attend a mid-day event for The Pampered Chef. Billed as "Buddle Up For a BBQ," this was a sneak-peek at their newest products, a tasting of delicious items made from their branded ingredients (and with those new products!), and also a way to introduce the Illinois-based company to us New Yorkers. And believe me, if there is anything out there that we need, it's a way to make cooking in NYC seem a little less daunting. Personally, I believe that toasting a bagel counts as "cooking" (c'mon, it changes form...isn't that cooking?!), and am also a vegetarian (not so great for a "BBQ" tasting...), so I brought my husband along as Stylewhipped's official taste-tester...

For you fashion-centric readers, The Pampered Chef is sort of like the Stella & Dot of the cooking world...there are no brick-and-morter stores - you can either shop for their products online or go to a Pampered Chef party where one of their "consulants" presents their newest and greatest...yes, sort of like a modern twist on old-school Tupperware parties! Being the non-chef that I am, I like the social aspect of the parties and the convenience of the online shopping. And some of the products we saw, tried and tasted (the Pampered Chef also has a fantastic line of "pantry" items...rubs, spices, drink mixes, etc) were just fantastic (I wanted to have fun slicing vegetables all day at the testing station and David -- the official taste-tester -- could have eaten off the demo grills for two more meals!). I asked him what he thought the two or three products were that he, as our resident beach-house-griller, couldn't wait to use. He mentioned the new Pizza Grill Pan, Beer Can Chicken Rack, and the Baked Potato Rack (which we were lucky enough to take home with us!). "All three items are just simple ways to make some different things without too much practice...which is important because I only get to grill on the weekends and don't want to play around with trying something new that might turn out awful!" He also really loved two of their new sauces, the Korean BBQ ("incentive to try grilling some beef skewers right now - even though it's cold out!") and the Beer BBQ ("the perfect way to make sometimes-boring chicken a lot more exciting").

These new products will be available starting March 1st...but in the meantime, with the amazing prices The Pampered Chef provides (that baked potato griller? It's $10!), I have a feeling you might find some other things your little NYC kitchen just has to have in it. Even if it is only to impress your in-laws for one night. (Don't worry, I promise you can go back to ordering Thai take-out the following day...)

~ Alison.

Danielle Aspromatis: Dessert, Ladies?

Since today is Valentines Day, the one day of the year that adult women can indulge in all the chocolates they want without guilt, I thought a post about the most amazing dessert makers I've come across in a long time would be very appropriate! Meet The Dessert Ladies...New Jersey's own super creative team that creates not only unique mouth-watering sweets, but are the nicest and most hardworking local ladies I've met. Having any one of their treats at your next dinner party, shower, birthday or wedding is sure to be the talk of the party.

My personal favorite, the newest addition for the Dessert Ladies, and the best in my humble opinion-- SHOOTERS! They come in glass or plastic with a lid and a spoon, in mouth watering flavors like Death by Chocolate and Baileys trifle. They have a kick of alcohol (available without the booze too) to spice up your party. The packaging is genious and they will customize the labeling and stickers to be exactly what you want for your event.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Take a look at the dessert towers they make.. individually wrapped, sinfully amazing towers in flavors like red velvet, strawberries & cream, devils chocolate cake and spicy carrot cake...all wrapped in clear packaging that can have your own personalized sticker!

 

 

 

 

 

 

If you're having a brunch, these breakfast towers put muffins to shame! Crumb cake, banana nut, blueberry streusel, or any custom flavor you can think of!

 

 

With Dessert Ladies, the sweets and the packaging are all customizable. Brownies, chocolate covered pretzels, beins (the chocolate cake version of bon bons!), brownies, cupcakes and more!

Check out their website, www.dessertladies.com for more information on all of their products (warning: do NOT look on the website if you are slightly hungry in the least. It is sheer torture!)

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                                                                                                                                            - Danielle

Letter From the Editor: Just Say It

Tomorrow is Valentine's Day, a day that is meant to be dedicated to love. I am a true romantic at heart...I want everyone to be in love, I want to see a boy serenade a girl with his guitar, I cry at heartfelt movies, I want there to be engagements and weddings and celebrations of commitment. But real life doesn't have crepe paper hearts floating down from the ceiling, real life isn't lit by candles, and real life often allows for barely enough time to make coffee in the morning...

Which is why, on Valentine's Day this year, I want you to treat the day a little differently. By all means, go out to the fancy, romantic dinner with your significant other (I'll be at the table next to you!), but also consider that "love" never has to be just romatic love...our friends and family are just as much our "valentines" as our husbands, wives, or girlfriends. And these are the people who also need to hear you say those three little words. At the end of any time I spend with my close friends, I depart with a quick "I love you." Are some people caught a little off-guard? Yup. But even if they aren't "touchy-feely" types, do they always take a breath and then say it right back? Absolutely. And every single time I get off the phone with my mother, father or sister, I say it. After all, these are the people who have known me every second of my life...if I can't say it to them, there's a little problem!

But even if you are like me and are easily verbally expressive about your feelings, remember that in this day and age of being separated by an overload of technology, many people aren't. A friend of mine is moving quite a ways away, and when I said I'd miss him, he said, "well, 90% of our relationship is electronic anyway"...and yikes - it's true! So you have to realize this is probably the case for so many people in your life. With all of our texting, emailing, and tweeting, a lot of true personal interaction has been removed from our daily routines. And with it, the chances for real expressions of any kind of love have been removed as well.

So tomorrow, take the time - in person, over the phone, whatever you can manage (even if it has to be electronic) - to tell people you love them. It will change their day and yours. Like food and shelter, knowing we are loved in some capacity is necessary for a happy life.

So just say it. And then say it again the next day, too.

Happy Valentine's Day!

~ Alison.