Stay tuned for our fabulous one on one interview with Hollywood Makeup Artist “Artemis”. You don’t want to miss out on her amazing beauty advice and must-haves for Fall. We also threw in some fun, random Q&A to spicy it up. So…..in the meantime check out her website www.makeupbyartemis.com.
Our team had a fabulous time celebrating with the curvy community for Hollywood NOW’s Love Your Body Day last month. If you were unable to attend….you missed out on quite an adventure. It was a weekend filled with body acceptance and fun-loving people involved in many different professions all brought together for the same positive reason. Our entire team left feeling so great about ourselves and our position in the plus-size community and we were so thrilled to have been part of such an awesome event. Here are some great photos of our team at the events and our designs from the fabulous fashion show styled by our favorite stylist Reah Norman.
SWAK Designs Team at the Love Your Body Day Launch Party Craig Elie VP of IS , Rhasaan Sherrill VP of Merchandising & Design, Plus Model Danielle Line, Brad Capo Owner of SWAK Designs
Christina Capo Co-Owner of SWAK Designs and Rhonda Phelps Director of Customer Service with Daughters Ciera Phelps and Emily Capo
Our FABULOUS Plus Size Models Denise Bidot, Danielle Line, and Shameyka Thompson
Photos Courtesy of Inez Lewis & Natalie Ferraro
You could be our next winner! All you have to do is visit our website www.swakdesigns.com and sign-up for our SWAK Designs Style Wire Newsletter to be automatically entered into our monthly drawing to win a $100 shopping spree on us. There’s a winner EVERY MONTH, so be sure to sign-up. Also, upon sign up you will receive our weekly specials, promotions, and new arrivals. Stay up to date with the latest in trendy plus size fashion with Sealed with a Kiss Designs.
This weekend we are thrilled to take part in the 4th annual Hollywood Now Love Your Body Day. The festivities begin tomorrow October 23, 2009 and run through the weekend. Saturday we will have a table set up at the West Hollywood Park Auditorium offering our guests and opportunity to enter in a drawing for a $100 shopping spree from www.swakdesigns.com. We will also be having our latest plus size fashions featured in the “Real Women” Fashion Show. Don’t miss out! It’s free ladies, so there is no excuse to come and celebrate Love Your Body Day with us. We hope to see you there.
Here is the schedule of events:
FRIDAY – OCTOBER 23, 2009 @ 6:00 PM
Love Your Body Day Launch Party
6:00pm
O Bar Restaurant & Lounge
8279 Santa Monica Blvd.
West Hollywood, CA 90046
***** For dinner reservations call 323-822-3300*****
Please note reservations are not required to attend, only for dinner
SATURDAY – OCTOBER 24, 2009 @ 12:00 PM
Love Your Body Day
12:00 – 4:00 pm
West Hollywood Park Auditorium
647 N. San Vicente
West Hollywood, CA 90069
Vendors – Entertainment – “Real Women” Fashion Show
Free Fitness & Wellness Classes (click for more info)
Parking Information (click for more info)
Free Admission
SATURDAY – OCTOBER 24, 2009 @ 8:00 PM
Cathy Lewis Universal Comedy presents:
The Love Your Body Day Comedy Show
Doors Open: 8:00pm Showtime: 8:30pm
The World Famous Comedy Store
Belly Room
8433 Sunset Blvd.
West Hollywood, CA 90069
Admission: $10.00 (pay at door)
21 and over
2 drink minimum
Click here to see list of comics performing
SUNDAY – OCTOBER 25, 2009 @ 11:00 AM
Body Image Panel Discussion:
Maintaining a Positive Body Image in “Hollywood” and Defying Unrealistic Expectations
Panelist share their personal and professional experiences with eating
disorders, body image issues, and size discrimination. Discussion will
include personal stories and resources for support and how to take action.
Pacific Design Center – Conference Center
8687 Melrose Ave
West Hollywood, CA 90069
11:00 am
Reception Immediately Following
Free Admission
Panelists Include:
Moderator: Chenese Lewis -Hollywood NOW Love Your Body Chairperson
Lisa Ann Walter – executive producer and a judge of Oxygen’s new dance/weight loss competition series Dance Your Ass Off.
Tomiko Fraser – supermodel who was the first African-American model to score a major cosmetics contract with Maybelline New York.
Lindsay Hollister - actress whose television credits include “Boston Public”, “Nip/Tuck”, “My Name is Earl”, and in films such as “Get Smart”
Nancy Redd – New York Times bestselling author of Body Drama. Nancy also serves as a self-esteem advisor to FITNESS magazine.
Kristen Haglund - actress and Miss America 2008. Founder of The Kristen Haglund Foundation to provide aid for those seeking support from eating disorders.
Jess Weiner - author, Global Ambassador for the Dove Self-Esteem Fund, and monthly body image columnist for Seventeen Magazine.
For additional details on this exciting event visit www.LoveYourBodyDay.com
In today’s economy, it’s no secret that job searching has become our number one past time. Even those of us who have jobs are often looking around – just in case. And this is especially true for younger members of the job market. After all, who wants to hire a twenty-two year old college graduate to manage their business when there are as many as five women twice her age trying for the same job?
So what can a young woman do to find a great job or great promotion – or even be sure to keep the job she has? One of the simplest answers is to invest in herself. Yes, you can do this by going back to college to earn another degree or certification – or by adding a new skill set to your resume. But a quick fix is simply to look the part you want to play.
While appearance maybe shouldn’t play a role in who gets chosen for what job, the old adage, “Dress for success,” is definitely one to keep in everyone’s pocket when 1 in 10 of us are out of work in this country. So just how do we go about creating the kind of make over that will showcase our inner talents?
Tip Number One: Be sure that your wardrobe is appropriate for the place you work. Corporate cultures can be very subtle, and it’s easy to be either too formal or too informal, especially when you’re new to the corporate world. If your company practices casual Fridays, be sure to check out what the Human Resources definition of that is – even if you see colleagues dressed in jeans. It’s quite likely that denim is simply unacceptable to your senior management, but they choose to turn a blind eye to their support staff or IT team. But who do you think will be considered for promotion the next time around? Likewise, don’t overdress on those days either. You don’t want to seem stiff or appear to have a lack of team spirit.
Tip Number Two: Work with what you’ve got. Very often our wardrobe is the easiest thing to fix. You can literally take a monotone skirt and blouse and turn it into a vibrant plus size fashion statement with the addition of a bold pashmina, a wide stretch belt, or some terrific jewelry and a short bolero sweater or plus size cardigan. Another great idea is to add some great looking (but appropriate) leather or denim to your look. A great denim skirt with a tailored blouse, or a pair of tailored slacks with a waist-length blazer style leather jacket slung over your shoulders makes a great plus size fashion statement.
Tip Number Three: Perform some serious due diligence. There’s nothing like some good old observation. Spend a few days looking at what other plus size women are wearing – especially those who are further along on the career path you’d like to walk. Invest in a few great magazines also – and these don’t necessarily have to be fashion magazines. If you’re interested in becoming the CEO of a company, for instance, you might look closely at the plus size womens fashions in INC. or Business Week – or check out the online version of WE Magazine for Women. If you’re interested in broadcasting, pay close attention to who’s wearing what in TV. And you can definitely ask the women you admire where they shop! You’ll be surprised at how many of them will offer up the name of a small boutique or a vintage shop full of treasures.
Whatever you do, just make ONE decision this fall. DO NOT DO NOTHING. Spending the time and money to revamp your look is definitely one of the best investments in yourself that you can make.
Lately it seems that I cannot get away from those 1-800-Get-Slim ads. You know the one with the curvy blond woman who is standing proudly on a scale and with her arms up in the air as if she is jumping for joy because of the number she sees on the scale. These ads suggest to let your new life begin with a quick and easy way to get slim by getting the laparoscopic gastric banding, also known as “lap band surgery.”These ads are literally posted on every billboard I see driving from here to there, on the side of every bus in town, their commercials air on almost every radio station, and that annoying jingle gets stuck in my brain and drives me crazy. We all are well aware that obesity is a problem for a growing number of people around the world but lately it seems like so many are just plain sick of the ups and downs of dieting and resorting to the lap band surgery. So needless to say I decided to check out this new craze and get the skinny on the lap band surgery. I wanted to see what exactly this lap band surgery is all about. Is it a cure for obesity or just a quick fix? Here is some great information I found on www.ehow.com on the actual process of the lap band surgery as well as some advantages and disadvantages of the surgery.
Plus-Size Models Cause Stir at London Fashion Week
So there’s alot of buzz about designer Mark Fast deciding to use plus size models in his collection at London Fashion Week. Check out the article I found below by an awesome writer named Alice Fisher who is a Style Correspondent for The Observer. Be sure to read the Commentary at the end of the article as I feel she is definitely “spot-on.” Let us know your thoughts on this by leaving a comment below.
London Fashion Week: catwalk row over size 14 models
Stylist storms out after London Fashion Week show over designer’s decision to use average-size models in mini-dresses
A designer’s decision to use size 12 and 14 models at London Fashion Week caused a behind-the-scenes row that ended in his stylist walking out. Mark Fast, known for his sculpted mini-dresses reflecting the recent body-conscious trend, used three models of a size larger than the catwalk is used to seeing – Hayley, Laura and Gwyneth – to model his knitwear designs.
Within an hour of his show on Saturday morning, an Elle magazine journalist sent out a tweet saying Fast’s stylist had resigned over his use of the models. Fast’s managing director, Amanda May, said she was “so happy we stuck to our guns over the casting”. She told the Observer that stylist Daniella Agnelli had stepped in to help out. “She was in the studio until after 2am with Mark perfecting the show. We are really grateful to her.”
Fast had been working with size-12 model Hayley Morley for the LFW photography exhibition, All Walks Beyond the Catwalk. It launched on Friday at London’s Somerset House with a party attended by Alexandra Shulman, editor of British Vogue, and prime minister’s wife Sarah Brown, who admitted she had “sneaked out” of a number 10 reception for British designers she was hosting.
The exhibition features models aged 18 to 65, in sizes 8 to 16, wearing outfits created by young London designers. It aims to change the narrow vision of beauty offered by the fashion world. The size issue is always a sore point within the industry. The 2007 Model Health Inquiry was launched by the British Fashion Council in response to the death from starvation of several models who had been slaves to the size-zero trend. It failed to set out any firm industry guidelines but the debate has gained momentum; this month, plus-size model Crystal Renn launched her autobiography at a glittering Manhattan party and talked of a new vogue for women “lush and sparkly with nary a jutting collarbone in sight”.
On Friday Professor Ulrike Schmidt, chair of the Institute of Psychiatry’s eating disorders team, spoke out about the dangers of very thin models. “We are very concerned that the lack of medical checks for models at London Fashion Week, coupled with an environment where being underweight is the norm, prevents those with eating disorders from gaining insight into their condition.”
Vogue editor Shulman wrote to top designers in June this year, asking for larger-sized clothes for the magazine’s photo shoots. “We have now reached the point where many of the sample sizes don’t comfortably fit even the established star models,” she wrote. Her views were backed by designers such as Roland Mouret. “Back in the 1980s, when supermodels were several sizes larger than top models today, the clothes worked on bigger bodies.”
All Walks Beyond the Catwalk aims to change the perception of young designers towards age and weight. Exhibition curator and fashion TV presenter Caryn Franklin said: “Working with designers early in their career to introduce this shift is crucial.” In Fast, she may have found her first true convert.
Commentary: ‘A reminder of my own prejudices’
When Hayley Morley first strode down the catwalk at Mark Fast’s fashion show, I admit I blinked. It was a chastening reminder of my own prejudices, how much I expected to see a certain size of model on the catwalk.
Fast’s casting decision was a great one. We do need to see more women who reflect the weight and shape of the rest of us on the catwalk. Their presence genuinely altered my appraisal of the clothes on show, making me consider how I would look in these designs rather than viewing them purely as a reporter. Fast has previously been criticized for producing super-short, super-tight dresses that only the super-thin would feel comfortable in. It was interesting to be shown how wrong that is.
Fast’s casting wasn’t a total success though. One side-effect of having average-sized women on the catwalk was to emphasize just how thin some of the other models were. The other problem? Purely practical. The tightness and shortness of the dresses was fine. The lack of undergarments was not. Morley’s modeling agency, 12+UK, lists her chest size as 34D and that’s a bosom that needs support. I doubt Morley would strut down to the shops without a bra – it’s a shame she had to walk the catwalk without one.
Cast normal size women again, Fast, it was great. But next time, knit them a bra as well as a dress.
Alice Fisher, Style Correspondent for The Observer
One of the coolest things about cooler autumn weather is the new fashions. And even though we may be in the middle of an Indian Summer on any given week, the new sweaters, skirts and styles are like a signpost each year, calling me to my renovated wardrobe. Okay, okay, with the recession in full bloom, my “new wardrobe” may be two beautiful floor length skirts, a great pair of plus size jeans and a Waist Tie Cardigan, but that’s okay with me. I still get to pamper myself and have a party while I’m shopping (usually online because of my busy schedule), and then throw ANOTHER party when the package arrives and I get to try on my treasures. (For the full figured fashion hunter like me, it also saves me having to get undressed in dressing rooms that seem to become less and less private – some are even co-ed now. Ick.)
Fall fashions are my favorite anyway though. Like a lot of full-figured fashion conscious women, short-shorts and halter tops aren’t exactly my niche. But I am confident enough about my looks to enjoy those summer favs sometimes. And I’m not fond of hiding my sultry curves under layers and layers, like winter wardrobes dictate. So the crisp air of autumn is my bell ringing. I wake up in the morning and add a cute vest to a pair of jeans or tie a great scarf around the waist of my favorite plus size peasant skirt and I head out for a great day. Sometimes I feel like wardrobe is as important for our day-to-day lives as it is for an actor in a 4-star Broadway production. It sets the tone for success when I’m headed out to work (maybe a cool pair of boots) or for a sultry evening if I’m meeting my guy for a great dinner (heels, definitely heels). You get what I mean.
And every season the new fashions are like an art gallery where I can actually afford the art. (Hey, who doesn’t need a smooth, silky Monet or a funky Picasso-like print dress to top off her wardrobe?) You see, wardrobe is one of those things that actually BRAND us in our lives. You can create an impression of classy in about five seconds when you walk in the room – IF your outfit says that. And if it doesn’t, well, you may never get there. That’s how important the costume is to the stage we’re setting.
Now some of this is intuitive. Nobody goes to a red-carpet event in whitewashed denim jeans. But hey, what a statement if they did. And no one goes to pizza hut in floor length sequins, but again, what if you did? Figuring out your personal style is FUN when it comes to your closets and drawers. You can literally reinvent yourself every season and even every outfit! So give yourself a great gift today – go into your closet and pick one old ensemble that you haven’t worn in a year, donate it to Good Will and sit with your favorite online website and choose something new to replace it. Hey, it may just inspire a whole new act to your own 5-star show. Encore anyone?
