Getting Ready For Fashion Week NYC Spring/Summer 2015!!

As we prepare to head to the Fashion Week NYC in a few weeks lets take a look back at some images over the years working with the amazing Orlando Pita!!! Stay tuned for whats hot with images as they happen behind the scenes!

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Diane Von Furstenberg Fall 2013

Assisting Orlando Pita for fashion week is an experience of a life time. Not only are the shows amazing, but Orlando is an incredibly talented hairstylist and we all walk away with much more knowledge of hair.

The inspiration was glam rock meets disco with a vibe from DVF herself.

Orlando was asked if this model should have extensions, he quickly replied "no, lets take this opportunity to embrace her natural beauty".

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A Look Back At 30 Years of Hair Trends And Trends To Come

As we await Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week in New York, let's take a look back at the major fashion trends and fads that have influenced the beauty industry.

Ahhh.. the 1980's! Hair and fashion was all about opulence, with big hair that was full of volume and waves.

As we entered the 90's, we saw a strong influence from designers such as Helmut Lang and Prada that was all about minimalism. Hair slowly went from big and textured, to flat and smooth. With the addition of new technical advances in styling tools (flatirons) , hair also became flatter.

Another 90's trend that was everywhere was extensions. It started as a beauty secret, adding sex appeal to a woman while maintaining a more "natural look."
As hair extensions became less of a "beauty secret" and became more mainstream, every model or actress wanted to make her individual statement with longer wavy hair.  As a result, it went from being a more blended "hair accessory" to a very obvious crown of locks. Suddenly women did not care about looking natural; it was all about over-the-top effects and high drama.

In past few seasons, hair became inspired by the 60's. Stylists moved away from extensions when it came to the runway and ad campaigns. Another strong influence was the Great Gatsby era, showing up in fashion magazines where models showcased shorter hair. So hair with long waves was replaced with a minimalist vibe and a lot less hair drama.

Now as Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week approaches, I am so excited to see what will be hitting the runways across the world, as top designers and hairstylists come together to bring us the latest trends in hair.

Stay tuned for more on this season fashion week with back stage images from this weekends shows!!

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HAIR TO HELP.

I've always felt that my true love was being a hairstylist, and I still feel that way. With my move to Miami (over a year ago), I found another love that equally satisfies me. It may not be as glamorous as creating a beautiful hairstyle in a fabulous location, and there's no money to be made (literally zero dollars). However, it makes my heart beat as it did on my first day of fashion week in NYC, as I watched Orlando demonstrate a master piece.

Here's another link to more of Orlando's work.

Let me share one of my latest loves: meet Casa Valentina. Casa Valentina is a non-profit organization that addresses the unique, gender-specific needs of young women transitioning from foster care to independent living. On my first month in Miami, I was lucky enough to meet Sheila Lehrman and her wonderful family. I mentioned to Sheila that I am interested in helping any group of women that needs my services and is open to a little beauty workshop.

Sheila said, "Wait, wait, wait! I know just the place!!!" When she described Casa Valentina to me, I knew I just had to go.



Over the year, I have been able to not only visit them in person, but also to have companies like Vitacare, and DaCuore donate products to Casa Valentina.

On my recent visit with girls, we focused on the theme that "Individuality is a woman's strongest asset." I asked each girl to tell me what her favorite color was. Some said black, like their skin; one girl said blue, like the ocean, which reminds her of her happiest times. They all stressed that they held those colors close to their hearts and would not change them for the world!


I quickly agreed - that's the same way I feel about my favorite color orange. It's my choice and I'm not changing it, no matter what someone else thinks! I asked the girls, if I told them to change their color to a color that I thought suited them, would they do it?

They said "No way."

I went on to explain that this was my point exactly: The way we look (hair, skin color, lips) and our tastes in fashion, are all parts of our individuality.

Every woman has the right to express herself, even with the smallest detail, in a way that sets her apart. At this point, I had their full attention. I asked them a very important question: Were they basing their individual tastes on what they saw on TV and in magazines?

The answer was a big YES! I quickly followed by asking, are their times they they would like to just Express themselves (through fashion and hair) in a way they feel at that very moment? Again the answer was a big YES! Well why don't you I asked?

I went on to urge these young women (as I do all young women) to find that something special that they love about themselves and own it, no matter what the media says. Women: You don't have be part of a large group, all looking the same. That goes for hairstyles, bags, shoes, and even lips! There are already too many Kim Kadashians walking around our streets. Don't get me wrong; as individuals, we have the right to follow a trend, too. Every woman can be brave and express herself with a certain color, hairstyle, retro or vintage clothing, or even just going all-natural with her hair and face.

As we continued discussing the idea of individuality, the girls really started to understand my point. One girl had flaming red hair, which she loves! I loved the fact that it may have been inspired by Rihanna, but she was daring enough to make it even brighter and have it braided. She still made it her own.

The lesson with trends is to look at them, enjoy them, and know that they exist. Women: You can follow trends, but look around you and see how many others are wearing the same bag, shoes, jeans, big purse and hairstyle. Let's show our younger generation that one of the biggest gifts is "individuality."

As Madonna once said, "Express yourself!".



I wish you all true beauty and self love!!

The editing of this blog was done by Camile Lamb of the Perfect Words,Ink.

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