Trend Talk

This has been a hard month for me. I traveled to Las Vegas the end of August to attend Sourcing at MAGIC and came home with a cough. The cough turned into Bronchitis and I missed four days of work. Four days! Well, here it is, the end of September and I am just now getting over that cough. Of course, I have been to the doctor and had to take prescription meds - twice - to kick this thing. Having said all that, I am doing better and back to blogging. Just a reminder, if you missed hearing me talk trends on Inspired At Home blog talk radio, you can listen here. The picture above is of somewhere in North Carolina. I found it online and I loved it and wanted to share it.

Glitter

I am very excited! My friend, Kathy Cano-Murillo - aka, The Crafty Chica - has written her first novel and I get to read an advanced copy. I remember when Kathy and I went to lunch quite a few months back, we discussed one of the characters in her book and the changes Kathy was trying to make that would greater define this person. I felt privileged that she would even ask for my input. Luckily, I had a few trendy insights to offer Kathy. And now, here on my desk sits her book, Waking Up In The Land Of Glitter. In case you didn't know, glitter is Kathy's very, very favorite thing. Here's how the book is described: If Amy Sedaris and Ugly Betty teamed up to rewrite The Friday Night Knitting Club, you'd have this hilarious, heartwarming debut novel.

Remembering September 11

This morning my husband and I sat together watching the news and reverently observed a minute of silence in reflection of the events of September 11, 2001. I remembered back to that morning eight years ago, I was sitting in my chair with my new baby in my arms, watching the news about an airplane that hit one of the Twin Towers. As I continued to watch, a second plane hit the remaining tower, and I remembered the horror I felt as I realized that America was under attack.

Today I am thinking about all the things we as Americans enjoy because we live in safety and freedom. May we never, ever forget the events of September 11, 2001. And may God bless America.

Red & Black

Last weekend I went to Las Vegas with a colleague to attend the Project and Pool shows that are part of the Sourcing At MAGIC show. We loved walking the shows and seeing all the offerings from the different vendors. After hours, we took some time to walk around to see the city and check out some of the high-end stores that are within some of the casinos. What we continued to notice was the obvious color combo of red and black. It was all very dramatic and very chic. It was also very Gothic and romantic. Very, dare I say, 'Edward and Bella' inspired, if you know what I mean. (Think, vampires, 'Twilight' and 'True Blood'.) If you are unfamiliar with the cover of the Twilight book, it's black and red. Have any of you noticed the black and red palette in advertisements in the fashion magazines? Every other page is black and red. But more than that, the models have cool, pale looking skin (to the point of looking bloodless) with deep red lips. Do vampires really have the power to influence fashion? Most of these vampire romance books are written by women for women. Movies and TV series are made based on these books. Teens love them, but so do adult women. It's all about escaping from reality anyway. The uncertain economy is real and scary. The economy affects pop culture. Pop culture is reflected in fashion. See how one thing bleeds into another? And the next thing you know, we're all wearing red and black and standing in a line to see 'New Moon', the next movie installment of the Stephenie Myers 'Twilight' series.