Better TV Blog » Fashion & Beauty

Best Dressed

jreid — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 23:18:44 +0000

My picks for Best Dressed at last night’s Academy Awards:

1. Sarah Jessica Parker, who made a daring yet timeless choice, and whose dress will be remembered for years to come (much like the black minidress she wore to her first Academy Awards, which was similarly controversial). Too much bronzer and kind of odd hair, but that dress made up for it.

2. Miley Cyrus, whose dress (and makeup) was beyond stunning. Yeah, she slouched, and I often question her clothing (and life) choices…but she’s 17 and she looked classy and lovely. Let’s give her a break.

3. Vera Farmiga (left), who I desperately want to look like, made possibly the night’s boldest choice. Not everyone will “get” it…but it’s the Oscars, and that is an Oscars dress if I’ve ever seen one.

4. Zoe Kravitz, whose understated gown was a great color, a beautiful shape, and perfectly suited for a young, trendy starlet not tasked with nominating or presenting.

5. Rachel McAdams, because she can do no wrong.

Who do you think did it best?

-Jordan Reid

Sight seeing in the dark by Mar Jennings

mjennings — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 21:59:17 +0000

Recently I was hired to be a guest speaker in Farmington, Connecticut, to talk about my signature style of creating casual luxury. I was joined by Lisa, my candle line business partner, and we were off to meet the ladies and enjoy a meal with them; my presentation was for after dinner. We left Westport around 5:00pm and as the sun set I noticed how difficult it was getting for me to read the street signs. Recently I also noticed I was having some difficulties reading the text on my iPhone. “Oh no!” I yell to Lisa, “It’s happening!” “What?” she replied. “My eyes are going, and it feels as if it happened overnight!” Turning 40 this year I had been told, “Just wait: once you’ve hit forty you’ll be needing readers,” but driving glasses—what gives?

We arrived at the restaurant to a packed, sold out event. How exciting, right? We sat down, had a light bite, and then I was introduced. Although I have given many lectures on several topics, this was my first lecture on this “casual luxury” subject so I did my due diligence and had some notes typed up. I began as I normally do, telling some Mar stories, and I mentioned that I wrote some notes to keep me on track and pulled them out to show the audience. When I next glanced at them to prompt me on my next statement I noticed that I could not see a single word clearly. And that’s when I broke and confessed “I’m apparently blind as I can’t even read my own typed out notes.” I could try to blame the fact that it was rather dark, or that I had enjoyed one MARtini after dinner, but truth be told I was “blind.” My assistant, Robert, will tell you he has been hinting at this for a while now, but I just didn’t want to hear it—I know he’s ready to say “I told you so.” Luckily I am someone who always writes his own speeches, so I decided I could just wing it.

Today I came to grips with my new eyesight loss and began to embrace the potential reality that I will be told that glasses will not be just for driving but reading as well.

My neighbor Barbara greeted this news as if I was joining some team. “Welcome, Mar! And guess what? Your ability to focus on near objects gets even harder with age.” I’ve done a little reading since yesterday, and so I know that this condition is not a disease but a natural part of aging called “Presbyopia,” and the exact cause is still unknown. Great: we can put a man on the moon but we can’t figure out what happens to our eyes. Similar to grey hair (of which I have none—yet!) and wrinkles (okay, maybe one or two, but they’re what I call laugh lines), presbyopia is a symptom caused by the natural course of aging, and most people start to notice its effects between 40 and 50 years old, although it can occur at an earlier age like so many other things. I guess I have arrived early to my own party of growing old. What a lousy party to crash!

Luckily enough, wearing glasses no longer has the stigma it once did, and I am not alone as some of the most influential people I know have “four eyes,” as well as many famous people including Johnny Deep, Elton John, and the forever fabulous Sophia Loren—and they really “own” their look, so here I come.

We are all in good company with three-quarters of the population people in specs. With a huge variety of eyeglass styles, shapes, and colors available I decided the best way to come to terms with it is to embrace the opportunity to be well-accessorized—so I took a short walk to Spec’s of Westport for the best advice and collection. So getting the right style will be like everything else I do: an opportunity to make a casual luxury statement. The one concern I do have? Here’s hoping that my habit of losing sunglasses doesn’t extend to my prescription ones as well!

Getting A Safe Summer Glow…

lfoster — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 14:29:51 +0000

Tanning beds could be headed for tigher regulations. The F-D-A plans to hold a public hearing in late march to review the growing evidence linking UV radiation and skin cancer.

The agency is considering stricter regulations, including limits on u-v exposure from sun lamps and stronger warning labels.

While I am pretty much a sun-block person, I can appreciate the summer glow look with spray tans.

I do worry about looking oily or “fake.

Luckily, Anne from Parents TV found some alternative tanning methods –including great spray tans — to help us get in the warmer weather spirit. -L

To Re-touch or Not Re-Touch… That is the Question…

lfoster — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 20:57:49 +0000

MARIE CLAIRE COVER

In Tuesday’s show, Better shares how Marie Claire magazine is showcasing a women’s body without any retouching.

Jennifer Hawkins, who was crowned Miss Universe 2004 appears both naked and unretouched on the cover of Australia’s Marie Claire’s February issue.

The idea is to encourage positive attitudes toward body image.

Despite the goal of encouraging loving one’s body, some are criticizing the magazine’s effort, saying Hawkins does not represent the “real” women.

Some are saying putting a “thin” person on the cover just makes others feel worse about their bodies.

Isn’t it interesting that no one thinks it’s bad to be naked on the cover of a magazine anymore? I also think it is strange for anyone to say Ms. Hawkins isn’t a “real” women just because she’s lean. I commend the mag for not retouching the photo. Wouldn’t it be great if we could see everyone as they really are?

It is funny how we want televisions to be in HD, showing every nook and cranny of a news-reporter, but magazines continue to alter photos with photo-editing.

Can we promote beauty without editing? Even when using make-up to cover up or improve, are we hypocrites? — L

Rachel Zoe

mmancusi — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 13:19:50 +0000

Today I interviewed celebrity stylist Rachel Zoe of the Rachel Zoe Project on Bravo. I wasn’t sure what to expect, after watching the show, but she was really nice and fun and down to earth. She says what you see on the show is the real her – she doesn’t even notice the cameras half the time.
She had some fall fashion ideas, including:
* vest – especially fur or faux fur
* leggings, skinny jeans are still in style
* rocker boots (either ankle or knee)
* strong shoulders/shoulder pads (yes, the 80s are back!)
* lots of metal and studs and other 80s rocker style accessories
Look for her segment soon on Better TV!
Marianne

Vintage Shopping

mmancusi — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 12:49:45 +0000

I love doing stories with DailyCandy.com so when their editor at large Dannielle Kyrillos asked me to go vintage shopping with her, how could I refuse? (You can watch the segment we shot here.)
In New York City we have a ton of great vintage shops at our disposal. But if you don’t have a good one near you, never fear. These days a ton of vintage shops are going online! For example, the store we featured in the segment, Olive’s Very Vintage, has an online shop here. They’re on the high end when it comes to pricing, but if you’re willing to spend, you may find a real treasure. On the opposite spectrum, if you want to save money, you can go to the new Goodwill Online auction site! And there’s plenty in-between, too. I personally like Vintage Trends.com, which has a large selection to choose from.
Of course shopping online for vintage clothing can be tricky. I found this guide from eHow.com giving some great things to keep in mind. (Sizing is very important, for example!)
Happy hunting!
MARIANNE

A Head to Toe Makeover

mjennings — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 07:23:31 +0000

Yesterday, I coordinated a day of beauty for my friend Lisa, starting with a light lunch followed by what I like to call “hair repair”. We ended our day with some good old fashioned shoe shopping. A head to toe make over, literally! Lisa wanted a new look because she is getting ready for a 20-year high school reunion; I thought it was best to do some highlights followed by a new haircut to complement her face and skin tone. Something with low maintenance with a big impact.

I'll take these!

That said, I made sure she would have some bangs as I know she likes to pull her hair back from time to time when she works in the garden. Wearing her hair up would offer another a fabulous look. Being fabulous never has to cost a lot of money; you just have to know the best resources. As a lifestyle expert I know what women want and I was delighted to help Lisa with her new look. That said, after her time at Dream Spa, we checked out Marshall’s—which just opened their store dedicated to shoes here—and boy did we hit a home run. The best collection of women’s shoes I’ve ever seen in a discount place, with huge, huge savings. I’ve quickly become no stranger to this store and I enjoy taking all my girls there for a shoe fix. These mega shoe stores can be a little overwhelming for the untrained eye, but I quickly went to work and found two must-have pairs: Michael Kors and Guess. I asked Lisa to put the strappy Michael Kors on and the next thing I knew she was putting her foot on the counter to have the shoe scanned. What great fun we had for a yet again another rainy day.

Get Madafied!

bcarlson — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 17:57:25 +0000

Hey ladies, Brooke here! Are your hair products leaving you flat and style-less? You have to try Mada. Our very own hair stylist, Thad Grace created the line of hair products. Named after his son, Adam.. backwards, his products are like skin care for your hair. It gives straight hair a boost and tames frizzy hair waaaay down. His protein spray strengthens healthy hair and brings damaged hair back to life. Check it out on Better, or on our website. Ciao!

Perfect Jeans = Urban Legend?

mmancusi — Wed, 27 May 2009 15:49:14 +0000

Finding the perfect pair of jeans is like the bane of my existence. I don’t know if my body’s weirdly shaped or something but I can never find a pair that fits right. And makes my butt look good. And is cozy/comfy to wear all day. And makes my thighs look slim.
Okay, maybe I’m asking too much…
ANYWAY, forgetting fit for a moment, as we go into summer there are some pretty interesting new trends in jeans. Like white. Yes, white. You will never catch me dead wearing a pair of white jeans, but there you go. Hey – they look good on the model at least!

Other trends:
* Skinny jeans
* Boyfriend jeans
* Distressed Jeans
* Trouser jeans
Sarah Bernard, Host of The Thread on Yahoo! Shine has some suggestions for how to scrimp or splurge on each of these styles.
It’s good to know that whether you wan to spend $30 or $300 – go skinny or wide, white or dark wash – this summer there’s a jean perfect for you.
Oh and as for me? My perfect pair came from the Gap. Love their dark rinse, straight leg jeans that fit me just right. I’m in jeans Heaven every time I slip them on.
What’s your fave style jeans? Would you dare to wear white?
MARIANNE

Hair That’ll Get You Hired

bcarlson — Thu, 14 May 2009 22:21:24 +0000

Hey everyone! Brooke here. It seems like finding a job is not getting any easier and the competition is getting stiff. If you’re looking for a job, we thought we’d help you out, starting… with your hair. Let’s face it, you can’t just run a comb through your mane and call it good. Our hair stylist Thad Grace gave us some great examples of hair that will help you get hired. Watch Better, Tuesday (5/19) for his step-by-step instructions.