The Fashionista

Right now is a heavy wedding planning time for brides-to-be. I had the honor of chatting with Rani Totman, president and designer of St. Pucchi, a bridal collection she launched in 1985. Rani grew up in Thailand, and her parents owned one of the largest purveyors of fine lace. After receiving a degree in English literature, Rani went against her parents’ wishes and went in to the fashion business with no formal training. And to say the least, her success is inspiring. Her gowns are now worn by celebrities such as Tara Reid, Emmy Rossum (my favorite!) and Candice Crawford,…

Just when I think it’s the dead of winter and we have nothing to look forward to, the awards season starts. In fact, it’s a pretty big deal for me. I even give myself two options for viewing attire. I either A) Wear my pajamas and shovel popcorn in my face sans makeup, or B) Dress up in my fanciest dress and drink champagne.  My favorite look for hair was Cate Blanchett’s faux bob at the Golden Globes, which was created by hairstylist Robert Vetica. I created the look on my creepy mannequin Catherine to show you how to do…

Last calendar year was yet another big year for Milwaukee fashion in many ways; two of our locals made it all the way to “Project Runway,” the introduction of Milwaukee Fashion Week, and fashion charities were bigger and better than ever. There are more instances of Milwaukee inching ever fashionably forward than I can mention.  I was also honored to meet a lot of new people who are making waves in the Milwaukee fashion and beauty scene. Here are my top five leading ladies: 5. Molly Rasmussen, Blogger, Heart of A Blonde A 23-year-old style blogger, Molly Rasmussen inspires us…

Her name is Sheila Teruty. I remember the first time I saw her, she was standing calmly at local art gallery Redline prepping her model to walk down the runway wearing a piece of art. Teruty has such a pretty and unique look to her that I began staring at her until both of us were uncomfortable. My bad.  Teruty is a jack of all trades in the local fashion industry; she’s a wardrobe stylist for Ford models, has her own vintage fashion line, and just recently put on a fashion show dubbed “So Passé Femme Adorn III: A Vintage…

Red holiday lips are popping this season, but what if you want to stand out a little from the crowd? Try the ombré lip. Not only is it a pretty statement, but it also trains you how to make your lips look fuller (I’ll get in to that later). Makeup artist Michael Weiss at Lash Boutique taught me how to use makeup in untraditional ways, so with that in mind… you likely already have everything you need to make the ombre lip work. First off, the supplies: 1. Red lip pencil 2. Red lipstick (A matte version, if possible, shiny…

Until recently there weren’t a lot of dry shampoos to choose from, and quite honestly, no one really used them. Over the past few years, that has changed and now hair companies left and right are coming out with the must-have dry shampoo. Not sure which one to get? I tried a handful of the big players, and here are my favorite picks. 5. Redken Powder Refresh, $18  At around $18 a bottle, the aerosol dry shampoo puts life back in to limp locks. It preformed pretty well, making my hair feel a lot less oily, and added a little volume. It went…

“Thank you for calling Bobbi Brown, this is Michael Weiss. How may I help you?” “Hi, this is Bobbi Brown.” Makeup artist Michael Weiss started his early career at the makeup counter. He always had a love for art, which helped him transition into becoming a skilled makeup artist. Now working at Lash Boutique in Brookfield, Michael is painting faces every day with one of his favorite makeup brands, Kevyn Aucoin.  I decided to pay him a visit last week, and asked him to “play” with some fun makeup ideas. While he can contour and highlight a face like nobody’s business,…

This has been an exciting year for fashion in Milwaukee. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard “I don’t know what’s happening here, but something is, and we are on the brink of something huge.” I happen to agree. One of my favorite fashion happenings was when two Milwaukee designers, Miranda Levy and Timothy Westbrook, made it onto season 12 of “Project Runway.” I had the pleasure of being Miranda’s personal hair stylist (for both her and her models), which led us to become friends. Watching her on this journey has been an honor, and I’m sure you’re…

 Image Courtesy of Sephora If you’re a makeup junkie, I’m sure you are well aware Marc Jacobs announced his new (and first!) makeup line. A stand-alone Marc Jacobs cosmetic shop opened up in Manhattan on 385 Bleecker Street, and his line is also available at select Sephora stores nationwide. I was really glad to hear we would be getting the collection in at our Sephora in Mayfair Mall, and it was only available for a few days before I got my mitts on some of my own. I was able to play around with various eye shadows and lipsticks and was pleased…

Model wearing a design by Kelvin Hayden. Photo by Lynee Ruiz. Disclaimer: The views of this article are entirely my own.  I was really excited to hear someone was attempting another local fashion week, and it blasted off this past weekend.  When the schedule of events came out, I was a bit disappointed to see what I hoped not to, which was that most of the fashion shows were showcasing boutique clothing. While I absolutely love our local boutiques and support them, I had hopes that the focus of “Milwaukee Fashion Week” would err on the side of our local…