My Styling: "All A Glow" Maternity Fashion Shoot

In the dead of the August heat, I creatively directed and styled a maternity shoot for the October edition of Elite Magazine.

The goal for this project was to make a maternity spread that was glamorous and sexy, unlike some of the rather boring maternity photos I've seen in some magazines. So we decided to take our shots at a lagoon in Mazarick Park and in the woods to illustrate the mother in various seasons - from fall to spring - looking fabulous and elegant along the way.

But it was 100 degrees outside and rather difficult to think cool, autumn thoughts when you can barely breathe due to the oppressive humidity! Yet, the creative team and I worked our way through it.

Raul Rubiera was the photographer for this project, and MAC makeup artist Monique Soto was responsible for the flawless makeup on model Anca Stefan.

Monique works her magic on Anca.

Anca was nearly nine months pregnant at the time of the shoot, but she did an awesome job of posing in extreme conditions (i.e. wading in a lagoon and working outdoors for upwards of 12 hours). I think she inspired all of us to hit the gym during our pregnancy, so we can look half this good!

The October edition of Elite Magazine is already on newsstands, but I'll be posting more of the final images next week. Be sure to check back to see them!

Tootles!

Fall Florals

I knew I'd be glued to my desk for most of the day, so I kept my look pretty simple. I'm wearing a sheer blouse with trouser jeans from Old Navy. 

I picked the belt up at a thrift store in Charleston. I hate matchy-matchy colors in an outfit, so I thought the belt was a great way to add some contrast to the blouse.

I found these oxford booties at a Nine West outlet in Charleston.

Tootles!

Pippa's booty starts a new cosmetic surgery trend

Today, ABC's Good Morning America reported that Pippa Middleton is the inspiration behind a new trend of cosmetic surgery, called the "Pippa butt lift."  This "trend" has apparently trickled down to the mainstream, meaning that regular women will want to get rounder rears with plastic surgery. 

Did I miss something, here? 

Last I checked, shapely derrieres have always been in demand, and the sister-in-law of Britain's apparent future king is hardly responsible for that. One could take a gander at the likes of J. Lo and Beyonce to see that curvy "donks"  have long been celebrated. 

And in extreme cases, women have been known to invest in posterior implants to make their booties larger - video vixens and Nicki Minaj are evidence of that.

Having inherited a flat-backside, I'd be lying if I said that a curvier butt wouldn't be on my wish list. But going under the knife for it seems excessive. 

I'll stick to my squats, thank you.

Stylish Steal: Feather Earrings

I have a thing for gaudy jewelry. The bigger, the better! 

So naturally, when I saw these long feather earrings at Gullah Girl Boutique in Fayetteville, I had to have them!

Feathers are a big trend this season, but finding a pair of super long earrings - that didn't look cheap - proved to be challenging.  Thankfully, I came across this pair and paid only $19 for them! 

Fall Inspiration

I saw this impressive leopard-print handbag at New York & Company yesterday and had to pick it up. 

It screams Fall, but it's not so trendy that I'll want to toss it by next season. The only problem I have is that it's not as large as I'd prefer it to be. I tend to tote around large hobo bags that can hold my work equipment (i.e. notepad, camera, camcorder, etc.), but it may be a perfectly acceptable size for most fashionistas, just not me. 

Nonetheless, this bag was too cute to pass up, and the price was definitely right! So I purchased the brown and black version. 

Leopard Print Bag, New York & Company
$42.95