meet: MAGGIE TOOKMANIAN

 the next best thing.

i am absolutely amazed by this up and coming fashion designer, maggie tookmanian. this jersey native beauty is a recent college graduate from parsons the new school for design and is already doing BIG things. a few months ago i stumbled upon dew magazine and came across a pair of the SICKEST shoes and a futuristic bag. i immediately fell in love with her!

not only was her work featured in a magazine, but her pieces were paired with other stunning designers like alexander wang and prada! not bad for her first magazine feature, right? 

the main reason why i'm obsessed with her is because of the choice of materials she uses in her work. the bag that was featured in dew magazine was also displayed in the window of saks fifth avenue in new york city (HUGE HUGE HUGE!!!!). 

(photo from dew magazine -- jacket: petra ptackova; bralette: alexander wang; hot pants; prada; shoes: maggie tookmanian) 

 (photo from dew magazine -- top: petra ptackova; pants: topshop; bag: maggie tookmanian)

lucky me, i got a chance to chat with maggie about her vision and the materials behind her work! 

maggie was inspired by the pierott and harlequin clowns of the 17th century and a contemporary sculpture artist, lisa fedon. (i love it when designers look back in time and find new ways to innovate things!)

as far as her materials go, she gravitated more towards the not so traditional materials. instead of creating a bag and shoes out of the usual ready to wear items we purchase in stores today, maggie chose to use industrial materials because she felt as though they would be more impressive. and she was right! it was fabulously smart of her to use materials like steel and styrene (a plastic that melts at a high tempurature). she chose styrene because it represents the fabric of costumes, and the steel because it truly pushes forward the idea of minimalism. she also used very little color with high contrast.  seriously though, this girl has amazing talent. her work definitely screams HAUTE COUTURE!

as of now, maggie works as a designer for maiyet, but that is not stopping her from pursuing her own line. maggie will be taking custom orders on her online website that is coming soon! keep your eyes out for this amazingly talented designer, maggie tookmanian.

hello my pretty, pretty florals.

 

OH MY GOD PHILLIP LIM I LOVE YOUR WORK! ::said in damien's voice from the movie mean girls::

 

behold, fashion toast's rumi neely in one of 3.1 phillip lim's 2013 resort collection dresses. rumi is wearing one of my favorite pieces from this collection. phillip lim did such an amazing job! he paired neutral colors and watercolor florals (my all time favorite). i love how rumi kept this look simple with minimal accessories to accentuate the dress. if and WHEN i get this dress, i would so rock it with a simple pair of nude pumps (you can never go wrong with nude pumps)! if you know me well, you know that i always wear black or occasionally rock a floral pattern. this dress does me justice! it's absolutely perfect for day or night. 

smooth as a baby's bottom.

photo credit: into the gloss

who knew 22 years later i'd still be purchasing baby products for myself! like my mother always said, be sure to keep baby oil, baby powder, baby lotion and baby shampoo around the house. to this day i constantly use baby products for my skin and hair. honestly, you can ask any one of my friends about my obsession with baby products (it's kindaaa sick). my friends later thanked me after their experience with baby products... they soon became addicted too!

johnson's baby products have been used within my family for years. as i got older i started wandering off to a bit more upscale line of baby products. i came across a blog called into the gloss (HUGE fan of this beauty blog by the way) and saw a post about using baby products! this post was a perfect introduction to higher end lines for me to use. be sure to check out into the gloss' post for higher end products to try out! note: mustela prodcuts are my favorite. below are the four main products i use on the regular. maybe this will motivate you to go out and try it for yourself! i promise, you won't be disappointed.

b a b y   o i l:

baby oil is a key essential for me. the johnson's baby oil is not only the classic baby oil but it's the most inexpensive one i found and love. i use this as make up remover and for moisturizing my body right after the shower. i've tried using a bunch of make up removers but none of them amount to johnson's baby oil. it's remarkable when it comes to getting that tough waterproof mascara off! as for using it as a body moisturizer, it completely nourishes my skin (and i do have very dry skin, especially in the winter). my skin has never felt so soft. lastly, i use this to soften my cuticles. take a bowl of warm water and two tablespoons of baby oil and soak for 5-10 min and voila, softer cuticles!

b a b y   p o w d e r:

i've heard it's not good to constantly wash your hair every day. the natural oils in your hair keep your scalp moisturized and your hair healthy. let's be honest no one wants to walk out the door lookin' all oily. baby powder is a great and an inexpensive solution to dry shampoo. yes, i know dry shampoo sometimes works better for people than the powder but it never hurts to keep it around (when in doubt... right?) of course the johnson's baby powder can not only be used for dry shampoo, but it works well right after a good wax or threading too!

b a b y   l o t i o n:

this is probably one of my favorites, not only because of how good it smells, but it's performance. i've used plenty of lotions but nothing compares to how utterly smooth and silky my skin feels after one use. this product is designed for sensitive skin and works perfectly for me. johnson's baby lotion moisturizes my skin for the whole day without constant application throughout the day. i mostly use this on my hands during the winter because my skin cracks easily. what's great about johnson products is that they make travel size baby prodcuts (this one in particular). i always have one of these in my purse!

b a b y  s h a m p o o:

last but certainly not least is the baby shampoo. baby shampoo IS my number one favorite. it's the reason why i create so much hype about using baby products! the baby shampoo works miracles for me. i know baby oil works so well as a makeup remover, but this does wonders as a face wash. i never thought i could wash my face with anything else than a prescribed face wash from my dermatologist or my other face wash from kiehls. don't get me wrong, i love all of those products too but the baby shampoo won me over. anytime i have a break out or i can't seem to get my eye make up off, i resort to using baby shampoo. ladies, tear free shampoo is the best!! after using johnson's baby shampoo as an alternative face wash i never really wash my face with anything else. it never leaves my skin feeling dry and it's a great product to use with my new clarisonic that i got for christmas (thanks brother)! on the plus side, it's the best thing to wash your make up brushes off with. try this and you'll love me forever... i swear!

p.s. thanks mom for passing down all this information to me. any time i see baby oil, i think of you yelling at me for not putting it on after my shower when i was little. after all, it was mommylen (my grandma) who made me use baby oil all the time too. she always kept it on her dresser. i'm thinking of her everyday, and i'm sure she's smiling down on me and laughing that i actually wrote about all the things you taught me. thanks momma! <3

all about the red, white and blue

here's a little red, white and blue fashion inspiration... just in time for the fourth of july.

images via self serve magazine

how to: smoky cat eye

i'm a huge fan of the cat eye look and it goes well with every occasion, day or night. i love using bobbi brown's products specifically for the cat eye that i do on a daily basis. here are 3 main eye liner products i use, plus a lovely tutorial provided by estee lauder.

long-wear gel eyeliner {highly recommend this for a smooth and profound look}

long-wear eye pencil {gives you more of a smudged look than the gel}

caviar eye shadow {easy tool to create the extreme smoky eye look, adds more gradation & shadow}

the perfect summer salad.

i have been searching for the perfect fruity combo to create the perfect summer salad and of course as soon as i read the fabulous, claire thomas' blog, i found exactly what i was looking for. the kitchy kitchen always has what my tastebuds long for. if your obsessed with cherries and peaches like me, then you'll love this. for the full recipe, click here.