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.

cynthia rowley band-aids

this makes boo boo's a lot prettier

i just ordered 4 boxes of these to add to my medicine cabinet back in LA. i don't think my boyfriend will be too fond of this. oh well. he's just going to have to deal. shop for these babes here.

images via cynthia rowley, cupcakes & cashmere

how to be a smart shopper.

the most useful advice i took from fashion blogger, jayne min of stop it right now on how to smart shop.

listen to her advice. so true and so helpful and i seriously live by this. take it from me, i am a babe on a budget and i am a conscious shopper. but jayne's advice helped me become an even better smart shopper.

thanks, jayne xx.

p.s. pay attention to sections "basics", "what's in a name" & "live within your means"

GIVE AND TAKE : Part of my consumption directly correlates to me being an anti-hoarder. What is that you ask? Well just as it looks, the antithesis of a hoarder. I get anxiety when I own too much or my closet looks too full so I have to let something go before I can let something in. Ask yourself if you need 17 black skirts of varying incremental lengths or just one or two really good ones?

BASICS : Perhaps because I work in the apparel business I have a skewed view on spending a lot on basics. I just can't bring myself to buy a $100 tshirt or $300 jeans. No judgement if you do, but I personally just can't. I like to feel like I'm getting a lot for my money - leather, craftsmanship, intricate detailing, whatever. So I buy really budget basics and save for things like shoes or jackets.

THINGS YOU LOVE : If I really really want something, it has to be because I need it (literally, like underwear or an unstained white shirt) or because it speaks to me on profound design levels (insert husband's scoffing here). Lackluster purchases lead straight to crowded, nonsensical closets and insufficient funds. My only two purchasing categories are 1) necessary closet staples or 2) ridiculously amazing brilliant design. 

BARGAIN HUNTING : This is how I get the majority of everything I own. I very rarely pay full price for anything. There's always the infrequent exception with things I obsess over and know will sell out and be impossible to find, or the special jewelry purchase, but for the most part, most things are found with good old-fashioned internet resourcefulness. I don't do a lot of impulse buying. Some of us don't have the luxury of impulse buying. My choices have to be carefully measured against what I have the funds for. So if I notice that an item is offered on a lot of different sites, I'll usually wait it out for end of season sales. 

EXAMPLES : I've said it before and I'll say it again, eBay is my #1 favorite place for bargain hunting. You can find anything from luxury shoes to vintage sweaters to rap tshirts at the best prices. Other great resources are YOOX and Bluefly and of course all my other favorite online retailers when they start slashing prices. There are no two better words than DISCOUNT CODE. When it comes to physical shopping, I stick to thrifting and vintage stores, and for nicer things Nordstrom Rack and Off 5th. 

WHAT'S IN A NAME : This isn't a lesson on how to procure luxury goods. This is for you to think about what you want to spend your hard-earned money on and why. Do you have endless funds and your father is a soda baron? Go out and buy those Hermès athletic socks! (No judgement! Get me some?) But if you are like me and need to calculate and save and pinch pennies here and there, it doesn't have to be about the name. It's not a competition. You don't need to keep up with the Joneses. Try buying only things that you love or need and nothing in between. Fashion isn't exclusive to luxury brands. A black cotton Prada button down is essentially the same as one from J Crew - wait for the J Crew one to go on sale (or better yet, thrift it!) then take yourself on a weekend trip with the difference. Balance Daniel-san, balance. 

LIVE WITHIN YOUR MEANS : Take care of your responsibilities before taking care of your wants. Isn't that what's at the core of enjoyment? Enjoying fashion should come after your rent and bills are paid, you've eaten and taken care of all the things you want to do in your life. If you're living on your parents' couch jobless, eating Top Ramen raw out of the bag, and maxing out fraudulent credit cards, I believe that's called an addiction, not enjoyment. And if you're working part time at a supermarket, maybe you should put off buying a Chanel bag until you go full time? Me, I can't afford a Birkin, but I can afford a Pandora (just once!) so that's where my limits are. Know yours.

WORK HARD : Just work (hard) for whatever you want, be that a Proenza bag, a hundred thrifted silk button downs, a bio fuel Mercedes hooptie, a trip to Vietnam rice paddies, whatever! Your tastes will change, just as your priorities will, but fashion will always be there. Just put the work in and live the life you want.

my apologies.

THIS IS MY SORRY FACE, andddd that's my boyfriend.

i apologize for not posting the last month and a half. i have good reasons, i swear. i just graduated from LIM college last week in Lincoln Center in NYC. my work load has been super hectic. i couldn't catch my breath until... now. since i was living in LA the last 6 months, i had 3 major online classes that required some serious final presentations. after finishing my semester working for Luv Aj i had to go back to NYC to give 3 big presentations. the last couple of months me and two other girls finished putting together an entire collection and business proposal for an eco-friendly swimwear line called Cerulean. did i mention a 130 page journal i wrote too? okay enough with this.. now you know what i have been doing.

not to worry loves, i will be back in action starting this week. love you guys and thanks for still visiting my blog... especially you international viewers...youddaaa best.

p.s. i'll still be working with Luv Aj starting in july and i will officially be a california resident. goodbye jersey, hello LA! so ready to start this new chapter in my life. congrats to the class of 2012!

DONT I HAVE A CLASSY FAMILY, i think so.

longing for summer.

images via tumblr