Macy’s First Designer Collaboration

Just like H&M and Target, Macy's is also launching its first ever designer collaboration lines. This February 16, Kinder Aggugini's design for Macy's will be displayed. Kinder Aggugini was an Italian designer who worked with John Galliano, Donatella Versace and Vivienne Westwood. The said collection includes floral dresses, backless rompers, and polka dots which ranges from $38 to $298.










Photo Source: InStyle.com

Vanessa Hudgens for Candies

Vanessa Hudgens is the new face of Candies' spring collection, replacing Britney Spears who starred in the campaign last season. Check out some sneak preview photos of Vanessa Hudgens for Candie’s. She wore summer-friendly bikinis and floral maxi dresses.






Photos Source: InStyle.com

What Life Was Like Before the Internet

It's kind of freaky to me sometimes to think that today's kids and young people have never known what the world was like before the Internet. The thought occurred to me when I interviewed a couple of college students for an internship in our department. They were both in kindergarten when email was catching on, and they never had to write a report without the help of a browser. With that in mind, I thought it might be fun to list the many ways in which the Internet has changed our lives - for better or worse. I'm kind of omitting the big picture things here and listing the smaller ways of doing certain things before computers took over our lives. For example...

*I wonder how many kids today know what the Dewey Decimal System was? In elementary school we learned all about it, because that was how we had to find books! Each book that a library acquired meant a librarian had to type or fill out a little card and assign the book a Dewey Decimal number, which would then tell visitors which shelf of the library the book was located. These cards were alphabetized (by title or the author's last name, I think) in little drawers. I seem to remember a scene in Ghostbusters where a librarian is spooked by a ghost and all of the Dewey Decimal cards come flying out of their tiny drawers.

*There was no such thing as Wikipedia, so we had to look up subjects in actual hard copy encyclopedias. I happen to think Wikipedia is far superior since the info is updated in real time - the minute a celeb passes away, Wikipedia already has the entry up-to-date. Amazing!

*Inviting people to a party or gathering meant sending invitations and making phone calls. Yes, without email or social media, getting the word out about a party was done by licking some stamps (we didn't get self-adhesive stamps until 10 or 15 years ago...talk about SO much more work involved back then) or letting your fingers do the walking and your mouth do some talking. At least wedding invites are not immune yet to being sent via snail mail. 

*Reviews of products and services were strictly spread by in-person word-of-mouth. Yelp, InsiderPages, and other popular reviewing sites have changed the way we can pre-screen restaurants and other businesses. In a matter of seconds, we can see the opinions of hundreds of customers and what the rating average was. In the past, we found out from our friends, neighbors, family members, coworkers and other acquaintances if The Regal Beagle bar really was up to their standards.

*We had to wait sometimes to get the latest news. Before the Internet, your news sources were limited to TV, radio, and the daily morning paper.

*Shopping had to be done in person. Whether you were looking to buy clothes, groceries, appliances or records, before the Internet you had to physically get your butt down into a store to make a purchase.

*People met and dated in more traditional ways, not just online dating. I'm not knocking online dating; I've done it before and plan on doing it again, but I'm reminded of a 70s article I found once that surveyed single adults on how they get dates. Most of their romantic relationships started through mutual friends, at work, or at a bar. In other words, the only way of meeting other people was by actually meeting other people in person, not on a dating site. And if you wanted to ask someone out? You had to actually pick up the phone and make a call. And growing up, in my neighborhood if we wanted to play with our neighbors' children (many of whom I already knew through school) we'd just ring each other's doorbells or simply show up at their house and hope they'd already be outside fooling around with the bikes or jumping rope.

Well, these are just off the top of my head. So what would you readers list that I've forgotten? Do you think life is better or worse thanks to the Internet, or just...different?

Emma Watson Last Collection for People Tree

See Emma Watson's last collection for People Tree! In includes polka dot skirts, striped shirts and draped dresses.




InStyle.com

RIP Jack LaLanne

By now you've probably heard that Jack LaLanne passed away on Sunday. As THE original health and fitness guru, it seemed that LaLanne would last forever. He came close, living to 96 years old, certainly a testament to a healthy lifestyle. To younger people, LaLanne is probably most recognizable for his branded juicer infomercials, but his impact on healthy living stretches back much earlier than that. My mother was a big fan of his in the 60s and 70s, when he hosted his own exercise and health show on national television called "The Jack LaLanne Show." This program actually ran in one form or another from 1951 to 1985.

LaLanne had a remarkable life - born in San Francisco in 1914 to French parents, he started out as a self described "miserable goddamn kid" who attempted suicide, beat up his brother, and even tried to burn his family's house down.

He was also an unhealthy teen, addicted to sugar and junk food. All that changed when he was 15 and went to listen to a talk given by a health food pioneer called Paul Bragg. That day changed LaLanne's life forever, as he studied up on human anatomy, improved his eating habits, and took up weightlifting and bodybuilding.

LaLanne later attended college and graduated with a doctor's degree in chiropractics. He opened his own gym in 1936 in Oakland, California and invented several weightlifting machines that are still used in health clubs today, most notably the Smith machine.

His half hour exercise show was simple: basic moves that needed no equipment, interspersed with nutrition tips and advice for living a happy and healthy life. LaLanne was always a bit ahead of his time - he encouraged women to lift weights when it was considered very unfeminine to do so, and he despised America's processed food, instructing his followers to eat foods as close to their natural state as possible. But this clip below from his TV program astounded me - he talks about how miserable many Americans are despite having the world at their feet, and how different the attitude is in poorer countries. Keep in mind this was during the 50s or 60s - and today our crummy attitude has only gotten worse:



These talks would come in between the workout moves, and sometimes they got a little preachy ("I've been studying this kind of stuff for a long time, so I know what I'm talking about" he says in one about sugar addiction) but LaLanne said so many times that he cared deeply for his "students" watching his program, as well as their health. In this heartfelt clip, he talks about his father's early death, an event that he somehow felt responsible for and probably never got over. It clearly inspired him to teach healthy living to millions of viewers:

You can watch several full length episodes of "The Jack LaLanne Show" on his official website, and there are tons of clips on YouTube. I think it's a shame that there are no fitness/health shows like his on daytime TV (non-cable) today. We've never needed them more in this time of epidemic obesity.

One thing I never knew about LaLanne were the public physical challenges he accomplished such as swimming a mile or more often while handcuffed and towing boats or people or sometimes even both. He set a world record in 1954 when he swam the entire length of the Golden Gate Bridge pulling 140 pounds of weight, including two air tanks. 


He became an inspiration to Arnold Schwarzenegger and Richard Simmons. I think it's a bit of a shame that he became a bit too spokesmanly later in life, pitching his juice machines and vitamins, but by then he had broke ground for teaching basic standards in exercise and nutrition to millions of Americans. He is survived by his wife Elaine and three children. 


His site attributes a nice quote to him: “Anything in Life is Possible, if YOU Make it Happen!” Rest in peace.

Make Your Mobile Old School

Is your smartphone not retro enough for you? Does it have you longing for an old-fashioned landline phone? Do you wish you could cradle it on your shoulder while you handwrite that letter to grandma? Well, a company called Yubz is set to solve those problems for you with the Retro Handset that plugs into any mobile device including the iPhone and laptops.

Nope, it's not a joke. Yubz claims that their retro handset reduces the radiation emitted by smartphones. The handsets come in a variety of colors and patterns (including one inspired by the movie Full Metal Jacket) and retails for $49.95. Unfortunately I just don't see too many people carrying one of these around with them and whipping it out when they make or receive a call, but I could see someone using it at home, particularly in their office when they need to type on a separate device. 


Check out the website for more info and to see all of the colors and options.

Depression Era Dating Rules for Ladies

Never get so wasted on a date that you actually pass out.

Unfortunately I cannot take credit for being the original scanner and poster of these images - I've seen them on a few blogs but most notably a site called Sad and Useless. They came from a book or pamphlet called Dating Tips for Ladies and while there's some common sense lessons in here for the modern dating woman, it also seems painfully one-sided from my female perspective. After all, my fellow ladies, how many of you have gone out with men who acted inappropriately on dates? Needless to say, it's good for some laughs and I guess it's good to know that some men had some standards back then...

Really? It sure looks to me that her date is enjoying his little leg peep show...

 

Could be worse...at least it's makeup and not the remnants of a visit from Mr. Mucus. 

Disagree. I think you should go with looking bored and yawning if a date isn't going well. If you don't let that poor dud know he puts women to sleep, who else will?

Are they serious? I like a man who can multi-task, so I would have to say if he's incapable of dancing and carrying on a conversation at the same time, kick him to the curb!

 

Could they define the word "need" here? Unless your name is Chaz Bono, you need a bra!

I love how they say "man" here instead of "men" - referring apparently to the entire existence of the male race. 

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This dude has intimacy issues. Perhaps she should give the old "footsie" trick a try.

I love how he seems to be amused that she's crying and not giving a rip about her feelings. Typical.

"Welcome back, madam. Ah yes, that last chap you came here with was the cat's meow...looks, money, charm. Too bad you're stuck with Grumpy Gus tonight."

"Gee, that's a swell looking toupee you've got on there - and it feels so real!"

Either she drank herself into a stupor or passed out due to sheer boredom. Something tells me these two won't be seeing each other again, but at least he paid for dinner.