5.06.2012

Goodbye? Hello!

So, I'm liar. I kept saying I would return properly and it never happened and it won't happen again. By that I mean I am officially retiring The Style Whore. It was my first ever blog, I had a lot of fun with it and made some amazing connections but its chapter in my life is over and I've moved on to (hopefully) bigger and better things.


The Bitch in Black is my new adventure in blogging. I will also be retiring TatteredTights as The Bitch in Black plans to be more diverse as a whole. Although this new blog will still feature style, makeup and fashion as well as music, film and arts I also plan to discuss real-world events going on in the world and as I transgress to political journalism... I have a lot of opinions on those topics too.

I will still be keeping my tatteredtights tumblr active and you can still find me at the same address on twitter (@alixdaignault). I have no intentions of deleting this blog mostly for personal reasons and to have the record of it.

I really hope you'll come follow The Bitch in Black because I really think it's gonna be awesome.

It's been a slice,

Xox
-The Style Whore

2.21.2012

My Heart Belongs to Tyler Bailey

I've had a wonderful opportunity to interview the amazing shoe designer Tyler Bailey. The bio on his official website (tylerbaileydesignstudio.com) reads as follows;

Hailing from Atlanta, Georgia, Tyler Bailey has made signature shoeprints on the fashion industry walk of fame. Having an eye for fresh and innovative designs, Tyler Bailey’s sketches have tapped into every woman’s shoe fantasy, bringing them to life. There’s not a woman on the planet that wouldn’t seize the moment in appealing from head to toe when walking into a room. Tyler Bailey will bring out the confidence as she strides from her shoe dream into reality. After launching “Tyler Bailey Designs” in December 2010, celebrity clients have graced the red carpet, turning heads, commanding the attention of the masses with Tyler’s creative direction. Being humble in his talent designing custom shoes for the general public, Tyler maintains exclusivity in his brand by giving each customer a personalized out of this world high fashion shoe experience. With an impressive celebrity client list, under his soles, Kim Zolciak of the “Real House Wives of Atlanta”, being a recent. This young designer has stolen the hearts of many Cinderella’s in search of the ultimate glass slipper. Kandi Burruss of the Real Housewives of Atlanta, Tameka Raymaond, Toya Wright of BET's Toya and Tiny show , Somaya Reece and the entire cast of VH1’s “Love and Hip Hop” also recently experienced the magic of Tyler’s creativity and personal touch. This past spring, “Paint the Town Fashion Affair” hosted by Tyler and his dynamic team, set Atlanta, GA ablaze and models extinguished the fire in style. As more opportunities are presented, Tyler Bailey has risen to the occasion. It’s said that diamonds are a girl’s best friend, however, in Tyler Bailey’s world, the right pair of shoes will forever be her companion. This Is...Tyler Bailey Design Studio.



Tyler is an incredibly hard worker, always striving for the best and was such a pleasure for me to be able to do a feature on his work. I wanted to know a little bit more about his inspirations, design ideas and more about him so I prepared a few questions to pick Tylers brain a bit...

Where/what do you mainly draw your inspirations from?

This may sound a little left field to some, But I love to draw inspiration from interior decor. I love to pull up photo's of beautiful restaurants, hotel lobbies, homes etc. I just imagine a woman walking in room on the photo. I try to imagine what her shoes look like entering that room. The colors, the mood and style of the decor plays into the design of the shoes I see entering the room. That's best I can explain it. lol

What draws you towards creating shoes, in particular?

I love the relationship between a woman and her shoes. How the height of the heel completely turns her into a different woman. Physically by changing the silhouette of her body; and mentally with the enhance of confidence she gains. For that reason, she loves; and the perfect shoe never lets her down. Some what of a love story and I love playing to role of cupid between the two.



Have you ever considered designing other accessories, such as handbags? If not, would you?

Yes I have plans to expand into handbags and other accessories. I have many design ideas for that now, but my focus is geared toward the shoes at the moment.

How do you make someones dream shoe come true?

Well it starts with the idea if the client. Their favorite colors, cuts, heel heights, materials etc. What I do is take those specs and go into a zone of my own. I play with different ideas via sketching. Once done, I send to the client to approve. After clients approval, I proceed to bring the sketch to life.



If you had to choose, which would be your favorite shoe you've designed so far?

I have many designs. Many of which I have not posted to the public. But I have to say the leopard pump is my favorite. Because it is my first design ever. The reason I had the confidence to leave my previous career and pursue this full time. It will always be my favorite.

What is your view of the fashion industry (as a whole) in Atlanta? Anything you particularly love or wish you could change?

One thing that I do love about Atlanta fashion is that it is a melting pot of people from everywhere. So you get to see a very diverse collage of fashion styles. I would not change a thing.



If you can, share with us a few of your most proud moments from your journey in the design world so far?

One of my most proud moments is when my mom and dad saw me come down the runway for the first time. The smile on their faces was priceless. Another one was to see my work on national television and national magazine for the first time. To have celebrities wearing my designs and a number of client's loving what I do, makes me proud daily.

Who would be your dream client? (be it the type of individual or certain celebrities)

Client's like Eva Mendes, Rihanna, Heidi Klum, Beyonce etc. Just to have my work on the some of the most glamorous feet in the world.



You are such a hard worker, do you ever get a little spare time for yourself? If and when you do, how do you like to spend that time?

I rarely ever get any spare time as of now. But this is the building stage of my brand, so I do not mine. My previous career as a merchant seaman prepared me for this point, being that I was confined to a ship for long periods of time. So working hard, lack of sleep and being stationary comes natural.


follow Tyler on twitter @ItsTylerBailey.


Tyler is such a phenomenal shoe designer, but along with that he's also such a passionate and hard worker, which it is truly inspiring to me. Currently Tyler is taking 100 pre-orders for the shoe 'Black Beauty' (above) and I strongly suggest putting an order in... This is such a chic, glamorous shoe with that extra punch of edge with the spikes. I think it's only a matter of time before every shoe on the red carpet is a Tyler Bailey design, there is so much to come for this talented young man so take note because he is here to stay!

2.09.2012

This year will be amazing, I have so many great things for you guys to hear about... I'm going to be updating once weekly until I get completely settled in - January was hella chaotic and I wasn't in town for most of it... but I have some great stuff lined up ;)

12.23.2011

SPIRITHOODS UNITE


There is a transformation that takes place when you wear a SpiritHood.
This experience is un-definable, and completely unique to you . . .
Join the Tribe, Share your experience.


Alright, for those of you living under a rock the past while SpiritHoods are basically the coolest multifunctional accessory ever, tripling as a hood/hat, scarf and mittens. And it gets better... each SpiritHoods are modeled after different wild animals (bears, wolfs, foxes, cats ect.) There's about 15 in total with varying animals and colors (excluding 'The Muppets' collection). My absolute personal favorite is the 'Black Wolf Warrior'...




I also love these SpiritHoods; I want a collection...



Red Fox, Grey Wolf and Snow Leopard


Another pretty cool thing about SpiritHoods are the PROBLUE edition (Polar Bear, Snow Leopard, Black Wolf Warrior, Red Fox, Grey Wolf, Panda and Snow Leopard Short) are part of a program with 10% of proceeds going to a non-profit organization dedicated to helping that particular Spirit animal. I guess I sound like an asshole since I wear my great-grandmothers fur and I know it's offensive or whatever but I will point out SpiritHoods are made from 100% faux-fur, which should be obvious considering their level of dedication to animals.

Check 'em out and order one for yourself HERE, prices range around ($150-$250 give or take).

They also sell some rad 'spiritual' feathers you can add to the ear of your SPIRTHOOD or clip it to a handbag or whatever... They have two variations; Red Feather and Guinea Feather (click photos to enlarge)




Oh, and don't worry boys and kidlets - there's also a Mens and Kids section on the site.

SPIRITHOODS UNITE




Xo
-The Style Whore

12.15.2011

I'm Baaack..... for real, this time.

Okay, I lied. I didn't come back right away but I'm back now. I hadn't decided if I was going to continue with The Style Whore and was only posting on my personal blog for a bit.

So, what's been going on? I recently received my beauty makeup certificate from New Image College of Fine Arts for makeup artistry. I loved my experience there, I received a lot of one-to-one time with my amazing teacher Michelle Grady and really got to learn my strengths and work on my weaknesses. Not to mention the president, Charie Van Dyke, always being there for me and accommodating to me so much - I felt like I had a family there. I really wanted to continue with the full diploma course, but unfortunately funding is a bit of an issue right now... but who knows what the future holds?



So the last few months I've just been doing a lot of working on myself, especially spiritually. I feel like I'm back in the place to be blogging about styles, fashion, shit I love again.

I'm probably going to update once weekly for the time being, but probably more on my personal/other blog tatteredtights@blogspot. I've got a lot of stuff planned to blog about and can't wait to start sharing again!

In the meantime I'll leave you with a video from a new jewelry line I came across recently on TheModelWire network: Casa Por Vida by Romi Klinger (check out the lookbook and order your own here)



Enjoy!

xox
-The Style Whore