Changing the Cost of Fashion

(photo from oprah.com)

I caught Oprah's show today and I must say it is one of my favorites. Fab Without A Fortune is a collection of stories of people who are effecting change in our shopping culture. Sarah Jessica Parker's manifesto said it all, "It is wrong to spend more than your grocery bill for a sweater." She will launch her Bitten line of casual wear on June 7. Check out her pretty collections--each less than $20--even for a sweater, coats, flats, and espadrilles here.

Meanwhile, NBA superstar New York Knicks point guard Stephon Marbury sees a problem with expensive sneakers. High-priced athletic shoes worn by basketball's biggest names are status symbols for many consumers. But because of their price tags, kids wearing them can become the targets of robbers who want to make a profit from the expensive kicks. A boy in the Bronx was stabbed for his branded sneakers.

So Marbury manufactured his own line of sneakers/rubber shoes--making sure that people could enjoy quality sneakers without paying top dollar. Head-on with hundred-dollar Nike, Reeboks, and Adidas shoes, is the $14.98 a pair Starbury brand.

Stephon understands what it's like growing up and not being able to afford expensive sneakers. "My mother always said, 'That's grocery money.'" he says. "So for me, allowing kids now to be able to go to the store and spend their money on sneakers and to be able to buy it themselves, it's a movement. We've created something that everyone across the world is benefiting from."

Through the release of Starburys, Stephon says he wanted to create change by eliminating the view of sneakers as a fashion statement. "It's moving people in the right direction, and we say it's revolutionary," he says. "It's changed their lives."

How wonderful that the tipping points have changed. Fashion is an expression of self. It should leave you room to live without giving up on anything, without guilty feelings, without keeping up with the so-called Joneses. How wonderful that we can be fashionable yet frugal, when these two adjectives couldn't get along earlier.

Bitten and Starbury products will be available in Steve & Barry's stores nationwide. Find out more at www.starbury.com.

If you can't afford a salon haircut. . . .

If you can't afford a salon haircut, learn how to cut your own hair.

I used to watch intently when the hairstylist used to cut my hair in Manila. I experimented on my sides and successfully layered my hair the way I want it. My mom, who always looking to shape her fine, curly, and short hair, was my most willing model. With my trusty pair of scissors, thinning scissors and combs, I set out to shape her hair.

From an awkward and dated short style, I thinned out the ends to grace her nape and left the top long so she can poof it to look thicker.

And voila. . . my professional results:




A more modern version of her short hair, with long and thin layers below.
This hairstyle can be styled in 5 minutes and when accessorized with the right earrings can take her to any occasion with confidence.