Style Like A Rocktar: I Styled The Vivan Girls!

The March issue of Encore Magazine was a special music edition with The Vivian Girls as the cover. I was so excited that I was asked to help style another shoot for the Magazine.




Above: I had a great time putting together all of these looks for The Vivian Girls' Encore Magazine photo shoot!

The girls, Cassie, Ali and Katy A.K.A The Vivian Girls are an indie band from Brooklyn New York. I was excited about styling them because I knew I could make things a little more funky and fun. We shot at Brooklyn Bowl which is an amazingly beautiful bowling alley with a retro feel and a fun setting for the shoot. I was so thrilled that the girls liked what I had picked out for them! During the shoot they told me how they did a shoot for an undisclosed magazine that was well known. They said that they hated the clothes and told me that I did a much better job. HOLLA! Ali even sent me this message via Twitter:

hernameisali : @JonValdez Thanks so much for being an awesome stylist. You made us look goood.

For this shoot we used clothes from American Apparel, Brooklyn Industries, and Hayden-Harnett. Check out some of my favorite looks and shots from the shoot!


Above: Loved Cassie (Left) and Katy (Right) in these cardigans. Katy's mermaid dress adds an awesome pop of color and Cassie's stripped tee looks awesome. I was really feeling the blowing shoes with it as well. So much fun!


Above: What a great shot! Probably my favorite. I love a good sash situation!


Above: These Hayden-Harnett bags were the samples used for the factory and were not even produced yet! I wanted to use them as stylized bowling bags. Katy looked amazing in this!


Above: Another one of my favorite shots!


Above: This Hayden-Harnett dress was crazy good with the exposed zipper. I loved the color of it and way it looks with the hat!


Above: That's a wrap!

The Season Finale of Kell On Earth: Cozies, Kelly And Tons Of Tweeting!

Tonight was the season finale of the Bravo runaway hit Kell On Earth. Kelly Cutrone is a huge fave of mine because she is not afraid to call it how she sees it and she treats people equally. Her office is filled with unique people and she encourages them to be themselves all of the time as long as the work gets done.

Tonight's show featured Kelly working on a viral video for OJ&B favorite, DKNY. Kelly was in charge of getting the video shoot together for the DKNY Cozy. They shot the video in different places in NYC without blocking things off or using any permits. The result was super fierce, sexy chaos! People were walking in the shots, firetrucks were going by, time was ticking, but it all came together!


Above: The infamous DKNY Cozies!

My favorite thing about tonight was all of the tweeting! DKNY's PR Girl and Kelly Cutrone decided that they were going to live tweet during the entire show. They also encouraged other's to tweet as well and it was so much fun! I was thrilled when I got a special shout of from DKNY's PR Girl:

dkny: So excited 4 @fuggirls @BagSnob @bryanboy @vogueandcoffee @Recessionista @PurseBlog @JonValdez to join us tonight! P.S. I am NOT on the show

Kelly retweeted (re posted for those not familiar with Twitter slash get your life together) the message as she was with Jane Fonda watching the show in L.A..

I love tweeting during T.V. shows, especially when the people who are in them are tweeting back at the same time. It's like you are in one giant living room and everyone is watching together. Can someone pass the popcorn?

Andrew Mukamal and Stefanie Skinner cracked me up when they posed as a couple planning their wedding so they could taste cakes for Kelly's surprise birthday party. I asked them via twitter if they were having a fab time watching the finale. Here is what Stephanie told me:

stefskinner: RT @JonValdez: of course! @ajmukamal Are you guys having a fab time watching this finale? #dkny #kellonearth


Above: Andrew Mukamal and Stefanie Skinner from Kell On Earth slash People's Revolution.

I LOVE the magic and power of Twitter! It really does bring people together. Thanks to DKNY's PR Girl, I made some really awesome new Twitter friends!

This is one of the many reasons why I love a good Twitter situation! People ALWAYS ask me, "What is so great about Twitter?" You have to experience it for yourself!

Special shout out and hello to all of my new readers and followers! Until next tweet!

*If you love fashion/PR/Kell On Earth then be sure to follow Kelly (@peoplesrev) Stefanie Skinner (@Stefskinner) Andrew Makumal (@AJMakumal) and DKNY's PR Girl (@dkny) on Twitter!!

Lindsay Lohan's Shoes Explode White Powder: UTTER LINSANITY!

Celebrity gossip site Socialite Life posted a story about Linsanity's shoe exploding white powder as she was leaving a friends house Saturday night.

You know how girls get together and sometimes bake things before they head out. Perhaps some flour got in her triple platform situations before she left or someone pulled a prank on her. WHAT?! It could happen... FINE! I just feel really bad for Lohan. The Mean Girls fan in me wants the best for Cady!

Last week she was denied access to a Victoria Secret's party at Trousdale in L.A. (which I heard was amazing from an inside source) and before that she was denied access to several fashion week events last February according to NY Daily News.

That must be a horrible feeling but at the same time, LOHAN GET YOUR LIFE TOGETHER! Really? If you would have not been so sassy when people started liking you and kept your red hair and stayed away from certain undisclosed lazy eyed people then MAYBE your shoes would not look like an express train leaving the station for Hot Mess City!



Above: The pure definition of a HOT HEATED MESS! All aboard the express train to Hot Mess City! CHOO CHOO!

The really sad thing is that there are rumors that her friends are really worried about her. It would be amazing if she could get her life in order. YOU CAN DO IT LINSANITY!!!

Just another typical night out when you are Livin' La Vida Lohan!

Blanc de Chine Fall/Winter 2010: Front Row and Housewives and Clothes OH MY!

Blanc de Chine debuted its Fall/Winter 2010 collection at its 5th Avenue flagship store on March 24th to a crowd of eager fashionistas.


Above: People mix and mingle as the wait to go upstairs for the Blanc de Chine Fall/Winter 2010 fashion show.

Alex McCord and her husband Simon van Kempen from the Bravo reality hit, The Real Housewives of New York City, were among the guest for the night, as well as style expert Derek Warburton.


Above: Alex McCord and Simon van Kempen both wearing Blanc de Chine. Below: Style expert Derek Warburton.



Joining Alex, Simon and Derek in the front row for the show was none other than yours truly and my good friend Natasha Huang.


Above: Jonathan Valdez and Natasha Huang sit font row at the Blanc de Chine Fall/Winter 2010 fashion show.

The Blanc de Chine Fall/Winter 2010 collection draws its inspiration from the reifned elegance of the Ming Dynasty. The collection references the design essence of ceremonial robes of Ming officials and the sleek silhouette of Ming furniture.


Above: How much are you loving these two dresses? The brown floral sequined dress really made a huge impact on the runway. Love a good statement dress!


Above: I think that this red dress photographs really well and would be a good event dress.


Above: I really love the colors in the piece. It is a good look for a casual yet stylish look. Below: This suit looks great on the runway but I don't know if I could pull off a Chinese inspired jacket situation. Maybe I should try one day.



Mark Rapp and Don Braden did an amazing job of playing soothing Jazz music during the show. The models walked slowly to the pace of the music.

After the show I had a chance to speak with Alex McCord and she told me she loved my bow tie! I have actually attended a lot of the same events in the city as Alex. She always looks stunning and is so sweet.



Above: Natasha Huang, Alex McCord and Jonathan Valdez

The event was very well organized and I had a wonderful time! The Honest Tea and Vodka bevs were quite tasty as well!


Above: Models walk the finale at the Blanc de Chine Fall/Winter 2010 fashion show.

Be sure to keep coming back to OJ&B as I take NYC by storm!

*All photos with the exception of Derek Warburton's photo are courtesy of NH Media.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SJP!

*Photo Credit: Patrick McMullan

Today is the 45th birthday of the one and only Sarah Jessica Parker! We all love her as Carrie Bradshaw in Sex and the City (NYC can thank her for the huge amounts of 20 somethings that flock to the city to be like Carrie) but I love her for so many things!

I think my first experience with SJP was when I saw the Disney Halloween classic, Hocus Pocus, in 1993. I LOVE Hocus Pocus SJP! I still watch it every Halloween.


Above: Bette Midler and Sarah Jessica Parker in Hocus Pocus circa 1993.

Another SJP moment that I LOVE is when she starred in the 1996 Broadway revial of Once Upon A Matress as Winifred the Woebegone. Check her out in this Tony Awards Performance of 'Shy.'



I think it is safe to say that we ALL Love her in the 1985 movie Girls Just Want To Have Fun starring SJP and Helen Hunt! In my mind this is how SJP is goign to spend her B day tonight!



Whatever you do SJP, HAVE AN AMAZING BIRTHDAY and thanks for doing what you do!

L.A. Fashion Week: GOGA by Gordana Fall 2010

Gordana Gehlhausen, debuted her Fall 2010 line, GOGA by Gordana, at the Project Ethos Fashion Week Event for L.A. Fashion Week.



The Project Runway Season 6 alum's Fall 2010 line is a play on texture, color, and experimentation with tribal influences. GOGA by Gordana has different fabrics, trims, feminine knits, and layers inspired from Gehlhausen’s recent trip to China.



I really love this purple jacket that Gordana actually wore when I met her during Fashion Week for Fall 2010 in NYC.




Above: Gordana and Jonathan at the For Love And Lemons Show Fall 2010.

Gordana is such a sweet person and I am so sad that I could not make it to L.A. to see the show.



I am LOVING these two GOGA looks for Fall 2010! Get it with that skirt (Above) and the all white with brown boots (Below)!



Congratulations Gordana on showing your Fall 2010 line! I really hope that you will show in NYC in February for Spring 2011!


Above: Gordana Gehlhausen takes her walk during the finale of her Fall 2010 debut for GOGA by Gordana

CFDA Announces Noms & Honorees for the 2010 CFDA Fashion Awards!

Yesterday Nadja Swarovski and Diane von Furstenberg announced the nominees and honorees for the 2010 CFDA Fashion Awards at the DVF studio. What a dreamy place to go to find out if your line is up for a CFDA Award! For those of you who do not know, the CFDA is the Council of Fashion Designers of America.

The awards will be held on June 7th at Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully Hall and will include a special tribute for the late Lee Alexander McQueen. Supermodel slash industry legend Iman will be honored with the Fashion Icon Award! I love some Mcqueen and I love some Iman!

Above: Supermodel Iman totally giving it to the camera as always at the amfAR New York Gala 2010! GET IT IMAN!

I have to give a HUGE congrats to Donna Karan and her PR gals for the WOMENSWEAR DESIGNER OF THE YEAR NOM! Congratulations DK TEAM and good luck in June!

Above: Nadja Swarovski and Diane von Furstenberg announce the 2010 CFDA Fashion Awards Nominees and Honorees

Check out the 2010 nominees below:

WOMENSWEAR DESIGNER OF THE YEAR

Marc Jacobs
Donna Karan
Alexander Wang

MENSWEAR DESIGNER OF THE YEAR

Michael Bastian
Tom Ford
David Neville and Marcus Wainwright for Rag & Bone

ACCESSORY DESIGNER OF THE YEAR

Alexis Bittar
Lazaro Hernandez and Jack McCollough for Proenza Schouler
Marc Jacobs

SWAROVSKI AWARD FOR WOMENSWEAR

Joseph Altuzarra
Prabal Gurung
Jason Wu

SWAROVSKI AWARD FOR MENSWEAR

Richard Chai
Patrik Ervell
Simon Spurr

SWAROVSKI AWARD FOR ACCESSORY DESIGN

Eddie Borgo
Dana Lorenz
Alexander Wang

GEOFFREY BEENE LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

Michael Kors

INTERNATIONAL AWARD

Christopher Bailey for Burberry

EUGENIA SHEPPARD AWARD

Kim Hastreiter, Paper Magazine

ELEANOR LAMBERT AWARD

Tonne Goodman, Vogue

FASHION ICON AWARD

Iman

SPECIAL TRIBUTE AWARD

Alexander McQueen

For more information on the 2010 CFDA Fashion Awards click here.

Exclusive Interview with April Smith of April Smith and the Great Picture Show!

I had the chance to interview April Smith of April Smith and the Great Picture show for the March issue of Encore Magazine. I have LOOOVED this girl and her band ever since I found her last year during SXSW! She will be playing an official SXSW showcase this year so check her out if you are in Austin, Texas this week!

Check out my interview with April Smith:

I first heard the sultry sounds of April Smith and the Great Picture Show in 2009 during the South By Southwest Music Festival in Austin, TX. It was love at first song! April Smith has a voice that you want to hear over and over again. The band is picking up speed in the music world and even played Lollapalooza last summer. April Smith and the Great Picture Show now have a new album, Songs For A Sinking Ship, which she financially backed with money from supporters and fans on Kickstarter.com. I recently had the chance to speak with April Smith about the new album, her sound, and life on the road.

Congrats on Songs For A Sinking Ship. You’ve backed it 100% on Kickstarter.com through supporters and fans. Does that automatically change the feel to the album when you don’t have pressure from a big label?

Well, I have never recorded with a major label, but I do have friends that have and there is definitely a lot of pressure from the label wanting things done a certain way. I think you can actually make a great album for a lot less money when a major label is not involved. When you are the one who is paying for it you can call the shots. Having the Kickstarter campaign really allowed us to make the record exactly the way we wanted it.

Tell me about the April Smith and the Great Picture Show Sound. How did you find it?

My sound was a lot different on my first album. My first full length album was more pop rock. I have always been influenced by turn of the century pop music like the Andrew Sisters and Big Band music. I just happened to start writing a little differently and putting more of a swing on the songs. It was just a turn that my writing took that wasn’t necessarily deliberate. I wrote “Wow and Flutter”, and that was the first song in this new style that really changed everything. It was a complete accident but it was a great accident.

So, you are a big Tweeter. Has social media impacted your career?

Definitely. Twitter has been really helpful during the Kickstarter campaign. Not everyone can donate money but what was just as valuable to me was that people were re-tweeting and forwarding the emails and posting on Facebook and spreading the word with the social networking sites. For me that was really helpful because instead of having maybe 100 or even 150 backers we had several hundred and they were all helping to spread the word through their own Twitter and Facebook profiles. It was definitely a huge help and I absolutely feel like it’s helped me.

I understand you have a special name for your tour bus?

Oh, yeah! Our tour bus is “Norman” and we actually inherited him from a great band called Hailstorm on Atlantic. My manager helped to sign them so we got their tour bus when they got a new one. Basically Norman is a 32 foot RV and Hailstorm’s dad is basically a mechanical genius. Instead of keeping the giant queen bunk in the back, he took that out and put four tour bunks in. We have a kitchen, bathroom, and a little dinette area, so it’s essentially like a hotel on wheels for us.

What’s next for April Smith and The Great Picture Show?

The album is out on February 23rd and we’re really excited. We hope that it really catches on and that people love it.

April Smith and the Great Picture Show is currently on tour and will be playing at South By Southwest in Austin, TX in an official SXSW music showcase. For more information please visit www.aprilsmithmusic.com.

NEW GAGA VIDEO: Lady Gaga and Beyonce in Telephone! SO GLAD I PICKED UP!

I was BLOWN AWAY by the brand new Lady Gaga/Beyonce video! It is so good that I had to make up a new word because there are currently words out there for it. I think it is FAMAZING! (That is a combo of Fierce and Amazing!) To help with this post, I took some great screen shots straight from the video so let's begin.

I am assuming that Gaga landed herself in a borderline fierce slammer due to the fact that she killed some people in the past videos. Shortly after Gaga arrives in prison she goes outside for some recreation time wearing the most amazing pair of sunglasses. They are SMOKIN'! Literally!



I love them, but only for this video! Don't any of you nicahoochies even TRY this out on the streets. I hate when people walk and smoke around me. (Sorry back to GAGA!)

Lady Gaga channels her inner and outer early 90's Madonna for a fierce jailhouse dance break with her cellmates right before she gets bailed out.



Also, Gaga wears this amazing outfit made from crime scene tape. It totally reminded me of the "Anything But Clothes" a.k.a "ABC" parties from college where you had to come... well wearing anything but clothes. There was always that one girl or couple who always did the caution tape. ALWAYS!



Gaga then gets a call from Beyonce who has come to get her girl out of the big house. Gaga is wearing an amazing take on a vintage look while going to get into the one an only "Pussy Wagon" on loan from Quentin Tarantino himself! If you were getting pick up from prison that would totes be the ride of choice to go home in!



Gaga tells E! Online about Tarantino's involvement with the 'Telephone' Video and how he wanted her to use the "Pussy Wagon":

"There certainly is a Tarantino-inspired quality in the video," she says. "I mostly love the way he uses different forms to create something new. His direct involvement in the video came from him lending me the Pussy Wagon. We were having lunch one day in Los Angeles and I was telling him about my concept for the video and he loved it so much he said, 'You gotta use the Pussy Wagon.'"



Lunch in L.A. with Tarantino? NO BIG DEAL RIGHT? Ahh the life!

I love how Gaga calls Beyonce "Honey B" in this video. I think I will officially always refer to Beyonce as Honey B. I have to admit that I really was not feeling Honey B in this song at first but this video made ME LOVE HER IN IT! Watch it (if you have not already) and tell me if you see some Foxy Cleopatra in her performance.

I wont tell you everything that happens in the video in case you have yet to witness it, but I have to say that from now on I need slash want to be as crunk as Gaga EVERY SINGLE TIME I make a sandwich! SO BEYOND CRUNK! I also expect a dance number like this to happen everytime I go to Subway!



Honey B and Gaga also have a phenomenal dance break in a diner. There are so many wonderful dance scenes in this video and they all make me so happy! I love when videos have amazing dances to songs that you never really know how to dance to in the clubs.



I don't know why they look like Wonder Woman in that scene. I don't ask, I just sit back and enjoy the wonderful ride :)



So in the end Thelma and Louise 2010 take off in the "Pussy Wagon" into the sunset. I used to always talk about taking a cross country road trip in a drop top wearing big scarves and sunglasses like Thelma and Louise and/or Romy and Michelle (I'm the Mary and you're the Rhoda!) but BUMP THAT! From now on the plans will be to go across the country in the Pussy Wagon wearing this:



CHECK OUT THE VIDEO FOR TELEPHONE WITH LADY GAGA AND HONEY B!