RED CARPET READY

Often, I get emails (and Myspace messages) asking for fashion advice. “What should I wear to the prom?” an email from Nicolette asked recently. “I’m going to my best friend’s wedding and it’s black tie. What kind of dress should I wear?” a woman named Toni asked a while back.

I think I have pretty good fashion advice to give. I mean, growing up the daughter of a FASHION ICON, one can’t help but be drawn to that world.

I may have been awkward and shy growing up (I hid behind my tortoise rimmed glasses, frizzy braids, baggy clothes and sneakers), but when no one was around my inner FASHION DIVA emerged.

As I’ve gotten older, I’ve become more confident and embraced the FASHIONISTA within. With modeling, I found a way to let her shine. I set her free while posing and strutting my stuff on the runway in different designers’ fashions. I love a good party and I revel in the any occasion to get dressed up in that perfect outfit and show it off.

Right now, we are smack dab in the middle of Awards Season, so what better time to dole out some fashion advice. You know when you watch the Oscars, Golden Globes, etc, you’re only half watching to see who gets which award. Mostly your eyes are glue to the TV to see who looks great on the red carpet.

Here are some tips so you too can embrace your inner FASHION DIVA at your next party or event. It may not be the red carpet at the Oscars, but still…

The dress:
Yes, we all covet a celebrity stylist to hand pick us a one-of-kind, haute couture gown, but if you don’t have one (and I definitely do not), don’t fret. It’s really not about the dress at all. It’s about feeling comfortable, confident and sexy in what you are wearing. The trick is to choose a gown that flaunts your best assets. I have no boobs and my stomach isn’t washboard flat, but I have gams that are fit, toned and go for miles. I work my legs and wear a micro mini for all red carpet affairs.

The accessories:
It’s not about who has the biggest bauble (although a HUGE diamond equipped with its own bodyguard would be nice). My tip is to keep the jewels simple and classic. Don’t forget an amazing pair of shoes (Jimmy, Christian, Manolo… just make sure they’re FABULOUS) And finally, don’t forget a little clutch too to hold the essentials (lip gloss, cell and keys)!

Grooming:
Good grooming is ALWAYS important. No one takes a stinky person seriously, so soak in a bath. Afterwards head to your local salon for a mani/pedi, wax, and tan if you’re so inclined.

Make up and hair can make or break a red carpet look. My tip is: Don’t over do it! Fresh faced, bronzed beauties get the most attention on the red carpet. I do love a killer smoky eye though, so if you cake on the eye shadow and mascara, try a simple lip-gloss. Red lips are also very retro and hip right now. If you slather on the red, stay soft with the rest of your face.

I prefer long and flowy locks (I wish my hair was longer and flowier), but for some people a killer updo really accentuates the neck and chest, which can be very sexy.

Now that you have the perfect dress, accessories and your face and body are looking hot, take a moment to catch your breath. Hold your head high, shoulders back and let your inner FASHION DIVA shine. This is your moment! Confidence is sexy, alluring and POWERFUL.

Strut your stuff on the red carpet and remember to give the photogs what they want: A KILLER POSE! Look gracious, tilt your chin, put one hand on your hip, maybe a glance over the shoulder and remember to flash a big smile! You’re a star! (Don’t go overboard though! This isn’t a Vogue photo shoot)!

Fashion is FABULOUS, fun and about feeling good. It’s time to be glamorous people… It’s time to be red carpet ready!

UNCLE ARNE

I am deeply saddened by the loss of Uncle Arne on Monday, January 12, 2009. Uncle Arne was my stepfather’s uncle, but even more than that, he was the man who raised him. Uncle Arne passed away in his sleep on the 5 year anniversary of my stepfather's death. He was 96 years old and lived a truly impressive life with joy in his heart and a smile on his face (and joke always on his lips). I have wonderful memories of time spent with him that I will cherish forever.

After reading about Uncle Arne (Arne Dekke Eide Næss) on the Internet, I’m in awe of his intellect as well. He is widely regarded as the foremost Norwegian philosopher of his time. His work focused on Spinoza, Buddhism and Gandhi. He was also the youngest person to be appointed full professor at the University of Oslo.

He wrote numerous books and articles, but he was best known for launching the concept of "deep ecology,” which expresses a vision of the world in which we protect the environment as a part of ourselves. His ecological philosophy is still important to Greenpeace and he was the first chairman of Greenpeace in Norway.

Uncle Arne was also a mountaineer. He led the first expedition to conquer the 25,289 foot mountain Tirich Mir in Pakistan in 1954, then led a second Norwegian expedition up the mountain in 1964. He instilled a love of climbing and the mountains in my stepfather (who climbed the worlds 7 highest peeks, including in 1985 he lead the first Norwegian expedition to Mount Everest), which has also been passed down to my brother Ross.

Uncle Arne was filled with wonder at the richness of the natural world and our unique place in it. For him life was something to be enjoyed completely and I believe he did enjoy his life to the fullest. When I saw him last, just 5 years ago (He was 90 years old), he was joking, laughing and making fart noises with his hands.

My mother and brothers recently got to see him in Norway when my mother sang at the Nobel Peace Awards. He was sick, but made it to the show and my mother gave him a shout out from the stage dedicating “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” to him. The crowd went wild as he danced on stage. Uncle Arne is a true celebrity in Norway. He was an amazing man and he will, not only be missed by his family, but by all who had the good fortune to know him.

Uncle Arne was FABULOUS!

NEW YEAR’S IN ASPEN WAS DA’ BOMB!

Every year, I head to Aspen over the holidays for a little snowy fun. This year was no different. My brother Evan, some friends and I headed to the mountains to ring in the New Year surrounded by snow and good cheer, but what we encountered this year was something very different.

Well, not really… We still had a great time skiing and playing in the snow. The weather was warm, sunny and FABULOUS and the nightlife is always fun in the glitzy town, BUT on New Year’s Eve a mad man tried to ruin our festivities!

The Aspen bombing incident surprisingly didn’t get that much media attention, so if you haven’t heard about it yet, here is what happened:

It was mid-afternoon and I was heading to Wells Fargo (my bank) to get money out of the ATM for the night’s festivities. As I got closer, I saw that the blocks surrounding the bank had been blocked off by police and fire trucks. I later found out that a man had walked into two local banks and left packages wrapped in holiday paper along with notes saying the boxes contained bombs. The notes threatened "mass death" and demanded $60,000 cash. He claimed he was targeting four banks, but only two (Wells Fargo Bank and Vectra Bank) found packages. Later, police found two similar packages in a black sled behind the Gap.

Aspen police are not equipped to deal with such an ordeal, so they were forced to shut down all of the town till the bomb squad and FBI could make their way from near by Grand Junction (an hour and a half away). A total of 16 blocks were cleared, basically shutting down all of Aspen and putting a stop to almost all New Year's celebrations.

It was surreal, but I wasn’t scared at all. There were moments, I guess, that we all had fear as the story morphed and changed as it traveled by word of mouth. At one point the story was that a man was running around town with bombs strapped to his chest, so we were preparing to flee town in my car. I called the police station and fond out the story was false. The bombs had been contained, so we decided to hit the town (me dressed in a hot red mini dress) to try our best to make the most of New Year's that for the most part had been shut down (all the restaurants and bars were closed, no fireworks, etc.)

We went to one of the only two parties still happening in town. It was at The Sky Hotel and it was mellow to say the least. There was a weird vibe in the air and not many people had ventured out (Maybe the right choice when there is a crazy, bomb setting man still on the loose and four REAL bombs that had still not detonated in the vicinity), but whatever. NOTHING was gonna stop our party.

The night ended up being OK. I was with my friends and my brother. We danced and sipped champagne, but nothing FABULOUS happened. The party didn’t even do a midnight countdown (what the hell?). We did our own by the clock on my cell phone and hugged and high-fived when the clock struck twelve (sadly no kisses)!

The next morning, the police found the bomber, dead in his car with a rifle, which they believe he had used to kill himself. He was also had a note containing his "last will and testament.” He gave no motive, but wrote, "I was and am a good man." The one time Aspen resident was known for being bitter over Aspen’s transformation into a playground for the rich.

New Years Day, Aspen tried it’s darndest to recreate New Year’s for all who had missed out (and for all the businesses that lost thousands of dollars on the busiest night of the year in Aspen). They set off fireworks, had New Year’s party favors (crowns and noise blowers) for everyone and even remembered to do a count down this time.

We went to Caribou club, the high-end nightclub in Aspen for some dancing and New Year’s good cheer, but mostly what we encountered was people who were so determined to have a good time and make up for the New Year’s Eve lost that they became crabby and bitter drunks seeking fights. We escaped by the skin of our teeth (I was pushing Evan and his friends out the door and into a cab before blows were thrown).

New Year’s is one of those holidays that you put so much emphasis on having a FABULOUS night that it never meets your high expectations. No worries though, because so far my new year has been FABULOUS and I continue to look forward to more FABULOUSITY in 2009!!

HAPPY NEW YEAR - Video Blog