Friday Fashion Finds - Screaming Hot Red!

Happy Halloween weekend! In light of this holiday, I'm dedicating this post to the Fire Engine RED HOT trend emerging for fall/winter. Remember, this Halloween, you're better off RED! Here are four smokin looks I've put together for you - enjoy!

"Sweet Swirls"

Romantic, and oh, so deliciously sweet

This is the ultimate flirting outfit. Have someone special in mind? Pair up these peek-a-boo vintage red heels from Spain with an amazing flared eighties skirt with a leather waist band for a hip, cute outfit to wear anywhere. Dress it up with these sweet, hand carved silver rosette earrings and silk satin burnout scarf to give the whole look an extra feminine touch.

"Sexy Lunch Date"

Sexy sophistication while on the clock

This body conscious gunmetal dress looks so chic with that little white blouse. Add a flame red glass ring and drop dead, gorgeous patent red pumps and you already have instant sexy style. Tie a square scarf around your neck to add just add sophistication and bring color towards your pretty red lips.

"Sssmoking hot"

Snakeskin super glam

Nothing says winter style like snakeskin.. add a little black leather, red and silver accessories, and this outfit is smokin'! The sleek, pencil skirt is just the right length. Toss on a sexy red blouse or turtle neck, these gorgeous silver earrings and red snakeskin cuff, and you really can't beat this look. As if that wasn't enough, slip on these vintage snakeskin heels for that extra touch of Va-va-Voom!

"Rocking Red"

For your ruff ridin' and rocking wild side

You may not own a Harley, but that doesn't mean you can't enjoy the rider trend with this super cool black eighties jacket and HOT pirate boots! Wear with leggings, skinny jeans, or a mini, and *snap* - instant hotness. Add this fun, silk flames scarf and unique beaded safety pin bracelet with attitude to complete this great look.

There are so many fun ways to rock red this season - which is your favorite?

Friday Fashion Finds - Purple Rain

Unless you've been living underground, by now you've realized the 80's are back! Does this mean we have to cover ourselves in neon brights, leg warmers and poof our hair into a side pony tail? I think not! This season, dress up the blacks and greys in your closet with pops of delicious purple. Trench coats, boots and sparkling shine are really hot this season so check out these three amazing looks!

Material Girl

This look is for the gal who loves Designer name brands, and doesn't mind spending a few grand on some killer boots. Which, by the way, those over-the-knee Gucci boots truly are! Warm up the outfit with a bright purple trench and fun grey chiffon scarf. The black crystal earrings really add that finishing touch of glamour.

She works hard for the money...

...so hard for it, honey! For the career girl, who wants that designer look, but doesn't need to spend an arm and a leg to do it, this is for you. Brighten up that rainy day with this raging vintage purple rain coat and chic boots. The hoops are gorgeous, and the scarf, if you open it up, is actually abstract lighting bolts - perfect accessories to finish this office and lunch date friendly, oh so chic, look!

Girls just wanna have fun

Going out on the town? Rock this look with some statement purple pirate boots, with a complimentary colorful scarf, and keep the rest of your outfit blacks and greys. This trench is amazing and those dangly suede earrings really say, "let's get this party started"!

Friday Fashion Finds - "Ravishing Rider"

Often times when I'm reading style and fashion articles, I see outfits that are just DYEING (pun intended) for a Muse Silk Paintings scarf to be tossed in. And while each piece I paint is truly a work of art, and can be worn with style all year round, I thought it would be fun to put together some awesome outfits/looks to illustrate how these beauties can find their place within the hottest trends of the moment for my ultimate Fashionistas out there :).

So, welcome to the first posting of my "Friday Fashion Finds"!

Today's look is "Ravishing Rider". The rock and roll 80's look is in full swing, and what better way to pull off this look than with a fabulous green jacket, riding boots, and an amazing hand painted, silk scarf to tie tight and let fly wild in the wind as you ride by? It's a mix between the mid eighties fabulousness with a touch of boho chic with the gold feather earrings - a perfect blend of two important fashion trends of the moment. The fantastic greens, oranges, and browns are both "eco-friendly" feeling and simply stunning with gold accents added in.

It's such a stylish look for winter, and easy to pull off, whether or not you choose to go with the big name designer labels. This particular jacket*1 and boots*2 are picks from Vogue's Editor's MOST WANTED basics*3. It's just as easy to snag a chic, flea market vintage jacket and riding boots, and some beat up jeans to go along with the gorgeous Kaleidoscope Palette scarf*4. The super cool, gold feather earrings from Betsyandiyas*5 really complete this amazing look!

Links to Finds:

1. Acne jacket: http://www.net-a-porter.com/product/41924

2. Church's boots: http://www.net-a-porter.com/product/48593

3. Vogue's picks: http://www.style.com/vogue/mostwanted/100809_The_White_Shirt

4. Muse scarf: http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=29730458

5. Betsyandiyas earrings: http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=28770501

"Coral Garden" - Lumiere saves the day!

As I continue to explore the art of silk painting, each piece is a new adventure for me. Today I'd like to share a little "disaster turned delicious" story. It started on a very warm day... I was up on my rooftop studio dreaming of tropical waters and was inspired to paint a seascape.

As usual, I washed and stretched the silk, drew in the resist lines ands started painting. Swaying coral shapes poured onto my silk canvas and I simply could feel water all around me as I drew each line.. the day began in bliss.. Notice, on the far right hand side, the unpainted seaweed shapes were getting rather complicated to follow because of all the overlapping, so I thought, "Aha! I will just write in numbers with my magic fabric pen!" I was quite pleased with myself for being so clever. And so I did just that..wrote in my numbers. I then ran out of daylight, and had to stop.

When I came back to this project a week later, and started painting in the the green shades of the seaweed, to my HORROR, the "invisible" numbers I had written in did NOT disappear when painting! Notice my red circled area and extremely realistic face reacting to this point. :) Apparently when left sitting too long, invisible fabric pens get permanent! The rest of the piece was so pretty. I sat there kicking myself for thinking I had been SO clever. Arrgghh!

Then I had a thought. A while back, I bought a started kit of Lumiere metallic paints http://www.dharmatrading.com/html/eng/393621-AA.shtml?lnav=paints_kits.html that I had not had a chance to try yet. The only other time I used the metallic paints with a brush (not through a resist tube, was under the supervision of Olivia Batchelder (see my previous blog titled Black Silk Experiment) http://musesilkpainting.blogspot.com/2009/04/black-silk-experiment.html My hesitation from using them, was that I didn't want my scarves to become too stiff.. but in this case, I had to do Something!

And so I mixed a little gold with olive and covered each number with strokes of this metallic paint. I also mixed a sparkling royal purple metallic and added shimmering highlights to blue coral and even a few of the fish scales. It seemed as if those parts in the seascape were being hit by the sun through the water.. Ahhh *sigh of relief* Lumiere paints saved the day!

Voila! Here is the final finished piece, drying on the frame. And now I have to say, adding that slight metallic really gave this multicolor scarf the little extra "something" that it needed! My disaster had turned into a delicious new piece. As many artists will attest to, sometimes mistakes turn into the most interesting part. I'm just relieved this one worked out.. as there have been so many others that did not have this happy ending!

To shop this scarf and see it mocked up on my dress form, follow this link: http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=30891894

In memory of my mother's mother

"Bella Bella Rose" scarf is a gift for my mother, in loving memory of hers, in hopes that it will cheer her up on difficult days, like today.

A Rose is a Rose is a Rose

I suppose

But so much can be wrapped up in sweet petal shades

How soft, like her hands used to feel

The aroma from my childhood days

Mixed in with tortillas and lemon

Her journey was impeded with thorns

Yet warm smiles were all that we saw

Her children, the sun, always adored

Opened her heart to every day

She sang to us, comforted us, told funny jokes

The sound of her voice still rings clear

As the rustling of leaves

in the still of night

Rose flower says Love

Her breath said Home

So a Rose is just a Rose...

except I think they were her favorite

-A.R.

To view more pictures of this special scarf, click HERE.