Search Results for 'dress code' ↓

KONY 2012 from INVISIBLE CHILDREN on Vimeo.

A lady always shows respect and consideration for others while placing a premium on honesty and graciousness. A lady also knows how her individual choices may affect others and how easy it is to choose words and actions more wisely. If you missed out on cotillion as a child, I think it best to invest in an etiquette book. ‘Emily Post’s Book of Etiquette’ is great to look up and source any question you might have and a perfect addition to any Lady’s Library. In the meantime here are my top 10 tips for being a lady in modern day society. - Taryn Cox for THE WIFE.

1. Follow Through – Nobody likes a flaky person. Regardless of how busy your life has become with commitments to your Husband and Children, you should never agree to take on more than you can handle i.e.… rsvp-ing to events, lunches with friends or other engagements. When receiving an invitation, contemplate if you’ll be exhausted from a busy day and politely decline. Many people re-arrange their schedules and look forward to plans and get upset with last minute cancellations. If a cancellation is necessary, be sincere in your apology and reschedule as soon as possible.

2. Phone Etiquette – Calls should only be placed between the hours of 9:00am – 10:00pm. Try to make a habit of returning calls within 24 hours of getting the message. When taking calls on your cell phone do consider other around you, keep conversations short and never discuss private matters in public. Your cell phone should remain in your purse and never be taken out during a meal. If need be excuse yourself from the table to check in with babysitters or any other emergencies. When in theatres or performances turn your phone to silent or off and avoid texting. Texting is extremely rude when in the presence of others.

3. Dressing Like a Lady – A lady always leaves something to the imagination, which is why one should choose to show a little leg or instead decide to accentuate your décolletage. When sitting down always cross your legs or ankles to avoid nearby peeping toms; it’s also important to practice getting in and out of cars without flashing the valet. (How to get out of a car without showing your knickers) Take the time to learn which dress codes are appropriate for certain occasions, for example if your invitation calls for “Cocktail Attire”, “Black Tie” or “White Tie,” would you know what is appropriate to wear? (Dress Code Guide)

4. It’s The Little Things – When a guest enters your home, do you offer them a glass of water or beverage of their choice? When arranging for a dinner party, do you remember if one of your dinner guests has a gluten allergy? When selecting a gift, is it something your friend mentioned they wanted? Just as a gentlemen would offer his coat if you were showing signs of being cold is how you should pay attention to small details. It’s a great way to show the people around you how much you care and are listening. Go the distance to make the people in your life feel incredibly special.

5. Always The Gracious Guest – Whether you have been invited over to a someone’s home for a dinner party, movie screening or cocktails, Never show up without a hostess gift. The gesture can be as small as a bottle of wine or dessert to as grand as having a flower arrangement delivered.

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I find it shocking that a news station doesn’t fact check before airing a story to the public… So here a few corrections they got wrong in the segment above…

• The Family I work for lives in Hancock Park NOT Encino
• I did not say “Freshen up your make and take off your husbands shoes when he comes home.” That is a quote from an article I posted from a 1954 Home Economics text book I found comical.
• I do not cook or do laundry in vintage dresses.. Unless I just happen to be wearing a vintage dress.

Monday Sophie and I took Lily and 3 of her friends on a Disneyland Adventure. Sophie was unofficially named best dressed women at the theme park, Lily and Erin rode Space Mountain their very first roller coaster (So Proud!) and with no melt downs or tantrums is was a wonderful day at the happiest place on earth! - Taryn Cox for THE WIFE.

I recently Discovered Beverly Hills Juice Company through a friend and have been going daily for the most delicious fresh pressed juice. I’m addicted to “The Big Ten” (Carrot, Beet, Celery, Kale, Spinach and Parsley) but since recently getting sick have been getting Apple Lemon Double Ginger, which was a terrific remedy. A bottle of juice will run you around 5.00 and is worth every penny.

In his quest to make the most nutritionally beneficial juice, David Otto became versed in the advantages of juicing with a hydraulic press. To press juice, fruits or vegetables are first ground into a fine pulp, wrapped in cloth bags, and then squeezed at a very high pressure by the hydraulic press. Compared to other methods of juice extraction, pressed juice has a higher nutritional content: more vitamins, more minerals, and more amino acids. Additionally, pressed juice is exposed to a minimal amount of oxidation, and therefore maintains a shelf life of a few days instead of minutes. Beverly Hills Juice presses and bottles batches of juice every morning, making pressed juice available for customers to pickup each day.

Beverly Hills Juice supports local, organic agriculture. They adapt their menu to the seasons and source most of their ingredients from local farms. They purchase the majority of our produce at farmer’s markets, where the average farmer travels 150 miles to bring her crop to market. Coconuts, bananas, ginger and cinnamon are not typically grown in California, and are sourced from organic suppliers.

Since 1975, Beverly Hills Juice has operated under a strong ethical code that promotes a healthy and balanced way of life. Their appreciation and gratitude for the earth is reflected in everything that they do. Beverly Hills Juice continually searches for the best practices that will limit their environmental impact, decrease their use of petroleum-based products, and contribute to the regeneration of the earth’s polluted resources. Some of their sustainable business practices include: Cups and Straws made from Sugar Cane Fiber, They do use bags to encourage customers to bring their own, all deliveries are made with a volkswagen TDI clean diesel car, all paper used is 100 recycled processed chlorine free and all waste generated is commercially composted.

Now in its sixth year, the consistently sold-out Muse Costume Ball attracts more than 1,000 costume-clad revelers to the museum for a night filled with tricks and treats. Enjoy live music and video projections in the BP Grand Entrance and an exclusive preview of William Eggleston: Democratic Camera, Photograph, and Video, 1961-2008 along with after-hours access to Fashioning Fashion: European Dress in Detail, 1700-1925, Olmec: Colossal Masterworks of Ancient Mexico, and Eye for the Sensual: Selections from the Resnick Collection. The party continues in the LACMA West Penthouse with DJs, art installations, and the annual costume contest. Get ready to compete for Best American Icon, Most Fashionably Fashionable, and Best Halloween Costume with the winners taking home fabulous prizes.

Includes complimentary drinks by Malibu Family Wines, Effen Vodka, Hornitos Tequila, Dekuyper, Pernod Absinthe, FIJI Water, and more.

Tickets: $25 Muse Members | $50 General Public. Ticket includes admission, complimentary drinks, and parking. On sale now. Purchase tickets by clicking here, calling 323 857-6010, or in-person at LACMA’s Ticket Offices. Please note: $2 convenience fee per ticket added to all phone and internet orders.

Documentary filmmaker Davis Guggenheim explores the tragic ways in which the American public education system is failing our nation’s children, and explores the roles that charter schools and education reformers could play in offering hope for the future. We see the statistics every day — students dropping out, science and math scores falling, and schools closing due to lack of funding. What we don’t see are the names and faces of the children whose entire futures are at stake due to our own inability to enact change. There was a time when the American public education system was a model admired by the entire world. Today other countries are surpassing us in every respect, and the slogan “No Child Left Behind” has become a cynical punch line. The Film Documents Bianca, Emily, Anthony, Daisy, and Francisco who are five students who deserve better. By investigating how the current system is actually obstructing their education instead of bolstering it, Guggenheim opens the door to considering possible options for transformation and improvement. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

At once responding to and actively promoting a renaissance in gentlemanly sophistication and style, The Rake meets the needs of a disenfranchised, elite (yet expansive) sector of the male population – one seeking to recapture the codes of classic men’s elegance.

Catering to the reader alienated by ‘edgy’ men’s fashion magazines and insufficiently served by major male lifestyle titles, The Rake is aimed at the mature-minded gent who draws his sartorial inspiration from icons such as Cary Grant, Fred Astaire, the Duke of Windsor, Gianni Agnelli and Sean Connery, and their contemporary counterparts.

The Rake’s priority is to provide a precise framework for classically elegant dressing. The magazine spells out, in exquisite detail, the ground-rules for grand, flattering dressing…and then explains how and when those rules may be broken.

Though clothing is central to the magazine’s vision, it is The Rake’s firm belief that true elegance comes from within. Thus, our goal is to not only provide readers with informative, incisive, in-depth commentary on matters of attire, but also, the many elements of gentlemanly conduct and living. From manners and ethics, to art and design, tasteful travel, health and well-being, the intellectual and philosophical, to homes, modes of transport, entertainment, food and drink, The Rake’s purview encompasses the full spectrum of elegant living.

www.TheRakeOnline.Com

What are conflict diamonds, sometimes called blood diamonds?

Conflict diamonds, sometimes called blood diamonds, are diamonds that are sold to fund the unlawful and illegal operations of rebel, military and terrorist groups. Countries that have been most affected by conflict diamonds are Sierra Leone, Angola, Liberia and the Democratic Republic of Congo — all places where citizens have been terrorized, mutilated and killed by groups in control of the local diamond trade.

Wars in most of those areas have ended or at least decreased in intensity, but conflict diamonds from Côte d’Ivoire, in West Africa, and Liberia are still reaching the trade labeled as conflict-free diamonds.

In 2000, South African countries with a legitimate diamond trade began a campaign to track the origins of all rough diamonds, attempting to put a stop to blood diamond sales from known conflict areas. Their efforts eventually resulted in The Kimberley Process Certification Scheme (KPCS), an international effort to rid the world of conflict diamonds.

Kimberley Process Goals

The goals of the Kimberley Process are to document and track all rough diamonds entering a participating country, with shippers placing stones in tamper-proof shipping crates and providing enough detailed information about their origins to prove they did not originate in a conflict zone.

The KPCS isn’t fully operational among its members — probably normal for an agreement that involves the cooperation of dozens of governments and non-governmental agencies. Many countries haven’t even committed to the program.

The goals of the KPCS will take time to achieve, but what’s already been accomplished is significant. Because it’s a self-regulating program, additional controls are necessary to truly ensure that blood diamond trade is halted — or at least minimized.

How consumers can help stop blood diamond trade.

Retailers cannot guarantee that the diamond you purchase is not a conflict diamond. As consumers, we have the power to change that by demanding details about the diamonds we buy. Demanding proof that a diamond is conflict-free sends a powerful message to the world that we will not support an industry or nation that helps fund terror groups. Change won’t happen overnight, but it will happen if we are persistent.

Canadian diamonds - the Code of Conduct

Canada has made progress in identifying diamonds originating in its mines. The Voluntary Code of Conduct for Authenticating Canadian Diamond Claims sets a standard for authentication of claims that a diamond is Canadian — and conflict free.

Adhering to The Code requires each company to initiate a paper trail that tracks a diamond’s progression from the mine to its retail destination. The Code also includes rules for proper handling, packing and marking of all diamonds that are represented as Canadian stones. Even with the guidelines, there’s no way to absolutely guarantee a diamond is Canadian, but the process definitely helps eliminate doubt.

The Canadian program is voluntary, so not all retailers participate. Those who do must provide consumers with:

• The diamond Identification Number
• The retailer’s name and address
• An invoice number and the date of the invoice
• The polished diamond description
• An explanation of the Code

A list of signatories of the Code is available online, naming retailers and wholesalers who are committed to following the Code’s procedures.

It’s difficult for most of us to imagine what life is like in countries where diamonds are the source of so much chaos and suffering, and the connection between terror and diamonds is not something that’s reported heavily in the press. The 2006 movie Blood Diamond, starring Leonardo DiCaprio, should help make the issues more mainstream, if only temporarily.

Take some time to learn more about the problems that conflict diamonds create, then follow your heart the next time you shop for a diamond. - About.Com

Watch the Video above for an Introduction into Falling Whistles Movement.

(Above, Falling Whistles Founder, Sean Carasso)

I seen first hand the creation, dedication and passion for Falling Whistles through my long time friend, Sean Carasso. Falling Whistles began as a small story exposing our world’s largest war. A little more than a year ago two Americans traveled into the Democratic Republic of the Congo on what was meant to be a short learning expedition. By the weeks end, they had discovered an illegal prison holding escaped child soldiers. There they heard of the whistle blowers; boys too small to carry a gun, sent to the front lines of war, armed with only a whistle. That night Sean wrote in his journal “With Falling whistles. they only chance is to feign death or face it”

A friend welcomed Sean home with a fierce embrace and an unusual gift - a whistle. Hanging just over his heart, everywhere they went the whistle would cause conversation and provide an opportunity to speak up for these children. And thus The Falling Whistles campaign was launched with a simple plan - make their weapon your voice and be a whistle blower for peace in Congo.

Falling Whistles has sold over 5,000 whistles and is continuing to rapidly expand. Proceeds go to restoring the lives of war affected children in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, while U.S. whistle blowers build a coalition to fight for their freedom.

The Problem:

Often traumatized, these children are rejected from their homes or return to find their communities disbursed and destroyed. Left with little recourse for action other than continued violence, their behavior often takes the form of street gangs or militia groups.

The Plan:

Short Term: Children displaced by the war have fewer options for survival and are often pulled back into the cycle of war. We have partnered with Congolese community leaders to rehabilitate these children. This process develops local leadership and gives these children the tools to survive and thrive on their own through education, art, medical treatment and nutritional services. Each organization is working to give children the tools to be whistle blowers and stand for peace with the war -region.

Long Term: In order to help the children forced to the front lines, the war must end. Without an organized coalition demanding peace, there is little incentive for out leaders to act, and for those benefiting from the war to stop perpetrating it. To prevent further abuse of children and increase regional stability, our goal is to grow that coalition.

This war is largely funded by the illicit trading of conflict precious minerals. These minerals are mined in Congo and used to create consumer electronics like computers, gaming systems, and cell phones. We find them in our homes, schools and pockets. The lack of transparency in the corporate supply chain has created an environment where purveyors of chaos profit from tin, tantalum, and gold in Congo and are often use militant groups to re- arm. They forcefully control the mines and profit from the dollars of corporate buyers who fail to use fair sources for their minerals.

By buying a whistle (whistles start at 30.00 and 100% of the proceeds go to war affected children in Congo) you as the consumer are given the tools to understand and speak up for one another, and Falling Whistles will work alongside our political leaders toward peace in Congo and demand the products we buy are conflict free. - THE WIFE

www.FallingWhistles.Com

This is one of my very very favorite articles I’ve come to find in my monthly favorite, Vanity Fair. The article goes through the entire history of Haute Couture… How it used to be in the good ol’ days and how its transformed to what it has become today. Although the article is quite lengthly, any girl who flaunts her femininity and appreciates the art of a well made gown will just adore the following read. I’ve highlighted some of my favorite parts in what other color then…pink! - THE WIFE

With the house of Lacroix filing for bankruptcy, and Yves Saint Laurent gone, some fear that haute couture is finished. But Paris’s fashion phoenix has survived world war, cultural revolution, and economic meltdown, reshaped to fit the times. Tracing its lineage—Worth, Poiret, Chanel, Dior, and onward—the author describes the current incarnation: spectacular shows accessible to millions on the Internet and a new global client base in the Middle East, India, and China.

By AMY FINE COLLINS