New Client Work: United Way for Southeastern Michigan
June 18, 2013 by detroitlives
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When you think of Detroit Public Schools, the first image is never pretty. In the last few years, many schools have closed under the reigns of an emergency manager. In 2008, high school graduation rates across the district were below 25%. And let’s be honest, practically everyone drops the education system in the discussion when talking about moving to the city and trying to raise a family. It’s hard.
About two months ago, Matt Dibble from Final Five Productions approached us to create a film, practically a mini-documentary, for a client of his– United Way for Southeastern Michigan. When he discussed that it was to be about two Detroit high schools that went from a 35% to 95% graduation rate, we were almost skeptical. As we interviewed principals and students for the piece, we realized how moving the story really was. What resulted is a short film about real movement in the city. Sure, we’ll be the first to admit there is a long way to go, but this film represents tangible steps in a positive forward direction.
Shoe Porn: Me and the Legendary Shoe
Aloha, Lovecat,
If you’ve been reading me for awhile, you know I have an unhealthy emotional attachment to certain pairs of shoes.
{ Shoe Porn: Mae and Her Jeffrey Campbell Cage Heels }
{ BUT DOSE SHOES DOH: THOSE JC Cage Heels }
This pair is no exception.
Let me tell you a little story.
Long ago, in a land far away from here, when I saw a pair of beautiful platform cage heels crowning the bronzed and beautiful gams of a gorgeous fashion blogger (Rumi), it was love at first [online] sight. I thought about them for days and weeks. I even might have had a dream or two about them; me traipsing about the streets, getting captured by street style photogs, me romping meadows (don’t ask me where I got this–I’m a city girl) with these stunners and a white lace eyelet dress and a flower crown, my girl friends and I sipping cocktails and staring at our mutual shoe porn envy… Yes, it was most definitely some kind of immediate shoe love.
After six months of vacillating, I bought them at an incredible mark-up at Urban Outfitters, but I honestly didn’t care about the (affordable, but over-priced) expense, because they were insanely comfortable, and distinctly different and edgier than anything I had in my wardrobe at the time (2007 or 2008). But, it was not to be in the Happily Ever After of Shoe Lovers History. After less than a year of wear, the pair of shoes and I went dancing, and, after that ill-fated but glorious night [at least I think it was glorious--I was more than intensely drunk for more than half of it, so I can't remember much at all other than snippets of memory of me teleporting around the three different clubs we went to], those shoes and I had to part ways. The shoes were broken to the core, and I was left heart broken, bereft of fabulous, unique and edgy shoes–a large gaping need was left in my closet with these splintered shoes as a painful reminder.
More than a year later, enter the Knock Offs. Not only were these a pale glimmer of the original, these were a copy of the ones I had bought, which they themselves were a rip-off of some other, unattainably-priced glittering fashion house original. These new shoes were, in so many ways, just like my first pair… but in so many others, not at all. Taller, less comfortable, decidedly of less quality construction. Yet I wore them and delighted in having them… if only to hail the cherished memories of the original.
I still love them. I don’t care if they’re too tall and the cheap wood of the soles emanates strange smells from time to time. They look almost exactly like their predecessors. In this case, although nothing is exactly the same as the original, it is certainly more–and better–than nothing at all.
Nowadays, though, after reaching the ripe old ThirtySomething age, I wear flats or flat sandals or even slippahs (as we call flip flops here in Hawaii) more often than I will slip on a heel. And, more often than not, that errant pair of heels I don are wedge heels, which, in terms of comfort, are SO much better than my beloved stilettos. All my favorite spiky 4 incher and aboves are boxed in clear boxes, looking down at me lovingly from their perch high up above my clothes in my closet, lying in wait ever-so-patiently for that rare day I choose one for that special Somewhere to Be With Minimal Walking Required. Gathering dust and age, these are relics of a different time… when I would stop at nothing to have and to hold the perfect pair of shoes.
I might be a completely different person now, but I still do adore THAT PAIR.
Oh, what a girl will do for her shoes.
THE END!
(Read the full, silly story HERE: “A Story About a Girl, Her Lipstick and a Journey With THAT Pair of Shoes.”)
{ Are you a shoe lover? What’s the weirdest or most extreme thing you’ve done for shoes? }
Rock on, Lover!
Me ke aloha ~ With love + aloha,
Mae Xx
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Filed under: Day in the life, Shoe Porn Tagged: Cage Heels, fashion diaries, Fashion Study, heels, I love shoes, JC Shoes, Jeffrey Campbell, shoe porn, shoe porn style, Shoeporn, shoes, style, thereafterish., What I wore
Architecture of an Outfit: Two Dorks and Mint and Coral Color Block and Floral Maxi (Feat. EliSharon)
Aloha kakahiaka! – Good morning, Lovecat! Ahh, Saturday!
Sharon of Eli*Sharon and I got a little dork-tastic in our summery garb when I visited Mau‘i last month. I rocked an outfit I’ve worn two or three times since this trip, because I was rather impressed with the mint and coral color blocking of the ensemble, and I totally suck at color blocking. And of course, I’m always in love with Shar’s incredible sense for color, as illustrated by her perfect floral maxi dress and denim combo.
{ Architecture of an Outfit: Two Dorks on a Sidewalk }
And, because we were such dorks and felt silly posing in front of a fancy French restaurant, we ended up making fun of ourselves as bloggers, and giggling away as our husbands shot away. As a result, we ended up with a ton of silly photos and only two normal ones.
{ The only normal pose we got, I think? }
{ Close up details of the outfits… normal pose #2. }
{ Initial necklaces, boobs and smiles. }
Now, time to make fun of blogger poses we often do.
{ Typical Blogger Poses 101. Her: The look away pose. Me: The hand on hair, look down, legs crossed pose. }
{ The turn away, head down, hand in your hair pose, and I’m just laughing and awkward. }
{ Action shot of us laughing because we couldn’t stop talking and be serious for one second. }
{ Shar forcing herself to stay still while I snort and giggle. }
{ Endless giggles. }
{ Hand and arm parties. }
{ Color blocking and matching outfits. }
{ Outfit Architecture }
Me: Zara coral pleated maxi skirt. (SIMILAR 1, SIMILAR 2. >J. Crew Vintage V neck T in mint. Target braided belt. Ariel Gordon gold Initial necklace (bday present from BFF Lily). Kate Spade Gold “Ooh La La” necklace (Sold out – SIMILAR). Gorjana Griffin leather color block clutch, won. (SIMILAR) Marc Jacobs heart locket watch (discontinued), (SIMILAR, same line). CC Skye gold screw bangle. CC Skye gold mini spike bangle.
Sharon: Floral Maxi Dress. Cropped denim jacket. Studded bowler bag. Silver crystal initial necklace. Heart ring. (All items similar to originals.)
Then her husband, Eli, stole my scarf. My husband and his mum (who came with us to Maui) got tired of watching us and waited for our fashion dorkery to end in the car. I wonder how many people passed us, wondering “what the heck?” #Dontcaretossmyhair
{ Eli, AKA the Pirate, AKA Uncle Pirate, workin’ his scarf tying skills with my star scarf. }
Although we ran into each other earlier in the day wearing completely different outfits, all of us ended up doing costume changes and showed up to dinner in Lahaina town with somehow matching ensembles. Me in mint and coral color block and a maxi skirt and her wearing floral maxi with warm tones that matched my skirt! Awww, bestie mind meld.
{ Ran into them earlier in the day at Whole Foods… Cutest couple… fiercest couple eva! }
I love my bestie.
{ BFFs. }
If you’re ever wondering what hanging out with Sharon and me is like, just refer back to this post. Giggles, outfit shots, great food and lots of horsing around. We’re fun. TRUST.
Ok. It’s, like, 3:30AM and I need to rest up for my hike. Hope your weekend is BLISSFUL, FULL OF ADVENTURE, or BOTH.
Rock on, Lover!
Me ke aloha ~ With love + aloha,
Mae Xx
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Filed under: Accessory Porn, Architecture of an Outfit, Fashion, Street Style Tagged: Asian Street Style Fashion, bff, color block, Elisharon, fashion bloggers, florals, Hawaii Fashion Bloggers, Hawaii Street Style, Hawaii Style, how to color block, how to wear coral, how to wear mint, maui no ka oi, OOTD, Outfit of the Day, Outfit Style, street style
Architecture of an Outfit Preview: Goofy Summer Color Blocking and Florals (feat. EliSharon)
Aloha, Friends,
I was kind of late on the uptake last night (fell into a mental stupor after I got home, and didn’t get up to work on the blog). Instead of blogging, I did laundry, ate dinner, walked the dog and cleaned up the dining room. All in all productive.
But, since I am working on this during my lunch break, I’d better make this quick! I have good things in store for you this weekend, I promise. (Probably published during dindin.)
{ Architecture of an outfit OUTTAKES… DORKERY with colorblocking, Ugly Face (me), Beautiful Florals, and my fantastic best friend Sharon. }
{ Besties. }
{ Dorkery = Two Dorks Sitting in a… Taking outfit shots in front of a resto }
{ Uncle Pirate stole my scarf. He is good at Dorkery, too. }
{ I’m an expert at Ugly Face. }
So you’re seeing kind of what our outfits look like here, but I’ll give you more detail in tomorrow’s style post (plus links to similar pieces as per uzh), and expound on my how to find happiness by doing things that scare you musings on Sunday’s Post.
See what I meant about Ugly Face? I’m a pro.
HAPPY ALOHA FRIDAY, LOVES!
Rock on, Lover!
Me ke aloha ~ With love + aloha,
Mae Xx
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Filed under: Architecture of an Outfit, Fashion Tagged: Asian Street Style Fashion, dorkery, Elisharon, fashion blogger, Hawaii Fashion, Hawaii Fashion Blogger, Hawaii Street Style, Hawaii Style, Hawaii style blogger, OOTD, Outfit of the Day, street style, thereafterish., travle hawaii
Video for TechTown “wows” Clinton Global Initiative Crowd in Chicago
June 14, 2013 by detroitlives
Filed under Our City
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You hear a lot about Midtown. About downtown. And for good reason– there’s a lot of development going on. Often you hear the gripes of residents in the city aiming to turn the lens of the camera from that glistening hope to the neighborhoods where the real growth needs to occur in order for the city to move forward. So naturally, when we were asked by TechTown to make a video on a program they are doing in Brightmoor, we got a little excited to be a part of telling that story.
As Crain’s explains in this article, TechTown took the video to Chicago for the Clinton Global initiative and “wowed” the crowd. Leslie Smith, CEO of TT, presented the piece. We were so excited and honored to have been a part of relaying such a fine message about Detroit for such a respected national event. See the full video here:
TechTown Detroit from DETROIT LIVES! on Vimeo.
Day in the Life: Night Hiking Koko Head and Honolulu Skyline
Aloha, Lovecats,
If you’re making vacation plans to come to Hawaii you might want to try out something a little less touristy and try hiking Koko Head in East Oahu near the legendary Hanauma Bay.
{ Day in the Life: Koko Head Rematch and a Night Hike Virgin De-virginized }
From the top of Koko Head, an eastern volcano vent cone on Oahu less famous than its super popular (but much shorter) big sister, Diamond Head, you can get an amazing view of East Honolulu, the Marina town of Hawaii Kai, parts of Hanauma Bay and epic sunsets over the city.
If done in the evening, the sunsets blaze golden, peach, lilac and scarlet over the Honolulu skyline, the outline of Diamond Head in the distance, and the sloping ridges of the Ko‘olau Mountain Range that separates the south shore from the east shore (actually the remnants of the single super large Ko‘olau Volcano).
And, if you guessed from my vlog… this has something to do with my Monday’s post about doing something that scares you.
More tomorrow. Hoping you’re still open to the idea of doing something that scares you witless. It’s worth it.
This weekend: May’s Favorites – Beauty, Skin and Fashion and stuff Hawaii-related. (I know, I know, it’s almost July already…)
Rock on, Lover!
Me ke aloha ~ With love + aloha,
Mae Xx
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Filed under: Day in the life, Hawaii, Vlog Tagged: Hawaii, Hawaii life, Hawaii Living, Hawaii sight seeing, hiking, Honolulu, koko head, Life in Hawaii, Living in Hawaii, Things to do in Hawaii, Travel Hawaii, travel plans, vacation in hawaii, vacationing in Hawaii, visiting hawaii
Architecture of an Outfit: Monochromatic Blues
Aloha Kakahiaka~Good morning, Lovecat!
Have you ever wondered how to rock blue from head to toe? In my effort to learn how to color block, I accidentally put on an all blue outfit. (Since I work in a creative/media environment, I can wear this to work. LUCKY ME!)
At the end of the day, my husband, boss and landlord had all commented on how very blue I was. Accidental Monochroma-chic! (Hey, Kristy! Holla!)
{ Architecture of an Outfit: How to rock blue monochrome head to toe – blue maxi skirt, navy tank, blue polka dot clutch and gold accents! }
{ I’ve got the blues. The Monochromatic Blues, that is. Silky blue maxi skirt with navy tank and polka dot clutch made by my BFF Eli*Sharon. }
{ Feeling silly with the husband shooting. }
{ Accessorize a simple outfit with shiny gold accents. }
{ But keep the Arm Party down to a minimum. Let the simplicity of the outfit speak for itself. }
{ Outfit Architecture }
Bamboo Sky silk/poly blend blue maxi skirt (Alternative: Reiss silk teal maxi skirt.) Eileen Fischer organic cotton ribbed tank. BR snakeskin skinny belt (alternative: Snakeskin skinny double wrap belt, Gorjana <3). BR heavy gauge gold chain necklace (Alternative: Gold chain choker, CC Skye <3!). JewelMint Birdcage bangle (Waitlist). Marc by Marc Jacobs locket watch (discontinued).
{ It was an accident! But a nice one. }
{ My jewelry display. MESSY. }
I’m really glad this worked out. I think I’ll be trying this combo again, but maybe with a different color family.
Have you ever done something by accident that totally turned out well? Do tell!
Rock On, Lover.
Me ke aloha ~ With love + aloha,
Mae Xx
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Filed under: Accessory Porn, Architecture of an Outfit, Fashion Tagged: Accessory Porn, Architecture of an Outfit, Asian Street Style Fashion, fashion blogger, Hawaii Fashion, hawaii fashion blog, Hawaii Street Style, Hawaii Style, OOTD, Outfit of the Day, Outfit Style, thereafterish., What I wore, what I'm wearing
Life Inspo: Do Something That Scares You
Aloha, Lovecat,
Here is our Mantra for Monday: FACE YOUR FEAR.
{ Life Inspo: Face Your Fear, Do Something That Scares You, Move Forward and Conquer }
{ Hand drawn illustration by Foolishfire. Lewis Carrol was amazing. }
You know how FDR said, “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself?” You know how you heard that quote when you were in grade school and everyone expected you to understand exactly what that meant, as if there was some profound lesson to be learned that you’d realize the very moment the phrase was dropped? And remember feeling like, “Yeah, I think so!” but really in your head, it only made sense halfway?
You don’t really get that FDR is basically The Man at that age, that he was pointing out the ridiculousness of the feeling of fear in and of itself.
You think that, now as a grown up, you’d know that already. That fear is irrational, that there is nothing in it if you can face it. If you face it, you can just tell it to shut the hell up and beat it in the face and keep moving forward.
But until you really own your fears… really DO something that absolutely terrifies you and look it in the mouth, stare straight at its ugly, gaping mouth with sharp, razor-like teeth, FDR’s words really don’t ring true, don’t really make that much sense. You have to look into the wretched, loathsome, beastly visage of Fear itself, and really understand it for what it is before you can really give it the finger.
Fear is just a feral housecat, starved, half-alive, dressed up in the suit of a Bengal Tiger with a tape-recorded roar. The moment you realize that fear is just something else–something small–something born of a tiny anxiety in your head… at that moment, you have the power to seize the Bengal Tiger suit off that little pussy and then kick it with all you’ve got.
Granted, sometimes fear is justified. Like, sharks in the ocean. But does that keep you from going to the beach and enjoying paradise? Or car accidents that kill thousands of people every year. Would that keep you from driving? Or sheer heights on cliffs. Or, say, the possibility of a plane crash–would that keep you from traveling? Things like this are logical. However, if it prevents you from living a life uninhibited and free to find happiness and adventure and dreams… then your life is wasted.
Most of the time, fear is nothing but you holding you back.
Face your fear. Find your path to happiness when you destroy your roadblocks. I did this weekend. And I will tell you more about it this week. I feel ten stories tall.
Hoping your week is fearless.
Rock on, Lover!
Me ke aloha ~ With love + aloha,
Mae Xx
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Tagged: how to be happy, how to find happiness, lewis carrol, life inspiration, life inspo, quote of the week, quotes, Seeking Happiness, words to live by
Architecture of an Outfit: The Grown Up Onesie
Aloha, Lovecat,
I’ve been kind of lax on the outfit/style posts lately. For example, these photos were taken in February. Oops.
Is the jumpsuit a grown up onesie? Yeah. It is. But, like the maxi dress and maxi skirt, it’s easy to wear. Jumpsuits or catsuits can be very, very chic, and many designers create casual cuts perfect for everyday, but with more lux fabrics, sleek lines and deep necklines, these pieces can be worn more formally. I’ve seen these on numerous red carpets and at weddings.
{ Architecture of an Outfit: Jumpsuits, a chic option for casual or formal, the grown up onesie. }
{ The grown up onesie: The Jumpsuit. Dress it up or dress it down. }
{ Sea-inspired vintage statement belt, reminds me of the amazing place where I live. }
{ My favorite jewelry piece, the Birdcage Bangle. }
{ Outfit Architecture / Details }
Wholesale Onesie, Causeway Mall. Vintage gold statement coral belt. Marc by Marc Jacobs gold heart locket watch (no longer available). Aldo leopard wedge heels. Jewelmint birdcage bangle (sold out, sign up for waitlist). Shrug, Missoni.
{ Alternatives }
JUMPSUIT: One shoulder black jumpsuit (high end). | Draped sleeveless jumpsuit, RACHEL Rachel Roy.
SHRUG: Cropped wrap shrug, Missoni.
BELT: White wrap belt.
SHOES: Leopard wedge heels, Steve Madden.
BRACELET: Gold filigree cuff, Kendra Scott. | Brass quill cage bangle, Barneys.
WATCH: White leather watch, Marc by Marc Jacobs.
{ On top of a mountain, it gets kind of cold. Shrug it off. }
{ My street and my view of Koko Head crater, a volcano vent you can see in East Honolulu. }
The only downside to wearing a jumpsuit? Unlike a onesie, which has that ever-so-functional buttoned @ss-flap thingy, a jumpsuit needs to be almost completely taken off in order to go to the bathroom. If you, like me, drink a ton of water during the day… well, you can see how this presents a problem.
The price of convenience: easy dressing in the morning, hardships in the loo. What can you do?
Who knew I’d be wearing a onesie after the age of thirty? Go fig.
{ The only issue: gotta take it all off to go to the toilets. }
Would you wear a grown up onesie? Yea or Nay? Tell me in the comments!
Rock on, Lover!
Me ke aloha ~ With love + aloha,
Mae Xx
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Tagged: Architecture of an Outfit, Asian Street Style Fashion, birdcage bangle, grown up onesie, how to wear a jumpsuit, jumpsuits, leopard wedge heels, Look Book, OOTD, outfit, Outfit of the Day, street style, What I wore, what I'm wearing
Glowy Summer Makeup Look Tutorial (Guest Spot)
Aloha, Lover!
Fellow Hawaii/Pacific Island style blogger, Jessica of Frikken Duckie, invited me to guest post on her blog (Guest blog post HERE). I thought I’d do a tutorial on this makeup look (Posted about HERE:
{ Kissed by Coral makeup look with coral colors for a healthy, spring glow }
Drop by Jessica’s blog to see how I achieved this glowy chic and easy summer makeup look with a video tutorial! <3 (I'll be posting this video later on this month for those of you who missed it.) Also, be sure to enter Jessica’s HUGE giveaway that includes ad spots, jewelry, giftcards (to Sephora and Starbucks!) and makeup goodies!
Rock on, Beauty Lovers!
Me ke aloha ~ With love + aloha,
Mae Xx
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Tagged: beauty tips, Beauty tutorial, makeup how to, Makeup Video, Summer Beauty how to, Summer Makeup, youtube, YouTube Beauty Tutorial
