design tip of the month: altar your space!!

one of the coolest little tricks we have found for not only filling up a random empty corner, shelf, or bookcase while making your living space that much more personal is to create your own altar. there are a billion variations to be explored with altar-making. its a great way to gather together the random stuff you have laying around that is too meaningful to get rid of, and its a creative and potentially thrifty way to increase the design-savvy look of your personal space. 

when putting together an altar for the first time, think about what you have the most of already. religious paraphernalia? old family photos? how about those 99 cent lady of guadeloupe candles you bought at the king soopers when you were in college? since el had a dia de los muertos theme at her wedding, she already had a ton of fabulous day of the dead knick-knacks, which became the main theme of her altar. k had a plethora of hindu murtis, seashells, and crystals that look so magical when grouped together in an old bookcase she cleared out and painted. 

el built her altar in an awkward empty living room closet

layered tibetan prayer flags or papel picado banners are a must for colorful altars. try your local tibetan store or mexicansugarskull.com for the banners.

we can all agree that altars look more amazing when they have an overall theme. this is where you get to start collecting and thrift-store hunting. most traditional altars are religiously-themed, but this does not have to be the case. you can theme around a color, superhero, artist, or special person in your life. 

mexican blankets and fake fruit and flowers all create an authentic day of the dead altar.

here an antique cabinet was transformed into a altar to remember ancestors. 

our personal favorite: this altar was made in an old radio cabinet complete with a found bird's nest and "book branches." this is a perfect example of how creative and unique you can get with the design and theme of your altar.

enjoy altaring your space!!

cheers!

fashionisto of the month: magic cyclops

okay, so we made up the word "fashionisto," but we are thrilled to have our favorite denver/fort collins dj magic cyclops as our april fashion interviewee! AND we admit its high time we included some dudes in our estrogen-driven blog. as you can see from the above pic, he has that creative, low-budg style that we love. take it away, magic....

1. why do you think you're so fashionable? wal-mart

2. what's the least fashionable thing about you? my socks

3. what's a secret fashion vice of yours? a custom headband with my name on it

4. what current trend or trends do you hate right now? z cavaricci and tight-rolled jean pants.

5. who or what is a fashion inspiration to you? basically my budget. if my band was better i could afford to dress for success.

APRIL BONUS QUESTION:
what fashion advice do you have for denver's male population?

the magic cyclops t- shirt! what a  great way to tell people you're
"with it"  and display great fashion sense all at the same time! this 4-color print shirt is professionally silk screened on a black gildan shirt to compliment any ensemble. available on my myspace page (address below), plus for a limited time get my first compact disc  free w/ purchase !(while supplies last) $10 includes postage.
simply visit : www.myspace.com/themilehighmadman and look for the
magic shop widget.

short. sweet. to the point. :)

until next week...cheers!

on hiatus until the weekend of 4/18

el has been really sick and kendall had to jet off to san fran so this week we are without fashion advise to spare. we had a plan for this post but it fell through yesterday, so please check back next weekend when we will be back in action!

top trends to watch out for this spring...and we mean that in a good way (mostly)

as denver residents, we realize that we may be anywhere from 6 months to 2 years behind the rest of the world where fashion is concerned, but even from our somewhat fashionless island in middle america we can from time to time glimpse what's coming around the bend. this week we wanted to give our beloved VOTS readers our thoughts about what you might see on the streets or in magazines (more likely) this spring. enjoy the 6 top trends of spring 2009!

1. embellished boho 

this season is full of bohemian looks like this anna sui number with a modern, slightly blinged-out twist (looking poor AND rich at the same time!). what's popular is mixed prints and patterns paired with shiny or embellished fabrics, metallics, jewels or sequins.

classic looks can be enhanced with funky jewels and prints like this fabulous matthew williamson dress.

even though sequins are a more modern touch, this sexy number still includes soft bohemian colors and a classic flowy boho style. personal thoughts: el is dubious about this look. kendall of course loves sequins so she's excited for this trend.

 2. colorful, over-sized statement jewelry 

amy adams' fabulous necklace she wore at the oscars has already made an appearance on this blog, but as it is such an fantastic example of statement jewels we couldn't help but feature it again.

...and the same goes for angie jo. the jewels aren't huge but the color is over the top and therefore fits perfectly into the statement jewelry category.

3. ugly is the new black: a salute to the 80s

we are aware these harem (hammer?) pants were heavy on the 2008 runway but they just started making their way into our everyday lives, and they make us throw up in our mouths a little.

carrot pants (or pants with ankle zippers???) are the slightly less ugly cousin of harem pants. we are sad to see the trend in ill-fitting pants continue full steam ahead into 2009.

believe it or not, folks, you are looking at an image from fashion week 2009. we had to double check. balenciaga saluted the worst of the 80s with big shoulders and ugly, unflattering draping. avoid looking like this at all costs.  

4. ultra-feminine: nudes, pastels and sheer fabrics 

with the exception of herman munster there on the end, these pieces look feminine and delicate with very floral touches and a light, flesh-colored palate.

we love these pieces from the erdem spring 2009 collection: very soft with a hint of the 1920's--especially the long lacy piece on the end (minus the queen elizabeth jacket).

5. boyfriend jeans

check out vicki in her non-skin tight jeans! she makes the baggier jeans femme with a sleek, well-fitted jacket. we are happy to see this trend arise, as it is more accomodating to all body types (although i guess victoria beckham is technically a bad rep for "all body types").

katie holmes caught a lot of shit when she debuted this look last summer but now we are suddenly seeing it pop up all over. ever-popular with bike hipsters, it gives older jeans that may be a little too long or short (but still fit well in the waist/thighs) a second shot at life.

6. the 1920's flapper returns (and we couldn't be happier): fringe and feathers

these roberto cavalli fringe sandals for spring are totally hot. we like the modern take on fringe with the chunky jewels added. 

these beautiful pieces are reminiscent of daisy from the great gatsby updated to 2009. el would totally give a toe (or something) for the dress on the left. wouldn't you?

the look is complete with a jaunty feather in your hair! via hat or hair clip it all looks amazing.

we hope you've enjoyed our look at ladies' fashion for spring 2009, we'll try to get something up here for the gentleman soon! 

cheers!

k&e