John Benjamin Formals

I recently heard about an amazing philanthropic program called the Team in Training.  Team in training is a fundraising program through the Leukemia Lymphoma Society. The program helps individuals live a life long dream of running a Marathon or 100 mile bike ride and at the same time raise money for the LLS.

The individuals raise money independantly for a common goal of finishing this. Since 1988 they have raised over a billion dollars for the LLS.  Through these training programs not only are we becoming one step closer to finding a cure they are also promoting healthy living.

I heard about this through Meghan Collins.  One of my personal heros. She is training for a marathon in a couple of weeks and is very passionate about the program. 

The LLS has a special place in my heart because I have had a number of close friends as well as family members that have been affected by these awful medical conditions. 

If you are interested in helping Meghan and the LLS get closer to a cure you can send words of encouragement and/or donations through the link below.

Thanks for taking the time to read this.  Together we can all live longer.

http://pages.teamintraining.org/nc/nikesf10/mcollin4fw

Karl Lagerfeld is being honored by the Couture Council of the Museum at FIT. The honoring will take place at next month’s Annual Benefit Luncheon.  This is not surprising they are honoring him.  Everyone in the fashion industry follows what he does.  Most fashion classes are taught from his books and drawings. So in some respects everyone in the industry has been influenced by him in some way.

Lagerfeld was born in Hamburg, Germany to a wealthy family in 1938.  In 1952 he went to Paris where he gained a passion for fashion.  He first worked in the industry for designer Pierre Balmain.  He then went on to design for Fendi and the House of Chanel.  He has continued to design for both houses for decades.   He has designed for a number of other designers over the years as well.  From dresses to furs he does it all.

Karl Lagerfeld at a Show.

He also runs 6 separate lines of his own.  Check out www.karllagerfeld.com to see everything he does.  It’s pretty amazing.  Couture and formalwear is not all he does.  His companies range from designing upscale denim and casual ready to wear clothing to perfumes.  This diversity makes him one of, if not the most powerful designer in the industry.   The trend reports are pretty much based off of what he is going to do.

As I said I am not surprised he is being honored. I would have thought they would have honored him earlier.

 While I was in school we learned a great deal looking at his designs and sketches.  In illustration class we watched a number of videos to teach how to illustrate properly for advertisements and matted presentations.  Learning from his designs has inspired me to concentrate on the dress industry and then expand outward from there.

In short because of his influence on the fashion industry he is at the top of the list of the people I want to meet.

Have you seen the heel less shoe?  It is pretty amazing how cool the line the shoe gives a woman’s leg.  But I seriously can’t figure out how it would be comfortable to stand in.  It has to be difficult.  And I am sure you must have to have amazing balance.

Take a look at these things

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What do you think of this?  I know if I were a woman I couldn’t wear it.  It just looks too hard to stand.

Well I guess since it is hard to stand in there are a couple of benefits to wearing these shoes.  Whoever wears them will gain some great balance. Because of the balance your body will end up being more toned.  The guys will definitely be saying those are some killer calves.

Tell us what you think of this type of shoe.  Can you handle not having a heel to lean on?

Lately, I have noticed a lot of girls wearing bikini bottoms that don’t fit. Not too small, but actually too big. To me, both are equally unattractive. The baggy look has been the one I am seeing most often. I get it. You’ve lost some weight from last summer… but let’s show it off. Get something that fits you!

I was walking through the mall to get ideas for some suggestions on how to avoid these problems the other day and noticed there were a lot of high waisted suits. I don’t think that is going to help with the fit. I would suggest some sort of low rise suit bottom instead of a high waisted suit since the low rise seems to be the type of suit bottom that fits most people best.

I spoke to one of my friends about this and her thoughts went straight to the Brazilian style of bathing suit that shows pretty much half of each cheek. She thought you might as well be wearing a thong. I don’t think this is a good option for most people either because as you know, the people who shouldn’t be wearing these styles are the people who are wearing them.

We are looking to give more advice on what type of suits you should look for based on your body type. Where to look for these suits. The designers that make the best ones. Even the best beaches to look for the best bathing suits.

I like Miami for the exotic and new bathing suits; the Wilmington, North Carolina area for the traditional but good looking suits. If you have been to both Miami and Wilmington, you know they are two different types of places. Give us your suggestions. We would love to hear about your trips and the stores where you like to shop.

John Benjamin

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