Author: danieldcnyc

Courtesy: Kohl’s

Design On A Macro Level

A designer’s best work comes out when they’re not disturbed by others who micro-manage their work every single minute, that’s when the worst comes out of the designer who can’t creatively concentrate on their vision for a dress, and even decorating a home, confusion comes if every little detail is messed around with, as opposed to having the creative freedom to think outside the box, or go off-script if need be, that’s how Kate Martindale envisions her work as Kate told Lauren Conrad on Wednesday’s episode of “Asking For A Friend”.

The biggest thing when decorating a home is approaching a compromise as you pick furniture and pieces for the home, there is plenty of room for eclectic in many parts with the traditional aspects, but there’s no room for a hodgepodge of furniture and pieces collected for sentimental reasons from a friend, or something you get off the sidewalk.

While there’s room for one pink pillow, there’s no room for an entire house to be pink, and Lauren and husband, William Tell, learned extremely well when arguing about a pink pillow at Bed, Bath, and Beyond, that’s where the magic of compromise comes in when a couple is happily married.

To celebrate Kate Martindale’s appearance on “Asking For A Friend”, Lauren also on Wednesday also had a Pretty Prosecco Punch by Kate herself that’s filled with Saint Germain, tonic, mint, and organic roses in a bundt pan, Lauren also revealed Monday on Instagram that her baby bump was bigger this time in her first trimester than last time.

Daniel Quintanilla

Courtesy: Whitneyeveport Instagram

Don’t Leave Me Baby

Here’s something yours truly (Daniel plus Lauren) didn’t even know existed with mothers parting their children for a trip for the first time, there’s dread, guilt, and fear to leave your baby in the care of others, and it can cause an incredible trail of tears the very first time you do it, but it can make mommy and baby understand the need to do things as long as the baby understands that mommy and/ or daddy is coming back, Whitney Port today with Refinery 29 addresses how you can prepare take a trip without your baby for the first time.

The first thing you must do when leaving your baby is leave them with people like family and friends, and places that are familiar to you so there’s ease, and you are still allowed feel emotions of guilt, sadness, tears, or even joy when you leave your baby behind the first time around.

Now when leaving baby for a trip, you have the freedom, as well as the option to write up all the things you baby needs to have and fed to those watching your baby while mommy and/ or daddy go away for a few days, but don’t forget to say goodbye to baby first, and assure you’ll be back, because leaving without saying goodbye to your baby will leave the baby confused, and make the baby cry.

And while you do all that you do to ready you and your baby of being apart for the first time, make sure the caregiver you leave them with us cared for, every step of the way.

Daniel Quintanilla

Courtesy: Kristin Cavallari Instagram

Stay Outside The Peanut Gallery

If you’ve ever competed on a reality show, or at least watched one, you know you have to begrudgingly watch all season long, and live through the agonizing weeks of seeing contestants getting eliminated, now imagine the contestants themselves going through the pressure day in and day out of whether or not they’ll survive another week, but Kristin chooses hosting instead as she told HollywoodLife today since she’s host of “Paradise Hotel” on FOX, which is on 3 nights a week.

Kristin feels incredibly lucky to be the host of “Paradise Hotel”, not only to stay out of the rat race, but to stay away from the stress of being a contestant with all the drama that it carries, the constant pursuit of hooking up with one to stay in the game, and the chase for the mighty dollar so one can be victorious at the end of the competition.

At least for Kristin, if she was not a host, she’d be the one at home rooting for one contestant or two while engaging about it on social media, and having fun in the process.

But as a host, the final deal maker for Kristin was that her kids join in on the adventure so she can spend as much time with them as possible, so Kristin’s been granted a happy medium as a host, staying out of the drama, and continuing to be a mom to her children, and being a wife to husband, Jay Cutler.

Daniel Quintanilla

Courtesy: Whitney Port Instagram

There’s Always A Reason

There’s nothing like seeing things as they once were in the very beginning, like when Lauren Conrad, Heidi Montag, Audrina Patridge, and Whitney Port were on “The Hills” originally late last decade, everybody remembered the drama as it once was, but not so much how it panned out later on, everybody has their cherished memories, that’s why Whitney Port today answered on podcast “That’s So Retrograde” about why someone like Mischa Burton joined “The Hills” reboot.

So when you cannot get Lauren Conrad, or Kristin Cavallari to sign on “The Hills: New Beginnings”, the only thing MTV can do according to Whitney is go for the original girl who made “Laguna Beach” and “The Hills” possible in the first place.

It’s Mischa Burton, and the of her “The O.C.” cast and crew who made the California teen trend possible when hitting the scene in August 2003, instantly becoming a hit, with MTV coming up with the brilliant idea of breaking away from “The Real World” mold that strong-held MTV for a long time, and coming up with a completely different concept with cinematography like filming, and no confessionals, that’s where “Laguna Beach” was born in September 2004 becoming a huge success.

So MTV pays homage to Mischa Burton, the one who made this craze possible, by going with the first, true, and the one original out there that could be.

Daniel Quintanilla

Courtesy: Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Australia

The Kangaroos Are Tired Now

As wondrous and glorious as Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week in Australia was all week long with amazing designers strutting the runway for the Resort 2020 season down under, it sadly came to an end Thursday and Today as the final set of designers were sent to catwalk before MBFWA called it a day, while part of Thursday and all of today were devoted to panels and seminars to close out the week officially.

Carla Zampatti brought MBFWA to a magnificent close with a show-stopping presentation that combined her two loves, fashion and music, with models sauntering down the runway in a collection of glamorous and wearable clothes that showed how incredibly fresh Carla Zampatti remains after more than 50 years in the business.

Next came St.George NextGen highlighting how exciting the future of Australian fashion is which featured looks from four winners in their competition, and Ten Pieces had the Pacific Ocean in Bondi as their backdrop as they walked their latest collection behind crashing waves.

Pared also celebrated their 5 year milestone at MBFWA with a lively presentation at the Cellar Door of Hand Picked Wines in Sydney, showing off their new eyewear collections along with collaborations with some of Australia’s leading fashion labels.

And finally, Aqua Blu put the catwalk party to rest with their smashing presentation of unique prints and experimental cuts in an instantly recognizable collection that’s a fun and flirty collection which only Aqua Blu can catwalk.

Daniel Quintanilla

Courtesy: LaurenConradco Instagram

Just Do It

Going for your dreams in anything you wish to do is such an exhilarating adventure, there can be stepping stones, triumphs, and even missteps along the way, both Lauren Conrad, and Lauren’s longtime hair stylist, Kristin Ess, know that the path to success is long and hard, Kristin expresses her beginnings in hair styling today on Lauren’s podcast, “Asking For A Friend” on Cadence 13, telling about the hair industry, tutorial, and hair care advice for those who want it.

The one thing Daniel plus Lauren (yours truly) got immediately from the podcast is the quick part about tutorials, both Lauren and Kristin agree that when doing a hair tutorial, they don’t want the hair tutorial to be longer than five steps, only because they want to make the process of doing one’s hair with a style as simple as possible, otherwise the process may seem too long and hard to accomplish.

Kristin Ess got her beginnings working in a hair salon when Kristin was 16 years old, being an assistant in hair salons before growing to become a hair stylist over time, Kristin too says she was scared to branch out on her own getting involved in hair products or opening up her own salon because Kristin was afraid she would become unknown in the hair industry.

And as far as hair tutorials, do hair tutorials that are right for your hair type, but more importantly is finding shampoo, conditioner, and hair care products that are right for their hair types, because it’ll enhance the beauty, and the growth of your hair.

And DpL can also relate to this little fact that Lauren Conrad and Kristin Ess agree on, it’s very important to have a good relationship with your hair stylist, because your stylist knows your hair better than you yourself may know, only your stylist can tell you it’s the right time to get a bob or not.

Daniel Quintanilla

Courtesy: Us Magazine

Baby Oh Baby

There are triumphs in motherhood, and then there are tribulations that we encounter in our first months with a newborn, it’s what Whitney Port revealed Monday to Us Magazine as she talks about the difficulties that motherhood could bring after the baby has left the whom.

Even though Whitney says it’s a phase, motherhood is very hard in the beginning, because there’s so much to get use to, lots of hours caring for the baby, making new discoveries about yourself, as well as about your newborn, and trying to find time to take care of yourself, as well as trying to get at least a couple of hours of sleep so you can maintain your sanity.

It’s only that moment in time where motherhood is hard and crappy, leading you to question whether one should have become a mother in the first place, and you’re dying to go back to work 3 months after birth, but it ends up hard to maintain work and motherhood at the same time.

But once the tough phase passes, then motherhood is nothing but a joy to experience, where Whitney Port gets to the point of looking at her son, Sonny, and immediately becomes smitten over him, and cannot look away.

Daniel Quintanilla

Courtesy: Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Australia

The Best Hump Day Ever

Halfway through Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week in Australia, and the runway is still a hot place to be, with its catwalks of original and unique designs that’ll set the tone of the Resort 2020 season next year in Australia, today’s lineup of collections prove nothing less.

We start with Lee Mathews, who brings their beautiful collection of signature prints, bold color combinations and livable shapes in a presentation that was quintessentially Australian, there’s Karla Spetic with its dynamic collection featuring face-shaped lapels, pearl garters and printed harps, in muted yet impactful color palette of blacks, whites, greys, and soft pink.

Next, there’s Leo & Lin, drawing influence from folklore mythology, capturing their signature pieces in a layering of custom prints, intricate lacework and embellishments, Double Rainbouu with tranquil grounds of the Chinese Gardens of Friendship in Sydney with wild prints and bright colors.

Now, we go onto Thurley with its wild and whimsical collection of striking pieces drenched in personality that’s handcrafted from the finest materials sourced from around the globe, a collection inspired by travel and culture, and let’s not leave out Azzo Swim, who’s Ragazzi in Paradiso (Boys In Paradise) are boys in shorts enjoying the spoils of summer in custom prints.

Daniel Quintanilla

Courtesy: Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Australia

The Not-So Tuesday Crawl

In the second day of Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week in Australia on Tuesday, the heat got intense with this day’s designers strutting it on the runway, getting down to the nitty-gritty and and the downright sexy that Resort 2020 in Australia has to offer.

Rip off the clothes and break out the swimwear as Bondi Born goes all out in sculptural silhouettes, summer cuts, and sustainable fabrics, Alice McCall reveals Cosmia which is ultra-femme collection beaming with a mix of bold and sensual details in high hems, kitsch-made-cool brocade patterns with pops of lime green on pumps, and classic evening dresses in bold metallics as models strutted with oversized flowers and twirling lights.

Hansen & Gretel debuted menswear for their collection this season along with signature fusion of laidback wearables and sophisticated separates, Anna Quan featured elongated cuffs with refined tailoring and oversized flourishes on functional yet desirable pieces on fine fabric, and We Are Kindred stays true to its feminine roots with Boheme Heart that flow with maxis teamed with suede boots, gingham neckties, and fringed belts.

Next up are Michael Lo Sordo who’s razor sharp minimalism and tactile embellishments were featured with elegance and attitude, Mariam Seddi Q’s “Lady Loves To March” were all about fierce females in metallics, leathers, razor sharp tailoring, and rule-breaking shapes, and Christopher Esber stays fluid with silhouettes in technical fabrics with gentle pops of color, blurring the lines between feminine and masculine.

Daniel Quintanilla

Courtesy: Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Australia

The Kangaroo Catwalk

Though we’re already 3 days into Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week down under in Australia, there’s plenty of designers to do nothing but just gush about, all of Monday kicked off the extravagant week with an assortment of designers for the Resort 2020 season being Australia’s spring and summer season that happens to be America’s fall and winter season.

Let’s start with aje and Bloomscape, who kicked off the opening show on Sunday, being devoted to capturing the natural wonder of the extraordinary Australian landscape, a celebration of the natural treasures of the rich, unique, and biodiverse ecosystem of Australia, from the desert to the bush to the ocean.

Now getting into Monday entirely, we see Matteau make their fashion debut, bringing us exceptional tailoring and a twist on classic cuts, letting strong linen pieces and imaginative shapes do all the talking.

Next, there’s Bec + Bridge, who brought their wipeout collection with a curveball, having thigh high boots in lilac leather paired with feminine floaty mini, peep-hole dresses, mismatched boots and one-shouldered leotards.

Then, there’s P.E. Nation paying homage to the 80’s with a contemporary spin, with models wearing warrior make-up, fluorescent Lycra and mismatched all star pieces, customized in frayed hems, poppers on seams and tiny gold embellishments.

Now we got Tigerlily with their trademark Bohemia out in force, with flowing silhouettes, oversized bows and stunning nature-inspired prints set inside a magic garden with white sculptures and lush green plants.

FDS: The Innovators has fluorescent hues, ruched sleeves, dramatic corsets, and vinyl trench coats to make their show electric, Jonathan Simkhai’s Sydney debut recreated the magic of the golden hour, pairing his sun-drenched collection with the backdrop of Bandi Beach, and Bassike’s intimate evening presentation had slinky dresses, relaxed tie dye separates and easy-to-wear outwear in the colorful mix of summertime yellows, greens, pinks, and blues.

Daniel Quintanilla