FabSugar

Fab Read: Fashion Game Book, Fashion History of the 20th Century

FabSugar — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 06:00:08 PST

The next time you and your girls are gathered, add fashion to the mix by bringing along this Fashion Game book: Fashion History of the 20th Century ($35) by Florence Muller. It's a fun little book filled with questions and answers, quizzes, and matching games. Test your, and your friends' knowledge on designers like Marc Jacobs and Zac Posen, and clothing from jeans to heels. If you have friends that think they know more about fashion than you, this is the perfect way to prove them wrong. Or right. Bring it on.

Nostalgic Stocking Stuffers For '90s Girls

Tara Sharp — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 10:33:05 PST

For those of us women who grew up in the '90s, nothing beats reminiscing about all the fashion, music, books, games, and toys that made the decade so totally rad. But what happened to those lanyards we made at camp or those Lisa Frank stickers we traded at recess? Sadly, they've long been lost, thrown out, or sold off at garage sales. So whether you have a girlfriend, sister, or significant other who's missing her '90s girlhood this holiday season, check out our nostalgic stocking stuffer guide - she's sure to be visited by the ghost of Christmas past!

How to Have an Old-Fashioned, Fun, and Frugal Christmas

LearnVest — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 00:15:49 PST

We're thrilled to present this smart LearnVest story here on Savvy!

Ray-Bans aren't the only piece of the past worth revisiting.

There are also old-school photos, discreetly boozy drinks and Judy Garland. Let's go ahead and combine all three: It's Retro Christmas.

This year, we're planning to enjoy what we call "Retro Christmas": A return to holidays past, when the season was about togetherness rather than excess gifts, affection rather than perfection.

Although scaling down our celebrations means spending less money, that's not the point.

We’ve put together our plan for making this year special . . . and focused on elegance, simplicity and genuine holiday spirit. In the end, our goal is to spend time with the people we care about. Of course, while we call this "Retro Christmas," you can adjust most of our tips for whatever winter holidays you celebrate (except maybe for our advice on ornamenting your tree).

Here's to Christmas in sepia!

Gift as a Group

To make gift-giving as meaningful as possible, concentrate on quality rather than quantity. So, instead of buying something just because you need to get a gift, get one that you know will be cherished, even if that means going in with a group of family or friends.

One easy aid is Share a Gift, a website that allows people to make donations toward a communal gift. It uses PayPal and organizes money better than the usual cash collection.

Read on for more tips for a retro Christmas.

It's Back to Blond For Color Chameleon Lauren Conrad

Katie Henry — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 10:45:17 PST

Lauren Conrad joined a group of friends in downtown LA last night for the official launch party of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim video game at the Belasco Theatre. She wore her tried and true leather leggings paired with a Winter white blazer, but the fashionable star's most noticeable style component was her freshly dyed locks. LC tested out peach tips and a Fall-inspired brown hue last month, but it seems she's returned to her signature beachy blond ways. She was without the company of her rumored boyfriend, Derek Hough, as he was across town showing off his skilled footwork on Dancing With the Stars. The pair never confirmed or denied if they were dating, but it seems another guy may be vying for her attention. Lauren was reportedly caught making out with Chace Crawford at a pre-Halloween celebration, though for now he's back to work on the East Coast while she continues working on her upcoming book, Lauren Conrad Beauty.

Michelle Obama's Ideal Role Models For Sasha and Malia Are "Real People"

Lisa Sugar — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 16:55:05 PDT

We were invited to the White House yesterday for a candid discussion with First Lady Michelle Obama. At the first-ever roundtable for women's online media outlets, the first lady discussed everything from her fitness routine to her fashion motto, and when we asked her whom she approves of as role models for Sasha and Malia, here's what she told us: "For me, role models are real people in my life who I actually know."

Michelle continued, "I think the girls, they're finding that the people in their lives - their dad, their niece, their cousins, my brother's kids - they look up to. I find kids are looking right in front of them. They don't view some old person in a book as a role model. My nephew just went to college, so now they're looking at, well, where is he going and why did he go there, and how did he get in there?" As for relationships, Michelle said her daughters look to the young women they know, explaining, "They're very fascinated by their relationships, and it's like, you have a boyfriend - what is that like?"

In addition to the extended family and friends, Michelle told us, "I hope I'm a role model for them." She said she values having her mother around, but in one way she's hoping to set a different example for Sasha and Malia. "I want my girls to see the model of a mother taking care of herself," she admitted, "because, quite frankly, my mother didn't do that. My mother was the traditional stay-at-home mom. She spent her days at our games and at the PTA, and cooking and doing everything. And the thought of her spending a dime on herself was just like, oh my goodness, why would I want to do that?"

The first lady also shared what she wants for her girls when they grow older: "I want them to be young women who understand that you can be educated, you can be smart, you can be pretty, you can have fun, you can sweat, you can run - and you have to do all of that to manage in this world. So I have to be that role model for them."

Tori Spelling on Texting and Facebooking in Front of Your Family

Tori Spelling — Tue, 27 Sep 2011 05:37:26 PDT

We're excited to bring you a new post from mother and actress Tori Spelling! Every other week we're bringing you the best parenting and lifestyle advice from ediTORIal by Tori Spelling, which is Tori's daily blog about everything from food and fashion to parenting and relationships. This week Tori sounds off on technology and children.

These days we use our phones for everything, from finding directions to reading the news, to pretend-texting. Yep! Want to avoid an awkward convo or look busy at a party? Pretend text. Or annoy your friends by sending real texts like “Trying to avoid convo with weird guy right now.” Our phones have the ability to save us in many scenarios.

I think we can all admit we rely on our phones for both convenience and emotional support. Personally, I have a love/hate relationship with my phone. If I lose track of it, even for a moment, I go on a panicked hunt. My phone is like another child. I even wake up in the middle of the night to attend to it. It’s not uncommon for my friends and colleagues to respond to my 2 am emails with a kind-hearted “go to bed, T.”

So yeah, I’m working on it. But one thing I am conscious of is putting my phone away when I’m spending quality time with my kids and people I love. What’s worse than spending a weekend at the beach and doing nothing but answering emails? Or going out to dinner with a friend you haven’t seen forever and watching them text their other friends? How rude! Sure, I’ll take my phone out to take pictures, but that’s it.

It’s important to do the best you can to set boundaries about when you check your emails or Facebook, tweet, and text your friends. Make sure there are at least two hours each week night when you’re doing something else, like cooking and eating dinner with your family, going for a restorative walk, or even watching your family’s favorite TV show. Focus on the show, make fun of the characters, throw popcorn at each other! Just don’t allow anyone to check their phones.

Same goes for weekends. No checking emails during your kids’ soccer games or ballet recitals, or spending all afternoon on Facebook when you could be going on a hike, attending a local event, playing catch, or walking the dog. Many of us have to check work emails after hours and on weekends. If you do, make time for this, and stick to the schedule. Early morning before the kids are up can be a great time if you’re an early riser. Then it’s out of the way for the rest of the day. Or if you’re a night owl, wait until everyone’s in bed. Some people concentrate better at nighttime – it just depends on your preference! One tip though, if you check work stuff at night, make sure you do something relaxing afterward, like taking a bath or reading a light book. A restful night shouldn’t include dreams about missed meetings or typos.

How do you monitor everyone’s phone use in your family? Do you catch yourself checking your phone when you shouldn’t be?

More great stories from ToriSpelling.com:
Weekend PicTORIal: FamilyMoon
DIY Pull-String Pinata
Emmys Fashion: Seeing Red
Missoni Madness

Vampire Bill Skypes and Other Awkward Uses of Tech in Entertainment

Kelly Schwarze — Wed, 14 Sep 2011 04:31:53 PDT

You know the moment, a scene in a film is moving along swimmingly until the character decides to log in to a chat service with outlandish graphics and finishes every sentence with an inexplicable emoticon. The crime? Awkward and unnecessary use of technology and social media in entertainment. If the audience knows what they're watching is set for the current year, giving such explicit visual cues often just looks comical and can come off as blatant product placement.

These three scenes of awkward tech moments left us a bit puzzled.

True Blood - A notorious suspect of this action, True Blood characters' use of social media or the latest gadgets is odd because it's not a regular occurrence. Throughout season four, we have seen characters playing a zombie game on an iPad, Bill Skyping with Nan, and Alcide talk on his shiny iPhone 4. Alcide seems more like an Android or old-school flip phone kind of guy, don't you think?
Sweet Valley Confidential - The 2011 update on the Wakefield twins has the girls in the modern era, so of course their slang, fashion, and culture would mirror that. Reminding the reader that even Jessica Wakefied uses social media, though, might be a little too much, like in this quote about the twin's boredom in an unhappy relationship. "Even updating Twitter would be more exciting, if only I had something interesting to say."
Gossip Girl - An episode of the show last year showed Vanessa stalk a girl on Foursquare. This is actually a scary reminder of the privacy you're giving up through social media, but the whole premise was so out of character for Vanessa that it couldn't help but feel as though the app and service were forced in the plot.

While we do appreciate the effort of TV shows, movies, and books to stay culturally relevant, having characters check in or update a status can feel forced. After reading our looks at unneeded technology inclusion in media, are there any similar scenes that have left you wincing? If there are moments where the pop culture tech references were spot on, tell us those too!

Tori Spelling on Stealing Time With Your Kids

Tori Spelling — Tue, 16 Aug 2011 07:35:38 PDT

We're excited to announce our new partnership with mother and actress Tori Spelling! Every other week we'll be bringing you the best parenting and lifestyle advice from ediTORIal by Tori Spelling, which is Tori's daily blog about everything from food and fashion to parenting and relationships. We're kicking things off with this sweet guide to stealing time with your kids.

The other day, Liam, Stella, and I sprawled out on the lawn and looked for shapes in the clouds (I took the picture at right that afternoon). Liam saw a dragon, and Stella saw a kitty cat drinking a bowl of milk. It was such a simple, special way to spend the afternoon. It made me think about all the simple ways we can help build our kids' imaginations.

You don’t have to take your kids to Disneyland or the Exploratorium to have fun together (although those are great places to go when you get the chance). Simple activities, like finding shapes in the clouds can be the most memorable. Here are some more simple ideas for spending time with your little ones:

Check Out New Stills From The Hunger Games!

Becky Kirsch — Thu, 28 Jul 2011 08:10:40 PDT

Earlier this week we got our first look at Josh Hutcherson and Liam Hemsworth in The Hunger Games as Peeta and Gale, and now EW has even more photos from the film. We get a peek at Katniss (Jennifer Lawrence) and Gale meeting up in the woods (I have to say that Katniss is more fashionable than I had envisioned in the books) while a glum Peeta looks out on District 12 with his burnt bread. We're inching closer and closer to the first trailer for the movie, so how do you feel about the look so far?

Geeks We Love: Om Malik of GigaOM

GeekSugar — Tue, 06 Feb 2007 10:08:28 PST

Shows like Beauty and the Geek give male geeks a bad rep. I have news for you folks, not all geeks think pocket-protectors and worn corduroy pants are trendy. In fact, I know plenty of eligible geeky bachelors that showcase the very best of geekiness: smarts, passion, chic clothing, success in their field and the ability to program your TiVo, computer or Blackberry when you’re not in the mood. In an effort to celebrate this month of love, I have put together a series of interviews with some of the most interesting geeky bachelors I know.

Om Malik, who is the founder of GigaOmniMedia, Inc. and executive editor of GigaOM.com, a popular tech blog that offers news, analysis and opinions on topics ranging from broadband to online games and Web 2.0, is the epitome of geek chic. He just happens to love clothes as much as he does gadgets – and has an awe-inspiring gadget collection and closet to prove it! For the full interview with Om,

read more GS: How did you get into the tech world? Om: I have dreamed of being a journalist all my life, ever since I was a kid. I started as a rookie reporter at a teen magazine, The Weekly Sun in New Delhi, India. GS: What’s the geekiest thing about yourself? Om: I often brag about the total computing power in my apartment, and proud of the fact that have a terabyte of data around the house. GS: What you are looking for in a significant other? Om: Intelligence, kindness and humor. Someone who I can look at from the corner of my eye and be pleased as punch that I am her guy! Virginia Madsen, except for real! GS: What are your Top 5 favorite gadgets? Om: MacBook Pro, Nokia e70, Sonos Music System, iPod Nano, and my LCD TV. GS: What are the top 5 luxury gadgets you really want? Om: Sony Bravia LCD TV (50 inch model), iPhone, Aston Martin, The Prada Phone and Bang & Olufsen phone. GS: Your first computer was a… Om: A no name laptop with Windows 3.1. Yuck! GS: What are your favorite websites? Om: PopSugar, Gawker, TorrentFreak, WebWorkerDaily and Fark. GS: Your line of work means you are exposed to more gadgets and tech news than your average citizen (and blogger) how do you decide what is relevant or necessary? Om: I have a lot of friends who are not really interested in technology. I hand them the device, and then watch how they react. If they like it or are intrigued by it, it is something worth paying attention to. Otherwise, I go for elegance, simplicity and intuitiveness of the gadget. GS: How do you feel about people calling you a “geek?” I suppose I should first ask, have you ever been called a "geek?" Om: Not to my face, but I am sure people say that all the time. GS: What do you consider to be your greatest contribution to the tech/blog industry – don’t be modest. Om: I get to tell the greatest story to be ever told – technology – that’s as good as it gets. GS: How many hours do you spend online a day? Om: I am connected all the time, except when I am sleeping. GS: What is one geeky habit you’re trying to quit? Om: Instant messaging – I hate the sound iChat makes. GS: What makes you an eligible geeky bachelor? Om: I like clothes and the good life as much as I like gadgets. I think I am kind, thoughtful and thanks to my training as a writer, I do have the ability to listen and pay attention. GS: Describe your ideal date. Om: I have not been on one yet. If you have expectations, then you are going to be disappointed. If you are disappointed then even the best date can never be an ideal date. That said, I want a date of thousand surprises, little ones, that make every minute worth remembering. GS: What do you look for in a significant other? Om: She should take as much interest in men’s shoes as she does in Jimmy Choo’s. GS: Tell me more about GigaOm! Om: GigaOM started off as a personal blog five years ago, but since then has become a daily chronicle of the technology industry. I left my job at Business 2.0 in June 2006, raised venture capital and turned it into a little media company. Think of us as rapidly aging former yuppie brother of Sugar Publishing. My inspiration is curiosity and the desire to learn new things every day. As a kid my grandfather used to warn me to not mistake education for a finite process. My profession is my education, my motivation. My writing is a mix of analysis, sarcasm, humor and plain old news reporting. Editor’s Note: Before launching his own publishing venture, Om was a senior writer for Business 2.0 magazine covering telecom and broadband stories. His site, GigaOM.com, is now ranked in the top 100 IT news sites by Hitwise, an Internet tracking service and is among the top 50 blogs as ranked by Technorati, and part of C/Net 100 Most Influential Blogs. Want more Om? Check out GigaOM.com. Given Om’s flair for fashion you may have to act fast to beat FabSugar to the punch!
Photos courtesy of Thomas Hawk