FabSugar

Be Influenced by Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen This Holiday

FabSugar — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 04:30:22 PST

In their New York Times bestseller Influence, which we've been raving about since day one, the sisters take us on a visual journey of people - photographers, designers, artists, writers, icons - who have influenced them. Considering the girls have already embarked on several successful fashion adventures: The Row, Elizabeth and James, Robert Lee Morris for Elizabeth and James jewelry, and soon-to-come Elizabeth and James shoes, I was curious to see what, and who, influences them.

The book is full of eye candy and insight into the lives of the two powerhouses. The photography and collage pages are brilliant. The Olsens conduct their own interviews with friends like Margherita Missoni, GIambattista Valli, John Galliano and each other. The book is fashion-heavy - it's fabulous. And, we are giving away eight autographed, yes autographed, copies so you too can experience Mary-Kate and Ashley's Influence.

To enter to win, just log in and take our fun Influence quiz. You do, however, need to be a TeamSugar member to take the quiz. If you're not already a member, register here for an account. One quiz entry per person; all repeat quizzes will be ignored. You must be logged in to TeamSugar for your vote to count. You have two weeks to enter so get on it! Contest ends Sunday, Dec. 7, midnight PST, and here are the official rules.

Take the Quiz

Link Time! 12/2

BuzzSugar — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 14:32:32 PST

A key question: Are aliens more romantic than vampires? - TV Squad
The gift that keeps on taking: 15 terrible presents in TV and film - including "she gave me a pen" from Say Anything and the Red Ryder BB gun from A Christmas Story. - The Onion's A.V. Club
Check out a new track from Lily Allen. - Stereogum
Discuss: The worst holiday movies. - Cinematical
So jealous of this Privileged set tour. - Give Me My Remote
Ray Winstone has been cast as Caesar in the Cleopatra movie musical, which director Steven Soderbergh calls "Viva Las Vegas meets Tommy." - MTV Movies Blog
Wanna win an autographed copy of Influence by Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen? - FabSugar

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Don't Forget to Get Influenced by the Olsens

FabSugar — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 06:23:22 PST

This is just one of the 257 pages in Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen's book Influence. Isn't it fun? There are several of these collage-style pages with the sisters' picks. Dig those dominatrix boots atop baby pictures - only the Olsens. There's still time to take our Influence quiz and win an autographed copy of the tome, so visit my original post to enter.

Freaky or Fabulous? PETA Protests the Olsen Book Signing

FabSugar — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 13:00:22 PDT

Many of us are influenced by the Olsens, be it Mary-Kate or Ashley. But clearly PETA isn't. In fact, members of the organization stood in front of Barnes & Noble in New York City's Union Square yesterday to protest the girls' book, Influence. They wore masks resembling the twins and held up signs insulting their fur-wearing ways. Do MK and Ash deserve this treatment? Tell me, is this act freaky or fabulous?

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Which Olsen Influences You More?

FabSugar — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 03:00:22 PDT

Who can you scribe has influenced you? The more I think about it, the more people I could pay tribute to. Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen looked understated stellar at Barnes and Noble promoting their book, Influence. We can't wait to learn all about who influenced the sisters, but we've already been influenced by their style, and business, prowess.

No Olsen is complete without towering heels. Other than Mary-Kate's black double platform Yves Saint Laurent pumps, she chose a professional LBD. Bare legs do her justice and tousled hair is pretty and easy. Ashley stepped it up in gray suede platforms, The Row liquid leggings, and a silky white double pocket blouse. Both Olsens have influenced me, what about you?

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Fab Read: Influence

FabSugar — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 02:00:22 PDT

It takes exactly 272 pages to summarize Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen's lives in their highly anticipated book dubbed Influence ($23). Featuring rare photos from the Olsens' private collection - some shot by famed photographer Rankin - along with exclusive interviews, the stylish duo unveils a side of themselves we've never seen.

The interviews will be with some of their favorite icons: "The most interesting, challenging, creative people we know - the ones who helped pave the way for us and our generation," said Ashley. Nab your copy on pre-sale today, I know I will.

8 Myths About Sex Differences

The Good Men Project — Fri, 25 May 2012 02:00:49 PDT

We're happy to present this story from one of our favorite sites, The Good Men Project. Today, Agustín Fuentes points out that when it comes to men and women, what "everyone knows" isn’t what science shows.

Everyone knows that men and women are really different. We think differently and act differently because we are wired differently. I mean look at our brains and genitals: they are just plain different. Right?

Wrong.

What if many of the things we assume about the biology of difference are not so different at all? What if it is not our “wiring” but the ways in which our bodies and minds develop and play out in society that makes us seem so unalike? Could it be that men and women are more similar than we think?

I Dumped the Love of My Life and Now She Doesn’t Trust Me

Yes, women give birth and lactate and men do not. And yes, men are, on average, slightly larger than women and usually have greater upper body strength. There are these basic biological differences between the sexes and they are important . . . but why always focus on the differences and not the biological, and behavioral, similarities? Ahh, that would be because of gender.

Gender is a powerful reality; it is the perception and expectation of differences between males and females and it shapes both our bodies and our society. Gender differences are real and important, but they are not hard wired or even static. There is no biological or evolutionary mandate that only women really care for babies and show emotions, or that males are the best at economics and politics and prefer beers and skirt-chasing to domestic bliss. These are patterns of gender roles and expectations that shape the ways we look at our biology and behavior. They influence the way we expect the world to be. It is the strength of the societal myths about sex that fool us into thinking that men and women are so different by nature.

So let’s bust some of those myths.

Gender and sex are the same thing.

Sex and gender are interconnected, but not the same thing. Sex is a biological state that is measured via what chromosomes you have (XX or XY, usually) and aspects of your body and physiology. Gender includes the roles, expectations and perceptions that a given society has for the sexes. Most societies have two genders on a masculinity-femininity continuum. Some have more. We are born with a biological sex, but acquire gender. There is a ton of individual diversity within societies and sexes in regards to how sex and gender play out in behavior and personality.

There is an extensive body of data demonstrating this, but people interested only in specific differences between men and women choose to ignore it.

Male and female genitals are totally different.

Most people think that male and female genitals are about as different as can be: penis=male and vagina=female. But even this basic dichotomy is not quite correct: the genitals emerge from the same mass of embryonic tissue. For the first six weeks of life the tissue masses develop identically. At about 6-7 weeks, depending on whether the fetus has XX or XY chromosomes (usually), the tissues to start to differentiate. One part of the tissues begins to form the clitoris or penis and another forms the labia or scrotum. Another area begins to form into either the testes or the ovaries. This means that physiologically, male and female genitals are made of the same stuff and work in similar ways.

Male and female brains are different.

If there were really deep seated differences between male and female human behavior and biology they should show up in the brain. The genitals start in the same place and end up looking different, the brain does not. Our brains are pretty much the same. Male brains are a bit bigger than females’ (like their bodies) and females’ brains stop growing earlier than males (as with their bodies). However, whatever one may believe about other organs, in the case of healthy brains, size really does NOT matter one iota. There also might be a few differences in a small part of the brain called the straight gyrus (need more testing in this one). Other than these minor aspects there are no consistent and replicated reliable differences in male and female brains; it is a human brain . . . but how we use it is another matter.

Hormones make the difference.

Everyone thinks that males and females have different hormones . . . testosterone for men and estrogen for women. Nope, all the actual hormones in males and females are the same: there are no male-only or female-only hormones. Both men and women can get a flood of testosterone when they get into a fight or take part in an exhilarating sports match. Both men and women can get a flood of oxytocin and prolactin when they pick up a newborn baby. There can be differences in the levels, patterns, and impacts of some of these hormones in male and female bodies, but individual variation is often more important than the variation between the sexes.

Keep reading for the rest.

Yogini Kristin McGee Dishes on Bethenny Frankel's Fave Pose and Getting Ready For Beach Season

Lizzie Fuhr — Wed, 23 May 2012 00:36:21 PDT

I was lucky enough to take a class taught by Manhattan-based yoga teacher Kristin McGee right here in San Francisco! Although one busy lady, Kristin traveled across the country to teach Vinyasa Vibes (a new offering at The Sports Club/LA), a flow-based, powerful yoga sequence enhanced by music. The most musical part of the practice? During Savasana, the class culminated in a live sax solo by Grammy-nominated musician Dave Koz. After class, Kristin and I chatted about her yoga journey, getting ready for bikini season, and what it's like working with one of her famous clients, Bethenny Frankel.

FitSugar: Some of the moves in Vinyasa Vibes are Ashtanga-influenced. Is that what your yoga teacher training background was in?
Kristin McGee: My original background was really eclectic because I started in the early '90s. I started taking [yoga] at NYU; some of my very early teachers were Jivamukti teachers who did study Ashtanga. Then I did study with Richard Freedman for a while, who is pure Ashtanga, and Cyndi Lee at OM Yoga. I wanted to get deeper into Iyengar classes and get into the alignment and the detail. Now in my practice I want to get more into Pranayama, more of the breathing, and maybe take some more Kundalini classes. I just feel like it constantly evolves.

FS: The Vinyasa Vibes class has live music during final relaxation. Can you elaborate on the experience of live music and yoga combined?
KM: In yoga practice, it’s a very intimate, immediate place. It's almost like live theater or live music where it brings you right into the moment. Music is a universal language, just like our breath is a universal breath. I think the second we're in this surrounding, in this environment with that live music and the intimacy of a live class, it brings it all together in one beautiful experience.

FS: You’ve collaborated with Bethenny Frankel on some projects. What's her favorite pose?
KM: Bethenny’s all-time favorite pose is Straddle Forward Bend because she says it feels like the weight of the world is falling off of her shoulders. Someone like Bethenny Frankel has a million things going on, and I don’t know how she does it! But I think you also noticed it in the practice tonight. Right when we finally got to that Straddle Forward Hang, it was kind of just like, "Ugh! Such a release!" You feel like you could stay there for quite a while.

Keep reading for Kristin's favorite snack before class and how to get your body ready for Summer.

A First Look at Versace's Fall/Winter 2012 Campaign: Donatella Would Wear Every Look

Lucky — Tue, 22 May 2012 13:17:05 PDT

Lucky magazine is one of our favorite sources for great shopping tips. We're thrilled to share this fabulous story from our friends at Lucky!

Summer officially arrives in less than a week but the Versace team is already thinking about next season. The brand just released its Fall/Winter 2012 campaign and although the clothes are technically for cooler weather, we wouldn't mind wearing them now. The über sexy Italian label isn't really big on covering up, so most of the pieces would probably work for a breezy May or June night. But since nothing hits stores for at least two or three months, we're happy to obsess over the pictures first.

The black and white images feature model Elza Luijendijk with a severe blonde bob, posing on chain-covered cement bricks with big moody photographs of the ocean in the background. The styling was clearly influenced by head designer Donatella; we could see her wearing every single look on the red carpet-especially that black mini dress with the knee-high boots.

Click over to Lucky to see every shot.

For more fashion and style from Lucky, here are more Lucky stories.

Fab's Top 10 Celebrity Looks of the Week - Nina, Alexa, Miranda, and More!

Hannah Weil — Fri, 18 May 2012 14:00:54 PDT

Beyond Cannes, another pack of celebrity stunners showed off a cool mix of party frocks and everyday wear to inspire the freshest takes on Summer style. Miranda Kerr gave us all-out glamour in an icy-blue Carla Zampatti gown at the Women of Style Awards in Sydney, Nina Dobrev dazzled in her cocktail frock at CW's upfronts, and Alexa Chung showed off Summer-perfect style while hanging out in NYC. Inside we've culled more of our favorite fashion influencers - from Rachel Bilson to Ashley Madekwe. Click on for this week's ultrachic top 10.