FabSugar

Fab Flash: Diane von Furstenberg Launches "Women Can" Campaign

FabSugar — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 15:00:22 PST

In honor of International Women's Day on Mar. 8, Diane von Furstenberg has partnered with the nonprofit Vital Voices Global Partnership for a new campaign, "Women Can."

The initiative is set on inspiring female leaders in developing countries. To aid the effort, DVF has pledged to donate 10 percent of this week's sales in her freestanding stores and on her website, DVF.com, to Vital Voices. She's also hosting talks and special events in her stores during this time. If you're feelin' the woman power this week, shop DVF!

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Eat Cake For Breakfast and Lose Weight, Study Says

Jenny Sugar — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 13:21:52 PST

If your insatiable sweet tooth is preventing you from losing weight, findings from a recent study may be just the thing to help you slim down. Researchers found those who ate a large breakfast that included something sweet lost weight and were able to keep off more pounds than those who ate a small breakfast.

A group of 193 obese adults (not a huge study) were split into two groups. One ate a large, 600-calorie breakfast that included a sweet item such as a cookie, cake, or doughnut. The other group ate a 300-calorie breakfast with no dessert. Both groups ate the same amount of calories daily: 1,600 for men and 1,400 for women.

Keep reading to find out more details about cake and weight loss.

5 Aphrodisiacs to Set the Mood Right Tonight

Susannah Chen — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 13:09:21 PST

If it's really true that 70 percent of women and men expect to get hot and heavy tonight, then dinner should have one mission: to make the two of you swoon. We've offered the lowdown on healthy foods that'll stimulate sex drives - but what foods do chefs put on the menu to help you get in the mood?

To find out, we turned to David Bazirgan, who's no stranger to sexy meals. As the executive chef at San Francisco's Fifth Floor Restaurant, he helps to set the standard for the city's relaxed fine dining atmosphere. To check out some of the ingredients that he elects to use on his Valentine's Day menus - and to hear what he calls the most "underrated" aphrodisiac, read more.

Vera Wang Fall 2012

Noria Morales — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 12:00:13 PST

Vera Wang explored the relationship between hard and soft, structure and fluidity in her Fall 2012 collection. Like many of the collections this season, Wang's clothes had a distinct architectural feel via artful prints and super-structured outerwear. On the flip side, dresses were sheer and made of flowy chiffon, a softness that she countered with sparkly tops resembling armor (very pretty armor that we might want to wear out at night). Big coats were a win - many of them had oversized hoods and big fur collars that made them look like positively yummy options for Winter. With Vera's innate talent for constructing insanely beautiful dresses, we paid special attention to her eveningwear options, particularly one pale blue dress of layered chiffon and organza that, with a slip underneath, might just appeal to the celebs in the front row, including Viola Davis, Maria Sharapova, and Leighton Meester.

Trends: Architectural prints, sculptural silhouettes, sheerness.
Colors: Gray, black, camel, a gorgeous dutch blue and bright orange for contrast.
Key Piece: The coats with big hoods and oversized collars; a dutch blue organza dress.
Accessories: Big wedge booties and boots looked futuristic but were also a bit heavy.
Who Would Wear It: With Leighton Meester, Maria Sharapova, and Viola Davis in the front row, you can assume a diverse group of women might be attracted to Wang's artful sensibility here, but overall it's geared to women who don't want the classics.

Whitney's Chris D'Elia Is Back With More Relationship Advice

Annie Scudder — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 11:00:09 PST

Single and looking for eligible, normal guys? Don't move to LA, says Chris D'Elia, who plays a lovable and hilarious boyfriend on NBC's Whitney. That's some of the advice the standup comedian dished out in response to our readers' questions. Yesterday he addressed your Valentine's Day dilemmas, and today's he's back to tackle general dating and love debacles.

Is it fair to barter TV shows with my fiancé? As in, two hours of The Bachelor equals half of a football game?

Chris: Look, I don't like football, but if I did and I wanted to watch it, then I would expect to have to sit and watch something like The Bachelor, and I would try my best to get into it, or at least find why she liked it. The other alternative is like, "OK, I want to watch football you want to watch The Bachelor, then let's agree on something else." But then neither of you get to watch what you want to. For The Bachelor, I'd want to watch Dexter.

Where do normal men hang out in LA? If you can solve this mystery (preferably with a chart that includes days of the week, locations, and "type" of guy) I guarantee you could sell it for millions in addition to making this single lady very happy.

Chris: I don't think that's a fair question. I think people move to LA because they're not normal.

What's the best way to suggest to any man that he needs to get some new clothes?

Chris: The worst thing you could do is beat around the bush, or side step it. You got to just say it. But I had an ex, and she was like "you got to get Converse," and she kept saying it - "get Converse." I was finally like, "OK, I'll get a pair of Converse." And I got a pair of Converse. I got those regular Chuck Taylor ones, but I literally got every single color of the Converse, and I wore them all the time. And a year later, she was like "All you wear is Converse." So you have to be careful with that, you'll create a monster.

Why do men need their man caves?

Chris: I think that men think they need their man caves. They don't really do. They think they want them, and then the second they do get them and they have alone time and time away from the girl, and the girl is really cool with giving them alone time, then that's when they, or at least I, start to think, "So, why are you so cool with me being alone? What's wrong with me that you don't want to be with me every second."

How can I ask my husband to do housework without sounding like a task master?

Chris: Don't make a list. Don't pin anything up on the fridge. I'm a dude, obviously, and when I'm not in a relationship, I don't do any of that stuff. I don't do laundry until I want to. But if I live with a girl, you have to do it when she wants to or when we want to, which sucks. That totally messes up my day. So just come out and just say it. Just have a good attitude about it and don't wait until you get frustrated.

How would you describe your perfect woman and how could she attract your attention?

Chris: Tweet at me. That gets my attention. The number one thing is, you have to have a good attitude. Find the humor and the fun in things that aren't even fun. The two things that turn me off completely are negativity and if a girl's cheap. I mean, I'll pay for everything, but if a girl just mentions it, that's a turn off. That and DON'T WEAR FLIP-FLOPS. It's terrible. I mean come on. Put something on your feet. What if you have to run away? You're dead.

I'm moving in with my boyfriend next month and it's the first time I'm living with a man. What should I prepare for? Get the answer and much more advice from Chris below!

J.Crew Fall 2012

Chi Diem Chau — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 10:02:48 PST

J.Crew's packed Fall 2012 presentation showed a bevy of vibrant structured coats, eye-catching knitwear, and a refreshing mix of printed trousers. Almost every look has a sporty twist to it - we especially loved the casual pullovers made in silk floral prints, brushed fleece tops, and what has now become the brand's signature, daytime-appropriate sequins. Other standout pieces included a cozy two-toned tweed coat, leather trimmed jackets, and pajama-inspired pants. For accessories, VP of women's design Tom Mora provided major eye candy in the way of pastel candy-colored Manolo Blahnik pumps, Patricia Underwood hats, sleek snake-print bags, and textured clutches. More highlights below, then check out the complete collection in the slideshow.

Trends: Printed trousers, sporty, daytime sequins, tweed, snakeskin prints.
Colors: Emerald, brown, hot pink, orange, mustard yellow, blue, gray.
Key Piece: We can't wait to get our hands on the two-toned tweed coat.
Accessories: Reptilian print bags, shearling satchels, tweed clutches, point-toe Manolo Blahnik pumps, Patricia Underwood hats.
Who Would Wear It: Women who crave classic looks with a refreshing twist like Michelle Obama and Olivia Palermo.

Don't Let These Exercise Worries Put a Damper on Your Workout

Jenny Sugar — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 09:41:36 PST

One of the best reasons to slip on a sports bra and lace up a pair of sneaks is because working out makes us feel good. But worrying about common exercise concerns - many of them specific to women - can turn a sweat session into a stress session. Or even worse, allow these issues to completely prevent a workout. Well, we've got you covered. Here are some common exercise worries women share, and ways to move past them so you can enjoy your gym time.

Source: Thinkstock

Home Improvement: Why Don't Men Notice Decorating Changes?

Stylelist Home — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 03:00:58 PST

I'm happy to present a post from Stylelist Home!

Turns out there's a slight difference when it comes to how women and men approach home improvements and decorating at home. According to a recent study by retailer TK Maxx - not to be confused with TJ Maxx - a poll of 2,000 women reported that men don't notice the decorating changes they make to the household more than 50 percent of the time. Worse yet, two-thirds of the women also said that they had to literally let their partners know what the actual changes in the home were.

While it may be said that this depends on the scale of decorating change that has been made, it appears that this is besides the point. The same group of women claim to have done projects as big as "painted a room and got no reaction from their husband at all" to switching out "curtains to wallpaper and even moved furniture without their partner noticing." On the contrary, mother-in-laws and friends are quick to pick up on home additions such as new cushions and color palettes.

We can definitely understand the argument posed by this study. But while it's often suggested that men are less likely to turn their attention to small details in the home as women do, is it really an indication that they don't care about their domestic environment? We're curious to know what you think. Let us know in comments below.

To read the full article, click here.

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In Her Shoes: April Beyer, Matchmaker and Relationship Coach

Anna Monette Roberts — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 03:05:36 PST

In the spirit of Valentine's Day, April Beyer, expert relationship coach and matchmaker, gives SavvySugar an insider's look into her unique career. Helping men and women find lasting relationships for almost 14 years, she is the founder and president of Beyer & Company, a matchmaking and relationship consulting firm. She's frequently interviewed and has been seen on Dr. Phil, 20/20, and Good Morning America. Beyond her weekly clients, April writes on her blog, conducts seminars, and is working on a book to help women prepare for love and romance. April tells us what it's like to assist other people on their journey to finding love and happiness.

SavvySugar: Can you tell me about your career path and how your business has grown throughout the years?

April Beyer: I started out in the high-end matchmaking industry nearly 14 years ago. I had worked with a matchmaking company and was there for about six or seven years. I was responsible for many marriages there. In 2003, I decided to venture out on my own and start a relationship coaching and consulting business. Now, I still have my matchmaking company. I work with a handful of highly successful marriage-minded men. I am also a coach and a writer.

Now my passion is to help women better understand themselves first so then they can naturally attract the man of their dreams. I am a little bit more of a holistic dating and relationship coach, but I think of myself more as is a communication and authenticity coach. For me, it's not about teaching people dating skills, it is teaching them relationship skills.

Click here to read more about April.

"My Boyfriend Is a Jerk"

Tres Community — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 03:05:00 PST

This question is from a Group Therapy post in our TrèsSugar Community. Add your advice in the comments!

My boyfriend makes such hurtful comments that he has me crying at least once a week. I also see him checking other women out right in front of me. I know that he feels unattractive and I wonder if he says stuff to me because he feels inadequate. He has told me my butt is too big and my breasts are too small. He told me I should have breast augmentation to just have a lift. He wants me to set up a three way with another woman. To be honest I love him and hate the thought of sharing him. He makes me feel inadequate in every way. I have started to take prescription anxiety medicines frequently because I am in tears most of the time. He told me the woman he wants to have for our three way and she is pretty but I feel like why should I be there if he wants her why not just have her and let me go? I don't understand him at all. He wants to talk about marriage but I could never marry this man. Every time I try to break free something he says brings me back. I want away from him and I don't want to get pulled back. Why can't I stay away from him. I deleted him from my cell phone, I deleted him from my email. I have blocked his text messages. What else can I do to keep from being pulled back in?

Have a dilemma of your own? Post it anonymously to Group Therapy for advice, and check out what else is happening in the TrèsSugar Community.