Step Two was about writing your own affirmations to help you stay positive.

Step Three got you off the sofa and exercising your right to be fit and trim.

Step Four was all about taking the time to meditate and getting centered in your universe.

Step Five found you getting silly and feeling better for letting your hair way down.

Step Six You know what it is. No, well then get quiet ask your Intuition.

Step Seven is about empowering the world when you volunteer.

Okay it is time to take off the sweet persona that we show to the world and whine, but only for less than five minutes. Otherwise, it starts to get ugly.

Who said a dream recognized would mean a life without annoying interruptions? I know better than to utter those words.

We live here and we can’t all go move to a deserted island. Oh, some could, but then we’d have a lot of people wanting to visit and that would get annoying. Insert whine.

Since we are all living on this planet, the deal is to let everyone live in peace, but that doesn’t mean you can’t get crabby once in a while. It’s alright.  It’s our right.  We need to know that to whine is divine as long as something good comes out of it. It could be the end of a relationship that has been toxic, a new idea cropping out of all the venting, or a feeling of cleansing and freedom.

If it’s good for the soul than I approve.  In fact, I feel a whine coming on right now. Four minutes and 27 seconds.  I just beat my best time and I feel so much better.

Whine on!

        

ec: Hey Corinne, thanks for taking the time to chat with me about your company, Urban Darling. Before we jump into all the pluses of working with Urban Darling, I am always curious where people come up with the names for their companies. What I love about Urban Darling is that you take on a different personae just by saying Urban Darling. I know when I say it I spend a little more time on the word darling…so do tell.

CP: This idea come to me that when I was starting a company I wanted a cool name that was easy to say and easy to spell. People butcher my name and I was really tired of that. Quite embarrassing too when you are in an interview and someone says your name incorrectly (not that you do Elizabeth, you are darling) so I opened up an Excel Spreadsheet and had 4 categories. I forget what they are now, but I brainstormed all these adjectives that described who I thought I wanted to represent and Urban Darling were on top of one another – I went to www.urbandarling.com and found that is was available and I bought it. I felt like I got a kiss from the Universe!

ec: Why did you first sense that fashion along with shopping were two passions that were in your DNA?

CP: Haa haa, yes definitely in my DNA – my mother is a nurse by trade and a seamstress by passion. She sewed all of her own clothing in high school. I used to joke that she would prop her Vogue magazines on her belly when I was cooking. It was infused into me. I remember when I was 10 years old and ESPRIT was big and so was pink and grey – I had this matchy matchy outfit that I loved but no SHOES to go with it. I was heartbroken and decided to wear my mother’s pink jellies (a full 2 sizes bigger) with the outfit. A fashionista was born.

ec: What made you believe that the time was right for Urban Darling? What expertise in your own background gave you the moxie to forge ahead with a company that does much more then just help women put this with that? From what I can tell, you have given women the right to feel great about themselves and the right to look freaking fabulous without breaking the bank or a sweat.

CP: Absolutely – we give a woman her permission back. It is an intimate experience for a lot of our clients; we connect and make them shine.
You know, I lead with my intuition and starting Urban Darling for me was as simple as this “Am I going to be an action person or am I am someone who says they are going to do something and never does it.” I got tired of hearing my own thoughts. I had enough leadership training, it was time to turn all of that inward. Since August of 2006 I have been a machine and asked myself “why didn’t I do this sooner?”

ec: I like how you market Urban Darling as the working woman’s wardrobe stylist. It seems that by working with one of Urban Darling’s fashion consultants a woman can discover a more confident and sassy version of herself along with one less thing to have to worry about in her demanding, time crunched life. Can you tell us more about Urban Darling’s philosophy?

CP: Our philosophy is simple: Urban Darling is defining, cultivating and revolutionizing the approach to wardrobe consulting with everyday luxury, humor, signature style, and living a modern life with sophistication and splash of sass. We are eco-friendly paying the purged wardrobe items forward to charities. Care to join the revolution?

ec: A lot of women look into their closets and bemoan the fact that they have nothing to wear. I believe sometimes women don’t because they fall in love (or hate) with clothing that will never work with anything in their closets and well intentioned garments are banished to the dark corner of the closets. When you take on a new client how do you help them renew, reinvent, recapture their wardrobe and embrace their new sense of style?

CP: Good question Elizabeth. It is really a bit different for everyone. We go through a closet audit with the Purge Merge Splurge™ process. Purge is touching every piece of clothing and put it in one of three piles: Keep, Alter, Donate. The worst of closets have treasures in those dark corners. We have the hind and fore sight to make educated decisions with our clients about their wardrobe.
Merge is taking what is left over and we will show you how to make the most of your current clothes and accessories.  We’ll talk about how to mix and match your current pieces, create new combinations and outfits and suggest pieces you may want to add that really reflect the personal style you are creating.
Splurge with the pared down wardrobe there is now room for some new things.  We’ll shop and show you how to find those great new pieces that reflect your style, budget, life and most of all, make you smile.

ec: When you or one of your Closet Auditors comes in to revamp a closet does every item get marching orders or do you hold onto basics and unique pieces?

CP: We always hold on to basics, unless a client has worn them to the ground, then we replace!

ec: How do your wardrobe stylists walk their clients through the Purge, Merge and Splurge! ™ program? And are there a lot of tears and gnashing of teeth during the process? I read that all gently worn clothing marked for the purge pile is donated to a local charity and your client gets a tax deduction. So Urban Darling is an eco-friendly company with a heart.

CP: We are eco-friendly! We try not to annihilate a wardrobe, which will cause anxiety. Although some women love it, I have to admit. We love giving back, in fact it is one of the philosophies we adhere to.

ec: One trend I have seen more of and just love is shopping for vintage clothing and updating one’s wardrobe with the help of a consignment shop. Do you encourage your clients to rethink where their clothing comes from and finally what is so great about going off the beaten path when adding one of a kind gems to ones wardrobe?

CP: We do. We take the accessory route for vintage and antique pieces. I am not a vintage expert – we’d love to have someone who is!

ec: What do you see as becoming fashion forward statements in 2010? Will we still be mixing plaid with stripes, toppling over in heels that go up to there (but they do make our legs the center of the universe) or is fashion going to be making a quieter, more gentler statement (hope not)?

CP: Honestly, I have no idea. I mean that the designers are a bit of a loss with where their direction is. Florals? Ewww. Shoulder pads?? WTH?? I mean I know we recycle style, but what we are seeing now is not that different than 1987. I wish they were more bold. I do like Zack Lo Shoes though…he’s got talent and gumption. We need someone to get creative.

ec: With all the success that Urban Darling has bought you still make time to give back to up and coming entrepreneurs. What are some of the pros and cons you tell them to consider before they start own business?

CP: I tell them they won’t make the big bucks the first couple of years! I am beginning my 4th year in August and 2009 was 50% down from 2008. You have to have an iron stomach, not take things personal “It’s just business” and have a passion that makes you want to turn naked cart wheels in the street.

ec: What are your future plans for Urban Darling?

CP: Oh we are going big. I am licensing to women who want to break into wardrobe styling or join their own styling company with a brand that is about to knock the socks off the world. I want 30 chapters of Urban Darling by end of 2011!

ec: If people are interested in channeling their inner wardrobe stylist and becoming part of the Urban Darling Dynasty, how can they connect with you?

CP: Two ways: email me at Corinne@urbandarling.com or pick up the phone and call me at 408 332 3655

ec: I thank you for taking the time to talk to us about Urban Darling and its philosophy for bringing out the best in our wardrobe and ourselves.. And finally, do these shoes go with this outfit?

CP: Oh thank you Elizabeth, this is awesome to get to talk about the company!

Corinne Phipps: Trendsetter, Entrepreneur, Fashion Correspondent for NBC Bay Area and Founder of Urban Darling®.

        

Step Two was about writing your own affirmations to help you stay positive.

Step Three got you off the sofa and exercising your right to be fit and trim.

Step Four was all about taking the time to meditate and getting centered in your universe.

Step Five found you getting silly and feeling better for letting your hair way down.

Step Six: You know what it is. No, well then get quiet ask your Intuition.

Step Seven could be one of the most valuable steps around. Because it can (and will) impact your life, but it can make all the difference in your neighborhood, home state, country and if we think global – then you can help change the world.

Volunteer, my friends. Volunteer. Nothing makes you feel more alive then helping someone else feel that way, too.

Look at some of the  things one can volunteer for…from working for peace, building homes, to planting gardens or reading to a child to teaching an adult to read their first book can make a change that is immeasurable. And it is sorely needed today. With life going by at a break-neck pace, taking the time to care for a complete stranger in a strange land or around the block can empower people and empowerment is contagious. Pass it on. My hope is that you will catch the volunteer fever.                                                  Go to the internet and start looking around. There are so many organizations that deal with causes affecting women and children here and aboard that could use your help. Can you spare and hour or two a week? Could you TiVo Oprah and go out and help an elderly or sick neighbor? Could you baby-sit for a single mother so she could go out to the movies without feeling mounds of guilt? Could a few of you find a cause close to all your hearts and walk for a cure?  You bet you can.

Do it today because tomorrow needs all of us.

FreeDigitalPhotos.net.

        

Step Two: We are still working on you. Becoming first does not happen overnight, but practice becomes reality with a little more work.  We are coming to the part of the dreaded homework assignment. I am out of school, you are thinking, and my diploma is hanging on the wall. We are never too old to learn something new. Your family and coworkers will admire and respect you even more. If that is possible.

Get a pen (pencils are still for sissies) and a journal, or a bunch of index cards or use the backside of your grocery bill and…write every day.  Find five minutes and write positive affirmations. Index cards are great because you can put them everywhere. Grocery bill receipts may not be pretty, but put your affirmations on the fridge or any place else where you know you will be visiting more than once a day. And read them. And say them out loud with conviction. No positive thought is too small or too big. Open up that journal and repeat after me, “I deserve all the best that life has to offer. I know by loving myself first that I can love my family and friends and dare I say it, myself, more everyday.” Nice plug for me, eh?

My affirmation this week is “I am prefect today. And tomorrow is looking even better.”  And I raise my voice with one brown and one black shoe on. Note to self:  Turn on a light in the morning, would ya?

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Click here to view the embedded video.

        

and here is the poor cat: Some people are not born with a soul.

        

Back in the good and not so old days, I spent my days working in the advertising and fashion world, I saw plays, I listened to music in Central Park while picnicking by candlelight, went bar hopping and bed hopping, worked for peace, performed as a stand up comic, hopped into a few more beds and in general was a city girl who took advantage of life and some of those “I am just not that into you but i will sleep with you” men. Silly men, I was not into them either. Ah, can’t wait to forward this blog to my mother.

So where the hell am I going with this? Nowadays I work in my home office trying to build up my coaching business, writing a best seller(got to be positive), playing with my 5 cats (which generally means tyring to get them off the keyboard and away from the screen), and stuff like that. For about 10- 12 hours a day and sometimes is happens 7 days a week. Where did I go?

At the end of the night I am beat and miss my old life. All of it. So what does this former wild child do? She watches Bravo and some of those absolutely dreadful reality shows.  This funky east village girl is glued to these sucky shows like a small mouse is stuck to sticky glue pad. Both are wrong on so many levels.

The one that horrifies me beyond reason and logic is those housewives shows. You know what I am talking about? If not, then there is still time to get to NYC this summer with a crystal candelabra and a bottle of fine wine in hand and get thee to Central Park!

Last  season a  dumb and spiteful blond  got another dumber blond so drunk at a party and the former blond’s son tried to bed her. Oh, you have got to be so proud of yourself! And this is while the later dumb blond’s rich boyfriend lied dying in the hospital. And you know how the former blond bitch was rewarded for such bad behavior? Her husband bought her a tennis bracelet for 35 grand.  Remind me to run over my neighbor. There’s got to be a choker with my name on it. Diamond encrusted no doubt.

I wish I could say that  I take out War and Peace to lull me to sleep. But I have to go back each week. I pray for major earthquakes to hit those houses in Orange County. I just don’t get why these women are allowed to breathe.

One has a son with a major, major drug problem so she has a wedding that made the stimulus program seem like chump change.

And their breasts! Nobody has breasts like that and most of them look so unappealing – like Stongehege, but not that pretty.

The next generation is so damn scary. No ambition, no drive except for maybe 2 of them and one wanted to join the army so she could get away from her mother. I don’t blame her. I’ll drive her to Afghanistan myself!

Now the west coast is over and next week it is the east coast. This group makes my skin crawl. Most of them slept their way to a penthouse in the sky. And none of them seem to appreciate it – they feel so damn entitled.  I feel they deserve to lose it all. And just because you marry someone with a title does not make you any better than any one else. How dare you? How bloody dare you? You ain’t all that sister!

I am appalled by my lack of common sense and even more appalled by the network’s lack of good taste.

If this is what the future generation is going to look like, then I should have frozen my eggs.

And I will do that right after I get back from Betty Ford. I hear they have a detox program for reality bites shows.

Greetings from Betty Ford. Wish I was there!

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My Zen Man

I remember Walter Anderson. He was one of the advertising production managers that I worked with in Manhattan. Walter had a Zen-like persona and he never became unraveled. Not even with the ridiculous deadlines that we had.He took on the role of being big brother to all of us newbies and taught us much about the advertising field.“Take a deep breath,” Walter would say.But, we were all too busy working on our careers and finding a relationship that would do for now. I think if Walter could have caught me in the middle of the insanity called my life, I might have taken the time to really listen to his life’s philosophies more. He had it right. We had it wrong.

Walter kept his illness to himself. He went for treatments at lunch and was back in the office and none of us were ever the wiser. This was a man who loved the life he was given.Walter died a few years later. I had moved onto another job at another agency, but it took my breath anyway none the less. I used to catch him looking out his window that faced Madison Avenue at the end of a long day and I felt his calmness even if it was only for a nanosecond. Walter’s message was enormous. Keep it simple and slow down enough to enjoy it. And take a deep breath.

Clever as a Fox

Michael J. Fox is the reason I never had children. When his show, “Family Ties” was on the air, he played Alex Keaton, a rather conservative son to a very liberal parents. I did not think I could be as brave as Steven and Elyse Keaton. Something to do with the Karma my mother was sending me.It was a funny show and he was brilliant in playing Alex (maybe a little too convincing for me).He went on to have a great acting career along with a strong marriage and four children. Then it was made public that Michael had been dealing with Parkinson’s Disease.

I believe Michael J. Fox brings a quiet dignity to what life threw his way. And again it is all about how we handle what life deems fit to put on our plate. Sometimes it is the smallest (no pun intended, Mr. Fox) of annoyances that can cause us to have a meltdown on the LIE or in front of our friends and families. And sometimes it is all about stepping forward and becoming a champion for the plight of others. I would say Michael’s greatest role is that of “LuckyMan.” (his first memoir about being diagnosed with Parkinson’s).He got the memo about life and is doing the living…one simple step at a time.

Four Legged Heroes

Not all pillars of simplicity walk on two feet. Doris sleeps most of the day, spends hours looking out the window and eats out of food bowls that are in the basement. And yet she is very happy. Even with being very ill.

Doris’ kidneys started to fail a week after being given a clean bill of health. We were heartbroken and had to make a decision that would affect the rest of her life. Our vet advised that we put her down and yet something told me that Doris was not ready to go to the big litter box in the sky. I followed her lead and we started “kitty dialysis” three times a week. Sixteen months later, I look at my cat and I don’t see sickness. I see her chasing her cat siblings around the house, getting stupid on cat nip and sleeping by my feet.I feel that Doris, my four-legged pillar of simplicity, is simply living off another one of her nine lives.

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I hope the parents who shielded their children from seeing this speech are feeling pretty foolish right about now. I hope you will all take the time to think about what is causing this fear you have.  I hope you do some soul searching. Hate and fear can really mess you up.

May we look at this as a way to open the door to better understanding about what our president would like for us and our country.

Click here to view the embedded video.

        

http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/32538061/ns/today-today_fashion_and_beauty/