Talking Fashion and Project Runway with Dallas Designer: Shirin Askari

Kellie Rasberry with Shirin Askari

Last week an invite landed in my in-box to attend a trunk show at Elements to meet designer Shirin Askari.

The real draw for me, was the fact that Shirin is a Project Runway alumni - one of my favorite reality TV shows.  She appeared in Season 6 (we are now in Season 8) and was one of the youngest desgners to ever make the show.

I tottered off in my stilettos last night to meet Shirin and get a glimpse of her new looks for Fall.  These events are always intimidating because everyone is always dressed to the nines and in Dallas, that's saying a lot. 

Shirin Askari with Cynthia Smoot

I'd like to point out that Shirin is like a child's size 12. I could literally break her with a bear hug. So, when you see these pictures of me and Kellie Rasberry next to Shirin - it's not that we are amazon women.  Shirin is just a pixie.  

A portion of sales from tonight's event went to benefit the Elisa Project, a charity benefiting eating disorders for women.

Shirin's color palatte for Fall is black (of course), royal blue and magenta. I loved her designs - simple, clean lines with great shoulder detail or interesting smocking.   I had a great chat with Shirin and wish her the best of luck with her new Fall collection. 



Thanks to The Fashionistas for the invitation to attend this event.

Kid Play Today

When I was little, my Mom used to limit our TV time. We each had 30 allotted minutes a day to watch a program. Between my brother and sister, this was an hour and a half total. We would put our heads together over the TV Guide on Sundays and spend (what seemed like) hours plotting out our schedule for the week to maximize our TV air time.

My brother and I had no problem picking two shows we both liked, such as, Gilligans Island, The Flintstones or Brady Bunch.  Sometimes, we'd have to pool our time to watch an hour long show like the Sonny & Cher Hour, Donny & Marie or C.H.I.P.S.  My sister, on the other hand, was four years younger than me and her show choices always threw a wrench into our plans.  Looking back, my Mother was one smart cookie.  She wanted us outside playing games and riding our bikes, but she used the situation to force us to work together and form our negotiating and communication skills. She probably didn't even realize that's what she was doing... but I'll pretend like she did and give her some props!

Today, parents struggle with the same dilemma about their children's free-time choices, but we have a lot more electronic choices than just TV to factor into the mix: iTouch, PlayStation, Wii, computer websites, etc.

I was struck with this reality when I walked into my family room recently and saw this scene (see photo below) - three boys sitting on my couch totally absorbed in Apple Apps playing games on an iTouch and an iPad.  Not a word was spoken, as they took turns trading the devices back and forth completing levels and comparing scores.

I struggle with the same thing my Mother did. I wonder, "Is all the electronic stuff good for them? Are they learning better hand eye coordination? Through these games are they learning about decisions and consequences? Or is this just stuff I tell myself so I don't feel bad about letting him spend his time this way?"  I worry about the lack of "real" communication and human interaction and the impact that will have on this generation when they grow up and are forced to use "real" people skills to navigate both a personal and work life.

My Mother used to say, "When I was your age... we didn't even have a TV until I was in high school and you only had 3 channels and there were only shows on after 5 o'clock and if we wanted to have fun, I went out and rode my horse and climbed trees and road my bike... blah. blah. blah."  I would roll my eyes and think she was so weird and out of touch.

I'm trying to not say to my son, "When I was your age..." and wish nostalgically that his childhood could be like mine was.  Because it can't.  I just have to make the best choices and decisions I can and hope that one day he grows up and says, "She probably didn't even realize what she was doing (when she taught me all that valuable stuff about life)... but I'll pretend like she did and give her some props!

Want my money? Lie to me.

A new study by Esquire Magazine found that men's clothing companies like the Gap and Dockers are starting to do what women's clothing manufacturers have done for years.

It's called Vanity Sizing.

Think your buying a pant with a 36" waist? Think again. At the Gap, it may say 36" on the label but the reality is that they are 39". At Docker, it's 39.5" and at Old Navy, it's 41".

But hey, you feel good about parting with your money for a 36" waist!   If you had to walk a pair of 40" trousers up to the counter... Well, studies show that men will tend to walk away rather than admit publicly they are getting fat.

So, with vanity sizing, everyone's a winner.  Right?

Parkie Pic of the Week: Glass Gate

Now this is an entrance! The first photo is the street-view of this beautiful gate on Euclid Street. I love that the house behind this gate is set back from the road. I also like the flagstone path leading up to the entryway.  It's an interesting juxtaposition of textures and shapes.

Get closer and you see that this gate is formed of huge pieces of blue glass.  I've never seen anything like this and it's a most impressive vision.  I love that they've taken the concept of an ordinary gate and created a unique art piece.

 

For those of you who live outside the area, University Park and Highland Park  are together called Park Cities. Citizens of these fabled Texas towns  are called "Parkies".  Hence, my weekly fun feature which I call "Parkie Pic of the Week" in which I like to highlight an unusual or spectacular feature of my neighborhood.

Click on any photo to enlarge it and enjoy in greater detail.

Good Christian Bitches is coming to ABC

A couple of weeks ago, I told you that Robert Wilonsky at the Dallas Observer reports that Parkie socialite, Kim Gatlin (former wife of Rudy Gatlin of the Gatlin Brothers)  has had her book, Good Christian Bitches, optioned by Darren Star -- creator and exec producer of, among others, Sex and the City and Melrose Place.

"The project, referred to by some as "Desperate Housewives in Dallas," centers on Amanda Vaughn, a recently divorced mother of two who, to get a fresh start, moves back to the affluent Dallas neighborhood where she grew where she finds herself in the whirling midst of salacious gossip, Botox, and fraud."

UPDATE!!!

Alan Peppard, society columnist for the DMN is reporting that last week, after much interest from the big networks, ABC signed on the dotted line with Star to create a TV series for their Fall 2011 line-up.

You may soon see screenwriter Robert Harling (The First Wives Club, Steel Magnolias) skulking around Highland Park Village looking for rich women toting Bibles and bad attitudes.  Harling has been tasked with scripting the pilot and serving as the show's head writer. So expect him to be here shortly in search of the original GCBs.

Got any casting recommendations for Harling?

Are You a Diva? Would You Like to Play One on TV?

Attention fellow reality show addicts!

My sources report that Style Network producers are seeking cast members for a second season of Dallas Divas & Daughters.

I can't believe the ratings were high enough to warrant a second season. Did anyone outside of Dallas watch this train wreck of a show? Apparently.  Producers say they are taking this season in a "new direction". Let's hope they take the casting level up a notch. 

So, what is the criteria to be "Diva" enough for this show?  The Producers explain,

Pamela Martin-Duarte with daughter, Hannah

"Do heads turn when you two walk by? 

Are you sometimes mistaken for sisters? 

Is your lifestyle the envy of everyone in your town?

Are you crazy for couture? 

Do you have a love/hate relationship? 

 Do people always tell you, YOU should have your own TV Show? 

Producers want to know!  To be considered, email us right away! Please include contact information, a current photo and your story.  Eligible candidates must live in the greater Dallas, Texas area and daughters should be high school to college age."

Good luck. I'll be watching!

Fringe is in for Fall

My Beta fish, Harold, went to that big fishbowl in the sky on Saturday.

I had to flush him to go visit Davy Jones locker.  

RIP Harold.


Let me introduce you to his replacement:  Harold II!  I liked his bright red color and his fringey tail and fins. I read that fringe is very in for Fall. Harold is my new Mom Blogger assistant. He will provide inspiration for me when I am downtrodden and bored.

Parkie Pic of the Week: Teddy Bears

Last week, my Parkie Pic of the Week was about Turtle Creek as a whole.  This week, I thought I would highlight one of my favorite sculpture installations within the Turtle Creek area - The Teddy Bears.

The Harlan Crow Family has been very generous to our community, donating land and art that you can find all throughout the city, especially in Highland Park (where the Crows reside).

This particular installation was placed here in 1995 and actually borders the Crow home on Lakeside Park on Turtle Creek.

There are four bears in the installation. A Mama Bear and three Baby Bears.  This is my 10 year-old who climbed up on the Mama Bear to give you an idea of the scale of these things.

They are a whimsical collection tucked away in a corner of the Park, barely visible from the road.  There are always kids crawling on them.  Like moths to a light.

For those of you who live outside the area, University Park and Highland Park are together called Park Cities. Citizens of these fabled Texas towns are called "Parkies".

Hence, my weekly fun feature which I call "Parkie Pic of the Week" in which I like to highlight an unusual or spectacular feature of my neighborhood.

Click on any photo to enlarge it and enjoy in greater detail.

Ex-Cowboys Coach, Jimmy Johnson, on this season of Survivor

Readers of this blog know that I am obsessed with reality TV. And there's no show that I love more than Survivor.

This season, the cast will be left to fend for themselves in Nicaragua.  The twist? It's "Old" versus "Young".  And the obvious star of the show will be ex-Dallas Cowboys Coach, Jimmy Johnson.

He's won two college national championships with Arkansas (playing) and University of Miami (coaching) and won two Super Bowl championships coaching the Dallas Cowboys. He's also recognizable from his Fox NFL Sunday sports coverage.  He's the only celebrity on the cast which, in my opinion, will put him at a huge disadvantage.

If you've never watched this show, I'm telling you, it's great family viewing about how important social behavior is to get what you want out of life. Lots of life lessons in every episode...



You can watch Jimmy battle it out every Wednesday on CBS - starting tonight at 7:00 PM.

Jesus Fun with Ozone Ministries

My boy goes to Camp Ozark in Arkansas every summer. He is now of the age, that he can start participating in their Ozone Ministries program during the year.

It's a weekly, one-hour bible study and fellowship group for Middle School and High School aged kids.

Jackson attended his first meeting last night.  When I asked him about what they did, he excitedly talked about fuseball, a game with oreo cookies, how he "owned" with a back-handed pool shot, some sort of tag game with a ball...

Me: "Was there a lesson? Any Jesus talk?"

J: "Oh yeah," he says. "Something about a guy who got beat up and is laying in a ditch and a priest passes him by but some guy, like a Jewish guy, picked him up and took care of him."

Me: "Huh. And what was the lesson in that story?"

J: "Ummm, I can't really remember."

(deep sigh) I'm sure the Jesus stuff will soak in after a time... let us pray on that one.

The classes are run by (what appear to be) high-school aged kids, so the children think they are cool.  It's a fun way to get some positive mojo going... so, in case you are interested, here's the scoop:

High School Ozone
Meets 7:30-9:00 Tuesday nights
Northwest Bible Church (Douglas and NW Hwy) in the new High School Room!

(located on the far east side of the building)

Middle School Ozone
Monday nights from 7:30-8:30 for the rest of the fall!
Northwest Bible Church (Douglas and NW Hwy) in the new Jr. High room.
Come in the front entrance to the church and we will be the double doors on your right!

Also, 5th and 6th Grade HPMS guys will meet at 7:00 AM Thursday mornings in the new room on the 3rd floor of the middle school!

Orange Crush got crushed. But spirits remain high!

We had the first pre-game of the season for our 5th graders this past Saturday. We got killed but the boys had a great time and didn't seem too upset about it.  The dads on the other hand... a little more devastated. Look at this way... we got nowhere to go but up!

SMACK!

Great block!

It's so much fun to watch them play now, I can't imagine how exciting it must be to watch them play at the high school level in front of all those people. Can't wait!

It's not uncommon to see the siblings of the boys playing romping on the sidelines, paying no attention to the game. I loved this sweet shot.  Ah... if only they'd stay this young and sweet!

MIS/HPMS students are in need of your extra school supplies

In case you missed this blurb buried in the e-newsletter from HPSD:

MIS and HPMS students are holding a school supply drive to donate much needed items to DISD's Ben Milam Elementary.

Items needed include pens, pencils, folders, markers and crayons. Each advisory teacher will be collecting donations, and the advisory class with the most supplies will receive an ice cream party. 

Yeah!  Now we're talkin'

I easily filled up a plastic grocery bag full of extra supplies we had laying around our house - take a look. I bet you'll discover you have 5,000 markers and crayons you could part with too!

Click HERE to view a list of the items needed. Contact Beth Haga hagamail@att.net or Dawn Perotti dperotti@sbcglobal.net for more details.

Remembering 9/11

“Time is passing. Yet, for the United States of America, there will be no forgetting September the 11th. We will remember every rescuer who died in honor. We will remember every family that lives in grief. We will remember the fire and ash, the last phone calls, the funerals of the children."

 - President George W. Bush, November 11, 2001

The History Channel ( a family favorite) will air a series of fantastic shows today documenting the tragedy of 9/11.

While it's painful to remember, it's also important to never forget what happened to us that day; to continue to honor those that were lost and to remember why we continue to fight for this country we all love and protect the freedoms we hold so dear.

7 PM:   Hotel Ground Zero
There is an untold story from 9/11--the incredible tale of the 940 tourists, visitors and staff in the Marriott WTC Hotel, located beneath and between the Twin Towers, who found themselves at the epicenter of a terrifying disaster.

Despite jet engines and burning debris raining down on the building, somehow almost all of the hotel guests escaped. Of those who were still trapped inside, 14 miraculously survived the towers' devastating collapse. Hear the remarkable story of their escape, and the courage and heroism of the victims and their rescuers.

Missing Person Fliers

8 PM:   102 Minutes that Changed America / Witness to 9/11
Discover rarely seen and heard archives that document the 102 minutes between the first attack on the World Trade Center to the collapse of the second tower.

This commercial-free special uses unique material from sources ranging from amateur photography and video to FDNY, NYPD, Port Authority and emergency dispatch radio recordings, photography and video. Also seen is footage broadcast outside the US, electronic messages and voicemails and "outtakes" culled from raw network footage.

10 PM:  Hotel Ground Zero

There is an untold story from 9/11--the incredible tale of the 940 tourists, visitors and staff in the Marriott WTC Hotel, located beneath and between the Twin Towers, who found themselves at the epicenter of a terrifying disaster.

Despite jet engines and burning debris raining down on the building, somehow almost all of the hotel guests escaped. Of those who were still trapped inside, 14 miraculously survived the towers' devastating collapse. Hear the remarkable story of their escape, and the courage and heroism of the victims and their rescuers.

The Pentagon after the attack

11 PM:  Zero Hour: The Last Hour of Flight 11

At 8:46 on the morning of September 11, 2001, American Airlines Flight 11, a fully fueled Boeing 767, exploded into the North Tower of New York City's World Trade Center. It's the first terrorist strike on that day of infamy. On the fateful morning, Mohammed Atta and a small army of hijackers take thousands of lives.

The sheer number of dead makes it easy to forget that the day's first victims were the pilots, flight attendants, and passengers aboard Flight 11. Using a real-time split-screen format, the viewer experiences these 60 critical minutes as they happen to the terrorists, flight crew, Air Traffic Control in Boston and New York, and a mother-to-be as she makes her way from her Brooklyn home to her office in the Tower. Interviews with anti-terrorism experts and victims' relatives offer new information and detailed insight into the story of Flight 11 and Mohammed Atta's mindset.

Fall's Fashion Trend? Mixing Expensive with Inexpensive.

According to Good Morning Texas on WFAA, Ch. 8, the latest Hollywood trend is mixing "expensive designer items with low-end mass merchandise".

Huh. Who knew that I was so fashion forward, because that's been my shtick for years!

Parkie Pic of the Week: Turtle Creek Park

Look at these beautiful scenes of country life. I took these over Labor Day weekend when the little guy and I went on an outing to get some quality nature time. We didn't take a weekend trip to Cedar Springs or Possum Kingdom Lake. We didn't go down to Fredericksburg or Gruene, Texas.

Nope.  We went to Turtle Creek, right here in the heart of Dallas.  I think Turtle Creek is such a treasure to the Park Cities. We love, love, love to spend an afternoon wandering the creek beds, exploring all the nooks and crannies, catching minnows and little frogs and feeding the ducks.

Turtle Creek winds all through Highland Park and there are many places you can park and start your own nature trail hike.  For this particular outing, we parked at Davis Park where the Highland Park Pool is located and wandered around that area.  There's nothing we love to do more, than spend an afternoon getting lost (not literally) in the twists and turns and rocks and cliffs of Turtle Creek.

This shot looks like James Bond 007 to me. LOVE it!

Little Man vs. Wild

Animal Tracks in the River Bed

For those of you who live outside the area, University Park and Highland Park are together called Park Cities. Citizens of these fabled Texas towns are called "Parkies". Hence, my weekly fun feature which I call "Parkie Pic of the Week" in which I like to highlight an unusual or spectacular feature of my neighborhood.

Click on any photo to enlarge it and enjoy in greater detail.

HP Scots go for world domination

The Highland Park Scots moved towards world domination with their defeat of Mexico's Monterrey Tec with a final score of 56-30. Now, that's how you kick some international ass.

The DMN says Highland Park took advantage of three early turnovers to gain a quick lead and roll past Monterrey Tech in a non-district game at Highlander stadium. Highland Park, the DMN's top-ranked class 4A team, remains unbeaten at 2-0, while Monterrey Tech falls to 0-2 on its Texas tour.

I feel kind of bad for those poor kids who traveled all the way from Mexico, only to lose all their games. I hope they win one before they go home...  But I am happy it wasn't against us! Go Scots!

Parkie Pic of the Week:Yard Signs

Last week, my post was about the flag phenomenon that prevails in Park Cities.  This week, it seemed fitting to point out another unique trend to Park Cities - the YARD SIGN.  Drive around any neighborhood in Highland Park or University Park and you'll see sports and school signs dotting the yards of houses on almost every block.

My guess is, that these yard signs started out as fundraisers for the various school programs that rely on private donations to exist and flourish.  Most people think of HPISD as a "rich" district with an inordinate amount of wealth.  Residents know that the district’s recapture (Robin Hood) payment* to the state is our largest single operating expenditure, and it continues to increase as local property values increase. With the 2008-09 operating budget, the district paid more than $825 million to the state for recapture.

Other revenue in the district operating budget includes local property tax collections,  penalties and interest from delinquent tax collections, interest earnings from investments, athletic participation fees, athletic gate receipts, summer school fees, parking garage fees, facility rental receipts, and most importantly - gifted revenue from the PTAs, the Mad For Plaid campaign, and the Sports Club.

The gifted revenue is not recaptured, so HPISD is able to pour every penny of those dollars into education. On the other hand, property tax collections are recaptured at 72 percent, so 72 pennies of every dollar collected through local property taxes are sent to the state for redistribution. 

So, it makes sense that these yard signs would have started out years ago as school fundraisers - and are now a part of local tradition.  That's my guess anyway. Anyone else have a better idea?!


*Budget numbers and facts taken from the HPISD website.


For those of you who live outside the area, University Park and Highland Park  are together called Park Cities. Citizens of these fabled Texas towns  are called "Parkies". Hence, my weekly fun feature which I call "Parkie  Pic of the Week" in which I like to highlight an unusual or spectacular  feature of my neighborhood.

Click on any photo to enlarge it and enjoy in greater detail.

The "Good Christian Bitches" of Park Cities

Hello, my name is Cynthia and I am a reality TV addict.

Survivor, Biggest Loser, Real Housewives of New York/Orange County/New Jersey/Washington DC (don't do Atlanta), America's Next Top Model, Amazing Race, Flipping Out, Rachel Zoe, Project Runway, Shear Genius...  I am addicted to them all.

I've always wondered why Dallas didn't have it's own top-rated reality show. Lord knows we have the colorful characters and Texas-lore to make it ratings gold.  We've had a few sad attempts, like last year's Dallas Divas and Daughters. It was so lame that Fashionista, Heidi Dillon had the Style Network remove her name from the credits.

If the rumors are true, my voyeuristic fantasy's are about to come true.  Word is, that there are two new shows in the making:

Robert Wilonsky at the Dallas Observer reports that Parkie socialite, Kim Gatlin (former wife of Larry Rudy Gatlin of the Gatlin Brothers)  has had her book, Good Christian Bitches, optioned by Darren Star -- creator and exec producer of, among others, Sex and the City and Melrose Place.

"The project, referred to by some as "Desperate Housewives in Dallas," centers on Amanda Vaughn, a recently divorced mother of two who, to get a fresh start, moves back to the affluent Dallas neighborhood where she grew where she finds herself in the whirling midst of salacious gossip, Botox, and fraud."

Bring.  It.  On.

The second tidbit comes from Heidi Dillon herself. I had heard that Heidi was out in Los Angeles pimping herself out pitching a concept for a show. In yesterday's Dallas Morning News, she confirms it saying,

"Why should all those Divas & Daughters people have all the fun? I should have my own [expletive] show. Especially since all those people looked so ridiculous." 

Jason Sheeler, from the DMN states that, "Dillon just knows she's made for reality television. That all her Bravo-ready bravado, her F-bombs, her constant contradictions, her insulting tweets, her exhausting and cyclical battles with the whosits and whatsits of Dallas have been leading to This Moment"

I've met Heidi casually a couple of times at events (she wouldn't remember me) but I always got a good vibe from her. After reading the DMN article, I liked her a whole lot more.  She comes across like a strong woman who's not afraid to buck the system, kick some ass and make things happen.  All while looking great in stilettos. I think I have a new girl-crush.

I have my popcorn ready and I am ready for the train wreck.

 

Principle’s Parking Space at UP Elementary is Causing Quite a Stir

Park Cities People points out that it's a good thing school is back in session... because someone in the U.P. Elementary administrative office needs a spelling lesson!

Discover Park Cities Newest (Traveling) Food Sensation

FOOD TRUCKS. They aren't just for construction workers anymore.  They are the newest food craze and the first one to hit Dallas is Green House.  When I heard they were going to be parked right up the street from my house... I had to go check them out.

Green House is a truck-based concept delivering gourmet, healthy food.  Their made-from-scratch food features fresh ingredients prepared daily.  The goal is to serve a quality product that is healthy, affordable, and fast.  They feature lean proteins and seasonal fruits and vegetables to ensure a delicious, balanced meal.


Executive Chef Ben Hutchison brings a familiar face to the kitchen for many Dallasites, having been in the kitchen for such restaurants as Food Company and Routh Street.

Each dish is a flavorful result of skill and experience.  The green movement also extends to how they leave their footprint.  Green House uses 100% biodegradable and compostable containers, plates, and utensils.  Their kitchen power source is a combination of propane and rechargeable batteries. 

To find out where they will be today, visit them @GreenHouseTruck on twitter.

Donate your gently worn athletic shoes!

It seems like I am buying my little guy a new pair of shoes every 3-4 months.

Not because they are wearing out - but because he's in major growth mode and before they even get good and broken in, his toes are bumping up against the end of the sneaker.

HPHS freshman Daphne Chimbel and HPMS eighth-grader Cooper Chimbel are collecting gently worn athletic shoes and distributing them to underprivileged kids in the Dallas area. The foundation, Cleats For Hope, has collections boxes at Lone Star Shipping off Hillcrest and Not Just Soccer on Preston.

What a great way to recycle for a cause! For more information contact cleatsforhope@gmail.com.

Photo credit