IN HER SHOES: ZENDAYA BREAKS DOWN HER DESIGN PROCESS

Zendaya Coleman, author, actress and recording artist, has been making a serious imprint on the red carpet with her unique style. From Michael Kors plaid skirt sets to Vivienne Westwood jumpsuits and custom Fausto Puglisi, she manages to hit the mark every time in a youthful, fun and fresh way — and the fashion world has taken notice.
Publications from Teen Vogue to WWD regularly rank her as one of the top 10 red-carpet influencers, and now she is taking that prowess to her first fashion foray — a shoe collection. Designing the line with Law Roach, her stylist, the first shoes will hit stores in spring 2016 and will bear her nickname, Daya. She’s been holding the designs close to her vest but if you are lucky enough to score an invite to her reveal event at FFANY or FNPlatform (the two footwear trade shows in August), you’ll get to see them up close.
For now, she sat down to talk with us a little about her first pair of Louboutin’s, why shoes are so amazing and how recording her music in socks is best.
What are your favorite pair of shoes of all time?
I would say the "So Kate" Louboutins, patent leather black, because me and Law, we are just so impressed with them, and they work with everything. They look good with anything, and plus my foot has molded to them now, so they’re not uncomfortable anymore. They’re actually the most comfortable shoes I own. I wear them everywhere — like literally everywhere — to the point where I had to get the heel fixed, because it was destroyed, because I wore them so much. We definitely have our own version of that go-to shoe [in the line].
What shoes did you wear on Dancing With the Stars?
I wore dance shoes usually. They’re just nude. They’re not the cutest shoes in the world, but they’re made for ballroom dancers. A couple of times, I got to wear Chucks, because I was cute and adorable, and they allowed me to do that, because I was 16. They were white, and then they bedazzled them. They bedazzle everything over there.
Why did you want to do a shoe line?
I love shoes, so there’s that. Honestly, I was really inspired kind of by my family. I have a lot of sisters and nieces, and one of my nieces is in college right now. I have a sister who is a dancer. These are women that are either just now starting to get a job, or kind of come into their own and become what they’re supposed to become. At that time, you don’t have a lot of money to pay for the shoes that you see on all your favorite celebrities — the shoes that you really, really want — it’s just unreasonable. So it’s about still having quality, and not losing the quality of the shoes, but making something that that girl can still feel cute in, and not feel like she has a knock-off.
Why are shoes so special to you?
Because they’re amazing. I’m a girl. I feel like I went through a phase where, when my feet finally started growing, and my body continues to change. But my feet have completely stopped, and now I can just have a collection of shoes. It’s like you document your life through shoes. Clothes kind of come and go, but shoes stay. They kind of say where you were, what you did and what was happening.
What inspires you when you design your shoe line?
I think what inspires us is our personal taste. What would we like? I’m not going to make any shoes that I’m not going to feel comfortable going out in. I’m not going to do it. We’re really obsessed with every detail of every shoe and everything that goes into it, even down to like the strap or the color of the metallic on the clasp — all kinds of stuff. Me and Law have now become really attentive to people’s shoes when we’re outside. We’re walking, and we’ll just stop people for their shoes. We notice "I’m seeing a lot of wedges," or "I’m seeing a lot of this, I’m seeing a lot of that." We just kind of collect our data, and that’s it.
What can we expect to see in your line?
We kind of wanted to touch a little bit of everything. We have a lot of nudes. I feel like almost every shoe we have comes in a nude, because I feel like that is so important, I think, especially for the working woman, you can’t go wrong with nude. It works, every time. Know what I mean?
What’s your favorite shoe in the collection, so far?
Oh, that’s tough. I personally am obsessed with some of the flat-type options that we have, the platform — and there’s slip-ons because they’re comfortable, but they’re so freaking cute.
What shoes do you like to wear when you record music?
I like no shoes. I usually do it in my socks. I’m usually looking a hot mess! Usually, they’re like cozy socks with some kind of pattern on them; something cool like that, or mismatched. Honestly, whatever I can get out of my drawer that day will go on my feet.
What size shoe are you?
I’m a 9.
What kind of shoes do you like to see on guys?
Honestly, it doesn’t matter. I think for me, it’s really about the outfit as a whole. I’m definitely a sneaker person, but I also love seeing a good dress shoe.
What’s your favorite part of designing your shoe collection?
Honestly, that we can be creative and just have fun. It’s really fun to be a part of. It’s like free choice school project, you can do it about whatever you want. And it gets to be about shoes. They’re my favorite thing, ever.

Beautiful Wedding Decor Also Needs to Actually Work for the Event

I'm a wedding planner and I have to admit that when I scroll through Instagram or troll Pinterest, I'm always seeing amazing décor that makes me shiver. Lighting I could never recreate in some of the more remote destinations where I plan makes me jealous. Tents you can only rent in more densely-populated areas that have crazy chandeliers make me swoon. Even though I do this for a living, I'm easily impressed by beautiful wedding décor.
With that said, I'm not an advocate of stupid wedding décor.
Let me give you a very good example. Just the other day I saw an absolutely, positively gorgeous table runner made entirely of live flowers featured on an Instagram account I follow of another wedding vendor. It was so pretty that I wanted to recreate it so I looked closer. And closer.
For anybody who is paying attention to the picture, the table runner is INCREDIBLE but it's so damned big that I could barely see the place settings. Time to zoom in. Alrighty now, you cannot see the place settings because it's a fully "staged" picture (as in, not a real wedding) and there's not enough room on the table for dinner plates, place settings, wine glasses, etc. God forbid you're using placecards! That table runner of flowers was fully two-thirds the width of the entire table.
So I messaged the vendor who posted the picture and said "I don't get it. Where do the plates go?"
Their response - I swear to God - was this: "We love ideas that are dramatic and different. Maybe not for everyone, but we would totally take a little less space for place settings to create a showstopper like this!"
Yep, that's a showstopper alright. As in, the perfectly-executed wedding will come to a grinding halt when the guests try to get seated for dinner and have zero space in front of them to put down their drinks. And can you even imagine what a disaster the service will be? OMG. Clearly this vendor isn't the wedding planner or the caterer or they would understand why a giant floral table runner is an absolutely RIDICULOUS idea unless the table is wide enough to hold both the runner and the place settings!!!
I probably look at it from a different perspective because, while I do the flowers for most of my destination weddings because there isn't another florist to be had, I don't sell my clients ridiculously expensive arrangements that don't fit their tables just so I can make an extra buck.
Gorgeous floral displays, centerpieces and other décor can be the highlight of your wedding event, but you want to try to avoid the totally impractical. I get requests for "Italian lights" all the time - those are the strands of lights with bare bulbs hanging off of them that you see featured so frequently in garden wedding pictures. We have them and we put them up in tents all the time, but you can't use them when you're trying to light concrete columns at a venue.
Many private homes, villas and historic buildings were not designed to be wedding venues and when you're decorating, you have to find a way to hang things (safely) that doesn't compromise the actual structure. You cannot drill into walls to put in hooks. You have to work with what's available. If you're trying to light concrete or stone columns on a porch, you can't use "Italian lights" or anything else that's meant to dangle. You're stuck with using "fairy lights" (Christmas lights on white electrical cords) or rope LED lights. You can also have uplighting done from the base of the columns if it won't create a trip hazard for your guests, and if it will give off enough light to actually let people see where they're going and what they're eating.
Pinterest has become an amazing channel to market my own services, and Instagram is a hoot because you see the good, bad, and the truly ugly from other weddings all posted by wedding guests. But what's important for brides and grooms to realize is that not everything that looks pretty is functional. Much of it is not affordable. And a good bit of it (unless you're only looking at pictures on my social media pages) was created solely for a professionally-staged shoot and was never intended to actually work at a wedding. Most of what you see in glossy bridal magazines could never be executed the same way at a wedding actually attended by real people.
Massive, top-heavy centerpieces on your dinner tables, dripping crystals in the faces of your guests, may be the look you really want, but what will happen when your guests get frustrated because they can't see each other through the bling and try to move them a little? They flip ass-over-teakettle almost every time. I've seen it happen as both a planner and a wedding guest. And don't pretend guests are too well-mannered to move centerpieces. They do, and they will. After six cocktails, it's all about keeping themselves happy. To hell with what the bride and groom wanted to see in their wedding pictures.
I know some couples are all about "go big or go home," but at the same time, not everything that is big and fancy is actually practical and reasonable for your wedding and your venue. Sometimes you have to adjust your expectations in order to actually execute a flawlessly beautiful wedding. I have never heard a wedding guest complain that there wasn't enough table décor. But I have listened to many people bitch and moan about how tightly packed it all was. Cuz let's not pretend the bride and groom are going to spend money on two more tables and associated arrangements to compensate for the space being lost to the décor. They're still going to jam in 10 guests at a table meant for that many, even if the space the centerpiece takes up is akin to having a dead body in the center of the table.
Be smart. Look at wedding pictures you like and then modify them to fit your taste, style and the scale of your wedding venue. If you're working with a planner or vendors who say something can't be done, listen to them. If you do it, they make money so they have no motive to lie to you about this. They're trying to prevent the inevitable problems that will ensue if they give you EXACTLY what you're asking for.
You don't have to "keep it simple," but you do need to keep it REAL when you plan your wedding décor. Otherwise, people are more likely to remember that they struggled around your flowers than how beautiful they were in the grand scheme of things. And you'll spend a lot of money for something your guests will not enjoy.

Staying stylish during holy month

To observe Ramadhan, many women tend to dress more appropriately by covering most parts of their bodies. The beauty of this is that you can still be stylish. One thing is for sure, the clothing should not be too tight or transparent.
Throughout this month, many stores and shopping venues, including Ramadhan-themed bazaars, are offering great bargains.
This is a good time to shop for clothes or accessories as they are likely to be priced much lower than normal.
Not only women, but men and kids alike also want to dress differently while observing the holy month, and especially at Idul Fitri.
To observe Ramadhan, there are some fashion choices that can be applied and that help protect your skin and prevent dehydration at the same time. What are they?
Women’s Ramadhan fashion
The number one choice is gamis (long, shirt-like dress) or a kaftan-like dress. Both dresses are mainly worn by Muslims in the Middle East, but they are also worn in many other countries. The kaftan can be likened to a robe or a tunic.
In the world of entertainment, many local celebrities and ustadzah (woman teachers) wear gamis and kaftans. Their fashion style often becomes a source of inspiration.
To better convince you that this kind of dress never goes out of style, even international celebrities like Rihanna, Jenifer Lopez and the Kardashians are occasionally spotted wearing kaftans.
When looking for gamis, ask for one that is suitable for this occasion that is gamis syar’i. This type of dress is designed according to sharia dress code. Compared to a kaftan, a gamis can usually be worn daily as the long sleeves are not as loose as those of a kaftan and the lower half, which is loose, is comfortable to walk in.
Although only a couple of weeks of the fasting month remain, these types of dresses also protect your skin against the sun. Inspired from the Middle East, you will understand the benefit of the longer dress when the weather is hot.
If you wear a hijab, you can accessorize it with a brooch or some other ornament. If not, you can mix and match the dress with kerudung (cape) or chiffon-based pashmina-styled scarf or shawl.
Loafers or sandals best suit a long dress. Don’t ever think of wearing wedges or heels, since they just make it difficult to walk.
JP/ P.J.Leo
Men’s Ramadhan fashion
For men, wearing a baju koko (long-sleeve collarless shirt) seems to be fashionable. But for daily routine, the choice of baju koko is often out of context.
Nowadays, there are many styles of baju koko, such as those tailored in ethnic inspired patterns.
For a more stylish model, get one with an asymmetrical design with various colors. And while most baju koko are long-sleeved, more casual types are also available. But for couples or family members, sarimbit (matching batik wear for couples) is also trendy. Wearing sarimbit is often synonymous with showcasing a family’s or couple’s harmony. Sarimbit are suitable for gatherings or parties.
For shoes, avoid wearing boots or sneakers as they would be troublesome for praying. Formal shoes or the slip-on kind are appropriate, and comfortable.
Children’s Ramadhan fashion
Without a doubt, kids are eager to wear new and nice clothes, especially at Idul Fitri. And this month is the best time for them to wear different clothes.
Just like men and women, the choice in clothing for this month should be similar for kids. But remember, don’t get them anything too complicated to wear. The most important thing to remember is that the fabric should be comfortable.
Do not be fooled by low prices or bright colors, since sometimes the materials used are not suitable for children.
Their daily activities will be conducted mostly at home, at a relative’s place or at a mosque for tarawih (extra prayer service during Ramadhan). So, a pair of new sandals and sarong are great gifts for the fasting month.