February 11, 2019 at 12:08PM by CWC Growing up, for almost 10 years, I had the same ballet teacher, Ms. B (whose last name, despite what my 5-year-old imagination told me, did not stand for “ballet”), and I coveted her style. I don’t think I ever saw her wearing anything other than a black unitard, an oversized cropped sweater, chunky mid-calf socks, and jazz shoes. It was all things ’90s, all things dance, and all things that are somehow back in style today. So, a decade later, I decided it was time to take the look for a spin. I’m happy to report that not only did I wear a bodysuit to work out in public and live to tell the tale—and 6 times over, no less—but I’m actually now so into them, that I don’t know why it took this love affair so long to develop in the first place. The draw, at the most basic level, is all about convenience. I wanted to be able to slip into an outfit that needed zero work: no riding-up tanks or falling-down leggings allowed. I’m not sure it’s totally true, but I even felt like I actually got a better workout in a bodysuit. And isn’t how you feel really all that matters, anyhow? Over the past month, I’ve pretty much tried it all when it comes to what I’m lovingly calling workout onesies. I’ve gone for thong leotards (with super-cute leggings to match, of course!), performance one-pieces that I’ve taken to yoga and out to dinner with equal ease,
Category: Fashion
How to hold a 3-minute plank like our forever *Friend* Jennifer Aniston
February 11, 2019 at 12:04PM by CWC It’s wellness queen Jennifer Aniston‘s birthday, and to celebrate I’ve been perusing her always-inspiring fitness tips. The actress has been known to be a big boxing fan, but also loves switching it up. Case in point: She even has an elliptical routine, of all things. And while I was in my black hole of Aniston-Internet searches, I stumbled upon one reason why she has such a strong core: The woman can hold a 3-minute plank. According to an interview with her trainer Leyon Azubuike in Women’s Health, Aniston can hold a two or three-minute plank “rather easily.” NBD. Meanwhile, my whole body starts trembling and I’m pouring with sweat by 30-seconds in. I’d love to hold a plank for longer, à la Aniston, since the ab move is one of the best ones you can do not only for your core but also your arms, your bum—the list goes on and on. “If you add time to your plank hold, it’ll turn the plank into a full-body toning exercise that’ll improve your posture and balance your strength,” says Erika Bloom, founder of Erika Bloom Pilates. The secret to doing so? It’s all about the form. “Holding a plank for longer is achieved through good form,” Bloom explains. “Proper form means more muscles are recruited so none fatigue as quickly. You just need to find your form through an understanding of alignment and the use of visualizations.” Step 1: Lengthen your spine and widen your shoulder blades. “The biggest
Sustainable travel tips to keep your vacays great without compromising the world you want to see
February 11, 2019 at 10:49AM by CWC Travel may well be good for your health, but it’s not so great for the environment. In fact, a recent study showed that tourism accounts for nearly 10 percent of the world’s total greenhouse gas emissions. But before you despair becoming a hypocrite who petitions lawmakers to take climate change seriously while simultaneously planning as many trips as possible for 2019, take comfort in knowing that even environmentalists travel—they simply do so mindfully. Below, experts share their tried-and-true eco-friendly tips for reducing your carbon footprint on the road. And remember, as with most things that are green, the simple steps aren’t only kind to the environment, but also to your wallet and your health. Keep reading to reduce the environmental impact of your 2019 travels. Photo: Getty Images/hedgehog94 Before you go 1. Donate or freeze leftover fresh foods It can feel nearly impossible to plan pre-vacation groceries perfectly; somehow, something is almost always leftover to rot in the fridge. While these wasted veggies, fruits, or animal proteins might amount to just a few dollars of lost cash, such food waste has a more significant environmental cost. According to Kathryn Kellogg of Going Zero Waste, 20 percent of the food in America goes to landfills, where it’s unable to decompose because it’s trapped by inorganic matter (e.g. trash bags). These preserved organics then release methane, which is a huge contributor to climate change. To minimize your contribution to this problem, zero-waste expert Celia Ristow of
The biggest takeaway from New York Fashion Week is that everyone just wants to be comfortable and cozy
February 11, 2019 at 10:46AM by CWC When fashion week comes around, between the street style and dozens of runway shows, I’m often visually overwhelmed—and this year was no different. Once I got over my impulse to throw all my clothing out (it happens every fashion month), I finally digested the collections and came to one, overarching conclusion: Everyone just wants to be comfortable and cozy. At least, that seemed to be the aim, when it comes to dressing, for both designers and the people who turned out to watch their shows. That things are headed in a decidedly more casual direction isn’t entirely surprising given the rise of athleisure and its offshoots leisurée to bathleisure. Still, you know something’s in the air when even a designer like Tom Ford, known for his steadfast dedication to sensuality and glamour—often at the expense of comfort—switches gears and presents a collection that looks, well, soft. For his FW19 presentation, which was shown on Feb. 6, the third day of New York Fashion Week, Ford sent models down the runway in a number of looks that exuded power and confidence (his trademark) but from a decidedly less sexually charged place: The models wore satin pants, velvet blazers, and a number of them wore a black hoodie layered into their perspective looks. Then, there was Tory Burch (the designer behind the color-blocked parka pictured in the feature photo). Her fashion sense tends to skew toward the feminine and form-fitting, but for her latest collection, she
IKEA’s Billy bookcase is 40 years old! Here are 8 hacks that keep it totally fresh
February 11, 2019 at 10:05AM by CWC Swedish home furnishings giant IKEA is responsible for introducing the world to thousands of minimalist furniture pieces, but there’s noting quite like the iconic Billy bookcase. “It is estimated that every five seconds, one Billy bookcase is sold somewhere in the world,” boasts Ikea’s website. As one of the most versatile items in the store, the Billy bookcase has the potential to be so much more than place to store books. For its 40th birthday, we’d like to celebrate with a few show-stopping Billy bookcase hacks. When Billy Liljedahl, an IKEA advertising manager, told his furniture designer colleague Gillis Lundgren that he wanted a “proper” bookcase, Lundgren set out to create just that. What resulted was an eponymous product, of course, that “could belong to almost anyone and everyone,” IKEA explains. Now, there are many different variations of it to choose from, from wide options with glass doors to tall and skinny designs. With so many styles to choose from, there’s an endless amount of ways to transform the Billy bookcase to work for your healthy home—and these are the best hacks to start with. Functional and chic IKEA Billy bookcase hacks Photo: Kristina Steinmetz 1. Add a sliding door Designer Kristina Steinmetz‘s idea to add a sliding door to the Billy bookcase smartly disguises clutter. Photo: Place Of My Taste 2. Switch up the shelves Installing a few strategically placed shelves as vertical dividers is one of many great Billy bookcase hacks for displaying objets d’art. Place of My Taste will show you
These sculptural purses are tiny works of art but still big enough to hold your wellness essentials
February 10, 2019 at 09:00AM by CWC Although the ’90s will truly never die, as the fashion seasons go by, the ’80s are making it abundantly clear that they are plotting an aesthetic takeover of their own. (Just think of the return of the scrunchie, the leisure suit, and the neons that have recently become the color scheme du jour.) Recently, I’ve noticed another ’80s design aesthetic finding new life and purpose: tiny handbags that double as decorative objects. Really, these purses are sculptural works of art that are as suitable on your arm as they would be dropped into a Memphis Design Group installation. While my searches for an authentic item from the iconic design group have turned up mildly traumatizing (I’ve recently been salivating over a very chic, yet very expensive, $15,000 shelf), these bags start at $40 and cap out at $1,000, which is much more realistic. As a person who thrives in organized chaos, this is a 2019 purse trend I can get behind because when I randomly drop it onto my table, instead of looking like the antithesis to Marie Kondo that I am, it looks like I’m a capable adult with enough design talent to have managed to curate a wabi sabi-esque scheme in my home. Although some of these bags, shapes, and materials would have you think that they are not “practical,” each and every one of them definitely is—for starters, they all pair very well with your favorite pair of leggings and they’re each big
9 vegan winter coats that are cozy, cool, and sustainable
February 09, 2019 at 07:05AM by CWC It got down to 45 degrees here in Los Angeles the other day, which means it basically turned into The Day After Tomorrow, only with more faux fur. I found myself in need of more than the fleece jacket. And, as a result, I’ve spent a significant amount of time researching this season’s stock of vegan winter coats. What I found is that, because sustainable fashion is booming, especially in California, right now, ethical options—that also happen to be cool and cozy—are easier than ever to come by. When looking at vegan winter coats, be sure to avoid the obvious: leather, suede, fur, wool, cashmere, angora, camel hair, and mohair. “Often, people just look at the outer fabric, but a jacket’s lining, filling, trim, and hardware can [also] have unsustainable origins,” says Amy Rebecca Wilde, founder of Vegan Scene, a vegan fashion boutique in Venice, Cali. She says they’re usually made from plant or synthetic fibers, but they could contain silk, which is not vegan. You also want to avoid down as the filling of your coat, because this often means feathers from ducks or geese. One more design element to watch out for when looking for vegan winter coats: “Most people don’t know that they should investigate buttons, which can be sneaky, and you can find pearl, shell, horn, and ivory,” she adds. Knowledge is power, people. If you’re looking to stave off the winter chill, wherever you live, here are 9 vegan winter
I finally found a natural deodorant that stands up to my sweatiest workouts, and it’s made with CBD
February 09, 2019 at 04:54AM by CWC Natural deodorants and I have a love-hate relationship. I’m a big fan of going clean across my entire beauty routine, but better-for-you antiperspirants don’t exactly have a stellar rep for keeping me smelling my best from start to finish of a sweaty workout. Which is why, when I came across a natural option made with CBD (the non-psychoactive compound in cannabis plants), I laughed. As in haha, CBD: If you think you can handle my workout BO, go ahead, give it your best shot. On a morning when I’ve penciled in a HIIT-style treadmill session, I slip on my workout outfit and spritz the product, which is Apothecanna’s “Everyday Deodorant Spray” ($26), under my arms. Along with cannabis, the formula contains zinc ricinoleate (the primary ingredient that keeps odor at bay), mandarin, geranium, and cedar. So the scent that now permeates the air around me is crisp and earthy rather than artificially floral like my usual deodorant. Honestly, if I had to name the scent, I’d call it eau de woodland fairy. “Sure, I smell great now,” I think. “But after one sprint on the treadmill, I’ll be regretting this decision.” Oh, how wrong I was. Haha, CBD: If you think you can handle my workout BO, go ahead, give it your best shot. The product works so well that get this: I forget that I’m wearing it. I make it through my 40-minute workout, dripping head-to-toe in sweat. And it’s only during my
Rihanna-loved designer Adam Selman gives us all the details on his debut activewear line, A.S.S.
February 08, 2019 at 09:52AM by CWC Let me be blunt: If your closet’s curated in a blend-into-the-background kind of way, Adam Selman‘s work is probably not for you. After all, this is the designer who crafted Rihanna’s show-stopping “naked dress” from the 2014 CFDA Awards, not to mention OTT tour costumes for Katy Perry and Lady Gaga. But if you’re not afraid of a little neon, leopard print, or sparkle—after-hours or at the studio—then you should probably Kondo your gym bag to make space for his latest endeavor. The new Adam Selman Sport collection, cheekily dubbed A.S.S. for short, sets out to fill a pizzaz gap in studio-to-street fashion. “When I was researching the landscape, I really felt like fun was missing from the market,” says the designer, who’s also fronted his own ready-to-wear line since 2013. “Everything felt very sweet, fresh-air, safe, or black. Nothing in between.” By tapping into the sartorial legacy of iconoclasts like Florence Griffith Joyner—the ’80s track star known for her killer nail art and asymmetrical running costumes—Selman’s debut activewear effort is infused with a “bold, playful spirit” that’s made for the Instagram age. For instance, a pair of sheer animal-print leggings—already sold out on Carbon38—lend modern Jane Fonda vibes to a barre-class mirror selfie. Crystal-studded sports bras, bike shorts, post-gym mini-dresses, and track pants could convince me to bring my KiraKira app out of retirement. Many pieces in the collection, like a Carbon38-exclusive quilted bomber, are designed to be gender-neutral. (Los Angeles-based fitness instructor Jason Wimberly wore
I did yoga every day for a year and learned a ton about myself in the process
February 08, 2019 at 09:26AM by CWC Hi, my name is Avery, and I have practiced yoga every day for the past year. Truly, if I’m being honest, while I have not skipped a single day in the past 365, I don’t think I’ve missed more than a handful over the past five years. That might sound crazy to those alarm clock snoozers or early-to-bedders, but I’m here to tell you that it has totally changed my life. Allow me to explain. A little over five years ago, I quit my full-time office job at a glossy fashion magazine to go out on my own as a freelance writer and stylist. Back then, I hadn’t exercised for more than a collective week since high school, and (spoiler alert!) that was longer than I cared to admit. So on that first Monday in May (yes, it really was…) I woke up before the sun—my very own boss—and was invigorated by the new non-scheduled schedule I was about to set up for myself. I started the day with a hot power yoga class. I had dabbled in heated yoga in high school, and then again in college, but it never really stuck. Now, with little structure to my full-of-work days as a freelancer, I needed something to jump-start that energy. So, I slipped into my leggings and tank top, threw my yoga mat in my bag, and off to Earth Yoga I went. Quietly sitting in the back of the class, it