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South by Southwest 2012 is Here

Last year, South by Southwest (SXSW) featured the first fashion component in conference history, “Style X,”. The event included a tour of Austin’s emerging boutiques, runway shows with SXSW musicians-turned-models, and major sponsors like Keds and American Apparel, as well as panels with industry professionals.

This year, Style X is back and it’s free for everybody! The event runs from March 16 – 17 from noon- 8 p.m., at the Austin Convention Center. Make sure you download the lookbook before heading to Austin, for the event schedule and exclusive information.

And don’t forget to check out my slideshow (above) for a taste of last year’s Style X. Hope to see you there!

SAT to NYC Via Fashion!

Photos by Bryan Rindfuss

Dreams do come true. San Antonio native Mandi Gallegos featured her new Mikailee Alton Collection at the PLITZS New York City Fashion Week, “Designer Showcase Presentation,” in which only 36 emerging designers were chosen to participate. The event, showcased in Manhattan’s Fashion district, coincided with the official Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week and allowed up-and-coming designers to affordably produce their presentation to industry professionals, investors, boutiques, buyers, and the media, among other interests.

A personable woman with an infectious energy, Gallegos claims that while she’s returned to San Antonio, she still hasn’t awoken from her dream. With a large dimply smile, she enthusiastically explained, “Honestly, it still hasn’t hit me! Even during the show, I was like, ‘I’m here, right? Is this real? I’m not dreaming?’ I thought for sure I would’ve broken down and cried but it really was so fast and it turned out to be everything I thought it would be.”

The dream began just a few weeks before the event, in mid-January, when Gallegos was “supposed to be taking a break,” or as much of a break as a single mother of three boys can take. “I don’t know how they [PLITZS] found me, but they emailed me directly,” Gallegos recalled. Just a few years ago, Gallegos never thought she’d live to see another day, much less live to see her dreams come true. In 2007, she was diagnosed with a rare brain illness and began chemo treatments. While lying in her hospital bed, she promised her parents that if she were to survive, she’d make them proud. Gallegos’s illness is in remission now, and she actually attributes her success as a designer to her regular doctor visits during recovery.

“When I walked out of the doctor’s office one day, I noticed that there was a mannequin in a window display and I didn’t know what it was. I walked in [the building] and the lady greeted me with, ‘Welcome to the International Academy of Design and Technology.’” Gallegos was given a tour of the school and by the time she reached the second floor, she was in love. She began school the following week. She continued working fulltime as a purchasing agent for Toshiba Business Solutions during the day, a company she’s been with for ten years now. “I’ve pretty much been on the go since my last chemo treatment. I never looked back. I kept going,” she said proudly.

However, Gallegos’s story gets, well, more interesting, as she could not participate in San Antonio Fashion Week (FWSA) a local, low-key event in comparison to New York Fashion Week (what I like to call Fashion Week with training wheels). She was anxious to feature her work, but just couldn’t make it happen. “I wanted to do it. They asked me if I would do it; I just wasn’t financially ready. I didn’t have enough money at that time.” In addition, Gallegos explained that she was “in the back” at FWSA—hard to believe considering that while showing her Mikailee Alton Collection in New York, she was not only approached by an investor, but was also contacted by a Project Runway casting director, who congratulated her and asked her to submit her work to participate in the upcoming season. Gallegos hasn’t decided whether or not to vie for a spot on Project Runway, and admitted with laughter, “I don’t know. I’m still a little nervous about it. I’m still contemplating about whether or not I want to do it!”

I asked Gallegos if she was already thinking about the next New York Fashion Week. But while she hopes to attend, she has her eyes set on producing a show in a place where all her dreams began: San Antonio, Texas. “I really think that having it here would be a blessing to me. If New York wants me, of course I’ll go. But I would really love to show here, a really big collection.”

The Mikailee Alton Collection features a unique array of dresses and skirts made in silk chiffon, baby silk and bridal satin in colorful hues including burgundy, magenta, pink champagne and teal. Most of the looks’ clean lines are accented with hand-made burnt pedals on the chest, back and neck area, while jackets are made with narrow sleeves and flared trunks.

China and the Art of the Toilet

(Warning, these images may cause you to cringe or barf. Hey, sometimes Gal about the Globe has to give you the bad news too).

By Diana Renee Rodriguez at Nana's Breakfast

One of my fondest Chinese memories is squatting in a public restroom with no stalls for privacy, directly across from another squatter with a lit ciggie in her mouth, a strained wrinkle on her brow and grunts which bounced around the four walls we shared. Females going to the restroom together was taken to a completely different level. Or, merely the idea of going to the restroom was taken to a level in which a Westerner, such as myself, found it momentarily challenging to grasp. That mental book of socially acceptable restroom etiquette is meaningless the second you touch ground in China.


The Toilet Paper Mystery
The Chinese invented the toilet paper 1,422 years ago. After doing my business in a Chinese public restroom, I'm left squatting over a stainless steel hole with not a single square of toilet paper in sight. At this point, I don't care if my bottom isn't pampered by Charmin's Ultra Soft tissue; A leaf would suffice! One may think that those innovative ancient Chinese genes would carry down to today's Chinese minds. But all I see is a sad failure in the toilet department after their ground breaking toilet paper invention many, many years ago.

Although scarce, there are places where you can find a roll of toilet paper nearby. They tend to be in Western restaurants such as KFC and McDonalds, or fancy restaurants and hotels. Unfortunately the Chinese restroom patrons, not used to the comfort of a roll of tissue beside them, have crazy toilet paper parties while using the facilities. And there aren't enough fúwùyuán (服务员, attendant) ladies that are willing to clean a tissue mess each hour. In conclusion, I learned to take with me my own personal supply of tissue paper. I returned home with a greater understanding and appreciation of the value of the toilet paper.

Daphna's Adventures as a GATG

Hey there Gals about the Globe! I am extremely excited to be part of such an inspiring community. My name is Daphna Cuevas, and I would have to say I'm a late bloomer in traveling but leaving that for future posts. I currently find myself living back home in Guadalajaran Mexico, yep hecha en Mexico. However, I went to middle school, high school and college in the states, and lived in France and Europe for a year and a half.

This year has been full of ups and downs but I must admit its ending on a great note. Guadalajara just finished hosting the Pan/Parapan American games and I was fortunate enough to be a volunteer attachee, which is just a fancy name for assistant. Not getting paid was totally worth being part of such an important event to the country, meeting amazing people, forming new friendships along the way and even getting to meet Canada's own Minister of Sport and the Govornor General....aka the president of Canada!

When being a Gal about the Globe, you have to learn to take any opportunity that comes your way because you never know what it will lead to. Check out my pictures and contact me next time you're in Mexico. I hope this opportunity leads me to Canada and/or Europe, so you can visit me there as well!

Roman Holiday with Audrey Hepburn and Araceli

Over the holidays, I went to a beautiful photo exhibit dedicated to the one and only Audrey Hepburn. I didn’t realize that Audrey spent so much time in Rome throughout her career. Her photo display gave me the chance to truly appreciate and admire both her professional and personal life. Especially her goodwill efforts with UNICEF! Love one of her quotes, “For some trips all you need is one piece of luggage. Your heart.” Brava Audrey for continuing to inspire women today from all over the world with your style, grace and talent!

More New York Fashion: Chris Benz Spring 2012 Collection

Unless you’ve been living under a fashion rock, you’ve probably heard of American designer Chris Benz. He’s become pretty important in the fashion community—and at an early age too. Originally from Seattle, he went to New York’s prestigious Parsons School of Design at 17, and then worked for Marc Jacobs and J. Crew before launching his own ready-to-wear line in 2007. Among his classmates at Parsons, he studied with Jason Wu (the guy who is famous for designing one of Michelle Obama’s inauguration dresses, a white silk chiffon gown now displayed at the Smithsonian). Benz also went to school with Bradley Scott, another up-and-coming designer I had the opportunity to interview while in New York City for fashion week. During our interview, Scott informed me that Benz’s customer is more of a “fantasy customer,” as the price point for his lines tend to be just as loud and as outrageous as his colorful creations and pink hair.

Benz’s Spring 2012 collection is really girlie, fun, retro, and a bit untamed—like me! Hopefully he’ll take a cue from Wu and design another collection just for Target so I can actually wear it. In the meantime, I’ll be fondling the video that I took at Chris Benz’s Spring 2012 collection at New York Fashion Week. Check out the really shaky video above (they were keeping us pretty liquored up at Lincoln Center, my bad). Benz’s collection is really perfect for the sunny South Texas weather, as his dresses and ensembles consist of bright color blocking and fresh mod patterns, lots of whites, and they’re loose and light—sure to keep you cool. Also, I think it serves as a great inspiration for us to create a similar look with fashions from, say, Target. And you can bet that Chris Benz imitations are sure to follow at places most of us can actually afford anyway, like Forever 21.

I’ve also uploaded some old-fashioned photographs below in the event that you feel like throwing up while watching the trembling video. But if you don’t watch the video, then you won’t get to see the surprise: if you make it to about a minute and fifteen, you’ll get a glimpse of Chris Benz (the guy with the pink hair, duh), talking with domestic designer and Oprah-endorsed morning television god for stay-at-home moms and wannabe stay-at-home moms, Nate Berkus. He kept trying to make eye contact with me for an interview, because apparently Desiree Prieto at Fashionation has made some real waves up north in the fashion community. (No, not really, that’s how rumors get started, y’all.) I did get to chat with Nate Berkus for a moment after I took my video about an event I covered in Chicago that he emceed back when we both lived there. And guess what?! He remembered me! Well, not me, per se, but the event.

My Trip to Ireland Part II: University of Cork, Blarney Castle, and Green Ireland

By: Amanda Hughes



The next day we went to the University of College Cork. Quite possibly the most beautiful college campus I’ve ever visited. The students attending this university really make the most of their campus. I saw many of them sitting outside studying, reading, talking to friends, riding bikes on the paths, etc. I really could see myself coming back to Cork one day to teach (they have an American Lit department, so it wouldn’t be a far-fetched idea).We spent each weekday morning on the campus listening to mini-lectures from various faculty. And each weekday afternoon we took mini-field trips.

The first afternoon field trip was to Blarney. Yep, you guessed it, home to the infamous Blarney stone. What you don’t know about said stone until you go to Blarney……it’s at the top of a castle. No problem, right? Yeah…this place was built over 800 years ago. The stairs 1) wind up for about eight flights and 2) are so narrow you have to walk up sideways. Needless to say, I was not enthusiastic about kissing the stone by the time I got to the top. And I was even less enthusiastic when I saw the Blarney stone: there, above and to the left of the man’s hand – where the stone is noticeably darker than the rest of the wall – is where you plant your lips. Given my history of illness (apparently, when I get sick, I GET SICK) and knowing about half the world had been there before me, I declined to kiss the Blarney stone. My inaction caused a lot of reaction back home. I was told I would regret not doing it. I’m happy to report I’m very glad I didn’t. I did, however, get some pretty nice pictures of the castle

Other than visiting Blarney castle, we visited Blarney Woollen Mills – the largest family owned business in the Republic. The current CEO is the daughter of the founder. When she was 16, her father put her with a cart full of knickknack type of souvenirs at the base of Blarney Castle and she sold these goods to tourists. When the mill went bust in the 70s, her father bought it and turned into a much larger version of the cart. It was highly successful from day one. About ten years ago, the current CEO visited the U.S. Impressed with the way stores such as Crate & Barrel and Pottery Barn were laid out, she changed the entire layout of the mill. Along with souvenirs, she incorporated goods marketed toward the locals of the area, such as bedroom furniture and kitchen staples. She also turned part of the mill into a cafeteria type restaurant, similar to what IKEA stores have – only they serve traditional Irish food.

The next day we again had a mini-lecture and a mini-trip. This time we went to the Tyndall National Institute. It’s a research facility owned by the university. We were not allowed to take pictures inside the place, but I gotta say, as someone who is not scientifically inclined, I was seriously impressed by the work they do there. What made the trip even more cool - the Queen of England had been there only a few days before us.

On Thursday, we took a day trip to Kinsale. It is a Sweet little town, with a harbor full of ships and old buildings.

Our next field trip took us to what was probably my favorite place, Killarney. Why was it my fave? I fell in love with this little lady (pony) and I met this barn kitty……and this one. Did I mention how green Ireland is? There are literally so many shades of green, you cannot count them all.

Thanks for reading about my trip to Ireland. I hope that you make a trip there one day. If so, contact me. In the meantime, have a look at my slideshow above!

My Trip to Ireland Part I: Arrival

By Amanda Hughes from Taking Chances TX

Before I even arrived on the Emerald Isle, I knew I would be exposed to a lot of differences from my home country (and by home country I mean Texas, of course). However, I didn’t expect the differences to begin at the airport and I certainly didn’t expect them to begin in the bathroom…see the toilet in the slideshow above. That’s right, the first picture I took on this trip was of a toilet in the Dublin International Airport. It just looked, well, strange to me. So I took a picture. And now you know what a toilet in Ireland looks like.

After taking the above picture, I changed into more appropriate attire. Dublin was a good 40 degrees cooler than San Antonio (even at the end of May) and let’s just say, it was a welcome change to walk down the sidewalk and not feel like it was sautéing me. At the same time, walking around Dublin in the normal uniform for Texas in the month of May (t-shirt, shorts, and flip-flops) would have sent me into hypothermia within three steps outside of the airport, so a change of clothes was definitely necessary.

Then came the hell that is known as currency exchange. If you think you’re financially strapped in our country, then I don’t recommend a trip to any country within the EU anytime soon (or the UK). I seriously had to pick my jaw up off the exchange counter when the $100 I handed over came back to me at a much lower denomination and minus a processing fee. It was like being at a gas pump when gas was almost $5 a gallon – that kind of feeling (you know, the bent over one). Taken advantage of doesn’t even begin to cover how this experience felt. Once I semi recovered from the sticker shock, we were on our way to locate the bus that would take us to Cork. I was pretty disappointed when we were told we would not be taking this one (see slideshow)……cause, come on, how fun would it be to ride around Ireland in this bus? But alas, it wasn’t meant to be.

I wish I could tell you the bus ride to Cork was breathtaking, magical, and filled with awe at the beauty of the natural landscape. I’m sure it was every bit of those descriptions, but I fell asleep and slept pretty much the whole way there (thanks a lot jet lag). All I managed to stay awake for was this (view from bus).In case you forgot what that is, that’s rain. Don’t worry, I had forgotten what it looked like too. We did stop for lunch on the way to Cork and you know I did wake up for that (those that know me best know I don’t miss a meal). And so, in the sweet little town of Cashel we weary travelers stopped for a bite to eat and to take in some of the sights, which included, A charming street in Cashel, An old castle, the Rock of Cashel, a street sign in Gaelic and English, oh and lunch!

The Irish clearly have their priorities in order. I’m seriously considering opening one of these in San Antonio (News and Booze drive-thru) Although we only spent a couple of hours in Cashel, I really enjoyed the visit. It was the beginning of a dream come true. With a heavy heart, I got back on the bus (I seriously could have stayed there the entire trip – it was like Jewett, only much more charming) and promptly fell back asleep. Waking up to the vision of our hotel both startled and relieved me. Believe it or not, I didn’t take any pictures of the hotel (oops). So in lieu of personal pictures, here’s a link to The River Lee Hotel:

http://www.doylecollection.com/locations/cork

The rest of this first day was pretty uneventful. I ordered room service and was not expecting my 7-Up to come in a glass bottle, but it was a pleasant surprise.