Friday Fabü

Rolando Hall, D.O.M., A.P. Hall (505.821.6300) is easily among the most joyful people I’ve ever had the pleasure of meeting — lots of smiles, laughter and wisdom. These were welcome traits, as he was about to stick several needles into my face and attach them to an electrical micro current. Ladies and gentlemen, meet the Electroacupuncture Facial.

“Are you nervous?” he asked as he checked my pulse. “Not really,” I replied. My damp palms betrayed me. “Yes, you are,” he chuckled. “Well, maybe a little,” I admitted. Who was I kidding? I recently almost ran in panic from a Rolfer. The fact that I was even in the same room as Hall was a miracle in itself. The things I do for you spa junkies.

Click here to read the rest of the column.

Friday Fabü

Dahling, let’s face it: Albuquerque isn’t exactly fashion paradise. Though we’re definitely making progress, there’s still much to be desired. What to do when the shopping bug bites (sadly, I can’t use “when the fashion bug bites,” as the mere thought of Fashion Bug leaves ghastly, retail chain poly-blend scars in my psyche) and we’ve nowhere in town to turn? Get ready to click that mouse like a fiend, because it’s time to hit the Internets, children!

Shopbop.com Ah, Shopbop … how do I love thee? Since its launch in 2000, this site has become a global must-click for web-based women’s apparel and accessories. Shop by designer, trend, boutique or discount (up to 70 percent off!). You’ll find classics from Balmain, Halston, Michael Kors and Yves Saint Laurent, as well as newer faves like William Rast, Winter Kate and Chloe Sevigny for Opening Ceremony. Side note: How much do we love Drew Droege’s Chloe Sevigny parodies?! They totally make me want to take a Bikram yoga class wearing a fitness bra by Imitation of Christ, culottes by Danskin and goldenrod Havaianas. OK, back to shopping. Let’s resume!

Avelle.com Welcome to handbag Nirvana. This site has thousands of high-end designer bags, sunglasses and jewelry by Chanel, Louis Vuitton, Fendi and many other delightful brands. Expensive? Yes, indeed. But here’s the good news: You can rent them all! Rent these perfect-condition items by the week, month or season, then you have the option to buy them or swap them for something else. More good news: free shipping. You can even rent an Hermès Birkin bag. Helloooo?!? Did someone say five-star fabulous? I did! Why? Because it’s a Birkin bag, for crying out loud. Any handbag lover knows if you say the word Birkin three times in front of a mirror, the ghost of Jane Birkin will appear, wave her wand and make all your dreams come true. Yes, I realize Jane’s still alive; minor technicality; don’t steal my urban legend thunder.

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Friday Fabu

Get ready to die. I, the woman with an agenda 212 miles long, recently found myself — gasp! — bored. I realize this comes as a huge shock. Take some deep breaths. Sip some water. Okay, let’s resume now. Yes, it’s true, I was actually bored in Albuquerque.

Tongue firmly in cheek? You betcha. Of course I found myself bored in Albuquerque. It happens all the ever-loving time. It’s the Land of Mañana, dahling. We’ll do it all tomorrow. Today, however, we aren’t doing much of anything whatsoever. I have no qualm with this. A little loafing now and then is cherished by the wisest men. Am I right, or am I right? If you live here, you pretty much know I’m right.

About that loafing ... how are you spending your quality nonproductive time? Sure, there’s the norm: reading, trash TV, movies, games, staring at the ceiling, etc., but are you doing much else? If not, it’s time to learn the art of loafing fabulously.

Click here to read the rest of the column.

Friday Fabü

As I’m sure you’re well aware, it’s high social season. Events galore! Life’s pace has been rather hectic as of late, no? Ah, but there’s a light at the end of the tunnel: spa time. When things reach fever-pitch status, this, of all times, is when we must treat ourselves as fabulously as possible.

 Thus, it gives me great pleasure to announce that we have a new spa downtown: Albuquerque Baths (1218 Broadway NE, 505.243.3721).No frou-frou here, folks; just pure relaxation with an air of downtown sophistication.

Owned and operated by 20-year bodywork pro, Michelle Collins, and husband, Henry Bruner, this urban spa breathes tranquility immediately upon arrival. The air is cool. Voices are hushed. The warm, modern interior—expertly created by Modulus Design—blends wood, glass and selective sunlight, creating a smart, relaxed vibe.

“We've spent years visiting every bathhouse we could find; Russian, Korean, New Mexican....” said Collins during my recent maiden voyage to the spa.

 Then, of course, there are the treatments. Our favorite part!

 As mentioned, this is a non-frou-frou bath spa, so don’t expect to get a lightning bolt bikini wax job or bronzer application. There are other spas for you, Zeus Hamilton. This spa is for those who want to soak, sauna and be rubbed; minimalist chic at its finest.

Click here to read the rest of the column.

Thank you, dahling.

Hola, Fabulista.  Just a note of thanks for being a part of my world. Readership is up-up-up... hitting new highs daily. 

The new site will be ready for us in a day or two. Soon, you'll see some Fabü tested and approved businesses appearing on the new site, as well. Let's be especially lovely to them. 

As the new site development progresses, please drop me a line and let me know your feedback. You'll find an "email me" button on the new site. Commenting should also be easier. If not, holla. 

Yours,

Friday Fabü

Stilo owner and Albuquerque native, Stefanie Montano, cultivated her passion for first-class finds at a young age assisting her mother on estate sale hunts. “I gained experience locating quality merchandise in places that normally were ignored,” Montano said in a recent interview.

After tragically losing her 18-year-old brother to an accidental drug and alcohol overdose, Montano and her husband, Sean Montano, devoted themselves to raising drug/alcohol awareness via their love of urban art.

Top recent Stilo finds: 1) Togs from the Caustic Threads line, featuring original, hand-dyed unisex tees for all ages (the baby stuff = perfect shower gift) by localDuke City Derby roller-babe, Erica Voges. 2) Vintage, cog-laden jewelry by local artist, Eddy Downing. 3) Ties that Don’t Suck, a Detroit-made line of killer color/design combo neck and bow ties. 4) San Francisco’s the Balm cosmetic line.

According to Montano, there’s always room for more artists/vendors in her ever-growing flock. “I love encouraging the kids and teens we get in the store to create items we could feature,” she said. “Our big focus is to continue to raise awareness to the local kids about the epidemic of heroin and its effects on our city and the rising number of overdoses and deaths each week.”

Click here to read the rest of the column. 

Pre-Rapture Pampering

Saturday glory: Fabü spa review for Local iQ magazine. Now I am jello. Fading fast. Gonna stay awake as long as possible. Don't wanna miss anything. 

Friday Fabü

This swanky, May 26 shindig at Hotel Parq Central (806 Central SE, 505.242.0040) promises to be one of the year’s top chichi events. Bon Fete Fashion for Paws, a silent auction and fashion show benefiting Animal Humane Association of New Mexico, is the brainchild of makeup artist Ashlynne Padilla and boutique owner Monica Vigil, in conjunction with Kappa Kappa Gamma. The night begins at 6p with a silent auction featuring art, pet products, styling services, makeovers, boutique gift certificates and more. Bliss! Next, it’s a Moni V’s fashion show, with makeup by Padilla and hair by Inspire salon. Designers include Splendid, Cynthia Vincent and Halston.

Tickets are available at Moni V’s (112 Amherst SE, 505.255.0148); $25 for general admission and $50 for VIP seating and swag bag. Fifty percent of ticket sales and 100 percent of silent auction funds, benefit Animal Humane Association of New Mexico.

“Do be a slave to fashionable cocktails, because the hotel is donating money for all signature cocktails purchased,” event coordinator Andre Jackson said in a recent interview.

The night’s emcee: yours truly, dahling, along with that posh rescue poochette herself, Mary Poppins. What will she wear? I’m sworn to secrecy. Please join us for this glam-tastic event for a marvelous cause. (Info: thebonfete@gmail.com , 505.569.0157.)

Click here to read the rest of the column. 

Friday Fabü

I’ll begin this issue’s column bluntly: down with poor manners! Over the last few weeks, I’ve noticed one etiquette faux pas after another. Sure, we’ve all been guilty of slight social gaffes, but enough of the major malfunctions, already. No mas, I say! I’m putting my perfectly pedicured foot down and busting out the Fabü etiquette files. This column is lovingly dedicated to readers requiring more finesse in their politesse.

Consider yourselves glove-slapped.

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Pre-Fabü Sneak Peek

Last night's photo shoot at Naman Studios for next Fabü was fun, fun, fun! 

Next column's topic hint: high-collars + ruffles = propriety. 

Friday Fabü

Ah, springtime! According to poet Alfred Tennyson, spring is when a young man’s fancy turns to thoughts of love. According to yours truly, this is when everyone’s (at least those with decent grooming habits) fancies should turn to hair removal. Time to shear that winter wool, lambs. Spring has officially arrived!

This year, I decided to boldly go where I hadn’t gone before: sugarville. Have you tried body sugaring yet? Fantastic! 

Click here to read the rest of the column. 

Friday Fabü

I am obsessed with Jones Art Glass jewelry and home décor at Greymatter Glass Studio (2836 Vassar NE, 505.217.8535). For nearly a decade, lampworker/glassblower Rashan Omari Jones has handcrafted one-of-a-kind pieces that make incredible keepsakes and gifts. These are true conversation pieces. Whenever I wear my Jones Art Glass pendant, it garners comments.

Jones’ home décor collection includes decorative and functional wall hangings, paperweights and — my favorite — gorgeous perfume bottles. “Each one is a labor of love,” Jones said of the bottles in a recent interview. “I work almost exclusively with colors I see here in the desert Southwest: Sandia purples, mesa sandstone browns, rich bosque greens and vivid ‘Burque sky blues.”

Seksi side note: If you want to present the classiest gift at the bachelor/ette party, consider an item from Jones’ custom adult line, Aphrodite Glass, which, according to Jones, “Emphasizes pleasure and discretion in a city horribly lacking in both.”

Click here to read the rest of the column.

Video from this column's photo shoot: 

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Friday Fabü

High heels rank among the finest objects on Earth, period. As soon as I rocked (literally, before falling over … a few times … well, a few dozen, but who’s counting?) my first pair of kitten heels, I was hooked. Now, my shoe wardrobe overfloweth with stilettos, slingbacks, d’Orsays, wedges, platforms and the like. High-heeled shoes are like rabbits. As soon as I turn my back, they multiply. I have nothing to do with it, I swear. It just happens. Sneaky shoes.

Fashionably speaking, high heels have transformative powers. Slip your feet into a pair and your calves tighten, the derrière lifts and your back arches, tossing your chest outward. Total body makeover. Rowwwwr! Ladies, start your engines.

Clearly, wearing high heels can provide an image boost that hordes of women find desirable. For many, those perfect heels seem to shoot bolts of confidence from the feet to the mind. Alas, after a few hours, they morph into bolts of searing pain — the inevitable downside. Curses!

And what can a girl do about this? Cease wearing the glorious, pointy kicks that she cherishes more than almost anything? Nay, my fabulous footwear fashionistas. I have found foot and (to my gleeful surprise) total body salvation through reflexology.

Click here to read the rest of my reflexology experience. 

Friday Fabü

Warm weather calls for a lighter serum or moisturizer under sunscreen. As for the glow factor, anyone with an iota of skin smarts knows you’ve gotta fake it to make it, honey. “Bronze-ness” is next to godliness. You must, however, know what you’re doing, or you risk looking like the love child of George Hamilton and Shauna Sand.

When it comes to bronzer and fab cosmetics, makeup artist Ashlynne Padilla (505.507.0472, poshabq.com) is the local authority. She generously shared some tips with me recently as she was darting out the door to work a fashion show.

“Don’t put bronzer all over or you will look muddy,” she advised. “You want to limit it to the areas where the sun naturally hits, like the top of the forehead, tip of the nose, cheek tops, the tip of your chin and the chest.”

Click here to read the rest of the column.

Friday Fabü

Let’s talk about eyes. More specifically, let’s talk about lashes and brows. How do yours look? If they’re the epitome of color, richness and definition, consider yourself slapped. You may turn the page now, because there’s nothing here for you, Prince(ss)Perfecto. Now, scram! You’re making the rest of us look bad.

Okay, now it’s just us, the lackluster lash/brow crowd. If you’re like me, you spend a fair portion of your grooming regimen applying cosmetics to make these faint features more apparent. Sound familiar? If so, then it’s time to dye, dahling.

Countless others have grown so tired of waking up to a ghostly image staring at them in the mirror that they now book regular appointments to keep their otherwise transparent brows and lashes tinted. I recently decided to join their ranks.

Click here to read the rest of this column.

Friday Fabü -- Saturday Edition

Totally spaced yesterday's Fabü post. Here ya' go.

Now hear this: The next person who gives me a hard time for saying “EDo” is going to get slapped with whichever oh-so-fabulous handbag I’m carrying at the time of said offense. There are others like me who share this sentiment, too; and in the immortal words of the ever-glamorous Dee Snider, we’re not gonna take it anymore.

I heart EDo. It’s fun to say EDo. What else are you going to call it? “Hey, let’s go shopping in the neighborhood centered around Central and Broadway on the east side of the railroad tracks, bounded roughly by the railroad tracks on the west, with I-25 on the east, Coal on the south and Martin Luther King Avenue on the north.” I think not. Just say EDo, OK? Get over it.

If you crave a satisfying little nosh-and-shop excursion with a bit of pampering on the side, get your sassy frass to EDo. It’s all there… literally… there’s one address: 600 Central SE (between Walter and High Streets, respectively). Viva convenience!

Click here to read the rest of the column.

Friday Fabü

Photo by Wes Naman for Local iQ

The Thermage treatment process is fairly fascinating. Aestheticians Nicole Ortega and Melissa Schultz at the Spa at WDC cleansed my skin and then prepped it with topical anesthetic. Next, they applied a removable, grid-like reference tattoo on my entire face. Easily cleansed off immediately after treatment, the grid assists practitioners to ensure the proper areas are being treated. They powered up the high-tech hardware and went to work.

Each time Schultz and Ortega (they alternated segments) applied the tip of the Thermage wand to a tiny grid position on my skin, it delivered a controlled burst of cooling cryogen spray, followed by a burst of radiofrequency (read: heat), then another cooling blast. The cool-heat-cool process prevents any surface damage. Each triple blast lasts only a few moments, and then it’s on to the next grid spot.

I won’t kid you — it wasn’t all unicorns and rainbows. You know there are times when I wield the “beauty is pain” motto. This is one of those times. It’s manageable, though; like placing a hot tea bag to a tiny section of your skin for a few seconds. It’s not a cakewalk, but neither is an evening in your fave stilettos. Deal with it, dahling. And know this: Some people simply feel a deep heating sensation, but no discomfort. You won’t know until you try.

To read the rest of the story, click here.

Friday Fabü

The term "fashion" is frequently used as a synonym for glamour, beauty and style. Fashion refers to the styles and customs prevalent at a given time. Style is what you do with it. Sure, you’ve got style. But what, exactly, is your style? In other words: What kind of fabü are you?  Take this quiz and find out!

1. Daily news fix?

a. AlterNet

b. The New York Times

c. Perez Hilton

d. Democracy Now!

2. The age old-question: What to wear?

a. Proenza Schouler

b. Ralph Lauren

c. Ed Hardy by Christian Audigier

d. Dries van Noten

3. You control the jukebox. One song: 25¢ Who do you spend your quarter on?

a. Theophilius London

b. Nina Simone

c. M.I.A.

d. Ida Maria

4. Fancy a cocktail?

a. Sangre de Fresca

b. Manhattan

c. Cosmopolitan

d. Absinthe Frappé

5. The perfect vacation:

a. Rocking a balaclava at ICEHOTEL in Jukkasjärvi, Sweden

b. Beachside bossa nova and caipirinhas in Turks and Caicos

c. Dancing all night at an Armin van Burren show on an Ibizan beach

d. Touring Monet’s gardens in Giverny, France

SCORING

Mostly A’s:

The Vanguard: Always on the cutting edge. Your strong aesthetic sense causes you to gravitate toward the sleek, lavish and unusual. Quality over quantity. Don’t get precocious, now. Remember your roots! You were an IKEA fan before Design Within Reach came along. Don’t act like you weren’t, either. Now go find something new and gorgeous to share with the rest of us. It’s your job, Vanguard. Get moving!

Mostly B’s:

The Classic: Timeless chic. Your refined sense of style and impeccable social graces make you a favorite on guest lists everywhere. Urbane? Yes! Snobby?  Never. Don’t get too set in your ways, Classic. Everyone--from young children to drag queens--admires you, but you must not alienate your fans. Consider attending that van Burren gig in Ibiza. You’d likely have a scandalously fantastic time!

Mostly C’s:

The Parvenu: Work it, fashionista. If it’s hot, you rock it. You’re fun-loving, laid-back and have a keen attention to detail. You have a tendency toward superficiality, so try this daily mantra: Less Hilton, more Lagerfeld. Remember this: Expensive clothes signal that the wearer is likely financially successful, but not necessarily chic or fashionable. Don’t be afraid to step outside your comfort zone and be a pioneer. Now that’s hot.

Mostly D’s:

The Abberant: Fabulous at its most eccentric. You’re cerebral, elegant and genteel. You are a high-risk candidate for pretentiousness. In order to combat this, you would be wise to periodically eat a corn dog, watch a Lil’ Wayne video or do something equally pedestrian. Without you, the Parvenu has no one to gossip about. Make us proud and go do something fantastically weird and/or creative.

How did you score, dahling? Certain you could relate to nearly all the categories, because you’re fabulous in EVERY way. Chin-chin!

Friday Fabü

“Fashion is so close in revealing a person's inner feelings and everybody seems to hate to lay claim to vanity so people tend to push it away. It's really too close to the quick of the soul.” – Stella Blum, Victorian fashion designer

Born in Tehran, Iran and raised in Philadelphia, Behnaz Sarafpour attended NYC’s Parsons School of Design. Her career began with Anne Klein, where she worked under Richard Tyler and Narciso Rodriguez. She launched her label with the fall 2001 season, and has wowed the fashion world with her trademark modern elegance ever since.

Needless to say, the show was fantastic. The clothes were clean and basic—definitely not trend-driven—featuring a primarily neutral palette of taupe, powder blue, slate and black. Notable looks included cozy knit capes, flowing gowns with matchstick-patterned lace bodices, leather and knit city dresses and tailored coats with 60s mod lines. Exquisite!

For NYC Fall Fashion Week 2011 basics, click here.

For photos of the Behnaz Serafpour Fall 2011 show, click here.

To read all about my NYC trip and view photos, click here.

To read Fabü coverage of all of the above, click here.

Friday Fabü

I’m officially imposing a ban on urban hipster fashion. Whose cruel idea of a joke was it to festoon everything from tees to mouse pads with sparkly tigers and garish colors? If I didn’t know any better, I’d swear these togs were designed by a 10-year-old boy deep in the throes of a Ritalin-inspired doodle session. Much obliged, Mr. Audigier. Tawdry trucker hats off to you, good sir.

Before I put this rant to rest, I’d like to extend a gentle reminder to the Affliction and TapouT clothing victims: Just because you wear the stuff doesn’t mean you can fight like Georges St-Pierre; it just means you look like d-bags. … Oops. Did I write that out loud? I sure as Shiseido did. Me and my big keyboard.

To read the rest of the column, click here.