Archive: Celebrities

giggle blogs : David Netto
David Netto, Founder of NettoCollection August 11, 2010

Now, How About This?

Not Easy Being Green With Kermit

Lena Horne Sings the Alphabet

Lena Horne Teaches Grover

Furthering my favorite theme of giving children the best the world has to offer, trusting them to figure it out, and not dumbing it down, check out this clip of the late, great Lena Horne on Sesame Street in the early 1970’s. This isn’t exactly a design post but it does convey everything I try to stand up for in design for kids. Here we have a superb talent, the greatest in the world, and she’s singing to Kermit on a subject which is very hard to deal with in an honest way, let alone with elegance. Try to watch it without tears of admiration, I dare you…

Then have fun learning the alphabet and become a little more outgoing with Grover in the two other clips. But the duet with Kermit will always be my favorite.

Celebrities | Child Development | Designing | Parenting

Best Birth : Sarah McMoyler
Sarah McMoyler, R.N. August 11, 2010

Bethenny’s Reality TV Baby

I have actually not been a follower of the NYC Housewives. However, enough of you asked me what I thought about Bethenny’s labor and delivery that I quickly caught up via On Demand. I have now watched her whirlwind wedding with the cute gay wedding planner and ultimately her water breaking in bed and eventual cesarean birth. I am happy for her…after calling off three engagements; she seems to finally have found love in her life with her new handsome husband Jason. With the arrival of baby Bryn, came true emotion, from Jason crying in the cab on the way home from the hospital, to Bethenny falling apart as she prepares for her first overnight business trip away from the baby. They are the epitome of assisted living: which includes her personal assistant, admin assistant and live-in Jamaican baby nurse. They look and feel like an extended family — including all of them going away together on holiday to the Hamptons.

Bethenny is wearing motherhood well, it becomes her. We are seeing a softer, gentler side, while she continues to be quite funny as she pokes fun at herself and most everyone around her. Humor is a very good commodity in all new family households…Congratulations Bethenny — you’re doing a great job!

Celebrities | Parenting

Best Birth : Sarah McMoyler
Sarah McMoyler, R.N. August 6, 2010

World Breastfeeding Week

This week, the world at large has been focused on breastfeeding.  From walkathons, to supermodels voicing their support — the concept that breast is best has been celebrated. While there is no disputing the fact that breast milk is the most nutritious form of food for babies, we as a society need to strike a balance between advocating and supporting the effort versus cramming it down new mothers’ throats — which can backfire into an emotional meltdown, creating guilt and even leading to postpartum depression.

On a lighter note, the “Whip ‘Em Out” campaign, started by celebrity mothers, demonstrates support of breastfeeding by de-sexualizing new mothers’ bodies in such a way that breastfeeding becomes less stigmatized.
The main point is that breast milk can be a lifesaver – providing a critical first step in a newborn’s health. It’s what World Breastfeeding Week 2010 is all about this year – increasing awareness and education in our medical facilities to provide support to new families striving to do the best for their babies.

Celebrities | Health & Wellness | Parenting

Ali's A-List : Ali Wing
Ali Wing, giggle CEO and founder July 30, 2010

An A-List Interview: Liz Lange

Liz Lange with her son and daughter.

A household name in maternity, Liz Lange needs little introduction. She saved us from maternity smocks and muumuus, and was one of the first designers who showed us that pregnancy could be fashionable.

In addition to being a great designer, Liz is an activist, a role model and a philanthropist. She goes above and beyond in her communities, doing great things for women, children and families. She’s down to earth and a really nice person – Liz is the real deal.

Ali Wing: What is your motto?
Liz Lange: I have many mottos: “Life is a party — are you dressed for it?” “Until someone does something new, no one thinks its a good idea.” “Life’s what you make it, so let’s make it rock!”

AW: What inspires you?
LL: My children inspire me.  They are so kind, funny and smart and my daughter already has her own sense of style.

AW: What color are you loving right now?
LL: I am loving all shades of blue.

AW: What are you currently reading?
LL: The Help by Kathryn Stockett, and I can’t put it down!

AW: What’s your favorite city/location/destination?
LL: NYC – where I grew up and am now raising my children is my favorite city in the world and it’s my home.  But I love Rome, Capri and Paris to visit.

Beautiful Capri, one of Liz Lange's fave vacation spots.

AW: Who is your favorite composer, or what is your favorite music genre?
LL: I love all types of music from opera, classical to top 40.  I am a huge Verdi and Tchaikovsky fan, but then again I adore Lady Gaga and the Black Eyed Peas!

AW: What was your most favorite baby gift you received?
LL: Personalized Burp cloths with my children’s names on them (my daughter is 9 and she still likes to sleep with hers!).

AW: What was the baby product you couldn’t live without?
LL: Wipes!  I used them on my children when they were babies, and we still use them. 

And please complete the following:

…make(s) me laugh.
My children make me laugh (they are so funny), but so do Alec Baldwin, Martin Short, Steve Carell and Tina Fey.

My proudest moment in parenting was…
When other parents tell me how polite my children are when they are over (it’s also my most shocked moment!).

Celebrities | Designing | Trends

Ali's A-List : Ali Wing
Ali Wing, giggle CEO and founder July 15, 2010

An A-List Interview: Peter Brown

PB: "While I'm especially interested in urban wilderness, I also love unique gardens like this one in Madrid."

This week, we’re getting to know Peter Brown, author and illustrator of The Curious Garden and Chowder. His books are some of my favorites, and this interview made me want to know even more about him. We share a mutual love of the Highline in New York, which is the epitome of a “curious garden.” Enjoy this fun interview: it’ll make you smile as much as one of his books!

Ali Wing: What is your motto?
Peter Brown: Who am I to judge?

AW: What inspires you?
PB: I’m very interested in the juxtaposition of seemingly opposite things, especially when it involves nature.  Urban wilderness is one of my favorite subjects, one which I explored in my book “The Curious Garden.” The most famous example of urban wilderness was probably the High Line in New York City. The High Line was an abandoned railway that became overgrown with wildflowers and grasses and trees, and in 2009 was converted into a public park.
I’m also interested in the similarities and differences between humans and the rest of the animal kingdom, a subject I touched upon in my upcoming book “Children Make Terrible Pets.”
 
AW: What color are you loving right now?
PB: I don’t have favorite colors, I have favorite color combinations. These days I’m using a lot of “earth” tones, like mustard, sepia, and forest green, combined with bright pink and bright blue-green. Here’s the cover of my upcoming picture book “Children Make Terrible Pets,” available September 2010, where you can see this palette.

AW: What are you currently reading?
PB: I’m always working on one piece of Non-Fiction AND one of Fiction. Currently I’m reading A Different Nature: The Paradoxical World of Zoos and their Uncertain Future by David Hancocks, and Robots and Empire by Isaac Asimov.

AW: What is your favorite city/location/destination?
PB: Of the places I’ve already been, I’d say my favorite was probably the mountains and fjords of Norway. If unicorns exist, they live in Norway.

AW: Who is your favorite composer, or what is your favorite music genre?
PB: To me, Jazz is the most versatile music genre. Some jazz makes me relaxed, some makes me want to dance, some is happy and some is sad. Most jazz is both happy AND sad, which is wonderful. Lester Young soothes my soul.

AW: What is your favorite dessert?
PB: Chocolate bread pudding that is a little crispy on top, and a little gooey inside.

AW: What do you consider to be your greatest achievement?
PB: Creating a life for myself where I get paid to do what I love.

AW: Who are your heroes?
PB: James Marshall, Busby Berkeley, Jane Goodall, Hayao Miyazaki and Jon Stewart.

And, please complete the following:
Curmudgeons make me laugh.

A concept sketch from "The Curious Garden".

Celebrities | Partners

Ali's A-List : Ali Wing
Ali Wing, giggle CEO and founder June 30, 2010

An A-List Interview: Lucy Sykes Rellie

This week we’re talking to Lucy Sykes Rellie. Lucy is well known both for her fashion pedigree and for being a fixture on the New York social scene. (You also might know her as the TJ Maxx “Maxxinista.”) But it’s not just her astute fashion sense that got our attention. Lucy is also the mother of two young boys and has been a designer of high-end children’s clothes that embrace “sensibility with an American twist.” We’re excited to pick Lucy’s brain about what inspires her the most!

 
 

Lucy, her husband and two boys.

Ali Wing: What is your motto?
Lucy Sykes Rellie:

Fake it until you make it.  That means have fun, don’t be held back, never assume that you can’t do anything or achieve anything, and when you’re out of your depth, act the part and you’ll normally be fine.
 
AW: What inspires you?
LSR: The view from my bedroom window in our beach cottage in Water Mill, NY.  The trees are just starting to turn green again.
 
AW: What color are you loving right now?
LSR: Magenta, which is lovely when it’s paired with black & white.  I love the cheekiness of the Liberty of London for Target collection.  It’s old meets new meets now. Those florals have got me thinking again. 
 
AW: What are you currently reading?
LSR: Vicky Ward’s Jackie-Collins-meets-investigative-journalist book, The Devil’s Casino, and Derek Blasberg’s popcorn confection, Classy.

AW: What’s your favorite city/location/destination?
LSR: I just came back from our latest trip to County Carlow in Ireland with my husband Euan Rellie and our boys Heathcliff and Titus.  Everyone should go to stay in the Lisnavagh Cottages in Rathvilly.  They’re something out of the 1940s, surrounded by evocative rolling fields. (info@lisnavagh.com)

AW: Who is your favorite composer, or what is your favorite music genre?
LSR: Tchaikovsky’s ballets, especially Swan Lake and The Sleeping Beauty.

AW: What is your most favorite baby gift you received?
LSR: The simple white, striped towelling in which the nurses wrapped both my boys after they were born at St Vincent’s Hospital in the West Village, NYC.  Tragically, the hospital is closing this month despite our efforts to keep it open.
 
AW: What is the baby product you can’t/couldn’t live without?
LSR: Pyjamas from the Poppy Store, Brentwood Country Mart.  I’m so inspired by Heather Whitney, the co-owner and designer.
 
And please complete the following:
 
…make(s) me laugh.
LSR: “Jersey Shore”.  Have you seen the Vitamin Water ad starring Mike “The Situation” and David Wright of the Mets?  Watch it on YouTube.

My proudest moment in parenting was…
LSR: Titus Rellie singing the alphabet to me in the park yesterday.  He was even prouder than me though.

Celebrities | Designing | Partners | Trends

giggle Chevy Chase : Jacqui
jacqui June 22, 2010

The most fashionable in fitness footwear

Summer is officially here!  So this year, instead of dusting off those worn out flip flops head out and pick up some fitflops.  Yes, thats right, fitflops.  We have all seen those shoes that help get you fit while you walk around (lets be honest, they are kind of hard to miss). Fitflops have changed all of that.  These amazing new shoes are not only fashion-friendly but they really work!  Designed by a busy working mom (also a former personal trainer) who wanted so save time by getting her work out in while she walked, but still look fashionable, and so the fitflop was born.  Fitflops have several benefits including: increasing leg, calf and gluteal muscle activity, improved posture, improved muscle tone, and stimulates aspects of barefoot walking but with more muscle load.  So get your workout in while you walk with a super cute pair of fitflops (Oprah does!)

Celebrities | Health & Wellness | Products | Trends | Uncategorized | giggle Grab Bag

Ali's A-List : Ali Wing
Ali Wing, giggle CEO and founder June 15, 2010

An A-List Interview: Jennifer DeLonge

Jennifer DeLonge is a designer who is right up my alley. Not just in regards to giggle, but in regards to my personal style, as well. I think of her as a Bohemian modernist who manages to keep her designs both fun and beautiful at the same time, combining classic style with her own brand of rocker cool. So I was excited to hear a little more about what inspires Jennifer the most…

Ali Wing: What inspires you?
Jennifer DeLonge: My influences are always changing and I am often inspired at moments when I don’t think there is a spark left to ignite a concept! Traveling is always a big factor whether it’s a new boutique hotel in NYC or a remote beach in the Caribbean that inspires a color palette. As a designer, I have to get out of the office! I am constantly inspired by the greats of mid-century design and love to discover unknown designers as well. Vintage has a huge influence on my design aesthetic when it comes to translating products into modern pieces that families will love. Textiles are so important – handmade items from Thailand and Peru as well as tactile, recycled items that give a room a textured feeling currently inspire me. I am focused on ways to infuse beautiful, original handmade items into the line.
 
AW: What color are you loving right now?
JD: Turquoise with canary yellow, Moroccan blue with tangerine and classic black and white with a pop of green. We just purchased a beach house for weekends and the summer and I am excited to get to work on new color palettes for the home! A new project always teaches you to push the limit on color…to change up the mix.

AW: Who is your favorite composer, or what is your favorite music genre?
JD: I have to be a little biased here and say my husband’s music, especially when he is at home and playing acoustic guitar in our living room. It’s very impromptu and quite beautiful.
 
AW: What is the most favorite baby gift you received?
JD: At my shower for Jonas my friends created the most amazing handmade collage as a piece of art on a framed canvas . With champagne flowing (none for me of course!) the girls created an ode to Jonas that had a picture of each of the girls as a baby. They then wrote the funniest quotes next to each baby face like…”be sure to ask your sister before trying to kiss her friends”.
 
AW: What is the baby product you can’t/couldn’t live without?
JD: Hands down the Luxe glider in my line and the Skip Hop Pronto Changer.

AW: What’s your proudest moment in parenting?
JD: One of my proudest moments in parenting was when my daughter Ava started preschool at 3 years old. She had such confidence walking into the classroom ready to start a new adventure that I felt like I did my job of nurturing a secure, confident little being. She said “See you later, mom” and took off for the playground. I roughly remember being in tears all day, but she was fine!

Celebrities | Designing | Trends

giggle Pasadena : Cindy Kapuy
cindy May 31, 2010

CBS Talk Show

CBS is inviting all moms to be a part of their studio audience for a new and upcoming talk show pilot. Their panel of celebrity mothers will be discussing and debating current issues and topics. It’s a talk show for moms hosted by moms! The taping will take place in Glendale, CA on Friday June 4,2010. For more information, please email them along with your full name and contact number at:

audiencelosangeles@yahoo.com

or (323) 860-8648

Celebrities | Events & Event Planning

giggle blogs : David Netto
David Netto, Founder of NettoCollection May 18, 2010

French Matte

Let’s do a little series where we look at movies we love and the things that make them beautiful. Let’s see if we can find some design ideas that would be good for a child’s room, even if they are discovered as part of the most sophisticated set.

I’ll go first: My wife and I just watched “Indiscreet” (1958, Ingrid Bergman and Cary Grant, directed by Stanley Donen). In Ingrid Bergman’s living room, there is a wall of framed drawings with colorful mattes which are clearly intended to say something about the cheery and impish character who lives there. They are almost themselves a character in the film–which is good because this is not a particularly strong script, to say the least. Everyone’s just enjoying the High Life. Anyway, I think these would be a wonderful way to give a theme and some organization to a child’s room…Not to mention a great way to get some happy colors in there that weren’t because they were on a life-size Barney.

You could frame your own drawing, photographs, or your child’s drawings. You could leave them blank and fill in over time. The point is the mattes and the grid, and even though this was conceived by a great set designer for cosmopolitan effect and to lay out a backdrop for two of the most stylish adults of their time–I think they would be dynamite in a kid’s room.

You know?

Celebrities | Designing | Expecting | Trends

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