Runway Runaway Fashion: The Journey of a Muse

Runway Runaway Fashion: The Journey of a Muse by Lorelei Shellist

In my last blog I gave you a synopsis of my book Runway Runaway and how it was about following my dreams to travel the world and become a runway model. My book tells the gritty side of a glamorous life. Not to put you off – but to let you know that even when heartfelt dreams come true- there are always challenges along the way. The only reason I was able to write that book was because I survived those challenges and lived to tell the tale. But what I didn’t tell you was how long it took to write-edit- and self publish that book. Remember it wasn’t my idea to write it in the first place. It was the idea of a few tenacious Def Leppard fans who wanted to know the answer to the question of why Steve Clark who seemingly had everything, would take his own life. When I finally wrapped my head around writing a book to satisfy Steve’s fans it was intended to be a book about Steve. Not me.

I finally mustered up the courage to go to NYC to meet with the big literary agents who had replied to my letters. However, the response I got was- “Sorry Lorelei, Steve’s not here to go on Oprah and sell the book- besides we want to hear your story. How did you experience all of that? Go back to Nashville – (where I was living at the time) and write your story.” Well I resisted that idea with all of my might. Who would want to hear my story? I’m not exactly Cindy Crawford. And besides I wouldn’t know how to begin. Then once again the muse began to tug at my sleeve. Everyone I knew argued that I should write the book – of course they would want to read about my life… It was so glamorous and different from theirs. They encouraged me and challenged me until I said ok, I’ll give it a try, and the muse took over.

Book cover - Runway Runaway by Lorelei Shellist fashion model - Lorelei wearing zebra print outfit on turquoise and pink background

Runway Runaway A Backstage pass to Fashion, Romance and Rock ‘N Roll

Runway Runaway Fashion: The Journey of a Muse

Every morning at 6AM I would arrive in front of my computer with a hot cup of PG Tips tea and let my fingers go tapping away on the keyboard. My intention was to write for one hour a day. But each day three hours would pass by without notice and I couldn’t believe what was going down on that screen. It just flowed. Still it took two years from start to finish. Then everything changed – the World Trade Center went down and I put down the book to join the Red Cross clean up the mess where the Twin Towers had once stood high in the sky. A month later I went back to my NY literary agent who told me he was sorry- the publishers weren’t interested in that kind of story now- but if I had a book on terrorism – to bring it on.

Was I disappointed? You bet. I’d just spent two years and a lot of money writing that book. But the world changed on that September day and it was time for everyone, including myself to reassess their lives. I left New York and drove across country to Nashville where I packed up my belongings and headed home to California where it all began. I put my manuscript on the shelf and went back to work as a life-style model in Hollywood. I was forty years old and it was time to pass the “glam-girl” baton to the new faces. The jobs I did now were on cruise ships and cereal boxes and I missed the fashion.
black and white wings with purple heart - I am dreams with wings teen esteem program

Wanting to do something more, I began giving workshops teaching life skills to at-risk -runaway teens. I felt this was my calling and so I went about getting more credentials so I could validate myself as a legitimate counselor. I applied and was accepted into the two year Masters program in Spiritual Psychology at the University of Santa Monica. I dove into those classes like a pelican at feeding time, swallowing every morsel of intelligence available to me.

In the second year of the program we were asked to create and produce something that had heartfelt meaning to us. Something we always wanted to do – but never did, or something we started but never finished.  The muse showed up again and told me to dust off the manuscript that had been shelved for seven years. It was time to finish what I’d started and get that book out into the world. Runway RunAway would become my calling card, opening doors to all the ways I could be of service in the world by sharing my own life experiences and empowering others. My education at USM taught me how to counsel not only myself, but others whose lives had been affected by other people’s addictions. After traveling the country promoting my book, I returned to LA and became a full time volunteer coaching at-risk teens and women living in a maximum security- lock-down prison.

Freedom to Choose

Freedom To Choose Foundation Education for a Second Chance

From behind the gates at Valley State Prison in Chowchilla I’ve sat for hours talking with women dressed in blue whose lives had led them to this cold grey gymnasium looking for someone who will listen to them and treat them like human beings again. I began looking around the room at the unique beauty inherent in each one of them – women from the ages of 18 to 85 who didn’t have the means to shop for chic brands labels. They didn’t have the benefit of a hair colorist or even a manicure. But they all looked amazing to me. I learned that women’s hair starts to go grey at a very young age…and in CCWF they let it grow and flow, because in prison that is the norm. I found their individuality and style inspiring based on the fact that they had such little means to make themselves beautiful by way of consumer products and fashions – but they found a way to express themselves none the less.

I was moved and challenged to understand how and why. I discovered that my lifelong experience in the fashion world was now colliding with my education in spiritual psychology. I began delving deeper into the world beneath that which meets the eye and wrote about it until the muse revealed her message to me again.

Lorelei Shellist Empowerment Speaker conducting seminar

Fashion Icon Archetype Personality Programs® by Lorelei Shellist

In 2014 I founded the Fashion Icon ArchetypesPersonality Programs. A series of inner-style workshops educating people on how to dress from a place inside themselves that is confident, conscious and comfortable. This is not about what your colors are, or what labels you wear…this is about connecting with your “inner- stylist” so you decide what to wear from a place of self-knowing. When you know which archetype personalities are running the show you learn to dress to express who you are – instead of dressing to impress others.

 It was from that mindset that I began to value the opportunities I’d had that put me front row center in those couture houses so I could observe just how fashion was made. My curiosity of the history and meaning of fashion has always moved me. I never really cared to know the answer to the question of what other people were wearing – I am always more interested in why people wear what they wear. Meanwhile, the feedback from my universe tells me that I too have a certain sense of style that stands out amongst the crowd. I wasn’t truly aware I had that gift until others pointed it out. And the muse said, “pay attention to yourself too – what are your gifts?” Another seven years had passed – time to reassess, again!

As I counted the blessings I’d received from these extraordinary life experiences I had chosen to have – the ego aspect of my nature – the part that kept me small – began to shrivel and melt away. And what came forward were new ideas- new dreams – new horizons ahead.

Where was I going with all of this? I didn’t even know myself…But I knew what I wanted. A brand that would inspire people to follow their dreams wherever they would take them. And if their lives consisted of travel- whether for business or pleasure- I wanted to make that easier – more comfortable for them. I wanted to help people feel comfortable inside of their skin – no matter what the situation. At work, at, play, on stage, or on the red carpets and runways of the world.

But the muse is always in charge and no one does all of these things alone, and one never knows where an idea will come from. As a matter of fact, it was my assistant, Cindy Gloeckler, who suggested quite strongly and repeatedly, that I start a fashion apparel line of my own! She said, “Lorelei you are a brand. I want you to start a line of your own and I want to help you do it. ”Every hair on my arm stood up and right there in a beer and burger joint in downtown Cleveland, I said “Are you serious? Be careful what you wish for Cindy because I’ve got an idea.”

The next thing I knew I was sketching my first fashion design on a small piece of notebook paper – “Spinal Tap” style.

The Runway Runaway Collection®

The Runway Runaway Collection®

My own muse appeared once again and The Dream Dress® came through as the signature item for what would become the Runway Runaway Collection® for the woman on the run who thrives in her skin.

Something told me exactly what this dress should be and before I could think about it the words fell out of my mouth. The Dream Dress® takes you from day to dinner, from dawn to dusk, from dining to dancing, to your wildest heartfelt dreams. It’s a dress that every woman will be able to wear in comfort, in class, in colors, to work to play to wherever her heart leads her.” Many times, over the course of three years, I nearly gave up – spending my own money, working long hours, spinning my wheels and trying to hold on. Cindy never wavered…she’s optimistic to a fault. “You can do this Lorelei I’ve got your back.”

Your Best Friend Beauty

Stacey Schieffelin & Lorelei Shellist

Then out of the blue I received an email from a gal I used to model with on the runways of the world. We were friends in our 20’s but hadn’t seen one another in forever. Stacey Schieffelin. Stacey, and her husband David, built her cosmetic line YBF Beauty line – (which stands for Your Best Friend) into a multimillion dollar company. Stacey sells her products on the Home Shopping Network so she knows the ins and outs of  the network trade. I asked her if she would mentor me and she asked me for my pitch.

I took a breath and gave her my elevator speech on The Dream Dress® will take you from day to dinner, from dawn to dusk, from dining to dancing, to your wildest heartfelt dreams.”  Stacey laughed and said, “Lorelei, I hear pitches everyday and that’s the best one yet!” Send me your NDA and anything else you want to share with me and let’s see where this goes. She then introduced me to the woman in Montreal who had helped her put out her own apparel line and we hit it off right away. Cydney Mar is a fantastic designer in her own right, she knows merchandising, manufacturing, and fashion inside out. She “gets me,” and she “gets my line.”

Your New best Friend! is Your Old Best Friend! Stacey Schieffelin & Lorelei Shellist

Your New best Friend! is Your Old Best Friend! Stacey Schieffelin & Lorelei Shellist

After a couple of months of communicating back and forth between Stacey,David, and Cydney Mar about my brand, it became evident that we were all aligned to develop my Runway Runaway Collection.®  Thankfully my dream team, with Cindy Gloeckler as my right hand, and Shelly E. my social network manager as my left, all my lovely ducklings are falling in line. I have never been more excited in my life and I have done some exciting things in my time. I am grateful, enthused and amused by the journey I am on. I hope you’ll come along too as the Runway Runaway Collection® evolves and launches in 2018 because I guarantee there will be The Dream Dress® just for you!

 Stay tuned for more Runway Runaway Fashion: The Journey of a Muse

Lorelei Shellist

“Don’t let your dreams runaway from you!”

 

 

Travel Tote Tip #5 Packing Your Goddess Survival Tote Bag

 Travel Tote Tip #5 Packing Your Goddess Survival Tote Bag

Have you ever had a last minute invitation for a weekend getaway, or the urge to just “get out of Dodge” at a moments notice and then thought…oh dear I have to pack…

If you are anything like me then your plate is already full of responsibilities, commitments, promises and invitations that you accepted way too far in advance to know where life was leading you. Sometimes I just need to get away to the beach, or the forest, or, as Taylor Swift would say, “out of the woods!”

Other times I may need to have a meeting in another city to edit a video, do a job interview, or reconnect with a family relative I hadn’t seen in forever. Packing can seem like a drag when all of a sudden there are clothing choices and decisions on top of everything else. Add in a plane trip to say…Vegas or Atlantic City and who wants to pay the new “luggage fees” the airlines are now charging?

Do you live in the city or have a long commute to work and back? I do. I live in Los Angeles. It can take me an hour to get from one side of town to the other…and sometimes even longer in traffic. So when I know I have a long day of driving from place to place I already know I won’t have time to go home and change in between. I may need to “scrub up” after a yoga class on my way to a lunch meeting in Beverly Hills and then go to a dinner meeting over in North Hollywood or Malibu. There is no possible way I can get home and change in between meetings on a day like that!

So I decided to get it down to a science and I asked myself. “ok, Lor, what do you really need?” By the way, did I mention that I have a dog, a cup of coffee and keys in my hand as I descend down 16 stairs to get to my garage? I don’t really want to carry a suitcase too! Instead I keep my Tote bag make-up, hair, and Goddess goody essentials packed so the only things that may vary inside my over-the-shoulder tote bag are my outfits and shoes. The final decision on what to wear will be dictated by the weather and the occasions ahead – making it clear, clean and simple.

Travel Tote Tip #5 Packing Your Goddess Survival Tote Bag video to see how I pack my Goddess Survival bag!

Stay tuned because soon I will be launching my own “Runway RunAway Collection ® …but meanwhile use your imagination and have fun creating your own Goddess Survival Tote for the Man or Woman on the Run!

“Don’t let your dreams runaway from you!

Lorelei

 

Travel Tote Tip #4 Goddess Survival Kit

Travel Tote Tip #4 Goddess Survival Kit

Have you ever been on a plane, train or in a hotel and chipped your fingernail polish only to discover you don’t have any polish remover? Out of frustration you begin to try to scratch it off just because it looks worse half on – than completely off. Or, you get a run in your stocking, just down at the toes and you wish you had polish to stop the run. Or maybe you catch a cold on the flight and you can’t sleep at night because you are in some strange place and you are all alone. You ring the hotel concierge and they direct you to the pharmacy just a few blocks or miles away, but it’s late, you are tired – or worse you are in a hurry to get to that special event you flew there for. At times like this, you wish you had a valet, a nurse, a personal assistant, or even your mom!

Travel Tote Tip #4 Goddess Survival Kit will take care of you when you least expect it.

If you have been following my tote tips all along here then you already know I was a runway model who traveled constantly, following the collections around Europe and North America. We mannequins had it made backstage once we arrived at the shows because the hair and make-up team came with their rolling carts and plastic bags full of everything a girl could possibly need to transform themselves into living dolls. We were prepped, patted and perfected in every way possible and so we didn’t need to bring anything at all!

Fast forward to my life “on the road” with my fiancé Steve Clark. Steve was the lead guitarist, song-meister, and riff master of the band Def Leppard whose album Hysteria instigated a two year, international world tour. Because both of our careers took us far and wide, Steve and I created a pact: we would never go more than two weeks without seeing each other.  This required one of us to pack a bag and travel to the other one’s working location. We were blessed to be able to do that and sometimes we found ourselves in very far away, foreign places. Nonetheless, Steve and I experienced the term, “living out of a suitcase” to the extreme.

But again, rock stars are pampered to the max and Def Leppard was no exception. Backstage the band had Robin Lemon, the adorable nurturing wardrobe mistress for the entire “Hysteria Tour.” Robin had also worked on the band’s previous “Pyromania Tour,” so she already knew what the band wanted and needed. Robin had road cases filled with the necessities to take care of any situation. From muscle aches to hangovers – from split jeans to big hair 80’s style hair products, to a washing machine, a dryer and even a sewing machine that prompted Steve to give her the pet name “Bobbin!”

I learned a lot from Bobbin those days on the road –especially on how to take care of Steve…but back in our hotel rooms there was something that our beloved Bobbin could not deliver; a place that felt like our own – which led me to this idea: Travel Tote Tip #4 Goddess Survival Kit

Many of you who travel for business may already know the adrenaline that comes with all the unexpected surprises that may come to be. It can be hard to relax in a generic, sometimes cold environment, no matter how “boutique” your hotel may be. Steve and I both had problems calming down after our shows. A day literally “on the run” getting from runway to runway…that would be a private plane or a fashion show in our world, could put our nervous systems into over drive. Hence, the drinking, the sleepless nights, even the loneliness caused by being away from home for months on end. So I began to decorate our rooms. I traveled with candles, incense, matches, scarves, flowers and love.

Steve used to tell me I was a goddess when I would recreate the ambience in our room to make it feel more like home. I’ll never forget the night Steve proposed to me in our hotel room at the Milford Plaza in New York City… I wrote about that night in my book “Runway RunAway: A Backstage pass to Fashion, Romance & Rock ’n Roll. Looking back, I guess you could say that Travel Tote Tip #4 Goddess Survival Kit was a welcomed gift.

If you think you could use a few tricks of the trade check out the video called: Travel Tote Tip #4 Goddess Survival Kit, and “Don’t let your dreams runaway from you!”

Travel Safe and Bring YOUR Style to Life!

Lorelei

 

Travel Tote Tips #3 – Hair Essentials

Travel Tote Tips #3 Hair Essentials

How is your hair behaving this summer? If it’s anything like mine – curly, frizzy, untamed, it goes wicked in the humidity – the ocean dampness, and even under the hot lights of the world of glamour I sometimes travel in. That’s why I have narrowed down what I actually need to have on hand….simple products to sooth and smooth my hair! I have created this video Travel Tote tips #3 Hair Essentials to help you simplify what you need too!

How many of you actually like your hair? It seems we all wish we had some other type of hair. When I was a teenager, all the “popular girls” at the beach had long blonde, stick straight, smooth hair. It was Christy Brinkley hair here, and Christy Brinkley hair there 🙁  Here I was with this frizzy, auburn, wavy hair. My best friend Cindy Cowsill had even curlier hair than I did and we used to wine about it all the time. We didn’t have hair straightening wands or flat irons back then. So, what did we do? Before going out to the summer parties I would call over the backyard fence to Cindy’s….”Turn on the iron Cin!” Then I’d climb up the ladder I’d placed at the back of her tiki room roof, walk across it… and then climb the pulldown stairs up to the attic to  Cindy’s bedroom. We’d then take turns laying our heads down sideways on top of the ironing board, carefully smoothing our hair on top of  it, and cover it with a towel so as not to singe it. We would then iron each others hair as flat as we could get it!

Looking back at pictures of the two of us then, I still giggle and roar. I had this wave at the top of my forehead that I could not get rid of – and the rest of my hair was flattened as straight as straw! Cindy had it on both sides of her middle part too! And the worst part of it was… living here by the ocean, it didn’t last!!! As soon as we’d start dancing the heat and moisture would trickle down from our scalps and the frizzy curls would return to our dismay. Oh Cindy, how did we ever survive?

So, here I am today with Travel Tote tips #3 Hair Essentials you can add or subtract whatever works for you. Flat irons, curling irons, round brushes…and PRODUCTS! Whatever it takes to work it to your own liking 🙂

I wish I’d known then what I know now. I hope you will enjoy my Travel Tote tips #3 Hair Essentials video to help you make sure you have the basic ingredients to look natural and beautiful at any given time. It’s all you’ll need to get up and go girl!

Travel smart!

Lorelei

 

 

Travel Tote Tips #2 Makeup Essentials

Travel Tote Tips #2 Makeup Essentials

Hot summer days and too much make-up don’t mix well. In order to blend with nature, hot weather, summer swims, and breezy winds, I like to keep my make-up very simple. Especially if I want getaway at a moments notice. Here’s why I created this video Travel Tote tips #2 Makeup Essentials.

I recall a time in my career as a model when I was just 19 years old. Before I even thought of writing Travel Tote tips #2 Makeup Essentials. I had just arrived in Milan and my very first booking was in Verona Italy. I had to find my way to Milan’s Stazioni Centrale, buy a ticket and board the train with some other models. I was very nervous. I didn’t speak Italian, and I hadn’t even met my agents. Here I was already on my way to work and I had to travel across Italy to get there! Luckily I was able to find the other models in line at the ticket booth. Even in a crowded train station, American models stood out in the crowd.

These girls were a bit older than I was at the time; more seasoned and professional. So, I followed them onto the train and into the 6 seat compartment like a little lamb. As we pulled out of the station and into the grey mist of the early morning I watched the most industrial buildings of Milan pass by through the window. In the quiet of my reverie I was thinking Milan looked more like Pittsburgh than New York. When all of a sudden one of the models jolted me out of my inner mind and announced. “Uh oh, I forgot to pack my make-up bag! Do you think there will be a makeup artist there?” Another model replied, “I don’t think so, we’ll have to do our own.” The first girl then said, “oh well I do have a lipstick and an eyebrow pencil in my purse. I can use the lipstick for my lips and cheeks, the brow pencil to line my eyes and brows … what else do I really need?” And everyone agreed. What more do we really need? We all assured her that she could borrow makeup from each of us and she felt confident that she could do the job with out a makeup artist or even her own makeup bag. I will never forget that experience on that train. Ever since when I go to do my makeup I stop and think…“What do I really need to look natural and beautiful?”

I wish I’d known then what I know now. That’s why I am offering this to you. Please enjoy my Travel Tote tips #2 Makeup Essentials video to help you make sure you have the basic ingredients to look natural and beautiful at any given time. It’s all you’ll need to get up and go girl!

Travel smart!

Lorelei

 

 

Summer Travel Tote Tips

Summer Travel Tote Tips!

Hello Beautiful RunAways,

Summer is here and it’s travel time. Summer Travel Tote tips to help you pack for weekend escapes, visits to the gym, or long distance business travel.  It’s helpful and empowering to have on hand everything you need to enjoy a comfortable getaway.

As a frequent flier myself, I have often found myself in some hotel room without those little necessities I need. It may be something simple like: a cuticle cutter when a hangnail has occurred, leaving me biting instead of snipping away the problem. Or, maybe it’s a pack of matches to light a candle, a razor, aspirin or sunblock!

In my 7 part series for men and women you will learn my personal fashion, travel tote tips that show how to pack your bags – once and for all, with everything you could possibly need for those last minute emergencies and day to day necessities. Here are the first 2 videos in the series.

Travel safe my little RunAways!

Lorelei