Skin on Skin A Fashion Film – Delivering a Dream

Skin on Skin A Fashion Film – Delivering a Dream

"Skin on Skin" A Fashion Film

“Skin on Skin” A Fashion Film

My Dear Angels, Supporters of this wild and fantastic ride to make “Skin on Skin” A Fashion Film… I salute you!

You are probably wondering where I have been after ten months of postings and blogging about the making of this short film! You may think, “Lorelei is MIA” – but in fact, I was not- I was just working away so I could deliver the dream.

Because you have been such a great support, not only financially, but by encouraging me, sharing my posts and holding a loving space for the success of this film, I feel I owe it to you to let you in on the things I’ve experienced while forging ahead with this project to make a fashion film.

Fashion Film Carla Sims doing Kaitlyn Browns hair for the Red Carpet scene.

Carla Sims doing Kaitlyn Browns hair for the Red Carpet scene.

When I accepted a film directors offer and set out to make a little 4-minute fashion film, I really didn’t know what I was getting myself into. I have always believed in the saying, “when opportunity knocks, don’t complain about the noise,” so I said “yes” to producing this film.

Unbeknownst to me were the challenges that would arise and the unbelievable amount of working hours it would take to actually produce it. However, because it is always my intention to put out content that has depth and meaning, I knew that I wasn’t here to just make a fashion film. My mission would be to create a film that would serve to inspire people like you and me to follow our dreams, no matter what curveballs life throws at us. Of course, the universe put me to the test bringing up hidden opportunities for me to grow, disguised as challenges, problems, and road blocks.

My first challenge was to overcome the shame and fear of asking for your help to help fund the making of Skin on Skin A Fashion Film – delivering a dream. My next challenge was to learn to receive your help without feeling guilty or obligated.

Fashion Film Jonathan Shrader & Major Latimer w/ Renee Knorr on set!

Jonathan Shrader & Major Latimer w/ Renee Knorr on set!

Then I witnessed your support and this kept me moving forward. I learned to “own it.” Your confidence and willingness to believe in the project and in me gave me the strength I needed to carry on.  I realized that I must support you and your dreams too. Many of you shared your dreams with me and I was able to do just that.

After that came all the challenges that go with the process…. pre-production – production and then post-production of the film. Starting with the idea and mustering up the courage it would take to follow through and tackle the logistics. Casting the right actors, crew, locations, admin and promotion team, in order to bring the dream to the screen was a feat in itself. Because dreams are for everyone, we cast a diverse talent pool employing three deaf actors, ASL interpreters, multi-ethnicities, and models of all shapes and sizes. Then came the actual shooting of the film, and my learning to deal with personalities that would test my ability to communicate with people who had issues and needs of their own. I realized I needed to support those people in their lives and fears too.

My personal life brought in its struggles as well. My friends and family got the least amount

Fashion Film Brandon White, me & Igor Dejenge goofing BTS

James Mc Gowan, Brandon White, me & Igor Dejenge goofing BTS

of my time while I juggled my volunteer work with the At-Risk teens, the women in prison and the students I assisted at my alma mater- USM. When my big sister Corinne went in for a liver transplant… I knew I had to be there for her and for her family. Waiting for weeks on end for my sister to recover, all the while worrying that perhaps we had lost her forever. The film took a back seat. I am happy to say I was there when she did finally “come to” and say her first sardonic words, “Well, I never thought I would be glad to see you!” I laughed and said, “you’re back!” Heaven smiling down on all of us, especially Corinne, giving her a second chance to wake up from a dark and faraway dream.

Skin on Skin A Fashion Film – Delivering a Dream

Heaven sent angels like you to join our team, sharing this vision with grace and ease and only one team member would prove to be more difficult to handle than I could have ever known. The most important player on the team would test my growing edge by threatening to walk away from the film at every turn. I had no idea that he would not stay to see the vision through. But I could not give up, knowing that you had all put your money on the table and your faith in me to get it done. I had to deliver, so, I forged on, even when that person walked away just weeks before the festival submission deadline! We had yet to shoot the final scene, the b-roll inserts, the music, narration, and finally to edit the film. Now I knew what the job of a producer really entailed. It was up to me to finish the project with the bare bones of what I was left with. I was scared, worried, and shocked that the one who brought this idea to me would walk away from his own creation and I wasn’t sure what to do next. Even though I had run out of the funds I needed to complete the film, I was determined to deliver what I had promised to all of you and so I held for a miracle.

Fashion Film Ashton Clay having her all her hairs done by Edith Beltran

Ashton Clay having her all her hairs done by Edith Beltran

As fortune would have it more earth angels stepped in. People who believed in the vision and shared the deeper meaning behind what I was trying to do. People whose own dreams were aligning with mine. Together we would support each other’s dreams as a team. After all, that is what this project was all about- supporting each other in our dreams and modeling how to do that in spite of every challenge and pitfall one could imagine. Enter the talented and tireless editor Chris Randour, the amazing composer Peitor Angell, the gifted photographer Jeff Fasano, and the scoring engineers Peter Mullen and Barry Weir Jr. to save the day. It is a universal law that art takes on a life of its own and I felt this story wanted to be told. Knowing that everything happens for a reason and that these challenges were part of a divine design for the highest good of all concerned.

Barry Weil Jr. sound master and me!

Barry Weil Jr. sound master and me!

Fashion Film Peitor Angell with Barry Weil Jr. at the controls!

Peitor Angell with Barry Weil Jr. at the controls!

I wasn’t sure how to continue to tell the story without our director onboard, so I gave creative license to my new team players, allowing them to express their authentic gifts and talents in their own way. It was truly a team effort and the magic they brought to the telling of this story was quite different than what had been written in the original script. After I gathered the missing pieces it would take to fill in the blanks…the story revealed itself in the final mix and I was extremely relieved and happy that we were able to deliver the film by the midnight deadline on Memorial Day weekend.

Angels, it has been an extraordinary, nail biting, wild ride, and I could not have done it without any of you. As a result, what was intended to be a four-minute fashion film showed up in the version of a “short film!” With a little over nine minutes of film, my final concerns were how it would be received by the festival jurors. Would it get in? Would it stand on its own? Would they feel inspired to follow their dreams too? That is all that mattered to me. Skin on Skin is really about what happens underneath your skin when you follow your dreams. It was time to walk my talk and to prize myself for being “fully engaged while letting go of the outcome.” I did my part, we all did, and now Skin on Skin was out of my hands taking on a life of its own. Much to my surprise, “Skin on Skin ~ A Fashion Film” has been nominated in four categories at the La Jolla Fashion Film Festival 2016!

Skin on Skin A Fashion Film – Delivering a Dream

Fashion Film Best Documentary Skin on Skin

Best Documentary
Skin on Skin

Fashion Film Skin on Skin Best Editing

Skin on Skin Best Editing

Thank you all for your undying support, your kindness, your love, and your light. Thank you for joining this remarkable field of dreams. Thank you for never giving up on me and for staying on course with your own dreams too. I will never forget you and the lessons and the learnings from the world of dreams. These nominations are for you!

Fashion Film Best Narration Skin on Skin

Best Narration
Skin on Skin

Fashion Film Best Music Skin on Skin

Best Music
Skin on Skin

Love Always,

Lorelei

the

Siren Star Angel Dream Team!

 

Runway Runaway Fashion: My Secret Dream designed to amuse you!

Runway Runaway Fashion:

My Secret Dream designed to amuse you!

If you had a secret dream that you’d been working towards for years – that you didn’t even know you had – and your dream became a reality, would you shout it out loud from the top of the Eiffel tower – or whisper it quietly from your ashram?

As I breathe in courage and exhale enthusiasm it gives me pleasure to share some exciting dreams with you. You may already know that I have been involved in the fashion industry for most of my life. My self penned book Runway RunAway: A Backstage Pass to Fashion, Romance & Rock ‘n Roll illustrated the true story of neglected child turned teenage runaway who follows her dreams to become an international model, eventually finding herself in the process. I went from the streets of Los Angeles a teenage waitress, to the catwalks of Paris, Milan, Rome, Tokyo and New York, working as a model/muse to Lagerfeld at Chanel, YSL, Christian LaCroix, Geoffrey Beene, Bob Mackie and more…

My story goes on to share about the doomed love my life; my then fiancé Steve Clark, lead guitar player and masterful songwriter of the multi-platinum selling rock band, Def Leppard. Ultimately fleeing and finding the strength to save myself, I shared the candid and blatant truth of how I survived the greatest loss in my life, the aftermath and the determination to not only survive, but to heal my-self, and help others.

Runway RunAway Fashion. I don’t know how I became a “muse” to some of fashion designers of our time, or, how I managed to “amuse” my musical lovers in so much as to inspire the writings of a few classic rock ballads…some of which are chapter titles in my book. But I am beginning to understand why…

Lorelei Shellist modeling at 16

Model Lorelei at 16

My style of dress growing up around Pacific Palisades and Topanga Beach and consisted mostly of bikini’s – halter tops- flip flops- and Hawaiian shirts tied up around my waist. What’s now called branded as “surf and skate culture fashion”  we found in 2nd hand stores like the Aardvark’s Odd Ark in Venice, California.  My friends and I followed the bands that played tribute to the Rolling Stones and Led Zepplin. I liked to dress like Robert Plant in bell bottom jeans and shirts tied up around my waist with a little Mick Jagger’s sparkle style scarves thrown in for pizzazz.

Robert Plant

Robert Plant Hip Fashion

My high-school sweetheart was the fashionable Brian Ray. He played a gold Les Paul and wore snakeskin boots. Back then he was just a local guitar star…today he plays guitar and bass in Paul McCartney’s band. We broke up in his British MGBGT, but to this day I’ll never forget those snakeskin boots.

Fast forward. I’m living in Milan at age 19 running around on “go-sees” in in spike heels on cobblestone streets, meeting the designers for the runway shows taught me everything I needed to know about 1st impressions. A naïve girl standing in front of the gatekeepers to Valentino, Armani, or Moschino has an awful lot to learn. I tried my best to express my individual style while still looking graceful and cutting edge. Even if I didn’t know what cutting edge was- I picked up on all the clues that those designers would leave around like the crumbs thrown to pigeons’ in the Piazza San Marco.

In Paris at age 20 the competition was fierce. Getting into the doors of Yves Saint Laurent or Dior was next to impossible if you didn’t have someone behind you pushing you through them. I thought I knew how to dress until my German boyfriend told me I didn’t. He took me shopping in St. Germaine to a boutique of “a friend.” He styled me and dressed me and when they totaled the tab for clothes at the register – he left me with the bill of over 5000 francs- the equivalent of $1000. US at the time. I loved the clothes so I put them on hold and found a way to pay for them myself. I was secretly mad at him- but he must’ve known something. My style of dress just wasn’t up to par for Paris and it was his way of telling me. He hung out with Vivienne Westwood and Malcom McLaren- and what an education in fashion I got from those two. The good news was that I did start getting past the doors of those infamous gatekeepers.

black and white photo of Lorelei on the runway - Fashion Designer’s EntelechyI soaked up everything I could about fashion and design while being nipped and tucked with needles, threads and straight pins by the geniuses themselves.

During my tenure at YSL I witnessed the brilliance of not only the designer Monsieur Saint Laurent himself, but his gifted assistants too. I gasped for air every time LouLou De La Falaise cinched a belt around my waist- and tiptoed out of the studio holding back a formal curtsy under the glaring eyes of Madame Munoz- Yves, right hand madwoman.

YSLParadoxically over at La Maison de Chanel I was delighted whenever Keiser Karl’s young jewelry designer Victoire de Castellane draped me in jewels, or when Lagerfeld’s chief design assistant Gilles Du Four wrapped a stole around my shoulder’s- cigarette dangling from the corner of his mouth.  And at Ungaro- well, that was an education in itself- but more on how to “show” how to “stand” and how to “present” Emanuel’s priceless creations under the critical eye of the master himself. And critical he was.

Still, under the brilliant tutelage of team LouLou De La Falaise – Meister Lagerfeld – Vivienne Westwood – Georgio Armani – Valentino –Yves Saint Laurent – Lecoanet Hemant -Guy Laroche – …oh, there others – many others…I expanded in beauty and wisdom unknowingly, like a schoolgirl in the front row of the class – I noted them all.

The discipline and direction I received contracted as model for those iconic houses aligned me with opportunities all over the world. They softened my feathers and like an awkward gangly pelican I turned into a swan. My presence on the runway became more fluid and graceful and so I began to fly.  I followed the collections from Milan to London to Paris- to New York – to Tokyo. When my contracts in the off-seasons completed I would fly to Dusseldorf- Spain- and Dublin to show for the designers there. And on one snowy December night in walked the love of my life, Steve Clark. A young, timid, unassuming rock star who’d also been living out of a suitcase. I’d met my match.

The travel in my life doubled as the two of us hopped planes – trains and – you know the drill, to be at each other’s side.  When we came together on our days off often we would shop. Strolling into Cartier in Place du Vendome, two twenty-some-things, skinny as rails, Steve with his long blonde hair, me with my blood red lipstick, eyeballing the big glass cases filled with sparkling jewels. The hawk-eyed salesmen would usher us toward the exit until Steve would plop down his gold American express card and say, “I’ll ‘ave that,”- In one instance pointing to a Cartier panther ring from the Duchess of Windsor collection and placing it on my finger. Amazing how perceptions change when money exchanges hands. Then we would celebrate over vodka and caviar and talk about the stage clothes he was dreaming about wearing on the next tour.

Back then stylists were few- we didn’t know any so we styled ourselves.

Steve bought me a sewing machine and I collected accessories and trinkets like flags, polka dots and studs, while following the runway collections around the world. I put my foot on the pedal of my sewing machine like a blindfolded race car driver making jackets, belts, and patched up jeans for Steve to wear onstage during the Hysteria World Tour.

Steve Clark Def Leppard

Blonde & Black Beauty wearing my Flag Jacket

He loved my designs and my wardrobe. Often I would come across a newspaper photo of Steve taken while he was on tour wearing one of my blouses. In fact, Steve became the most photographed member of the band whose biggest radio hit back then was called “Photograph.” I became his personal designer, stylist, and spiritual confidant. Steve was curious about the occult and the deeper meanings of life. I had always been a soul searcher and inner explorer so our inner-worlds dovetailed when our outer-worlds failed to keep us grounded and the reality of living our dreams became more tense and real.

I have always felt my connection with the greater intelligence, or, as I like to call it, “the cosmic muse.” There behind the veil is the cast of characters – the collective unconscious – the “archetypical dream team” that is apart of who I am. It is that muse who inspires me to continue to follow my own heartfelt dreams and to inspire, uplift, and motivate others to do the same. The muse dresses me and it dresses you.  My dream dressing muses take on lives of their own and often they propel at a rate I would never expect. That’s why my first dream has led to another, and another, and another…like a puff white snowball catching speed. The force of this muse is magical, mysterious and magnificent. Runway Runaway fashion… my secret dream is designed to amuse you!

What secret dreams amuse you? 

Will you shout them out loud or keep them a secret too?

Follow your heart – Never give up and…

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

xo Lorelei

 

 

 

 

The Explorer Fashion Icon Archetype stops to smell the flowers.

The Explorer Fashion Icon Archetype stops to smell the flowers.

On a recent trip to Ontario, Canada, I happened upon a lovely young creative artist named Shireen Nadir at an organic winery called Frogpond Farm in Niagara.

I couldn’t help being drawn towards The Blue Brick Jewelry table because the designs are so unique and magnetic to the eye. I immediately whipped out my trusty iPhone and asked if I could take a quick little video of her to share with all of you. Shireen was delighted and jumped towards the opportunity like a cat to catnip.

Shireen comes across as soft spoken and quite knowledgeable about her craft. Not only that, she speaks warmly of her fiancé, and soon to be husband, who is the silversmith and metal maker who designs the encasements that host the delicate flowers molded in resin.

Because Shireen is confident in her understanding of how to make this unique art, she doesn’t mind telling you everything about it. In fact, she has written a step-by-step book featuring her own illustrative photography sharing all of her knowledge in detail with those interested in learning all you need to know about resin jewelry.

However, Shireen doesn’t stop there… she is also an avid photographer, a diligent knitter, (her knitwear designs sell on Etsy and Ravelry.com) and and a blogger too! In her blogs she’ll tell you all about her yarn designs, color schemes, and most likely, she’ll even teach you to knit it yourself!

The Explorer Fashion Icon Archetype™ stops to smell the flowers…and wants to wear them too!

As an image consultant and beauty blogger myself, it is always refreshing to come across a true artist that inspires me too. I am now the proud owner of a very unique necklace made by Shireen and her Salvadoran, husband to be. (pictured here)

The Explorer Fashion Icon Archetype

The Blue Brick jewelry by Shireen Nadir.

The delicate heart of an iris flower was my mothers’ favorite flower, so now when I wear it, I think of my dear mum. Being that one of my own dominant Fashion Icon Archetypes™ is the “Explorer” archetype…I love to find things on my travels that nobody else has. I want to feel a connection to everything I wear. It has to have a story, a memory, and a feeling attached to it. It gives meaning to the things I wear. As author and philosopher Eckhart Tolle, (who ironically lives in Canada,) reminds us… beauty is everywhere… it encourages us to be present. Tolle says that when we stop and smell the flowers, we will be “grounded in stillness and inner peace.” It is all about “awareness.”

That is why meeting Shireen and discovering her one-of-a-kind, hand crafted jewelry made from real flowers, was like finding buried treasure for me! I am all about bringing consciousness to dressing and helping others become more aware of what they are buying, wearing, and the messages they are sending about themselves every time they walk out their door.

This beautifully, mindfully, crafted piece of wearable art speaks to my inner explorer as well as my outer explorer. When I made that purchase I knew that this was money well spent. My purchase had meaning to me and hopefully to others too. Why, because it is beautiful, and beauty is what I love to share with the world. Not only that, I know whose hands made this tiny piece of “her-story.” And I am blessed to wear it always.

This Explorer Fashion Icon Archetype™ not only stops to smell the flowers…she wants to wear them too!

“Bring Your Style to Life!”

Lorelei

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

 

La Jolla Fashion Film Festival or HSN? by Lorelei Shellist

La Jolla Fashion Film Festival or HSN?

Where do people find their style,  at the La Jolla Fashion Film Festival or HSN? The world is changing at a rapid speed. Anything that crosses our palm pilots can grab our attention and steal away with our most private moments. Our attention spans are limited and so we work fast, eat fast, dress fast and even sleep fast. The Millennial generation today spends much of their time looking down into their phones for everything from music, to food, to fashion. Parents are worried that their kids are missing the beauty of a natural life. Network television is worried that they are not watching their TV shows, while name brands are worried they won’t wear their labels as they gobble up fashion like fast food. The only people who are not worried are the advertisers. With everyone staring at their phones – advertising is literally in their faces!

The greatest quality of life is love. The next best thing is beauty. Beauty represents love in a more physical form. We see love when we see beautiful things. That is why Eckhart Tolle, best known as the author of “The Power of Now,” encourages us to stop and smell the flowers; to be present with ourselves and find the beauty within. That is an experience no one, not even a millennial’ can find in their phones, tablets, or iPads.

La Jolla Fashion Film Festival aka: LJFFF is the largest gathering of fashion filmmakers in the world. It is so exclusive that you have to be invited to attend and you won’t find “in your face” advertising there either. Why? Because Fashion Films were born out of beauty. Fashion for the sake of style. These films represent the beauty of subtlety, and the impact these films have on the viewers subconscious is far more potent than the advertising industry could have ever dreamed of. The founder and producer of LJFFF Fred Sweet knows this, and so do I.

La Jolla Fashion Film Festival or HSN?

When I was a young model living as “an American in Paris,” one of my favorite past times was to go to the cinemas on the Avenue des Champs-Élysées. As I struggled with the French language and my American accent, the cinema was my safe place. I could go there to watch movies in English with French subtitles and see images of home. But, they had something more, something different, something special at the movies there…. something we did not have at home. They didn’t show advertising before the films. They didn’t try to sell you coke, cars or candy. They showed beautiful, stunning, glamorous short films made for the fashion houses and perfumeries like Cache, Lolita Lempicka, Cacharel, Guerlin, and other brands that have long since disappeared. They were slow, romantic, and almost dreamlike. They told stories without words and they took the audience on a journey to a place inside themselves. It was an experience to have – but not to hold. Those vignettes drifted away in front of my eyes but remained in my consciousness to this day. What the French did was connect the viewers with their brands through beauty. It was elegant, sophisticated and priceless.

After ten years of living in Europe I became more refined. The American edge I had gone there morphed into a more graceful and sophisticated sense of style. Working as a couture muse in front of the iconic designers Yves St. Laurent, Karl Lagerfeld, Christian LaCroix and others, taught me to be more conscious of what goes into fashion and what separated the men from the boys. As far as image and branding was concerned it was all about beauty.

I learned so much standing there behind the scenes in those ateliers in Paris, Rome and Milan being pinched and pinned into those glamorous gowns. I lapped up everything I saw from the” tailleurs,” (tailors) to “le petite mains, ” (the one’s hand stitching fine fabrics) to the ones who did the embroideries, the shoes, the hats the accessories…like a thirsty little kitten. I was enthralled at how everyone paid such attention to every detail of beauty and magnificence. It was no wonder these garments were selling for thousands of dollars a piece. Everyone who touched them – blessed them with their presence. There was dignity, dedication, and life, sewn into every single creation. I left Europe completely nourished by the art of fashion and style, as if I had been to the grandest banquet of all.

The nutrition guru David “Avocado” Wolfe is quoted saying, “The subtle energy of your food becomes your mind. The ultimate conclusion of “you are what you eat” is that everything you put into your mouth is going to affect your mind, body & spirit.” Well I say the same thing about fashion: “You are what you wear. The way you show up in the world expresses who you are on the inside – and sends that message to the world outside.”

So what are you feeding yourself and what are you buying into? Is it fast food and fast fashion?

In this blog you will see my own review of LJFFF. I share this with you because it is special to me. One year I was honored to be asked to host and emcee the three-day festival. There I met directors, producers, stylists and make-up artists from around the globe. I enjoyed hearing their personal stories of what brought them to this unique métier. This year I interviewed Linda Comer, director of San Diego Model Management and right hand to Fred Sweet the founder of LJFFF. Linda is a hard working, dedicated, and beautiful woman who started her career in fashion as a perfume model. Comer knows the sweet and sensual scent of the the sweaty fashion industry inside out.

I also had the pleasure of meeting Simone Cipriani, CEO of the Ethical Fashion Initiative which is the operational arm of the International Trade Centre and the Poor Communities Trade Program (PCTP). EFI’s mission is to empower the women who live in third world countries earn fair wages in safe, dignified working environments’. Brands like Stella McCartney, and Vivienne Westwood, are partnering with EFI and having their designs manufactured in this more caring way. It is the only answer to the global problems created by fashions made in sweat shops. When a shopper marvels at a soft cotton T-shirt selling for $3.95 – I hope they ask themselves how a company can they make and sell something for that low a price? You will be surprised at what the answer to that question is. What is the cost to all of us…really?

I love fashion and I love to express myself through the way I dress in the best way I can. I also love to design minimal items that encompass all one needs to live a life of luxury sparingly. The luxurious life I lived meant traveling to the “collections” in runway of fashion. Literally living out of a suitcase jumping from taxis to metros, and from trains to planes. It’s not as glamorous as it sounds – carrying those bags yourself -so I learned all I really needed to be presentable was a few select items. That is why I have created the Runway RunAway Collection (®) and The Dream Dress (®) for the entrepreneurial woman on the go! The Dream Dress (®) will take you anywhere. With your RRC(®) Travel Totes in tow, you’ll have all you need. The unfortunate thing is here in America we don’t have the cinematic Champs-Élysées subtle style of selling fashion. So, my intention is to launch my Runway RunAway Collection (®) at LJFFF in full fashion film form next year. Next, I will air it on the Home Shopping Network (HSN) where you’ll find it on your phone!

From the La Jolla Fashion Film Festival to HSN …in this day and age, that is where fashion seems to be!

From fashion to film to you!

Love, 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

 

 

Ambassadors of Style on the 4th of July!

Lorelei and Liberty Ambassadors of Style on the 4th of July! Ambassadors of Style on the 4th of July! Happy 4th of July fellow Americans and Global Citizens. What color is your flag? There are twenty countries in the world that display red, white and blue colored flags. When America adopted…

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LA YOGA Fall Fashion Style: “Yes!”

LA YOGA Fall Fashion Style: “Yes!” Styling LA YOGA Magazine Cover & 16-Page Fashion Spread for Sept. Issue.  Here I am with a lifetime of experience in fashion as a model, and as a Muse, to the most talented designers of our time. Now more than ever, my heart’s work is to be…

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A Wedding Dressed is a Wedding Blessed

screenshot of article A Wedding Dressed is a Wedding Blessed by Lorelei Shellist

Lorelei Shellist’s  Style Column in the April Edition of the Los Angeles FindBliss magazine. Wedding Style One of the most important and memorable times in people’s lives is their wedding day. Our response should be one of mutual respect and gratitude. How we show up for the happy couple says it all.  |…

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L’Wren Scott: Life lessons learned through love

Gossip and Pretending to know…

Lorelei, L'Wren and Gloria at runway rehearsals in Dusseldorf

Lorelei, L’Wren and Gloria at runway rehearsals in Dusseldorf

A few weeks ago upon learning about the tragic death of L’Wren Scott, a familiar heavy breath contained “itself” inside of me. We spent a very meaningful part of our lives together back in our runaway modeling days. L’Wren and I had shared the trials and tribulations of twenty-something dreamers following our hearts in a world of our own, where significance was everything, and girls like us had to prove ourselves at every turn. We were part of a kind of sorority and held each other up when the chips were down. I had to make a conscious effort to exhale upon the reality of this upsetting news, as I had not seen L’Wren in recent times.

The life of a model can be a lonely one when living out of a suitcase is de-rigueur. You never know when or from where you’ll get your next booking and meal. The competition is fierce. You are constantly being evaluated based on your looks. We ate away our own self-esteem like maggots on leftovers. In reality, we were just young women in search of love and attention at the cost of our own self worth. Yet L’Wren and I never gave up. Even when they told us “You aren’t good enough” or “blonde enough” or in L’Wren’s case…”You’re just too tall.”

Dusseldorf

Dusseldorf

As a young traveler and adventurer before the days of smart phone cameras, I was the one documenting everything! Backstage behind the scenes I was always taking pictures of my model sisters dressing and undressing, sleeping under racks of designers’ clothes, or having picnics at the make-up mirrors. Most models were just trying to nurture their most basic needs. I searched through my collection of backstage photos to find those pictures I had taken of L’Wren, this lanky, raven-haired beauty, in happier times. Every image I have of her reflected light filled, glorious smiles and laughter. There were pictures of us kicking up our legs follies style during rehearsals for fashion shows in Dusseldorf, Paris and Milan. The outfits L’Wren wore then were stylishly edgy, and ahead of their time. At only 20 years of age, she had an inner sense of fashion and was a true fashion icon in her own right.

I read the speculations appearing as authority or ‘inside scoop” in tabloids stating, “Why would a girl who seemingly had everything take her own life?” I suddenly found my own pain reignited. As the former fiancé of the late guitarist Steve Clark from Def Leppard, I had been asked that same question a thousand times about him. In my own quest to try and answer that question, it led me to write Runway RunAway: A Backstage Pass to Fashion, Romance & Rock ’n Roll a few years ago. My life experience in losing Steve through his own tortuous journey of self loathing, pain and consequent slow suicide led me to delve into 20 years of 12 -Step meetings, reading (or writing) multiple self-help books and ultimately earning double degrees in Spiritual Psychology and Consciousness Health & Healing from the University of Santa Monica. I currently volunteer with the Freedom to Choose Foundation, facilitating communication skills and self-forgiveness with the inmates at the Valley State Prison in Chowchilla, California.  I really came to terms with what was bothering me most about L’Wren Scot’s death during a session when one of the inmates practiced a technique called “perception checking” on me.

The prickly pieces of my pain were two-fold: One piece was that there was this “twenty something” part of me that needed to grieve, but I was not acknowledging the younger part of me still crying inside. I felt I had no right to grieve since I hadn’t seen L’Wren in years. Those haunting irrational beliefs of unworthiness and insignificance covered me like clouds. I had been following her glorious career path, her glamorous love life and I was so happy for her personal and professional success in the world. I’d often smile thinking, “Wow, good for her, she made it!” You see many of the girls I knew didn’t make it. They’d struggled with their own addictions or died and caused their untimely deaths as a result of those same feelings of insignificance in the fashion world. Memories came forth of L’Wren and I sharing musty hotel rooms on the road, whispering in the dark recanting stories of our childhood neglect and abandonment. L’Wren was an orphan adopted at birth and I a runaway teen. We fended for ourselves back then and now that feeling of being “alone in the world” was calling me back.

The second piece of my upset was the presumptuous press surrounding her death…what I feel is the act of pretending to know. Speculations appeared about her financial debt, possible issues with her boyfriend or cancellation of her fashion show and finally “her losing face” as the cause. No one has written about L’Wren’s inner pain as a potential cause. It was as if her outer world reality is now defining her identity. In reality, to L’Wren it was her inner world that truly mattered. How can any of us ever profess to know what it felt like to have been abandoned by birth parents and then abandoned again when her own adoptive parents died? None of us will never know her suffering or how she felt about herself. What we can express is our compassion and love for her and our own.

The tragic death of L’Wren taught me just how painful gossip can be. In pretending to know or make assumptions about another person, we are gossiping. To quote Dr. David Paul from the University of Santa Monica and Co-Founder of the Freedom to Choose Foundation who so skillfully mirrored back to me in my grief: “It is even more painful when we gossip to ourselves.” In other words, every time I say negative things to myself about myself, I am gossiping inside myself. This is where the pain of “pretending to know” begins.

Runway rehearsals- Dusseldorf

L’Wren Scott in Germany –

Me telling myself I wasn’t worthy of grieving the loss of her and that our friendship was insignificant, only hurt that younger part of me who indeed shared love, laughter, runways and whispers in the dark with the beautiful L’Wren. Here I was,  imprisoning myself from the truth of who I am as a worthy person. In that moment, standing in front of over 300 female prisoners and anchoring myself in my worthiness, I forgave myself for my own misinterpretations of who I am. I am so grateful to have shared even a piece of my life with such a strong and gentle soul such as hers. Thank you L’Wren, you made the world a more beautiful place and it is my intention to add to the sum-total of significant love and beauty in this world you left behind.

See you again up on the Runway in the Sky.

Forever and Ever,
Lorelei Shellist

Best-Selling Author, Fashion/Beauty Columnist @ Find Bliss Magazine, Model, Spokesperson, Host and Fashion Icon™ Stylist -SAG / PEN USA / FGI / FTC / USM

Pretending to know PDF