Food Inspiration

Poached egg with Hollandaise sauce on toast, roasted Parmesan garlic peppers and asparagus with caramelized onions ~ Strawberry, grapefruit and cumber salad (with balsamic vinegar and olive oil)

Homemade Pad Thai topped with fresh lime, bean sprouts and crushed peanuts

Fresh ingredients make the difference

Lobster with corn on the cob, butter sauce, baked potato and homemade coleslaw

MUSIC WE LOVE: Trevor Hall

We love this video. Check out the newest song called"Brand New Day" from Trevor Hall and download it from iTunes August 23rd!

Fashion Finder: Crochet Scoop Tank Top

We love this lovely, vintage-inspired crochet tank top on Nasty Gal. It's a summer layering essential. At $38, it's a real steal too!

Summer Food Lovin'

  (Above) June's local strawberries! (Below) Baby garlic, scapes, mint and basil from the garden

 Freshly shucked peas

 A delicious salad with pear vinegar, goat cheese, basil, mint, apples and spicy pecans.

Summery wine paired with a garden-fresh meal.

What have I been up to? Making the most of fresh summer produce! If you are trying to get back into shape for bikini season, there's nothing better than eating a diet low in processed junk. I am lucky to live in the mountains of Vermont with a large backyard garden and access to multiple farmers' markets within a 20-mile radius. The abundance of local produce is one of my favorite things about summer. I encourage you to grow your own food and to seek out the farmers markets near you. If you live in the city and don't have a backyard, plant container gardens. There's nothing better than an herb garden in your kitchen. When I lived in Prague, I made sure to have a couple potted herb plants handy. Being green is good for the Earth, your health, and your waistline!

To get started, here's a simple recipe using rainbow chard.

You'll Need:
1 bunch of rainbow chard, chopped
Bragg's Liquid Amino
1 Baby garlic bulb (milder than full-grown garlic)
2 Garlic scapes
1-2 handfuls of peanuts
1/2 tsp. fresh ginger (or to taste)
Salt and pepper to taste
Olive oil

Sautee garlic and peanuts in olive oil until golden. Add the garlic scapes, chopped chard and cook the chard down. Add fresh ginger and Bragg's Liquid Amino or soy sauce to taste. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and enjoy!

Event Review: Ha Ha's for Ta Ta's Delivers Serious Laughs

April is National Humor Month, and we're celebrating it! On April 8th, a friend and I had the pleasure of attending the "Ha Ha's for the Ta Ta's" event featuring The Vermont Comedy Divas (left), and benefiting The Pink Ribbon Butterfly Project, LTD. Playful and raunchy, The Vermont Comedy Divas tell it like it is!

Hip chicks Josie Leavitt, Mary Anne Gatos, and Tracie Spencer delivered some serious snorts and laughs to a full house in Killington, Vermont. Did you know that dicks.com isn't a good place to look for sports equipment because you'll find more than last-minute holiday presents? Subjects also touched upon included why women are told to leave socks on during a pap smear ("Why, as if that makes it any better?"), the ipad ("I thought it was just an iphone with large print"), and halters in the wintertime ("Eskahoes... even a slut knows that the correct term is Inuit!"). With the nonstop quips and jokes, I had a hard time trying not to choke on the delectable Santa Fe nachos.

Josie, Mary Anne, and Tracie provided hilarious stories that any woman (or man) can relate to! If you've ever looked at an unrealistic Pottery Barn catalogue's images of kitchen chalkboards and wanted to change "get BMW detailed" to "get Buick off blocks in the front yard," or wondered what happens when you check out the Chiquita Facebook page ("Seriously, get a life"), then I highly recommend visiting The Vermont Comedy Divas here. Be sure to also view The Pink Ribbon Butterfly Project's FB page here and find out about the awesome, local projects they're doing to help breast cancer survivors in their everyday lives... because we can't wait for the cure.

An Exclusive Interview with "American Idol" Costume Designer, Soyon An

If you don’t know her name, you probably know her work. Soyon An is the head costume designer of FOX’s hit TV shows “American Idol” and “So You Think You Can Dance.” She has worked in the music, TV and film industries, and her past experience includes Jennifer Lopez, Carrie Underwood, Sean Kingston, Kate Bosworth, Mariah Carey, Avril Lavigne and Pink. Soyon earned her second Emmy award for her work on “So You Think You Can Dance” in 2010, after winning in 2009.

Hip Chick Zine: Did you always know you wanted to a designer?
Soyon An: No. I grew up being the biggest Tomboy. All I wanted to do was play outside.

HCZ: [Laughs] Me too. Your looks are so beautiful and unique! How do you get your inspiration?
Soyon An: Thank you! I draw inspiration from everything. Colors on a day after the rain, traveling, walking around in a busy street. And of course runway shows, magazines, movies, TV shows... The list can go on and on because it truly is from everything. And I'm very much into detail.

HCZ: Describe your personal style.
Soyon An: I see myself as a bohemian, rock-n-roll, and geek. [Laughs] I like to keep things low-maintenance.

HCZ: How did you get involved in “So You Think You Can Dance?”
Soyon An: I got my start as an assistant to the costume design on Season 2. That was the first season the show was going on tour, and I was the designer and supervisor of that show.

HCZ: How has winning not one, but TWO, Emmys changed your career… and life?
Soyon An: It definitely made me more confident in my work. It's an amazing feeling to receive an award like it. The fact that people who have been doing this for decades take notice of your work is life changing. I am now pushing myself to do better than the last, especially in my work and even with myself. I want to give more to the world... I don't know who's paying attention, but I want to give it my best.

HCZ: What’s the process like for designing a look on “American Idol?”
Soyon An: Well, to start, I only get 2 hours with each idol. It ranges, but a lot of idol's image styling is off the rack clothes that I tailor. This season, I have done a lot of custom pieces... The girls are smart this season! The fashion world is their oyster with me as their stylist, or if we can't find it the stores, I'll make it for them.

HCZ: What other projects are you working on right now? Future plans?
Soyon An: I am a fashion editor for Jimon Magazine, I'm helping to re- brand a company, possibly a boutique... Check out my upcoming website www.soyonan.com, follow me on twitter @soysfashion or read my blogs for the latest!

HCZ: Who would you love to collaborate with next?
Soyon An: I would love to collaborate with JLO, Gaga, or Rihanna... and maybe Banksy!

HCZ: What advice do you have for women who would like to become designers/stylists?
Soyon An: Get hands-on experience. Be prepared for long hours, a lot of schlepping, and organizing. Keep positive and when you see your work, or assistant work in a spread, on TV, or in a film, it's very rewarding.

HCZ: Off the topic of style, what’s your favorite travel destination and why?
Soyon An: I've had tons of fun all around the world, but I'd have to say Cusco, Peru was amazing. That's where Machu Picchu is, and when you get to the top, you know that anything is possible.

Photo Credit: Collin Stark

Beauty Buzz: You Glow, Girl!

We get some fun products in the mail, but one of our new favorites is this Manasimakeup LYSTER Cream Bronzer from Stockholm, Sweden! This unique cream bronzer offers color, glow and light coverage just in time for the warmer weather. Is your skin a little dry? Cream bronzer is easily absorbed and won't flake off like powder bronzers. Wear LYSTER Cream Bronzer alone, or mix it with your moisturizer for subtler color. It even smells delicious with a light vanilla and tangerine scent.

LYSTER was developed by professional makeup artist and hair stylist, Susanne Persson, based in Stockholm. Since 1995, Persson has worked with numerous fashion magazines, advertising agencies, actors/actresses, artists and models in Sweden and worldwide. While this break-through cream is Persson's first product, she plans to grow the brand to include other goodies currently missing in the beauty scene. LYSTER Cream Bronzer is free of paraben and mineral oil, and made of natural ingredients, so you can also feel good about wearing it. A new Hip Chick Zine favorite! For more information and to purchase, check out Manasimakeup.

Photo credits: Woman, FreeDigitalPhotos.com/PhotoStock. Cream, Joanna Tanger.

BOOK CONTEST! Win "A Black Tie Affair"

Are you looking for some light Spring reading? We have one copy of A Black Tie Affair by Sherrill Bodine (Hachette Book Group) to give away. Just tell us about your favorite art exhibit by e-mailing HCZ, and you'll be entered in the contest.

Readers take a turbulent ride through the Windy City in A Black Tie Affair. This fun and ultimately heart-tugging follow-up to Talk of the Town proves that Bodine's love of Chicago goes hand-in-hand with her fancy for a perfect, whimsical romance.

Fashion curator Athena Smith will do anything to get her hands on the Clayworth family's couture collection for her exhibit. She's thrilled when she is called in to authenticate the gowns... that is, until she falls ill examining one of them and wakes up face-to-face with the notorious Chicago bachelor, Drew Clayworth. He doesn't trust Athena one bit, thinking that she betrayed him years ago. So when his family's gowns go missing and Athena offers him help in exchange for the dresses, he reluctantly accepts. As they work together to find the dresses, can they resist the sparks flying between them?

Contest ends Sunday, May 1st. Open to U.S. residents only.

Jewelry We Love: MICHE MOZAIX

Miche Mozaix consists of the creative mother/daughter team of Deborah and Lauren Asberry, self-taught jewelers who devised a way of securing bits of clay together using grout as their adhesive!

They use fresh clay, custom glazes and grouts to create a unique style of mosaic jewelry and art pieces you won't find anywhere else. Due to the process they use to create the pieces, most of Miche Mozaix's jewelry is reversible and versatile.

Their style is very different from 'traditional' mosaics and the tiles are NEVER broken. The jewelry line was introduced late in 2009 and has continued to evolve as Deborah and Lauren add additional styles and finishes to the line.

One of Deborah and Lauren's core beliefs is that it is vital to give back whenever possible and make opportunities for the jewelry to benefit others. Lauren designed both the 'Autism Awareness Puzzle Piece' Necklace and the 'Breast Cancer Awareness Ribbon' Necklace so that a portion of their sales can benefit their respective causes. For National Heart Health Month, they introduced a piece called 'Heartbeat'. It consists of two tiles with the grout in place of the heartbeat line.

The most sought after pieces include the 'Peace Sign' jewelry line, which is available in a variety of colors and finishes and on everything from sterling silver ear wires to macrame chokers for men. They also create bookmarks, key chains and even bobby pins so giving MICHE MOZAIX as a gift is always in style!

Hip Chick Zine spoke to the ladies behind the jewelry line.

HCZ: What inspires you?
We're both inspired by the tropical breezes and colors of places like the Caribbean Islands. We'll be traveling there in early March to soak up some sun and inspiration and hopefully share some of our jewelry designs down there!

HCZ: What's your favorite travel destination?
Dominican Republic is a favorite destination, but also places like Jamaica and Cozumel, Mexico are so colorful and lively like the feeling we try to translate into our jewelry. It's a stark departure from the frigid cold we experience here in Cleveland, Ohio!

Check out and support their jewelry revolution by clicking here. Their store can also be found here.

Contest Winner: Getting Back In The Saddle

By Vivianna Jones

Two weeks after I filed for divorce, on one of those magical October nights with a harvest moon and a surprisingly warm breeze, I found myself naked, on top of a gorgeous man two-thirds my age, in a small orange tent, beside a dying bonfire, with perhaps a few too many beers in my belly.

To call it a date would be an outright lie. There was no phone call, no assigned meeting time and place, no primping or prepping in front of the mirror considering whether or not my butt looked fat. No, indeed, it was my first-ever, and probably last, one-night stand. Err… correction… five-hour stand.

What can I say? I’m a sucker for cowboy hats, overalls, big muscles and curly brown hair, and Ben was four for four. So after sharing some campfire stories, and making sure I knew his last name, into the tent we went for some Whoopie Ki-yi-yay!

Please, before you slap a scarlet letter on my chest (I was still married,) or label me a whore, spare me just this once? After seventeen years of monogamy, the last three of which were a true test of endurance, and knowing that my husband was seeing another woman, I needed this. It was the final nail on the coffin that contained my marriage. It was a freedom ride on my journey towards liberation. It was puddin’ proof that the girl still got it!

Thankfully, the taste of hot young flesh didn’t turn me into a middle-aged vamp. Nor did I become a stalker of the sexy stranger. Instead, the memory of that one night helped me through the next seven or eight months. I was able to go about the painful business of dissolving my marriage, knowing that when I was ready, after I properly grieved, I could get back on the horse and ride again.

I blush to think of that naughty night many moons ago, but I’m saddled with no regrets. Tonight, beneath my rosy cheeks is a wide grin – probably reminiscent of the smile I was able to conjure up occasionally despite my general sadness at that time of my life. It’s not the toothy smile that immediately precedes laughter, or the one that comes to your face when you open a door and see someone you love. It’s a lips-together grin that reminds you that things were once okay, and will be again.

“Hi-yo, Silver. Away!”


~~~~~~~~~
Vivianna Jones is a still-single mother of two, whose hobbies include writing and, as of recently, horseback riding. ;) She’s currently busy praying that her 13-year-old daughter doesn’t stumble across this article. “Purely fiction, Darling!”

* Vivianna won the copy of the book "Getting Naked Again: Dating, Romance, Sex, and Love When You've Been Divorced, Widowed, Dumped or Distracted" by Judith Sills, Ph.D.

FASHION PROMOTION WITH LULUS.COM

Check out Lulus.com and pick out a new Spring outfit to celebrate the warmer temperatures! Save 15% off your orders with coupon code HIPCHICK! It is case sensitive, valid for customers in the US and Canada, and is a one use per customer coupon. The coupon is for 15% off the total purchase and is a site wide discount. Valid from March 1st through 4th 2011 (our FB readers heard about it first- be sure to 'like' us!). Check out Lulus.com and get shopping!

SPECIAL FASHION PROMOTION JUST FOR YOU!

We'll be featuring a special promotion with additional savings just for HCZ readers at the awesome LA-based sample sale site http://www.365hangers.com THROUGH FEBRUARY 28TH! Designer styles are ALWAYS 70% off, but HCZ readers can take an EXTRA 10% off already reduced prices with THE CODE "365hcz."

Fashion without boundaries: that’s the objective behind sample sale site 365hangers. Since its debut in the summer of 2009, 365Hangers has continued to deliver fashion’s most coveted designers ranging from Diane von Furstenberg, Marc Jacobs, Elie Tahari, and many more, at unprecedented 70% off retail value, every day, 365 days a year.

Unlike other sites, 365Hangers showcases models of all shapes and sizes, ranging from pear to hourglass, helping shoppers discover what outfits compliment their shape the best. After all, designers make clothing for all women, despite what’s seen on the runway.

** No minimum purchase required. Cannot be combined with other promotional codes. Enter the code in the "promotional code" box. Valid from Feb. 7-28th, 2011.

Fashion Feature: THE ART OF COUTURE

By Ela Hawes
Contributing Fashion Writer


This week’s Paris couture shows express a fine elegance and day one opens its gates to the realms of Dior's embroidered red silk and black degrade, white silk, tulle jackets with a meld of wool and " tromp l'oeil " dresses. Feather whites, black and red all resembling the art of Russia and the illustration influences from Rene Gruau, the hispanic designer once more managed to put himself forward with the explosive ideas of culture and linguistics of design. Brush strokes and iridescent embroideries distilling the virtuoso chiaroscuro effect of chalk shading, the contemporary approach of John Galliano causes the impact of the first day. The eclectic hair and make-up, pastel-colored soft eye shadow and bright red lipstick unify with the Stephen Jones hat designs.

The investments in the future of fate, the surpassing realms of a visionary and the dignified futuristic street style, Armani mused with the idea of amalgamating leather, chiffon and silk with a color palette of parliament blue, neon red, neon green, feather white with a liquid mercury mirror effect. An African feel in the abstract cuts, the geometric forms and the innovative touch of architectural designs radiate to a higher state of craft and beauty. The gem stone influences on organza, the metal threaded silk and hard molded sci-fi looks have been styled with cartwheel hats and fencing mask studded with crystals. Perhaps an architect would ponder on the luxurious ideas on the future of power dressing with Armani Prive.

The royal romance of Chanel, and the paradise of the front row celebrities such as Kirsten Dunst, Janelle Monae, Vanessa Paradis, Karen Elson, Gaspard Ulliel and Diane Kruger. The obsolete approach of Lagerfeld can be seen through the commune usage of his rough-edged tweeds, will weaved, layered chiffon dresses, see through unitards and frilled petite coats. The mirror perception of a feminine look is accompanied with influences of the futuristic patterns from Shanghai, the color palette varies from a mix of floral patterns to pink and grays with much influence from the artist Marie Laurencin. The styling sparks through as Stella Tennat and Freja walk down the runway with Lagerfeld's creations.

Givenchy is renowned for dressing the likes of Grace Kelly in the history of fashion. This time Ricardo Tiscy has gone wild with his dreams of hailing her with the Japanese toys and robots and influences from the dancer Kazuo Ohno. The not explicit cuts with bird wings stitched onto the hem of the organza, the layers of chiffon compels the work of art with the giant warrior hats. As the looks were presented on hangers at the place Vendome, the feathered tulles burst with Tisci's craftwork of neon colored bodice and crusted Swarovski crystals.

A promising name for the world of fashion, the 31-year-old designer whose work has been seized by Dior, known for his elaborate work both in women’s wear and menswear, Alexis Mabille originated the theme from its actual location of runway, Musee Bourdelle's Antoine Bourdelle. The clientele list varied from Carla Bruni, Keira Knightley, Dita Von Teese and Rihanna. Mabille has created the elegance of the classic cuts with overskirts, which transforms to capes, duchess satin, lace, floral patterns, hand-painted colors and asymmetric one-shouldered gowns. A detailed styling with dangle earrings and clear make-up adds to its high quality presentation.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Ela Hawes is a freelance fashion journalist and an artist based in London. She has been working for broadcast TV channels and newspapers since the age of 17 as a journalist and a fixer. After working on the fashion desk of an international economy newspaper for a while, she branched out to the fashion and art industry.

Ela admires the thin line of well-tailored, creative outbursts of design and fabric. What inspires her most is the unity of intelligence and style blending itself to our everyday wardrobe. She especially loves diamonds.

PHOTOS OF PARIS by Joanna Tanger.

HCZ's Calendar: Singles Meetup in Cleveland, Ohio

Wednesday, February 9, 2011
06:00pm - 08:00pm
MOCA-nection
Singles MEETUP
Free for and open to the public

Single Blank Wall Seeks Exceptional Artwork for Discussion and Laughter... Looking for other singles interested in Cleveland’s creative scene? Come to MOCA on February 9 for cocktails, music, great appetizers, and conversation starters with other area singles seeking new connections. Enter for a chance to win discounts to hot area restaurants and keep the conversations going on that evening.

With support from It’s Just Lunch.

For more info, click here.

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HCZ GIVEAWAY: A Book for Valentine's Day!

Getting Naked Again: Dating, Romance, Sex, and Love When You've Been Divorced, Widowed, Dumped or Distracted by Judith Sills, Ph.D.

Are you fresh out of a long-term relationship? Need some help putting your dating shoes on? Ready for romance? Clinical psychologist and New York Times bestselling author Judith Sills, Ph.D. is your guide through the tumultuous dating waters. Sills offers insightful stories from women who are pursuing new relationships too. It's perfect for middle-aged ladies, but young people can relate to it too. Get your head back into the game... Hip Chick Zine will help!

In honor of Valentine's Day, we are giving away one copy of Getting Naked Again! Send us an e-mail at editor@hipchickzine.net, and tell us why you're ready to get naked again (or why you're ready to start dating again;)! Contest ends on February 20, 2011.

HCZ Wants Your Travel Stories for a Book!

I love traveling and learning about other cultures, and so do many of my friends. While I was living and working in Prague, Czech Republic, I started a journal, sharing some of the unique experiences with family and friends. I sketched the skyline view from the park behind my apartment, slyly drew people in the beer garden, and made a note of my favorite breads from the local bakery.

Like most women, I fell in love with Elizabeth Gilbert's book, Eat, Pray, Love. Oh, how it spoke to me! I found that I could relate to Gilbert and her travails. I too have questioned why I feel so out of place since I don't crave marriage and children, but rather have a true love of the open road. Still, Gilbert's story is only one woman's perspective. Knowing that women of all ages are hitting the road these days and blogging, I figured that this is the perfect time to start this project.

We are looking for writing, recipes, poems, sketches, photos and reflections from women's travels. What made your last trip special? Meeting locals? Teaching children? Discovering how strong you are? We want to hear about your experiences volunteering in Senegal, teaching English in Thailand, or simply about the perfect risotto you sampled in Italy. Every woman has a story to tell, and here is your chance. The final selections will be compiled into a book.

We look forward to hearing from you.


Cheers,

Joanna Tanger
Founder of HipChickZine.net
editor[@]hipchickzine.net


INFO & REQUIREMENTS

Please read this before submitting...

- Women ages 16-110 from any country are welcome to contribute.

- Include your name, full mailing address and e-mail along with your submission. We will need to be able to get in contact with you.

- Not all entries will be accepted into the final project. By sending us your work, you are giving us permission to print it, (whether in the book or online) and it will become property of Hip Chick Zine.

- Photos and artwork should be in .jpeg, .gif or .png format. Please keep them at the best possible resolution. Send a maximum of ten photos/pieces of artwork (but not in the same e-mail).

- Written pieces can be anywhere from 0-2,500 words, and should be in Microsoft Word or .pdf format. If a piece is slightly longer, we will also take it, but it will probably be edited for length. Make sure there aren't a lot of grammatical errors please. Any related topics are welcome. While we accept snailmail, e-mail is preferred.

- We love recipes that are accompanied by photos (or drawings).

- If you have any questions, please e-mail us at write@hipchickzine.net. More info at http://www.hipchickzinebook.com