:: FRESH FRIDAY :: ARTYCE DESIGNS

Uniquely hand designed customized footwear... what more could a lady ask for?

About the Designer/Director of Artyce Designs, Inc.

Candra Palmer is a Chicago native who now resides in Los Angeles where she created Artyce Designs. This innovative young graduate of Xavier University of Louisiana and former Marketing Manager of a Fortune 500 company decided to pursue her passion for fashion in 2001. After relocating to the Los Angeles area. Candra sustained her full-time corporate job from her home office and gained a concrete understanding of the fashion industry on her down time.

The vision of Artyce (named after her mom) officially came to light in 2002. Candra has brought her dream to life by creating a custom footwear collection for women of all ages. In the past, Candra worked for one of the top fashion agencies in L.A., a fashion consulting firm, and an Italian manufacturing company.

About the business

Artyce Designs unique “Design Your Own Shoe” concept has caught many people's attention. Their designs have a wide variety of footwear styles all accented and embellished with your choice of detailing. Each of their clients can choose the heel, material, embellishments, and comfort of choice! Artyce Designs has grown steadily with many requests from customers all over the world including fashion editors, fashion stylists, business executives, celebrities, and many other fashion savvy women.

Since debuting in an article in Ebony in March 2005, Artyce Designs has been featured in numerous magazines – including Inside Weddings, Brides, Elegant Bride, Wedding Dresses, SmartMoney, Upscale, Black Enterprise, Franchise Times and many others publications. Artyce Designs also has recently been included on many websites/blogs – Running with Heels, wedding-today.com, wsatoday.com, clutch.com, and numerous others.

Candra informed me that she was recently selected as a featured designer working with luxury crystal manufacture Swarovski crystals for their CRYSTALLIZED™ - Swarovski Elements tours where her designs toured domestic & international locations. The tour was stopped in Paris, Spain, Tokyo, Las Vegas, New York and Chicago. Furthermore, Candra Palmer was nominated for the Rising Star Business award by Black Enterprise and featured in the current edition of the Who’s Who in Black America in Los Angeles Book.

Although most of her clients are women wanting those special pair of shoes for their wedding, she does create for many others. Candra’s work has been seen at many red carpet events including the Oscars and the Grammys.
Artyce Designs are available exclusively at Artyce Designs boutique in Los Angeles. For more information visit artycedesigns.com or set up an appointment with a footwear design consultant at (310) 838-SHOE (7463).

Her outfit at the swearing in ceremony...

Red August had to share...

For the swearing in ceremony, Michelle opt for the designer Isabel Toledo for the dress and Jimmy Choo Glacier pumps.

Stay tuned...we will feature more information on tonight's gown(s).

Inauguration Day Tuesday

President Barack H. Obama and First Lady Michelle R. Obama

Red August celebrates this presidential day for a couple of reasons -- the weather is nice (well, the sun is shining) and the historical swearing in of Barack Obama as the 44th president of the United States of America... WOW!

So, next is the 10 official balls that Barack and Michelle are to attend tonight. Whew!

Red August guesses that likely she is favoring kitten heels or dressy flat for tonight. We do know one thing that Michelle won’t be wearing though. Panty hose. She reportedly hates them because they’re “too painful".

Cole Haan design for Michelle Obama.

Cole Haan design for Michelle Obama.

Sam Edelman Shoes design for Michelle Obama

Photos by Courtesy Photo

:: FRESH FRIDAY :: MIC FONTAINE

Capturing a glimpse

Red August knows first-hand about MicFontaine and his love for what he do. Whether he is at a photo shoot or out & about in Atlanta, Houston, or the rest of the world, he shows passion in each glimpse he catches through his camera lens.

"photographs could reach eternity through the moment."
~ Henri Cartier-Bresson

From the heart of the south by way of the Mississippi Delta, an audacious visionary, gifted mentor and compelling trendsetter makes his imprint in the visual arts world. As a professional dedicated to his craft, Mic Fontaine utilizes creative visual concepts coupled with innovative photographic skills to create indisputable visual masterpieces.

With perfection, Mic Fontaine seems to capture the very essence of his subject. Captivated by the beautiful images that he saw on the covers of magazines, Mic Fontaine developed a deep fascination and appreciation for photography. This drove him to purchase his first camera as gift to himself upon earning his MBA. His deep passion and unrelenting drive to capture the perfect image quickly lead him to reach within himself to unleash the passion for identifying style and beauty through the lens of a camera.

Mic Fontaine states, “My work is my passion. It is the essence of who I am. It is part of my soul. It is my way of expressing my love to the world. It embodies my lost love, my greatest triumphs and my hope for tomorrow. It is my desires and my transgressions. It is my greatest sacrifice my greatest strength, my greatest vulnerability and my greatest joy. It is my one truth, my shot heard around the world, my dream manifested. It is my unquenchable thirst. It is my zone, my playing field. It is uniquely me.”

Mic Fontaine's first foray into the world of fashion photography was through his friend and mentor Celebrity Photographer Derek Blanks. Mic Fontaine worked as Blanks photography assistant and would often drive 12 hours roundtrip to Atlanta to attend photo shoots while moonlighting from his job as a Higher Education Executive. This experience proved to be invaluable for Mic Fontaine as he leveraged the knowledge, insight, and experience from Blanks to start his own studio.

Mic Fontaine sports an impressive client list that ranges from corporate giants such Verizon Wireless, Diaego North America and Carson Softsheen cosmetics. Mic Fontaine is staged to become one of America's top photographers, but even more important to him is his commitment to help others to achieve their dreams. Mic Fontaine takes great pride in assisting in the development of other prospective photographers, makeup artists, and wardrobe stylists from his home state of Mississippi.

Today, Mic Fontaine’s passion, professionalism and persistent zeal for photographic excellence are all qualities that distinguish him from his colleagues. Mic Fontaine is presently working on several initiatives to further enhance his skills while striving to become a household name and a giant in fashion photography.

Keep your eyes and ears open and make room for the man, the visionary, the visual artist extraordinaire, MIC FONTAINE.

For more information or to book a photo shoot, please visit: www.micfontaine.net.

Source: www.micfontaine.net

:: FRESH FRIDAY :: BEREOLAESQUE

Being Bereolaesque

Red August believes that being fabulous starts inside then out. With that said, we are featuring Enitan Bereola, age 26, who took a look on the inside of this society and decided there was a need for chivalry, etiquette, and manners to take its place again. (Halluejah!) In that, Bereola tells about his soon-to-be released book, BEREOLAESQUE: The Gentleman & Etiquette Book for the Urban Sophisticate - A look into making manners sexy and what it takes to become a present-day gentleman.

…Because pants hang below the waistline, because society can't locate a contemporary gentleman, and because we leave it up to acronyms like TMZ & MTV to define manhood....because there is a YouTube video of a 4-year old using the 'F' word effortlessly, because my nephew can't define chivalry, and because a promising college student had his future stolen from him by the barrel of a gun...these are the reasons why I wrote Bereolaesque.

....It is a promise to us, a promise to our children and a promise to America that we can do better, that we can live better and that we are better.

- Enitan Bereola

Bereola began his journey in 2006 when he discovered his natural knack to attract crowds of users on his Myspace [www.myspace.com/bereolaesque] and Facebook pages. He announced a sexy and new type of book that he planned to release and watched the messages pour in and his friend’s list increase by the thousands.

The author admits he did not mind female attention but wanted to focus his message: Chivalry, etiquette, and manners are back…this time it’s SEXY! With the recent election outcome, society is telling us out with the old and in with the new. Contemporary style, class, and sophistication are steadily becoming the desires of many Americans.

Bereola, who is renowned by gentlemen current and past alike, has the experience to back it up. The author has spent a lengthy majority of his lifetime traveling and researching etiquette and applying it in society. Recently, Bereola was named "Black Man to Watch" by Clutch Magazine.

*BEREOLAESQUE* [Be-re-o-la-esque] -adjective: Highly appealing & pleasing to the human senses or mind; captivating; providing pleasure or delight, esp. in appearance or manner; charming; alluring; attractive. Ex: The dim lighting, mellow music, and sexy decor made for a very bereolaesque atmosphere.

BEREOLAESQUE targets men ages young and old addressing issues of etiquette, education, style, fashion, dining, dating, business, networking, news, travel, spirituality, culture, and much more. This contemporary guide is a one-stop-shop for all men and provides a positive alternative for urban living. The author, Bereola, boasts that “he’s not simply selling literature, he’s selling a lifestyle”.

BEREOLAESQUE: The Contemporary Gentleman & Etiquette Book for the Urban Sophisticate set for national release January 31, 2009.

For more information about this topic, please visit: www.contemporarygentlemen.com . For event booking or to schedule an interview with the author, please email: info@contemporarygentlemen.com.

Get it, B! Those shoes are B-A-D!

Red August is loving Beyonce's YSL!

Beyonce, girl, those heels are B-A-D!

Source: www.theybf.com

Yves Saint Laurent Lola Platform, $895

Available at www.neimanmarcus.com