Kate Middleton's Look for Less

wanna win some free Spring beauty goodies?

See my #YoungPosh Spring survival kit in the May issue of Glamour Mag on stands now! Enter UPC code on Twitter @glamalert.com for your chance to win a very cute cosmetic bag filled with beauty yummy. And follow me @Jess_Zaino!

introducing... beautiful boutiques

my american road trip

I was asked by banana republic to interpret the great american road trip as part of their "journey in style" campaign. seeing as how new yorkers transport via subways and yellow taxi cabs in collective morning commute, my perspective of a road trip is different then say, campers in north dakota.

beautiful stranger

According to Christina Brinkley of The Wall Street Journal, "Now comes the age of attractive strangers". Beauty and fashion site Beautiful Stranger takes the cake on finding style on the street. And they happened to be on my street not long ago. For more, click here and please 'like' my feature. It makes a strange girl like me feel beautiful ; )

Occupation: Producer, Writer, Occasional TV Host, Style Ninja, Social Media Pioneer, Good-Time Gal

Home: Upper East Side, NYC

Spotted: Upper East Side

Hails from: Long Island, NY

Her blog: www.Jess-Zaino.com

What she’s wearing: Shoshanna dress, Tommy Hilfiger trench, Steve Madden wooden heels, L'eggs Profiles, Tarte Lip Stain

Fave item in her closet: “My Prada virgin lambswool black dress. I feel like Sophia Loren when I wear it.”

Inspirations: “NYC, Elizabeth Taylor, Liza Minelli, Dolly Parton, Annie Leibovitz, Fran Lebowitz, Coco Chanel, Edith Piaf, Bianca Jagger, Jerry Hall, Michelle Obama, Milly, Shoshanna, Kate Spade, Chateau Marmont, the Crosby Street Hotel, Lonnymag.com, Tina Fey, Jessica Simpson, Gwyneth Paltrow, my friends, family, love.”

Look she’ll be sporting for spring: “Sleeveless Ikat jumpers, Proenza Schouler Perfed Wooden Wedge, Roy Orbison sunglasses by Rodarte for Opening Ceremony and lots of natural gemstone jewels stacked with gold.”

Top online shop: Zappos

On-land: Bergdorf Goodman and Target

Fave designers: “Lanvin, Shoshanna, and yes, Jessica Simpson.”

How she'd describe her style: Cheap Chic. “I can rock an outfit that doesn’t cost lots and yet inspires ‘where’d ya get that?’ on the daily.”

Beauty buys: Carol’s Daugher Foam Face Wash and Toner, Ole Henricksen Truth Serum and Express the Truth facial lotion, Molton Brown body wash, L’Oreal EverpureRosemary Mint shampoo and conditioner, Chanel Rouge matte red lipstick, “and Rosebud Salve for everything.”

Her 3 scents: Stella Nude, Apothia Child and “my boyfriend’s Tom FordGrey Vetivier.”

Worth the splurge: Travel. “I’m just back from Buenos Aires and readying a trip to Paris, Geneve, Provence and the Italian Riviera in a few weeks.”

Free-time fun: Reading, spa-ing, yoga-ing, walking, kissing

Where she does Yoga: YogaWorks

Music she grooves to: Charles Trenet, Trace Adkins, Cee-Lo Green, Paul Simon, Slayer

Fave restaurant: Yuka on 81st Street

How she’s reducing her carbon footprint: “Changing my lightbulbs to LED, turning off the water while brushing, and investing in global green clothing."

Charities she supports: Human Rights Campaign and Let's Move

The Glam List #27: The Turtleneck

Do you LOVE*deep?

Like Ghandi fasts for his cause, in the name of The Urban Grocer, I'm starting up the NYC fave, spiritual juice cleanse, Love Deep by Organic Avenue. Tomorrow. LOVE*deep is a 5-day deep dive into pure liquid nourishment. So, yes, no food. For a foodie. I love the metaphor of Spring springing, the ressurection of a new spirit and the unveiling and revealing of a new me. So stay tuned.

how to tie a head scarf

while waiting for my fabulous friend, kathryn finney aka the budget fashionista to get back from chicago, so we can shoot her how-to on the head wrap, here's a simple and authentic african guide to get you started

om shanti style

if you're loving my new post up on glamour.com about the blue buddha:
http://www.glamour.com/fashion/blogs/slaves-to-fashion/2011/04/yp-the-good-luck-charm-that-gives.html

you'll love these exclusive shots of American Idol rock n'roller, James Durbin rocking the Jewelry for Cause piece... available here with proceeds benefiting DoSomething.org

what to wear when hosting a food show in buenos aires

I've got a fun, #foodie flavored post up on glamour.com today. you can read it (and share it with friends), here:
http://www.glamour.com/fashion/blogs/slaves-to-fashion/2011/04/yp-behold-the-hamburger-dress-foo.html

with all this talk of global foodies and Urban Grocer premieres happening this Sunday night, April 10 at 8pm on the Cooking Channel, I wanted to shine some light on the style side of things. as Producer of the show, I also held the title of show stylist, hair and make-up artist. being a food network junkie, I take notice of what the women hosts wear. lots of three quarter, non offensive, scoop neck tees and jeans. fair enough. but I'm a stylist first and foremost and if I'm styling a show, I'm making a statement! make sure to check out our trip to buenos aires where I play off the very funky and urban south american city vibe with nieves lavi animal print jumpers, effortless scarves, slouchy boho over the shoulder bags and handmade from italy, gold and leather sandals from tuccia di capri. the city is alive and vibrant with a very specific street chic. and I wanted to style the host, caitlin, to reflect. make sure to tune in and let me know what you think of my cooking channel style.

a hollywood love story

Original post on The Urban Grocer here: Food, Travel & TV: Shannon Keenan Demers

What better way to share an Urban Grocer piece, then on the birthday of the fabulous Ms. Shannon Keenan Demers. We love you so much... Like all great Hollywood stories, I first met Shannon Keenan Demers poolside at a Los Angeles hotel. With an impressive resume chock full of food and travel television production – and as co-owner of 2Tall Productions with her husband Mike Demers – she’s spent her career as a producer trekking across continents. From working as a Series Producer on Bizarre Foods to serving as an Executive Producer and Showrunner on our very own The Urban Grocer, I chatted it up with Shannon about her life in travel, food, and television from behind the camera. And because Shannon has as much experience as she is tall (which is very), we’re running this interview in two-parts. So stay tuned; this is “to be continued…”

The Urban Grocer: While working on Bizarre Foods, what were your most memorable experiences?

Shannon Keenan Demers: I could go on for days about the amazing experiences my husband, Mike Demers, and I had on Bizarre Foods. Mike was the cameraman and I was the producer and most of the time, it was just the two of us and Andrew Zimmern, the host. We spent time in remote South America jungle lodges we could only access by taking a hollowed out canoe over a black lake filled with piranhas. We spent two days riding around the Moroccan desert in 100 degree heat with a dead goat in the back of our van that was meant to be a gift for someone hosting us deep in the Atlas Mountains. We spent a scary day locked in a room with a witch doctor performing a cleansing ceremony with homemade hooch, open flame and live guinea pigs. We ate haggis in Scotland, balut in the Philippines, and fresh iguana in Trinidad. And when I say “we,” I guess I should clarify – I mostly took pictures….

TUG: What do you think is important about food and travel on television?

SKD: I think shows like ours – like The Urban Grocer – are so important because they really inspire people to try new things and visit places they might never have considered before. And you don’t have to be a hard core foodie or a seasoned traveler to get lost in the stories we’re telling – you just have to sit back and enjoy the journey!

TUG: You have been such a significant part of The Urban Grocer television special. What aspect of the show excites you most?

SKD: What I’m most excited about is that we finally get to share our amazing experience in Buenos Aires (BA) with the Cooking Channel audience! BA has such mad pride for it’s culinary scene – you could just see it on the faces of every single person we met while we were there – they just couldn’t wait to share their totally unique take on their local cuisine. That excitement spread quickly to our entire crew, each and every one of whom worked tirelessly to execute the exact vision that we set out to capture from the start. I couldn’t be prouder of everyone that was part of our BA family.

Wanna know more about Shannon’s experience working in travel and food television production? Watch this space for Part II of our interview, set to run on Thursday, 7 April.

And of course, check out Shannon’s great work as Executive Producer on The Urban Grocer premiering on the Cooking Channel, April 10 at 8pm ET.

are you a target or a kmart?

new post up at glamour here. would love it if you could show the love by clicking the link and then tweeting or fb 'liking' my post on the glamour page. this was a fun one. I've always loved picking up super budget finds at both the super stores. its a proud day when one wears something from target or kmart and people react with 'is that marc jacobs?'. regardless of where u purchase your style, it's all about the swaaaaaaagger ; )