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

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

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.

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 ; )

Thanks to Queen Buzz!

Thank you to Deana and Queen Buzz for the awesome write up!! Click here to read the interview. xxJZ

Are YOU on The Glam List?

the urban grocer: television edition

I've been starting to spread the word on the new cooking channel special, airing april 10 at 8pm that I produced, along with two tall productions and starring my smarty pants lil sister, caitlin. and since I'll be chatting about it up until it airs, I wanted to give you the exclusive scoop on the who, what and where. my sister caitlin started up the urban grocer a little over a year ago from her room in centro america where she had little to watch on television in english except for the food network. having a lifelong love and talent for food (and the food network), she wanted to create a place online where international foodies can gather, post and read up on all of the creative, fresh and fun foodtuffs that are out there. seeing as how she currently lives in geneva, switzerland and also has lived in mexico city, nicaragua, born and raised in new york, worked as a sous chef in boston and grad school in chicago, she has an expansive palette and global point of reference. the ingredients were mixed and the urban grocer was born. once it was picked up by some major peeps, the site was a hit heard around the world! over the summer, with an opportunity to head to LA on a getaway, we met with some production friends that really saw the potential of a television show. together we packaged and they pitched to the holy grail of food entertainment, the food network... and the food network bit! they loved how the urban grocer fit with their newest television endeavor, cooking channel, which offers young, fresh and fun shows that cater to the global foodie. just like the urban grocer. so, we were off to buenos aires to shoot the hour long special that you'll see April 10 at 8pm on the Cooking Channel. It was the trip of a lifetime and one of the best work experiences of my life. And that passion and love for food and travel shows in the show. My sister, who hosts The Urban Grocer is adorable and smart and navigates Buenos Aires like an adventurous ex-pat. We hope you'll join us. Click here for showtimes and if you wanna help spread the word - Cut, Paste and Retweet: Turn On Your TV! @theurbangrocer is On! - http://bit.ly/hKdJNg ...and see you on April 10th!! xJZ

I'm talking tresses on Tyra.com

is it cool to love my own advice? I did this piece with wendy rose gould several months back for tyra banks' typeF.com and when I saw it today, I thought the tips, like "you can save on at-home blow drys, pharmacy-chic hot-oil treatments and bulk shampoo and conditioners" and "Zaino also recommends Vaseline for a fly-away cure all" were so clever. ha. what's your favorite frugalista hair tip?

(I could just) Burst TV!

Burst TV - Episode #1 **Adding COLOR With ROC NATION Artist Bridget Kelly** from Nitika Chopra on Vimeo.

my everyday enlightenment girl, nitika chopra is the founding editor of your bella life. she's been expanding her awesome online wellness and lifestyle magazine to include all types of yummy goodies. the latest offering from yourbellalife is burst tv. this debut webisode is adorable, informative and adds so much color to my day. on behalf of my friend, @yourbellalife, take a peek and share it with friends.

red hot

clearly, I love the color red. I spent much of my youth rocking the mac russian red lipstick shade, a blueish-red tint so matte you can caulk a tub with it. my shoshanna dress featured on the huffington post today, thanks to beautiful strangers, is a favorite dress of mine. It's paired with a tommy hillfiger Spring trench with prep school embellishments and steve madden heels. AND an incredibly chic pair of l'eggs profile tights which work better than Spanx (if u can belive it) and sell for less than $10 at the pharmacy. I was wearing a black stella mccartney prior to this, and producer jennifer goodkind suggested some more color. thank goodness you can't see the jack russell remnants of my sister's dog , taco in the photo by bruno gaget. that's movie magic for you.

plus size party dress

I've got a new post up on glamour! and it's catching a lot of buzz, for good or bad, in the comment section. I caught a plus size show during fashion week that really did not work. so I wrote abut it. including what plus size clothing I do love like torrid and betsey johnson lingerie. above are some additional and more clear photos of the plus size show, I am referring to, so you can decide for yourselves if u like it or not. and please leave your comments accordingly on the glamour site here.

what's red and red and red all over?

hot dang, ladies - work that color! my fave red dress of oscar evening was the valentino that anne hathaway wore. overall, I loved halle berry's nude and sparkley dress by marchesa with mila kunis in a lovely, lavendar elie saab coming in a close second. whose was your favorite?

never say never

if u have not had the great pleasure of catching wunderkind justin bieber's docu-flick, never say never, I highly recommend taking the time this weekend to pop in on what I can only describe as a cinematic success! it's inspiring, its fun, you'll clap, laugh, squeal and smile and what is bad about any of that. never say never. oh! and then click on over to my latest glamour blog on how I've gone completely bieb crazy in my closet.

retail dreams do come true!

if u haven't already read and posted a comment on my most recent glamour post about swimwear line bikini thief making the sports illustrated swimsuit issue, it's a quick & inspiring read with a very happy ending. take a peek and leave us a comment on the glamour page.

mtv 'made' me a fan

mtv's made has been on the air for years turning nerds into homecoming kings and cheerleaders into skaters. so it was my pleasure when I was invited to a private screening of the show that while the subject, james padgett, wants to be a rapper, the storyline goes much deeper than that. his motivation to be a rapper comes from his desire to stop the bullying he suffers. bullying sucks. at any age. its hard to rise up when one feels they are beat down. we watch james be brave enough to confront his offenders and the rest, you'll have to tune in to see. and while james' boyish struggle is heartwarming, the real star of the show is Grammy award winning rap star, Killer Mike. he got swagger, style, heart and soul and seriously whips james and his attitude into shape. to catch this episode of made, it airs tomorrow, thursday 2/24 at 4pm. to stop bullying in schools, click here.

Who is YOUR favorite Indie Designer?

My latest post on Glamour celebrates the Indie Designer of who I always support. It was on the eve of her Fall-Winter 2011 fashion show, I was invited downtown for a pre-show fitting by budding fashion designer, Sheila Frank. The color story, composed primarily of midnight navy and black, reminds one of an 18th century factory. While handmade production was overtaken by machine production during the Industrial Revolution, make no mistake about it, Frank's collection is carefully crafted with intricate details and hand sewn attention to each willowy black and gauze-y blue garment. Which you can view the full photo set here. Who do you think is an Indie Designer to watch? Post your comments here.

milly muse: peggy guggenheim

during a quick chat and tour of her new collection, michelle smith of milly confessed her collection muse was the fabulous, ms. peggy guggenheim. read the glamour post (and 'like' it) here. I had heard of peggy guggenheim but the big, bright citrus florals michelle embellished her collection with had me wanting to know more. peggy guggenheim, was born in the late 1800's into the wealthy guggenheim family. her father went down with titanic and with that, she inherited a small fortune. rather than squander her riches, she worked as a clerk in an avant-garde bookstore. it was there that she met a group of artists who she began to foster, finally opening an art gallery in london to showcase her new friends. over the course of her lifetime, she collected an unprecedented collection of art, donating it to the guggenheim museum in nyc. The Peggy Guggenheim Collection is one of the most important for american art of the first half of the 20th century.

#happyvalentinesday

valentine's day chococlate

what is a valentine's day weekend without a few chocolate treats? my girl valentine and founder of yourbellalife.com, nitika chopra put together a delicious chocolate walking tour of the lower east side with the coca crazy boys behind the book, Professor Chocolate Presents the Ultimate Guide to Finding Chocolate in New York City: 11 Chocolate Walking Tours to Guide You to the Best Bonbons, Truffles, Small Boutiques, and Secret Shops in New York City . just like the book states, we searched and found vegan chocolates from organic avenue, to die for caramel del sel truffles at whole foods from azur chocolat and the richest, buttery-iest beer and pretzel dark chocolate bon bon from roni sue's shoppe in the essex street market. the sweetest part of the day? spending the time exploring with friends. for the full photo set, click here.