Tuesday, March 31, 2009

Sarah Radford of Chic Gems etc. Voted TOP Woman Entrepreneur


We are so proud to be a part of this very special occasion. Sarah Radford, designer of Chic Gems etc., was chosen as one of the TOP Women Entrepreneurs by Mike Michalowicz! What an honor - not only for her but it is a HUGE step for women in general. To view this phenomenal article click here.

A big CONGRATULATIONS goes out to Sarah and Chic Gems etc. You deserve it!


Tuesday, March 24, 2009

Hello Spring! (Well, Spring-LIKE Weather)




The weather is starting to break for the better and so are our minds! We are starting to get outside more, be more conscious of our appearance, and dusting off all of the amazing peep toe pumps, wedges, and strappy sandals in all of their glory! Though with this economy buying an abundance new outfits seems more of a task than usual. That's why adding strong "pieces" to our already existing wardrobes is the route most are taking this year.

Aesthetic Design Style to the rescue!!!!!!!!! Visit us and see how you can add unique, affordable, and quality pieces to your wardrobe without being an economic fashion disaster. We just added yet another spectacular designer to our fam so you are now covered from the inside out. Welcome evlove intimates - where you are the designer of the most fabulous intimate apparel. Top that off with some color at Chic Gems Etc. or Mattanda and grab a handbag (or 5!) at Brynn Capella or Bags of Blessing depending upon the occasion (or none at all because I don't need an occasion to buy a handbag - or anything for that matter!)
We invite you to join us on our journey of independence and to "step outside the box"!
Until then: "Fashion is not something that exists in dresses only. Fashion is in the sky, in the street, fashion has to do with ideas, the way we live, what is happening." Coco Chanel

Saturday, March 14, 2009

American Women of Invention

I was flipping through a Bed Bath and Beyond ad the other day and I came across something that caught my eye. No, not that adorable bed-in-a-bag but a small article that they included in the sidebar of one of their spreads. It was titled "American Women of Invention". It then lists some major inventions that women were responsible for and some we would be lost without in today's society.

  • 1809 Mary Kies gets the first patent for the weaving process (try buying a non-woven rug and see how that works out for you!)

  • 1812 Tabitha Babbitt invents the Circular Saw (Take that boys!)

  • 1882 Maria Beaseley invents the Life Raft (the few survivors of the Titanic can thank Maria for her quick thinking)

  • 1887 Anna Connelly invents the Fire Escape (seems like a handy invention in the case of some millions of people who live in city apartments)

  • 1903 Mary Anderson invents the Windshield Wiper (and they say WE'RE the bad drivers - try driving in the rain without these!)

  • 1951 Bette Nesmith Graham invents Correction Fluid (I personally will begin to thank her at least once a day as I correct my many mistakes)
I bring this to your attention because we, as women, have gone unnoticed for many many more things in history and in the present that I am sure we are unaware of. If you have ever heard of these women I mentioned above then you are way ahead of me and I commend you. If you have not (like me) we need to dig a little deeper and find all the phenomenal things we are capable of and have been capable of throughout history. If you study the inventions these brilliant women have come up with you'll notice that they are extremely logical as we women usually are. Each separate invention ultimeately started out as a problem that needed to be solved and the solution brought each invention to fruition. For example, I'm sure Ms. Tabitha Babbitt was so tired of spending hours and hours trying to saw a 2x4 with a hand saw and thought to herself "there has to be a better way". And she found it.

So, along comes 2009. Here we are. It's a new year and a new beginning. What are you going to do with it? Are you finally going to write that book? Are you going to start that business? Go back to school? Invent a way to be in 18 places at once (I'm in for whoever comes up with this one first!)? The world is ours and ours for the taking. Be confident and do what you love. Nothing is promised to us and I think this past year has proven that in a very real way. We need to help each other as people and as women and stay positive.

I love to help people and I love fashion. I love my family above all else. I finally found a way to combine ALL of those elements and in doing so I found myself again. I also found my love for appreciating beauty in things again as well. I get to work with the most amazing designers who also happen to be some of the most amazing women you will ever meet. We are all doing what we love but in different capacities yet we have found a common ground to come together and help each other succeed in our individual businesses and lives. Not to get too deep but it really is a beautiful thing.

Do what you love everyday. Find your passion. Get excited about life! Then go to Aesthetic Design Style and reward yourself with the most fantastic handbags and jewelry. You'll feel good knowing that you are supporting women, just like you, who are happy to greet the day doing what we love. Chic Gems Etc., Brynn Capella, Mattanda, and Bags of Blessing!
Until next time: "Anything less than a loving thought is TOXIC" - Dean Martens







Wednesday, March 11, 2009

Introducing . . . MATTANDA!










The Arrival of MATTANDA!!!!

Aesthetic Design Style is proud to announce that we have added a new designer to our family. Please help us welcome MATTANDA! MATTANDA is phenomenal hand crafted jewelry by Amanda McMahan and is beautifully executed as well as exquisitely packaged. Stop by Aesthetic Design Style or MATTANDA to check out all of the incredible earrings and necklaces beyond your imagination. MATTANDA uses vintage pieces mixed with modern flair to create one-of-a-kind items you won’t find anywhere else.

Not only is this line fantastic, it is very affordable as well. In this economy you can now afford to be fierce everyday. You deserve to treat yourself and with MATTANDA you won’t feel guilty – just FABULOUS!

We look forward to this new relationship with MATTANDA jewelry and we are so very excited to be a part of such a positive and wonderful movement.

ENJOY!!


Until then:
“My work has brought me into contact with the world's finest designers. I had a lot to learn. I have learned a lot. I found out you can learn a lot about yourself as a person, too-while you're learning how to use fashion in your life.” - Loretta Young

Sunday, March 8, 2009

Aesthetic Design Style Proudly Supports: The Red Pump Project


We are so excited to be a part of The Red Pump Project. We just heard about it recently and wanted to jump right in! Here is a little about this fantastic organization directly from them at The Red Pump Project:



The Red Pump Project: A campaign to raise awareness about the effect of HIV/AIDS on women & girls. Rock the red pump in support!



Statistics used are from the Center for Disease Control's website. Although these stats are only taking the United States into account, globally, HIV/AIDS is no less of a problem, especially for women.



Key Snapshot of the U.S. Epidemic Today:


Number of new HIV infections, 2006: 56,300
Number of people living with HIV/AIDS: 1.1 million, including more than 468,000 with AIDS
Number of AIDS deaths since beginning of epidemic: 583,298, including 14,561 in 2007
Percent of people infected with HIV who don’t know it: 21%HIV/AIDS & Women in the United States



*There are approximately 1.1 million people living with HIV/AIDS in the U.S. & almost 280,000 are women

*In 2006, there were 15,000 new HIV infections and 9,801 AIDS cases diagnosed among women*There were 3,784 deaths among women with AIDS in 2006

*Among those who are HIV positive, 35% of women were tested for HIV late in their illness (diagnosed with AIDS within one year of testing positive)

*HIV is the 5th leading cause of death in women in the United States, ages 25-44

*High-risk heterosexual contact is the source of 80% of these newly diagnosed infections in women

*According to a CDC study of more than 19,500 patients with HIV in 10 US cities, women were slightly less likely than men to receive prescriptions for the most effective treatments for HIV infection

*Women with AIDS made up an increasing part of the epidemic. In 1992, women accounted for an estimated 14% of adults and adolescents living with AIDS in the 50 states and the District of Columbia. By the end of 2005, this proportion had grown to 23%

*From the beginning of the epidemic through 2005, almost 86,000 women have died of AIDS and AIDS-related complications.

*The largest number of HIV/AIDS diagnoses during recent years was for women aged 15–39



HIV/AIDS & Minority Women



HIV/AIDS disproportionately affects minority women in the United States. According to the 2005 census, Black and Latina women represent 24% of all US women combined, but account for 82% of the estimated total of AIDS diagnoses for women in 2005.

HIV is:*the leading cause of death for black women (including African American women) aged 25–34 years.

*the 3rd leading cause of death for black women aged 35–44 years.

*the 4th leading cause of death for black women aged 45–54 years.

*the 4th leading cause of death for Latina women aged 35–44 years.

*The only diseases causing more deaths of women were cancer and heart disease

*The rate of AIDS diagnosis for black women was approximately 23 times the rate for white women and 4 times the rate for Latina women

*In 2006, teen girls represented 39% of AIDS cases reported among 13–19 year-olds. Black teens represented 69% of cases reported among 13–19 year-olds; Latino teens represented 19%



These statistics were pulled from The Center for Disease Control's website and the Kaiser Family Foundation's Fact Sheets (which cited the CDC). Get more information about the effect of the epidemic from these sites.



Please do yourself, your loved ones, and those you don't know yet a favor and find out more about this movement at The Red Pump Project.



Thank you!


Wednesday, March 4, 2009

THANK YOU!

Just want to say a huge "THANKS" to everyone who participated in the first Aesthetic Design Style Virtual Trunk show. We learned a lot about our business, our client, and our environment during the show. It can only get better from here. We especially want to thank Chic Gems Etc. and Bags of Blessing for all of their hard work and dedication during the show. Here's to many many more successful shows in the future!!!

We also want to thank all of you for just stopping by to get to know Aesthetic Design Style and what it is we want to do with our business and how we plan to help so many talented people reach their dreams. It is an exciting time and even though our country is experiencing many ups and (even more) downs we strive to help our independent designers to our fullest capacity.

Visit the Aesthetic Design Style site to take our survey regarding our Virtual Trunk Show and give us some feedback on how we did or what you would like to see more of in the future.

We have many good things to come and it is your support that keeps us going.

Thanks!

“Women dress alike all over the world: they dress to be annoying to other women” - Elsa Schiaparelli