Spring 2014 - Fashion Color Trend

March 24, 2014










Spring has finally arrived! I can't wait for the warm, sunny days that bring budding trees and blooming flowers. It's also a time to explore the season's fashion color trends.
 The experts at Pantone select top colors for clothing each season. Most of the designers around the world included the selected colors in their Spring 2014 collections. The Pantone choices include placid blue, paloma, dazzling blue, cayenne, sand, celosia orange, magenta purple, comfrey, purple haze, and freesia.
 Do you have a favorite? I love them all, but dazzling blue is my top pick.

Magazine Cover - Vogue US - April 2014 - Kim and Kanye

March 21, 2014


The speculation is over!

Yes, they are! Kim Kardashian and Kanye West are the cover of Vogue US magazine April-2014. 
What did you think?

Candice Wu Couture - Bond Lounge at Langham Hotel

March 17, 2014









Photography: Dimonika Bray

On Tuesday, March 11, I attended the designer Candice Wu Couture’s fashion show at the elegant Bond Lounge at the Langham Hotel.
She presented 14 looks in an exquisitely innovative collection that was inspired by the magnificent world of the insects.  The collection was created for a modern woman.
The color palette was predominantly black, ivory and gold. The garments were combined with innovative jewelry art created by Houseof Cach from Providence.  The models wore long gowns that were paired with large-scale necklaces, shoulder caged garments, hip jewelry pieces and statement head pieces. The make-up was flawlessly done by the make-up artists Amanda Winters McCarthy and Benjamin James and the hair was styled by Kashmir Asvaraksh.



Accessories: House of Cach
Models: Dynasty Models & Talent
Makeup: Amanda Winters McCarthy and Benjamin James
Hair: Kashmir Asvaraksh


Timeless Tuesdays - Bond Loung at The Langham Hotel

March 16, 2014



If you are you a fashion lover living or visiting Boston, you don’t want to miss Timeless Tuesday’s fashion shows.  The event is held inside the landmark LanghamHotel in its elegant Bond Lounge Restaurant. It is a great place to have cocktails and dinner while enjoy fashions created by both local and international designers.

The shows are the second Tuesday of every month. Making a table reservation is suggested.

Bring out all your friends to enjoy this fashionable night!


For reservations, please call 617.956.8765 or reserve online.

Koonhor - Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Fall 2014

March 15, 2014






Photos: WWD

On day 3 the KOONHOR Fall 2014 collection was the first show I attended.  The show was at the Hudson Hotel. The brand based in Italy was created by the designers Koon Lim and Catrine Thé. The collection was designed for the dynamic, modern woman. It expressed refined boldness through metallic-coated black blazers, dresses and structured wool flare skirts. Buckle accents were used on both belted coats and classic ankle-boots. Biker jackets featured strong, stiff cuts with pink metallic-coated collars detailed on a few of the pieces. Most of the looks were predominantly black and white with an occasional accent of color like army green wool-blend pants and denim skirts.


Carmen Marc Valvo - Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Fall 2014

March 10, 2014










On February 7 I attended Carmen Valvo’s fall 2014 collection at Lincoln Center.
Inspired by a trip to Istanbul, Valvo’s Fall/Winter 2014 collection incorporated elements of historic Ottoman landmarks. These influences were reflected through metalwork and mosaics that adorned pieces ranging from bodices to riding coats and footwear. The color palette was mostly black, red, and navy blue. The runaway show included mid to long embroidered skirts, lean tunics over skinny pants, and lace gowns.

Seated in the front row were well-known public figures including the actresses Vanessa Williams and Adepero Oduye, fashion entrepreneur Fern Mallis and journalist Katie Couric.


New York Fashion Week Fall 2014 - Day 2

March 8, 2014













February 7 was my second day at New York Fashion Week. In the morning I attended Carmen Marc Valvo Fall 2014 show. Although the weather was still extremely cold, I was eager to wear my new fuchsia bomber jacket. I love this piece so much and the color is stunning.
After the show I stopped to have a healthy lunch and window shop at the pastry display.

I finished the day in Times Square at Ellen’s StardustDiner, the legendary retro 1950’s theme diner where I met my friends Margarette and Jose Carlos. What a fun night!

Yuna Yang - New York Fashion Week Fall 2014

March 6, 2014







The designer Yuna Yang’s fashion show was the last one I attended on my first day of New York Fashion Week. The designer presented her fall 2014 collection at Alvin Alley American Dance Theater. The collection entitled “Butterfly Mother” was inspired by the Miao culture, an ethnic group from southwest China.  The collection was a mix of prints and boyish cuts with feminine embellishments. Black lace was juxtaposed against bright neon silks, ornamented sweaters with midi silk skirts, silk dresses with slouchy socks paired with sneakers, and vibrant blue dresses.


Margarette Mattos - Brazilian Artist - Iron Ore Painting

March 2, 2014










Brazilian Artist Margarette Mattos uses iron ore as the main component to create her paintings


Margarette Mattos, a Brazilian artist, who lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts, is one of the finalists this year for the Brazilian International Press Awards in the category Visual Arts.

The artist is from Vitória, a city in the southeast of Brazil. She started her career in the 1980’s in her homeland. She is self-taught in the art of painting on canvas. Her work follows the line of Abstract Expressionism which is characterized by bold colors such as red, cobalt and gold. It includes abstract shapes that resemble windows.

The main material that Margarette uses to create her paintings is iron ore. The ore is extracted from the region of Itabira (Minas Gerais) and Serra dos Carajás (Pará), and provided to the artist by Vale SA (formerly Companhia Vale do Rio Doce).

Her work and talent have been recognized in the United States and Brazil as well as in several European countries. In the Boston area, for example, her work received first prize from the Cambridge Art Association in the category of Small Works. She also won first place in the competition First Exhibition of Brazilian Artists of New England. Her work was exhibited at the Judi Rotenberg Gallery on Boston’s famous Newbury Street. In Brazil she exhibited her works in the galleries of Francisco Schwarz and Joe Slaviero & Guedes among others. Her works have been acquired by many famous and art collectors. Her patrons in the United States include former baseball player Manny Ramirez and Brazilian designer Sinesia Karol.

I recently interviewed her in her studio.

How did you start your carreer?

I started my career painting in oil and acrylic. In the same time I was attending fashion college, but I decided to quit to follow my dream to be an artist.

The natural resource iron ore is the main component you use to create your paintings. How did you start using this material in your work?

I started using iron ore in a very casual way. One day I was doing research about the architecture of my city in Brazil. The research objective was to create some paintings that described my vision of the city for the exposition called Visões de Vitória which was a project of the Federal University of Espírito Santo. I was walking through the city and as I approached the port of Vitória I observed the ships arriving and leaving. I was curious and learned that the of Vitória is the second biggest port where iron ore is exported out of the country. From that day on, I decided to study and learn more about the iron ore, so I visited the city of Itabira (Minas Gerais). This city has one of the major iron ore reserves in Brazil and is the location of Vale SA, a major mining company in Brazil. I requested some samples and to my surprise I found that the iron ore has a variety of shapes, colors, textures and sparkles. I got samples of about 20 different colors and shades. After this research I learned about the different types of iron ore.

I knew that the colors and textures are all that an artist needs to create, so I decided to try using ores in my paintings. It took years of research to find the proper way to effectively use ore in my work without losing its luster, texture and unique color.


Which artists inspire you the most?

I greatly appreciate the work of artists Antonio Aristides, Wagner Veiga and Vik Muniz. Also, I could not fail to mention my admiration of the Russian artist, Mark Rothko.


What other types of materials do you use in your paintings?

In addition to iron ore, I use iron oxide, soil, gold leaf, copper, pigments, resins, varnishes and waxes. With these mixtures I get the most interesting reliefs, textures, brightness and opacity.

Have you ever used iron ore in some other types work?

Yes. I have used iron ore in ceramic, paper and fabric works. To use these mediums involved extensive research. In the end it was worth it because the work came out exactly as I imagined.

What are your main professional and personal achievements?

I was involved in volunteer work here in Cambridge teaching arts and crafts to a group of senior citizens. I also participated in a volunteer group in King Open Preschool.
In Brazil I volunteered as an art teacher to group of disadvantaged children. We used recycled materials to create artwork.
This type of work is very rewarding and fulfilling to me as an artist.

Margarette Mattos artwork can be purchased directly from the artist.
 www.margarettemattos.com


By: Helena Martin – Cambridge – USA
Iron ores are rocks and minerals from which metallic iron can be economically extracted. The ores are usually rich in iron oxidesand vary in color from dark grey, bright yellow, deep purple, to rusty red. The iron itself is usually found in the form of magnetite(Fe3O4), hematite (Fe2O3), goethite (FeO(OH)), limonite (FeO(OH).n(H2O)) or siderite (FeCO3).Ores carrying very high quantities of hematite or magnetite (greater than ~60% iron) are known as "natural ore" or "direct shipping ore", meaning they can be fed directly into iron-making blast furnaces. Most reserves of such ore have now been depleted. Iron ore is the raw material used to make pig iron, which is one of the main raw materials to make steel. 98% of the mined iron ore is used to make steel.[1] Indeed, it has been argued that iron ore is "more integral to the global economy than any other commodity, except perhaps oil".[2]Hematite: the main iron ore in Brazilian mines