Beautiful Women at Oscars

The Most Beautiful Women At The 2018 Oscars

Betty Gabriel

Betty Gabriel is an American actress. She is best known for portraying the character Georgina in the Oscar-winning horror film Get Out. Gabriel has often appeared in Blumhouse Productions films

 Heidi Klum

Heidi Klum is a German model, television personality, businesswoman, fashion designer, singer, television producer, author, and actress.

 Blanca Blanco

Blanca Blanco is an American actress best known for The Dog of Christmas, Fake News, and Torch

 Lea Michele

Lea Michele Sarfati is an American actress, singer and author. She began her career as a child actress on Broadway, appearing in productions of Les Misérables, Ragtime, Fiddler on the Roof, and Spring Awakening

 Olivia Wilde

Olivia Wilde is an American actress, model, producer, director and activist. She is known for her role as Dr. Remy "Thirteen" Hadley on the medical-drama television series House,e.t.c

Taraji P. Henson

Taraji Penda Henson is an American actress, singer, and author. She studied acting at Howard University and began her Hollywood career in guest-roles on several television shows before making her breakthrough in Baby Boy

Violetta Komyshan

During her teen years, she rose to fame as the girlfriend of screen actor Ansel Elgort. The two began their relationship in 2012, briefly parted ways in 2014, then rekindled their romance in early 2015. 

Before Fame

She and Elgort both attended New York's Fiorello H. LaGuardia Performing Arts High School, where she trained as a ballerina and he studied acting.

(Credit: https://www.esquire.com/uk/women/g19081908/oscars-2018-naked-dresses/) 

Top 10 Fashion Cities in the World

Some fashion meccas rise to the very top of just about every ‘Top 10’ list year after year. New York, Paris, and London are a few and they often take turns holding that coveted number one position. However, a few of the top 10 global fashion capitals might surprise you, as these au courant cities didn’t even make the top 10 in the most talked about industry survey the year before—The Global Language Monitor’s 11th Annual Survey: Top 56 Global Fashion Capitals. 

Before we reveal the Watch List, let’s take a look at GLM’s top 10 and the reasons many of these cities are always ahead of the pack.   

1. Paris

Paris bumped New York from the number one spot to become the world’s top fashion capital. This is not surprising. La Ville Lumiere is home to many of the top 50 fashion schools in the world—Ecole de la Chambre Syndicale, Istituto Marangoni (also Milan and London campuses), ESMOD-Paris (23 schools located in 15 countries around the world), Paris College of Art and Studio Bercot are just a few. Next, some of the most famous fashion designers in the world are French—Yves Saint Laurent, Hubert de Givenchy, Karl Lagerfeld, Jean-Paul Gaultier, Christian Dior, Pierre Cardin, Coco Chanel, Rene Lacoste, and Christian Louboutin top the list. Besides this, the world’s largest fashion magazine (Elle) launched in Paris in 1945 and still has headquarters there, along with 44 editions around the world.

Finally, the world’s grandest fashion show is held biannually in Paris—the celebrated Paris Fashion Week. Besides New York Fashion Week, no other fashion event in the world attracts more fashion royalty. Of course, being at the top of the fashion food chain means Parisians—no matter which arrondissement they may inhabit, are always snapshot-ready. The world loves to watch what they’re wearing!

2. New York

New York is and always will be a top four fashion capital, but the Big Apple couldn’t quite hold on to the lead over its toughest competition—Paris. Still, number two is never a bad thing and New York is still shining brighter than ever. We all know New York is the world’s culture center in every way, but when it comes to fashion, every city in every corner of the world follows New York—even Paris can admit that! Like Paris, New York is home to a number of the top 50 fashion schools in the world. Parsons School of Design, Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT), and Pratt Institute School of Design are the heaviest hitters.

Next, some of the most famous fashion designers in the world were born in, reside in or have other ties to New York. Ralph Lauren, Donna Karan, Marc Jacobs, Tom Ford, Vera Wang, Betsey Johnson, Carolina Herrera, Jason Wu, Tory Burch, Anna Sui, Bill Blass, Isaac Mizrahi, Geoffrey Beene, and Narcisco Rodriguez are just a few. Finally, another grand fashion show, and among the top four in the world, is New York Fashion Week. Held in February and September each year, the show attracts the biggest names in fashion—from yesterday to today. The event has been going strong since 1943, making it the very first fashion show of its kind.

3. London

London remained steady, neither advancing nor falling in GLM’s survey. There are many reasons this funky city just won’t budge from the upper echelon of global fashion capitals. First, London has always been ridiculously innovative when it comes to fashion. After all, the Mod movement was born here. Next, the UK has produced some of the most extraordinary fashion designers in the world. Alexander McQueen, Mary Quant, John Galliano, Stella McCartney, Vivienne Westwood, Hussein Chalayan, and Christopher Kane are just a few.

Next, London is home to so many top fashion schools, you’ll lose count. The most prestigious, and often considered the best in the world, is Central Saint Martins. Nearly all of the designers mentioned above are among the school’s most famous graduates. Other famous London fashion design schools include London College of Fashion, Kingston University, Istituto Marangoni (also Milan and Paris campuses), University of Westminster, and Royal College of Art.

Finally, yet another grand fashion show, one of the top four in the world, is London Fashion Week. Also held in February and September each year, the show attracts the world’s largest fashion houses. In existence since 1984, London Fashion Week is produced by the British Fashion Council.

4. Los Angeles

Like London, Los Angeles held on to its position. Not too shabby for a city that is more famous for filmmaking than fashion! So why did the City of Angels score higher than so many other cities on the list—again? Well, fashion in Los Angeles can be glamorous, edgy, hip, laid-back, and eccentric all at the same time. You just can’t describe fashion in one word here and that’s the beauty of getting decked out in LA. Decked is whatever you want it to be.

Although Los Angeles is all over the map when it comes to fashion, formal training for fashion designers just doesn’t get any better than this. Some of the most famous schools in the world from Otis College of Art and Design to the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising (FIDM) can be found here and they have produced some of the world’s top designers. Pamela Skaist-Levy (co-founder of Juicy Couture), Cynthia Vincent (founder of Twelfth Street by Cynthia Vincent) and Rick Owens are just a few.

Besides famous fashion schools and top designers, Los Angeles is home to the region’s top fashion show—LA Fashion Week. Held in March and October of each year, LA Fashion Week often attracts more than 20,000 guests and dozens of desirable collections from around the world.

5. Rome

Rome moved up a notch from number six in 2014 to number five, rounding out GLM’s coveted top five global fashion capitals. One of many Italian cities that made GLM’s Top 56 list, Rome is known for top fashion houses that produce extravagant haute couture fashions for the rich and famous. Valentino, Fendi and Gucci were founded in Rome and the city features one of the highest-end shopping districts in the world—the area surrounding the prestigious Spanish Steps. The shops of Chanel, Dolce & Gabbana, Gimmo Etro, Gianfranco Ferre, and Alberta Ferretti reside here, as well as Gianni Versace, Giorgio Armani, and Prada.

Rome is also home to one of the world’s most famous fashion schools— Accademia di Costume e di Moda. Established in 1964, the school’s strong focus on costume design makes it an even greater asset to the fashion world, as well as the film industry. Other top fashion schools in Rome include Accademia Koefia (also Milan), Accademia Altieri Moda Arte, and IED - Istituto Europeo di Design, to name a few.

The City of Rome also hosts Rome Fashion Week. The biannual event (also known as Alta Moda Alta Roma), takes place in January and July.

6. Milan

Milan has been both high and low in GLM’s survey, but  this fashion capital climbed from number 12 to number six. Not surprising. The city hosts one of the largest fashion weeks in the world—Milan Fashion Week, and only the most elite members of the fashion industry attend. Gucci, Prada, Dolce & Gabbana, and Roberto Cavalli are just the tip of the iceberg. Known for out of this world craftsmanship and the superior quality of their creations, the designers of Milan and beyond come together for Milan Fashion Week during the months of February and March for the Spring-Summer Collection, and September and October for the Fall-Winter Collection.

Next, Milan is (or has been) the home of so many famous fashion designers, it is impossible to list them all here. Just a few include Giorgio Armani, Valentino Garavani, Gianni Versace, Gianfranco Ferrè, Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana (Dolce & Gabbana), Miuccia Prada, Franco Moschino, Gimmo Etro, Ottavio Missoni, Donatella Versace, Pierpaolo Piccioli, Giuseppe Zanotti, Alessandra Facchinetti, Stella Jean, and Marco De Vincenzo.

Finally, several of the top 50 fashion schools in the world can be found here. Istituto Marangoni, which also has campuses in London and Paris, and Accademia Koefia (also Rome) are just a few.

7. Barcelona

Barcelona dropped from the number five position. Still, the City of Counts remains in the top 10 and for good reason. Barcelona has one of the fastest growing fashion industries in the world. The value of its global textile and apparel market was more than $1.7 billion in 2012, it is one of the largest producers of textiles (after Germany and Italy), and many of the world’s top fashion houses and companies started here. Cristobal Balenciaga, Massimo Dutti (more than 720 stores in 70 countries worldwide), Mango (107 countries, 2,500 stores worldwide) and Tous (400 stores in 45 countries) are just a few.

Barcelona also has its fair share of notable fashion schools such as Barcelona-IED Istituto Europeo di Design, FDModa, and ESDI Barcelona and the city hosts Barcelona Fashion Week. The event is growing and it attracts both major and up-and-coming designers from around the world.  

8. Berlin

This top 10 fashion capital made the list again for several reasons. It (Germany) gave us Karl Lagerfeld (born in Hamburg), Hugo Boss (born in Metzingen), and Margaretha and Wolfgang Ley (Munich)—the founders of Escada. Germany is also home to 40-plus fashion schools. Many are located in Berlin. Just a few include Universitat der Kunste Berlin, Lette Verein School of Design, KHB – School of Art and Design, ESMOD Berlin, Best Sabel, FHTW Berlin, and OSZ Bekleidung und Mode.

Berlin Fashion Week is also an event worth mentioning. Although young compared to Paris and New York Fashion Weeks, Berlin Fashion Week has made a name for itself by introducing the hottest young fashion designers to the world. The biannual show was established in 2007 and it is presented by organizations such as Berlin Partner and the Berlin Senate, among others.

9. Madrid

Madrid is a top 10 capital for a number of reasons. First, Madrid Fashion Week is the most prestigious fashion event in Spain. Formerly known as Cibeles Madrid Fashion Week, the gala attracts supermodels, famous fashion designers, and the rich and famous from around the world. Madrid is also home to a number of noteworthy fashion schools. Just a few include Madrid-IED Istituto Europeo di Design, the Technical University of Madrid (UPM), and Accademia del Lusso.

As far as famous fashion designers go, Manolo Blahnik, Amaya Arzuaga, Jesus Del Pozo, Adolfo Dominguez, and Loewe have ties to Madrid. In addition, Cristobal Balenciaga opened a fashion house here in the 1930s, where it remained until he gave up haute couture in 1968.

10. Tokyo

Last but not least—Tokyo. This city of nearly 38 million has one of the quirkiest fashion scenes in the world and no other city on our list has been able to duplicate it. Tokyo and its top academic institutions had a hand in shaping famous fashion designers such as Hanae Mori (Tokyo Women’s Christian University) and Issey Miyake (Tama Art University). Bunka Fashion College—one of the most prestigious fashion schools in the world, has produced famous designers such as Kenzo Takada, Junya Watanabe, Yohji Yamamoto, Hiroko Koshino, and Tsumori Chisato. Tokyo Mode Gakuen College of Fashion & Design is also one of the city’s top fashion schools.

Tokyo Fashion Week is one of the most anticipated fashion events in the region—if not the world. Known for launching some of the world’s most unusual fashion lines and starting many of the oddest trends still alive today, Tokyo Fashion Week attracts famous fashion designers and other major industry professionals from all 56 fashion capitals, and beyond.

As promised, the following is GLM’s Watch List .

1.    Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire / Ivory Coast, West Africa

2.    Accra, Ghana, West Africa  

3.    Auckland, New Zealand

4.    Beirut, Lebanon

5.    Jakarta, Indonesia

6.    Kuala Lampur, Malaysia

7.    Lagos, Nigeria

(Credit: https://www.fashion-schools.org/articles/top-10-global-fashion-capitals )

Top tips on working out at home

Physical exercise is must for good health and exercising at home can be just as beneficial as exercising at the gym. Not only is it cheaper than paying for a monthly contract, you can work out in the privacy of your own home whenever you want.

Life can get busy, and oftentimes we find ourselves traveling or otherwise unable to get to our preferred health and fitness facility for a workout. ACE Certified Professional Ted Vickey offers these 25 moves to help you stay on track, no matter where you find yourself. Using only your own body weight, these versatile moves can help you create a total-body workout that fits your needs and abilities.

Supermans

Step 1

Starting Position: Lie prone (on your stomach) on a mat with your legs extended, ankles slightly plantarflexed (toes pointing away from your shins), arms extended overhead with palms facing each other. Relax your head to align it with your spine.

Step 2

Upward Phase: Exhale, contract your abdominal and core muscles to stabilize your spine and slowly extend both hips (raise both legs) a few inches off the floor while simultaneously raising both arms a few inches off the floor. Keep both legs and arms extended and avoiding any rotation in each. Maintain your head and torso position, avoiding any arching in your back or raising of your head. Hold this position briefly.

Step 3

Downward Phase: Gently inhale and lower your legs and arms back towards your starting position without any movement in your low back or hips.

Push-Up

Step 1

Starting Position: Kneel on an exercise mat or floor and bring your feet together behind you. 

Step 2

Slowly bend forward to place your palms flat on the mat, positioning your hands shoulder-width apart with your fingers facing forward or turned slightly inward. Slowly shift your weight forward until your shoulders are positioned directly over your hands. Reposition your hands as needed to allow full extension of your body without any bend at the hips or knees. Stiffen your torso by contracting your core/abdominal muscles ("bracing"), your glute and quadriceps muscles and align your head with your spine. Place your feet together with your ankles dorsiflexed (toes pointed towards your shins). 

Step 3

Downward Phase: Slowly lower your body towards the floor while maintaining a rigid torso and head aligned with your spine. Do not allow your low back to sag or your hips to hike upwards during this downward phase. Continue to lower yourself until your chest or chin touch the mat/floor. Allow your elbows to flare outwards during the lowering phase. 

Step 4

Upward Phase: Press upwards through your arms while maintaining a rigid torso and head aligned with your spine. For extra strength think about pushing the floor away from you. Do not allow your low back to sag or your hips to hike upwards. Continue pressing until the arms are fully extended at the elbows. 

Step 5

An alternative position is to turn your hands to face forwards and keep your your elbows close to your sides during the downward phase. This shifts the emphasis from the chest muscles onto the triceps and may reduce stresses in the shoulder joint. 

Pushing through the heel and outside surface of your palm provides greater force in your press and stability to your shoulders.

Contralateral Limb Raises

Step 1

Starting Position: Lie prone (on your stomach) on a mat with your legs extended, ankles slightly plantarflexed (toes pointing away from your shins), arms extended overhead with palms facing each other. Relax your head to align it with your spine.

Step 2

Upward Phase: Exhale, contract your abdominal/core muscles to stabilize your spine and slowly raise one arm a few inches off the floor keeping your arm extended and avoiding any rotation in your arm. Maintain your head and torso position, avoiding any arching in your back or raising of your head. Hold this position briefly.

Step 3

Downward Phase: Gently inhale and lower your arm back towards your starting position without any movement in your low back or hips.

Step 4

Exercise Variation (1): From your starting position, contract your abdominal and core muscles to stabilize your spine and slowly extend one hip (raise one leg) a few inches off the floor keeping your leg extended, ankle plantarflexed (toes pointing away from your shins) and avoiding any rotation in your leg. Maintain your head and torso position, avoiding any arching in your back or raising of your head. Hold this position briefly before returning to your starting position.

Step 5

Exercise Variation(2): From your starting position, contract your abdominal/core muscles to stabilize your spine and slowly extend one hip (raise one leg) a few inches off the floor while simultaneously raising the opposite arm a few inches off the floor. Keep both your leg and arm extended and avoiding any rotation in each. Maintain your head and torso position, avoiding any arching in your back or raising of your head. Hold this position briefly before returning to your starting position.

Bent Knee Push-Ups

Step 1

Starting Position: Kneel on an exercise mat or floor and bring your feet together behind you.

Step 2

Slowly bend forward to place your palms flat on the mat, positioning your hands shoulder-width apart with your fingers facing forward. Slowly shift your weight forward until your shoulders are positioned directly over your hands. Reposition your hands as needed to allow full extension of your body from the knees without any bend at the hips. Stiffen your torso by contracting your core and abdominal muscles ("bracing").

Step 3

Downward Phase: Slowly lower your body towards the floor while maintaining a rigid torso and head aligned with your spine. Do not allow your low back to sag or your hips to hike upwards during this downward phase. Continue to lower yourself until your chest or chin touch the mat or floor. Your elbows should remain close to the sides of your body or flare outwards slightly.

Step 4

Upward Phase: Press upwards through your arms while maintaining a rigid torso and head aligned with your spine. Do not allow your low back to sag or your hips to hike upwards. Continue pressing until the arms are fully extended at the elbows.

Push-ups place stress upon the wrist joints. To alleviate some of this stress you may opt to use dumbbells and grip the handles rather than place your hands on the floor. If your are pressing from an elevation such as a dumbbell, you do not need to lower your chest or chin to the floor, but rather lower yourself until your chest or chin are level with the dumbbell handles.

Downward – Facing Dog

Step 1

Starting Position: Kneel on an exercise mat or floor and bring your feet together behind you. Slowly bend forward to place your palms flat on the mat, positioning your hands shoulder-width apart with your fingers facing forward. Slowly lift yourself into a push-up position, shifting your hands until your shoulders are positioned directly over your hands. Reposition your feet as needed to allow full extension of your body. Stiffen your torso by contracting your core and abdominal muscles to prevent any arching in your low back or hiking of your hips towards the ceiling.

Step 2

Upward Phase: While maintaining a rigid torso and full extension in your arms and legs, slowly exhale and shift your weight backwards by pushing your hips backwards and upwards. Maintain your head alignment with your spine, but slowly move your head between your shoulders as your body moves backwards and attempt to push your heels towards the floor. Maintain the stiffness in your torso to prevent the tendency of your back to arch. Continue moving until your body forms an inverted-V, keeping both arms and legs extended and a neutral (flat) spine. Allow a slight bend in the knees if required to achieve the inverted-V position.

Step 3

Downward Phase: Inhale and return your body to the starting push-up position, maintaining the alignment of all your body segments.

 Will share more in the next post:

(Credit https://www.acefitness.org/education-and-resources/lifestyle/blog/6593/top-25-at-home-exercises)