Diana Gamboa

Diana Gamboa is a Colombian artist with a unique discipline.

Diana’s medium of choice is origami, but these aren’t your standard paper cranes. She creates giant, moving origami pieces that she believes connect intrinsically to the natural feminine energy of women. Her fascination with the female physique, along with her admiration for fashion, produced these graceful pieces:

Although Gamboa is a self-proclaimed fashion lover, she admits she doesn’t know much about designing clothes. She describes fashion designers as geniuses who somehow manage to construct pieces that can compliment a figure so well that they essentially become one. Though Gamboa doesn’t plan on creating her own boutique anytime soon, she adopts certain components of fashion in her work.

Gamboa discusses her creative process:

“Every person has their own story. It’s part of the dialogue I have with the material, in this case the paper. Every person constructs something with a piece and they develop it beyond an inspiration…for me, it’s being able to construct something. All the ideas I have, I have to be able to construct. It’s my job, my career.”

Since 1998, she has participated in several fashion shows, including the highly anticipated International Fashion Week in Bogota. Her latest work was showed at the High Fashion Week in Paris this year.

Her work proves that something as inanimate as paper can not only be reshaped, but can virtually come alive through reimagining beauty. All it takes is the right mindset, some creativity, and a medium to share it in.

For the Office

For an elegant look, try a form-fitting skirt with a tucked-in white shirt. If the skirt’s waist is high, make sure the shirt is either loose and tucked in or cropped. The key is to show off your waist. You could also try high-waisted pants.

You can’t go wrong with combining black and white. Experiment with some bold geometric patterns and stripes.

For Some Summer Fun

If you’re looking for something a little more casual, add some bright colors to the mix. Blogger Allison Fisher demonstrates in her award-winning blog, afashionfiles.blogspot.com.

Minty.

Funky patterns like animal print are also encouraged.

Rawr.

Accessorize Away

Hats, especially wide-brimmed ones, are in style. Wear them anytime it’s sunny, whether at the pool, walking downtown, or for a nice picnic. Here’s a few examples from refinery29.com:

Bold necklaces are also a good idea with white, particularly wooden or metallic ones for the summer. Scarves are always a good choice. Here’s a great example of scarves with a summer party twist:

This scarf is imprinted with the image of red wine under a microscope.

Dangle bracelets have always been a must-have. The dazzling Ms. Hepburn proves it in the bedroom:

White not only shows off your summer tan, but is also an incredibly adaptable color for virtually any occasion.

Julia comments how she has a particular have a soft spot for Congress. About a year ago, she and her current beau John celebrated their first date there:

“It has a very intimate, relaxed feel inside…it looks like a blue wonderland to me. [And] Even though the food is so fancy, the wait staff is in relaxed clothing and they play unpretentious music.”

The Congress restaurant offers meal selections up to seven courses. They also offer an excellent selection of wine, with plenty to choose from. Congress also offers the best selection of European and American wines from 1999-2009. Their current sommelier, June Rodil, was named “Best in Texas” in 2009.

David Bull is the head chef of Congress. He has been honored with several awards, including Food and Wine’s “Best New Chefs of 2003”, and was nominated for the James Beard award for the “Best New Chef Southwest” in 2007. He even got to compete in Iron Chef America in 2006.

Second Bar and Kitchen is a more casual dining area, but don’t let that fool you. They offer brunch, lunch, dinner, and dessert of the highest caliber. Main course meals include delectable entrees such as grilled berkshire pork chop with a side of escarole and creamy polenta, topped with a green chile citrus glaze. Executive chef Ethan Holmes went to the prestigious New England Culinary institute, and went on to make a name for himself in Boston, Los Angeles, and San Francisco before returning to his native Texas. He’s got plenty in store for his patrons!

Bar Congress deserves a visit as well. Complete with a full kitchen, Bar Congress uses its selection of top-shelf liquor and craft brews to stir up the evening. The bar is lead by William “Bad Billy” Hankey, who was a finalist in GQ magazine’s Most Inspired Bartender contest in 2010.

Everyone deserves to splurge a little on themselves and their beau. Make the evening special by letting loose a little. After all, with good food comes great pleasure!

Congress Restaurant
200 Congress Ave
Austin, TX 78701
http://congressaustin.com/

Tea-nker

The health benefits of tea are both abundant and substantial. Not only will they help you have a clear mind and a rockin’ bod, but with the sheer variety of teas that are readily available, you’re bound to find a favorite in no time.

All teas have anti-oxidant properties, which may help reduce the likelihood of getting cancer. Tea also decreases the risk of heart attack or stroke by clearing out your arteries. Tea contains fluoride and tannins that increase dental health. It has also proved to fortify your immune system and protect bone health. Some teas contain as little as 30-40mg of caffeine, while coffee was a whopping 135mg! Tea can also increase your metabolism, which increases endurance for exercise. In fact, you could burn 70-80 more calories by drinking five cups of green tea a day. Did I mention it’s calorie-free? (As long as you don’t add any milk or sweeteners, of course.)

The best way to enjoy a hot cup of tea is to brew it yourself. Loose leaf tea has slowly but surely become more popular in the United States. For best results, you’ll need a kettle, a tea pot, a steeper, a timer, and a tea spoon. Boil the water and dunk the steeper with your tea leaves in it. Black tea should steep for 3-5 minutes, green tea for 1.5-3 minutes, and Oolong for 2-4 minutes.

If you’re interested in purchasing local organic tea, Austin’s Zhi Tea immediately comes to mind. The Tea Embassy is another local tea spot that flaunts over 200 kinds of rich-flavored loose leaf teas. Their website has some great how-to videos for first-time tea brewers.

Trust the experts and do the research. Drinking tea may turn out to be a great help to a happier and healthier lifestyle.

I title this, “Waiting in Suite 1″

We will be now offering a Saint Cecilia experience package, please inquire at julia@viviansmuse.com…

I was surprised for one, that I had never heard of this guide and two, that it existed in the first place! What an fabulous idea- a guide to the sexiest city in the world written by women for women. The author, American expat and journalist Heather Stimmler-Hall, won the 2008 Independent Publisher’s Award for Naughty Paris and just released Naughty New York Jan. 2012! Heather gives us ladies a dazzling how-to on making the solo or wedded gal’s trip abroad the steamiest yet. Her insights into Paris are from a 10 plus year residency in the city of light and come crafted with class and a touch of poetry. To read a free chapter click here.

About Naughty Paris

Written for and by the fairer sex, Naughty Paris: A Lady’s Guide to the Sexy City is the first guidebook that presents the city’s erotic underside in a sophisticated yet accessible tone that appeals to both the innocently intrigued and daring divas alike. Whether you want to be titillated by erotic art or seduced at the city’s most exclusive swingers’ clubs, this guide is the key to choosing your own adventure.

Sure, there are plenty of books out there for “romantic” Paris. While they will tell you where to buy stylish clothes and designer perfume, Naughty Paris direct you toward luscious leather corsets and the sauciest, silkiest French lingerie. They list the family-friendly restaurants. We list female-friendly bars. You’ll discover sexy hotels where couples ignite their passion, not extinguish it beneath girlish chintz and doilies.

Imagine the wild roommate that you had in college is now living in Paris. Naughty Paris is full of the secret addresses and insider advice that she would share with you. And this guide doesn’t just give you address information and opening hours of the city’s hottest establishments. It also tell you who else goes there, how to get in, and exactly what to expect once you’re inside. Naughty Paris also includes the secret to capturing that elusive Parisian sexiness, flirting etiquette with French men, and even a glossary of essential vocabulary that may come in handy in the boudoir.

More than ever, women are celebrating their sexuality and embracing their inner femme fatale. Paris has long been one of the most popular travel destinations in the world, so it’s no surprise that an increasing number of ladies want to explore their hidden desires in the City of Light. Naughty Paris is the daring and sassy – but never trashy or sleazy – guide that ladies everywhere have been waiting for!

You can follow Heather and her naughty recommendations via Twitter: http://twitter.com/sexycityguides. Sexy Guides Website: http://www.naughtyparisguide.com/

If you’ve ever peaked at the Vivian’s Muse gallery and found yourself curious about the person who would be taking those beautiful shots of you, wonder no more! Huffington Post journalist and filmmaker Kieran Fitzgerald peaks behind the curtain that is Julia Vie.

Featuring Photography by Todd V Wolfson…

 Julie Vie is the highest-rated boudoir photographer in Austin. Hands down. Her
company is called Vivian’s Muse, after her mother, Vivian, who passed away in 2009.
I caught up with her at South Congress Café.

So you’re not married?
No. Not at all.

Are you single?
Yes, I am.

Where did you grow up?
Bradford, Pennsylvania. A little, tiny town on the border of New York and
Pennsylvania.

Did you like it?
No. I didn’t have a lot of friends growing up. I was kind of a loner. And when I went
to High School I got tormented. I got made fun of a lot because of my hair, my shape.
Just crazy stuff. I mean it’s a very small town: there’s not
much to do except pick on people.

When did you get into photography?
I always liked point and shoot cameras, but I really got into it when I graduated high
school. My grandfather gave me an SLR camera as a graduation gift, and ever since
then—having more control over my photos—I just got more and more into it. And
then when I went to college at Penn State that fall, I started taking up photography

How do you like Austin?
I love it; it’s great. I love the restaurants. I think the food here is amazing. The
natural and local foods… There are some great chefs from all over the world here
too. It’s a great opportunity to taste different cultures in such a small city.

How would you describe your style?
I think it’s very intimate. Intimate and classical is what I hear from a lot of people…
Also mysterious. Moody. Romantic. I play with filters that emulate the 1970s
Playboy look—that kind of warm glow.

What are your other influences?
Richard Avedon and Ellen von Unwerth are my favorite photographers. I love their
styles and techniques. I love Purple Magazine, and V. I try to look at fashion shots
and turn them into boudoir shots. I’ll see a pose in a fashion magazine and say, oh
that would look great in lingerie.

Did your style take a while to develop?
The refinement—to really achieve what I really wanted to achieve—that took a
while. But my vision was always the same. I always wanted to get really close to
my subjects. I’ve always used fixed lenses. I’ve always wanted just me on the set—
rarely do I have assistants.

Do you prefer shooting nude or clothed?
Nude. By far. I think it’s way more beautiful, way more interesting. It’s a little more
challenging, which I like too.

What’s the main purpose of your website, viviansmuse.com?
What we wanted to do with it is make sure all the clients’ questions would be
answered, so you can be rest assured that everything’s going to be great. I also
wanted to keep it very simple and let the design just showcase the photography
instead of distracting from it. The logo is designed with an emblem of a V and a M:
Vivian is my mother, and Muse is me, so it’s kind of connecting the two.

Tell me about your mother.
My mother was amazing. She was kind of like a best friend to me my all my life.
She visited me every weekend. She was such a wonderful, beautiful person. Really
bubbly. Very sexual. She was never married. I grew up constantly influenced by
Playboy, because she had it all over her house. And she had a lot of nude paintings
that I now have in my studio actually. I think for her, art was always something I
was going to do. She always wanted me to paint, and I played the piano and I did
ballet. So she was really cultivating me to be an artist. I just never really loved
anything until I found photography.

Was she an artist herself?
Yes and no. She made beautiful clothing. She could do anything with clothing.
Which was awesome for me as a kid, growing up and getting to wear all these
beautiful costumes. But other than that, she really liked being a muse. She was a
model for a while, and then she was a nude model for different artists.

What ethnicity were your parents?
My father was Italian, and my mother was African-American and Native American.
And I have Dutch in me too.

Do you identify with one background more than another?
No. My whole life, my grandparents told me: Julia, you are Julia. You are not one
race or another. Race doesn’t define you. You weren’t raised by your father, so
you’re not Italian. And we don’t have the African-American culture very rich in our
family, especially because of where we live in North-western Pennsylvania. So I
never felt I was a certain race or anything. I’m just me.

What ethnicity do most people think you are?
It completely varies. If my hair’s pulled back, people think I’m Hispanic. If my hair’s
in braids, they think I’m black. If it’s straight, they think I’m white. Or Italian.

You’re a chameleon.
Actually that’s why I was going to go into modeling. I did some modeling in New
York when I was younger. If I could speak Spanish, they said they would have taken
me. And I’m also too short…

Do you like having such a versatile look?
Yeah, I feel I’m really blessed. I’m blessed with great skin, great hair. I have hybrid
vigor. That’s what my friends and I always say.

What about with your photography, are you looking for specific looks or are
you open to any look?
All looks, definitely. I actually enjoy the challenge of having to make un-photogenic
people look good. Or being able to present who may not consider themselves
beautiful, really feel beautiful. And I think that I’ve finally achieved that on a regular
basis with my photography. I know that no matter what someone looks like, I’m
going to make them look awesome and reveal their beauty. And that’s fun for me. It’s just all about how
you paint the picture. That’s how I think of my photography: as painting a woman. I
don’t feel obligated to stick to certain rules anymore the way I used to. Like: it has to
be lit a certain way… No! I’m painting! I can do whatever I want!

You consider yourself an artist?
Definitely. For the first time in my life, I am a hundred percent an artist.

So if I’m a woman in Austin, why would I come to you?
I think I work with whatever your vision is. And I think that’s really important: to
be a photographer that doesn’t have an agenda. I just want to capture you. And I
think that’s the real art of it: let any woman feel so comfortable that she can let the
art come out of her. A lot of women don’t know anything about my art. It’s rare that
someone comes to me and says, I want artistic photos of me. They just say, I want to
look good, and I’m teaching them how to become art.

So in a way, you’re serving as a muse for them.
Yes! And in the session you can feel that energy. They always say to me: oh my gosh,
you’re so beautiful, you’re so confident… They see that in me, and I try to show them:
hey, it’s OK, this beautiful young woman likes you, and thinks you look great. Let’s
have fun now. You’ve been preparing for this for months, getting the tan, working
out, getting your hair done, and freaking out about every little detail. Now, you can
relax. They’re terrified of being in front of the camera.

What about you?
I hate being in front of the camera. I really do. I understand their pain. I think that’s
why I’m also good at this. Because I used to model and I understand how nerve-
wracking it is to have all the attention on you.

We know that you’re beautiful and confident, what other adjectives would you
use to describe yourself?
I think I’m relaxed. I’m kind of dorky. I’m clumsy, which is really bad, considering I
deal with expensive equipment and I’ve broken a few lenses before…

Biggest turn-ons?
I really love big burly men. Something about the security of a guy who can offer his
strength I think is sexy. I like men who are honest and straightforward. No players.
Nice, friendly guys.

Big and burly. But not hairy.
I don’t mind hairy.

Even back hair?
Yeah, I can deal with that. I’ve dated guys with back hair before.

OK, we’re sending this out to all the poor, lonely men covered in back hair
right now…

Hurry, hurry, she’s available! I mean honestly, I think that’s why I don’t stay single
very long. Because I’m really not superficial. My business has taught me not to be. I
can’t judge people. If I judge someone, then I’m not going to give them the beautiful
photos they deserve.

What is your favorite body part to shoot?
Butts. Butts and thighs. Because they’re the most challenging. They’re what every
woman fears. And if you see them from a different angle, they will look completely
different. That’s the most wonderful thing for me. If I can make someone who is
terrified of their ass, look at a photo of their ass and like it, then I’ve done a good job.
And of course their husbands love those photos the most. Every woman says, my ass
is his favorite body part.
Do you ever hear from the husbands or boyfriends?
I’ve had husbands call me and thank me and say, we love the photos so much! It’s
really cool to hear all the responses. I just got an email today saying: my husband
absolutely loved the pics, he thought you captured my essence. He’s carrying them
around with him everywhere and he just can’t keep his hands off of me! And that’s
exciting—they’ve been married for fifteen years. That doesn’t happen everyday!

So you see yourself as someone who can put the spark back into relationships?
Definitely. I even have reviews talking about couples who have gone through
divorces and my photos help bring them back together and ignite their passion
again.

That’s fantastic. And also a big responsibility, I imagine…
I know, sometimes it scares a little how intimate these photos are!

You must be a patient person.
You have to be. The women I shoot don’t typically know how to model; they don’t always know how
to pose. They’re usually really stressed out when they come in. I always say: I have
to be me in spite of them. I have to be bubbly and amazing and happy-go-lucky in
spite of whatever they bring. And I think I’m realizing that more. If they come in
with a bad attitude, I’m like: you know what, they’ll be smiling by the time they leave. I’ll just
work with them and they’ll love it!

What does a woman come away with from Vivian’s Muse?
At the end of the day, you’re going to come away with beautiful photos that capture
your essential self and your sexuality, and help you explore your sexuality in a
comfortable environment. And you get to take away photos that are going to last
forever, and a really simple, classic product that let’s you shine.

What formats do you offer?
There’s a hard leather-bound book, a little black book and then I have different kiss albums
in different colors. And I offer men’s magazines. You can put a title on it, put little
quotes on it. It’s a really new thing. I was one of the first boudoir photographers to
offer magazines. Of course I also offer print packages and canvas if you want to put
photos up over your bed, or in the bathroom. A lot of people end up adding those on
later. Once they show the photos to their loved one, he usually wants more.

Do you have any age requirements for your clients?
You have to be legal age. That’s it. I don’t shoot a lot of women in their early
twenties because usually they can’t afford me.

Mostly thirties and forties?
And fifties and sixties. I’ve never shot a woman in her seventies.

Would you like to?
Yeah, definitely! I really would love to. It would not only be a great challenge, but it
would really prove to a seventy year-old woman that she can still look beautiful.

If there is a heaven, what do you think the angel at the gates will say to you?
The angel will say: you’ve been a very good bad girl. Hah!