New Blog: Style on the Mountain

Due to the overwhelming views this blog has received, we decided we needed a bigger platform to give you the best experience possible. Over the next few weeks, I'll be moving our previous posts over to the new blog as well as posting new content every day. Check it out and be sure to let me know what you think!

HOW TO FOLD, HANG, & STORE CLOTHES SO THEY LAST

Lets me honest. We love our clothes. We spend so much time shopping, so much money, and so much preparation every day into them... so let your clothes love you back for longer. Here are some tips for storing your clothes so they stand the test of time.

 

JEANS:

Jeans are my go-to item. I still wear jeans I've had since 10th grade.. and they're still just as comfortable. If you take care of your denim, it can last for years. 

• When your folding jeans, fold bulky items on the bottom so they don't teeter and fall
• Since jeans can be worn more than once between washing, hide cedar balls or cedar chips in the stack
• If your favorite jeans start to show wear,  contact denimtherapy.com. They will reweave your denim in matching threads to make your jeans good as new.
• A pair of dark denim jeans can be dressed up or down. When they start to fade drop them in the washer with a package of RIT dye and a little bit of salt. They'll come out looking new
• Sometimes a zipper will get stuck... especially denim's metal zippers. When that happens, just rub some crayon or candle wax along the teeth. Gently pull your zipper up and down until it's "un-stuck" The candle wax creates a protective layer that smooths and greases the zipper without leaving an un-washable residue.

DRY CLEANING

• As soon as you get home, take your clothes out of the plastic dry-cleaning bag. The plastic traps in chemicals that eat away at fabric.
• Those ugly dry cleaning hangers take up space in your closet, take them back to the dry cleaners next time you drop clothes off  and they will recycle them. It's an easy way to be green and keep your closet clutter-free

REMOVING GREASE STAINS

Ok this is cool. Grease stains can be impossible to remove and ruin clothes with just a few drops. Use this tip to remove all your greased up clothes in one step.

• Place your greased-up laundry in a top-loading washing machine. After it's filled with water, pour a six pack of Cola into the top. Wash as normal and when you take them out, your stains will be gone.

FOLD OR HANG?

• Heavy knits and sweater dresses should always be neatly folded to avoid stretching out the shoulders. Even the thick, molded hangers stretch them out. 
• Only put things in drawers you don't need to see when your getting dressed. Ex: Lingerie, Active-wear, Sleep-wear, and plain t-shirts

SHRUNKEN CLOTHES

Bringing clothes back to their original size isn't as complicated as you'd think. 

• Pour 2-3 tbs of  hair conditioner or baby shampoo (yes, you read that right) into a large bowl of water. The conditioner will gently soften the fibers making them more pliable and receptive to the reshaping process.
• Try to keep the bowl room temperature.
• Put your item on top of the water and let it sit 5 minutes.
• Pull it out and lay it on a neat towel
• Now comes the fun part. Slowly stretch the fibers back into the items original shape by pulling and widening in the shrunken areas.
• Leave it flat to air-dry

STYLING: LissMee's Ruffle Maxi Skirt

By pairing LissMee's Ruffle Maxi Skirt with a wide brim hat, comfortable ankle boots, and casual tank, we've created a look that's both fashion-forward and unbelievably comfortable.

 Use coupon code FREESHIPPING during checkout at LissMeeApparel.com for extra savings.

JOURNAL: Balancing Family and Fashion

Sometimes I can't decide if I'm living a full, satisfying life or a crazy double life. 

I work model fittings, runway shows, and photo shoots in between play dates and legos. 

Either way, I love it.

I love every aspect of being a mom and can't possibly imagine a life without the kids 

but some days finding balance is harder than other days. Both work and family can be demanding and kids don't understand the word "Later." For them, every moment counts.

In my world, family and fashion are so intertwined I couldn't possibly 

keep them as separated as other designers seem to. 

I design clothes I can wear while running between fittings and preschool.

 I almost never wear heels because then I can't keep up with the little ones and my morning hair /makeup routine takes 10 minutes tops..... I'm such a mom.

Some days I get frustrated that I'm not more productive, manage my time better, and more organized. But it's hard to be incredibly organized with 3 kids under 6 on 2 different schedules.

I just do what every parent does.... her best.

That doesn't mean I can't do better though.

I will always be my own worst critic and never totally satisfied with a given project. It pushes me forward and guarantees that I'm always learning. Yes, I'm hard on myself, but I use my frustrations as motivation. I'm constantly trying to find ways to balance my time better. I try to wake up before the kids to get some work done and stay up late every night. I work 7 days a week and can say I thoroughly enjoy when my head hits the pillow at night.

I want my cars and house spotless, work To-Do lists that take several pages, play dates scheduled nearly every day of the week, a husband I can't wait to see at night, and orders I can barely keep up with. I want these things.... and I'm a firm believer that if you want anything bad enough, you make it all work. You find balance by sheer determination and constant effort.

I feel like my priorities are where they should be. I love my family more than I can express. Without them, I wouldn't have the creative drive to do anything remotely artistic. I love work, and if it takes a few years longer to grow my business because I've enjoyed my kids childhood, I can live with that.... happily.

PHOTOSHOOTS: Behind the Scenes with LIVE IN COLOR PHOTOGRAPHY

Our latest Photo-shoot was a HUGE Success.

We worked with an emerging Photographer, Jesca Cluff, who owns the label, 

Live in Color Photography. We'll be adding photos from this shoot to our website soon.

Check out our behind the scenes video of our photoshoot with Live in Color Photography:

Models : Anna Vega & Alexis Ramos

MUA+H : Sarah Burton Smith Mua-hs

Clothing : Lisa Miller Mecham : LissMee

Each of the models wore:

LissMee's Low Arm Cowl Tee

and 

LissMee's Mustard Paneled Leggings

Click the images to shop the look.

HOW TO: How To Use Leggings to Elongate the Look of Your Leg

LissMee Apparel Black Metallic Legging $45.00 USD

During a radio interview a few weeks ago for KTALK, I was discussing with Cate Allen how versatile a legging can be. They are clothing staples for so many women, yet some don't know how to wear them. 

In this week's HOW TO, I'll break down what makes these hide-nothing. skin-tight, show it all, options work to elongate the look of your leg. Most of the models pictured below are a size 2-4. I want you to notice how they appear shorter, thicker, taller, leaner etc simply by the design of the legging they are wearing Every small change makes a big difference in the overall look.

Shortening and Elongating your legs with Lines:

                   
Horizontal Lines widen a figure. They are great when placed along busts if your small-chested, placed on a hip to create a more hourglass line, but I can't think of a woman anywhere you wants her legs to appear wider. Opt for slimming lines. They don't have to be as aggressive as this, but any vertical line running down the leg will elongate them.

Elongating Lines:

           Etsy:  $35.00             

                         Venus $32.00                  

                       Piperlime $238.00

Shortening, Widening Lines:



Note:

Granted, there are so many options out there that your bound to come across some leggings you can't help but wear even though they are not flattering. If you find yourself in this situation, be sure to balance your outfit. Break up hard, horizontal lines with boots and be sure to wear a longer tunic to avoid widening your hips, upper thighs, or worst of all, crotch.

DESIGNER JOURNAL: New Years Resolutions

I love New Years.

You won't find me in a huge crowd when the clock strikes midnight or dancing at a party. I usually spend New Years with my family. We watch movies, eat too much, the kids get cranky at nine, but we let them stay up anyway. Maybe it's boring, but it's relaxing and I love it.

I see the new year as a new beginning. It's a chance to set new goals and feel unrealistically ambitious. Every year has been an an insanely big year since I turned 18 so the start or a new chapter is extra motivating. I can't wait. I have goal lists from when I was a kid in my journals somewhere. Most of them have the same 4 things unchecked:

-Learn French

-Travel to Europe

-Pay off my debts

-Learn Guitar

Along with a page or two of others that I've actually managed to conquer. So this year, I thought I'd share my Resolutions with you, and I'll be coming back to this post throughout the year to cross off completed ones.

IN 2014:

2014 PERSONAL RESOLUTIONS:

• I'll Finally Learn French
• Take the kids back to Disneyland
• Create and live within a realistic budget
• Install can lighting and rip out the popcorn ceiling in the basement
• Take weekend vacations with Jon to Long Beach, Vegas, Seattle, and Portland without the kids
• Pay off half our debt (<- Trying to be more realistic here)
• Complete the bodybuilding.com workout program I've started 3 times.
• Write 5 things I'm grateful for atleast 4 times a week
• Plant something and keep it alive for an entire season
• Enroll the kids in Karate, Gymnastics, and Ballet
• Take an art class with Jon

2014 BUSINESS RESOLUTIONS:

• Attend Magic (A trade show for the fashion industry)
• Be a vendor at the Magic Trade Show
• Sell my clothing line at 10 eCommerce sites
• Sell my Clothing line at 20 Brick-and-Mortar Boutiques
• Keep up on my blog!
• Maintain a relationship with my SCORE.org adviser
• Launch collections along the time frames of the industry rather than "when I have a moment"
• Make all updates to the website (LissmeeApparel.com) that are on my list
• Have at least 12 unpaid press publications for the year

Wish me luck!

DESIGNER JOURNAL: Finding Inspiration

My Design Journal where I gather inspiration and create new ideas

Finding Inspiration is the most important aspect of creating a new collection. It is the base that each piece is designed on and without your base, nothing is truly grounded or complete.

But where do you find inspiration? Can you even run out? 

No. Sounds cheesy but inspiration is everywhere. It can come from a new experience, architecture, or nature. Every designer gathers inspiration differently and the way it's interpreted can define a collection.  

The Salt Lake City Library is such a pretty building with great lines.

I personally get my inspiration from new chapters in my life, new experiences, and new places. 

For example, I took up tango with my husband which inspired me to create a tango-inspired collection that balanced the sensuality and comfort of dance-wear with the fashion-forward edge of street-wear. 

While designing my debut collection, I was going through a painful custody battle with my ex and was struggling to stay thick-skinned, unwavering, and strong while still being a patient, loving, and hands-on mother. I was playing the "mother" and the "father" role and was learning to balance both extremes in character. My struggle manifested itself in the form of strong black leather masculine pieces contrasted with light lace and femininity. 

Every collection is personal and a peek into my personal world. It's scary to put new work out there sometimes and not take criticism personally because so much of "you" has gone into creating it... but as a designer I would never have it any other way. 

 Finding inspiration is all about stepping outside comfort zones, developing new talents, and going new places. Inspiration can really be anywhere and gathered endless ways, this is just how I develop mine.

FASHION NEWS: LissMee Zephyr Publication

 Check out LissMee's latest publication in Zephyr Magazine:

Fashion: LissMee Apparel

Photography: Jen Palmer

Styling: Kat Fedorova

Beauty: Melanie McLaws, Alli Tuttle, Marie Smith, Lauren Searle and Blake Gilles.

Shop LissMee's Bohemian Flapper Dress Now

LISSMEE BACKSTAGE: Finishing up a few custom pieces.

via Instagram http://instagram.com/p/h7NBuFS5vQ/

DESIGNER SPOTLIGHT: Umit Benan

It's rare to come across a new designer that balances consumer practicality and high fashion imagination like Umit Benan.  Umit Benan's menswear label consists of staple sportswear pieces re-imagined with luxurious fabrics and eye-catching details. Each collection is inspired by a specific lifestyle for a truly captivating and exciting show each season. 

When I first came across his shows I was impressed by his execution and how he was able to completely control the shows ambiance to give the audience a true feel for his inspiration behind the collection. His runway shows are incredibly theatrical yet each clothing item is so wearable for day-to-day.

Umit Benan 2012 Collection inspired by troops in a barrack.

Umit Benan front and center with his models wearing his banker-inspired Fall 2011 Collection.

STYLING: Our new Velvet Cowl Neck Tank

LISSMEE's new Velvet Cowl-Neck Tank.

Pair it with leggings or jeans for a casual look or

 dress it up with slacks or a skirt for a chic holiday party.

We love the exposed zipper on the spine.

Featuring:

LISSMEE Cowl Neck Tank Top

LISSMEE Faux Leather Leggings