Shapeez Unbelievabra … all-in-one bra and body slimmer
I’m a big supporter of shapewear products. Get it? Supporter.
Anyway, I’ve been a fan of Spanx for years. I’ve looked at other brands, but really haven’t been tempted to shimmy into them. Now comes one that I may try.
It’s the Unbelievabra by Shapeez. It’s a bra and body slimmer all in one. Now, I know that other shapewear companies have similar products. They probably all tout the same results as Shapeez — eliminates all visiblebra lines, back bulges, muffin top while providing breast support and slimming of the tummy, waist and back.
Like Spanx, it seems high profile women are finding their way into the Unbelievabra, too, including makeup artist Bobbi Brown. The Unbelievabra is made from breathable cool-tex microfiber that wicks moisture from the body to keep wearers dry and comfortable. It also has molded foam cups and adjustable straps with no back bands or closures to make the garment practically invisible under clothing. The company said the hem doesn’t roll up either.
The shaper is available in two styles — a high-length style called the Ultimate for $85 and for those women not in need of torso control, a cropped length style that also doubles as a sports bra called the Shortee, retailing for $75. Each style is available in nude or black and comes in 25 sizes ranging from cup sizes A through E.
Staci Berner founded Shapeez and created the Unbelievabra after taking time off from her cosmetologist career to be a stay-at-home mom.
“I was searching for a bra that could provide great support and shaping for my breasts, while smoothing and slimming my back all in one. I looked everywhere and bought dozens of bras and shapewear products claiming breast support and elimination of the dreaded back fat, but none provided all the features I needed,” she said. “So I took matters into my own hands and created my first prototype.”
When she showed friends, the repsonse was always — Wow, the difference is unbelievable — thus the name.
Plans include more tops with different neck and back options, minimizer and demi push-up bras, and even an Unbelievabra swim line.
There are no stores in Oklahoma that carry the Unbelievabra, according to shapeez.com, but you can order one from the Web site.
If you’ve tried this product, let me know. Share your comments.
JRB Art at the Elms art show draws a crowd
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100 paintings at the “Small Works” show at JRB Art at the Elms. (Photos by David Faytinger).
JRB Art at the Elms “Small Works” show was one hundred paintings by one hundred artists.
Gallery owner Joy Reed Belt gave each artist an 8×8 canvas and asked them to to paint or create whatever they wanted to create. The variety was amazing. Some of the artists painted miniatures similar to the paintings they create on a regular basis. A few of them added volume to the canvas.
Two of the photographer sewed photographs on the canvas in a very creative manner. Some of the artists created paintings that are very different from what they usually create. Several of the artists made elaborate collages.
The paintings were hung in a large grid and all were priced at $180.
At the reception and show Iguana and Seasons catered the event.
Gallery artists who participated in the show and exhibit included D.J. Lafon, Michi Susan, George Oswalt, Denise Duong, Brent Learned, Skip Hill, Kim Camp, J.P. Morrison, Thomas Batista and Beth Hammack. Guest artists included Regina Murphy, Clint Stone, John Seward, Suzanne Owens, Sharon Montgomery, Romy Owens, Suzanne Cunningham and Jan Hurley.
In addition to the “Small Works” show there was also a show of Jim Keffer’s paintings and a wonderful 6’ hand crafted highboy he made of exotic woods. There were paintings as well as wooden and steel sculptures by John Wolfe.
Guests included Betsy and Mark Rowland, Mary and Andy Tevington, Pat Gallager, Carolyn Barnes, Stan Cunningham, Jim Turley, and Kitty and Dick Champlin.
The show will be hanging until Nov. 28 and the exhibit, set up like this years, will be the Gallery’s signature holiday show every November.
Party-goers study the art.
Badgley Mischka’s HSN debut
I missed Badgley Mischka’s debut on HSN earlier this week. Completely forgot about it. Probably saved myself some money, though. I’m not sure I would have been able to resist.
Who saw it? Buy any pieces? Let us know what you liked.
The American Glamour Badgley Mischka Collection debuted with a special two-hour live prime-time show featuring Mark Badgley and James Mischka. Many of the pieces sold out in minutes. The American Glamour crystal bracelet watch, pictured at right, sold out in two minutes, as did the American Glamour snakeskin dome satchel.
The collection includes apparel, accessories and jewelry and retails from $39 to $499.
Check it out online at hsn.com.
Say Goodbye to Eli
Eli, just misses the final four on Top Chef.
Nice run for the Joe Wertz
This is not Eli, it's Gazette Entertainment Editor Joe Wertz (glasses not pictured)
lookalike, but Eli will not make it to Napa.
It’s down to Kevin, Jennifer and the brothers Voltaggio.
Check out today’s podcast.
Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie design snake-themed jewelry
Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie
The number of actors, actresses, singers and celebrities who DON’T have their name connected to a fashion or jewelry collection or a fragrance is getting smaller.
The latest to join the crowded design arena: Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, who are creating a high-end jewelry line with Asprey called “The Protector.” The pieces consist of diamond, black diamond and emerald pavé rings, bracelets, earrings, men’s cuff links and dress studs — in the shape of snakes.
Snakes? According to Women’s Wear Daily, Jolie was given a snake ring designed by a different jeweler while pregnant
with Shiloh, now 3, and considers them to be the “protector of her family.”
The pieces aren’t cheap. Plan to fork over $525 for a silver baby spoon with a curved, snake-shaped handle. The pieces are available at all Asprey stores.
The couple aren’t planning to get rich — er, richer — from the sale of the jewelry. All of the proceeds go to the Education Partnership for Children of Conflict, which Jolie co-founded in 2006. The charity raises awareness and money to help educate child victims of war, conflict and natural disasters.
Pageant auditions and fashion show at The Avenue
If you’ve always been interested in pageants, here’s one to check out.
The Avenue and Miss Oklahoma Plus America Pageant will presents a winter fashion show and free audition for the 2010 competition from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Nov. 21, with the fashion show at 1 p.m. at The Avenue, Bellie Isle, 1710 Belle Isle Blvd.
Auditions will be for Teen ages 14-17, Miss ages 18 to 29, Ms. ages 30 and older and Mrs. ages 20 and older. The event will be hosted by Joyce Lewis, Ms. Oklahoma Plus America Lifetime.
Appointments are not necessary.
Beer with your Thanksgiving dinner? You bet!
There are several staples of the Thanksgiving meal: turkey or ham, mashed potatoes, stuffing, pumpkin pie and cranberry jelly pretty much cover all the bases. But there’s one important element you may be forgetting. The beer! Why simply fall back on your standard beverage selection when there are several beers that accent the Thanksgiving meal? Here’s a list of them, courtesy of Imbibe Magazine.
The key, says Brooklyn Brewery brewmaster Garrett Oliver, is to focus on caramelization. Says Oliver: “It’s the caramelized flavors of the turkey skin, the gravy and many other elements of the meal that tie the whole thing together.”
So what to buy? Oliver suggests citrusy white ales to go with holiday spices; creamy and chocolaty stouts for brown-sugar ham and pecan pie; or a nice brown ale to accent your turkey.
20…40…60… Etiquette question #3
ETIQUETTE QUESTION #3 on Parties Extra! – This question came to us from….Twitter
YOU ASK—WE ANSWER—YOU DECIDE!
(Callie, a college sophomore, is a debutante this year and has been in many new social situations recently and Lillie-Beth is a former debutante and assistant features editor for The Oklahoman and Helen has written a social column for The Oklahoman for many years and has been on various local Ball committees.
This group does not always agree (via age differences), but they ALL see the need for proper behavior.)
Ask a specific etiquette question and you will get three answers…Then you decide for yourself how you would handle the situation. The answers give good information for every age range….Callie is 20-something; Lillie-Beth is 40-something, and Helen is 60-something.
Please email us with your questions and be sure to follow us on Facebook, Twitter and daily blogs. We will try to answer your etiquette questions every Wednesday on the Parties Extra! blog. Sometimes we will ask other people for their opinions. Look for us!
Helen’s answer: Ask to move away from the offender on the airplane. If that is not possible, try not to breathe.
Know your crowd, particularly at parties, during the flu season! If everyone is coughing, go home. We all love our hugs, especially in Oklahoma, but we probably should refrain from too much hugging and just give your friends the biggest smile ever! Handshakes? Hard to give up!
Lillie-Beth’s answer: Both parts of this raise hard questions. Whatever you do comes with a cost. Do you risk being impolite and offending someone, or do you protect your health no matter what? I’ve heard more than one person note that they did not enjoy a movie as much as they would have because someone was coughing loudly and deeply behind them; aside from being annoying, who knows what germs the hackers were spreading?
First of all, though, it seems to me that people are more understanding of standoffishness this flu season because swine flu is new and unknown. I’ve noticed people are almost grateful if you apologetically refuse to shake hands or give hugs because you’ve been sick; if they’re sick, it would be nice if they did the same.
On the plane, in an ideal world, there would be open seats where you could request a move or a place that she could sit away from the crowd. In my opinion, that seems like a reasonable solution to ask of a flight attendant. But if not, you’re stuck there, unfortunately, and apart from not breathing the entire time, all you can do is offer regards and politely ask her to make sure she covers her mouth if she’s not doing so already or offer her something to use for that purpose. And then, quickly get off the plane looking for the nearest GermX and bathroom to wash your hands immediately.
In this day and age, we should all give each other some grace while we try to balance avoiding getting sick with offering respect and sympathy for those who are.
Callie’s answer: Why wouldn’t you move away? That lady is not coughing up flowers! I am more bothered when individuals do not cover their mouth when coughing, sneezing, or yawning. It doesn’t matter if she does not have the “H1n1″ virus; she obviously has something that you don’t want!
There is no serious need to stop hugging or shaking hands.
To the germ-a-phobs: nothing is wrong with going for the “Howie Mandel pound.” Nowadays, more people pound then high- five. Try pounding and not shaking hands. Although, I always keep hand sanitizer with me!
Don’t kiss people you don’t know. So college girls and boys, if you do not know them, don’t take the chance of getting sick! Significant others are not included, as long as they aren’t sick.
helen.wallace@cox.net
lilliebeth@rocketmail.com
calliezok3@aol.com
Wild about Wagyu
Wagyu Wednesday is under way at Red Primesteak.
Videographer Tanner Herriott and I recently visited Red Prime Steak, 504 N Broadway Ave., which recently was listed one of the top 10 steak houses in the United States by msn.com, to learn about Wagyu Wednesday.
Chef Robert Black who oversees all the kitchens in A Good Egg Dining Group, has a serious passion for food. When he talks about Wagyu beef, that passion spills forward like flavor spills from the beef in question. Chef Robert speaks about Wagyu like an instructor, and that’s a good thing when it comes to the confusion there is about Wagyu and Kobe beef. Robert explains Kobe is merely a place while Wagyu is a breed. The Japanese government protects Kobe the way French protect Champagne. But that doesn’t mean the uber-premium beef can’t be raised elsewhere. American and Australian Kobe are what premium California sparkling wine is to French champagne.
To learn more about it, check out Tanner’s video.
To taste it, head over to Red Prime any day, but specifically Wednesdays for a chance to sample multiple cuts. Guests can expect a special Wednesday menu featuring entrees made with a variety of cuts, grades and breeds of Wagyu beef. Each week, chefs will introduce an innovative preparation and will offer meals at different prices to accommodate customer budgets.
One bite, and cost will no longer matter. This is otherwordly stuff. Have you been to Wagyu Wednesday? Let me know how it went.
The Dishwasher’s Tale
Walter Gaylord at work, as he has been for 30 years, at the Tulsa Country Club.
In today’s column, I mentioned an honoree who has been washing dishes at the Tulsa Country Club for three decades. Here’s a story we ran, via the Tulsa World, back in August about the amazingly humble Mr. Walter Gaylord.
