Everything must go to make way for Fall/Holiday 2008.....

Since OPI has retired two of my faves from their collection (100 degrees in the shade - very appropriate for August in Houston and Cajun Shrimp), I had to try out their new "Modern Girl" and "Boat House" by Essie.  Wonderful shades, each in its own right.  Ease yourself into it with Boat House as it leans toward a pink coral and work your way up to Modern Girl since it is more of an orange-y coral.  Either one is very versatile, mixing with the great metallic sandals of summer into the notorious shades of chocolate and caramel that make Fall famous.

Most people are going to be bored to tears by what you think is the greatest thing since sliced bread. Now that doesn't mean that the topic is boring, but that your approach is. Remember, your job is to meet the media's needs. Broaden your scope. Come up with other ways to pitch your story. You'll be able to talk about your story, but not until you interest the media. And to do that, sometimes you have to use the indirect approach.

If you are a landscaper, you may have to pitch a story that has you critique the pros and cons of the White House grounds. That's not the story you probably particularly want to address. You want to tell people that you are a wonderful landscaper and that they should hire you, but there's no story there. By talking about the White House grounds, you have added another dimension. You have raised the stakes. You're not just discussing how to landscape Joe Blow's home, you're outlining how to best landscape the First Family's home. These are grounds that everyone has seen (at least in photos or TV) and can relate to. More importantly, you are establishing yourself as an expert in your field.

Be open to new ideas, brainstorm. Come up with as many ideas as you can. Let them be as crazy as you want - don't edit yourself. Now review your list and start to edit out the ideas that don't work. Formulate two or three new story angles. Write them up as releases. Broadening your scope will help ensure your success.

Copyright © Anthony Mora 2008
For further information visit:
www.AnthonyMora.com

Naia Do Mare Aguaclara Swimwear on their blog.

Some of the styles available at Naia Do Mare:

[caption id="attachment_794" align="alignleft" width="200" caption="Africa Fusion"][/caption][caption id="attachment_796" align="alignright" width="200" caption="Chic Bistro"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_798" align="alignleft" width="200" caption="Inca Flowers"][/caption][caption id="attachment_799" align="alignright" width="200" caption="Bohemian China"][/caption]

Elizabeth and James Priscilla dress for Fall 08.

I must have it.

Check out more views at Intermix here.

Steph’s apartment is mind-blowingly new, especially for a New York City residential space. She just bought spankin’ new IKEA furniture and installed all the fixings — in fact the desk was being assembled as I arrived, and, get this — there is a washer and dryer in the apartment. At this point doing laundry would be an extravagance as I may as well just bring it home but oh, the proximity is so, so tempting. And, get this, the bathroom tiles are marble. I am more or less getting a complimentary two-week stay at a luxury motel, except there aren’t free razors in the bathroom.

The apartment is above a dental office and filled with mysterious Asian families. This means I experience the runoff of angry Cantonese hallway exchanges through my wall. (Unless they aren’t angry. After all, Cantonese people sound angry when they order dim sum.) Right next door is a Starbucks, and though I’m anti-commercialized coffee, there’s something that strangely comforting, a little nostalgic, even, about being greeted by the Green Mermaid’s signature scent every time I enter the building. New York, New York may be the polar opposite of La Jolla, but the number of calories in a Starbucks green tea frappuccino transcends all bounds.

I just checked out Steph’s fridge and there is Trader Joe’s wine and hard alcohol. I have nearly forgotten the joys of living with college students.

Obviously, scavenging for food was a main priority. So far I've discovered some great cafes, a 24-hour diner with free wifi AND gelato (such a win!), and a little Chinese hole-in-the wall with dirt cheap dumplings, soymilk, and sesame pancakes. There are too many cute boutiques in the Lower East Side that it's not even funny. I'm going to freeze my credit cards in big tubs of ice before the weekend approaches so that I'll have no temptation whatsoever, or at least temptation that will have to be carefully deliberated over a 2-hour period while my credit card ice blocks melt. (Knowing me I will microwave them to speed the process, but in theory it'd be a good preventative tactic.) Barring temptation, my luggage itself is already stuffed to the brim and I shouldn't be buying anything.

You know when you have those really, really embarrassing moments, and you hope to God no one saw you? I had one of those today. My arms were full of bags, and I was balancing a plastic container of okonomiyaki and fried noodles from Otafuku on top of my shit. I finally started reading Murakami's After Dark on the subway this morning and I desperately wanted to continue, so I was determined to find somewhere to sit down with my meal. Finally I stopped at Tompkins Square Park, slid onto a bench, and my container went flying, in effect losing a good third of my noodles. While trying to precariously balance my box on one knee and my book on the other, I also lost a chopstick. So I sat next to a spilled pile of noodles with my book awkwardly positioned as I shoveled food into face with a single chopstick. Noodles, as one might venture to guess, are not meant to be eaten with single chopsticks.

Then a St. Mark's hipster came over and asked me if he could shake my hand because "you're just a beautiful lady." I mean — *wipes mouth* — I guess.

A few years ago, my sister excitedly brought home a pair of plastic, see-through sneakers. I didn't get it. She bought them solely for its namesake--which she shared--Melissa. I'd never heard of the brand, and I shrugged it off.

Until last week, when I was reintroduced to the Brazilian brand. It seemed like everyone and their dogs were talking about the cool new shoes, how Vivienne Westwood was designing a line, and how the loverly Agyness Deyn was fond of them. And all the shoes are made of sustainable and eco-friendly recycled plastic. The company also partners with a slew of nonprofit organizations.

Okay, you've got my attention now. Surprisingly, their styles are all ridiculously cute and lust-worthy. And I knew it was too good to be true. Wouldn't plastic irritate your foot? Wouldn't you get all sweaty and gross?

Well, lucky me, I got to go to a boutique sale yesterday--Bargain Hunting 101--where tons of different Portland boutiques lined up to basically throw deals at us. I'd been to things similar to this, and no one really brought shoes. But to my surprise, one of the booths that caught my eye happened to not only have a fair selection of footwear, but also carried a few styles of Melissa shoes! I could recognize that plastic from anywhere!

Then, like a diamond in the rough, I found my treasure: a pair of purple flats screaming my name. And they even had my size! And, what's more, they fit!

I happily handed over my $25 (they were originally $65) and was on my merry way.

So today was the test.

These Melissa Night Spots Flats are made from a matteified plastic with one band that curves from the outstep of the heel to the instep of the toe, for a pretty sliming look on my hulk-a-rific foot. The slightly curved, slightly pointed toe is perfect and shows off just a teensy tiny bit of cleavage. And the adorable dots just add another fun touch.

As far as flats go, these are on-par with some of my favorites, stylewise and comfortwise.

And...the plastic does not irritate my foot! I don't know how they do it, but these shoes that take less than a minute to make have no sharp or unfiled edges to rub harshly against the foot. And this is quite a feat, considering that my foot is crazy enough to be injured by Danskos.

Now, not much is going to stop my foot from sweating, and that's probably my one complaint--there's not  a whole lot of circulation going on with these babies. But I can live with that.

Fabulosity isn't always perfection. But it's awfully close.

For example, let's say that you are a fashion designer of men's clothing. GQ and Esquire
would be natural media outlets to approach. You would need to come up with a hook that makes you and your designs special, but you know that with a little persistence and creativity you should be able to place a piece in those publications. What about Vogue? Why not? You could pitch a piece on yourself as the new up-and-coming designer who is reshaping the future of men's fashion, or a piece, aimed towards women, on how to dress the man in their life. Let's say you wanted to go to The Wall Street Journal. Okay, pitch a story on dressing for success in the '90s, or an article on the business of fashion, or the inside workings of the fashion industry. Pitch the media according to its needs, not according to yours. Assume that the story you are dead-set on telling isn't all that interesting to anyone besides yourself. Now, be creative, give it a spin. Give it a make-over. Make it newsworthy.

Copyright © Anthony Mora 2008
For further information visit:
www.AnthonyMora.com

stay tuned for the boutique review - I'll be personally doing that walk through.

News courtesy of WWD: PB & Caviar

Effective media placement isn't about wanting to be a star or wanting to appear on the media - it's about success. It's about establishing yourself as an expert in your field and zooming beyond your competition. Media relations is a creative, effective, relatively inexpensive, and dynamic way to achieve success. You are not positioning yourself as a "star" or an entertainer, but as an expert in your field. You are establishing yourself as an invaluable resource for the media. You probably don't like to pay the bills, or do the books, or purchase supplies, but you do it because it's part of doing business. It is a part of your bottom line. Media placement should also be an integral part of that equation. You do it because you want to be successful. Period.

Copyright © Anthony Mora 2008
For further information visit:
www.AnthonyMora.com

This season is marked by ornate mosaics, a strong Moroccan influence, and of course unfailing attention to detail. Soft muted monochrmatic colors, along with the most sensual fabrics, make this season one of the best so far.
Here are some peices form the collection, not all of them are the new collection. I could not find pictures available at this time. :(

Well, let's see. As to your first point, that you don't have a story that could interest the
national media: why not? Why couldn't you generate national interest in your story?
Remember everyone who is quoted in Time magazine, or interviewed on the Today show lives and works in some local town or city. Take a look at all of the possible angles available. What makes your story different, unique? Is there some trend or new breakthrough in your field that affects not only your particular business, but your profession as a whole? Are there other similar types of businesses or professionals that you can help weave into your story to give it a broader appeal? Study all of the possibilities. Give your story a wider, more national scope.

Why would you want to garner any national, if you only have a local business? People aren't going to fly in from around the country to use your plumbing service, or buy insurance from you, or try the newest item on your menu, are they? Maybe, but probably not. So then, is national a waste? Most people will probably tell you so. Most people will tell you to stay local, because that's where your bread and butter is.

So why am I telling you to pitch the national press? Because, as I mentioned earlier, a national story IS a local story, but one that will nationally establish you as an expert in your field. You will be able to put your media credits in your press releases and bios and, most importantly, national media can help drive your local media through the roof.
Let's say that you land a thirty-second quote on CNN. Now what? You move as quickly as possible and let your local media outlets know that you were recently featured on CNN. Heck, that in and of itself is news. Believe me, nothing impresses the media more than media. Now you're national news and you're in a position to garner local news. National media feeds the local media. It takes some thought, work, and persistence, but the rewards can be incredible.

Copyright © Anthony Mora 2008
For further information visit:
www.AnthonyMora.com

Amber knew she would be a designer at a young age. When she was 10 she would refuse to wear what the other girls were wearing and would change it to make it her own. Changing details, cutting and re-sewing, she designed for herself.

Amber told us this about trends “if you give a 3 year old the opportunity to dress themselves they don't worry about what's in or not, what the new trend is, they don't even care how it looks they just go with what they feel and I want people who wear Royal T to feel that way and still look amazing.”

Then again, grand slams do happen. There is the other side of the coin. Sometimes you'll hit a home run when you least expect it. Be prepared. There are times when, what you think will be a small piece will turn into a major article or TV segment. So, even though you don't spend your time dreaming of hitting a grand slam, you had better prepare for when you hit one.

Not long ago I worked with a small, struggling company that barely made enough to stay
afloat. We were able to place what turned out to be a seven-minute segment on their product on a national TV program. The segment was perfect. We couldn't have done a better job of presenting the product in a positive light ourselves. Well, the piece struck a chord. It hit, and hit big. Calls poured in from all over the country. The demand was overwhelming, so much so that their phone lines blew. They were not prepared to capitalize on what could have been a grand slam. Still, although they were unable to take full advantage, it did launch their business.

The moral is, you never know. So, do your best, get the interviews done, and then let 'em go. If it's not exactly what you wanted, it has added to your PR resume. It did its job. Use that one quote, or that one sentence, or whatever you come away with, in your press releases, and bios. PR is a cumulative process, use what you can from each media placement and keep moving forward.
Copyright © Anthony Mora 2008
For further information visit:
www.AnthonyMora.com

The Balsam bag can be used to refresh your room, drawers, closet.  A modern take on the traditional, this funky balsam bag is the gift that gives flashbacks of summer camp, slappin mosquitos at the lake or visions of aunt Sally's gettin her egg-nog on around the ol' Christmas tree.  See the website or call the shop.>

When I was I journalist, I worked for one particular publisher who had a tendency to listen to, and take advice from, any and everyone he met. When he went to lunch, I used to pray that the elevator would be empty and that he'd go for drive-through fast food where no one would talk to him. If he spoke to a waitress, a salesperson, or a stranger in an elevator, he would invariably call me into his office and propose that we implement some revolutionary suggestions that he had been given. Never mind that nine times out of ten these changes were totally inappropriate, they were dynamic, new - revolutionary!

People love to give advice, whether they know what they're talking about or not. Remember, these people who tell you exactly how you should run your business have nothing at stake, which is why they can afford to make such definitive and authoritative pronouncements. So, when these know-it-alls give you advice, smile, listen, maybe even nod, but stay on course.
Copyright © Anthony Mora 2008
For further information visit:
www.AnthonyMora.com

Je ne sais pas trop combien mesure l'Univers, mais en tout cas il suffit de regarder Montréal-Nord aujourd'hui pour voir la bêtise humaine. Hier, après une manifestation pacifique pour demander justice suite à la mort douteuse d'un jeune non armé lors d'une fusillade impliquant la police, des attardés ont apparemment décidé de profiter de l'atmosphère tendue pour saccager une caserne de pompiers et brûler plein de véhicules. Comme le montrait en direct l'hélicoptère de TVA cette nuit vers minuit et demie, ils ont aussi fait des "feux de joie" alimentés de bonbonnes de propane et de canettes d'aérosols à certaines intersections. Il y a même eu des coups de feu, une policière aurait été touchée mais ne serait pas en danger. C'est complètement débile; on se croirait presque dans les ghettos crottés des banlieues de Paris.

Je ne sais pas si la casse et les feux étaient uniquement une manifestation de stupidité brute, ou s'ils étaient en fait une diversion pour que les sales connards aient le temps de voler plus de télés et d'ordinateurs dans les boutiques dont ils ont cassé les vitres et arraché les grillages.

Et dire que des citoyens non impliqués dans le saccage osent accuser les policiers, les traitant tous de criminels pour une histoire qui n'a impliqué que deux agents et qui n'a même pas encore été éclaircie. "Moi chu d'accord avec ce qui se passe", a dit une jeune fille à un reporter de TVA vers 2 heures du matin, ajoutant que les policiers devaient s'attendre à cette réaction et que c'était de leur faute. Calvaire ! S'attendre à une émeute de vandales ?! Tant qu'à dire des conneries, passez donc de la parole aux actes et allez distribuer des bonbons et des rafraîchissements aux pillards, mademoiselle. Et par la même occasion, ramassez donc une télé dans une vitrine cassée, comme ça la police pourra vous embarquer pour vol.

Anyway. Ça a sans doute été une longue et chiante nuit pour les journalistes; certains d'entre eux ont été agressés. En allant faire un tour sur Cyberpresse ce midi, j'ai constaté avec joie que Patrick Lagacé, dont je lis avidement le blogue, était sur les lieux durant ce festival de la connerie. Allez lire son papier d'une heure du matin, et son billet de blogue sur le même sujet.

Bolsas para boutiques en papel. Este diseño no lleva asas a pedido del cliente.