Advanced Style Video: Debra and Tziporah on The Healing Power of Style

[Video By Lina Plioplyte for Advanced Style]

The other day I talked briefly about The Healing Power Of Style and how style and dressing up can be used to elevate the spirit. Debra and Tziporah feel that through self expression and the art of dressing up they are bringing joy to themselves and others around them. Debra always says that Fashion is fun and that creativity is healing. My mom and grandmother always encouraged me to express myself and be creative and Debra and Tziporah inspire me to continue to live a life filled with art, beauty and self expression. I hope they inspire you as well. Remember you can email Debra at Debrathenutritionista@gmail.com . Not only is she a fabulous artist but an amazing Reflexologist as well!

Lucy Jarvis

I met Lucy last June when she came into the New Museum with a friend. She left a lasting impression on me with her amazing style and wonderful presence. Since that moment I have oftentimes looked back at her photo wondering when I would see her next. The other day as luck would have it, Lucy walked into the New Museum and I couldn't contain my excitement. I ran up to her and asked if she was the woman I had taken a photo of last year. She said. " Yes, but how do you remember me?" I replied that I could never forget someone as stylish and wonderful and her and we walked outside to take some new photos. She stood in the rain as I snapped away. Turns out Lucy is a celebrated television producer, read more about her amazing career below:

In a remarkable broadcast career spanning nearly fifty years, Lucy Jarvis has made her name by achieving the impossible. In 1963, she was in Moscow filming a documentary when the Cuban Missile Crisis erupted. Undeterred, Jarvis fired off a cable to the White House demanding that President Kennedy end his “little argument” so that she could continue shooting. Afterward, Kennedy joked: “I told Khrushchev if he got the missiles out of Cuba, I would get Lucy Jarvis out of the Kremlin!” The Kremlin was the first of many award-winning documentaries and specials that Jarvis would make for NBC News. Savvy, connected, indomitable, there were few doors that she could not pry open, from the restricted inner sanctums of the Louvre and Scotland Yard to the impenetrable (or so it seemed) enclave of China’s Forbidden City. Along the way, Jarvis also produced a string of investigative documentaries about the crucial social issues of our time, from gun control to drug abuse to the imbalances of the medical system. When she left NBC in 1976 to become an independent producer, Jarvis was one of the first women in history to launch her own production company. Through it all, she credits her success to motherly advice: “She made me believe there was nothing I couldn’t do, and I believed it and, therefore, did it.”(Paley Center for Media)

Yoga Style: Gurmukh Kaur

This stunning 68 year old yoga instructor was on her way to teach a class when I ran into her on Prince Street. Here is a link to a 2007 Vanity Fair article featuring Gumukh Kaur and her practice and a photo from the article below:

Goffy and Mickey Mouse : 2 Animated Characters Disney Coloring Pages

Goffy and Mickey Mouse : 2 Animated Characters Disney Coloring Pages

Monkey and Disney Mickey Mouse Coloring Pages

Monkey and Disney Mickey Mouse Coloring Pages

Tziporah and Debra

Here is a quick view of two of New York's most stylish and innovative women, Tziporah and Debra.I have been an admirer of Tziporah Salamon's for a long time and just recently found the perfect opportunity to meet with her. A few weeks ago Tziporah was sent a link to a post I had done on Debra and was immediately struck by her style and creativity. She emailed her right away and they have been in contact ever since. The other day I had the chance to get together with these two wonderful ladies to sit down and discuss the healing power of style and how fashion should be fun and expressive,as Mimi Weddell used to say, " It lifts you up from this earth".Debra and Tziporah dress up because it makes them feel good and they can express themselves and share their art and creativity with the world around them. These woman are the true fashion icons, truly original, strong in their identity and willing to share their gifts with others.

Advanced Style Artist: Malcah Zeldis

The other day I spent a wonderful afternoon with artist, Malcah Zeldis and her daughter Yona. Who better to describe this fantastic woman than her daughter.

Yona writes," A good friend said to me, “Your mother is not just a great person, she’s a great event!” And it’s true. Her super-sized style is apparent in her art, her clothing and her décor. Born in 1931 and raised in Detroit, she spent nine years of her life in Israel, and returned to the United States in 1958 to settle in New York City. After raising my brother and me, she finally found the courage to pursue the life of an artist, a long held dream of hers. Although she did not study formally, she achieved her own form of expression with her brightly colored, densely packed oil paintings and gouaches, as well as with her sculptures, many of which were created using found objects. Today she has a thriving career which includes many museum shows (the Smithsonian and The Museum of American Folk Art are two high points), important private collections and numerous publications. I was always enchanted by the way she dressed and I can still remember outfits she wore back in the 1960s, when I was a small child. Some highlights: a pair of floor length cherry velvet evening pants (cut so full as to resemble a skirt) worn with a glittery purple belted tunic and long strands of red crystal beads, a wool coat in a black and white checkerboard pattern with black fox trim, a white, hand embroidered caftan from Israel, a cotton summer dress in a denim blue, with contrasting red stitching (there was a matching bow for her long black hair), a sleeveless shift in sky blue and brown, with what looked like a red, black and white target dead center. I loved her look back then, and I still love it today.

Another New Museum Gal

I saw this woman at The New Museum and loved her fun and unique sense of style. We exchanged cards so hopefully you'll be seeing more of her on Advanced Style in the future!

Subtle Choices

Its my instinct to be drawn to things that are over the top but there is something to be said about understatement. It allows you to concentrate on subtleties and the beauty in simplicity. They way this woman carefully pinned her hair, the wrap of her scarf and the subtle hint of color it provides creates a stunning look.

Red On Madison Ave

This woman was walking down Madison Ave in her chic red blazer, a color that has been very popular among the advanced style set lately. I can't wait to go out and take some photos this week, and see people in their Spring colors!

Advanced Style Video: Carole's View

The ever amazing Lina Plioplyte has been collaborating with me to make videos of the wonderful men and women you have seen here on Advanced Style. This is her second video featuring one my favorite stylish gals Carole. Check out her You Tube account to see more of her work by CLICKING HERE.I hope you enjoy this peek into Carole's home.

Disney's Adventures in the Jungle Coloring Pages

Disney's Adventures in the Jungle Coloring Pages

Disney Mickey Mouse got a Bear Hug of Love Coloring Pages

Disney Mickey Mouse got a Bear Hug of Love Coloring Pages

Jenny's Style

Here are some more shots from my outing with Jenny to Grand Central Station, one of my favorite spots in New York. We had a great day people watching, talking about art, and taking photos.

Head To Toe Red

I have been noticing a lot of the Advanced Style set dressed in red. Whether used an accent or worn head to toe like the fellow above, wearing red is a great way to make a statement and stand out against the crowd.

Style On The Upper West Side

This week has been quite exciting with Advanced Style being featured in Sunday's New York Times. If you didn't get a chance to see the article in the newspaper here is a link to the online edition http://tmagazine.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/03/12/respect-your-elders/. It is so amazing to see the people I photograph being appreciated and being thought of as influencers because the definitely inspire me everyday.

Yesterday I stopped this stunning woman on the Upper West Side and asked her if I could take her photo. We talked about the New York Times article and she said that she loved what I was doing. I just love when women wear silk scarves in the hair and this woman's pink lipstick is an added touch of flair to her chic outfit.