Beth’s European Diaries: Meeting Margaux Lonnberg

If there’s one girl that captures the Quiksilver Women’s effortlessly-cool spirit, it is Margaux Lonnberg from The Killing Moon! Vibrant, with locks of platinum hair mindlessly tousled.. rumbled to perfection clothes.. and carefree tattoos scattered about.. this is who greeted us at the door of the Amour Hotel.

.

YouTube Preview Image

Shop Margaux’s look: The Gig Tee and the High Tide destroyed denim

Beth’s European Diaries, Webisode 1

A few months ago, Quiksilver women’s style ambassador Beth Jones embarked on a journey of discovery… Together with her good friend and amazing photographer Laurel Dailey, she travelled through out Europe and met those women that inspire us with their iconic style or their creative minds… Through out the journey she met women like Louise Ebel (AKA Miss Pandora), Alma Luna, Cookies, Margaux Lonneberg, Julie Boulanger, Charlotte O’Connor and many more… It was an amazing trip where we all learned a lot, so we though we should share it with you all with a little series of webisodes…

.

Here’s Webisode 1, I hope you enjoy it!

.

YouTube Preview Image

.

SHOP JULIE’S LOOK: Fan Mail Boyfriend Shirt and Iron skinny destroyed jean.

Leddra Chapman: new single, new tour

Photo: Timo Jarvinen

Photo: Timo Jarvinen

She has just released her new single “Edie” which we adore… Now, Leddra Chapman is also embarking on a near-20-date tour of the UK in February and March. She will go out on a joint-headline tour together with Ben Montague to continue developing their fine creative relationship and play to thousands of people across the country.

.

If you’re anywhere near by, don’t miss on the opportunity of seeing her play life!

.

The Tour Dates and Venues

.

Feb 3rd Southampton – The Brook

Feb 5th Essex – The High Barn

Feb 13th Worcester – Marrs Bar

Feb 14th Stratford On Avon – Coxs Yard

Feb 17th Bournemouth – Old Fire Station

Feb 18th London – Islington O2 Academy 2

Feb 19th Oxford – O2 Academy 2

Feb 20th Swindon – The Vic

Feb 21st Sheffield – O2 Academy 2

Feb 22nd Leicester – O2 Academy 2

Feb 23rd Nottingham – Rescue Rooms

Feb 24th Birmingham – O2 Academy 3

Feb 25th Newcastle – O2 Academy 2

Feb 26th Liverpool – O2 Academy 2

Feb 27th York – Fibbers

Feb 28th Glasgow – O2 Academy 2

Mar 1st Inverness – Ironworks

Mar 3rd Manchester – O2 Academy 2

Mar 4th Isle of Man – Gaiety

.

PS: the anytime dress that Leddra is wearing in the pic above is now on sale! So is the Complications top in the Eddie video…

Feather crazed

.

Washable feather extensions for your hair are way too fun and all over blogs and magazines. I recently made a trip down to a local salon in Costa Mesa after seeing my super fashionable sister in law with a beautiful feather in her hair. The feather was an extension put onto her hair that stays and grows with you.

.

You can wash it, you can curl it, you can straighten it. I am obsessed with mine….You can get fun colors, neutrals anything you want and it was only 25€!

I opted for a more neutral clump that blends in with my hair, it’s something fun and different and a little way to add flare to your style!

.

ENJOY.

.

Photos: Courtesy of refinery29.com

- Guest Blogger: Jessica Hirsch

Ela featured in 7sky magazin: I Stress, Therefore I Am!

.

Why is the world constantly stressed out? I know that this is probably not a new trend, but within my circle of friends and relatives this is still taking on a new and slightly alarming form. I call it stress promotion. It’s almost like stress prophylaxis, only different. Contrary to stress prophylaxis, stress promotion does not serve to reduce stress levels. It is more of a self initiated stress enhancement – or at least it appears that way. But who would be so nuts and want more stress? Ha. Self-understanding, my friends! Just recently, Mrs. Ela found herself in the midst of stress promotion, which went something like this: When questioned about my wellbeing, “Phew…” (Rolling of the eyes), “Good!” (Forced smile), “But stressed out…” (Strong exhalation through the mouth combined with shrugging of the shoulders). Done. And it was only then that I noticed, that I wasn’t actually that stressed out, and that the question could have simply been answered with “Good”…

Timo Jarvinen).

Ela not all that streesed out for once during a shooting with Quiksilver in Prague wearing the Evolution Jacket and the Maritime Slim Straight Jeans (photo: Timo Jarvinen).

.

It’s not that I completely deny the possibility of a latent personality disorder, but for this misconduct I clearly blame the temporary fashion of a young, dynamic and successful society, instead of blaming myself. Stress promotion has planted a worm into our social life, which tries to make us believe that being stressed out is chic. As proof, here’s a replay of a meeting between four friends: Hello, hello, peck here, peck there, and the mandatory question round about everyone’s wellbeing. Watch out: This is where the story gets more tragic than Romeo and Juliet. As before, it all starts with “Phew…” (Rolling of the eyes), “Good!” (Forced smile), “But stressed out…” (Strong exhalation through the mouth combined with shrugging of the shoulders). And, as this was a group gathering, three “Oohs…” followed in unison, (compassionate smiles combined with rolling of the eyes) “Me too”. By the way, stress victim no.1 was me, and since we have already clarified my neurosis, it remains to be said that stress victim no. 2 spends three afternoons a week on the golf course, stress victim no. 3 just got back from a long wellness weekend and stress victim no.4 studies journalism without a side job. Oh what stress they must be under.

.

Even if stress is a rather subjective matter that cannot be generalized, I still wonder where golf course, wellness and journalism studies without a side job get the idea of being stressed out. And this is where my theory about stress promotion comes in. Namely, I claim that our generation defines itself through the level of stress. It has become a status symbol, so to speak. Something along the lines of “I stress, therefore I am”, and, of course: “the more stress the better.” It’s only recently that I’ve read about young urban people being under such constantly high stress levels that they long for deceleration, which they believe to achieve by falling back on traditional values and rural symbols. Supposedly, we should therefore wear more cow belts, farmer’s frocks and felt hats and go to the mountains. Sounds nuts, but does occasionally help, as my self-test proves. The one about the felt hat is rubbish, probably an evil marketing gag. I did put one on, but the stress promotion remained. Going to the mountains, on the other hand, was very helpful. Up there, people still answer with “Good” when being asked about their wellbeing and don’t look at you in a funny way for not mentioning stress. No kidding. They’re really relaxed up there. It’s about time the snow came, so that golf course, wellness and journalism studies without a side job have a reason to visit the mountains more often.

.

Find more of Ela’s columns published in 7sky magazin in German and French on their Website.

.

PS: Find the Maritime slim straight jean and the Evolution jacket on sale now!

The Spring “It Girl”

If there ever was a beach girl with the California spirit, it has to be Farrah Fawcett.

.

Her style was always wrapped in a sun-kissed, blond easy-breezy package, and she is the perfect girl to get you in the spring mood.. as soon as the weather turns around for good.

.

Get prepared for the seasonal change with some Farrah inspiration: pick up lightweight tees, flowy tops, and bell bottom jeans.

Charlotte O’Connor here… my new blog

All for Ricky

.

currently sat in my dressing gown…drinking black coffee (for the first time ever…dad went shopping yesterday as we have no milk… asked me if i wanted anything… i said leak and potato soup… he came back…..with leak and potato soup… and nothing else… don’t know what else to say about the matter really… but just to make it clear… we still dont have any milk… or any leak and potato soup…was well nice tho) and listening to my mates promo mix….

.

thought I’d start a new personal blog… as a diary…hope you enjoy it ‘n stuff :)

.

So im gonna talk about what happened just before New Year and My New Year

Flew to New York with my manager…had the most amazing flight… managed to bag 5 seats to ourselves…there… and on the way back… beautiful flying experience

I’ve been to New York 3 times now…(very lucky)

first time…was with family …spent New Year’s ever there… was truely magic

Second time… i was there for 4 days meeting record company’s… bit of a different vibe… was pretty nervous everyday… and it was HORRENDOUSLY cold.

but this time… was possibly my favorite time.

when we got there, the weather was so bizarre…it felt like a summer’s night in the uk… (This only lasted for 1 night… the next were Baltic!!!!)

spent the rest of the day having a look round the parts of new york I’ve always wanted to see… guess they are the less touristy parts.

bought some cracking viynl as well… A must if your in NYC :)

working in NYC… has to be one of my favorite experiences of all time… the city really is magic.

i didnt really realize how much of an amazing time i was having … until  i got home and started telling everybody about it. the more i talked about it …the more i was like… did that really happen?

worked with some truly talented people. and it was the first time I’ve ever co-written with a woman… i know it doesn’t sound like a big deal… but after writing a lot of my songs with men… it really is quite nice to hear a woman’s point of view on things when writing.

we came out with 4 songs in 5 days. 10/10 on effort

so thats new york… it really is a magical place.

.

NEW YEAR’S EVE/DAY

so as you all know… the music i write is acoustic soul folk stuff. But i have a major love for house music. i think the reason for this is because my sister has been listening to it through all of her childhood… so its always been a part of my life aswel. also… a lot of our close friends are djs who are doing extremely well so i get to go and watch them at amazing nights across at the uk

so my new year consisted of 3 of the best nights in the uk

New Year’s Eve - i went to an event in Preston called ForNoReason.
The music was perfection and the people i was surrounded by was even better
NewYearsDay- went to a night in Birmingham called Below
One of the best nights ive been to in a while…didn’t want to leave!

And then a suprize visit to FABRIC to watch my lovely friend Michael play..was so very proud.

3 CITYS IN 2 NIGHTS

i really did say INABIT to 2010.

.

coming to the end of this blog… would like to say big love to everybody who has seen me through last year…..it hasnt been an easy one.

i have learnt so much about myself…and learnt so much about life aswell

i have learnt  to never ever take advanatage of the people you care about.

im not gonna say ” 2011 is gonna be my year” cos i really do feel like if u say that… it wont be (speaking from experience)

.

but if there is 1 thing im gonna try my ultimate hardest to achieve

it will be to make my uncle…who i miss more than you could ever imagine…so proud of me.

time is of an essence

xoxo Charlotte

DENIM.. EVERY WHICH WAY..

.

Every girl should own a pair of roughed-up, distressed denim!

My favorite are the Boyfriend jeans and they get styled every which way.. you can go grunge.. you can go preppy.. but, today I went girly!

Rolled ‘em up.. buttoned up a lady like blouse.. and slipped on some heels.

How do you wear distressed denim?

The ripples, not just the drop

.

E.P.I.C.’s water project is called ‘The Ripple Project’ and If you visit our website, you learn the reason behind this name. The providing of water for a single community has a rippling effect that in the end affects so many other aspects of community life. This includes everything from health, to education, to agriculture, to the overall economy of the country at large.

.

What Alexi and I learned this past trip (especially after our experience with the Kibebe well), is that not only do we want to continue providing clean water in as many villages as we can realistically handle, but equally as important (if not moreso), we want to get more involved with the aspects of life that are affected by having this new access to clean water.  As I have mentioned before, follow-up in villages is so important to ensure the proper usage of the wells as well as the proper use of the water itself. What is the point if we provide a village with clean water, only to have them collect water from their newly installed well with a dirty bucket? If we fail to address the new way of life that is necessary after having access to clean water from a well, then no real progress will be made in the villages. These people have been living their lives in a particular way for such a long time, that the chances of them changing are very slim if they are not provided with further incentive to change.

.
.

It is definitely not our goal to change any of the local traditions, or infringe our “western ways” on the people, however, we do believe in educating the villagers about the importance of proper hygiene/sanitation. This helps to promote a healthier community environment as well as encourage growth. By talking to the local people about what “community” means to them, we strive to take this knowledge and do whatever we can to help support them. Our goal is to really see the development within each community as the years go by.

.

This year, we met with the women in a local village where we were about to drill (as we always do), and asked them what would change in their lives, for the better, if we were to provide them with clean water.  Their responses included things like being “able to cultivate a small farm, because currently it (was) too difficult for (them) to carry enough water from far away to do so.” They also said that “If (they) had access to clean water, (they) would no longer get sick from drinking dirty water, and would be able to work more effectively.” Another woman said that “If (they) had access to clean water, the children could spend more time in school, and would get better grades. They would be able to concentrate more on their studies rather than having to walk long distances to collect water.” If they had access to clean water, the people could take better care of themselves and their children in a more hygienic way.

.

.

The responses were all very encouraging. What we decided was that instead of trying to provide water for hundreds (or hundreds of thousands) of villages, through E.P.I.C., we would maintain our humble beginnings, and keep the organization as a grassroots organization. This means that we will drill fewer wells, however where we do drill, we will make sure that those communities are growing as a result of now having access to clean water.  When we return to these villages, we will reward the people who have taken the initiative to use the water to better their lives.  If someone starts a small farm because of having access to the water, we will provide them with seeds for their farm.  If a child is doing better in school because they are now able to concentrate on their school-work, instead of collecting water for their family, we will reward them with school supplies, and reading materials.  If the women in the village now have more time on their hands, and want to start small businesses, we will reward their efforts by supporting their business ideas, and helping them grow.

..

We plan on getting much more involved in the growth of each community so that the people in the villages understand that we really care about their needs, and are truly in support of a sustainable change.  It would be easy for us to just come in and provide wells here, there, and everywhere (with enough money to do so), but you really start to see change within a community when you take the time to get to know the local people on a personal level. That way you can work with them to help them accomplish their dreams.  Sometimes all we need is a little helping hand in order to go where we know we are capable of going. So many of the people in the developing world don’t have that place to start from, so we realize that by providing them with clean water we are providing them with that first start. We hope to help them through the positive ripples that come from providing that first important drop.

.

-Tennile Amor

4 AM Sweater

Loving my Quiksilver Women 4 AM Sweater (now on sale!)

.

Chilly, rainy weather brings out the layers. One.. two.. three pieces and now I am cozy and comfortable. One.. two.. three necklaces and iI’m ready to go!.