Vallarino Saltonstall reflects the ladies’ steadfast beliefs in quality and intimacy. Sustainably minded, the designers work hard to minimize waste in terms of fabrics and/or resources within production, use all organic materials, and choose to hand-dye and paint all of their own fabrics. From start to finish, such time, care, and handmade love seep through each thread. Their garments are constructed with unconventional tailoring to play off the body’s natural shapes and angles, giving a fresh feminine twist to modern silhouettes. Moreover, the clothing offers a variety of ways of wear; right side up, upside down, inside out, or backwards, the garments function as fluidly as the hand-dyed patterns themselves.

Producing wearable art is no easy task, but Saltonstall and Vallarino seem to do it effortlessly. Though it is hard to determine where Vallarino Saltonstall will be in the future, your closet isn’t a bad start. You can purchase the Driggs Reversible Tunic, Roebling Maxi Skirt, Seba Jacket and Varanda Sheer Top from Eidé today.

Summer Ushers in A Feast of Fests. 

Libations, good vibrations and even sun salutations take over the party scene as spring and summer usher in the outdoor music festival season. Music festivals have long been part of American music history dating back to the early 1930s. In 1969 the world watched as three days of peace and music converged in New York to create Woodstock and the 70s saw New Orleans give birth to the Jazz and Heritage Festival bringing about a long standing tradition of music and cultural celebration. The festival scene has since gained extreme popularity over the years. The demand for high quality music from a vast line-up of musicians, locally inspired food offerings and overall experience has encouraged organizers to incorporate unique locations and innovative themes to entice audiences. Today, there are countless music festivals all over the world focus- ing on virtually all genres of music, some of the most renowned take place right here in the USA.

If you are looking for the perfect weekend getaway or fun filled vacation all crafted around music, there is no better way to explore a new city and discover new musicians than an outdoor party, enjoying great music while dining on local cuisine in a carefree festive atmosphere. As broad and diverse as music is today, there is an equal number of festival options on the calendar all the way through to October. There is a correlation between the popularity of the festival, the headliners scheduled to play and the prices for individual festival tickets which range anywhere from $30 to more than $800 for VIP tickets. Some festivals put tickets on sale before the official lineup is made public, but others wait to announce the headliners at the same time tickets are released.

Considering attending a festival? Sign up to receive e-mails and follow the Facebook page to be in-the-know for on sale dates and early bird ticket specials. Social media is also a great way to research festivals. Today’s technology makes it easy for people to post their thoughts and reviews on anything and everything and music festivals are no exception.  Some valuable information can be found from experienced festival goers. It is also important to research the helpful hints and FAQ’s on the festival’s website in the planning process. It is never fun to trek back to the car and drop off that lawn chair or cooler that was not allowed inside the gates. (Some allow chairs and coolers and others have much stricter policies.) No matter what the rules are or the price of a ticket, there is something for everyone. People looking to dance in their bikini under the hot summer sun flock to Hangout Fest, celebrity types and those wanting to-be-on-the-scene flaunt their inner hippie motif at Coachella and if inner peace and harmony are more your tune, discover your inner yogi at Wanderlust.

Eidé’s Picks for great US music festivals:

BONNAROO — MANCHESTER, TENNESSEE
Ready to spend the weekend camping on a rural farm in Tennessee, this music/comedy festival is for you. Bring your best camping gear; you won’t want to be driving back from this event.

COACHELLA — INDIO, CALIFORNIA
This see-and-be-seen event in the Coachella Valley of southeast LA is a as much a party LA style as a red carpet affair complete with celebrities. Half of the festival is dedicated to music and the many artists who take the stages, the other half is dedicated to the visual arts; don’t forget to take a spin on the Ferris wheel after all those adult beverages.

JAZZFEST — NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA
Major acts from the jazz, gospel and blues genres as well as many of the biggest names in music have graced the stages in NOLA. The daily festivities end around 8 p.m. leaving plenty of time to experience the big easy.

LOLLAPALOOZA — CHICAGO, ILLINOIS
A once traveling festival, Lollapalooza has now found a permanent home in Chicago featuring indie, rock, punk and electronica acts.

SUMMERFEST — MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN
Milwaukee is no stranger to showcasing live music with more than 700 bands and hundreds of thousands of spectators visiting downtown Milwaukee over the course of the two week event.

SXSW — AUSTIN, TEXAS
One of the more unique and totally Indie experiences is South by Southwest known for indie musical acts, film screenings, tech panels and various conferences.

WANDERLUST — OAHU, HAWAII
Music, self discovery and yoga set with a back drop of Hawaii beauty is simply paradise found.

This list includes a very small sampling of music festivals that happen across the United States every year. Just about all metropolitan cities host some type of music festival, so whatever your preference there is a good time somewhere in the states waiting for you. “Stay calm and fest on,” as they say in NOLA. See you at the next one!

Photo Courtesy of TomorrowWorld.

 In a departure from the Belgium location, internationally renowned music festival TomorrowWorld has landed in the United States at Bouckaert Farm, just south of Atlanta, Ga. Boasting unparalleled production with a line-up of the big- gest electronic acts in the world such as David Guetta, Calvin Harris, Tiesto, Sebastian Ingrosso, Alesso, Axwell, Steve Aoki, Afrojack, and A-Track, just to name a few, this event will gather hundreds of thousands of fans from hundreds of countries for a unified and unbelievable experience. One of the festival’s many attractions includes city-sized structures built especially for the three-day extravaganza. September 27 – 29. TomorrowWorld.com. 

While in medical School, Yeldell witnessed endless amounts of mistreated feet within his clinical work. An entrepreneur at heart, Yeldell sought to amend the dearth of such ailments by creating a product fit to prevent such cases from happening in the future. Teaming up with longtime friend and partner Krystle Ford, and working in small batches with aromatherapy methods, the line for SOHO manifested itself naturally, just as the ingredients included.

“Our feet are so important yet the most neglected part of our body. And the products on the shelves seem to reflect that way of thinking,” notes Yedell. But with products like Magnolia Foaming Sugar Scrub and Honey Lemon Heel Balm, SOHO is changing the trend.

While many countries have an integrated foot-care culture, the American hustle-n-bustle lifestyle can often overlook the small stuff. But our bodies are no small stuff! Paying attention to our pups is key, examining our feet daily, practicing proper foot hygiene, and wearing shoes that actually fit. So as we begin to don our sandals and rub our toes in the sand, let’s take a moment each day this summer to appreciate our bodies’ pedestals and give them the love they deserve.

In addition to the Magnolia Scrub and Heel Balm, Eidé also carries SOHO’s Honeysuckle Orange Foaming Sugar Scrub, Mint Julep Foaming Sugar Scrub and Mr. Right Foot Cream.

We’re not sick of zombies yet.

Honeysuckles grow rampant summer-long, throughout backyards, sidewalks, public parks and such.  It grows on a vine and can often be invasive to the surrounding plants. Originally brought to the state of New York in 1806 as a food source for wildlife in the state, the plant’s appeal grew and it became a control to prevent earth erosion.

But the flower has a grander history – of legendary proportions, in fact. The Greek myth claims that Daphnis and Chloe’s love depended on the honeysuckle, for they could only see one another while the flower bloomed. The ancient Chinese used honeysuckle for snake bites. Physicians in Middle Age Europe found that honeysuckle was antibacterial, antispasmodic and anti-inflammatory  And currently, honeysuckle is often used for digestive disorders, including pain and swelling issues within the intestinal tract.

Have I convinced you to take notice of honeysuckles again? No? Well how does Honeysuckle Basil Lemonade sound? Or what about Honeysuckle Strawberry Jelly? Yeah, now I have your attention.  Simply harvest a hoard of honeysuckles, pour boiling water over them and let the flowers steep overnight. Strain the solids out and use the honeysuckle water in your next creation!

When harvesting honeysuckles:

• Bring along a quart jar, or 2, depending how much you want/can harvest.
• Choose light yellow flowers, but avoid ones that are beginning to wrinkle or go brown. (White flowers are fine, but taste them first to judge if they are ready yet.)
• Pick off the entire flower and cut off the green stub with your thumbnail. The green part will cause your honeysukle creation to be a bit bitter.
• Pack your jar, occasionally pushing down the mass of flowers in a gentle manner as not to tear the flowers.

When Ruby began, her only direction focused on the use of recycled materials – from cork to wood, to burlap, or vinyl, anything that struck a chord. “I see different things in the ordinary. Most people would pass this stuff by as junk,” the designer remarks.

With a background in nonprofit healthcare, Ruby, before her professional creative endeavors, was involved in another kind of recycling: of the blood and bone marrow variety. “I went to work daily knowing their lives depended on me, to some degree.” Fulfilling, but uncomfortable about the feeling, Ruby switched to work for a large corporation. Waking up with little purpose, the thought crossed Ruby’s mind to sell her art. Cheered on by family and friends, Shannybeebo was born, and took off, fast. “I have a million ideas and not ever enough.”

The toughest thing about starting her own business was wondering if people would love the art as much as Ruby did herself. And time has told (pun intended): “The best thing is…they do love my art!”

Ruby sees that each clock reflects the different personality of their owners.  Her most popular custom orders are for the intricately crafted paper bead clocks. So much time and energy goes into each inch of those clocks that Ruby’s spirit gets rolled up into the clock, too.  The designer’s personal favorite is probably the one from Back to The Future – “How cool was that clock?!”

With quite a future ahead for Ruby and Shannybeebo, Eidé is excited to offer Shannybeebo’s Flower Wall Clock, Gold and White Wall Clock, Red Stripe Wall Clock and Reclaimed Wood Wall Clock.

This story appears in the Spring 2013 issue of Eidé Magazine. Read it here, or click to read it in the issue below!

We all know we need to take care of our skin if we want to stay looking our best long after our glory days. If you’re wise, you already have an at-home skincare regimen that you follow religiously. This should include, at the minimum, a daily cleanser, toner, moisturizer, sunscreen and weekly exfoliator. Then, of course, you have your serums, eye creams and spot treatments all to be used at your discretion. If you haven’t explored an at-home skincare regimen, well, then I say this (and I say it with love), what on earth are you waiting for? Listen up peeps, prevention is key! To avoid all things unpleasant — from unsightly blemishes and wrinkles to more serious troubles such as skin cancer — step up to the plate and start making that gorgeous skin of yours a top priority. Along with your daily regimen, there are a number of highly effective and seriously cool treatments available on the market to really amp up your skin’s glow and overall health. I caught up with New York City go-to esthetician Kim Laudati, founder of Kim Laudati Skincare, and the highly sought after dermatologist, Dr. Jody Levine, from Plastic Surgery and Dermatology of NYC, to get the scoop on the latest advancements in super technology skin care treatments. Here are the ones to know.

VISIA Skincare Analysis: Someone once said you can’t know where you’re going until you know where you’ve been, or in this case, where your skin has been. It’s important to identify the current condition of your skin and its contributing factors in order to determine the best skincare routine moving forward. Dr. Levine uses the VISIA skin care analysis system to measure her patient’s individual skin characteristics. The system uses multi-spectral imaging to evaluate patients’ skin and presents a comprehensive view of the key characteristics that affect skin’s health and appearance — including wrinkle mea- surement, pigmentation problems, pore measurement, color variation in skin tone, porphyrins (evidence of bacteria in the pores) and sun-damaged UV spots. Dr. Levine says, “When discussing a good skincare regimen with my patients I often use VISIA to measure porphyrins, which are chemicals that are put out by bacteria on the skin. Someone who has a lot of bac- teria on their face will show higher levels of porphyrins on the VISIA picture we take. This allows me to gauge the cleansing routine we need to put in place for them.” Another cool element of this super high- tech skin analysis system is that VISIA analyzes how your skin measures up for your age group and shows you on screen what your skin will look like in 10 years if you continue making the same lifestyle and skincare choices you are making now.

Money, of course is the bottom line, but Luiza Jacob, designer/dreamer behind the Warsaw-based brand is doing just fine regardless of the costly material choices. “We believe in putting something in when you’re putting something on.” And Dream Nation is seriously catching on, garnering a devoted following across Eastern Europe, Japan and America. Jacob began exploring how to make fashion “green” in response to the industry’s association with exploited labor.

Conventional cotton is a, ”bit like modern slavery,” expresses the designer, stating that over a million people a year suffer physically from detrimental effects of pesticide use in cotton production, while another 200,000 face the economic strife of escalating debt from buying such chemicals. Where conventional cotton uses 25% of the world’s pesticides, Jacobs pioneers a movement towards an ideal, well, dream nation of sorts.

In consideration of eco-friendly fashion, Jacob saw very little “fashion” offered. Tie-dye tees, yoga pants, and hemp pullovers have their time and place, but let’s just say Jacob was disappointed in the lacking variety.

Dream Nation provides an alternative with both environmental and aesthetic integrity. High quality fabrics of certified organic cotton and bamboo fiber serve as the canvas for digitally printed bold graphics of geometric patterns and landscape designs. Shapes are loose and slightly asexual, projecting a strong, fresh and funky attitude. With lines released in both women and children’s fashions this year, leggings and tunics are Jacob’s specialty.

It’s fashion on a mission. Breaking away from the common and current assumptions of clothing production, Dream Nation offers something different, something that not only considers the effects on the environment and the people within it, but works to make it all a little bit better.

Want to put something in while you put on Dream Nation? You can get the Kaleidoscope Bamboo Leggings, Geometric Bamboo Leggings, Alpha Bamboo Leggings and Sky Bamboo Leggings from eidemagazine.com.

Atlanta native Missi Wolf was known as the “cute, round girl with a really good personality,” throughout most of her life. But after a lifetime of inactivity (Wolf wasn’t even allowed to participate in physical education classes growing up due to a childhood asthma diagnosis) and significant weight gain from two pregnancies, Wolf weighed in at over 200 pounds and was declared morbidly obese with 34 percent body fat on her 5’0” frame. That was 1999. Two years later, Wolf had shed 100 pounds and 14 percent body fat. Seven years after that she opened the first BLAST900 fitness studio, and today, with three corporate locations, the first franchise location in Athens, GA (that just opened Feb. 18), and plans to open 50 to 75 more in the next 5 years, Wolf is using her own experiences from her journey to a healthy lifestyle to help others achieve theirs.

BLAST 900 may sound like the name for an extreme exercise craze that boasts the potential to burn 900 calories in one hour, but it is actually an acronym for “Balanced Level of Aerobic and Strength Training,” representing the ideals of a sensible, yet extremely effective fitness regime conceived of by Ms. Wolf (while yes, referencing its ability to eliminate 900 calories in a single class). Wolf explained that she arrived at the proprietary concept during her personal path to health and fitness. With the combination of a personal trainer, kickboxing classes, weight training classes and numerous other exercise she found herself working out up to four hours a day in order to maintain her level of fitness, leaving less time to spend with her two children. She wanted to find a place where she could achieve a high intensity workout, incorporating everything she was already doing, but within an hour or less — and she couldn’t.

When my husband James and I got an opportunity to move to Brazil for several months with his company, we decided to make a major change in our lives by selling everything we owned in order to be free to travel for years to come. All of a sudden, my days consisted of packing, selling and donating our belongings until all we had left was a mattress on our living room floor and a small storage unit full of keepsakes. We were ready to go.

The city we were moving to was called “Recife” and is the fifth largest in Brazil. While researching our soon-to-be home, I would get lost for hours reading about the culture and looking at pictures. I’d imagine my days full of exploring the markets and lazing on the beach.

When I told people that I was moving to Brazil for a couple of months they all asked the same question, “Do you speak the language?” My response was always the same, “I don’t speak Brazilian Portuguese but I’ve been to many countries where I didn’t know the language and have gotten along fine.”

After my first day in Recife, however, I quickly realized just how cocky I was. Sure, I’ve been to plenty of countries where English isn’t the primary language, but those places are also huge tourist destinations and very accommodating towards Americans.

What I didn’t take into consideration was that Recife is not a tourist hotspot. It receives visitors from other areas of South America, but unlike Rio de Janeiro and São Paolo, most Americans have never heard of Recife, Brazil.

We landed on a Saturday afternoon and hit the ground running, ready to explore this new land. However, by Sunday night I anxiously laid in bed thinking, “What have I gotten myself into?” My vision of how life would be here was fading fast.

Besides spoken by my husband, I hadn’t heard one word of English the entire weekend and I quickly learned that it was a rarity altogether. People stared with a mixture of awe and confusion when they’d overhear our conversations. The looks from children were especially amusing, as they’d tug on their parents clothing and point to us with wide eyes as if looking for confirmation that what they were hearing was not normal.

I had never experienced such disconnect before. My usual confidence was replaced with fear and self-consciousness. Each night I’d study phrases but panic and freeze when it was time to use them. The vision I had of myself as this suave, well-traveled adventurer now seemed like an illusion. Instead, I felt like a coward for avoiding situations where I would have to speak.

I knew I’d regret not exploring Recife while I had the chance, so I challenged myself each day to get out of my comfort zone and take risks.