Victoria's Secret Fashion Show 2012

The sexiest night of the year would definitely be annual Victoria's Secret Fashion Show. Once again the most desirable women show off their toned bodies in extremely luxurious lingerie: Alessandra Ambrosio, Miranda Kerr, Adriana Lima and Candice Swanepoel are some of the girls who rocked the VS runway in lace, satin, feathery and diamond studded mini outfits. Check out the most interesting moments from this hot show.

VS item of the year? The famous Fantasy Bra worth $2.5 million worn by Alessandra Ambrosio.

Body of the year? That would be Adriana Lima who opened the show, considering the fact that she gave birth to 2 babies and still looks amazing!

Performance of the year? Well, it's not easy to stand out when the world's most beautiful women parade around in their underwear, but Rihanna proved once again that also she owns the runway.

Alessandra Ambrosio in luxurious diamond covered Fantasy bra

This year's VS show was inspired by fairytale, pop art, circus, jungle, historical moments, wild west, colorful gardens and holidays such as Valentine's Day, Halloween, New Years Eve and Saint Patrick's Day. There were 4 segments of the show: "Circus", "Silver Screen Angels", "Dangerous Liaisons"  and "Angels in Bloom".

British models Cara Delevingne and Jourdan Dunn made their debut for Victoria's Secret and became the talk of this years show. Stunning Hungarian supermodel Barbara Palvin was also a newcomer and we hope she'll continue being a VS angel for a long time as she's a true inspiration to curvy girls and a proof that you don't have to be skinny to look pretty. 

Of course, most of the looks were completed with huge sculptural Angel Wings that made the outfits even more girly and glamorous.

Barbara Palvin

Cara Delevingne

Jourdan Dunn

Like every year, this year's lingerie is embellished with diamonds, Swarovski crystals, pearls and sequins. Every outfit has a finish touch in a form of matching jewelry or hair accessories.

The last segment of the show was colorful and girlish: we've seen lots of pink color and prints. The designers stayed true to themselves and kept rainbow and famous velvet tracksuit as important parts of the collection.

Which looks do you like best? Don't forget to comment, we'd like to hear your opinion!

Don’t Break the Belt… Over the Holidays!

One day a few years ago I woke up and took a reality pill. That pill was a big dose of “I will never be 18 or have an 18 year old body again!” And, I’m ok with that, I am 40 after all! I’m willing to be about 15 pounds heavier than I was in high school so that I can enjoy life.

In the last year I’ve noticed that I have more and more trouble losing weight. Back in 1998, I lost 30 pounds doing Weight Watchers (WW). Until this past year, I maintained that loss. My strategy has always been to revitalize my WW diet when I gain five to seven pounds until I get back down to my “normal” weight. Normal for me is NOT skinny. I like to eat and I especially LOVE my WINE!

Now, I am seven pounds heavier than I would like to be (at least) and my attempts to shed the weight for the last eight months or so have been nothing short of frustrating and unsuccessful. To top it all off, the holidays are approaching. I’m not a masochist and I’m NOT going to diet over the holidays! It’s unrealistic for me and frankly, it kind of takes the fun out of the holidays. So, I’ve devised some strategies just to avoid gaining another five pounds!

First, if I have to bake anything, I will eat a healthy meal or snack before I start. I know I will be snacking my way through the cookie dough bowl, if I’m at all hungry. Second, any resulting baked goods will be taken away from the house or put in the freezer ASAP. I’m less tempted this way. When I’m done baking, provided it’s socially acceptable, I will indulge in a reasonable portion of goodies by applying Jennifer Moore’s  Mindful Eating techniques. I will "make time for it. “ I will “set aside ten minutes to truly experience my treat.” I will get a napkin, get a beverage, and sit down.” I will not multitask while I’m enjoying!

My second potential problem lies in parties. Again, I’m simply NOT going to a party and skipping the delicious things my host has made in the fruitless attempt to save a pound. I’ll worry about it after the first of the year. However, that said, I realize I don’t need to overdo it and there are a couple of things I can do to prep for an evening of fun. I’ll start off with a filling breakfast. This will probably include my six point (WW) breakfast burrito - one egg and one egg white, a vegetarian sausage patty, 1/8 of a cup of cheese, salsa and adobo seasoning on a two point tortilla - and a banana. I know from experience that that will keep me full for awhile. At some point during the day, for lunch or just before I go to the party, I’ll have a big salad with lots of veggies and a light salad dressing or a bowl of my Dad’s award winning chili (see recipe below), which is about two WW points per cup. Then, when I get to the party, I’ll eat, drink and be merry knowing I didn’t completely throw in the towel!

My Dad’s Chili (which always gets GREAT REVIEWS, by the way!)
2 15 oz cans dark kidney beans
2 large onions chopped (I usually cook them down before throwing them in the pot)
4 tbsp chili powder
1 tbsp salt
2 packages of Smart Ground (my dad uses ground turkey or lean ground beef)
2 28 oz cans diced tomatoes
1 15 oz can tomato sauce
1 15 oz can water

I mix it all in the crockpot and let it cook all day, but you can also put it in a large pot and cook it on the stove. This also freezes well, so I recommend doubling the recipe and eating it when you want something light and filling.

In The Spotlight - Erin Northrop

Today the spotlight shines on 28 year old Erin Northrop from our Columbus, Ohio chapter.

Erin is happily married and is the proud pup parent to a sweet dog named Bella. In her spare time, Erin loves to read and watch movies. Exercise is always at the top of Erin’s list as she loves to work out, zumba being among her favs, take walks with Bella, and even do gymnastics!        
               
Erin and her husband are excitedly planning their next vacation. All though it’s a ways off, during the summer of 2014 the Northrop family will be traveling to Europe!

While Erin is new to LBDC, she just recently became a member a few weeks ago, she says that she joined the club because she was looking to make some new friends with like interests and similar hobbies. Erin is great at meeting new people and loves a challenge. Doing things she has never done before excites her, which is one of the things she loves about the LBDC. After the Columbus chapter recently took a weekend long road trip to meet up with chapters from Louisville, KY and Nashville, TN, she knew immediately that she had found the right group of ladies to become friends with!

The Little Black Dress Club is certainly glad you found us, Erin. Welcome to our club and thanks for being in the spotlight!