LYRA MAG.

SCREAMER® HATS and SWANY® PERFORMANCE GLOVES & MITTENS Park City Utah, January 20th Words, Images Judith Ecochard and Images from SWANY® website. Sunny skies and warm weather brought out attendees at Sundance’s annual Film Fest-who got up to watch Obama's swearing in. At the Gibson Guitar Suite…we made connections with two terrific accessory lines that are completely different…one eco…and one gee whiz technology driven. Actress Nia Long signing the Gibson Guitar to be auctioned off SCREAMER®: Hailing from Seattle, Screamers goes green for its latest Winter and Spring collections of warm hats that found BIG FAVOR with celebs dropping into to the exhibit. Designer Kelly Kemp (a vet at the company who started in the warehouse) told us Screamers eco launch sprang from a desire “to source bamboo for hats.” This family run biz (Jan and Steve Burkholder) is small in size but boasts a rainbow assortment of color options…and has a whole line custom hats too! WHAT’S ECO HIP: For kids, K...

Words, Images Judith Ecochard “The earth is our playground; our mission is to preserve it. This philosophy underlies our operations, from design to production to distribution. Through progressive design, globally mindful art and production practices, we are constantly mindful of the impact we have and want to share that with you. This means using sustainable materials whenever and wherever possible.” Hey, why not get the quote right. With those thoughts in mind, we met Mark McMahon , the congenial founder and prez of Mission Playground clothing line for men and women…that deserves a bravo for it’s above quoted mission, but also because it delivers style, cool graphics and eye-catching details… and wearable garbs that’s in demand. “ We are back on track…closer to what we stand for –for Fall," McMahon notes. “It’s a tighter more focused collection using organics, hemps and recycled fabrics.” Including recycled PET bottles morphing into a bird’s eye knit with technical attributes, ...

FRESH COLORS AND PRINTS + NEW LININGS Salt Lake City Palace, January 23, 2009 Words, Images Judith Ecochard Kamik , a family owned, Montreal based biz innovatively paved the way for fun footwear that is appropriate for when the weather is decidedly wet and yech. Credit paparazzi shots of celebs wearing the brand…and violà…instant must have street creds and a fashion frenzy. For city and country types, the now 25% lighter rainboots feature the grip it on wet or dry surfaces- blown ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA) soles and rubber outsoles and uppers in waterproof nylons. Fun colors and refreshed prints, coupled with affordability (prices are about $90 for quilted/flannel, $95 Felt Fleece, $150 Shearling Lined), will have gals stocking up to go all matchy/matchy with their attire. For us, the new low and high versions of the shearling snow collar/ shearling-lined mid and high boots can stylishly banish the winter chills. Other waterproof and insulated options include fleece-lined options wit...

WACOAL SPORTS SCIENCE CORPORATION's CUTTING EDGE COLLECTION OF COMPRESSION GARMENTS TAKES PERFORMANCE WEAR TO A WHOLE NEW LEVEL OUTDOOR RETAILER MARKET 2009, SALT LAKE CITY PALACE Words and Bra Image, Judith Ecochard, rest from online site. It was the futuristic black/white bra with a striking design amped up with a 5 part inner cup Targeted Support Web™ system –in a 4 way Cool Max™ stretch fabric---- that beckoned us into the booth of CW-X . Based on technological research from Japan (which does not surprise us), this collection of super cool compression garments-a booming market-is backed by meaningful scientific studies, so we were told, and uses the latest in gee whiz fabrics that render our entire running wardrobe hopelessly outdated. WHAT IT IS: Taking a nod from the rehabilitative medical world where compression wrappings of limbs, a shoulder, etc is known to speed recovery from injury (ever have a lower back pain or sprained ankle?) by supporting muscles and joints, and...

Canada Goose Storm Chaser Jacket: worn over the Lodge Down Jacket (M) and Camp Down Jacket (W) NON-STOP STRUTTERS DOWN THE RUNWAY GETS IT GOING Salt Lake City Palace THURSDAY, JANUARY 21st, 2009 Images and Words, Judith Ecochard The Outdoor Retailer Winter Tradeshow packed the SLC PALACE’s Grand Ballroom with buyers, exhibitors and media- for it’s first ever runway show, sponsored by Woolrich-makers of technical, casual and endurance apparel. Egged on by a spirited group of dancers working their magic-“ High School Musical” style, the pumped up crowd was dazzled by athletic feats. As veterans of runway shows, we - on the other hand - were even more impressed that the clothes were so flexible and pliant. Some of the separates- loaned by a large number of the exhibitors like our favs Canada Goose , Mountain Hard Wear and sustainable casual wear clothing line Aventura …were hard core winter wear. Happily, the sponsor was estatic. To quote the official press release put out by Soar Co...

HOLISTIC HEALING FOR EVERYONE Words, Judith Ecochard Images from the company website The buzz from skincare/beauty lines these past few months…is the awareness and push away from preservatives like paraben…and other questionable ingredients. That’s a good direction to take…but if we think about how our skin absorbs nearly everything we put on it...why not opt for the most natural to begin with… if it gets the job done? Dr Dobbs is a new line of uncomplicated, natural skincare (90% or more) founded by a Texas lady, Joan Matera, who sources her doctor-laden family tree for inspiration when it comes to all things healthy for our skin. Impressively, this modestly price line of treatments (from a .32 oz tin of coffee flavored Perk O’ Lips™ Lip Balm $3.69…topping out at $10.99 for an 8 oz glass mason jar of Ultra Relief Therapy--a soothing sea salt, lemon oil, rosemary and eucalyptus confection)…are produced with old-fashioned goodness mashed up with the quality ingredients like premium gra...

Winner Ron Rod and supporter sipping the bubbly. OUTDOOR RETAILER MARKET WINTER 2009, SALT LAKE CITY January 25th, Salt Lake Palace Convention Center Words, Images Judith Ecochard and courtesy of Outdoor Retailer Market With an appreciative nod to Heidi Klum ‘s reality show wunderkind, last week’s huge OUTDOOR RETAILER MARKET WINTER 2009 had it’s own version of a grueling, 48 hour contest…challenging design students with the task of conjuring and stitching up a fashionable woman’s mid-layer garment that “embodied performance, technical, eco-friendly materials and creative design.” Unlike the NYC version however, tradeshow attendees and exhibitors got to see the designers at work…with a room off the main floor given over to their respective ateliers. Needless to say, the pointed barbs that characterize the televised Project Runway…were not happening. But the high level of craftsmanship was there. IMHO-none of these outfits deserved a “You’re Out...Please Leave The Runway” comment. In f...

HIGH DEFINITION MAKEUP HOLD Words, Judith Ecochard It never ceases to amaze us how the off the radar research/cosmetic companies manage to conjure up the most innovative treatments. Ensconced in Boston, SKINDINAVIA is a biz that has the right stuff ...creating quite the buzz with makeup pros. FYI: the collection includes cleansers, moisturizers, primers and finishing sprays-that work as advertised. WHAT’S NEW Set to launch in February at a very few select makeup outlets like NYC's ALCONE , the Stage and Set Makeup Finish is the new genie in the bottle. WHAT IT IS The Stage and Set Makeup Finish is a liquid that gets spritzed on a made up face…and thanks to its chilling ability, magically holds the color and texture of the makeup for hours. It feels like a fine mist when applied…and then feels…well like nothing. We tried it and it felt completely weightless. It not only holds but also aids the blending coverage of our liquid foundation- so we looked like we are born with flawles...

Text, Vivian G. Kelly Product mages from featured companies’ websites Product Images from listed websites Image of Victoria Beckham, from www.music.msn.com Image of Cassi Hurd, courtesy of C.H. Over the Holidays, we cut our hair ultra-short. The inspiration - Victoria Beckham’s do as seen in our January 2009 issue of Harper’s Bazaar. Over the years, hairdressers have warned us that “short hair can be HARDER to deal with than long hair”, pointing out that our thick unruly hair filled with cowlicks in the front would be tough to control. That was then. Today, there are some winning products out there that make it a cinch to maintain a glossy short coupe that adds that of-the-moment eighties edge to a basic black uniform. BELOW OUR HAIR HEROES for winter 2009: You can pick up all of these for @ $50, a small price to keep your cut looking great during the winter months. SCRUPLES RECONSTRUCT LEAVE-IN INSTANT REPAIR This leave in conditioner not only adds the promised “body & luster”, it...