Haute OFF The Rack!

The A-List by Amber now in Boutiques!!


New Locations:
East Meets West Spa in Fayetteville, Arkansas
Haute off the Rack in Frisco, Texas!

A-Lister of the Month!

Not only because she is one of my all time favorites…

Mrs. Beyonce Giselle Knowles Carter recently broke records with the most Grammys won by a Female Artist in one night. Not to mention she is heating up department stores all over the country with her new Fragrance: HEAT. She is a singer, actress, dancer, & designer which makes her a quadruple threat and she has single handedly changed what the entertainment industry's thoughts about curvaceousness (Bootylicious). She is OURS and She is FIERCE! SHE IS BEYONCE!!

~Amber

Get this A-Lister’s RED HOT Style….

Red Hot by amberlauren featuring Dorothy Perkins dresses

THE SHOP NBC EXPERIENCE: The Makings of an A-LISTER!

It’s been a little while since my last blog and I would love to say it was because I have been living this fabulous life on the A-List and just haven’t had the time to blog due to all the events, parties, and Livin La L.A.Loca… Although, that is partially true (in my head) the truth is… I have been working day in and day out to promote my A-List by Amber brand and am spending a lot of time trying to learn the in’s and out’s of the industry… As it turns out there is more to product development and design than just having good taste! There have been so many bloggable moments so I will do my best to catch you up to speed! However, Here is my most bloggable A-List moment to date…

THE SHOP NBC EXPERIENCE: The Makings of an A-LISTER!

The A-List by Amber debuted LIVE on ShopNBC as an OTV (One Time Value)!! Yours truly was the On-Air guest/spokesperson! The show went excellent! We ended up selling over 3,000 of the Bag on Wheels alone! When I first arrived I was under the impression that my mother and I would be going on to present the collection together (playing up the Mother/Daughter team). I was at ease with that because Janet (my mother) is definitely the talker! I figured I would just smile and look fab! When we got there we found out there was slight change of plans… They only wanted one of us to go on. Since the collection is called the A-List by Amber they decided it was best for me to go on and the fact that my mother lost her voice also helped the decision making process. I must admit that I was nervous. I decided I wouldn’t tell anyone because knowing people I knew were watching me made me even more nervous. Since it was ONE show at 12 a.m., I figured no one would be watching anyways. Well, ONE show ended up being about 10 LIVE shows!! Unaware we would have to spend 24 hours on the air, we quickly had to change our flight arrangements. When I saw the set I was even more nervous; the host told me I needed to exude more confidence! After a test run, I felt a little better but still couldn’t shake my nerves… (It wasn’t so much that I was being taped on camera; it was more the fact that it was live and there was no room for error). In order to prepare I channeled my inner teacher and thought to myself “What would Beyonce do”? In my mind I was Sasha Fierce (lol) and the shy, nervous, soft-spoken Amber had to go!
So my big moment…The host says…”Let’s welcome Amber to SNBC to debut the A-List Rolling Tote, tell us a little bit about yourself and how you came up with this wonderful bag!” “Well,” I said, “The A-List by Amber was created by my mother and I. She was a corporate executive in retail and I was a teacher. We are both are organized “Fashionistas” who wanted to come up with and ageless line of accessories that were both FUNCTIONABLE and Fashionable.” WOW!!! Did I just say FUNCTIONABLE and teacher in the same sentence. How embarrassing! That was my cue to just nod and smile. But then again… I thought even the great Sasha Fierce falls and keeps on going and that is exactly what I intended to do! Surprisingly, that mess-up helped me shake my nerves. After, the first couple of shows I started to feel like a natural. I became more and more confident. Soon I was able to wake up 10 minutes to air time and freshen up and go. Almost every other hour on the hour we had a show to do. Since there was a BLIZZARD in Minnesota we couldn’t go back to our hotel. We had to spend the night in a cramped little room in the studio. Although we were snowed in, cramped, and tired, the SNBC crew and hosts gave us A-List treatment! As I grew more and more confident with the show I decided I would let some of my friends and family know. Word spread fast! My friends and family were extremely supportive and encouraging, and a lot of them bought the bags and posted discussions on their Facebook walls! All in all it was an awesome experience and the bags were a hit. This opened up a lot of doors for the A-LIST by Amber and was just beginning of what’s to come!
~Amber

To purchase items from our EXECUTIVELY CHIC Collection visit www.alistonlineshop.com

LA Rock Fashion Week

LA Rock Fashion Week


Hello A-Listers! I have been out of commission lately with my blog but I have been extremely busy getting ready to present A-List to the world! I started taking classes at FIDM (Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising), home of Project Runway, to learn the in’s and out’s of the Fashion Industry! Classes are very intense and there is a lot of work that goes into anything Fashion related!! I have also had some amazing networking opportunities! Recently I volunteered at LA Rock Fashion Week. Designers included Tristan and Trista, Boy Meets Girls, and Biatta. Susan G. Komen also represented with the Pink Dress Collection! Check out a couple of my favorite designs from upcoming designer Tristan and Trista:

BellaBoo

Okay so I am getting accustomed to LA!! What’s not to love…Right? The D.W.A. (Dogs with Attitude) not so in love or used to the LA scene yet! These suburban pups are not feeling this new city life. So in order to get them acclimated I decided to take them down to the beach for a leisurely afternoon stroll. This was strategic on my part for two reasons. #1. I knew there wouldn’t be too many people out and about with their dogs since it was during the middle of a weekday and #2. It would be a great time to show off the new pawkerchiefs my Motherdear, grandmother, sent me from her BellaBoo, dog accessory, line. What? A dog has to accessorize too! Besides, Bella and Boo make the cutest little doggy models! Before I tell you about this experience, let’s rewind because some of you don’t know Bella and Boo, and could therefore use some background.

Boo is a 4lb Yorkshire Terrier, in his spare time he relaxes on coffee tables and he also enjoys dancing the Paso Doble (latin inspired bull fighting dance). Bella is a Maltese (well at least we think she is, we never saw her paperwork) from the Southside of Indianapolis. No offense “Naptown” but she is a little hood! And you know what they say…you can take the girl out of the hood, but you can’t take the hood out of the girl. Bella, despite her humble beginnings, has since been living in house with her own room and huge backyard that was all her own. Needless to say she is spoiled rotten and she doesn’t like to share one bit. She makes it very clear tha your lap and personal space belong to her. These two together have no manners, and one would think no home training whatsoever when they go out in public. When it comes to other dogs, they are big time BULLIES! They don’t discriminate…small or large; it doesn’t matter! They think they can bark and beat down any dog any time! You would think they were Pitbulls!! Now you can see how moving into an apartment with other dogs in a city where well-socialized dogs roam free, unleashed, and with no cares in the world poses a problem for these two tough guys! Or poses a problem for me anyways.

So…our journey begins, we head outside and both of them immediately have this attitude like don’t let the cute fool ya! We are casually walking pretending not to notice all of the “oohs” and “ahhs” when I feel leash get tight. I see Bella’s neck get long, her front legs go up, and I know that she has spotted another canine. The “oohs” and “ahhs” turn to “oh my’s” as she starts barking uncontrollably! I begin to pull the leash and tell her to behave. She of course doesn’t listen. The innocent, playful, and harmless Maltipoo looks up like “what did I do?” The owner asks if she can bring her pup closer to get them better acquainted as if to help, and I tell her that is probably not such a good idea. Mr. Boo on the other hand remained cool, calm, and collective! I thought to myself let’s continue to walk or it won’t be fair to Boo! We did and we walked well for a few more blocks uninterrupted when I spotted our next challenge. A lady was walking with a full-grown Pitbull!! I thought to myself, Bella wouldn’t dare! Just incase, I walked slowly behind the lady and when she stopped, I stopped…I couldn’t have been more wrong, Bella started to challenge the Pitbull! She started barking uncontrollably again until the Pitbull finally turned around like enough is enough! He gave her the Nancy Pelosi, I can’t believe you just did that look, and Bella finally got silent (Boo by the way was still quite the little gentleman) After two other altercations, we finally make it to the beach. We found a good spot under a palm tree, in a somewhat shaded area and the three of us laid down. It was great to relax (if only for a moment), stare into the open sky, let our heart rates come down a bit, and take in our new life. We knew in our peace that we were about to embark (pun intended) on a new journey and that it would take some getting used to and we are definitely up for the challenge…Well at least Boo and I were… 20 minutes later an unleashed Chocolate Lab was heading our way! I put on a small pony show for Bella to divert her attention, but it didn’t work! The dog was getting closer and closer and Bella got angrier and angrier! I didn’t know what to do! Do I put Bella down, let them duke it out, and chance a Michael Vick sentence or do I make a run for it? Before I made any sudden move, the dog was called over by his owner to meet two well-behaved furry friends his own size. Just like that, he forgot all about us. Nonetheless, I didn’t want to take any more chances and we headed back home. I was so proud of Mr. Boo for being well behaved and adjusting to his surroundings, but I also realized for some of us this new life will take a little longer to get use to!! What helps you and/or your loved ones adjust to new surroundings? Please comment!

XOXO

Amber

Opening Act

Pictured from left to right (Marilyn Monroe, Audrey Hepburn, Dorothy Dandrige)

Before there was Cameron Diaz, Julia Roberts, and Beyonce... there was Marilyn Monroe, Audrey Hepburn, & Dorothy Dandridge. These Hollywood starlets were picture perfect. Marilyn: the epitome of sexy and every man’s fantasy. Audrey: the essence of sophistication, and a timeless beauty. Dorothy: the original distinguished diva!

Talk about making statements…. All of these ladies could single handedly light up a runway! Marilyn, Audrey, and Dorothy paved the way for the Hollywood A-Listers by making the room, carpet, or set sexier, classier, and distinctive with no apologies! I put together 3 modern day looks that I feel reflect the influence and style of my all time favorite Hollywood Starlets! Let me know what you think!! Also, leave comments about the Hollywood A-lister influences your style and why? To view these items in more detail (where to buy, costs, designers) click on the pictures below!

DOROTHY DANDRIDGE (Distinction)

Items in this set:

Strapless bustier dress, 1,535 GBP

Derek Lam Panne velvet drape skirt, $990

Pink belted pencil skirt, 28 GBP

Longline Floral Pintuck Bra, 20 GBP

Cascading Ruffles Tank

AUDREY HEPBURN (Sophistication)

Items in this set:

Donna Karan | Strapless taffeta dress | NET-A-PORTER.COM, 1,745 GBP

Stella McCartney High-waisted satin skirt, $705

Rick Owens Lilies Jersey turtleneck top, $310

Black Bloome Origami Skirt By Malene Birger, 230 GBP

Stella Mccartney Top With Oversized Bow, $182

MARILYN MONROE (Temptation)

Items in this set:

Structured Mini Dress with Beading, 1,485 GBP

Single Sweetheart dress with spaghetti straps, $245

Mesh Hem Polka Dot Dress, $25

Ruched Knit Dress, $23

Linen Tie Blouse, $20

BOOTIE CALL

Okay so it’s my favorite time of year…BOOT SEASON!! However, Ugg Boots and Over the Knee boots aren’t the only boots to be excited about this year!!! This is the year of the Bootie. Pair Your New Booties with textured tights and "Rock Rock em Everywhere!!" Get inspiration from these HOT designer looks!

Chloe $$ Bebe $$ Givenchy $$$$$

Naughty Monkey $$

Prada $$$$ Christian Louboutin $$$$

Also Peep these… Peep Toe Booties. Don’t be afraid this fall to show a litte extra!

Sergio Rossi $$$$ BCBG $$

Moschino $$ Betsey Johnson $$$

• $ under 150
• $$150-300
• $$$ 300-500
• $$$$ 500-1000
• $$$$$1,000 +