FIDM Debut 2010 Runway Show

It’s on the calendar every year. Those with a passion for fashion on the west coast anxiously await for the Fashion Week every March.

One of the treats leading up to Fashion Week is the FIDM Debut Runway show. It’s an exciting time for the students at FIDM, Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising in Los Angeles.  Over 10,000 people view the invitation-only runway show over a period of 3 days.

I attended the dress rehearsal along with other members of the Costume Council of LACMA as one our annual events.

The theme this year included FIDM’s Theatre Costume Design presentation: “FIDM goes to the movies – A Tribute to Judy and Liza,” complete with 2 Judy and Liza impersonators, a chorus line,  and film clips from their famous movies including, Easter Parade and The Wizard of Oz.

The event is supported by Industry Leaders and the business community. Proceeds from the evening will benefit the FIDM Scholarship Foundation. The event showcases exciting and unique collections from FIDM’s graduating students in Fashion Design, Theatre Costume Design, Interior Design, Textile Design, and Graphic Design Advanced Study Program.

Along with the excitement and festivities for Fall Fashion Week scheduled for March 17-24, 2010, I think I’ll do a bit of spring cleaning in my closet.

Love Hurts, or Does It? A Night of Dating Advice

There’s no shortage of dating advice these days. This week Angelenos were treated to a night to laughter, dating advice, and charity as 826LA, a non-profit writing and tutoring center for children ages 6-12 presented, “Love Hurts: Ask the Experts.”

The event was moderated by Time magazine’s funny man Joel Stein. Featured authors included Greg Behrendt, from He’s Just Not That Into You fame along with Lori Gottlieb, author of the bestseller, Marry Him: The Case for Settling for Mr. Good Enough and Sascha Rothchild, whose book, How to Get Divorced by 30: My Misguided Attempt at a Starter Marriage
was released earlier this year.

It was interesting to note that both of the men on stage were married and both women were not.

Gottlieb’s book has received a lot of attention and criticism from feminists as well as those who never actually read the book who jumped to conclusion that “settling” was a bad decision before picking up their copy.

Views on Marriage

When the group was asked about their views of marriage, Rothchild said she would like to get married again, but won’t get divorced if she can help it. She added that many get married to wear a beautiful dress and get wedding gifts.

Behrendt told the group that he is not a relationship expert. He wrote two books about how to get out of relationships so he thought he wouldn’t be the one to know how to get in them. He suggested that singles go to Las Vegas to make their relationship legal and have a party in front of your friends. When asked why he got married, he replied with, “I got married because my wife wanted to get married. I didn’t want to lose her.” He says that marriage works for him.

Gottlieb said she went directly to experts to find out what really matters for love, long term happiness and got some answers. . She said she felt like a dating guinea pig and tried out their advice to try to get to the altar. Her findings are written in her well-researched book.

“Settling for Mr. Good Enough does not mean that you are settling with someone who you are not attracted to,” said Gottlieb. She added,  ”We rule out too many people. Good enough is everybody’s Mr./Ms. Good enough.”  The bestselling author says that bow-ties are hot. So are men named Sheldon. She admits that she didn’t use to feel that way.

Rothchild says if you are going into a marriage thinking it will make you happy, you will be disappointed. She hates the line, “You will complete me.” She added, “If two half-people meet up they will be miserable. You can’t expect someone to make you happy.”

Views on Online Dating

According to Rothchild,  online dating works for some people. She likes to get a sense of someone in person and isn’t a huge fan of the system. “You get an immediate vibe about a person when you meet him,” said Rothchild. She added, “You can feel if he is he crazy or not. With online dating,  you don’t get that.” Rothchild said she likes to meet people out playing poker. She met her current boyfriend at a poker game.  Her dating advice to singles, “If you like surfing, go surf. Meet other people who like what you like. Go up to a guy and say hi! If he’s available he’ll say hi back, its that easy.”

Gottlieb says he has to do online dating as she never leaves the house.  She learned that women often rule people out real quickly. She made the analogy of shopping online at Banana Republic where after you buy a blouse online, you are sent to a page to show you other blouses you can purchase.  She referred to the online dating site Match.com in her comparison. On Match, you write an email to someone you carefully select and suddenly you receive a thank you with five other men you should consider after selecting your favorite guy.

What the group all agreed on is dating has changed. According to Behrendt, “As a society, we don’t date as a ritual anymore. There’s hook-ups and casual dates. Years ago we went on dates because we didn’t [have sex] so we ate, danced, and had big band music.”

After the panel, I had the opportunity to personally interview Lori Gottlieb about why she felt so misunderstood by some of her critics of her book.  You can read the article: Marry Him: A Conversation With Lori Gottlieb on Huffington Post.

Julie Spira is known worldwide as The Cyber-Dating Expert. She is the author of The Perils of Cyber-Dating: Confessions of a Hopeful Romantic Looking for Love Online. Visit her at CyberDatingExpert.com.

I’m a Character, You’re a Character – The 140 Conference in New York

It’s with great excitement that I share with you that I’ve been selected as a character in the upcoming 140 Characters Conference – Exploring the State of Now,  to be held in New York City on April 20-21, 2010. The panel will focus on dating and is called, “Experiencing: Love, Dating and Romance in the Real-Time web.”

According to Jeff Pulver, “This event is shaping up to being the largest worldwide gathering of people interested in the effects of the real-time Internet on both business and “we” the people.”

When I attended the 140 Characters Conference in Los Angeles in 2009, I had a conversation with Jeff about the 2010 New York event. I told him the importance of including a first-time dating panel at this conference. I explained the huge growth of online dating and the popularity of dating in real time with people hooking up on Twitter, Twitter marriage proposals, and the huge growth of mobile dating. I promised him it would be a fun panel. I didn’t want to disappoint those in the Twitterverse.

I am pleased to announce that on the panel I will be joined by my friends and colleagues Thomas Miller of Your Tango, known for his column Tomfoolery, and dating coach Scot  McKay. Both Tom and Scot have been guests on Ask the Cyber-Dating Expert radio show and I have met both of them in real life.

The 140 Characters Conference will feature some of the most important people in social media and on Twitter. I will be in good company along with Gary Vaynerchuk, MC Hammer, Ann Curry, Shelley Palmer, Ivanka Trump, Alexis Maybank, and Donny Deutsch. Over 140 characters will share the stage at the 92nd Street Y.

If you have a Twitter dating story to share, please let me know.

For a complete list of characters visit http://nyc2010.140conf.com/characters

Tickets are only $100 through March 6, 2010. To purchase your ticket in the presale, visit 140conf.com

I hope to see you there, IRL.

Julie Spira is known worldwide as The Cyber-Dating Expert. She is the author of The Perils of Cyber-Dating: Confessions of a Hopeful Romantic Looking for Love Online. Visit her at CyberDatingExpert.com

Dating Advice – What’s Love Got to Do With It?

It was a very special Second Sunday at An Empowered Woman where we celebrated the annual Valentine’s luncheon at Mountaingate Country Club in Bel Air.

Desiree Doubrox created a fun day with a Love Panel.  The theme was “What’s Love Got to Do With It?” and I was invited to speak along with Dr. Pat Allen,  who talked about her relationship theories from her two books, Getting to “I Do” and The Truth About Men Will Piss You Off and Cougar Dating Expert, Lucia who told us about the benefits of older women dating younger men. After receiving expert dating advice, we were all treated to the “Male Panel” where guys told the women EXACTLY what love meant to them and what made a woman sexy. The empowered male panel included the Jazz Balladeer Caesar, Sonny Dominguez who has been dating cougar women for 8 years, and hypnotherapist, Gerry Grossman.

Some of the descriptions from the men included confident, charming, and a warm welcoming smile.

Those who were in attendance had the opportunity to interact with the speakers in a lively discussion and do a little last-minute Valentine’s shopping before the big night. I was signing copies of my book, The Perils of Cyber-Dating: Confessions of a Hopeful Romantic Looking for Love Online and enjoyed sharing my stories with the group. With the rising popularity of online dating, it was no surprise that over 60% of the women in the audience had visited an online dating site.

Cyberdating is no longer for those dating-challenged. The room was filled with successful entrepreneurial women who are busy executives looking for love online.

Cougar dating expert, Lucia will be a guest on an upcoming edition of Ask the Cyber-Dating Expert Radio Show on February 27, 2010. I will be joining her on her show, The Art of Love on March 7, 2010.

Now that Valentine’s Day is over, are you ready for spring fever? It’s just around the corner.

Julie Spira is known worldwide as The Cyber-Dating Expert™. She is the author of The Perils of CyberDating: Confessions of a Hopeful Romantic Looking for Love Online. Visit her at CyberDatingExpert.com.

The Life of The Cyber Dating Expert

Having a career as a writer and dating advice columnist allows me to meet interesting people.  I hear about their quests to find love online. I share their success stories in the Cyber Love Story of the Week. I write about their dating disasters in the Peril of the Week. I interview interesting people in the world of online dating. I love my life.

Often, I am asked about my personal life. Many wonder who am I currently dating. They ask me if I have met someone online. I have met hundreds.  They want to know what online dating sites I recommend. I answer with, “There’s something for everyone.” I hear, “What was your best date?” and “What was your worst date?” Sharing personal information with the popularity of Facebook and other social networking sites has not only become the norm, but it has become expected. Years ago it would have been considered exploitation. Now it is fondly known as status updates and tweets, filled with friends, connections, and followers.

As I sit here on the one-year anniversary of my first published book, The Perils of Cyber-Dating: Confessions of a Hopeful Romantic Looking for Love Online, I reflect on why I felt the need to share my personal stories and why I became so passionate about helping others find love on the web.

It was 16 years ago when I posted my first online dating profile. I was a charter member of Love@AOL. It was before the days of Match.com and high-speed Internet. I learned then, as I know now, the vast opportunities that can be found on the Internet. I was a former radio broadcaster, turned Internet executive. Along the way, I became a super-successful cyberdater.

I reinvented my former radio career and every Saturday enjoy interviewing online dating CEOs and bestselling relationship authors on Ask the Cyber-Dating Expert Radio Show where I educate singles on all the options on finding love online.

Although I made the conscious decision to reveal very personal stories– some which were extremely painful, others hilarious, and some heartfelt, I have also made the decision to keep my present personal life private, for a while at least.

For now, I will continue writing about dating, love and romance in a Web 2.0 World. I am appreciative for the many online dating sites that feature my articles. I have a whole new group of friends who are authors and dating experts. I enjoy educating and entertaining my audience. I am often told that I have made a difference in the lives of singles who can relate to my stories. I help people fall in love online. My personal experience and advice has touched many. This brings me joy.

On this very important one-year anniversary of my book release and radio show launch, I am very grateful. As I read  the two Los Angeles Times articles today written by Whitney Friedlander called, Make it personal, keep it real and Finding the Right Online Dating Service, where I provided dating advice on Valentine’s Day, I know that I made the right decision in publishing my tell-all memoir. In the manner that I normally end my radio show, I will end this article as well with, “I look forward to seeing you in cyberspace.”

Julie Spira is known worldwide as The Cyber-Dating Expert. She is the author of The Perils of Cyber-Dating: Confessions of a Hopeful Romantic Looking for Love Online. Visit her at CyberDatingExpert.com

The Beverly Hills Women’s Club Valentine’s Lunch

Although this was the busiest week of the year for me with numerous Valentine’s interviews, I took a break from my schedule to attend the annual Beverly Hills Women’s Club Valentine’s Lunch.

This year, our featured speaker was Dr. Pat Allen, author of Getting to “I Do” and The Truth About Love Will Set You Free. The 75-year old relationship expert says she now has a handful of men, although she admits she’s not a regular cougar–well almost. She did mention a 49-year old chap in passing.  The relationship expert pointed out to the members, that “A disco is not a waltz.” She added, “Ginger did everything Fred did, but backwards, in high-heels, and in a long dress.”

Members of the BHWC were inspired by Dr.Pat Allen, but together we celebrated the Beverly Hills Women’s Club historic cookbook, Fashions in Food originally published in 1929. The celebrity cookbook is filled with recipes from Old Hollywood stars including Joan Crawford, Carol Lombard, Fannie Brice, and Will Rogers. One of the dishes we were treated to at the luncheon was Mary Pickford’s Chicken Marco Polo recipe. The Food Network was on site taping the event which will air in April 2010.

If you missed the event, Dr. Pat Allen and I will be featured on The Love Panel on Valentine’s Day at An Empowered Woman’s Second Sunday Series.

To reserve tickets, click here>>>

Happy Valentine’s everyone!

Julie Spira is known world-wide as The Cyber-Dating Expert. She is the author of the Internet dating book, The Perils of Cyber-Dating: Confessions of a Hopeful Romantic Looking for Love Online. Visit her at CyberDatingExpert.com

Julie Spira to Appear on Love Panel on Valentine’s Day

Please join me on Valentine’s Day for an exciting panel for singles and couples hosted by An Empowered Woman in Los Angeles.

The event, “What’s Love Got To Do With It?” will be held at Mountaingate Country Club in Bel Air, CA.

Joining me on the panel will be relationship ship expert Dr. Pat Allen, author of Getting to ‘I Do’ and Cougar dating expert, Lucia.

I will be discussing my book, The Perils of Cyber-Dating: Confessions of a Hopeful Romantic Looking for Love Online and will provide expert dating advice on how to spot the red flags and find Mr./Ms. Right on your favorite Internet dating site.

One of the highlights at the event will be the male panel, consisting of a confirmed bachelor, serial husband, single and looking, to just plain confused.

The event includes lunch, boutique for shopping, and a book signing.

What: Second Sunday Series, An Empowered Woman
When: Sunday, February 14, 2010, 11am – 3pm

Where: Mountaingate Country Club, Bel Air, CA

To purchase tickets, visit An Empowered Woman

Read full press release

iDate Update – The Internet Dating Conference

Once again I had the pleasure of attending the Internet Dating Conference which was held in Miami Beach last week.

The highlight this year was the first-annual iDate Awards where both industry leaders and the public had the opportunity to vote on their favorite online dating sites.

At the black-tie event, the industry winners were announced which included:

• Best Dating Site - Match.com
• Best Up and Coming Site - Zoosk.com
• Most Innovative Company - OkCupid
• Best Marketing Campaign - eHarmony.com
• Best Dating Site Design - Match.com
• Best Mobile Dating Site - Zoosk.com
• Best Matchmaker – Julie Ferman, CupidsCoach.com
• Best New Technology - Iovation.com
• Best Payment System - Paypal.com
• Best Affiliate Program - Friendfinder.com
• Best Dating Software Provider - WhiteLabelDating.com

The next iDate conference will be held on June 17-18, 2010 in Miami Beach. I’m secretly hoping that CyberDatingExpert.com gets nominated for an honorable mention.

Julie Spira is known worldwide as The Cyber-Dating Expert. She is the author of the bestseller, The Perils of Cyber-Dating: Confessions of a Hopeful Romantic Looking for Love Online. Visit her atCyberDatingExpert.com

Read full article on Examiner.com

Amazing Woman’s Day

Join me on Saturday, January 30, 2010 where I will be a featured Feminine Leader at Amazing Woman’s Day at the Beverly Hills Hotel, Beverly Hills, CA.

On this special day, hundreds of women will gather and be educated and enriched by women entrepreneurs.

I’ll be discussing the social media strategy I used on Facebook, Twitter, through blogging and more that made my first-published book, The Perils of Cyber-Dating: Confessions of a Hopeful Romantic Looking for Love Online a bestseller on its launch date. I’ll also be autographing copies of my book at the event.

Amazing Woman’s Day was created by Marsh Engle. The day will be filled with education and enrichment for women to help them succeed in 2010. We all have a book in us. Why not make it a bestseller?

What: Amazing Woman’s Day 2010 Worldwide Launch
Where: Beverly Hills Hotel
When: Saturday, January 30, 2010
Why: Because you are an Amazing Woman who will be inspired and educated by dynamic leaders
Cost: $196

To order tickets, please go to AmazingWomansDay.com for a day that will change your path in 2010.

Read full press release

I’m in Heaven – Kirsten Dunst Honored at The Art of Elysium Gala

It was a pre-Golden Globes Red Carpet event in Beverly Hills to support children through the world of art. The 3rd annual Heaven Gala by The Art of Elysium raised over 1.25 million dollars to support over 700,000 children this year. The organization was started 12 years ago when founder, Jennifer K. Howell asked some artists that she knew to get involved with the Children’s Hospital in Los Angeles.

The event honored artist Shepard Fairey with the 2010 Visionary Award. Actress Kirsten Dunst received the 2010 Spirit of Elysium Award. She shared her story with us on how much her help for the children has affected her in a positive way. Every year she gets involved with a children’s play at Christmastime and told me she believes she receives much more than she gives from the hearts of the children she serves.

Guests mingled in the outdoor cocktail hour and I spoke with Dita Von Teese who has a book coming out, Rumor Willis who looks like a spitting image of her mother – Demi Moore, my friend Downtown Julie Brown, and Gilt founder Alexis Maybank whose discount fashion shopping site now has 2 million members.  Other celebrity guests included Ashley Olsen, Kate Bosworth, Topher Grace, Marisa Tomei, Nicole Richie, Jessica Alba, Adam Lambert, Rachel Bilson, and David Spade.

After dinner and the awards, we were treated to a post-party concert with rock-legend Billy Idol.

Congratulations to Chairman of the Board, Ryan Kavanaugh from Relativity Media, The Art of Elysium founder, Jennifer Howell, and the host committee for Heaven on creating a spectatular successful event and for bringing joy and smiles to the children who are hospitalized.

The Art of Elysium is a non-profit 501 (C) (3) organization founded in 1997. They encourage working actors, artists and musicians to voluntarily dedicate their time and talent to children who are battling serious medical conditions. They provide artistic workshops in acting, art, comedy, fashion, music, radio, songwriting, and creative writing. The Art of Elysium’s Pieces of Heaven Art Auction which will be held on March 4, 2010 in West Hollywood.

Julie Spira is known worldwide as The Cyber-Dating Expert™. She is the author of the bestseller, The Perils of Cyber-Dating: Confessions of a Hopeful Romantic Looking for Love Online. Visit her at CyberDatingExpert.com

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