lalawag » Dianne de Guzman

Style Tips for the Fashionably Challenged.. Women

Dianne de Guzman — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 21:01:44 +0000

Awhile back, I wrote an article to help out those who felt they needed some tips in the fashion department… namely men. While out and about at some recent tech events, I met a few of you that wanted to know when the article for women would be posted. I admit, I was shocked. Since moving to Los Angeles, I haven’t seen such a city of well-dressed women in my life. Call it a by-product of living next to movie stars whose job is to look good, but the trickle down effect of style seems to have done well for everyone. I was assured, however, that there are some women who could benefit from the knowledge of someone as well put together as myself. *ahem*

After reading Casey McKinnon’s article on helping women buy the best clothes, I wasn’t really sure what I could add to the topic. I have been known to have mild panic attacks preceding events over what to wear and my daily wardrobe can sometimes consist of a rotation of jeans and hoodies. I do have some aces up my sleeve on how to get myself presentable for every occasion even if my budget doesn’t always allow me that “perfect” Marc Jacobs dress I’ve been drooling over.

One of the best pieces of advice I can give is to always have a backup. What do I mean? Let me explain: generally, women tend to go shopping before a big event that’s looming, usually complaining that they’re not finding anything they like. It’s the big cosmic rule of shopping — you can never find anything when you need it. What I mean by the word “backup” is that you should always keep an eye out for something you can keep hidden in your closet for sudden events and (hopefully) dates. While out window shopping or even on lunch break, if you see something you like but don’t have anything to wear it to.. just try it on. Maybe that event will magically appear out of nowhere.

It also doesn’t hurt to have your go-to dress that always fits just right and is friend-approved — in case your fashion foresight has a blind spot. I have an awesome black dress from American Apparel that I have gotten plenty of mileage out of and looks great year-round.

Here in Los Angeles, I’ve been bombarded with so many different dress requirements I want to faint. A recent tizzy I was thrown in for was “upscale casual” which (despite asking several people) everyone was at a loss to clearly define. While it seems obvious, a good rule I’ve always stuck with is it’s better to overdress than under-dress. ‘Tis far far better to have everyone staring at you in awe of your gorgeous outfit than to have looks of scorn at your sneaker-covered feet. Sure, your feet will be happy, but you’ll most likely feel uncomfortable in other ways.

I’m still a doofus when it comes to hair — mine is really only good at being long — but if you’re really frustrated with your hair, play with it. I have exactly two fail-safe plans to styling my hair and I think most women can get away with the same. Same goes for makeup, in case you feel clueless about it. If you’re ever bored and feel like getting a makeover, put those makeup girls at Nordy’s to work and describe what kind of look you’re going for. Pay attention to what they’re doing and figure out how you can streamline it to work for your morning routine or event. My personal favorites for makeup are Laura Mercier and Shu Uemura, but go find a brand that speaks to your skin tone and aesthetics.

If all else fails, scour through fashion magazines for inspiration and ways to help you pull off that look you’ve always wanted. Or, in my case, reach for your laptop and just google “upscale casual”…

Photo from organizingla.com

Tonight: Startups Uncensored

Dianne de Guzman — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 19:37:27 +0000

After a whirlwind of events from the past two weeks, Docstoc CEO Jason Nazar is putting on an event on a decidedly more chill level: Startups Uncensored #4 is happening tonight with Gregg Spiridellis of JibJab and Alon Shwartz of Docstoc. The two will be waxing poetic on “finding and working with partners” in the startup biz in a townhall format, lessons in backstabbing not included.

While the event is free dollars, attendance is limited to 140 strong, so go RSVP ahead of time and get on the guest list. [The site was down last we looked, but keep checking!]

The deets:

Tuesday, Feb. 17 at 6:30 to 8 p.m. (Reception to follow)

Santa Monica Public Library

601 Santa Monica Blvd.

Santa Monica, CA 90401

Jason Nazar

on Daymix

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(Photo by Somewhatfrank)

Style Tips for the Fashionably Challenged

Dianne de Guzman — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 12:33:34 +0000

Patricia Handschiegel, she of The New Power Girls set among other things, recently wrote “Field Guide for CEOs” on her blog, detailing the importance of how to dress. Sean, our venerable captain of this ship, asked that I write a piggyback entry to Patricia’s post on fashion for men — from a girl’s perspective.

Men, here’s a tip in case you don’t already know: it’s important how you dress. That doesn’t mean that you need to throw out those t-shirts and jeans — just know when to wear it. Girls like to see you get dressed when it counts. The aw-shucks combo of the “clever” t-shirt and jeans will only work in certain instances. Don’t try to make the outfit fit from casual Friday at work to a dinner date to drinks at that new lounge. Unless you have the charm to pull off that shirt in potentially embarrassing situations? Save it for another time.

I’ve made jokes about striped shirts in the past and have gotten shit over it. It’s not that they’re horrible, per se, it’s just that the clubs are overwhelmed with striped men everywhere. Do the stripes differently (or at least in an interesting way) or go another route.

I agree with Patricia’s advice on exfoliating but I’ll take it a step further and say, just pay attention to grooming. Now, don’t go all crazy with the tweezers like Nip/Tuck’s John Hensley.. just make sure there are two brows. As for the feet? Yeah, they’re covered by shoes, but don’t ignore them. Clean ‘em up a little — it’ll make you feel better, trust me.

Now, now: these aren’t strict rules but just some tips. Nobody thinks less of you guys if you’re sporting a unibrow, wearing striped shirts like there’s no tomorrow. Class it up a bit, though, and everyone will notice — which is what you want when you’re doing those elevator pitches, isn’t it?
*****

Then again, maybe I shouldn’t be qualified to give out fashion advice seeing as how I had to google the term “upscale casual” the other day.

Girls in Tech Bathroom Confessional

Dianne de Guzman — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 17:09:57 +0000

What you first notice when you walk into a Girls in Tech networking event is not that it’s an all-women event — it’s the pitch. No, not a startup pitch, but the tone of the room; inside V Lounge in Santa Monica, the room buzzed with the excited voices of a crowd of women talking about what they do best: tech. Gone was the low buzzing of men’s voice (the only ones allowed were yes, the brave four who crashed this bash, and a few bartenders) and instead one was left listening to all the girls talking, laughing and drinking.

I met up with the lovely Laurie Percival and Jackie Peters, who managed to drag women into the bathroom for interviews — seeing as how it was the only quiet place in the entire venue. Ever wonder why girls go in groups to the bathroom? We’re doing interviews there with Flip Cams. Check out the vid below.

(Photo by freelance)

Owen Thomas Explains It All, Part II

Dianne de Guzman — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 18:55:24 +0000

Here’s the conclusion of Lalawag’s exclusive interview with Owen Thomas of Valleywag.

Part 1 is here.

*****

Dianne de Guzman: Some say that Valleywag has taken many hits from Denton and that the brand slowly being killed off. What’s your opinion on that?

Owen Thomas: If it is, it’s a strange sort of death where more people know about it than ever.

Dd: Has your readership increased since you’ve been folded into Gawker?

OT: Oh, definitely.

Dd: You’ve always cross-posted articles with Gawker, but you say readership has still increased?

OT: I’m not exactly sure about the numbers, but I do know that December was one of our best months yet. I had a million page views just writing by myself and being the only one writing for Valleywag. Right now the stats are a little wonky because of the transition but if you look at Sitemeter, I’d swear that that’s an accurate reflection. I’m getting better read for two or three posts a day than I was on seventeen. Which I think is a sort of lesson on productivity.

Dd: Sean’s a big fan of Valleywag and he said he liked it when it was you and Paul [Boutin].

OT: Yeah, Paul’s a great writer and fantastic talent. Probably the decision I’m saddest about. Nicholas [Carlson] is at Silicon Alley Insider. Melissa [Gira] got a ton of writing projects. She just did a sex education project on MySpace – which is where sex education needs to be today. I know Jackson [West] has been doing some freelance work. Jackson, I think, has this rocket ship trajectory.

Dd: So what’s the deal with Nick Douglas?

OT: I love Nick. From the start, Paul and I took him under our wings. We were both working for large corporations, but we loved Valleywag and wanted it to prosper and do well. I think Nick is fantastic. He needs to find the right platform for his talent because I think what he’s finding is this whole notion of a brand called, “You.” Being a free agent doesn’t really pay the rent, doesn’t make you famous.

Now, more than ever, we need editors. We need people who filter all the noise and turn it into signal. I think as a lone individual, you’re just noise. That’s why I was always happy to go to something like Valleywag as opposed to starting my own thing. The scandal of my job in Silicon Valley is that when you work for someone else, you’re not an entrepreneur. ‘When did you found Valleywag?’ That’s what they ask. Then I remind them that “founder” when you look it up in the dictionary means, “to sink underneath the waves.”

Dd: That’s a good point.

OT: I stole that one from Paul, actually.

Dd: In the tech scene everybody’s worried about the origins and how other companies start.

OT: The creation myth. ‘I went on a job interview and then went to my desk the next Monday.’ That’s not a very exciting creation method. But that’s what most creation myths are.

Twitter actually was this side project of someone sitting at their desk, doing a job. And suddenly, Jack Dorsey is transformed from a mere engineer to magical “founder.” He’s “chairman of the board” like Sinatra. Even though he no longer goes into the Twitter office, he’s still Chairman of the Board.

The only title that counts in Silicon Valley is “founder.” It’s sort of the most [prestigious] title you can get. It means, “the guy who we have to keep around for publicity purposes who no one really likes and no one wants to deal with, oh, but he owns a big chunk of the company and we have to listen to him.”

Dd: … but he may or may not do much.

OT: Yeah. The perfect example is Bram Cohen of BitTorrent. I’ve actually met Bram and he actually seems nice when you meet him in person, but in terms of his contribution to the company? Not very clear.

Dd: That happens.

OT: I mean, he created BitTorrent originally, which is great because lots of people use BitTorrent. But that particular talent doesn’t mean that – even technically – he has the chops to contribute to what the company needs right now. And it’s sad when you become irrelevant, but it happens much more quickly than anyone wants to admit.

Dd: That happens a lot, in my opinion, in terms of people starting their company and then trying to flitter off and let others run it.

OT: Like, what’s Digg without Kevin Rose? The reality is, doing a weekly Digg-branded podcast, he’s the cover boy when there’s a story about the company.

Dd: Like Pete Cashmore and Mashable.

OT: Yes, but what does he do?

Dd: What does Cashmore do?

OT: My nickname for Mashable is “Sellable.” I mean, that’s what he’s been trying to do.

Dd: I recently saw the Current.com documentary about Pete Cashmore.

OT: Oh, yeah, [Valleywag] wrote that up. Current sent a camera crew to follow him around. Here’s what Pete does: takes taxicabs to easily located startups based in San Francisco. Talk with their founders – it’s not clear about what – to do absolutely nothing. The best example of that is that he was filmed talking to the co-founder of Bebo, Michael Birch, a day or two before AOL bought them.

Now, did that meeting lead to a relationship that let Pete Cashmore break the story? No. Mashable has always rushed to post someone else’s story on it. They do a great job of re-blogging. Sometimes I wish they’d just post the link and not spend so much time re-writing.

###

MOTM: Social Media and G-a-m-i-n-g

Dianne de Guzman — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 17:00:54 +0000

Meeting of the Minds is doing an oh-so-exclusive, invite-only night of “brainstorming and industry sharing” tonight with Steven McClurg of EA (Electronic Arts). Cashing in on the ubiquitousness of social networking, EA’s new social gaming division has gotten lots of cred by rolling out the oh-so-popular Scrabble on Facebook. With McClurg involved with finance and strategy over at EA, tonight’s your chance to overwhelm him with your winning sports game/Facebook annoyance pitch *cough*”synergize”*cough* together in perfect gamer bliss.

As MOTM mentions on its site, e-mail them if you need an invite.

The deets..

MOTM: Social Media and Gaming

Tuesday, Jan. 27

8 p.m.

Suki 7, Westlake Village

Steven McClurg, Strategic Planning and Business Development at EA

(Photo by Marga)

Owen Thomas Explains It All, Part I

Dianne de Guzman — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 19:00:01 +0000

Earlier this month, I had a chance to speak with editor/writer/ego-deflator, Owen Thomas of Valleywag. As a former calendar intern, I was lucky to work with Thomas last year on Valleywag and was glad to have an opportunity to reunite with my former boss. We met up in San Francisco’s beautiful North Beach to talk about Twitter, Gawker and what he thinks about the Los Angeles tech scene in this two-part exclusive interview.
*****

Dianne de Guzman: I’m amused by how journalists are embracing Twitter, using it as if it’s a serious reporting tool. I’m not so sure about that – yet surprisingly, many newspapers are embracing Twitter.

Owen Thomas: For journalists, I can see why Twitter is very attractive versus, say, an e-mail inbox. You can certainly direct message on Twitter, but the dominant mode seems to be people talking at you. Literally, at you. They use the “@” sign. If there’s some PR flack who wants to hit you up, they need to do it in public and be willing to risk the embarrassment of seeming awkward or irrelevant or clumsy. Then you can have these sort of light relationships with your readers – again, in public – giving material for your other readers, drawing a fan base and hopefully getting paid work. It’s so much less time consuming than dealing with all the e-mail you get. So Twitter is sort of a public version of your e-mail inbox.

The most interesting thing about Twitter is that it’s social, but it’s public — and in a group space, as opposed to a blog, which tends to feel pretty public. People, despite all the technologies for commenting, feel like you’re commenting on their turf. That’s one thing: only you can delete your Twitter. A blog author can delete your comment. As a communications media, it’s great. As a business, it’s lousy, as with all communications media. Like, AIM. How much money does AIM make for AOL?

Dd: I’m not sure. But now there’s also Gchat.

OT: I think there’s something creepy about Gchat, like all Google services. It’s like, in some ways, the way Google goes on and on and on about how they’re not evil; makes you wonder what they’re hiding. Why don’t you just admit that you’re a corporation and you’re out to make a buck for your shareholders; you’re not trying to save the world. Then maybe we’ll trust you more.

Dd: I like Gmail. It’s great, but there are certain things about it that seems too Big Brother-ish.

OT: Definitely. That’s the tradeoff for having perfect memory. And that’s sort of what Google promises us. You don’t have to remember where to look up information. You can just “Google” it. In fact, I remember information often by the Google keywords I use to find it – which is sad. I’ve offloaded huge portions of my brain to Larry and Sergey, God bless ‘em. But, what am I giving up for that?

*****

Dd: Now that I’m writing for Lalawag, I’m hoping to get more involved with the LA tech scene – it definitely seems more glam than Silicon Valley.

OT: Well, more glam.. but there’s this notion in Silicon Valley that the more parties you go to the less you’re getting done. That was always sort of the point of Valleywag’s party coverage: documenting who’s there so that you know, ‘Oh, I guess they’re not gonna be at their desk at 8 a.m. the next morning.’ Doing a service to bosses everywhere! [chuckles]

Dd: But what do you think are the big differences between the LA tech scene and Silicon Valley?

OT: I have to disagree with the notion that there even is a LA tech scene. There are tech companies down in LA, but they are largely irrelevant; they don’t form a functioning ecosystem of, ‘Here’s this one company that helped another out.’ Do you have that kind of system of big successful companies that are doing deals? Who are the venture capitalists in LA? There’s Clearstone and the Velocity Interactive folks. I guess there’s a tech “scene” as in “see and be seen.” But a tech economy? A tech cluster of innovation? I don’t see it. I could be convinced otherwise, but no one’s really shown me.

Dd: How has the transition been to Gawker? Has it been business as usual or has there been more of a shift?

OT: It’s definitely been a shift, but it’s been exciting. Like the Jett Travolta story? I happened to be on weekend duty when more details were coming out. I was the first one to say, ‘Hey. Who’s this nanny guy? Isn’t he the same guy who was caught kissing Travolta a couple years back? Doesn’t Scientology have weird views on medical conditions like Autism and isn’t Autism often connected with seizures and was what was thought to be what killed Jett?’ It may have been a little too early for a lot of people, but that’s Gawker’s role. Our role is to say what everyone else is thinking but is too timid, for whatever reason, to write.

*****

Check in tomorrow for part two of Lalawag’s interview with Owen Thomas.

Diggnation Invasion: Kevin Rose Fangirl Plans for Wednesday

Dianne de Guzman — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 18:37:34 +0000

Digg maniacs and Kevin Rose groupies, mark your calendars: Knitting Factory Hollywood is hosting the LA Digg Meetup and Live Diggnation on Wednesday, Jan. 14th.

While it only seems natural for Digg to gravitate towards a Los Angeles meetup, there may be an ulterior motive for traveling down south. The LA scene is always looking for fresh blood and with Rose’s cute looks and his new Lala-land fashion makeover (courtesy of Ms. Lazar, natch), it’ll be fun to watch the catfights over Kevin Live Diggnation. Perhaps the girls will flock and the boys will scowl in jealousy, but.. just another day in the life. Right, Kevin?

Here are all the deets:

LA Digg Meetup | Live Diggnation

Wednesday, January 14, 7 p.m

Knitting Factory Hollywood

7021 Hollywood Blvd.a

Los Angeles, CA 90028

(Photo by Thomas Hawk, Boob by Unknown Fangirl)

Digital Family Reunion Recap: You Can’t Hide

Dianne de Guzman — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 21:03:55 +0000

While most reunions must be taken with a grain of salt — and a great eye for hiding spots to avoid people you’d rather not speak to — Digital Family Reunion was a great example of a good meetup of people from your past. Web 1.0 and Web 2.0 reconnected at the Skirball Cultural Center on Dec. 11 in a decidedly non-h.s. reunion-y way.

Nolan Bushnell was on hand to talk to the audience about how he started Atari and, basically, the entire video gaming industry. Want to figure out how to stay relevant in an ever-changing industry? Ask this guy.

(For more of the TechZulu interview of Bushnell, click here)

For those wondering how the DFR magic came about, Mixergy has an interview with Kurt Daradics, who helped organize the event. Included is a how-to on putting together a big evening like DFR.. y’know, in case of Web 3.0… nevermind.

Check out pictures taken at the event proving, once and for all, that:

1. Yes, there is an LA tech scene

2. They know how to party

3. Damn, they’re a good looking bunch.

(Banner photo featuring lalawag founder Sean Percival and hot red head wifey from Brian Solis)

BIL v. TED: Who’s Your Daddy?

Dianne de Guzman — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 23:00:28 +0000

Sure, TED is the conference that attracts an incredible, self-congratulating lineup of speakers on “Technology, Entertainment, Design” but another conference is looking to step in and create a more accessible alternative. That conference is BIL.

Riding on the coattails of everyone’s favorite $6k genius conference, BIL is run along the same principles as TED and trying to get a good dialogue going between speakers and attendees. Who are the speakers? You are. Anyone can sign up to speak at BIL, for better or worse. The cost? Free dollars. Who’s running the show? You are. No one is “in charge” of BIL; conference anarchy is alive and well with this one.

While they can’t promise star power along the lines of TED (Felicity creator J.J. Abrams is among the creative “elite” scheduled to speak) BIL wants to spread ideas in a more DIY way. Okay, there’s no $100,000 prize plus “One Wish to Change the World”, but if you want to rage against the (TED) machine save your cash and head over to BIL.

TED is moving their conference from Monterey to Long Beach, Feb. 3 to 7. BIL will be nailing TED’s leftover attendees in Long Beach as well, Feb. 7 to 8.

(photo/design by Bill Erickson/Flickr)

Twiistup 5 Chooses Their Showoffs

Dianne de Guzman — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 02:23:32 +0000

Still trying to figure out whether Twiistup 5 will be worth going to? Yes, anyone who’s anyone in tech will be going — just check out some of the judges — but are you wondering whether the ten Showoffs spots will make it worth attending on Feb. 12? Rest assured, the Twiistup folks picked a great lineup. Whittling down 100 potentials to the cream of the crop, the judges have picked ten companies that should hold you over until the shmooze fest begins. The party’s taking place in a private hangar in Santa Monica while “private aircraft[s] take off and land.” Très chic, guys. Here’s the Showoffs List and if you’re short on time to look at the sites, here’s our handy guide to who you’ll be seeing:

Causecast = charity + Facebook + media + warm fuzzy feelings
Cogi = conference calls + (personal stenographer – sexy outfits) + typewritten notes
eHow = WikiHow + actual relevance in real life
FixYa = troubleshooting + (MacGuyver – coolness)
GoGreenSolar = solar goods + your house – lots of cash
Meebo = web chat + IM + steroids
RoboDynamics = video conference + robots x Awesome!!1!!
TheScene = Upcoming +Yelp + trendy people
Viewdle = video + tagging + indexing
Yammer = progress reports + your boss + Twitter

Checkout the poll over on Mashable to vote for your favorite!

(Banner by (cc) My Eye)

Digital Family Reunion Reuniting Tech Scene Tonight

Dianne de Guzman — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 19:00:12 +0000

Digital Family Reunion is happening from 5 to 10 p.m. tonight at the Skirball Cultural Center. The Los Angeles tech scene will be out in full force, intersecting Internet 1.0 with 2.0 and everyone moblogging the hell out of the whole thing.

What’s that you say? You haven’t bought tickets yet and you don’t know nothin’ ’bout no discount? Let’s make a deal: I’ll help you save twenty bucks if you whisper some juicy gossip to Sean “Lalawag Himself” Percival at DFR. Deal? Good. Tickets will be sold online until 4 p.m. and then later at the door.

For those who can’t make the party, DFR will be broadcasting the earlier portions of the night on Techzulu.

Digital Family Reunion

Dec. 11, 5 p.m. to 10 p.m.

Skirball Cultural Center

2701 N. Sepulveda Blvd.

Los Angeles, California 90049

(Banner photo by alforque)

BizSpark Launch Party Invades Hollywood

Dianne de Guzman — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 04:45:50 +0000

BizSpark, a program designed to help support startups in their early stages, is having their Los Angeles launch party Wednesday, Dec. 10 from 7 to 10 p.m. at Beso in Hollywood. Partnering Microsoft Startup Zone with Stephanie Agresta and Brian Solis of The TechSet, BizSpark is hosting local startups to present their wares to the crowd.. as well as stuff everyone silly with free hors d’oeuvres and drinks.

An RSVP is required for tomorrow’s event (word to the wise: sign up as soon as possible. The free startup/entrepreneur tickets are already sold out). Head over here to seal the deal on reaching startup glory — all while winning that XBox 360 Elite you’ve always wanted. Maybe.

BizSpark hosted two other launch parties in Austin and New York City.

Photos From Austin
by: (CC) Brian Solis, www.briansolis.com, bub.blicio.us

Photos From New York
by: (CC) Brian Solis, www.briansolis.com, bub.blicio.us

AlwaysOn Cancels BreakOut Conference

Dianne de Guzman — Sun, 07 Dec 2008 13:24:14 +0000

AlwaysOn announced Friday they will be canceling BreakOut, citing that the conference was “outside [AlwaysOn's] typical event model” and saying it will roll it into their OnHollywood event in April.

Originally scheduled for December 15 -17 at the Beverly Hills Hotel & Bungalows, BreakOut was touted as a conference to discuss how entertainers were using technology to extend their personal brand. In explanation of canceling BreakOut, AlwaysOn stated that many of their regular sponsors and event attendees felt that BreakOut was “outside their critical business interests.” Ticket prices of $1,500 may have contributed to the lack of interest, given the current state of the economy.

Musician Will.i.am and web entrepreneur Julia Allison were among the guests expected to speak at the convention before its cancellation.

lalawag » Dianne de Guzman

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