The Fashionable Side of the Olympics :)

I personally enjoy the USA's uniforms for the upcoming Olympics designed by Ralph Lauren! Although, Liz does bring up some valid points!


But my friends, there is something I really enjoy about Stella McCartney and Adidas' uniforms for Great Britain. Not to mention they're environmentally friendly!

So which do you prefer?? All that matter is...Go Team USA!

New Steelers Throwbacks!

Yesterday my year was made when the Steelers released the 80th Anniversary Throwback Jerseys that they'll be wearing twice this season.....

They remind me so much of the jerseys I saw at the Pro Football Hall of Fame earlier this year. I am proud we are honoring our past by wearing such authentic jerseys. We come from a respected past, and I feel it's only right to honor the Rooney's and all the came before us to get us where we are today!

I only wish they were wearing them more! Sign me up for the waiting list to purchase one.......

Featured Blog of the Week

Hi Friends!
Yesterday Gabrielle of "Primped in Pittsburgh" was nice enough to featured me as her "Blog of the Week"! Head on over and check it out. :)

http://primpedinpittsburgh.com/2012/04/08/featured-blog-of-the-week-5/

Thanks, Gabrielle! :)

NFL's Toughest Guys

(Photographs by Elizabeth Griffin)

My new favorite site, Esquire Style, has the most adorable slideshow filled with quotes from 32 of the NFL's stars. What are the quotes about you ask? Their first piece of favorite clothing! Adorable.

http://www.esquire.com/the-side/style-guides/nfl-nike-uniforms-040512#slide-1

It's the little things...

http://sparkleeveryday.tumblr.com/post/20351431090/do-you-ever-have-those-days-when-where-you-take-a

Nike + NFL is FINALLY here!

 As you know..I've been waiting for this day for almost 2 years....I have to say I'm a little underwhelmed by the uniforms, except for the Seahawks of course. I get that they couldn't make drastic changes causing everyone to have to run out and buy new jerseys, as much as I'm sure they wanted that to happen, so I guess I'll be thankful for the jazzing up of the accessories. Hello adorable gloves! :)

Bonobos Teams with NBA Star, Deron Williams for Online Pop-up Shop

(Image courtesy of FMM)

When I read about this collaboration on FMM, I knew I had to share with you, my dear readers.

Bonobos has teamed up with Deron Williams for a social good initiative–the Deron Williams Cyber Pop-Up Shop. This cyber pop-up shop is the first of it's kind, with 20% of the proceeds going towards Williams' charity, Point of Hope. 

This is such a win-win situation in my eyes, it's helping such an amazing cause, and Williams is using his celebrity to help other men learn how to dress. With categories like “Business,” “Vacation,” “Travel” and “Casual” even the most fashionably challenged men will know just the right pieces to select. 

Spring Trends-Athletichic

Well it's officially Spring, which means it's time to start facing the day, whether it be for work or play, in some of the hottest trends!

My personal fave right now takes a page right out of my Athletichic book: Bold Athletic Wear! That's right the designers have found a way to take your favorite athletic pieces and turn them into your new favorite ready to wear pieces!

This inspirational look from Rag & Bone will set you back a few paychecks...but Marie Claire has found some killer pieces for under $100, who doesn't love that!

Isabel Toledo for Payless!

All pieces here, under $100!

In case you were under a rock yesterday.....Hines Ward a classy man....

My Interview With Laura Lane!

When my friend Dustin messaged me a few weeks ago and told me about this girl I HAD to follow on my Twitter, because in his words, she reminded him of me, I was a little apprehensive. But! after following the adorable Laura Lane for just a few days, I knew he was right! Her Twitter feed was filled with updates from NYFW as well as sport updates! I was so intrigued, so I reached out and asked if I could interview her! To my delight, she accepted. She was so kind and gracious. I hope you enjoy hearing more about her as much as I did. She truly is Athletichic! 

Aire: You have a very impressive resume, would you mind telling me a little about how you got started?

Laura: It was a lot of things that kind of fell into place. I was lucky because the USC football team had Reggie Bush and Matt Leinart when I was there and we were winning National Championships so covering the football team for the college paper and radio station meant that I was covering the game next to top sports journalists and learning from them. I was also hosting an entertainment show for the college TV station and anchoring for news broadcast. During all of this I became Ryan Seacrest's intern for a year in college and watching him balance E! News, American Idol, Kiss FM, stepping in for Larry King Live and producing reality shows, really set the stage for time managing and more importantly, not putting all of your eggs in one basket. When I asked him why he worked so much, he said it was because his biggest fear was not having a job. I think I have a little bit of that ingrained in myself. I would hang out at The Soup tapings every week and if there's one person who's had the biggest affect on me it was Joel Mchale, who is one of the most talented and kindest people in the world! He has managed to have the best of both worlds: an incredibly successful career and a loving family and a personal life.

I really wanted to move to New York and I definitely wasn't ready to leave a big city so instead of moving to a small town to become an anchor after college, I tried to go the back route and got a job as a production assistant at E! and then became an editorial assistant and reporter. I was also freelancing for ESPN and covering Lakers andDodgers games when I wasn't at E!. I knew how lucky I was, but I really wanted to live in New York, because I had been in California my whole life. Six months after graduation, I met a magazine editor at an event who was hiring a New York reporter and three months later, I moved to the Big Apple. The rest is history!

A: You obviously love sports AND fashion, I know from experience it's not easy to mix the 2. Did you ever think you'd find jobs that allowed you to enjoy both? And do you find it hard to keep them separate?

L: I was always told that it was best to pick a niche, but I could never fully commit myself to just covering entertainment, fashion or sports. I'm also a science geek and political science was my other major in college so needless to say, I have a lot of interests. I don't necessarily recommend doing things the way I did, but for me it worked. I've kept one foot in both worlds, whether it's been freelancing and covering games on the weekends or at night and
interviewing celebrities in the day. When I was hosting a poker show for ESPN, I was incredibly lucky that my magazine at the time valued me enough to let me drive up to Bristol Connecticut to shoot the show and not be in the office one day a week. Of course, I'd make it up by covering red carpet event at nights or on the weekends, but I know that not every employer is going to say, cool, no worries, just go and shoot a poker show during the work week or miss a week while you go
out to the World Series of Poker.

At Life & Style, I'm also lucky to work with people who also see the benefit. I covered the Super Bowl for Life & Style and my sports knowledge and experience definitely helps when it comes to interviews and access. On the other side, working in entertainment has given me a depth of knowledge that has helps out in my sports coverage. For one thing, I already know what projects athletes are working on off the court, who they're dating and what they might be interested in! It
never hurts when trying to break the ice! The first story I ever wrote for ESPN was an interview with Spike Lee when he was filming his "day in the life of" documentary on Kobe Bryant. That's kind of the perfect example of how my two worlds collide and it was my first big break at
ESPN.

I noticed you've been tweeting a lot about NYFW. Do you prefer the shows at Lincoln Center? I haven't been since they moved, and wanted to get an expert's thoughts! Also while speaking about NYFW, who is your favorite designer?

Yes, I love fashion week! The first fashion week I covered, my magazine's offices were literally two blocks from Bryant Park. It's was the perfect location! I could zip down to the chaos and excitement of fashion week, rush back to file a blog and transcribe celebrity interviews and then head back out for the next show. Bryant Park will always be synonymous with fashion, but the reality is, fashion week had outgrown the tents. Lincoln Center is known for so many other arts
outside of fashion -- the opera, music, dance and theatre. It's fitting that fashion week takes place in a space under that creative umbrella. And now that I'm at Life & Style magazine, which is located in New Jersey, Bryant Park isn't any closer than Lincoln Center so selfishly speaking, I have no preference!

As for my favorite designer, Marchesa blows me away every year. When I attended my first Marchesa presentation, it felt like walking into an art gallery or a museum. Every piece is a work of art and absolutely stunning. I remember seeing the gold dress that Sandra Bullock ended up wearing when she won the Oscar for best actress. Up close it looked like liquid gold and I told my friend, if I went to the Oscars, I would wear that. Sure enough, someone did! Georgina Chapman and Keren Craig's collection this year is to die for! There are two bronze-colored dresses that are just stunning and a cream and silver fitted dress with a ruffled organza and tulle bottom that would be a dream wedding dress.

When we're not talking ball gowns, I also have to give a shout out to Tavik Swimwear. My best friend Nicole Hanriot is the designer and the suits are so badass. She just had a bunch of them in the new Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue. Celebrities like Rihanna wear them all of the time. She is beyond talented.

This is a question I get a lot, and my answer is always changing, who do you think has the most fashionable uniforms in the NFL? I can't wait to see the Nike jerseys!

April can't come soon enough! The NFL seems to be downplaying how much change Nike will actually make aesthetically by saying it's more a technological change than design, but if the concept sketches are anything like the final product, it's going to a more futuristic gladiator look and I dig it! Right now, I'm a sucker for the Patriots and the Jets jerseys. It's hard to make red white and blue look bad and let's be honest, Tom Brady will look good in anything. I know some people say the Jets green and white can be a little boring, but green's one of my favorite colors and they're my New York team. I went to USC so I've got to support my boy Mark Sanchez.

 And last but not least, with starts like Sean Avery, Baron Davis and Amar’e Stoudemire do you see the connection between fashion and 

athletes continuing to grow?

Absolutely! When I was in L.A. covering the Lakers, Lamar Odom would put on a different colored tailored suit after every game. It was hilarious and he definitely did it for the comedic factor. Style says a lot about a person's brand. Athletes aren't just getting endorsements and signing their name away to be slapped on a product anymore; now they're helping design the products that they stand

behind. I'll always think of Michael Jordan as setting the stage with the Nike Air Jordan shoe. Now you have Maria Sharapova designing clothes for Nike and shoes for Cole Haan. I hate the idea of

pigeonholing people in their careers. People can have interests and passions outside of sports. Fashion has really embraced athletes and welcomed them into their world. Sean Avery interning at Vogue is a great example of that. There's also a natural connection when athletes start dating people in the fashion world -- Tom Brady and Giselle, David and Victoria Beckham, Andy Roddick and Brooklyn Decker. This year at fashion week we had New York Giants wide receiver Victor Cruz at the Tommy Hilfiger mens collection show. It's great and I'd love to see more athletes in the front row next year!

What an honor....

I was recently nominated by my friend Kerry to be interviewed and featured on the site, Yinzpiration. Thanks Katie for this opportunity!

Check out the site! Nominate someone that inspires you! And last but not least, check out my interview...

Charming Aire Plichta makes friends fast. After sitting across a table from her for five minutes, I felt like I had known her for years! 

Aire is super personable and sweet. Her mantra is to sparkle everyday—she takes it quite literally by wearing sequins clothing and accessories. But, in my opionion, her delightful disposition is what glimmers the most. 

One thing I like about Aire is how enthusiastic she is to pursue all that Pittsburgh has to offer. She packs her weekends full of fun things to do! She has inpired me to try new things, instead of always going to my favorite places.

After our chat and drinks at the Quiet Storm, we headed over to Pittsburgh Glass Center for some photo fun. It was such a treat to tour their spacce and gallery! The exhibit they have currently is all about Garfield. Check it out:

Many thanks to Aire's friend Becky Smith who gave us the tour. Be sure to check out Pittsburgh Glass Center's many events and class offerings!

Enjoy Aire's Q and A! And let's throw on some sequins and sparkle today in Aire's honor!

***
Name: Aire Plichta

Job title: Fashion Press Specialist at Modcloth

Twitter: I have a few! My main ones: @Aireeeeee  and @athletichic

Blog: I have 2 blogs, both with unique visions behind them. :)

I started this one to show off the styling work that I have done with Pittsburgh Fashion Magazine, photographers and clients of mine. It has also become the perfect place for me to show off my sparkles: sparkleeveryday.tumblr.com.

And this one began when ModCloth was looking for a female sports blogger to  talk about a dress we were carrying. After searching for 2 weeks my co-worker and I could not find the right fit. So it inspired me to combine my 2 loves, football and fashion: athletichic.com

Neighborhood you live in: Bloomfield! It’s stolen my heart.

Coffee Shop Drink of Choice: Iced coffee. Specifically 21st street iced coffee!

Current Shampoo Preference: Organix Cocoa Butter

Why do you choose Pittsburgh as your home?
I moved out of state when I was 18 for college then directly to NYC after graduation to peruse my career in the fashion industry. I was lucky enough to land a great job with Macy’s Corporate office live with my sister, something we had not done since we were children, and make some amazing friends, but as I got older and came back to Pittsburgh more and more for weddings, etc. I kept getting drawn in more and more to the amazingness the city held for me as an adult. I’ve been blessed to find an great job, make new friends and stay connected with old all the while continuing to discover parts of Pittsburgh I adore.

Who do you spend your time with? 
My adorable boyfriend, Matt, who is kind of enough to go with the crazy flow that is my life. My parents recently moved back from Florida and I love spending time with them, making up for the years we were apart. And of course all of my wonderful friends when our schedules line up!

What are your favorite aspects of your job? 
This is going to sound really cheesy but I kind of love everything about my job. The position I currently have is a more updated version of one I wrote about as my dream job when I was a sophomore in high school! One of my favorite things about working in fashion is that it’s always changing, sometimes whether I want it to or not! I love that I am working on securing placements in Fall issues of magazines already. Being a season or 2 ahead is always so exciting to me. I really get inspired by the story behind our company and how we have been able to help so many small designers, bloggers or musicians get exposure. I also handle the donations on behalf of ModCloth, which is part of my job I really love and I try my hardest to never turn down a donation request.

Do you have a soul food? 
Egg rolls, pieorgies and mac & cheese. I could never pick just one!

What are some of your recent personal goals? 
I recently started training for a 5k, I’ve been into spinning for a few years now, so I’ve decided I needed a new fitness goal! I also want to work on securing more styling clients and jobs in 2012.

What are your favorite Pittsburgh restaurants? 
Oh where do I begin? I pretty much add a new one to this list every week. :) But at this moment, Smoke BBQ Taqueria, Braddock’s in the Renaissance Hotel, The Grand Concourse (specifically their brunch), Burgatory, Habitat, Reyna’s Taco Truck, Penn Avenue Fish Company, Sugar Cafe, and last but not least, Sheetz.  

Describe your ideal day. 
It would start with a spinning class taught by my friend Zach, then head to fabulous brunch with my boyfriend. I would do some thrifting, get a mani/pedi, watch the Steelers play and end the night at an event at the Pittsburgh Glass Center with free champagne. I try to live my weekends to the fullest!

What is the most memorable live show you have seen in Pittsburgh? 
The Bob Marley Live Forever Tribute Concert. Stephen Marley, Damian Marley, Julian Marley, Marley Girls, and The Original I-3's - Rita Marley & Marcia Griffiths were all there. It was honoring the last live show that  Bob ever put on, which by Pittsburgher's luck, happened at that very theater! I went with my mom who is a huge reggae and Bob fan. It was a once in a lifetime kind of night.

What do you think Pittsburgh will be like in ten years? What do you love most about the city?
Don’t get me wrong, I love that we keep making all of these “best” lists, and being honored with “most livable” but my hope for Pittsburgh in ten years, is that it is just part of the list of cool cities, like Austin, or Boston. etc. I love the friendly, genuine people. And I love the direction and motivation that so many people have to make this city a better place, no matter how big or small their ideas may be.

Feb/March “Love Issue” Preview Blog Contest

I wanted to follow up on the post I brought to you live from the Maniac preview party!

Here are some adorable photos from the event! Check it out. :)

Feb/March “Love Issue” Preview Blog Contest

Maniac Love Issue

Hi Loves! I'm coming to you live, from the Maniac Magazine launch party! We're celebrating their #ManiacLoveIssue!

Re-connecting and connecting with so many great, fashionable girls! Me and Deanna!

Let the blogging begin!

• www.maniacmagazine.com
• www.facebook.com/maniacmagazine
• www.twitter.com/maniacmagazine

The fashion must go on....

I'm sure many of you like me, are heartbroken over the recent Steelers loss. Now that the heartache has subsided, I've decided to start my fashion planning for next season!

I have been rocking the same Athletichic outfit for the past few season, and I think the 2012 season is time for a change!

I have to admit I am tempted to wait and see the Nike uniforms debuting this season before I make any decisions,  but this adorable reversible jersey from Charm 4 Luck may be too cute to pass up! 

Two jerseys in one + plus shimmer = love!! 

How about you? Are you starting over next season?

Baron Davis Saving Menswear as We Know It!?

So I realize this somewhat old news, but please forgive me as I am not really an NBA fan, however, there was no way I could let this go by without covering it on my blog.

My favorite NBA player, Baron Davis (based solely on his style), was very busy during the lockout. Doing what you ask?

Mr. Davis was working on putting together a documentary about the decline of style in menswear, a subject near and dear to my heart.

The Wall Street Journal talked to him about it (via SLAM).
The documentary, “American Schlub,” is in pre-production. It takes aim at the poor sartorial standards of the American male, says Mr. Davis, who plays for the Cleveland Cavaliers. “We used to be fashion forward,” he laments. Now, “We’re more of a sweats and Ugg boots type of society,” he says. “We wanted to challenge men, from that perspective.”

I was delighted to hear he shares my feelings on Uggs! My hope is that his documentary will be successful like his others, and that men will listen, considering most take sports to heart and worship many of these athletes.


I plan on keep tabs on the production of this film, and will update you, because I personally can't wait!

Sparkles + Antonio Brown = Tuesday

I knew today would be a good day because I decided to layer my cashmere J Crew dress with a vintage sweater: http://sparkleeveryday.tumblr.com/post/15619349669/decided-this-cashmere-beaded-dress-from-j-crew. It just started off right.

This sealed the deal: https://twitter.com/#!/athletichic/status/156786739539742721. Mr Antonio Brown retweeting me. :)

Hope you're all having a great day!

Cute co-workers!

So I have amazing co-workers, I could tell you a million reasons why..instead I'll show you Anna's adorbs Steelers outfit instead.....

Love the way she layered her look and wasn't afraid to do a dressier look with her black and golden yellow.

Well done!

Pay Me Fantasy

Happy 2012! I hope you all had a wonderful holiday season and new year!

I'm here to check in on all of you, AND to let you know about this great new site.

Pay Me Fantasy. It's a genious idea!

PayMe Fantasy is the #1 site available today to collect, manage and payout funds for your fantasy league or tournament. Collect fees from members anywhere, without mailing checks or getting charged to receive
payment, and forget having to use Excel spreadsheets or post-its to track your league's fees. Instead of being asked by team managers, "Where is my money?", pay prizes out immediately!

Check it out, I have a feeling it will make your life a lot easier!

Have you missed my sparkles??

http://sparkleeveryday.tumblr.com/post/13644211490/today-at-work-were-celebrating-our-awesomeness

Suzanne Johnson Helps With NFL Women’s Apparel Revamp

As I mentioned back in October, Suzanne Johnson is becoming my favorite NFL wife!

In November she helped host the first women’s wear pop-up event before the Jets and Patriots squared off at MetLife Stadium.

With the help of the NFL, Johnson created a pregame Miami-nightclub-inspired shopping experience, which was replete with dangling black and white crystal chandeliers, loud dance music and cocktails.


Can someone put me in touch with Mrs. Tomlin??? :)

Steelers Sparkle!

I felt extra yinzer and sparkly today, so I had to share!

http://sparkleeveryday.tumblr.com/

Pitt-Athletichic

So my intention has never been to make this a daily outfit blog....but! I wanted to share this outfit I wore to the Pitt game last night. :) Please ignore my overall appearance, this shot was not planned as you can tell!

It was comfortable and Athletichic at the same time! It's amazing how just layering can take a sporty outfit to a fashionable one! 

It was a vintage Pitt sweatshirt that I cut the sleeves off of, and a gold knit short sleeve cardi on top. I took the self belt from the cardi and put it in my hair. :)

What have you been wearing to sporting events this year?

Femme Football

Showing up at New York Fashion Week in a Swarovski-detailed Jets jerseys? I couldn't believe my eyes when I read it, but that is exactly what Suzanne Johnson, the wife of Jets owner Woody Johnson did! A women after my own heart. Fashion Week, Football and Sparkles!

Suzanne was taking the opportunity to show off items from the latest NFL Women's collection. Although the collection has been around for years, this is the 2nd year of the fashion push from the NFL. And personally I couldn't be happier. Perhaps they've stumbled across my blog?

This year's ad campaign is centered around rivalries in the NFL, featuring wives, and daughters of some of the NFL's most well known coaches and owners. This idea is continued on to a lookbook on their site. Each week a new fashion is featured for the biggest rivalry game of the week.

What I like most about this is that I have been pretty impressed with the quality of the items from these collections. As I've mentioned in past posts I find it very frustrating that so many people slap an NFL team logo on a low quality item and charge so much $ for it. As an employee of the fashion industry I typically have higher standards for the things I buy, but to me this is a no brainer, we deserve good quality items to properly cheer on our teams!

Guest post! Guest post!

My dear friend Jason, kindly pointed out the lack of posts on here lately (my apologies! It's been a busy summer with the new bf!) But I knew he was right, this is an exciting time of year, fashion week, the start of the NFL season....


I asked him to do a little write up on an idea he shared with me...enjoy!

New York’s Athletes Invade Fashion Week

Actresses, fashionistas and stylists are those you’d expect to see in the tents during
New York’s Fashion Week but they now have some company. While New York has
always had its fashionable athletes; the always-suited New York Yankees of the 40’s
and 50’s, Walt “Clyde” Frazier and the New York “Sasson” Rangers, more and more
athletes are joining the wave.

The most obvious case may be former Vogue intern and New York Ranger Sean
Avery, who has never met a fashion designer he didn’t like since his days in Los
Angeles and even more so in New York but he has company.

The always-dapper Amar’e Stoudemire of the New York Knicks, as well as his
teammate, Carmelo Anthony have been in the tents so often this week, they are now
on a first name basis with some of the biggest in the industry including Richard Chai
and Simon Spurr.

New Steelers collections

So I hope you've all checked out the new Steelers items in the PINK Victoria's Secret collection....my personal fave this cute slouchy tee...

A little less publicized, but slightly more affordable is the new NFL items from Old Navy. As soon as I heard about it I decided to purchase this vintage inspired tee..

It is very soft and comfy. My only tiny problem with it, is the cap sleeves. I am never a fan of this sleeve length. But for the price I would definitely give some of the other pieces a shot!

Happy shopping!

Thoughts?

I noticed the always interesting Larrimor's talking about these Yoga Jeans this morning and I wanted to share to get your thoughts! :) 

I'm not sure I really get the connection? And this is coming from someone that does yoga. :)

ESPY Awards

Hi! I wanted to share with you some of the best dressed athletes from last night ESPY awards, but apparently the press think we only want to see the actresses that were there.....

http://www.etonline.com/fashion/112412_Fierce_Fashions_Sports_Glamour_Collide_at_2011_ESPY_Awards/index.html?photo=6

These 2 look nice, where are some of the fellas?!

Minnesota bound....

This time next week I will be in the land of 10,000 lakes! My cousins plan on taking me around to see all of the sites, I can't wait.

I know my cousin C.S. plans on taking me to see some of Minnesota's finest casinos. So needless to say I have been practicing in a casino online. I've been brushing up on my blackjack skills (my fave game).

 Wish me luck! I plan on being Athletichic the whole time.:)

Dwayne Wade

If you've ever read this blog you know I am a fan Dwayne Wade's style. So of course I was excited to see in WWD that coming this Fall to Hublot is a DW designed watch!

I believe Wade is wearing it in the above picture, but it is hard to make it out. I for one am very excited to see this timepiece!

Spare time..

Did you know in my spare time I also update another blog called Sparkle Everyday.

Check it out! http://sparkleeveryday.tumblr.com/

Want to laugh??

I was lucky enough to attend a preview of the play THE BOOK OF LIZ by Amy and David Sedaris performed by the No Name Players at the Pittsburgh Playwrights Theater last night. 


Seriously, go, it was hysterical and the actors were outstanding!! It opens today and runs for 2 weeks. :)


Tickets can be purchased here.

Still looking for "that" yellow dress?

I know the quest for Ali's yellow dress from the Bachelor continues! I've found another options from ModCloth. :) Hope you can grab it before it's gone!
Bridesmaid by aireb204 featuring peep toe heels

Tonight, tonight...

Tonight is the night! Get your voting hands ready! If you're like me and don't really watch the show, keep in mind you can start voting for Hines as soon as the show starts! Here are the easy ways...

Call- 1-800-868-3403

Vote online

Let's help Hines bring home the trophy!!