LA Fashion Week has come and gone but besides the onstage drama, there were some backstage ones going on as well!

Due to mismanagement on show permits, shows held at LA Production Studios on Thursday, October 21 were canceled. Many of the designers (most of which are fresh faces) were unable to showcase their work. However, instead of just packing up and going home, some of these designers took an alternative route and held a press reception/bloggers cafe in conjunction with Fashion Los Angeles, displaying their designs atop a downtown studio flat for selected press to check out.

The designers in attendance were Daisy Gonzalez, and Paulina Lopez and Anh Volcek with her L’une collection. You may remember, Audrey Magazine was a proud sponsor of Ms. Volcek’s canceled show.  The Vietnamese designer has been on our radar since winning a gold thimble from the Parson’s School of Design.

Left to right: Paulina Lopez, Michael Venedicto, Anh Volcek, Cynthia Ruiz, Dais

Anh Volcek

Volcek’s designs have a clean and simple appeal to them, an style that makes sense once you find out she used to work for fashion houses like Nautica, Gap, and Calvin Klein. Each dress is named after a close friend and and the aura of life that surrounds that woman.

The Allegra gown in white

With plenty of drinks chilling by the sink and bloggers milling about, this showcase was definitely a far more intimate affair compared to the canceled fashion show. But with press and guests invited to touch the fabrics and get a up-close look at them draping off the models, fashion definitely got a lot cozier.

For more information on Anh Volcek’s collection, check out L’une Collection.

All photography graciously provided by Melissa Manning from The Look Partnership.

The Asian American community got together for this PSA to encourage all of us to get out and vote! Featuring Tzi Ma, Elizabeth Sung, Amy Hill, Francois Chao, Nebula Gu, Katherine Iniba, Amy Hill and Megan Lee, directed by Mark Niu.

It’s time to exercise your rights! Get out and vote TODAY!!!

In one of the most ridiculously, outlandishly, xenophobic videos funded by Citizens Against Government Waste (CAGW), a sinister futuristic world is seen where an evil Chinese professor is laughing to a class of Asian American students about China’s takeover of America. How can such a video even exist in this day and age?

How do we combat such ludicrousness? Fight fire with fire! Angry Asian Man, along with 8 Asians, Disgrasian and Reappropriate as well as ChannelAPA and Hyphen is holding a contest for the best parody to the “Evil Chinese Professor” video. Here’s what you have to do to enter:

Download the .ZIP archive, including the subtitle-stripped .MOV file and .RTF text file transcript of the original “Chinese Professor” video.

Get the video file, write a hilarious alternate monologue for the Evil Chinese Professor, re-subtitle the footage, add a call-to-action voiceover at the end, and upload your parody to a video sharing service like YouTube or Vimeo.

Then send the link to evilchineseprofessor@angryasianman.com. The best three videos as judged by the sponsoring bloggers will win some fabulous as-yet-undetermined prizes. The deadline to submit is November 27.

Don’t be a stereotypical “quiet Asian.” This is your chance to speak out about racism!

A continuing series by former ER writer Shannon Goss on life as a modern Asian American hapa woman.

September 6th marked the two-year anniversary of my grandmother’s passing at the age of 85.  When thinking about how much she meant to me, I can still be brought to tears. I realize the significance of my crying is lessened by the fact that it doesn’t take much to bring tears to my eyes (read: the trailer for The Blind Side), but still, you get the point. My grandma left an indelible mark on everyone in my family, as she was an extraordinary woman in every sense of the word.

In August, my sister gave birth to her first child. A girl. For their daughter’s middle name, my sister and her husband decided on my grandmother’s Japanese name. No one was more pleased to hear this than my grandpa. I had the privilege of calling him with the news. Hearing aid in, he was able to understand me perfectly. For a man who has spent the better part of two years grieving the loss of his wife, I have never heard so much joy in his voice. I could practically hear him smile.

And while my niece will never get to meet the woman she is named after, she will get to know her through the stories that we will, undoubtedly, pass on.

My niece will know that her great-grandmother was the woman who taught her mom and auntie how to ride a bike. She will know that she was the woman who, when laughing really hard, would slap the person next to her. This is something my mom, sister and I all do and, with any luck, so will my niece. She will also know that her great-grandma was a woman so fit that, even in her 80’s, she could pull off wearing short-shorts. And my niece will also know that her great-grandma was the woman who, in the phone call she had with my parents the week before she died unexpectedly, told them to “be kind and take it easy.”

So as we welcome this wee baby into our family, there’s something wonderful about knowing that through her a part of my grandma lives on. I say “part,” but to hear my grandpa say it, it’s much more than that. As I was getting off the phone with him the other day, he told me to tell my sister and brother-in-law to take care of their little girl. He then added, “They’re taking care of grandma, you know.” So, in other words, no pressure.

– Shannon Goss

We may be nearing the end of October, but that doesn’t mean breast cancer awareness stops here. The most commonly diagnosed cancer among Asian American women is something we have to be vigilant about year-round. Here, a personal story about one woman fighting for awareness in the Asian American community.

“Asian women don’t get breast cancer.”

What if you heard these words from a medical professional? Susan Shinagawa did in 1991 after finding a lump in her breast during her monthly self-exam. Today, it’s those words that drive the work she now does. Shinagawa wants to make sure that no other woman of Asian descent will hear these words and that all women regularly get screened for breast cancer.

Photo by Richard Cavosora, courtesy of Asian & Pacific Islander American Health Forum's "A Book of Hope: Stories of Healing to Honor Asian American & Pacific Islander Cancer Survivors."

A decade ago, Shinagawa was working as a program administrator at an academic cancer center in San Diego, Calif. She says that, at the time, she knew very little about cancer even though she worked at the center. A friend of hers was giving breast self-examination (BSE) workshops and asked Shinagawa to attend. So she went to support her friend.

At the workshop, Shinagawa’s friend mentioned several risk factors for breast cancer that caught her attention. She had a couple of those risk factors and decided that she should start doing BSE. She began doing monthly BSE and recorded what she felt each month on a breast map.

“After several months of doing monthly self-exams, I felt something completely different in May 1991 than I’d ever felt,” Shinagawa says during our phone interview. “It was really obvious and just underneath my skin. I could even look straight down and see this lump sticking out.”

Shinagawa was preparing to take a leave of absence from work to join her naval pilot husband in Florida for a year. Before she left, she decided to get the lump checked out.

Her mammogram came out negative. However, says Shinagawa, at that time, 40 percent of all pre-menopausal women had false negative mammograms. The diagnostic radiologist decided to do a sonogram, which showed Shinagawa’s lump to be a solid mass, and not cystic. So Shinagawa went to see a surgical oncologist, who told her that she had fibrocystic breast disease, a.k.a. lumpy breasts. He told her that she had nothing to worry about, that she was too young to have breast cancer, she had no family history of it and besides, “Asian women don’t get breast cancer.”

“At that time, I really didn’t know anything about breast cancer or cancer statistics. So his comments really didn’t hit me,” says Shinagawa. “All I was thinking was, ‘I’m young and this is what I want to hear.’” But a little voice inside Shinagawa’s head kept telling her that something was going on.

Continue Reading »

It’s Halloween weekend and if you’re not in the mood to dress up or surround yourself with slutty pumpkins and screaming kids hopped up on sugar everywhere, make some time to check out these events and happenings! No costumes required (or hey, better yet, dress up and go!)

CAM: Hollywood Chinese – The Arthur Dong Collection

When: Saturday, Oct. 24 to Sunday, Nov. 7

Venue: Chinese American Museum
425 North Los Angeles Street
Los Angeles, CA 90012

Description: This is a groundbreaking and significant display of nearly 200 pieces collected during the 10-year research for Arthur Dong’s award-winning documentary, Hollywood Chinese. You can expect an archive of over 1000 items: a vibrant selection of posters, lobby cards, stills, scripts, press materials and artifacts dating from 1916 to the present-day.

Continue Reading »

Save the ta-tas and save yourself (and your monthly bill) from having to buy your own hygiene and beauty products. One lucky winner will be sent this amazing goody bag all donated by companies with proceeds going to charities raising breast cancer awareness.

Vonny Tote, $78.00; Elemis Sparkling Beauty Collection, $95.00; Emily Elizabeth studs, $50; CHI Helmet Head, $14.99; China Glaze Nail Polish Collection, $6.50/bottle.

Inside the Vonny tote bag are not only convenient compartments, but also four additional products. What a treasure chest!

Just between you and me, China Glaze nail polish is what the professionals use because it contains China clay as a hardener.

I would die for a hairspray bottle of CHI because it tackles my stubborn and straight black hair by putting it in place.

The Emily Elizabeth pink ribbon gold earrings are discreet but send out a powerful message. And lastly, the Elemis Sparkling Beauty Collection can top it all off and give you the Asian glow.

Don’t take my word for it, I cannot guarantee immediate results with these items, but it’s guaranteed that all of these products are advocates for the research and fight against breast cancer!

Enter our TGIFree Friday Breast Cancer Awareness Edition to win these treats and help raise awareness for the treatment of those diagnosed with breast cancer. Please comment or tweet “Hey @audreymagazine I love pink [insert your fav. pink noun]” to be eligible to win. Don’t wait till November 3, 11:59 p.m. to comment. You must have a U.S. addy to win. (Apologies to our international readers!) For more details on products, check here.

FYI: Breast Cancer Awareness Month ends in two days, but the fight goes on!

We received this sweet email from a winner of Tuesday’s BCA Giveaway.

Thank you so much, and thank you so much for publicly supporting Breast Cancer. My adoptive mother is currently fighting the good fight with her own rare form of gynecological carcinoma for a second time through chemo, as metastases were found in her lungs only a few weeks ago. We’ve been at Gilda’s Club on and off for additional support; we went from a five person family to a three person family when my siblings both had meltdowns of their own and fled the nest for their own sakes. Anyway, possibly too much information, but just wanted to explain that it’s been pretty downcast for almost two years now, though my mother is still going strong. She’s really the one with the sweepstaking legacy, being a stay-at-home mom, and these little surprises through contest wins really boost us along in life. So, thank you again for all of the generosity, and the spread of Asian American unity all over the world with Audrey Magazine’s wonderful articles.

Dear reader, thank YOU so much for sharing with us your personal story. We here at Audrey hope to raise as much awareness about this disease as we possibly can. Send our best wishes to your mom, we wish her well!

It’s our pleasure to give away this beautiful necklace from J-Lynn Jewelry (usually $65.00)

A 16-18″ adjustable Sterling Silver chain holds a strong message of Love and Support for finding a cure for breast cancer. Honor a loved one who has either conquered the disease or sadly has passed with a sterling silver initial charm, silver ribbon and pink topaz drop. Or, wear your own initial as a sign of courage and strength.

$10 from the sale of this necklace will be donated to the charity of your choice in honor of you, your friend or family member.

Please comment or tweet: “I <3 pink _[insert something pink you love]__” to be eligible to win this pretty necklace.

Giveaway ends Friday, Oct. 29 at 11:59pm.  Thanks!

Check here to see what other cool stuff you can win.

Baring it all in this week’s happenings.

Young (Wo)man, There’s a Place You Can Go

YWCA USA has named Gloria Lau as its Interim CEO after Lorraine Cole, Ph.D stepped down from the position.

YWCA, the largest and oldest women’s organization in the U.S. since 1858, has been fighting for racial justice and the empowerment of women. Since Lau’s takeover in September, the YWCA has greatly made the Asian community proud.

As The Village People said, “Young (wo)man, there’s no need to feel down” because another minority is in a high-level position!

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Just What the Bullied Ordered

As children, cartoons program us with images of bullies as the shady characters that feed our fears with nothing but knuckle sandwiches. Frankly, I’m fed up with news stories on bullying incidences.

According to graduate student Thuc Nguyen, college-level bullying has occurred in her department at the University of Memphis.

Nguyen is a California-native who went out of state to pursue a Ph.D, but she hasn’t been welcomed with open arms and minds.

Just today in my media ethics class, we discussed social justice and how Dr. Emma Daugherty’s old college was more disabled-friendly than our own campus. However, this case of bullying is definitely another form of social injustice that shouldn’t be tolerated.

If you’d like to help fight for justice, then read and sign the petition here

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PACT: Pan Asian Community Together

For anyone interested, especially filmmakers, photographers, celebrities and organizations are welcome to attend any of the three PSAs preventing gay suicide, stopping Asian violence and promoting API voting will be filmed next Saturday, Oct. 30 and Sunday, Oct. 30 from 10-5 p.m. in the Los Angeles area. The full details will be announced to those who RSVP with Ken Choy at ken@mapid.us.

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Hepatitis Beat

“There are no symptoms of Hepatitis B making it a silent killer.”

As one in 10 Asians has Hepatitis B, a national campaign released a PSA to raise awareness of the disease that is prevalent among Asian Americans because only two-thirds are diagnosed.

If chronic, Hepatitis B can lead to liver cancer.

“Our message is simple: Asian Americans need to get tested for hepatitis B,” said Joan Block, Co-Founder and Executive Director, Hepatitis B Foundation.

“People who test negative for HBV can be vaccinated against the disease, and effective treatments are available for those who test positive,” she added.

Watch the PSA here:

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Antilla, not in Cuba

Sky’s the limit for the wealthy–and no, I’m not just talking about John Travolta and his aircrafts. Think the Jetsons of Mumbai, India.

Nita Ambani, wife of the fifth richest man in the world Mukesh Ambani, had the house of her dreams built at the amount of twice the population of her homeland ($2 billion). Take a look at their 27-story house that goes by Antilla.

Even though it’s a high house, wouldn’t looking outside the balcony only give low spirits from the poverty surrounding them?

If you’ve got worthy stories for Katrina to report on, email her at katrina@audreymagazine.com

It’s down to the last two episodes of Project Runway season 8 and the stakes are high. Four of the contestants made collections in hopes of showing at fashion week, but one of them got eliminated just one week before the Mercedes Benz Fashion Show.

In last week’s episode (Finale Part 1), not only do we get a sneak peek of the contestants’ 10-piece collection, but we also learn a little more about their lives during Tim Gunn’s visit to their homes. Finally, the show revealed that Andy South’s family were first generation immigrants from Laos. Currently, he is living in Waianae, Hawaii, and part of why he loves going back is because it reminds him of the sacrifices that his mother made for him to have a better life and the struggles it has taken to get to where he is now.

South claimed that he’s “always wanted to do a collection that was inspired from home”, so his pieces are drawn from different aspects of Laos, including the Buddha Park. He even had his textiles and metals delivered to him from Laos, which delayed his progress, but two weeks later, he arrived to New York with ten completed looks. As a final challenge, the remaining four were asked to design an eleventh piece to be shown to the judges along with two other ones from the collection for the final cut before Fashion Week. Luckily South was presented with this opportunity since, from the judges’ critiques, it seemed it was his eleventh piece, a beautifully pleated green dress, which earned him the final spot to show at New York Fashion Week. From the few pieces we saw from South this episode, we can expect from him a collection that is still true to his aesthetics but without the usual toughness. I’m sure the “goodies” that he decided not to put on the runway today will be able to surprise us next week.

Tune in tonight for the season finale at 9pm on Lifetime!