Thursday, March 19, 2015

Original Victoria's Secret Model Kimberly Friedmutter Gives 'Narsie' and Nice Style Tips! (Take Notes)

(The lovely, poised Kimberly Friedmutter!)

Kimberly Friedmutter is more than a beauty! She's an internationally-acclaimed life management expert, celebrity hypnotist, goddess of greatest gadgets, and reality television star (TLC's "Sin City Rules"). Also one of the original Victoria's Secret models, Friedmutter is an innovative, trendsetting Las Vegas-based star that coined the hilariously-clever term "Narsie." (Keep reading...you'll get it!) And she's here on Good Girl Gone Shopping, providing both practical and creative tips regarding shopping, style, and home decor. Insight to celebrity and our universal social media addiction included. Enjoy! 

The term you coined – “Narsie” – is so clever! I especially appreciate your philosophy regarding these types of photos (“selfies” that are posted on a public social forum) as healthy. What would you say to those who abhor this social media photo trend? 

I’d say ‘grow up!’ Change is rarely fun, especially if it’s irritating change. The beauty with Narsies is that you don’t have to participate in social media if you’re not feeling social! It’s an easy thing to avoid unless you're ‘in on the trend’...but try looking at the positive side of Narsies! A Narsie-holic is likely to over-share, so try to enjoy them by finding the humor in it.


(Friedmutter: Bombshell of today!)
For those who are still trying to perfect the art of taking a great Narsie (including myself!), what tips would you give? 

It’s a funny thing because normally, you want a photo shot from very low so the body is elongated, lean and tall, but with a Narsie, the best angle is the opposite, the higher the better. However, the real key is LIGHTING! No amount of editing can look as great as starting with good key light (main light source) so do your best to find light and Narsie on!

Thoughts on Kim Kardashian’s new book, “Selfish”…? 

It’s the perfect title, perfect subject, perfectly hilarious! You can’t make this stuff up! It’s perfect for her, her personality, it’s what we love about her and also what makes us uncomfortable, too. Very few women can pull this off but for Kim, it’s pretty much what we would expect, right?

Social media is so prevalent in our lives…Hard to imagine life without it! What social networks do you find most beneficial to you and your work? 

I like Twitter the most because of the give and take. Not only is it easy to post but other twitter accounts are really interesting. I like to look at other people’s Twitter to see how they are doing . . . to check in. You can tell so much from daily posts! I do feel bad for people when they accidentally post private messages or don’t think ahead about repercussions. People just really love to be known and social media reveals a lot -- good and bad.

What do you find most fascinating about celebrity living in the age of social media? 

It used to be that you just monitor what you say. Now it seems most people say what they want and then post really damaging things. Personally, I think social media is great but it’s become the new survival of the fittest. If you carelessly post inappropriate things, chances are it’ll catch up to you.


(Friedmutter: Victoria's Secret blast-from-the-past!)
From being one of the original Victoria’s Secret models, called the ‘Most Famous Hand Model in the World’ by CNN’s correspondent Tony Clark, to an internationally-acclaimed Life Management Expert, Celebrity Hypnotist, Goddess of Greatest Gadgets, Trendsetter, Magazine Contributor, and Reality TV star, you have a unique range of experience and specialties. How do you stay balanced? 

It’s interesting because I spent the first part of my life modeling, a lot of which was lingerie catalog modeling. The goal, at the time was to not look ‘too sexy’ for the garments and catalog; no overt sexy looks or poses, rather more moderate and mainstream. Now, it’s the exact opposite. It wasn’t too long ago, lingerie ads couldn’t air on television, restricted by network ethics departments. I’m so happy to see beautiful lingerie, especially for VS, because the catalogs launched an iconic business for sensual beauty and the freedom to bare it. I love the brand and I LOVE what VS has become. At the same time, I was recognized for my hands of all things! CNN approached me to do a special on my success, interviewing clients and documenting my photo shoots, etc… The network found my success to be a unique human interest story, of course Seinfeld publicly had episodic fun with the notion of ‘hand modeling’. I segued into film, screenwriting, talk radio, then private practice Hypnosis and television. I pretty much follow my interests and they seemingly charted toward more cerebral industries. However, I REALLY love gorgeous lingerie [laughs]!

I absolutely love your OK Magazine summer video called: “Clean Our Your Closet And Create aBeautiful Flower Arrangement At The Same Time.” The common woman often gets frustrated and stressed out when merely considering the idea of cleaning out her closet, but you offer hope! Was there a particular situation or experience that inspired the idea of turning shoes into vases? 

Yes, definitely! I’m a ‘grab whatcha’ got’ kind of girl. I use pillowcases for dining place mats (it’s true!) I use candleholders for glasses, draperies for tablecloths, rugs for blankets and boots for vases! I get a little bored with traditional things and LOVE the unexpected! I entertained the other night and guests loved that I used books as chargers under the dinner plates. I recommend looking around at what you have instead of what you want, you might already have it, in another form or purpose . . . that’s the payoff for cleaning closets; keep an open mind so treasures can reveal themselves.


(A "BoHo-Rock" Friedmutter!)


In speaking of fashion, how would you describe your own personal style? 

It’s fun for fashion to follow your feelings! My most comfy fashion is what I call BoHo-Rock. I love a good blingy cowboy boot with jeans, a white T-shirt and DIAMONDS! Combine b-l-i-n-g with b-a-r-n (either jeans or flannel shirt) and the combo gets a lot of attention. It’s effortless but not ignored; looking like the perfect combination of ‘easy’ but polished.

Scenario: You RSVP’d just a few hours before an important event and don’t have time to buy anything new nor contact a designer to borrow a piece. So you’re stuck with putting everything together in a short period of time on your own. What type of look is the safest to turn to at this point, while still being attention-getting? 

Tops and bottoms of the same color are easiest and fastest to throw on last minute. Let your accessories be your assets! It’s easy to have a neutral, sparkly shoe, bag, bracelet and necklace ‘at the ready’ to look pulled together. My best advice is to merchandise your closet! I do this on any given weekend and it’s MY BEST TIP EVER! Hang your clothing as outfits. Start with your favorite jacket, hanging it next to pants, tops and skirts that go with that jacket. You now have many mix-and-matched outfits. Do this with all of your favorite key pieces. Then separate closet into categories: work, play, travel, beach, winter, dinners, gym, etc . . . (categories to suit your needs) Remember to include a section I call ‘fat’ simply for days you can’t find comfort in tight clothing. Now, when the phone rings with a last-minute travel plan or invite, you can reach for the section and choose your outfit. I think my 'closet trick' is one of the best tips ever! 


"Go where the spirit of clothing leads you!" - Friedmutter)

Best place to travel to for unique as well as affordable fashion? 

Any place away from where you live! We tend to dress for our geography -- it’s a subconscious form of survival to look like those we are in contact with. In order to expose yourself to global fashion, explore boutiques, street markets or malls when you travel for best variety. Obviously, the internet opens your closet sense to the world, however, it’s a lot of fun to allow other women to inspire you to try different styles. When I travel to Costa Rica, I find myself wearing tighter pants with my suits as opposed to Indonesia, where I enjoy looser but less clothing. Go where the spirit of clothing leads you!

Connect with Kimberly Friedmutter by visiting her website and following her on Twitter

Photo Credits: All courtesy of Kimberly Friedmutter 

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