The Glamourai to the rescue!  Just in time to inspire your weekend planning, Kelly is here to help guide you through the New York art scene with style! In her latest post she’s visited all of her favorite galleries, sharing tips and quotes about life and art along the way.

Love her look? Us too. Kelly is rocking a Morocco-inspired tunic, donning our Toffee Ikat skinnies with fringe heels, and a chic clutch.  Want to win her 7 denim picks for the summer? Don’t forget to enter our sweepstakes over on our Facebook page and while you’re there, grab her gallery-hopping Spotify playlist!

They say April showers bring May flowers, and if they mean floral denim, they’re totally on point.  However, floral isn’t the only thing that we’re obsessed with this May because it’s Art Month!  We’re stoked to have enlisted Kelly Framel of The Glamourai to help us navigate the art world of New York.  This past weekend she stopped by the world-famous Frieze Art Fair on Randall’s Island, donning our white patchwork denim, to snap a few pics of her favorite pieces of art.  In the coming weeks, she’ll be visiting all of the top New York galleries and sharing her snapshots along the way.  Check out her 7 denim essentials, and Spotify playlist for gallery hopping, on our Facebook page.  Don’t forget to enter our Facebook sweepstakes to take home all of her 7 For All Mankind denim picks!

Besides being completely in love with the fact that it’s almost summertime (yay), we have another reason to celebrate: Cinco de Mayo!! We love Cinco because its the one holiday where it’s perfectly acceptable to shamelessly rock a sombrero, eat chips & guacamole until you say “no mas”, and have a margarita or six!  This year the holiday falls on a Saturday, so if you’re like us, you’ll have a few different parties to attend.  Always coming to the rescue, we’ve got a checklist of the essential items you’ll need for your Mexican fiesta!

1.    Wear something with a loud, multicolored print… because honestly, who shows up to a Cinco de Mayo party without going all-out festive!? Items to consider include a hobo cross-body bag in afunky Aztec print, awesome floral nail art, and a soundtrack of summer party tunes.

2.    Killer guacamole!  The secret to making an amazing guac lies in two key factors.  Whatever you do, do NOT skimp on the cilantro.  This either makes or breaks your party dip. Also note, a lack of cilantro cannot be compensated for by an overage of lime.  Coming from a place of trial and error, just trust us on that one.  Secondly, if you can’t seem to hit the “OMG this is the bomb dot com” factor with your dip, don’t underestimate the power of presentation.  Invest in an authentic stone mortar and pestle to make your fellow partygoers think you’ve got the dip situation under control.

3.    The perfect party outfit.  Since it’s almost summertime the weather is just about right, we’ve got the perfect three-piece ensemble for your Cinco festivities.  There’s something about a racerbank tank that just screams laid-back chic. Pair it with our June leather sandals, and our Neon Citron skinnies for an effortless cool look.  A little warm outside?  Try our Kauai Floral shorts for the same casual vibe, with a more tropical spin.

4.    Tequila! Patron or Skinny Girl margaritas, on the rocks or with salt, you need to have some form of the authentic drink in your hand.  Whatever floats your Mexican boat is fine by us!

Love to lunch in style? So do we! Get ready to be completely jealous, because while you’re sitting in your cube counting down the hours until 6:00 PM this Thursday, we’ll be sipping on Patron at a Liquid Lunch!  On April 26^th, we’re teaming up with Virgin Mobile Live to host a Liquid Lunch, celebrating the music behind our Spring 2012 campaign.  Be sure to listen in as the action unfolds in real time.

The event will be held at the swanky, Virgin Mobile Live music studios in NYC, hosted by DJ Abbey Braden. The run down includes live performances by two bands featured in the James Franco episodes of an Untitled Film, Savoir Adore and St. Lucia.  The icing on the cake? No big deal, but Alexander Ebert of Edward Sharpe and The Magnetic Zeroes will be interviewed live in-studio!  Check back on our Facebook page for pictures from the event, follow us on Twitter @7FAM for live updates from the lunch.

In the New York area? Don’t forget to enter our Facebook contest for YOUR chance to win two tickets to see Edward Sharpe and The Magnetic Zeros perform in concert at the Roseland Ballroom on May 9th, 2012.

Find our Selvage denim

We sat down with our denim designer Steve Romero to talk a little about Selvage Denim and here’s what he had to say:

DD: So give us the scoop on Selvaged denim and how it’s made.

SR: It’s this crazy process of weaving jeans using an old school style shuttle loom. I know it sounds sort of out there but it makes the best jeans on the planet. It takes longer to manufacture but the end result is a super durable and unique pair.

DD: What is the “ticker” ?

SR: When you turn these puppies inside out you won’t find a normal seam on the side. There’s no stitching to keep the fabric from unraveling –this is the self edge (hence “Selvage”) and there’s a little marking to differentiate the fabric from others. This is called the ticker and it’s sort of like a stamp of authenticity.

DD: Where are they made?

SR: So we found this incredible Italian mill (it’s one of the best in the world) to carefully create every pair of these jeans for 7FAM. We wanted our Selvage to be 100% unique so the craftspeople at the mill make them exactly how we want them –the yarn, ticker color and all the other tiny details are planned to a T. Our ticker is yellow and red to tie back to our original red and yellow labels. We are seriously going back to our roots with these jeans!

Photos via Refinery 29

Coachella kicked off last weekend, and will be followed-up by another round of music and mayhem this coming Friday.  Couldn’t hitchhike your way to Indio, CA? No worries! We’ve got the round up of the best styles and scenes from the desert festival.

The fashion at Coachella is amazing, as always.  The perfect excuse to dust off your Navajo-inspired fringe booties, the Native American accessories were out infull force.  Chanel Iman rocked it with this quintessential Coachella outfit. Clearly, models always do it better, which is why we just love this shot of our very own Lily Donaldson with her pals Karlie Kloss and Cara Delevigne in their obligatory Coachella leather jackets and cut-off shorts! We also spotted this fashionista looking svelte in our Garden Party Skinnies…

The Black Keys were a huge hit at the concert, playing to a crowd full of hipsters singing along to every lyric.  Other amazing performances included The Shins, Miike Snow, Feist, Azealia Banks, The Black Lips, Bon Iver, and of course, Radiohead.  However, the top performance of the weekend was by far Tupac. Yes, I’m sure you were under the impression that Tupac was dead, but the legendary rapper returned to play a special surreal performance via hologram!!  

With all of the amazing styles we spotted this past week, we can’t wait to give you our run down of this coming weekend!  Stay tuned for more from the summer’s coolest Cali festival… xx

If your calendar looks anything like ours, the moment you’ve been counting down to for months is right around the corner.  Music festival season!  What’s even better?  Coachella is on Friday!  We absolutely love the three-day California festival because it embraces the culture of the desert.  The parties are laid back in Cali fashion, the street style is off-the-charts amazing, and the music lineup is second to none.  To make the most of your two-week stay in the Valley, we’re sharing tips to ensure your soiree is a complete success!

1.  Always carry sunscreen.  Remember to apply at least twice a day because let’s be real- nothing looks worse with a strapless dress than a bright red bikini line.

2. On that same note, shorts are essential for Coachella.  These pink Ikat shorts are the perfect addition to your bohemian luxe suitcase.  Plus, they will pair perfectly with your sun kissed tan!

3. Bring a first aid kit complete with Dr. Scholl’s.  Pesky sandal blisters can turn your bright eyes and bushy tail into a flat-out buzz kill.

4. Whatever you do, don’t bring your favorite leather purse.  Try toting a light canvas bag around at the festival.  You will not want to be sweating, trying to keep your heavy, leather bag on your shoulder in the 100-degree weather.

Plus, the bigger the bag, the more room you’ll have to fit your cute, new white shorts in!

5. Take tons of pictures. You never know what celebrities you’re going to run into, or what killer street styles you’ll scope that you absolutely must recreate at Coachella.  Take a tip from the pros, and stay on guard with your Instagram lens in hand!

So now that you’ve created the perfect playlist for your road trip, you’re halfway there! All you have left to do now is pack… EEK! Easier said than done, you say? As always, we’ve got you covered with the five things that you absolutely cannot forget to toss in your suitcase.

1. Denim, Denim, Denim (Don’t hate us because of the Jersey Shore reference- we had to!) If you haven’t noticed, we’re a little obsessed with denim around these parts.  Packing denim for a summertime road trip means endless possibilities. You’ll want to pack a pair of super comfy skinnies for the drive, but don’t leave your rugged cutoffs at home.  If you don’t throw these babies  in your bag, you’ll be sorry. There’s nothing that screams laissez-faire, bohemian lifestyle more than destroyed denim.

2. Layers You’ve scored the coveted window seat after a rest stop somewhere in Texas, and suddenly you find yourself sweating.  Then, you fall asleep and wake up to find that you’re in the middle of the desert and temps have seriously dropped.  This is why we pack layers.  Toss a zip-up into your bag to settle the score between tank top and sweater weather.  Personally, we’re obsessed with this badass bomber sweater to ease the overall temperature situation and make sure that you look totally rad at all times.

3. Plethora of Sunnies It’s common knowledge in the world of a fashionista that sunglasses are the icing on the cake of the perfect outfit.  That being said, you wouldn’t top an ice cream cake with cream cheese frosting or top a fruitcake with Funfetti, would you? Of course you wouldn’t!  So you should treat your eyewear the same way.  Pack at least three different styles of shades to be prepared for any fashion occasion. Aviators and wayfarers are oh-so road trip chic, but we love oversized ombre styles like these too.

4. The Perfect Summer Shoe To cork wedge or not to cork wedge?  Do you stick with sandals or slip into moccasins?  Stilettos for nighttime mingling, or Ugg it out? The answer?  We have no idea!  While we’d love to tell you to pack all of them, we understand that trunk space is limited.  So depending on the level of exotic lands that your travels take you to, we recommend only packing two pairs of footwear.  The first pair should be comfortable enough to sleep in, and the second pair should doll you up enough to score a drive-by cutie at a local bar somewhere off the beaten path. #SWOON

5. Hand Sanitizer This item was mandatory for obvious reasons.  You’ll thank us when you arrive at your destination disease free! Good luck and safe travels wherever your endless open road takes you!

Spring is FINALLY here! March 20^th marks the first day of spring and trust us, we’re just as excited as you are.  Gear up for ideal temps, sunglasses, cropped denim, blooming flowers, and (best of all) road trips!   What’s the most important item to cross off your road trip packing list?  The playlist!  Our worst nightmare would be out on the open road relying on the FM radio to guide us across the country.  Lucky for you, we’ve pulled together a few tips to create the perfect playlist for your trip.

1. Aim to Please

This might be one of the most important tips that we can give for playlist creation.  You want to choose songs that are going to put everyone in a great mood. You do NOT want to choose songs that will make you dread the 15 hours left in your squished car ride with everyone complaining about your musical selections. It’s fine to throw your own jams into the mix, but don’t forget a few 90’s, feel-good, sing along songs so that your friends can feel like they helped assemble the playlist (even though we’ll totally give you full credit)!

2. Songs for the Weather

This is so important when crafting the perfect road trip playlist.  The best way to describe this scenario is with a song like “Linger” by The Cranberries.  If you’re expecting heavy rain and inclement weather during your travels, do NOT include this song on your playlist.  Chances are that your fellow car-mates will be dying to turn the car around and head home before thesecond verse.  If you included “Linger” on the playlist and you’re expecting sunny skies, it’s sure to be a huge hit.

3. The Worth of Instrumental Tracks

Just ask Mariah Carey, it’s pretty hard to belt out every song in a given set list for more than one hour at a time.  Even the divas need a break. To truly emphasize the greatness of your carefully selected songs, throw an instrumental track on there every once in a while. LCD Soundsystem, anything recorded at the Fillmore East by the Allman Brothers, Explosions In the Sky, and RJD2 are all great choices.

4. Shuffle

Don’t forget to put your playlist on shuffle! Chances are that your songs won’t be as amazing if they’re all in alphabetical order.  Shuffle the tracks to make sure that everything plays in a perfectly disorganized list.

Enjoy your trip and don’t forget to Instagram till your phone runs out of battery!