Rachael Yahne

If you were to meet me on the street today, you'd have no idea what happened to me. You'd see my long, brown hair — wavy and wind-dried by the California breeze. You'd probably think that my hair had always been there. And like most people, you probably see hair as an expression of oneself — some sort of remarkably malleable testament to our character.

25 Women Who Survived Cancer is an inspiring collection of personal stories about how to cope with, and prevail over, cancer. In 25 essays, notable women such as Robin Roberts, Joan Lunden, Fran Drescher, Liz Lange, Barbara Delinsky, Shonda Schilling, Bárbara Padilla, Sylvia McNair, and Marissa Jaret Winokur write with moving candor about how they faced cancer without letting it define their lives or conquer their spirit. They recall how they reacted to receiving their diagnosis, how they moved beyond fear to become engaged in their healing process, and how they dealt with body image and sexuality while undergoing treatment. Their reflections on what their cancer has taught them and how their lives have been changed by it are as poignant as they are powerful.

How a one-night stand taught me to love and accept myself more One of life's greatest ironies is that our proudest moments are never our most self-revealing, while our challenges show us what we're made of. Such is the moment when I deeply, though maybe not fully, understood my womanhood and my individuality. I say individuality not as a fashion statement, I say it in terms of who I am as a person. My singleness. My I'm-a-whole-person-all-on-my-own-ness. It settled itself into my psyche, cemented its existence in my self-concept, but I can't say that the moment was one I could write home about.

When I first picked up yoga as a regular practice, it was like pulling teeth to get anyone I knew to come to class with me. Maybe it was the mythology, maybe it was the cultural stigmas (“yoga makes you too skinny,” “it’s for girls”). By the time I started teaching it, the reception was still mixed, with most of my friends choosing a “restorative” class (deep stretches meant to improve relaxation and flexibility, among other benefits) over a rigorous workout class. As more celebrities step into the spotlight as yogis, I’m happily seeing more and more men give it a shot. Thanks to yoga, they are now enjoying better flexibility, improved performance in other sports, and less injury. So I’d like to finally address some of the issues that keep many men away from this ancient practice, and why it’s exactly what they need.

Debut of the 2013 Fall/Winter Women's Fashion Collection from Jigsaw London (US based). I created this lookbook independently for the interational retailer's US consumer base. I was also Jigsaw's web coordinator, operating the brand's daily blog in the US, as well as brand outreach and assisting in brand marketing on a national scale.

Last year, I had the strange and magical opportunity to talk to my 17-year-old self again. It happened by surprise, while interviewing a teen who’d recently finished chemotherapy for cancer. I too fought cancer as a teen. Like me, she’d asked some of the biggest questions life has to offer: Why me? How can I be my best even after life’s obstacles? How do I live without fear, without anger toward things or people that have hurt me?

In fashion, a plethora of ingredients come together to make a look, a collection, a show, a shoot. A great looking model is a much bigger concoction than cut+color+fabric. One of these important, often underrated elements is hair. Enter: Lisa Power. Aptly named, the Omak-born stylist now resides her talent downtown Seattle at her self-titled salon. What was once a small town girl grooming horses has transformed into a metropolitan maven known for doting on a different kind of mane.

Thursday Night, Metropolitan Fashion Week premiered Seattle’s newest menswear collection in everything from underwear to party wear from Trillium Custom Tailoring, David Lawrence, and UNDERU4MEN. The crowd saw it all-abs to the abstract-but were left with a question much bigger than what men will be wearing this winter.

Architecture aficionados and culturists alike will themselves enthralled by Hammer Museum’s latest exhibitions, two separate displays analyzing the value of housing from dichotomous, polarizing perspectives. Along with the in-depth and uplifting retrospective of famed architect A. Quincy Jones: Building for Better Living featuring some of his most well known Los Angeles creations comes Olga Koumoundouros’s Dream Home Resource Center, a free lobby exhibit exposing the disaster that befell the Los Angeles home-owning population, and inspired by the Jones retrospective. An encompassing journey not for the weak of heart, it was the juxtaposition of the two exhibits that offers a truly profound experience. First, the hope and possibility brought to life by architecture, and second the terrifying role that government and the economy can play in the American Dream. The A. Quincy Jones exhibit will continue through Sept. 8, however Dream Home Resource Center exhibit ends August 18.