Norma Kamali ditches the red lipstick and forges ahead with her love of beauty, both inside & outside

Sometimes the outfit makes the memory.

When I think about certain times of my life Norma Kamali is part of it. Not as a first person personal encounter, but in a very unforgettable fashion way.

My closet once overstuffed with shoulder pads, paper jackets, catsuits, glamour girl swimsuits, the best darn tailored jackets with nipped in waists, rushed fishtail jersey dresses, sleeping bag coats, a whole lot of sweat suit grey, tie-tie denim with Cher-worthy bells, some wildly gorgeous beading, high heel sneakers, red cork skyscraper wedges all bearing one version or another of a Kamali label.

Each of the above, and then some, has its own memory attached; a fashion diary of my life that is hard-pressed to say that I share so vividly and extensively with any other designer. Wearing Kamali was almost a right of passage for a stylish New Yorker, after all her OMO label stood for On My Own and we are cut from the same cloth in the spirit of independence.

For me, part of Kamali style is her personal style, particularly her signature glamour girl red lipstick. So when I received an invitation to attend Norma Kamali’s “Conversations,” a dialogue on wellness solutions at MOMA a few weeks ago, I was instantly dumbfounded by the image of Kamail. Where’s the signature red lipstick?!

I had to know.

"When Horst,” as in Horst M. Rechelbacher founder of Aveda and now Intelligent Nutrients, “told me about the ease of absorption through the lips of any toxic substances like lipstick and how this flows directly to the breasts… well, I thought maybe it’s time to put the lipstick aside

>> READ: More on Wellness

I wear less and less but keeping my lips moist with my Olive Calcium Liniment or Horst’s Olive Lip Balm is my substitution until there is a true non-toxic alternative. All we can all do is try to be proactive about health and find other beauty alternatives that start from within,” Kamali says.

The “Conversations” videos come about from the designer’s interest to “give people something in beauty that was simple, honest, and timeless with no false promises of endless youth.”

Wellness experts included are Horst M. Rechelbacher who suggested that one of the best skin cures is just to be happy, along with Magan Banwart of MB Fitness, Joe Cross host and subject of the film “Fat, Sick & Nearly Dead,” Vegan and raw foodie Chef Matteo, Nancy Shaw of Intouch Bodywork, Dr. David Colbert of New York Dermatology Group, the co-founders of Physique 57, Abdi Assadi spirtitual counselor, author and acupuncturist, and the choreographer Twyla Tharp, who in my opinion, stole the show with her joie de vivre. Tharp offered advice to be realistic about what people do and to lift the bar as high as possible.

The Norma Kamali Conversations webisodes are fascinating and thought provoking, but more important, they may change how you chose to spend the rest of your life.

>> WATCH: Norma Kamali Converstions

Kamali’s sense of timelessness is relevant in her fashion designs as well; you want to revisit old favorites and collect new ones. She remains true to her style credo in every way including her cheap chic line at Wal-Mart that maintains the same design aesthetic as her collection pieces. Take a look…

Explore the brands of Norma Kamali. Don’t miss the insanely cheap Wal-Mart styles: