Sunday, September 12, 2010

Couture Fashion Week

Tonight, I attended a runway show for Couture Fashion Week at the Waldorf Astoria. This show appeared to be much different than the Mercedes Benz Fashion Week shows... There were no assigned seats and as we walked in we were given a variety of options for places to sit down. I chose second row right in front of where the models did their turn around at the end of the runway. I was able to get many great pictures that were upclose and encompassed the model's sultry attitude. The first designer was for men's clothes and all the models appeared very serious until the last one came out an did a little dance which really riled up the crowd. It was an African American designer which also reflected in the color of the models. The carmel colored models strutted their stuff down the runways with so much attitude I almost forgot to look at what they were wearing because their body language was so entertaining. Most of the outfits incorporated some sort of feather hoodie, ranging in colors from bright red to off-white.

The second designer looked as if they were trying to appeal to a crowd about to go prom dress shopping. The long pastel colored dresses seemed as if they would be perfect for a formal high school dance. The shoes were sequined and drew a lot of attention to them (i was in love).

The last designer had a very gold color scheme going on. The models came out dressed in skimpy gold numbers that turned heads. The messy pigtails on all the girls definitely added to the look (most likely a new hairstyle for the upcoming season). There was what seemed to be an "Amazon Nile" look going on.

The show was definitely very exciting and afterwards there was time to take pictures with all the models!

Fashion Week Fun

Saturday, September 11, 2010

FASHIONS NIGHT OUT

This was my first Fashions Night Out and it was AMAZING. I had never seen the streets of New York so bustling and crowded. I started off the night by attending the Lisa Perry fashion show at her store. It was a really cute mother-daughter show with kid-friendly appetizers including mini circular PB&J sandwhiches, popcorn, pop chips (very common during 2010 fashion week), mini salmon sandwhiches, mini cucumber sandwiches, and cocktails for the grownups. The mother and daughter duo's came out in coordinating outfits filled with bright colors and accessories. The last mother model to come out was none other that Kelly Rutherford (Lily Vanderwoodson on Gossip Girl). After the show i bough a really cute yellow plastic ring.

After the show we walked around the Upper East Side Neighborhood going into stores such as Samantha Thavasu. I was sad to see that Louboutin was closed and not hosting any special event. After realizing not much was happening in that neighborhood we took a taxi down to Barneys. Right when we walked inside we were handed a pamphlet that described the events that were going on on each floor. Unfortunately we had come too early to see Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen host a Karaoke contest, however there were still many other things going on. We made frienship bracelets while listening to Bob Marley's daughter and looked at all the handcrafted Alexander Wang dolls all while nibbling on Pop Chips and drinking Vitamin Zero water.

Realizing Barney's was a little more crowded that comfort, we made our way our of the store and started heading towards 5th Avenue. The first store we walked into was Todd's. Being greated with champagne in every store was definitely an excitement of the evening. While walking around with a glass of champagne, cute boys with trays came around with gourmet little finger food. My favorite finger food included veggie spring rolls, mini trout cakes on crackers, crostinis with melted mozzerella and tomatoes, and mini fish nuggets with tartar sauce. Tiffany's was serving a yummy popsicle dipped in white chocolate (there was even a line to get them!). Tonight was definitely a night more about good food and drinks than shopping to me (although I did purchase a nice Gucci bag)!! I was so sad when the night came to an end, I was literally trying to have stores stay open for me. Although i don't really think my feet could have lasted any longer in my heels. My lace Alice & Olivia dress did hold up very comfortable however. On the way back to the hotel I picked up a Falafel plate and to top it off I finished the rest of my Fashions Night Out cupcake from Crumbs Bakery. A perfect way to end a perfect night :)

NY Mercedes Benz fashion week

I just went to the Vivienne Tam show and was 2nd row! Across from me in the front row was Denise Richards, Kendra, and Venus & Serena Williams. The Vivienne Tam Spring 2011 collection included a lot of blues and whites, with some purples. White silks and knit tunics were very common. A sort of tribal attire with many patterns appeared on many of the models. Almost all of them were wearing shoes that were woven together with cords. Their hair appeared to be slightly curled with a side part.

After the show, I hung out in the Mercedez-Benz lounge which featured a bunch of different vendors. Starbucks, Maybelline, POP chips, Tresemme, and Sunglasses Hut were among them. Starbucks gave out the newly popular "silly bands" in 4 different shapes; they also gave out Frappacccinos in different flavors as well as cocktails for those over 21. Maybelline debuted their new products for the season and at Tresemme you could wait in a line to get your hair done and then be photographed on their "runway".

While waiting outside before the show, I saw Rachel Zoe and got to take a picture with her! Im blogging from the hotel room right now so I'm not going to upload the pictures until I get back to Santa Barbara. This morning in my hotel I spotted McKell Maddox from Project Runway Season 8 and took a picture with her as well! I guess their filming the show at my hotel. Today was SO exciting, i cant wait to see what tomorrow will bring!

Saturday, August 14, 2010

Africa Fashion Week!

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Little did I know the very first runway show I would ever attend would be in Africa! I attended the Craig Port for Miss Port show which was welcomed with great applause and a shower of confetti. While Craig Port may have initially thought that falling confetti would be the perfect introduction to his Paris themed fashion show, I think he might have begun having second thoughts once each of the models started tripping on fallen pieces while entering the runway. Whilst still trying to keep their pose, they all had to start looking down slighty to dodge the slippery squares. Ports women’s collection presented lingerie, swimsuits, and sportswear first and then moved onto the men’s collection. The primary colors were soft pinks and greys. The frilly pieces portrayed a very delicate, sweet demeanor yet edged on the provocative side with the see-through garments exposing lacy black underwear. My favorite swimsuit was a black strapless one piece worn by a pale, short brown haired model with large black sunglasses and an oversized clutch; It gave an almost Audrey Hepburn approach to swimwear. A reoccurring trend I noticed with the hairstyle was the messy, teased, just rolled out of bed look (an up and coming style for the season). The men’s line was mostly focused on whites other than the occasional tints on light blue of soft grey. The male models received quite the applause when they strut their chiseled bodies down the catwalk in nothing more than speedos for the swimsuit section. Overall, a very well done production; I thoroughly enjoyed watching my first runway show (and in Africa!).

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Life in the Village

No running water, barely any electricity, and a small cot for a bed.... This was definitely not what I was used to. The other night we stayed in a tiny village with the nicest people who wouldn't know the difference from their Marshalls and their Chanels but they couldn't have been happier. A host family kindly opened up their house to us and welcomed us in. It showed me that even the people who have the least to offer, can still try and give so much. Living off of virtually nothing didn't wipe a smile off their face or seem to get in the way of their fun loving attitude. Although to us, the woman's soccer t-shirts didn't match their long caci skirts and their worn out flip flops but it seemed as if the women of this village had adapted their own style based on what was a available to them. They had made due with what they were able to afford and what was clean that day. A lot of woman's hair was either in tight braids or tucked away under a headscarf. However, I believe these styles had a lot more to do with keeping their hair out of their face on hot days than keeping up with the current hair trends (even though headscarfs are becoming quite popular). This experience has made me realize that one's style is not only based on what they like in accordance with the current trends and seasons, but it can also just be based on sole availability and affordability of the garments.

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Friday, August 13, 2010

Safari in Style

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Coincidentally, right as the time came to pack for my trip to Africa, the “safari” trend was just starting to hit stores. As I scoured through Nordstrom’s half yearly sale, I came across a pair of green cargo Rich and Skinny’s that ended up being a crucial item in my wardrobe throughout my trip. That one pair of pants became so versatile that I was able to wear them day in and day out. During the day, I paired them with a cotton tan B.P. short sleeve shirt and a pair of black tennis shoes. Switching into the evening, I cuffed them for more of a tailored look, and paired them with a black silk tank top and some black Michael Kors zip up heels. As for accessories, I wore some authentic wooden beads and bangles which was a nice bold counterpart to the delicate top. The pants are are a nice, comfortable fit and the small front zip pockets come in very handy. Here are some great pictures i took of animals while on the safari.

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Wednesday, August 11, 2010

Coco before Chanel

As it is already clear, I am a huge fan of Chanel so when I saw the movie "Coco Before Chanel" was available to watch on the little Delta TV screen on my flight to Africa I thought it would be a perfect way to pass the time. When I first started the movie though, little did I know that I would be sitting through 1 hr. 50 mins. of subtitles. However, I thoroughly enjoyed it and listening to the foreign French accents in the background became quite pleasant which made reading all the subtitles not so cumbersome. I learned many things about Chanel that I never would have guessed. For instance the fact that she was originally an orphan as a child and through one extraordinary journey she became legendary woman she is today. Gabrielle (nicknamed Coco at a bar she used to sing for) was able to rise from poverty and create an upscale worldwide brand that is the empitomy of classy and chic. If anyone is interested in the story of how Chanel came to design her timeless collections, I would definitely recommend this movie! Just today I also purchased the book "The Gospel According to Coco Chanel" so thats next to read on my to-do list!
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Tuesday, August 10, 2010

Pretty and Polished

Just the other day I left for Africa and had to endure a 19 hour plane ride (california to africa is no quick flight, let me tell you). Although we did have a layover in Atlanta which turned out to be a lot more exciting than I had expected. After reading a recent fashion magazine (i forget which one because i now subscribe to about 5) I read an article about the Chanel Black Satin nailpolish that had once sold on ebay for around $150! Wondering what was so special about it, i turned to google (my go-to site for just about everything). I came across an article showing tons of celebs wearing the infamous color. http://www.nitrolicious.com/blog/2006/08/17/chanels-limited-edition-black-satin-nail-polish/ Needless to say when I spotted the limited edition bottle in the duty-free store at the Atlanta airport I jumped on the opportunity to own this legendary color. While I was at it I also purchased Particuliere which is a really pretty grey taupe color. However, I'm still on the hunt for Paradoxal (a deep purple looking color).

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Monday, August 9, 2010

First Post!

I just started blogging because I want to become part of a fashion magazine in the future and thought what better way to gain experience than to start writing about it for people to read on the web! I absolutely love fashion, clothes, and shopping, as well as chocolate and sweets so I thought chocolate & couture would be a perfect name for my blog :)