I got the chance to attend Rolando Santana’s NYFW Fall 2011 show this week and was pleasantly surprised. I attended the last show for SS 2011 which was more subdued. With his Fall collection, Santana used a lot of copper and clean, dark shades in wool jersey, leather and some fur and feathers for his cocktail dresses. For the evening wear pieces, he showed dark browns, wine berry and grey in jacquard, silk, wool and matt jersey materials. The body hugging evening dresses had a very wearable, comfortable look to them which is elegant yet casual.
My favorite part of the show was the hair & makeup. With prominent dark lips in deep red and nearly black shades, porcelain skin and soft wavy hair, beauty was the cherry on top of a good collection.
I am really excited to see what’s in store this fashion week for the Rolando Santana show. The SS 2011 show last year was great and from the preparations seen in this preview video, this one promises to surpass it in presentation.
I stumbled upon Roberto Cavalli’s Official Facebook Fan Page and was sort of blown away by this amazing photo album I found in there of the models backstage getting their makeup and hair done. The gorgeous girls were made up in a rocker chick meets California blond look with copper smokey eyes and flat-ironed hair. The eyes had the perfect copper tone with lash to brow heavy shadow and a touch of wet looking shimmer on the lids. The lips were mainly a matte nude with a few girls wearing light lip tint. Below are some of my favorite photos from the album.
Andy and Debb, are two Korean designers who met in NYC while studying at Pratt Institute, fell in love and married before moving to Seoul to start their own line. They have been steadily growing in popularity and have been showcasing at New York Fashion Week since 2008 where they presented their SS 09 collection.
This year, Andy and Debb collaborated with Shu Uemura, the Japanese hair and makeup brand for beauty at their SS 2011 show at the Mecedes-Benz Fashion Show. Matthew Morris, was the lead stylist from Shu Uemura Art of Hair, who gave the models a frizzy candy floss pony tail to complement the collection.
I was given the opportunity to go to Rolando Santana’s Spring/Summer 2011 Fashion Show by 24 Blogazine and Irene Myers during New York Fashion Week. First of all, I have to send a huge THANK YOU to both the lovely ladies for the invite and also for putting up with my overexcitedness. Secondly, what a great collection and show put on by Rolando Sanatana!
The fashion show was held at The Griffin in the Meat Packing District and the ambiance reminded me a bit of some of the Fall 2010 shows in Paris because of the more intimate setting and non-tent sterile look and feel that you see at some shows. The music went from romantic to upbeat to match the mood of the clothes.
My favorite pieces of the collection were the separates. Yes, Santana is known for his dresses, maybe because they are such great ready to wear ones, but a couple of his shorts and the one Chanel-esque coat he showed were the pieces I loved the most.
The Chictopia 10 conference was a success and how better to celebrate a success than by throwing a party? Gladly the organizers of the conference had already thought about this and planned an after party at the Juicy Couture store in West Village.
After a little recuperation and time to re-fuel at home, Sammy Davis and I headed over to the party planning to stay just for minutes which turned into an hour (of course). We were greeted by the friendly staff, hot models serving sweet treats and champagne and The A Girls who are a Japanese rock band, no less.
I played dressup with Sammy and talked about FIT and boys with Andy of Tights and Bites, while munching on macarons and drinking bubbly out of cans, which reminded us of juice boxes. Trying to resist the urge to spend a ton of money at JC, I snapped some photos of the ever so stylish bloggers in attendance: Liz Cherkasova from Late Afternoon, Jennie Lodge from Going West and Laura Ellner from On The Racks to name a few.
Chictopia is one of the leading personal style and fashion networks on the internet with over 100,000 registered users. This year, Chictopia hosted it’s second annual fashion bloggers conference in NYC during New York Fashion Week on September 12, 2010.
Thanks to a heads up from Sammy at SDV, I registered nice and early for the conference and took advantage of a 50% early bird discount. Thanks Sammy!
The conference was held at the Union Square Ballroom and featured 4 panels on experts who discussed the following topics:
Panel 1: The New Trendsetteres: Who sets the trends? (Celebs vs streetstyle?)
Panel 2: Visibility in the online world (Fashion networking sites like Chictopia and Lookbook.nu and accessibility to see styles from around the world instantly)
Panel 3: Search vs. Social Media: What drives traffic? (My takeaway was – a bit of both)
Panel 4: The effect of technology: Has the industry become more inclusive? (Yes, definitely! Bloggers are taking first row seats at fashion shows)
Some key takeaways from the panels were:
Social media vs. Search: Both are very important but Social media is just that much more fun! (the fun bit is my two cents)
How to create a following: by being accessible, through regular posting, social media like twitter, facebook and responding to comments and emails.
How to attract the brands you want to work with: show your love on your blog, feature the brand regularly and you just might get picked up by their publicist for the brand. Another option is to reach out directly to the brand.
I connected with Tiffany from Haute Expression, Andy from Tights and Bites and Caroline, the fab photographer at my table. Throughout the day, I also met Anna Sabino, a designer of beautiful jewelery label called Lucid, Carlis and Katya of Spicy Candy DC, the streetstyle snapping Nicole from The Dirty Chic.
The Haute Pursuit – Best Canadian Fashion Blog
The highlight for me was meeting Vanessa Hong from The Haute Pursuit. I totally admire her for being so fiercely fashionable while still living in Canada. Trust me, it’s hard! She’s contributing to creating a better dressed nation and I am so grateful for that. Continue Reading
… is finally here! After waiting for it for 1 year, it is back and bigger than ever. With so many venues and events added this year, there is almost too much going on. How do you decide which FNO events are worth checking out and which ones to pass on? Here is where I come in with The Stylester’s Guide to Fashions Night Out 2010.
I’ve only selected the best bets of two areas: SoHo & Meat Packing District because that’s where I’ll be going. Before I get started, here are a few tips and strategies:
Stick to one neighborhood since traffic in the city might be out of control and you don’t want to waste your whole night in a cab.
Pick a maximum of 3-5 venues to attend so you can actually enjoy each.
If you are having a blast at an event, why not just stay there the whole night or till it dies down before moving on?
Alcohol and shopping is a very dangerous mix and before you know it, you have already spent hundreds of dollars on items that are too fashion forward for you to get good use out of, so budget yourself.
Print out this handy guide and have yourself a great time at FNO 2010!
SoHo
Check into the Billionaire Boys Club & Ice Cream to see the biggest hipster in the rap game – Pharrell Williams.
Be the first 50 guests in attendance at BCBGMAXAZRIA and receive a Runway Survival Kit, featuring BCBGMAXAZRIA accessories and beauty essentials.
Pop into Bloomingdale’s Soho to mingle with models serving drinks and see latest collections from many top brands. There may be ongoing contest where you can win free products too!
Elie Tahari will be hosting A NIGHT OUT IN OLD NEW YORK where you can sip a Manhattan, enjoy an old school performance and get your photo taken with an old-Fashioned Polaroid camera.
Cruise through G-Star to get a sip of G-STAR RAW cava, the champagne of Spain.
Have a cocktail with international blogger Garance Doré at Jill Sanders.
Hang out at Kirna Zabete to meet Alexander Wang, Proenza Schouler, Thakoon, Jason Wu and few select high profile designers as they launch new products.
Meet the drop dead gorgeous singer Cassie at Nicole Miller.
Piperlime pop up store! Need I say more? Rachel Zoe will be on site to give our fashion advice, or just stand around looking mean behind her signature Chloe sunglasses.
Rest up at Reiss and get a makeover while sipping champagne. Don’t forget to snap pics of yourself at the in-store photo booth!
Meat Packing District
Go to Catherine Malandrino to receive an exclusive FNO Eco Tote and to enjoy cocktails.
DVF promises to put on a spectacular audio visual show that has been generating a lot of buzz in the media. It is definitely on my must-see list!
Swing by Helmut Lang for cocktails by Death & Co. Mmm.
Go to Hugo Boss for a live performance by my favorite Canadian producer Robin Thicke who has collaborated with Leighton Meester on her album and a champagne bar provided by Moet & Chandon.
Stop by Maybelline early on in the evening to pick up a limited edition makeup bag and get a free makeover.
Hit up Moschino for a glass of prosecco.
Visit POP Burger and be the first 100 guests to receive VIP gift bags, enjoy cocktails and munch on POP Burgers as you shop.
Walk by Scoop NYC and visit the Van Leeuwen Ice Cream Truck which will be giving out free scoops to the first 200 Scoop shoppers!
Other Mentionable Spots
Trek uptown to Saks Fifth Avenue (611 Fifth Ave) to hang out with mega-designers such as Donna Karan, Victor & Rolf, Charlotte Ronson and Zac Posen.
Dolce & Gabbana (825 Madison Ave) will house Naomi Campbell in celebration of the 25th anniversary of her career. I would go just to be in the presence of the larger than life Diva!
Leighton Meester, my favorite gossip girl starlet, wore this attention grabbing Versace Versus dress at Vogue’s Fashion’s Night Out runway show at Lincoln Center on September 7th, 2010. I love the shoes but can’t decide on the dress. It was especially odd in the midst of more subdued attire worn by most of the guests. Do you like it or hate it?
