In Spades

Style... in abundance

NYFW F/W17 Day 3

Day 2 was a monster of a day, and Day 3 will be no different.  I wake up super early to get ready for our first presentation, Paul Andrew, and am so thankful the gift bag at Nicholas K included revitalizing eye masks.  I want to put all 8 of them on thinking that may be more effective, but I refrain.

I’ve talked at length about coats that the capture my heart in a way that makes me think the designer tapped into my brainwaves to create the stuff of dreams.  Today’s look is the physical manifestation of this dream.  I originally spied it 6 months ago, immediately put it on pre-order, and waited with baited breath until it arrived on my doorstep.  To say I needed to take a moment when I first unwrapped it is an understatement.  If one can be in love with a coat, then I am.  Whole-heartedly.  It is, of course, Jacquemus.

 

Paul Andrew
If you’re a shoe lover, chances are you’ve heard of Paul Andrew.  Carried at Shopbop and Barneys, he creates gorgeous footwear that is both innovative and luxurious.  Each shoe has a memory foam padded sole and is designed with aerodynamic precision to achieve optimal fit and function.  Talk about nerd shoe porn.  For F/W17 he plays with sculptural metallic heels and supple suede.  Standouts are his classic black booties with golden spherical heel and the teal laser-cut velcro beauties below.

Amour Vert x Twiirly
My early wake-up call left no time for food or coffee, so I was thrilled that my next appointment was a blogger brunch with Amour Vert and Twiirly.  From the minute I walked into While We Were Young, I was smitten with their plush pink furniture, neon sign and beautiful, feminine decor.  I had the pleasure of meeting some amazing bloggers while enjoying avocado toast (what else?!) and French press coffee.

Amour Vert founded their clothing company with a mission to get back to sustainable, eco-friendly fashion. Everything they make follows a strict non-toxic, zero-waste philosophy and it’s super cute and affordable to boot.

Twiirly is a start-up out of SF that connect bloggers to people who want to book stylist sessions with them. Their founders are the type of boss ladies making huge strides in the tech world and I’m super excited to start working with them.

Photos courtesy of Katelyn Rose Photography

Jill Stuart
After brunch I hightail it back to Clarkson Square for Jill Stuart, only to realize that the show is happening somewhere else! Trying not to panic, I throw myself in an Uber and arrive at the presentation just in time to see the models walk.  The crowd is thick and trying to squeeze in for a photo is tough, but I manage to capture my favorite looks – masculine style blazers paired with color blocked midi-skirts – and make a mental note to experiment more with color blocking and long proportions.

Yuna Yang
Yuna Yang is the first show we attended exactly 1 year ago when Delta lost my luggage.  I showed up wearing my airplane clothes and a face full of drugstore makeup that didn’t match my skin at all, but hey, what can you do!  This time I was happy not to repeat the experience.  Shown in a jazz club with a live performance, she featured a gorgeous purple teddy bear coat (noticing a theme?) and an olive green trench made out of the most supple leather.

Photos courtesy of Yuna Yang

Self-Portrait Backstage with Bumble & Bumble
Back to backstage we go!  I’ll be recapping our experience with Bumble & Bumble and Self-Portrait next week, but let’s just say the vibe was sexy Londoner tailored to each individual girl’s hair.

Self-Portrait
Held at the DiMenna Center for Classical Music, Self-Portrait debuted their first runway show at NYFW.  In season’s past, they’ve held presentations, so witnessing their first runway was a treat.  Straight out of the gate, I was swooning.  The show opened with ruffled sleeves and hem lines in a muted palette of tweed, velvet and silk.  Mid-way through it transitioned to dusty blue and cobalt dresses with peek-a-boo sleeves and cutouts and the insane trench dress pictured below.  For the finale, the looks warmed up to burnt orange and vivid pink one-pieces with cinched waistlines and ruching.

Not only was the locale and collection impressive, but the audience was a Who’s Who of the fashion blogging world.  Sitting in front of me were every single one of the heavy hitters I aspire to be.  After the show I really had to pee – hello second latte – and took the elevator up a floor to the ladies room.  Riding in the elevator with me was Aimee Song.  I normally shy away from talking to celebrities – I feel like a bother – but I took the opportunity to tell her I loved her book, Capture Your Style, and learned a lot from it.  She was the kindest, most genuine person EVER.  Her authenticity honestly blew me away.  Unlike a meet and greet where you get to talk to someone for 30 seconds, we got to talk for about 10minutes in this random, surreal old-friends-gabbing-in-the-ladies-room experience that I will never forget.

Georgine
If I had endless disposable income, I’d spend it all on Georgine.  Her show is one of my most anticipated every season, and she had me from the first look.  Two weeks later and I’m still singing the soundtrack from her show and re-living the first moment I laid eyes on each insane piece.  They just kept coming and coming.  I sat next to two of my NY friends, Megan and Sami, and we all nodded in approval as the show opened with studded leather jackets and red velvet pants.  A master of mixed media, Georgine fused sequins with sheer netting, lace and fur trimmed dusters.  It was 90’s inspired like her Spring 2017 collection, and showed us just how versatile of a designer she is.  Each piece was interchangeable, creating a beautiful cohesive look.

Francesca Liberatore
We ended the night with colorful prints and a blend of textures by Francesca Liberatore.  With a seat right near the entrance, I had a ball capturing her flowing, side slit skirts in slo-motion.  Paired with oversized sweaters and flat ankle boots, it was a fresh take on an incredibly wearable look.  Several of her pieces featured hand-embroidered details, sheer fabrics – loving that unexpected element for fall – and cozy knits.

Photos by Matthew Passiglia

NYFW F/W17 Day 2

On Day 2 of NYFW the snow let up, but we were left with slushy, salty sidewalks. In other words, it was not a good day to wear your best shoes!

I opted for silver brogues and a Jacquemus coat that I’d been saving specifically for NYFW. Jacquemus is a young, French designer I’ve been obsessed with since he first came on the scene a couple of seasons ago. Known for creating structural pieces and pushing the boundaries of size and silhouette, I’ve had to hold myself back from buying up his entire collection. It’s the perfect blend of off-kilter whimsy that tugs at my little sartorial heart. Paired with my throwback Anya Hindmarch Space Invaders bag and Pac Man ghost tassel, it was a win-win for comfort and street style bait.

Oday Shakar
Our first show was Oday Shakar’s F/W17 collection entitled “Transcend”. The show opened with a series of black, hand-beaded evening looks before transitioning to deep reds, blues, greens and then finally emerging in soft winter whites. It was a literal and symbolic representation of surviving through the darkness and emerging in light. My favorite looks were a shimmering twisted seam coat with matching flare leg pants, and his brilliant flowing silhouettes – seen in a ruby cape with satin slip dress, and midnight caftan with ring details.

Lanyu
Chinese luxury designer Lanyu opened with crocheted bathing suits underneath wool coats in a range of mint, sky blue and pink.  The collection felt very spring-like until the mid-point when lace dresses, oversized blazers and tweed wrap dresses in jade and burnt orange made an appearance.

Photo by Bay Area Fashionista

Hakan Akkaya
The first thing that came to mind when I saw Hakan Akkaya’s collection was The Matrix. His all black line-up of menswear and womenswear had an edgy and futuristic vibe that featured metallic details, zippered seams and ruffled embellishments. Accessorized with leather baseball caps, oversized briefcases and garment bags, his collection felt young and on the verge.

Concept Korea
One of my favorite shows each season, Concept Korea takes three of the country’s best designers and brings them to NYFW to show as one concept. Fall/Winter 2017 featured designers Greedilous, Kimmy J and Yohanix. If there’s one thing Korean’s know about fashion, it’s how to push the envelope with multiple colors and patterns. Each designer featured a rainbow palette in a myriad of fabrics and prints. I was blown away with how cohesive and polished each collection was despite a dizzying amount of details. Take for example, this stunning burgundy, black and white fur coat layered over a netted skirt with hand-embroidered details and grounded in a silk army green trench coat. Brilliant!

RtA
Contemporary line RtA (road to awe) is best known for their denim and showed a great presentation of oversized fur jackets, leather separates and high quality knitwear in addition to their bread and butter. I love this oxblood leather dress accessorized with a pinstriped boyfriend blazer.

Photo by Bay Area Fashionista

Chromat
Each season Chromat pushes the envelope in the realm of swimwear.  The show opened with a musical performance (complete with back-up dancers!) before models of all shapes and sizes strutted down the runway in bold red, green and blue (noticing a theme?) two-pieces.  Many looks were accessorized with inflatable puffer jackets meant to be worn poolside and all featured long, gold chains hanging out of the models’ mouths.  My seat mate was an adorable Chihuahua mix puppy, whose owner was a well known journalist and long-time friend of the brand.  After listening to his many stories about working with the Chromat team, it became even clearer how tight knit of a community this dynamic brand represents.

Backstage with Bumble & Bumble
Next up was a backstage visit at Club Monaco with Bumble & Bumble.  Artistic Director Laurent Philippon – pictured below – walked me through his vision for the day.  Stay tuned for a full look into Club Monaco’s backstage coverage next week!

Club Monaco
Our last show of NYFW Day 2 set quite the bar.  After being treated to an in-depth behind the scenes look backstage, we walked into the show space, which was held at Club Monaco’s flagship on 5th Avenue.  The entire store had been transformed into an indoor garden of lilac, lavender and rose.  It smelled as heavenly as it looked – I truly felt transported into a secret garden.  In the middle of the room was a gigantic table adorned with silver place settings, trays and goblets filled to the brim with sweet and savory treats.  A build-your-own-bouquet bar was located off to the side, as models walked the length of the store and then positioned themselves on stage for us to take a closer look at the clothes.

Drew Barrymore, Jeremy Piven, Blair Eadie, Nick Wooster and the infallible Grace Coddington were in attendance.  I absolutely followed Grace Coddington like a total creeper so I could snap a picture of greatness in the flesh.

February 2017 marked the second time Club Monaco showed at NYFW.  We were lucky to attend their first ever presentation in September, so seeing it’s follow-up was quite a treat.  Club Monaco followed the see-now, buy-now model, showing Spring/Summer 2017 clothing available for immediate purchase.  I loved their take on vibrant florals, ruffled sleeves and a reinterpretation of the classic trench.  You can shop the collection here.

Photos by Matthew Passiglia

NYFW F/W17 Day 1

With Bay Area Fashionista on our first attempt to walk out the door in the midst of a snowstorm!

Wednesday, 2:00pm
We arrived at Newark airport a whopping 1 hour early to weather that made me think I was still in California.

3:00pm
Twenty minutes later we were already checked into our hotel, which made this the fastest, smoothest arrival we’ve experienced to date. After a nightmare start to the February 2016 shows (anyone remember my lost luggage?), this trip couldn’t have begun any better.

Two key changes we made to our trip since we first started attending NYFW were to stay in Soho – within walking distance to Skylight – and arrive on Wednesday. My goodness, what a difference this made! Instead of frantically running to back-to-back shows the moment we landed, we got to ease into the eye of the storm and attend several shows we normally have to miss.

6:00pm
We had one appointment on Wednesday – a presentation by Becken – and an influencer happy hour where I got to reconnect with blogger friends from around the country.

Becken is the brainchild of designer Chris Gelinas (of label CG). Their aim is “fashion for the grounded woman with nothing to prove,” and featured classic knit and outerwear of a more conservative nature than Gelinas’ more glamorous line, CG.

I had the pleasure of meeting Stephanie of @hernewtribe, sister of Happily Grey at the show, and we swapped stories about the planning and work that goes into attending NYFW. We laughed over how it’s as much work as it is fun – talk about extremes!

Thursday, 10:00am
When we looked out our hotel window on (official) Day 1 our jaws hit the floor. The entire city was covered in a blanket of fresh snow. I opted for a mulberry boilersuit by Brooklyn label As Ever. Paired with my Acne Studios beanie, it was the perfect look to stand up to the snow and caught the attention of several street style photographers. Later, I happily discovered I’d made Nylon’s Best Dressed of NYFW Day 1!

As Ever boilersuit // J. Crew turtleneck // Dorateymur booties // Fendi bag // Acne Studios beanie


Nicholas K
Nicholas K opened with a neutral color palette that transitioned to bold reds and subdued purples. Multi-layered separates that included tied sleeves around waistlines and shoulders were featured in crushed velvet with metallic accents. This is good news for anyone who invested in velvet pieces for Fall 2016 – six months from now, those items will still hold up nicely!

Inspired by the communal diversity of the 1990’s, the brand accessorized each look with Che Guevara-esque berets or large, single hoop earrings, paying a nod to the golden age of hip hop with a dash of rebellion. Rob Swift and Latasha Alcinor gave a live performance, kicking off the first official show of NYFW with rap and 90’s flair.

Tadashi Shoji
Ever the master of elegance, Tadashi was inspired by seductive nightclub vibes for F/W17. This edgier air featured his signature lace dresses, velvet jumpsuits and brocade in a jewel-toned palette of amethyst, sapphire, emerald and ruby. Even though this was only our second runway show, the trends already began to emerge – velvet is king in a world still heavily inspired by the 70’s and 90’s. My favorite looks were Tadashi’s silver jumpsuit – so Studio 54 – and his closing look – a pink sequins gown with Juliet shoulders and an open back.

Noon by Noor
From maximalist to minimalist we went. Noon by Noor showed an entirely neutral color palette accented by the deepest shade of navy. Masculine suiting morphed feminine with nipped waistlines and peplum draping. I especially loved the line’s use of faux fur, highlighted in their giant teddy bear coats (swoon). Another interesting element was their use of florals – something also seen at Tadashi – which is expected for spring, but feels so fresh and invigorating for fall. As this was my first Noon by Noor show, I left with an even deeper appreciation for the brand’s subtle, yet exquisite details.

Michael Costello
Being in the audience at a Michael Costello show is F-U-N. Not only was there a giant pink Care Bear making the rounds before the show, but audible cheers and applause accompanied each look for this veteran Project Runway star. And rightly so. The F/W17 Michael Costello woman was fierce, edgy and rock-n-roll to the core.

His show opened with a series of sheer, white lace gowns with strong shoulders, corseted waistlines and voluminous bell sleeves. Not for the faint of heart, he hit us hard before transitioning into black, silk draped numbers reminiscent of early Halston. They too packed quite a punch before the show-stopping head-to-toe sequins numbers that made up his finale. I can absolutely see these pieces on Grammy winners and red carpet sirens this fall.

Tune in tomorrow for my recap of NYFW Day 2!

Photos by Matthew Passiglia

 

Galentine’s at Laduree

Happy Valentine’s Day!

I just returned from New York Fashion Week and am still running high on adrenaline, thankful for the many exciting opportunities blogging has afforded me.  One of the greatest perks about writing a fashion blog is meeting like-minded individuals.  A couple of years ago the world of blogging introduced me to Lisa of Pretty Little Shoppers, and we’ve been great friends ever since.  Not only does Lisa have incredible style (check out her Instagram!), but she is one of those truly multi-talented people.  She also acts, writes and produces, and just wrapped a pilot for a series she developed based on the world of fashion blogging.  It’s hilarious and I know we’re all going to be seeing a lot more of Lisa in the year to come.

A fellow fashion lover and foodie, Lisa and I have shared many adventures over tea and delicious meals, so when Laduree opened in LA, we knew we had to give it a try.

Modeled after the famous bakery in Paris, we met for an afternoon of appetizers, tea and of course, their delicious desserts.

We exchanged Valentine’s Day cards and Lisa gave me the most amazing Jo Malone candle – it smells divine! After catching up for a bit over a cheese plate and chocolate and vanilla infused tea, we moved on to the best part – dessert!

We knew we had to try their signature macaroons, and had a blast deciding on flavors.  Laduree creates limited edition flavors and for Valentine’s Day they made a champagne macaroon called the Jimmy Choo.  Baby pink and adorned with silver sparkles, it tasted as good as it looked and was hands down our favorite.

We honestly could have spent the entire afternoon at Laduree because their decor is the stuff of dreams. Pretty pastels, latticework details, and furniture fit for Alice’s tea party, I think we’ll make it a Valentine’s Day tradition.

If you’re in LA, you must check out Laduree.  With locations in Beverly Hills and The Grove, it’s perfect for brunch with the girls!

Photos captured by Amina Touray

Valentine’s Day Shoot


I love Valentine’s Day.  Any day that celebrates love is a good one in my book so when photography duo Devin and Skylar from Pura Soul reached out about a shoot, I knew I wanted to incorporate a fun Galentine’s Day theme with my girls Jenna and Paulina.

We set up shop at Thistle, an adorable florist and home decor boutique in Ocean Beach and had such a fun day recreating silly poses and swooning over the gorgeous blooms.

I wanted to go a bit romantic for this shoot, so I chose a vintage inspired dress in blush pink and the wrap I wore on my wedding day.  When it was time to shoot with my girls, I knew I wanted something to compliment Paulina’s glam look and Jenna’s burst of color, so this embroidered heart sweater was the perfect choice.

If you’re in San Diego, Pura Soul is doing Floral Photo Mini-Sessions at Thistle on Saturday, February 11th from 12 – 4:30pm, reservation required.

Grab your significant other, kids or friends and create your own floral wrap or vase for a mini-photoshoot just in time for Valentine’s Day.  Included in the 10-minute sessions are 10-15 digital images with rights to print and share and the flowers are yours to keep.  All for just $98.

Email hello@purasoul.com to reserve your spot or pay at the door.  Pre-paid tickets available HERE

Photos by Pura Soul and flowers by Thistle