Tag Archives: New York

Argentine Designers Premiere at the Tents

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The Argentine Ministry of Foreign Affairs granted 7 lucky finalists the opportunity of a lifetime: to show their lines at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week. The designers were each handpicked based on their creativity, career progress and ability to show and sell internationally. Viviana Uchitel, Tenaz, Agostina Bianchi, Mariana Dappiano, Fabian Zitta, Daniela Sartori, Marcelo Giacobbe all brought their Argentine flair to New York City which showcased Argentina’s great creativity and talent.

Watch the video to see each designer’s lines—which one is your favorite?

Moroccan Beauty at Son Jung Wan

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Photos by Rodin Banica

As always, Son Jung Wan put on a gorgeous, feminine collection for the Spring Summer 2014 season at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week. Son Jung Wan is one of my favorite designers to see each season at NYFW—she never ceases to amaze me by her beautiful collections! Inspired by Morroco, Wan used neutral whites, blush, and tan for the base of her collection—adding pops of lemon, amber, and Saharan-desert tones. The silhouettes floated down the catwalk swaying back and forth perfectly. The bright lights made her gold-sequined dress glimmer in a sexy, seductive way—perfect for a red-carpet event or cocktail party. If you wear one of her garments, you will feel like a glamorous woman. Son Jung Wan put on quite the show!

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For more of Son Jung Wan, check out her website http://sonjungwan.com/

BlacMéra Brings Couture and Eels to Fashion Week

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BlacMéra put on a beautiful show at Pier 59 for New York Fashion Week. The couture brand put together a spring line that embodies the designer’s aesthetics of bringing femininity and romanticism together with an old world’s beauty and charm. The line is built for the modern, strong woman of the world. What better place to present a line like this than in the Big Apple? A city that is full of beautiful, powerful women. On the side, champagne glasses bubbled with edible hibiscus flower drinks, and the Spice and Tease stand enabled guests to dip bread in all assorted spices. It made for great conversations and atmosphere.

The glamorous jewel tones glittered down the runway as soon as the show started. Models strut, one by one, down to the end of the aisle and back to their multi-level stools to stand on. After each posed and were in place on stools—applause broke out and guests mingled to get closer views. An exciting element to the garments was eel leather. I had no idea that this was possible—but with a closer examination, it looked luxe and perfectly detailed with Yuliana Candra’s designer touch.

After seeing her Spring 2014 collection, I am looking forward to see what she’ll create in the future!

What look is your favorite?

For more BlacMéra, check out her website http://www.blacmera.com/

Luxury Rooftop, Friends, and a Fur Sensation: Helen Yarmak SS 14

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I arrived at the iconic Crown Building on 5th Avenue to explore through Helen Yarmak’s newest Fur Sensation line for New York Fashion Week and was thrilled at how the event turned out. The elevator ticked ‘til it hit the 23rd floor, and I was ushered out and greeted by friendly faces. The penthouse showroom suite was set for glamorous people with luxurious lifestyles—much like the brand and designer herself. I moseyed around the showroom snapping photos of the fabulous mannequins (yes, the mannequins were styled great!) and then was surprised to see models strutting around the room theatrically—posing this way and that. The intimate setting was perfect to meet people, see each look up close, and to have one of the best rooftop views in the city. Beautiful!

Helen drew her inspiration from sensational patterns and color which are brought to life through her designs. She chose to infuse checkerboard, stripes, and color-blocking on her new shapes and styles. Other furs used are mink, lamb, fox and ermine.

Legendary style icon Patricia Field was the celebrity stylist at the event. She styled the models with such a luxurious edgy look down to the very last detail. In addition to Patricia, Rod Stewart made an appearance. He hung out as we all checked out Helen Yarmak’s new designs. And yes—that’s me posing with him in the photo!

See the photos above to see all of Helen Yarmak’s gorgeous line.

You can find out more about Helen’s designs and creations at www.helenyarmak.com

5:31 JÉRÔME Presents Floral Eye Candy for Spring

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Fellow Fashion Institute of Technology alum, Jerome LaMaar, debuted his first collection 5:31 JÉRÔME at Mercedes-Benz New York Fashion Week.  His passion for fashion and design went hand in hand as he put together a beautiful collection.

The models stood on a platform in the middle of a dimly lit room at the Chelsea Market studio as spectators walked around in a circle to catch glimpses of the looks. Greenery adorned with pink flowers scattered the ground. The models each wore a different form of vine-wrapped high heels which made the looks each tie into the theme perfectly. The “Hyper Feminine” theme embodied an edgy enchanted neo-romantic look. It was very girly, and a theme that I am all about—loved it!

A Vivienne Westwood Influence at ‘Punk: Chaos to Couture’

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The entrance of the newest installation at the Metropolitan Museum of Art was quite the opposite vibe from its neighboring ‘Impressionism, Fashion and Modernity’ exhibit. Booming music, dark lights and punk rock symbols pulled museum-goers into the special exhibit that opened on May 9th— meanwhile, next door consisted of quiet, hushed voices and courteous spectators.   It was a contagious, exciting feeling walking into ‘Punk: Chaos to Couture,’ even if you are not a punk rocker by any means. Although she wasn’t the only designer presented, Vivienne Westwood played a major role in the show.

Moving from mannequin to mannequin, admiring each and every provocative style displayed, viewers “Ooh’ed”, pointed, and snickered at some of the bizarre looks. The most represented designer throughout the show was by far Vivienne Westwood. She stood out as the ring-leader of the ‘Punk Movement.’

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Westwood not only designed clothes, she also branched out into footwear. Super-elevated platforms in patent leather. Bondage boots. Shoes with multiple tongues. Spikes galore. All were just another part of Westwood’s kitschy themed looks. Her extreme designs got the attention of the world, and not just fashion critics. Her brand began to flourish as she took on the London rebellion scene—inspiring Americans to do the same.

Being such a cult-leader in the punk movement, Westwood was given her respects to being the leader of it all at the ‘Punk’ exhibit. It was exciting, inspiring, and the set-up of the entire show was exhilarating. Each corner I turned I wanted to see more. I didn’t know what to expect—especially since this is not a trend I am into. By the end of the show I was disappointed there wasn’t more to offend me visually—and I wanted to run out and tell spectators to check it all out. An amazingly curated exhibit!

 

A Platform for Girl Power

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Spice Girls

My inner 3rd-grade self has recently resurfaced as the platform sneaker has hit the streets once again. Back in the mid-90’s the Spice Girls were the pop-culture sensation. Every girl my age wanted to be a Spice Girl. Whether you were into being just like Baby Spice or Ginger Spice, all of us have posed in pictures with peace signs in the air—a signature pose that the band used— and we would wear clothing according to whichever Spice Girl we related to the most. Baby Spice fans would fix their hair into pigtails and wear sundresses. Scary Spice fans would wear leopard. Sporty Spice fans would wear sneakers and athletic apparel. Posh Spice fans would act mysterious and pose sexily. The stereotyping went on.

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It’s funny to me looking back on it now because at one point I really wanted a pair of platform sneakers; I thought it was the hottest in footwear. I’d stare at them through store windows—and admire them when I saw my girl-band heroes wear them in music videos. I’d pore through Pop magazine and clip out photos of the band and hang them on my bedroom wall.  My mom wouldn’t let me buy a pair which caused many tears and arguments. My hero Baby Spice wore them—why couldn’t I?

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Today I see why my mom wouldn’t let me.

  1. It isn’t appropriate for a 3rd grader to wear platform shoes.
  2. They’re straight up ugly.

In hindsight as it usually works out, mom was right. My 3rd-grade self was wrong. But how was I supposed to understand? Just like how I didn’t understand the meaning behind the Spice Girl song 2-Become-1 when I was belting out the lyrics while my mom car-pooled me to YMCA cheerleading practice. Now I get it.

The Sweet Smell of Luxury

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Since 1904, Krigler New York has been attracting celebrities and royals alike for their high end perfumes. A brand of luxury and prestige, Krigler New York is reaching into the archives to relaunch 2 of their earliest fragrances with updates for today’s men and women, Schone Linden 05 and  Hermitage Heritage 04.

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Because I love it when brands bring out new things from the archives and give it a twist—I thought this would be a fun feature.

As I take in the beautiful new perfume,  the Schöne Linden 05 scent is a delicate, feminine scent with floral notes and vanilla. I like this perfume because of the femininity—and at the same time it’s not overdone. Perfect.

Even better, this perfume is sold exclusively at The Plaza. Yes, that Plaza on 5th Avenue and 59th Street. So if you want to try out this yummy scent—head down to the exquisite landmark itself and go to their perfumery, where you’ll see this vintage perfume being displayed. And grab a mimosa at the hotel for me while you’re at it!

The Art of Picking and Choo-sing: A Love Story

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There are some encounters in a person’s life that are so memorable and close to the heart that it feels like it had occurred just yesterday, when in fact it was years ago. An encounter that makes the heart skip a beat and takes the breath away. A moment that causes a person to act quickly on major decisions. Meeting Jimmy was one of those special moments.

It was a normal day for me. I had just left the Fashion Institute of Technology after a long day of back-to-back classes. The winds switched directions and briskly pulled me towards West 26th Street into my beloved store, Buffalo Exchange. As I carefully browsed the sweater racks, and flipped through skirts of past seasons’ styles, my gaze landed upon a shelf of significance. The lights dimmed, and a spotlight-effect zeroed in on an item. Or so I imagined. Lo and behold, at eye-level and within reach sat a lovely, sophisticated pair of pointy-toed beige Jimmy Choo heels, size 6. I felt like I was reuniting with John Cusack in Serendipity.

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I couldn’t believe it—these shoes were just too good to be true! I walked around the store, testing hypothetical paces and different speeds of walking. A quick pace to make sure I’d get to the train on time. A slow, meandering pace in the occasion I am at a museum or cocktail party. Tapped my toes with my hands on my waist to test them in the occasion someone cuts ahead of me in line. Dance moves in the event that I go clubbing. Perfect fit, and perfect stride. All in one pair. Clearly, this was a match made in heaven—sent to me from God for a small price of $42.

I snatched Jimmy and held him close to my heart. We would never part again.

The Jimmy Choo London label signifies many pivotal moments to me. Jimmy sat with me throughout important interviews. He escorted me to exclusive parties in which I met new friends that are now near and dear to me. He celebrated victories of new opportunities in my life. The brand embodies the prestige and success that I aspire to achieve. Jimmy gave me the boost of confidence that I am now a real adult. A lady taking on New York City with each stride in the fine, Italian crafted leather heels.

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Heels are my weakness. Being a passionate shoe-shopper, I find it one of the most important pieces a person can wear to portray their image. I would rather walk in uncomfortable heels for hours to feel sexy and confident rather than wear comfortable flats or sneakers to a party. I love the height it gives my 5’ 3” self, and the way my calves are poised when I am standing tall. To me, highly respected, powerful women are seen wearing classic heels on a regular basis.

Today, Jimmy and I remain in a steady relationship and are moving forward one step at a time in conquering the New York fashion world.

Street Style: Happy 4th of July!

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This afternoon I walked around the city to catch a glimpse of what 4th of July attire would be roaming the streets. Here are some snapshots of festive New Yorkers. Happy 4th of July!

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Any red,white and blue love you’d like to send my way? Would love to see your July 4th style as well– tweet them @blairebrownNYC 🙂