If you love the colored jeans trend, you'll love getting cozy in LOFT's super stylish skinny corduroys ($59.50) that come in an array of juicy colors like blue, red, purple, navy, khaki, and more. The look is sleek when you pair them effortlessly with fall's cozy sweaters or a smart blazer. (Psst! They also come in a curvy size too!)
If a skinny silhouette isn't your thing, go with the classic Marisa Straight Leg Corduroys ($59.50) with some great pop of color like this one in pink that benefits the Breast Cancer Research Foundation. Other colors include lilac, mustard yellow, red, and more.
Visit LOFT.com for more great fall apparel & accessories.
Get ready to go shopping at Shopbop's sale where you can get up to 70% off some amazing pieces! A gal can never go wrong with a DVF dress. They pretty much last season to season. I have my eye on this Diane von Furstenberg Della Two Dress (On sale for $262.50, was $375) and the Diane von Furstenberg Noralie Dress (On sale for $278.50, was $308).
October 2nd is Batik Day, a celebration in Indonesia and around the world for batik fabric. Batik fabric is created by an intricate technique that uses a manual wax-resist dyeing. The technique is very detailed and batik artisans usean intricate copper tool to draw out the liquid wax. It can take from a month to a year to finish a piece of batik cloth, depending on the complexity of the desige. Because of this complicated production process, batik can be considered to be high end and expensive.
I was honored to be asked by Shinta from BatikAntik in Indonesia to help bring awareness to the art form and help celebrate the amazing artisans in Indonesia who painstakingly create these beautiful pieces.
In 2009, United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) designated Indonesian batik as a Masterpiece of Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity, which is "the totality of tradition-based creations of a cultural community expressed by a group or individuals and recognized as reflecting the expectations of a community in so far as they reflect its cultural and social identity."
I am wearing a pink chiffon crinkled batik scarf made by Riana Kusuma. The colors are beautiful pastels of pink, purple and coral featuring beautiful hand drawn flowers. As a crafter and fabric lover, I am amazing that I had not known about all the details on what goes into creating batik fabric. I of course knew about the patterns, but didn't realize how tedious the actual production work was.
This fantastic BBC article about Batik designer Josephine Komara of Obin explains a lot about the creation of this artform. Obin has brought batik out from the shadows of state functions, to to trendy cocktail parties where batik and Hermes bags go hand in hand. Watch the video above to see more of the handmade process of batik.
Today you can see batik fabric designs used by some of the top fashion designers like Dries Van Notten, Diane Von Furstenberg, Armani and Nicole Miller.
Shoshanna has just arrived online with her own e-commerce address, Shoshanna.com. Get ready to shop for some of the cutest party dresses and separates that are perfect for work. The fall 2012 look book is amazing! I love the Alana Dress ($370) that is 100% silk jacquard with colorful zig-zag stripes. For work, the fun polka dot tie front Lucy Blouse ($295) works great with her navy button front skirt. You can now also get 20% off your next order by signing up for their email list.
Here are more of my favorites from the fall look book:
My favorite show of fashion week is Vivienne Tam. Her clothes are absolutely beautiful and the show draws a great diverse crowd.
The Spring 2013 collection was inspired by the five elements of Chinese cosmology: metal, wood, water, fire and earth. From the organza sheath to the cutwork tee, the collection was filled with geometric shapes in warm hues of red, gray and green. Every piece was gorgeous. I want the entire collection.
The jewelry the models wore is a collaboration with TSL Jewellery and will be sold with the Spring collection.The pieces were stunning!
Here are more of my favorites from the collection:
(Photos: Alessandro Luciori/Elle.com)
The after party was held at Hakkasan and it should be said that it probably was the best party I've been to in New York. From the gorgeous Chinese influenced setting to the strawberry martinis to the dumplings and fabulous crowd. What an incredible night!
Project Runway season 9 winner Anya Ayoung-Chee presented her Spring/Summer 2013 collection Carnival of Colour at a lunch at Morimoto hosted by HP.
I loved Anya's colorful island style on Project Runway, so I was excited to see her collection. It was full of vibrant colors, flowy dresses, beach wear and beautiful prints, as you would expect.
You can see the full collection and pics of the event here.
My favorite pieces were this romper and blazer.
(Photo: Anya Ayoung-Chee)
I got the chance to meet Anya and talk to her about her design process and use of technology. She started as a graphic designer so feels at ease designing on the computer and said she really loves the flexibility of designing and modifying digitally. She also enjoys using Facebook and Twitter to promote her work and connect with her fans too.
As part of the event, we also did two DIY projects:
The first was create a Polyvore set with Anya's collection. This was really fun!
What do you think of the Coquette set?
Anya is going to choose a winner from the submissions.
The second project we were able to use the HP TouchSmart and design software to create our own patterns like they did on Project Runway. I luved this marriage of design and technology. Plus, it was so easy to use. We then printed our designs out to make customized mugs. You can see all the designs here along with pics of us designing.
DL1961 presented their first runway show at New York Fashion Week in a big way!
Set on a pier along the Hudson River, the show kicked off with performance dance IN THEIR JEANS, followed by models in acid washed, distressed, prints, textured, hand embroidered and leather accented jeans, and ended with and after party featuring Mia Moretti spinning along with electric violinist Caitlin Moe. DL1961 vodka lemonades were served with grilled cheese and tater tots from Gorilla Cheese truck. Yum! It truly was an amazing show and after party. You can catch the full video of the fashion show above.
DL1961 jeans really are the perfect fitting jean. I can't say enough about the fit and comfort. I live in mine. I'm happy that the colored jean trend is continuing in to next Spring, but really excited for the new prints, metallics and the hand embroidered jeans.
Here are a few of my favorites from the Spring/Summer 2013 collection:
(Photos: DL1961)
It was amazing to see the audience filled with smartphones or iPads taking pictures and videos. I was surprised to see everyone around me instagramming once they had the perfect shot. EVERYONE! I'm guessing that fashion folks must be Instagram's largest group of users. Luv the fashion + tech!
(Photo: Inside the DVF boutique, Kevin Tachman/Vogue.com)
By Leigh Ferreira
My favorite night of the year is Fashion's Night Out (FNO)!
FNO is the official kick-off to New York Fashion Week. But unlike Fashion Week, FNO is for everyone and encourages consumers to hit the stores, meet designers and have a fun night out.
The event was originally started by Anna Wintour of Vogue during the recession of 2009 to encourage people to get out and shop in New York City. Now on its fourth year, FNO is happening all over the world.
There were 800+ events that happened in NYC and it is logistically challenging to go uptown, downtown and from the eastside to the westside, but in typical New York fashion we tried to do it all.
Here are the spots I hit:
Opening Ceremony market @ Ace Hotel
Soho:
Marc Jacobs
C Wonder/Daily Candy party
Stella McCartney
Soho Grand Yard Sale w/ 22 Designers [this was the best event!]
What Goes Around Comes Around
Woolite Designer Pop-up
Prada, Chairlift was performing
I tried to go to Rag & Bone where St. Vincent was performing, but the line was 200 people deep
Meatpacking District (MPD):
The Shops @ Target, a great preview of the upcoming capsule collections (Kirna Zabete, The Curiosity Shop, Odin New York and Patch NYC)
Washington St Block Party (Scoop and Intermix)
Urbanspace Meatpacking
Ford Designer Pop-up in Gansevoort Plaza
Denim Habit party, thanks Thorin & Billy!
As you can see from the photo above at DVF, the MPD was CRAZY crowded!
The Fashion's Night Out team did a fantastic job listing out the events and details on their site and app, tweeted highlights of events leading up to FNO and encouraged people to take photos and tag them on Instagram to show FNO happening live the world over. It was fun to see the sightings, giveaways and event details filling up my twitter timeline throughout the night too.
This morning I was invited to a press breakfast to preview and shop the new limited edition Nicole Richie Impulse collection at Macy's in SF. My favorites by far are her amazing dresses. True to her bohemian self, the dresses feature tribal prints, peacock feathers, and geometric patterns. The silouettes are modern for sure with lace panels, interesting cuts, and high/low hem lengths.
I always go into shopping thinking about what I need to build my wardrobe. You never can have too many sweaters in SF so this Colorblocked Cropped Sweater ($49) is perfect for everyday. For an easy top for going out, I chose this Faux-leather Textured Top ($59). It's a great piece to wear dressed up with a skirt or dressed casual with jeans. I love how versatile it is to instantly dress up a simple outfit.
Everything in the collection is very affordable and I found pieces to be different enough that I knew they had to be in my wardrobe. Head down to your nearest Macy's or shop for the Nicole Richie Impulse collection online.
Here are more photos of the Nicole Richie Impulse collection from the press preview:
For those of us missing our Topshop fix from the UK, we can now get it at our very own Nordstrom! Shop online or at select Nordstrom stores for skinny cigarette pants, stylish blazers, dresses and more. There's even a Topman line for the guy in your life.
I'm super excited to shop Topshop at Nordstrom in San Francisco! All of the Nordstrom stores listed here will be celebrating with a Topshop launch party on Saturday, September 15th. Take home a special gift with your purchase of $100 or more from the collection (in store only; one gift per customer, while supplies last).
