From the monthly archives:

June 2009

Kansas City Fashion Show

The ninth annual West 18th Street Fashion Show, Summer in Space, will be held Saturday, June 6th, 2009. The show will feature eighteen collections from a select group of local and national designers. The show will be held at dusk (8pm) on the block of West 18th Street between Wyandotte and Baltimore in Kansas City, Missouri. This is a free, outdoor event with VIP tickets available for purchase.

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Have you met Miss Elle? She is fabulous. Besides shouting out independent designers and fashion on a budget in her blog, Broke & Beautiful, she has also started TheDemoiselles.com, a site all about body-positivity, figure acceptance and, of course, fashion. On Twitter? Follow the Demoiselles darlings here: http://twitter.com/thedemoiselles.  Stay tuned this summer for a garden party soiree to kick off their new site. If you are a Seattle area designer, or have a fave Seattle designer to share, don’t be shy, drop them a line.

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Well, I’ve accomplished a lot in the last 8 months. Move across the country from Seattle to Chicago – check. Somehow manage to survive with only 25% of my wardrobe – check. Survive the INSANE Chicago winter for the first time ever – check.

There’s only one thing I haven’t done yet: RELAX. I haven’t been able to stop and smell the roses once since I’ve moved. Now that a big, sweaty, humid, Midwestern summer is headed my way, it’s the perfect time to stock up on ultra-easy, breezy summer-wear.

If everything goes my way, I’ll be spending a lot of time outside, sipping delicious frozen cocktails and schmoozing. The only dress for the job? Anavaa Kisasa’s beautiful blood-orange colored maxi dress. At only $65, I can’t say no. All I want to do is sit in the sun in this dress, and pretend I’m a rich, South Beach ex-gold digger who drinks Caipirinhas and listens to Bebel Gilberto.

All play and no work makes for a homeless Elle, however, so we’ll need to acquire some summer-appropriate work-wear, as well. That’s where M641’s His Mirage dress comes in. Whether it’s hopping the train to run a few errands or just popping down to the local coffee shop for an iced mocha, I could wear this dress everywhere (and I probably would).

Being the grungy, Seattle girl I am, I always need at least one or two pieces of rock’n’roll in my ensemble, which is why I’m completely lovestruck with this Scalloped Gunmetal Necklace by Laura Lombardi. It’s simple enough to fit my versatility standards, but also unique and beautiful enough to really captivate people all by itself.

Where there’s danger, I always like to counteract it with some pure saccharin, sugary sweetness, like this Pink Deer Tote by Black Heart Bunny. A tiny, baby pink deer will leave any potential villain unassuming and vulnerable…

Last on my checklist for a perfect summer: keeping the memory. I don’t think anything could do a better job than this Shego Button Ring by Manic Trout. The amber glow of the button will definitely keep me dreaming of the warm summer rays through yet another oncoming Chicago winter.

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trish

I *heart* GenArt

by trish on June 4, 2009

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I ♥ Gen Art: 15th Anniversary Benefit
Wednesday, June 24 | 7:00pm – 11:00pm

7 West
7 West 34th Street, 11th Floor
(Near 5th Avenue)

After helping support and nurture emerging talent for 15 years, Gen Art now desperately needs your help. The next month is critical to Gen Art’s survival. Be it attending the benefit, buying art work or making a fully tax-deductible donation, now is the time to help us make a stand. There will not be a 2nd chance.

Please join us for an amazing evening celebrating and honoring those we have had the pleasure of working with over the years. The evening will include an exhibition of original works graciously donated by over 60 of today’s most exciting artists.

Event ticketing begins at $90 – click here for a description of all ticketing tiers.

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Check out the lovely Bob Bland dishing with Derek Loves Shopping. In this video they talk about how this interview came to be. We think this is an important part of the story to share. It is good to hear how independent designers are getting their press. They talk about how Bob is very much into product development. She is developing some pretty cool fabrics. Emerging designers don’t usually think in terms of product development. They stick closer to the design development. It is great to learn there are smaller companies out there willing to develop fabrics or other products along with a smaller design houses for their lines. Last she ends with a great sum up of what she does… Bob you get an A+ for being able to sum up your brand in 2 words… Streetwear Atelier.

You can find Bob at Brooklyn Royalty and she is also one of our fabulous darling designers here with Smashing Darling click here to see her boutique.

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WWD Popular Vote

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Now is your chance to not only do something nice for your favorite designer, you also get to do something fun for yourself. WWD is hosting Popular Vote contest. Go vote for your favorite designer/s an you automatically put yourself in the running for tickets to see a fashion show during NYC fashion week. The bonus is, you can vote everyday until the end of the contest. You know what that means, yep, the more you vote the better your chances of winning.

Now all there is left to do is Click this link: Pick your Fave & GO VOTE! You know you want those tickets.

After voting take a peek around the website. You might want to get a subscription to get the latest from WWD. I know another treat for yourself… (I hope L’Oreal doesn’t mind this)… but, it’s because you’re worth it.

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I know on Tuesdays we usually run interviews. Today I thought why not write about the book, Fashion Now. The book was put together by i-D magazine. It has 150 interviews within it’s pages from some of the worlds most influential designers. I will admit I am only about half way through the book. As I read through the interviews it is crystal clear just how similar designer stories are. It doesn’t matter whether it is an emerging, independent, up and coming, or well known branded designer. It seems to me, with every true fashion designer there is this innate instinct and desire to design their version of aesthetic beauty.

From the preface:

“Fashion has always helped define the human condition and designers are the weathermen, predicting or foreseeing what the public will need, providing a wardrobe to protect, expose, or purely to entertain.” – Terry Jones

“Fashion, by definition, is about change and has relevance to more than the clothes we wear. It has to do with illusion, contributing to our well being, feeding our insecurities, boosting our confidence. But more important than any change in fashion over the last 20 years is the democratization of style.”
- Terry Jones

I love this from the Introduction in the book:

“What all these designers have in common is a passion and dedication. They do what they do often against all odds, because to do anything else is, quite simply unthinkable.” – Avril Mair

The book is published by Taschen. They have quite a few other fashion related books to check out too. Happy Reading.

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Richard Avedon Photo

If you have not had a chance to see the Fashion Avedon photography exhibit yet and you will be in the NYC area anytime between now and Sept. 6th, I highly recommend. I had the pleasure of seeing the exhibit last week with Modarling after we met Deanne of Dream Seaquins blog (another highly recommended must see). It is so amazing to stand in the middle of the room and be surrounded by so much beauty … the photos, the women, the clothing, and the lifestyle the photos evoke. I will tell you it was very overwhelming for me. Anyone who knows me, knows my eyes are welling up with tears as I sit here and write this remembering every detail of each photo. That is what happens when your passion is at the very core of who you are.

I loved looking at the photos and seeing the different styles some of the designers on Smashing Darling would appreciate. One photo has two women in a fun chat with beautiful hats on, I thought it screamed Katie Burley. There was a photo from the 60’s that reminded me of Laura Dawson’s clean silhouettes. From the 80’s there was a series of photos taken with a skeleton that screamed Katie Papusza. If you attend the show I would love to hear thoughts. So don’t be shy, leave a comment.

International Center of Photography Museum
Address:

1133 Avenue of the Americas at 43rd Street
New York, NY 10036
Map

Phone: 212.857.0000

Other fashion related exhibits:

Fashioning Felt at the Cooper-Hewitt

Design for a Sustainable World  Cooper-Hewitt

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