7: trunk shows

You're invited!

If only it were that easy!  Trunk shows are such a unique way of displaying and selling garments in a collection because it is a more intimate way for the customers and the designers or label representatives to connect.  After researching trunk shows, I found that the most common or popular are Bridal Trunk Shows.  Most trunk shows are invitation only, and once at the show, the brides have an exclusive look at a whole collection of dresses that normally wouldn't be displayed in stores.  Appointments must be made, space is limited, and space goes fast!  Vera Wang held two Spring 2012 Bridal Collection Trunk Shows - one at her store in NYC on Madison Avenue and the other at her West Hollywood location.  

After viewing the collection, guests can place their orders with the designer or representative.  Trunk shows are a lot different from sample sales which are really popular in the bridal world because at trunk shows, prices are not discounted.  Many boutiques and bridal salons hold their own trunk shows, and they all usually last only a few days.  Considering how crazy brides can get over what they are going to wear on the big day, it is a great opportunity for any bride to have such an intimate experience.  I found a Monique Lhuillier Bridal trunk show that will be taking place at Kleinfeld's in NYC during the second week of November and when I went to make an "appointment", only one day was left and there were only 2 time slots open!  It is definitely worth it to plan ahead when it comes to wedding dresses!!

6: spring 2012 fashion videos

After following New York, Milan, and Paris Fashion Weeks and seeing all of the beautiful garments going down the runway, I fell in love with Paris.  Each Fashion Week was unique to their city, and I think all of the designers embraced "the city of love".  I found this video on style.com that recaps Paris fashion week and highlights some of the trends and major influences.  I saw beautiful pieces in so many collections, but I particularly loved Chanel and Alexander McQueen, who along with several other designers had an underwater inspiration.  

The beginning of the video starts with Tim Blanks, the narrator of the video, describing the story in Paris this season as "pretty women in a drowned world" and I think this perfectly describes Karl Lagerfeld and Sarah Burton's collections for Chanel and McQueen.  They both have an ethereal fantasy about them, with feminine and seductive yet modest silhouettes.  Simply perfection. 

I think it is so interesting how Karl Lagerfeld said in this video that "the oldest things can be the most modern", referring to the inspiration he took from the bottom of the ocean floor which has been around forever.  He took his collection a step further as he always does and created a magical underwater environment at his runway show with giant coral in an all-white palette.  The collection wasn't typical "Chanel", but each piece was still as beautiful as the next.

In a description of Burton's Spring 2012 collection for McQueen on style.com, Tim Blanks describes Lagerfeld's models as nymphs and Burton's as goddesses...all of the pieces giving off a vibe of fish in the sea - with movement, soft colors, romance, and ultimate femininity.

5: fall 2011 color trends

As the cold weather creeps up on us, everyone is starting to wear their cozy sweaters, boots, and patterned scarves.  Living in New York and walking through the city every day, the common color palette is always black, but this season I've been seeing a lot of people exploring with more earthy tones as neutrals instead of simply black.  After looking through Fall 2011 color trends on fashionsnoops.com, The Fifties really caught my eye because it includes the ever popular black while showing "creams and mustards" as alternate neutrals.  I've also been seeing pinks and reds a lot, everywhere from jeans to handbags, and especially lips. (All runway looks from style.com)

Fall 2011 Runway Looks

Alice + Olivia               Donna Karan               Lanvin               Michael Kors

more loveliness from spring 2012

Elie Saab

Louis Vuitton

Alexander McQueen

Miu Miu 

4: nyc street style

It's not Summer anymore but Fall weather really hasn't hit us full-blast, so...what are we supposed to wear?!?  I commute to school and over the past two weeks have been tearing my closet apart each morning to find an outfit that will work in the cold morning weather when I leave my house and also not make me sweat during a 3pm heatwave.  There's no better place than FIT to see where the season's trends are headed and to see how people are dressing in these weird transitional times.  Some girls at FIT dress like they're walking down a runway on a daily basis, but the majority of us find a way to dress stylish and practical for going to school and running around the city.

Everyone's digging their boots and jackets out from the back of their closets so they're prepared for this bipolar weather.  I've noticed printed scarves are a big Fall trend right now, and a lot of people are trying to wear their shorts as long as they can by pairing them with tights and a sweater or blazer.  One of the great things about being a New Yorker and traveling in the city every day is that I don't need Vogue or Marie Claire to tell me what's hot and what is sooo last season.