How To: Creepy Doll Makeup Tutorial

Happy Halloween! I am going with a Gothic, creepy doll as my costume this year.  While I knew I could whip us a frilly, disturbed frock, the makeup would be what made the character.  Ricky’s Glam Squad came to my rescue to help create this awesome look.  They send hair and makeup artists straight to your door for Halloween, Red Carpet events or any other occasion you need to look fabulous. 

Glam Squad stylist Marcy Iaquinto first came to NYC to be in front of the camera, but found her true calling creating beauty behind it.  Here’s her Creepy Doll Makeup Tutorial on how she created my look:

" I started the makeup with the eyes. I used a white pencil on the lid and under the eyes in a round shape including the water line.

 In the crease I used black eye shadow and extended that down around the white. I blended the edges so the eyes appeared hallow. I then blended some pink above the black on the top lids.

For complexion, I used a foundation  two to three shades lighter than actual skin tone for a pale look. I contoured with a darker powder to make the cheek bones appear a bit sunken in and added bright pink blush on the apples of the cheeks for a baby doll look.

For brows I exaggerated the color and made them imperfect as if they were a bit worn off."

"After complexion was done, I added those crazy fake eye lashes including bottom ones. The bottom lashes really helped create that wide open baby doll look.  

For lips, I drew an exaggerated heart shaped red lip and added concealer to the edges of the lips to help create the heart shape which really pulled the look together. "

So there you have it!  If you see me traipsing around the West Village Halloween Parade tomorrow, come say hello.  Please send me photos of YOUR costumes and makeup looks!  If you have a cool DIY, I would love to show it off!  

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Macabre Circus Party Decor DIY

It’s that time of year.  The team at Ms. Fabulous celebrated the dark spirits of Halloween with a Circus Macabre Carnival theme.  Much of the décor was DIY (see tips below).  We served up carnival-inspired treats like cotton candy made to order and spiked sno-cones courtesy of Bailey’s Chocolate Cherry, entertained by the talents of  Rachel Klein Productions.

Big Top Tent Decoration:

Limited budget, but you want a big-top venue?  I purchased about $18 in crepe paper streamers  (about $6 for 500 feet for each color).  Find a central point in your room, like a chandelier and tape alternating streamer colors with painters tape.  I found it was easiest to roll out the streamers to the edge of the room and have someone roll them back to you for the next strip.  Let the streamers bough slightly and tape the other end to the edge of the room.

For the hanging parasols, I just bought a dozen paper parasols from Chinatown (about $4 each).  Using thin fishing wire, I looped under the handle and hung them from clear plastic hooks stuck to the ceiling.

Balloon Dart Board

I used cork covered foam-core boards found at Michael’s ($15) and acrylic paint to give the weathered vintage circus look.   You can download this carnival backdrop image and project them the board if you are not artistically inclined.

 The key to creating a worn, vintage look is to keep your edges sharp (painter’s tape) but don’t fill in the entire sections of color.  I took a stiff, flat brush and basically jabbed at the cork board, using the natural texture and not enough paint. 

I pinned half-blown balloons to the board with map pins and let the guests shoot away.

Fun House Mirror

I found a wooden frame and discarded foam core board in the garbage.  I cut up an old pool noodle to serve as the bend in the mirror to fit into the frame. 

I used spray adhesive to stick 2 yards of Mylar (about $12/roll) to the foam core and laid it over the noodle bump in the middle.  I sprayed more adhesive after the bump.  Afterwards, I used a hot glue gun to stick the wooden frame to the foam core and staple gun the in corners for extra security. 

For the mirror frame, it was just the wider foam corer edge under the wooden frame.  I used the same paint technique of missing paint and clean edges in a diamond pattern for the border.

For treats, I had to have cotton candy.  I was pleasantly surprised at the effectiveness of the $40 Nostalgia Electrics Cotton Candy Maker. It made the candy floss beautifully and was easy to use.  I also promised my friends lots of adult spiked  snow-cones.  The Snow Cone Maker made a great shaved ice.  Here is the recipe below: 

Boozy Chocolate Cherry Snow-Cones
3/4 cup of shaved ice
2 oz. Bailey's Chocolate Cherry
Drizzle of U-Bet Cherry Syrup
Drizzle of U-Bet Chocolate Syrup
1 Maraschino cherry
Photos by Mariana Leung, Shang Jung, Janet Kim, 

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FAB Exclusive: Nadia G's Tips for Halloween Style

Its Halloween week!  I always host a party to celebrate Hallows Eve.  I also sneak in some Gothic, scary style.  One of my favorite people who masters all of the above is Nadia Giosia (A.K.A. Nadia G.) the punk glam diva and chef of the Cooking Channel’s Bitchin’ Kitchen and Bite This with Nadia G.  Ms. Fabulous was able to grill her on macabre fashion and creepiest recipes:

Ms. Fabulous: We are big fans of your fashion style on the show, so we want to know what are you going to be wearing for Halloween?

Nadia G: Man! You know what I want to do this year; I’m a big fan of dressing up scary for Halloween. It sounds obvious, but a lot of people use it as an opportunity to kind of dress slutty. It’s cool, but where’s the scariness

What I’m going to do, I always loved those vintage nylons that have the seam running up the back. I’m going to be doing that as an open wound with stitches. It’s going to be pretty cool, essentially I don’t know how to describe exactly what I’m going to do, but I’m going to turn some of my favorite fashion elements and turn them into disgusting wounds.

Ms. Fab: Here at Ms. Fabulous, we always love your nails makeup on the show.  What are your best tips on looks for Halloween?

N. G: Well, you know, a style of nails that I have been doing a while, which is the half-moon around the cuticle. I think it’s cool for Halloween to use black nail polish with a white or blood red half-moon around the cuticle. 

Ms. Fab: We always appreciate that you have great cocktails on your show.  What do you suggest for an   elegant and spooky drink for a party?

N.G.: The idea is to come up with a cocktail that’s creepy and tastes great.  The issue with Halloween is that people tend to use a lot of coloring. In food, they use lots of fondant to make it look creepy but it doesn't taste good.  So for a cocktail, wine cocktails are really popular these days.  I like to make something called a Witches Brew. 

Essentially, you use Once Upon a Vine Chardonnay, pear nectar and savory thyme.  You have a drink that’s a little sweet, the pear contrasts with the thyme and it’s really delicious.  To make that creepy, I fill up a surgical glove with water and pop that in the freezer.  Remove the glove when it turns to ice and have this hand floating around the punch that adds a scary touch, but in a drink that’s sophisticated.

Ms. Fab: Speaking of Halloween food that looks scary, juvenile or doesn't taste good, what do you suggest for party hors d’oeuvres that actually taste good, a little Goth, but appropriate for foodies?

N.G.:  I love to make coffin-shaped grilled cheese sandwiches. It’s easy to cut out the coffin shape.  You can use pumpernickel bread for a darker look.  I stuff them full of Tallegio cheese, which is like an Italian brie, which is one of my favorite cheeses.  It melts so nice and gooey, add some caramelized onions and fresh apple slices and there you go.  You know you have a treat that’s coffin shaped, but not juvenile and tastes fantastic.

Ms. Fab: Is there a way to pair wine with Halloween candy?

N.G.: Oh sure! Red wines are notoriously great with chocolate.  What I like to make is bacon chocolate. That’s always delicious and easy to make as well. You can pair that with charming Pinot Noir.  It has the flavor of ripe cherry, black currant and red wines are just fantastic for chocolate.

Ms. Fab:  What are some easy, tongue-in-cheek décor elements one can use to decorate for Halloween?

N. G.: Get creative with it! There’s nothing I hate more than that cheap pharmacy décor where people end up spending a fortune on it, and then everyone ends up with the same stupid ridiculous skeletons.  What I like to do is think of things that are actually creepy, like decapitated doll heads; really old broken dolls that are pretty scary.  You can use pictures of your ex with a knife through them… Things like that, just think outside the box about what can be creepy for Halloween.

Ms. Fab: Did you do a lot of Trick or treating as a kid?

N. G.: Yep, I have the fillings to prove it!

Ms. Fab: Thank you so much for chatting with us!

Witches Brew

INGREDIENTS

• 4 oz Once Upon a Vine ™ Fairest Chardonnay™

• 2 oz Pear Nectar

• 3 Sprigs of thyme

• 1 oz Lime Juice

• 1/2 oz Simple Syrup

DIRECTIONS

Shake all ingredients in a cocktail shaker and strain into chilled glass.

For more cocktail recipes and treats, visit Once Upon a Vine's Wine Bar.

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#WMCFW: Christopher Bates Spring 2015 Menswear

I love the Christopher Bates Menswear show at Toronto Fashion Week.  His runway is always a treat to the ladies (or men) with a debonair line up of gorgeous gentlemen in fantasy characters (ok I am projecting). 

Christopher Bates always produces a sophisticated menswear collection with roots in Italian tailoring, but approachable to the most basic of fashion-shy males.  For spring 2015, his World Mastercard Fashion Week collection was inspired by the movie The English Patient.  You see the influence in the posh safari styling, tailored shorts, with some retro formal wear looks.   Even though the theme is recognized, each ensemble is wearable by most men.  There aren’t any gimmicky catwalk pieces, just stylish clothes to suit a projected lifestyle.

The savviness of Christopher Bates is that every model is styled to appeal to an archetype to tickle your fancy.  The rugged explorer, the adventurer with trendy beard, urban moto-riding vagabond and the posh gent are all there to accommodate your fantasy.  It’s a perfect marketing move where the designer understands that men ultimately dress to attract and please a mate, therefore he presents his collection as such.

I don’t wish to disrespect the designer’s success or talent, but it doesn't hurt that the handsome Bates is the embodiment of his brand.  How hot would it be to live in this world?

photos by David TW Leung

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Blogger Love: Live Life

There’s nothing like the Day of the Dead and All Hallow’s Eve that gets you thinking about, well, death… but in a festive way. The all-out do everything you want to do, be everything you want to be, no matter how ffantasticalor insane. Then there are the people who lived the fullest, who touched our lives, made life for a lot of people better. This week as the fashion industry mourns the passing of Oscar de la Renta, we just have to stop and think for a second. How are we going to make our lives the most well-lived we can?

• Affordorable: Would You Knowingly Buy a Knockoff?
• An Old Story: 6 Creative Writing Hacks
• A Sparkle Factor: 30 Lessons to Learn Before You are 30
• Back2Blanc: Fresh Faced & Beautiful
• D. Spencery: How to: Skirts & Sneakers
• Endear: How to Take Care of Your Clothes
• Everyday Starlet: Drugstore Retro Glam, Bombshell, Pin up Girl, Cat Eyes Mascara Review
• Flower City Fashionista: My Struggle With Body Image
• Hirvio Mur: DIY No Sew Raven Inspired Shirt
• ModaVracha: On Combining Motherhood, Business and Blogging Skillfully
• Ms. Fabulous: A Farewell to Oscar De La Renta
• My Fashion S/ash Life: Tips on Styling Emerging Musiscians
• Petite Career Girl: Shopping Haul: Petite Legging & Jegging Review
• Petite Fille Modele: Betty From Archie’s Comics Costume Tutorial
• Riva La Diva: DIY Blanket Scarf
• Style Bizzare: Why I Stopped Buying Women’s Magazines
• Style Buffalo: 4 Costumes You Already Have In Your Closet
• TLV Birdie: Tzipora’s funny side up x Chanel Bagel Bag by Chloe Wise
• The Rivaux: How to Tell if A Beauty Product Has Never Been Touched
• Wild Beauty World: Smells Like Team Spirit: Does Your College Have a Perfume?

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How to Hack Your Kitchen Like a Foodie Fashionista

New York City.  It is arguably the best city in the world to live in if you love fashion, culture and cuisine.  This fabulousness comes at a price of course.  Most of us live in apartments the size of “closets” to those in other parts of the country.  The savvy New Yorker makes due by hacking their kitchen space to fit all that they love in the jewel box they live in.  I'm working with Seamless to share my best tips.

My smallest apartment was the one I lived in during my sophomore year in college.  It was a studio with no stove, Murphy bed and a flip down counter to act as my desk/dining table/dressing room.  I learned my best space hacks during this time.

Many of you love fashion as much as I do and have the wardrobe collection to match.  Unfortunately, many of you, like me, probably don’t have the real estate to accommodate your treasures properly.  That’s why I’ve compiled some of my most useful space hacks for the kitchen – easily among the most underutilized closet opportunities in any abode.

I hoard clutch handbags, and have found through the years that favorites can be stored and displayed along any narrow strip of wall you can find.  I have this trio right next to the fridge.  I switch up the selection by season. 

Have a bit of extra molding?  Run these along any spare bit of wall you have and you can balance your heels against them for a stylish shoe rack.  Old picture frames work for this too!

Do you multi-task your paper goods? Great! Now you can use those extra kitchen accessories to store jewelry.  I use my paper towel rack to hold bangles, necklaces and other trinkets.  This is also handy when you need to take off jewelry to wash the dishes or cook.

No one said your kitchen cupboards have to store kitchen-related items.  I get my inspiration from fashion, art and cookbooks, so why can’t they all be in the same place?

Let’s face it.  How much cooking are you really doing in your kitchen?  New Yorkers live and die by their favorite takeout restaurants.  You know your delivery person by name.  To help you out, Seamless is launching its #TapTapTakeout contest where you could win $500 in Seamless dollars.  That’s five hundred to indulge in your best NYC gourmet cravings (then the money you saved can be used for that next great fashion find). You win multiple times over.  If that’s not savvy city life, you can throw me out of my shoebox.

Seamless. Food as easy as tap tap takeout.

Disclosure: Compensation was provided by Seamless via Mode Media.  The opinions expressed herein are those of the author and are not indicative of the opinions or positions of Seamless.

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#WMCFW: Target Canada's Toronto Fashion Week Show

Most fashion week shows are for the media. The Target runway for World Mastercard Fashion week was meant to appeal to true customers.  The clothing was pulled from current fall and winter offerings now available in the stores.  The catwalk was dressed up like a big red carpet, decorated with home accessories.  Live musicians gave it a party atmosphere as well as the big shower of confetti at the finale.

The clothing itself ranged from back-to-school looks, warm cozy street wear to dressier holiday party looks for men, women and children.  While the diverse range of models was game, I can’t say I was all that impressed with the fashion itself.  While some looks were appealing, a lot of it looked like generic, budget-friendly clothing that catered to Canadian clichés of anoraks, chunky knit accessories and quilted jackets. I would have thought that a splashy Toronto Fashion Week event would have been the perfect opportunity to showcase the big-name designer collaborations that gets the fashion crowd geeked out in the United States.  Are they not offering these designers up North? Why not? Why deprive Canadians the likes of Joseph Altuzarra?  The only collaboration I saw represented here was with TOMS.

The only guest “star” or celebrity appearance in Toronto was “Bullseye” the Target mascot dog.  The cute factor is a crowd pleaser, but does it get people shopping?

Target has been supporting Toronto fashion week in some way for the past few seasons.  Even before they had a retail presence open, they offered up a nicely catered lounge to fashion media during World Mastercard fashion week.  They have been putting a lot of effort in announcing their arrival to Canada, which is why I am surprised they did not showcase more fashion forward looks.  Why show current season clothes if they aren’t going to drive people straight to the stores?  Don’t underestimate the Canadians, they gobble up the top designers the way they do poutine.

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#WMCFW: Sid Neigum - Mercedes-Benz Start-Up Winner

Congratulations to a new fashion designer to win the Mercedes-Benz Start-up competition at Toronto Fashion Week.  Sid Neigum presented a solo collection that earned him a $30 000 prize, mentorship and a fully produced solo show at the next World Mastercard Fashion Week with magazine spread.

His winning looks were a polished, clear vision with asymmetrical hems shapes and interesting use of laser cutting techniques.  He had dresses and separates with pretty modular motifs cut out of them.  

His truly sculptural pieces though were tops, capes, dresses that comprised of modular origami forms that were also created with a laser cutting process.  This is the first time I have seen the technology used this way in fashion.  Keeping the palette to basic black, white and neutral grey helped to highlight the architecture of his pieces. 

The Mercedes-Benz Start-up competition has chosen a lot of the top emerging designers to succeed in Canada.  Alberta raised Neigum also previously won the Toronto Fashion Incubator’s New Labels competition two years prior.  Judges of the competition make their decision not on this runway presentation alone.   The judging panel selects their winner over a series of interviews, business plans, marketing strategies and past seasons as well.

Congratulations Sig Neigum! I look forward to seeing your next collection!

photos by David TW Leung

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#WMCFW: Pink Tartan Spring 2015

 Get your hustle on.  Pink Tartan’s Spring 2015 collection took a lot of inspiration from the 1970’s.  Designer Kimberley Newport-Mimran brought the decade to World Mastercard Fashion Week in Toronto with a nod to the disco era.

There were a lot of plunging necklines and jumpsuits.  There were elongated jackets and sharply pleated pants.  I can’t say I was a fan of the high waists on some styles, they made the models look dumpy and that’s quite hard to do.  Swimwear was introduced on the runway, which in the chilly, damp temperatures of Toronto, I wasn’t in the right mind frame to appreciate.

Stark black and white dominated the runway for the first half of the show.  I understand that no matter what the media and buyers claim they want to see in bright colors, they do always make the most buys from a collection from these two shades.  However, this doesn’t make a dramatic presentation.  I perked up when updated graphic prints arrived on the catwalk.  At first glance, the colors and patterns looked like they were a throwback to the 70’s as well.  However, a closer look showed an abstract, modern floral.  The other print I really liked was an over-sized paisley in gigantic foulard print.  I love seeing traditional motifs being re-interpreted and re-mixed.  The freshest way to do that is to change up the scale.

Are you looking to boogie? There was a top and jumpsuit that featured fringe that swayed when the models walked.  You can’t have a 70’s inspired collection and not have a few looks ready for the dance floor… I wonder where Kimberly Newport-Mimran and Pink Tartan were when Studio 54 was open… 

photos by David TW Leung

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Farewell Oscar de la Renta

With sadness, I say good bye to one of fashion’s greatest designers. Oscar de la Renta passed away tonight after a long fight with cancer. He was an American icon, dressing First Ladies and Hollywood legends alike.

My personal recollection of him began in high school with me discovering we shared a birthday. I poured over the glamorous coverage of his fashion shows, hoping to experience his world when I got to New York to work in fashion.

That ambition came true in 1997 when I started working as an embellishment designer. He designed not only his own collection but the Balmain Haute Couture collection as well. He used one of my first embroidery designs of a vine-like sequin and bead pattern on a sheath in his show. He later used another one of my designs, where I had experimented with spray-painting gold fleur-de-lis patterns across sheets of copper sequins. I was overjoyed to see my work as a part of my idol’s runway. 

Visiting his studio at 550 7th Avenue was a treat. He and his close staff always looked impeccable. I would have been intimidated if it were not for his warm demeanor. One appointment I had there was cut short unexpectedly. I was shooed out for security clearance as then First Lady Hillary Clinton was coming in for a fitting.

  I remember one instance where his son Moises was doing homework in his office. Everyone knew that whenever Oscar had his family there, he would be in a great mood.  Oscar was in the middle of fitting a gown on a model a few weeks before his runway show in the studio. He came back to the office to ask his son if he wanted to watch the fitting. Adolescent boys generally don’t jump at watching their fathers pin clothing.  However, Moises could see the enthusiasm in his Dad’s eyes and reluctantly joined him to make him happy. Love trumped the need for teenage cool.

In recent years, Oscar de la Renta created memorable looks for pop divas like Beyonce Knowles and sartorial fantasies for Sarah Jessica Parker and Sex and the City. I hope he is surrounded by love and beautiful things like what he himself gave to this world.

 portrait by DAVID LORD DE LA RENTA, magazine clipping from officiel magazine 1998

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#NYBW: Pamella Roland Bridal 2015

I’m going to end my NY Bridal week coverage with the glamour of Pamella Roland.  Sprawling, romantic silhouettes and trumpet shaped skirts were the preferred look of this penthouse presentation. 

The designer worked her magic with fabric manipulation and embroidery.  I loved the more fashion forward use mixing irregular large crystals and jewels to encrust necklines and cuffs onto a very delicate lace dress.  This pattern was then interpreted with matte pearl sequins also cut irregularly and encrusted with stones and beads. 

Metallic stud embellishment was a big trend in streetwear.  Pamella Roland reinterpreted that trend into elegant bridal wear by creating spikes of crystal rondelles on top of long bugle beads and clustering different sized pearls to create the studded effect concentrated around the shoulder. 

 The final effect was an edgier nuptial look perfect for brides who prefer to mix street style into their ultra-glam wedding day.

Almost a pre-requisite for showing at NY Bridal week, Pamella Roland too had her Frozen-inspired “Elsa” dress.  There was a beautiful pale blue gown worn by, (surprise surprise) a blonde model with her hair pulled back.  The dress had sheer cap sleeved shoulders and was embroidered with crystal beaded vines that looked like cracked ice.  The pale sequin embroidery also looked like flakes of frost and snow on the body, culminating into long sheer godet panels at the skirt. 

Well there you have it. I didn’t cover a lot of bridal shows this time around, but I think I spotlighted some of the best.  Down the aisle or on the runway, don’t you love see a swirl of tulle?

Photos by Mariana Leung

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Blogger Love: Fall Girls

With fall in full swing, we're all breaking out the sweaters, getting the coats out of storage. And of course, doing a bit of fall shopping. Now is as good a time as any to investigate where the trends are headed so you can make the most of your fall fashion budget. This week the community at IFB has a great roundup of fall hauls, trend reports and outfit inspirations to help you decided which way you're going to fall this year:

• Back2Blanc: What Every Happy Girl Should Have
• Charlotte Lucy: Fall Boots & Other Stories
• Chic & Defined: Fab or Fail: Metallic Oxfords
• Couture Stories: Stylish Clothing You Can Borrow From Him
• Daily Luxe: How to Find Your Perfect Denim
• DressCode:HighFashion: Cape Trends for Fall
• Ellekae: Billion Dollar Brows
• Everest Says: Style This: Culottes
• Fashion Miroir: Runway Fashion: 15 Coat Trends
• Invictus: Casual With Mallzee
• Just Sammthing: Review of Chanel No. 5's Ad, "The One That I Want."
• Mode Plus: Animal Instinct
• Ms. Fabulous: Cosplay Trends at New York Comic-Con
• Preponderance in Fashion: Get "Vested" in Fall Fashion
• Purushu: 19 Reasons Why Fashion College is The Coolest
• Quaintrelle: Victorian Hair Jewelry by Swarovski
• Style Curated: Maryland to Murano: Neckpieces and Sculptures by Joyce C. Scott
• Style Duplex: How We Fall
• Style Marmalade: Living NOW Reflection DIY
• The Curious Red Alice: DIY Statement Sunglasses
• We Are Ready Made: Swedish Fashion Goes to Paris

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#NYBW: Monique Lhuilliers Bridal 2015

 Were you obsessed with jewel box ballerinas as a child like I was? I'm so happy that Monique Lhuillier’s bridal collection for 2015 shows that she loved them as much as I did. 

Her latest collection of wedding dresses was inspired by ballet dancers and the delights of an open jewelry box.  The featured model on the runway was Alvin Ailey dancer Anne O'Dell.   The gowns were offered a range of off-white pastels in additional ivory and white.  Intricate lace was paired with trumpeted silhouettes or layers of tulle in elaborate full skirts were like the dresses I fantasized about as a clumsy ballet student in first grade. 

The delicate embroideries of this collection included gold edged fabric flowers and chiffon leaves in a vine pattern.  She does a great job in using dainty motifs accented with some sparkle in the form of crystals or pearls.  She has used a few of my embroidery designs in the past.  She was always meticulous about layout and balance of the design.

Monique Lhuillier's shoes collection was also highlighted on catwalk.  The shoes were named after famous characters from classic ballet productions, like "Odile", "Odette" and "Belle".

While her main collection at NY Fashion Week often has more forward looks, her bridal group is unapologetically romantic. Why shouldn’t it? Your wedding day is a celebration of love.  Your Monique Lhuillier wedding dress should be a treasure.

Photos courtesy of Monique Lhuillier/HL Group

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#NYBW: Theia Bridal Fall 2015

New York Bridal Week’s biggest trend was Frozen.  While other designers took it from the Disney movie, THEIA’s Don O’Neill took his inspiration literally, as in the frozen tundra of Mongolia.  Why Mongolia?  For Theia’s bridal fall 2015 collection, the designer worked with socially responsible cashmere supplier Naadam, who worked with nomadic tribes in the country to produce a unique gown for the show. 

In a beautiful collaboration of two cultures, the dress was hand knit in Mongolia, but using traditional stitches from Don’s Irish heritage.   The distinct texture of Mongolian lamb was also used as a poncho.  One of the gowns had the colors and pattern of a winter spruce landscape.  Other dresses had crystal and mirrored pailette embroidery that had the effect of glittering snow.  Disney’s “Elsa” could only wish for this wardrobe.  Theia was inspired by the myths and Goddesses of Europe long before the animated movie hit the theaters.

What I like about Don O’Neill’s approach to bridal, is that he thinks outside of the traditional wedding style box and takes more of a high fashion approach.  There was a slim jumpsuit paired with a wrap, a crop top with a ballgown skirt or woven ribbon tweed full length coat as an option.

The gorgeous bouquets also had a frozen flora look to them to accompany the runway looks.  The flowers were created by Fleur de Pascal. 

The models’ beaded hairpieces had the look of dripping icicles, but the dangling charm details have their roots in the garb of Asia's ethnic tribes (check out my Dad’s photo of a girl from the Yi tribe).

Thank you Don and THEIA for another gorgeous show!

 Runway photos by Robert Mitra, Mongolian Nomad and Yi tribal photo by David TW Leung

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#NYBW: Karen Sabag Bridal 2015

Feeling romantic? I love the parade of wedding gowns across New York for Bridal Week.  Designer Karen Sabag’s bridal collection for 2015 was inspired by the opulent interiors of Versailles.  Her fashion show venue probably came as close to those interiors as you could find in NYC at the French-styled James Burden Mansion.

Fashion Institute of Technology alumni, Sabag is known for her love of corseted looks, intricate embroideries and luxury fabrics.  This collection was a portfolio of all of her specialties.  There were gorgeous silhouettes with swishing mermaid tails and epic trains.  Shorter dresses were also on offer for the contemporary bride.  Lace gowns were further embellished with contrasting lace piecing as appliques.  Delicate pearls and jewels were embroidered with shredded chiffon flowers.  She used a range of bridal colors like blush, ivory, white, taupe and champagne.

The two looks that were cute, but did not seem to fit were the dresses that had a pattern of plastic pailettes embroidery.  While on their own, these looks were fun and modern, they were a stark contrast to the classic luxury of the rest of the collection.  They made a lot of noise as the model walked and did not exactly fit the Versailles theme.

The showstopper was the final look of the runway.  Based on reports of other bridal week shows, this would be the “Elsa” dress.  It was seemingly communicated to all bridal designers that the hottest look next year would be the signature look from Disney’s “Frozen”.  Designers interpreted this into pale blue glittery gowns, dresses with sheer capes, etc.  For Karen Sabag, she paired a heavily beaded fishtail gown with a cap sleeved organza coat that billowed out like a cape. 

Whether you’re the ice queen of Versailles or just want to warm up the aisle, you would find something in Karen Sabag’s 2015 bridal collection for everyone.

photos by Mariana Leung

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Cosplay Trends of New York Comic-Con

  Thanks to the popularity of cosplay, New York Comic-Con has the most fun street style of any event in NYC.  I also attended Toronto's Fan Expo in August for another dose of costumed fun.  Like fashion week, I observed seasonal trends that indicate the popularity of different pop culture brands year to year.  Like fashion week, there also seems to be a hierarchy of cosplay street style stars.  There are "celebrity" cosplayers (like Yaya Han who has calendars and a reality show) down to the grown adults who bought a supermarket mask and drew on their sweatshirt with a Sharpie marker.

For women, the most popular character by far was Harley Quinn. This Batman villainess did not even originate from a comic-book but was a sidekick in the 1990’s cartoon series.  She gained a huge following as a result and is now part of the comic book canon, even making cameos in live-action series like Arrow and Birds of Prey.  The original cartoon look and the edgier video game outfits are represented all over the convention floor.  Other hot characters were X-men’s Storm, Maleficient and other Batman characters like Catwoman and Poison Ivy. 

Another big trend this year? Ladies were dressing like femme versions of traditionally male characters.  I saw female Jokers, Penguin, X-men’s Magneto, Beetlejuice, Thor and many others.  Am I surprised? No. Comics, video games and Hollywood movies often treat female characters as window dressing, so women redefining iconic heroes or villains are due.

For men, the brand with the biggest rise in popularity over the years has to be Doctor Who.  In Toronto, it was the most popular character by far.  In addition to men, both children AND women love dressing as this quirky Brit.  Star Wars fans who used to dominate were noticeably less visible for me, but I didn't attend every day.

For the macho guys, fully-armored video game combatants are the acceptable "bro" costume.  Classic heroes like Batman and related villains will always be a staple.  

Goths and Lolitas were the hit alternative fashion genre when I first attended at Comic-con five years ago.  The move to Steampunk has increasingly hit the mainstream for both and women.  The ones that get attention are fans that co-opt a famous character and give them a Steampunk makeover like Iron Man and Boba Fett.  This year, though, I have seen not one, but two fans dressed as Steampunk Wonder Woman. 

I always find it fascinating when a seemingly obscure and older character has a disproportionate amount of popularity.  I have seen multiple, highly detailed “Rufio” cosplayers from 1991’s “Hook” show up in the last two years. The comeback is surprisingly considering the movie is over 20 years old and often mocked.  Dante Basco, the actor himself was originally mortified of his character’s look.   My guess is that character was one of the few cool Asian male characters in pop culture that hit fan’s childhood at the right time.

UNLIKE fashion week, those dressing up in cosplay do so for the sheer love for their character.  The great ones put a craftsmanship and ingenuity into their costume for no return other than possible validation of other fans. If you catch them in the wild, they are gracious about posing for you, and often throw themselves into character to give you a fun shot.  I love seeing fans who embrace their body type and find a costume that suits it. I found a surprisingly chic “Fiona” from Shrek and the universally flattering look of “Zatanna” who dons fishnets and curve-hugging top hat and tails.  Contrary to the reports in male-dominated websites, it’s not just the “hot” girls who receive appreciation.  People of all shapes earn the admiration of their peers if they rock a fantastic cosplay look.  If you have it, flaunt it!

photos by Mariana Leung

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