Fashion Fostering Connectivity Sheila Gray and Byron Lars Fashion Show

Feeling thankful today. The fashion, art, and media communities are huge, so why aren't we networking more? Last Friday, Sheila Gray presented the Fashion Fostering Connectivity Panel  to remedy that. I am so grateful for the empowering event. The evening started with an informal fashion show featuring both Sheila's collection and Byron Lars collection where the models were an inclusive group both in culture, size, shape, backgrounds, but with a common trait of giving back to the community. I was honored to be asked to be a part of this "model" lineup!

Sheila Gray, who is also PR director for Byron Lars in addition to her up-and-coming accessories collection, put this wonderful event together. She brought in author/editor Constance White (personal woman crush as a writer), Dale Noelle of True Model Management, Adrienne Jones, Cheryl McGinnis, Mary Ann Wheaton, Lisa Marie and Hello Beautiful publisher Danielle James. These power women discussed the challenges of working in their media, art, fashion fields, coming up against the establishment as women and as people of color. They stressed the importance of sharing, networking, talking to each other and then stayed to follow through with the guests in attendance.

Models were equally inspiring. Actress Lisa Arrindale introduced herself right in the model lineup before we headed to the runway to share and give thanks for being there to set the tone. Leslie Taub is a dancer and physically challenged model rocking classic Hollywood blonde glam, promoting strength and empowerment by example. Kyria Jaide Hughes, Jerrica Patton, Jasmine Moore, Alex Ferguson, Frankie Tavares, Keely Bembry, Chelsea Henriques, and Nicole Quintero all devote a good portion of their life to great causes and with entrepreneurial projects of their own.

I wore a twist front black Byron Lars dress (one of my favorite styles of his) with some fabulous silver and black statement necklaces by Sheila Gray. Those spiky stud gloves were a DIY one-off from Byron that he made for the look. Those huge glasses were a tribute to legends like Edith Head, Edna Mode, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and Carrie Donovan.

I contributed my newly launched Wicked Finch Boozy Jam collection to the gift bags for the event. Other goodies included the newest makeup color trends and lots of sweet treats.

So how do you connect with your fashion peers? What do you think of all the gorgeous Byron Lars Fashion? Reach out and network with your colleagues and introduce them to each other. You never know how the right connection can help someone else!

Photos by Mariana Leung

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#BestNine2017 of Ms. Fabulous

Happy New Year my darlings! I'm sure you have already checked out your Instagram #BestNine2017 for last year. What did you learn about yourself and your fans?

My past two years, the Best Nine told me I liked the color red, love fashion and my friends and family generally like to see photos of me.

Best Nine 2017 showed me my interests have changed somewhat. Based on the photos most highly liked, either me or all of you like to see comic-con photos more than runway photos. Either that's a shift in the overall love of geekery on my part, or yours? They account for 4 out of the 9 photos here.

Of the photos of myself you liked, one of them is one where I mock my puberty-plagued look. Three of them, I am wearing colors and patterns rather than my usual black.

The last photo is a posh plate of sushi. That's the oddball out here. I do post pics of food and my attempts at baking regularly, but this particular dish stood out. Perhaps it has to do with the combination of hashtags. Maybe Instagram viewers just like raw fish.

Here's to a healthy, prosperous and productive 2018 everyone! I showed you mine, now you show me yours! BestNine2017

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Top Bonnets from the NYC Easter Parade

New Yorkers will take any excuse to dress up. The NYC Easter Parade is a tradition for the fashionable to flaunt their style that dates back to the 1870s. The head gear has evolved way beyond an elegant bonnet and has expanded to wearable art, fashion designer masterpieces, protest symbols or an afternoon of family crafts.

There's me in my butterflies that I made the night before. I was inspired by the Philip Treacy hat that was part of Alexander McQueen's Fall 2009 show. I was flanked by two gentlemen who created a headpiece of gravity defying ties. What a great way to incorporate menswear for masculine style if you're not into flowers! Otherwise, many parade revellers live by the "Go big or go home" motto. They created dramatically large hats to dominate Fifth Avenue.

Unsurprising trends were outfits and hats that protested the current administration. One of the most popular was a pouting, childlike Trump mask. Another protested Trump's ties with Russia by incorporating him into Faberge inspired Easter eggs. Others used more generic protest imagery that corresponded to their outfit.

all photos by Mariana Leung and Adam Weinstein

A popular trend this year was The Wizard of Oz. I found lots of groups who were inspired by this story for Easter. Bonnets were depicting different scenes or characters from the story. There was a giant diorama on one person's head that included all of the characters. Different parade guests dressed as their favorite character from head to toe. I always thought Alice in Wonderland would be the go-to Easter story, but I was wrong.

As this is New York, some of the best looks were carried off with the appropriate attitude. There is my handsome husband in dapper tails and slick black derby and rabbit mask next to a Tim Burton-esque outfit depicting a hot air balloon. I love the multi-generational preppy duo at ease on the East Side. The older gentleman at the top right was a favorite of everyone at the parade for his sassy attitude with orange-dyed cigar carrots that he smoked and kept in his pocket.

The NYC Easter Parade counts as one of the best (free!) events of the New York. There is great history, celebrates fashion and creativity and inclusive to anyone who wants to watch or join. Which look was your favorite?

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Ms. Fabulous Hosts A Cherry Blossom Boozy Brunch

 Is it spring? Ms. Fabulous and Stretch n' Flow Yoga hosted a boozy brunch to celebrate the city's blooming cherry blossoms. The dress code was garden party chic, hosted at the gorgeous Hudson View Gardens Lounge. 

June Li Lo, director of Stretch n' Flow Yoga conducted an artisanal dumpling demo based on the recipes of her father's restaurant in Philadelphia (see recipe below). Of course, she made it look easy. The skills needed to include finite knife skills and delicate finger manipulation of the delicate wrappers and pleats. Shockingly, the prettiest dumplings were made by designer Byron Lars, who admitted later it "wasn't his first dumpling rodeo." Other guests included other fashion and media colleagues from AMC Networks, First Look Media, Macy's, Gwynnie Bee and Victoria's Secret. 

modern doll cocktail lab enhanced drinks

Cocktails are always a part of a Ms. Fabulous event. Today, they were hibiscus and berry teas spiked with "The Vicious Purple", floral cocktail bitters from Modern Doll Cocktail Lab. There were also mimosas using "Bitter Mandarina" and espresso martinis made with "Cocoa Canelle" a chocolate and cinnamon liqueur.

My outfit for the day was a pastel flared dress by Byron Lars. My pink petal headband is from Weng Meng Design Studio (my design).

Mr. Lo's Pork Dumplings:

1 lb Ground Pork

2 Bunches of Scallions (finely chopped)

2 oz. Bamboo Shoots (finely chopped)

2 oz. Nappa Cabbage (finely chopped)

1/2 tsp. sesame oil

1 tsp. Oyster Sauce

1 tsp. Soy Sauce

1 tsp. sugar

1 tsp. salt

Ground pepper to taste

1 (50 ct) package of Dumpling Wrappers 

1 egg (optional)

Directions: 

Mix all ingredients except the wrappers and egg together in a large bowl.

Place either the egg (beaten) or water in a small dipping bowl. Scoop 1 tsp. of the pork mixture into the middle of a dumpling wrapper held in the palm of your hand. Dip a finger into the water or beaten egg and rub along the edge of the wrapper to act as glue. Gently fold wrapper in half, but do not close it. Use two other fingers to create 3 light pleats along one edge, then pinch the edges closed to create a half-moon shape.

Bring a pot of water to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-high and add your folded dumplings to the pot. When the pot boils again and the dumplings rise (approx. 2-3 minutes) add an additional cup of water to the pot. When the pot boils a second time, repeat with adding an additional cup of water until the pot boils again and the dumplings rise.

Remove the dumplings and serve!

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Ms. Fabulous: Favorite Moments of 2014

Happy 2015 my divas! On this first day of the year I wanted to reflect on the most memorable moments for the Ms. Fabulous site. I compiled a bunch of our top fashion blog posts in terms of personal favorites to write, photograph, emotionally moving and popularity.

I started this blog as a creative outlet in rediscovering what I loved about fashion; the culture that inspires it. I love to cover great events and the Jean Paul Gaultier exhibit at the Brooklyn Museum was my favorite. I am also a big fan of costume design. The event that made the biggest impression on me was Lady Gaga’s ArtRave.

The most popular post in 2014 was unexpected. I wrote a spontaneous ode to the fashion eccentric fictional character of Myrtle Snow on American Horror Story. Overnight, the post had gone viral. There is a certain comfort in realizing how many twisted, style obsessed fans are out in the internet as me.

At Ms. Fabulous, we specialize in our runway coverage. For the past few years, our team here including David TW Leung, Mdivani Monroe and I have embedded ourselves into the photographer’s pit at New York, Miami and Toronto fashion week to bring you coverage from the front lines. I wrote 5 Things Only Fashion Week Photographers Understand as a tribute to all of the hardworking shooters at the end of the runway.

The runway shows themselves? The one that left the biggest impression was the Alleles & VAWK show in Toronto. Their collaboration incorporated 3D printed technology to create beautiful prosthetic limbs that were both functional and chic to coordinate with the clothing collection. The collections that were the most fun to shoot included Betsey Johnson, Beach Bunny’s collaboration with The Blonds and Desigual’s show starring Adriana Lima. Sometimes the best runway moments are the spontaneous ones. Zang Toi celebrated his 25^th anniversary at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week in September. Press corps leader Richard Renda chased him down the runway to present him a cake when the shy designer fled. It was a hilarious and touching moment that I was honored to be a part of.

The saddest post I had to write was my remembrance of Oscar de la Renta. There are certainly many people in the industry who knew the designer better. However, the brief meetings I had with him in my career made a huge impression.

Bonus:

We pimped ourselves out to other publications too. My piece for Narrative.ly on the War of the Fashion Bloggers gained kudos and haters alike. 

We reported on 3D printing and how it can make fashion design sustainable for Eco Salon.

We created fashion pieces for Genesis Rodriguez’s cover shoot for Siempre Mujer and Carol Alt’s upcoming movie Stealing Chanel.

Ms. Fabulous wishes you a glamorous, successful 2015! 

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Siempre Mujer Shoot with Genesis Rodriguez

Are you fan of bridal or embellishment design?  If you are not familiar with my side project, Weng Meng Design Studio, I create one-of-a-kind pieces based on my artisan embroidery designs.  Earlier this summer, a cool stylist by the name of Carlos Franqui contacted me after seeing my feather capelets on my Etsy shop. 

He was working on a fabulous white fashion story for a cover shoot for leading Latin magazine, Siempre Mujer.  The gorgeous actress Genesis Rodriguez was starring in this photo spread.  He said a white falcon would be the co-star and wanted a dramatic feather creation to accompany it.  Of course, I was out of town at the time and pulled an all-nighter the day before to make this happen. 

I layered long and medium length white feathers and stitched several rows of stitches to keep them
together on a base of soft tulle.  I used the natural curve of the feathers for shape.  I used shorter feathers for the collar area.  I added short, burnt coque feathers as accent.    I further used silk charmeuse to face the area where the ends of the feather shafts met to protect the wearer (very important when designing with feathers!)  I was really happy with the final product.

Let me tell you… All-nighters when you are 19 are very different from where I am now.  After I came home from the photo shoot, I crashed out with my head on the couch, body on an ottoman and a cat sprawled on my chest.  

The team at the photo shoot were terrific.  I hung out and helped with the set up for a bit to watch the stylists and photographers in action.  I absolutely loved the final result!

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The Passion For Fashion

It is the first official day of New York Fashion Week.  I won’t count on getting much sleep and diving into an onslaught of runway show after runway show.  I will spend most of it trekking from venue to venue dragging my gear with me.  I will likely be stepped on, kicked, condescended to, sneered at or ignored.  Why? I love fashion.

If you work in the fashion industry as long as I have, you understand that you are subjecting yourself to backstabbing, long hours and low pay compared to the cushy career paths of your non-“Garmento” friends.  The only reason to put up with this is because you truly believe in the beauty of fashion.

 I attempted to make little garments for my stuffed animals in grade school.  Ironically, I was not allowed to own a Barbie doll because my mother did not want me growing up to be obsessed with shallow endeavors like clothes and make-up.  #FAIL.

In high school, I started my own accessories line using origami and jewelry.  Attending the fledgling trade show at the Toronto Convention Center that served as the city’s only fashion week at the time cemented my passion for the industry.  I knew I wanted to create or share the beautiful work that went into the great design.

At Parsons School of Design, I created dresses that had a sense of humor or worked in an artisanal craft.  I loved dressing models backstage at Bryant Park for Isaac Mizrahi, or showing off the Carmen Marc Valvo collection to buyers in his showroom.

Now I consult with my favorite designers or new start-ups to help bring their collection inspiration to the stores as a textile or technical designer.  As a blogger and photographer, I have the joy of shooting my favorite collections from the front row and helping others appreciate the work that went into them!

Confucius was quoted along the lines of “Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life.”   I disagree.  Anyone who loves fashion, works their ass off and will always do so.

Do you work in fashion?  What fuels your love of style?

With its outstanding MPG, advanced technology and ample cargo capacity, the all-new Nissan Versa® Note™ is designed to be the perfect partner in your pursuit to do more of what you love. The all-new Nissan Versa® Note™.  Your Door to More™.

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

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The Fashion Milestones of Ms. Fabulous

What was the milestone moments that brought me here today?

The definitive moment that made me choose the fashion industry as my career path was after watching a charity runway show of Canadian designer Alfred Sung in 1991.  This was before Toronto had a fashion week, and was just a trade show.  It was also where M.A.C. cosmetics were first introduced to the Canadian fashion crowd before taking over the world.  It was my junior year in high school and I had loved every part of the atmosphere there.  While there was a lot of pitching from marketing people, I loved listening to all of it, just to learn about how the industry people talked about their product and try to learn the lingo.

When you feel that “A-ha” moment, embrace it.  Explore it, learn about it, and then find a way to make it happen.

After that, I set out to explore who the top players were in the industry and what the top schools were.  I made it a goal to get into Parsons School of Design as it had the best alumni.  I didn’t really have a plan B.  I always knew I wanted to live in New York City and am really grateful my parents were so supportive.

My first job after graduating from Parsons was to work as a designer for a lingerie company. I got to see my first solo project hanging in Bloomingdale’s six months later.  This was a milestone moment for me to see a major store carrying something I put my stamp on.  It was the scared look of a customer trying on the robe and seeing me jump and down that finally snapped me back to reality.

There’s nothing like a moment of validation that your chosen path in life was the right one. 

One of my first projects in embroidery design, and what would become my passion, was a project for Oscar de la Renta. I was creating Baroque motif “graffiti” by spray painting stenciled shapes onto sheets of sequins.  The design made it into his collection and I called my mother when I saw the runway photos in a magazine. 

In the apparel industry, it often is not as artistic as one might hope.  I soon learned that merchandising and margins get in the way of creativity quite a bit.  Embroidery design turned out to be one small segment of the industry where one really could branch out and take chances in design, and where your fashion design heroes actually take notice.  Also, Oscar de la Renta happens to have the same birthday as me today of July 22^nd.  Perhaps that’s why we understood each other.

The most important fashion design I ever created was my own wedding gown.  Yes, that’s cliché, and I was sternly instructed not to attempt making it myself by my mother.  I wasn’t sure if that was a superstition or her knowing me well enough that I shouldn’t stress myself out.  What made this an important gown was not just the symbolic purpose of it, but the fact that it was a collaborative project with several good friends.  I designed it, but my good friend Regina constructed it and another friend Rekha did the embroidery.  My entire family and friends collaborated on many other aspects of the event, from running an assembly line for programs or my Mother running the planning down like a military operation (really, she had spreadsheets and charted images of all vendors on CDs!). 

You may have terrific milestones in your career; you might have amazing accomplishments of your own.  However, I realized the longer I live life, the ones that are the most satisfying are the ones you achieve with the people you love. 

In today’s busy world, don’t let your period slow you down. At the end of the day, Always Infinity is the pad that’s still going strong. It’s made from a revolutionary material called Infincel, so it’s super flexible and totally molds to your shape. Plus, it absorbs up to 55% more.* So spend more time with your friends and family, and less time worrying about leaks. Try Always Infinity today. Share your tips to achieve a better balance: Facebook.com/always.               *versus the leading Regular Ultra pad with wings.

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

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DIY: How to Make a Birdcage Veil

It's June and a classically popular month for weddings.  I recently made a DIY birdcage veil for a bride.  She wanted the veil to coordinate with the necklace she purchased from BCBG.  I took cues from the pearls used on the strands and the crystal-studded leaves.

You need:
- short length (about 1/2 yard) of netting.   For this diamond pattern, it is usually called Russian or French netting and can be found in most bridal supply stores or online at places like Etsy.com.
- a pair of metal combs (short ones).
- taffeta, organza or satin (if you have a swatch of it from your dress, that works)
- beads, rhinestones, pearls (your choice)

For the DIY Wedding veil, you need to gather the ends of the netting and take a needle and thread attach it to the top of the comb.  It doesn't have to be precise, just wrap the thread around and around the loops of the netting and the teeth of the comb and secure it by knotting it off.

Now that you have the basic birdcage veil, you can just start embellishing.  I stitched leaf motifs onto silk taffeta to match the bride's dress. Then, I embroidered tiny crystals on them to look like her necklace.

 However, you can create whatever shape you want from your swatch of fabric.  You can make flowers (see some templates here) or abstract shapes.  You can then stitch beads, rhinestones or pearls in the middle to give it some bling:

Once your leaves, flowers or abstract pieces are done, you just need to attach them to the top edge of the comb by either glueing or stitching to the top ridge of your comb. Make sure to cover the gathered part of the netting. Voila! You own DIY birdcage veil. Style for the aisle!

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Mission: Wedding Day

What is it like to invite a TV crew to follow your wedding day?  For me, being a part of a bridal reality show was like corralling your friends and family into a high adrenaline CIA operation.

I started off in the morning with a sound guy having to wire me with a microphone.  Television microphone packs are usually clipped to the sturdy waistband of a pair of pants or skirt.  In designing my own (semi sheer organza) wedding gown, it never occured to me to accomodate bulky electronics in my ensemble.  The techie ended up having to run his thick hairy arm down my cleavage to attach cables to the mic pack strapped like a bomb to my calf.  My one thought was that I hoped that I would get at least more action than this before the end of the night.

Meanwhile, hubby and his team of groom’s men were performing high risk negotiations with my bridesmaid brigade outside.  This was part of a Chinese wedding tradition where the bride’s female friends extort money or make him pay in humiliating tasks for passage to the bride.   To honor my groom’s Scottish heritage, one of the tasks was for them to storm the “castle” in the style of “Braveheart”. 

Unfortunately, the beautifully researched tartan fabric my bridesmaid had sourced for them to wear had been misplaced at the last minute.  Instead, only a fushia plaid one starring teddy bears was available at the local store.  This may not have reproduced the dramatic scene as planned, but still looked great on-camera.  What do you think?

In the last minutes before the final mission, you always get the heart-felt confessions of your loved ones before marching in.  Several of my relatives gave me sincere confessions that they would be the “embarrassing drunk one” at the reception and would apologize now. How noble.

When you look back, it's not about the flowers, your hair or filling the wedding registry...  The moments that bring a smile to your face are the unexpected ones, when things initially go wrong and through love or creativity, find a way to make themselves right. 

The Big Wedding is a hilarious new movie from Lionsgate that brings you lots of those moments. Can you relate? They invite you to share your own wedding story on their Facebook page  Check out the trailer:

An uproarious romantic comedy about the ties that bind, THE BIG

WEDDING centers around Don and Ellie, a long divorced couple being

forced to pretend that they are still happily married at their son’s wedding.

Among all of their family and friends, the hoax snowballs, culminating in a

series of surprising outcomes on the way to "I do."

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

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Trendspotting: Origami Fashion

I grew up making origami, originally taught to me by mother.  A traditional childhood paper craft, she never thought it would become a lifelong obsession with me... In high school, I graduated to making origami jewelry and greeting cards that would become my little side hustle at craft fairs.

For my senior year fashion design thesis at Parsons School of Design, I created a wedding dress out of silk gazar origami birds on a hooped satin organza base (see above).  This one got a lot of mileage, as fashion magazines from the U.S. and Spain asked to feature it.

Origami also became another side project in later years when I taught children to make their own creations at an Upper West Side restaurant which then turned into a business of creating folded paper decor for events.  Go figure.

In fashion, I am clearly not the only one to be inspired by this ancient craft... Mainstream couturiers like Chanel in 2009 and John Galliano for Dior in 2007 have had very popular collections.

The Pratt Institute and the MOMU Fashion museum at Antwerp had featured exhibitions of dresses made from folded paper.  Other artists and up-and-coming designers are also creating new couture pieces using manipulated folds in metallics, paper and fabric.

Etsy is full of artists creating everything from jewelry, handbags, t-shirts and party decor:

Some great DIY tutorials on origami-inspired fashion accessories

Origami flower change purse:

Origami Earrings:

photos by Giovanni Giannoni,Mauricio Velasquez Posada ,Bobbin Talk, David TW Leung,Francois Guillot,Francois Guillot

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Embroidery Design Innovators - Stitches Magazine

Embroidery trade publication, Stitches Magazine published a special fashion issue for September.  Titled the "New Age of Decoration" it spotlights seven designers who specialize in embellishment in their collections. 

 I am honored to be one of the seven designers featured (I'm called "The Dream Maker").  Besides giving Weng Meng Design Studio a plug, I loved seeing how diverse seven different embroidery specialists can be in their techniques and aesthetic. 

Artist Conrad Booker considers himself an environmentalist/couturier.  He created embellishments with found objects.  Cecile Hadjian modified Renaissance paintings digitally before printing them on fabric and embellishing them with stones and other materials.  

 I focused on taking classic techniques and modernizing them by varying the size and color of the materials to give embroidery depth or richer look in the fringed skirt.  I used delicate fabric appliques and crystal for the bridal pieces.

Embroidery is so much more than applying thread in little motifs on a garment.  It is a vast textile art that combines the most ancient artisan techniques with the most advanced technologies available today.  Materials go well beyond silk floss and glass beads.  Designers like myself have used everything from computer chips, film negatives, balloons and bubble wrap in our designs.  

You can check out the magazine and my fellow designers online here.

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Meet the Bloggers at Ruia Boutique

Thursday night, I was invited by the team at luxury shoe boutique Ruia to speak about myself and blog. I was joined by two other amazing bloggers, Lera of Fashion Addict Diary and Stephanie of NewYork Fashion Hunter.

Chocolate,wine and champagne from Ayza Wine Bar were served to a well heeled group of guests. These included shoe designer Kora Mancini who wore a pair of her inventive boots and is represented in the boutique. I got to meet with other bloggers as well as reps from Digs boutique. I was ecstatic to also be joined by college friend June, and former co-workers Stella and Nyree.

Lera spoke about the history of fashion blogging, and how she was a part of it's development. She is a self-taught fashion 'expert' who has had some great blogger perks, such as being flown out to Paris by Chanel to review their line.

Stephanie Unter's blog is focused on her own shopping adventures and search for the perfect accessory.

My presentation for Ms. Fabulous included my journey from Parsons through all of my jobs in the fashion industry that have shaped my blogging.

All in all, it was a great night. I loved meeting the other bloggers. It is always interesting to see how different every blogger's vision can be!

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Win a Trip to NY Fashion Week! - #NYFW Survival Kit

Mariana, aka Ms. FABulous in the photographer's pit at Lincoln Center

Gird your loins...NY Fashion week is almost here.  Anyone who is working in some capacity can say good-bye to sleep for the next few weeks.

Designers are biting their nails waiting for their samples, praying models won’t be naked on the runway.  Publicists are swimming through tens of thousands of egos and invitation requests.  Photographers, journalists and bloggers are gearing up and sorting itineraries of conflicting shows…And I love it!

I have worked on all sides of the runway in my career.  This season, I will be going as blogger and photographer.  I am culling my looks together for events where I need to be chic (particularly excited about Kohl’s Rock & Republic Launch Fashion Show and Party!)  

Alternatively, I am also stocking up on hard toe boots, layered clothing and memory sticks for shows where I'll duke it out in that pirate's crew they call the photographer's pit.  

My Fashion Week survival kit: 

-Water and raw almonds (counter balance those cocktails and lack of meal times)
-iPhone with my essential NYFW apps: Fashion GPS, Yelp, Instagram, HootSuite 

-Foldable slippers (only non-humans can wear platform heels for 16 hours a day)

-Compact for beauty touch-ups (ok, realistically, blotting when you sweat in the photo pit) 

Have your invite yet? Glam Media is sending Fashionistas to NY fashion week with a full-on makeover at Rock & Republic, tickets to the big runway show, airfare, hotel and spending money.  RSVP through their sweepstakes right here. 

Kohl's provided compensation to me as an incentive to blog about the Rock & Republic launch event.  The opinions expressed herein are those of this author, and they have not been reviewed or approved by Kohl's in advance.

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Costumes of Spiderman: Turn Off the Dark – Rise and Fall

 

I had originally planned on posting a review of the Broadway show.  I am a big fan of U2’s music and Julie Taymor’s theatrical productions. 

Most of the show did not disappoint.  The sets, the staging were visually brilliant in many scenes…The rotating NYC skyscrapers that allowed you to view the city from different angles.  The impressively simple weaving scene of the Arachne character was striking.  There was a surprisingly effective, witty/burlesque scene of multi-legged, corseted Arachne chorus with a shoe fetish.  The costume designs were by Eiko Ishioka, the Oscar-winning designer behind the looks of Dracula and Cirque du Soleil. 

Unfortunately, seven minutes before the show ended, at the climax of the production, Spiderman fell off the ledge and dropped 30 feet into the pit. A cable was left dangling off the side, like it should have been connected to something, but was not.  

There was a scream.  A voice yelled "Someone call 911!".  Then there was silence.  A minute later, the stage was still dark.  Then there was an announcement that the show would be delayed.  A second announcement came a few minutes later, that the performance would not continue.  The lights came up.

The shocked audience slowly exited the theater.  Everyone was concerned for the actor, many stayed to catch a glimpse of Spiderman to see if he was okay.  He was carried out to the ambulance still in costume.  

My prayers are with the performer for a speedy recovery.

Update: The actor's name was Christopher Tierney.  He was born in Spain, raised in New Hampshire and trained in Houston.  

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