#NYBFW Theia Bridal Spring 2020

Happy Bridal Week! Theia Bridal Spring 2020 collection was a sparkling tribute to 1970s style icons. This decade was a beautiful era to showcase the body flattering draped crepe fabrics that Theia has been producing in recent seasons. Designer Don O'Neill paid tribute to the disco era, not with cliches, but evoking the spirit of women like Bianca Jagger and Farrah Fawcett. Plunging necklines, jumpsuits, silver and hand-beaded details all give the Studio 54 vibe, but with an elegant upgrade for a dance down the aisle.

Sure, there are big ballgowns of structured, heavy, uncomfortable dresses out there. The Theia Bridal collection is for the bride on the move, who wants something comfortable and elevated expression of her personal style. The looks from this 2020 bridal collection are sexy and sleek for a range of body shapes. Models of different shapes modeled them on this runway to demonstrate just that.

Styling the show, you saw Bianca Jagger's signature hat and an update of the brushed back curls of Farrah. The makeup was close to natural with a hint of extra shine on the lips. The glittering flowers and orchids as the backdrop were created by Fleur de Pascal.

If you plan on dancing throughout your wedding and need the glamour, the Theia Bridal Spring 2020 collection is perfect for you!

All photos by Mariana Leung

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#NYFW Studio 189 from Rosario Dawson

Today we are taking a trip to Africa. Studio 189 Fall 2019 was one of my favorite presentations on several fronts. First, I was reunited with two immensely talented ex co-workers who now work on this brand. Jennifer Chun is amazing designer who know doubt was responsible for the best looks you see here. Ngaa Bedell, now relocated to Ghana, worked her magic from across the world and back in NYC to make sure it looked good.

Founder actress Rosario Dawson established Studio 189 as a sustainable fashion label celebrating the craftsmanship of African communities and the art of indigo dying. The silhouettes were incredibly chic and modern,  showcasing the updated expressions of local patterns beautifully.

The model casting was equally beautiful and diverse. The presentation incorporated dance and lots of team members excited to talk about their work.

Congratulations to everyone who worked on the Studio 189 fall 2019 collection. What a triumph!

All photos by Mariana Leung

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Blogger Love: Refreshing Seasonal Style

Hello! It has been awhile since I shared a collection of Links à la Mode by Independent Fashion Bloggers. This week, my fellow bloggers are sharing their tips for refreshing their closets for the season:

• 5 Tips to Survive the Mid Winter Nothing to Wear Syndrome by FunkyForty
• CH2T Styling: 4 Unconventional Styling Tips for Valentine's Day by Cammeo HEAD TO TOE
• #NYFWM Grungy Gentlemen Fall 2019 by Ms. Fabulous
• One Simple Method to Declutter Your Closet for Good by Life with Mar

SPONSOR: Shopbop

Golden Goose, LANA JEWELRY, Cleobella Bags, Palm, Colovos, Brandon Blackwood, Casual Dresses, Slingback Shoes, Cross Body Bags, Men's Reigning Champ

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#NYFW PONY x Harbin Lunar Near Year on the Runway

Happy Lunar New Year! PONY brand and Harbin beer brought an epic collaboration to NYFW Saturday night. I was feeling low not being able to spend Chinese New Year with my family, but these guys brought the celebration to life in a modern way. The fashion show started with a fantastic performance of an electropop rock band that incorporated traditional Chinese instruments like the pipa. This was performed in a mashup with a Chinese opera singer in full costume and makeup. 

The clothing collection itself was a stylish mix of metallic puffer jackets, lots of plaid, skirts or pants with fashion forward silhouettes. The key colors were red, yellow, silver, black and grey.

A calligraphy artist painted a giant scroll down the middle of the runway as the models walked around him. A DJ wore a traditional opera mask to spin the soundtrack.

The show ended with a dance-off between contemporary urban street dancers and traditional acrobatic lion dancers.

The brief after party included a pop star performance and Harbin beer, a German town in China with breweries dating back over 100 years.

Gung Hay Fat Choy!

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#NYFW Jiri Kalfar Fall 2019

I love the pretty ones. People's Revolution debuted Czech designer Jiri Kalfar's Fall 2019 collection to NY Fashion Week. It was a beautiful, but cutting edge collection with lots of crystal embroidered laces and luxurious velvets paired with sexy modern prints, satin skinny jeans, and funky stripes.
I would totally wear anything from this collection. I love a bit of posh mixed with contemporary street style silhouettes. I love the hair pieces and hats that acted as an updated version of a tiara for the socialite on the go.
Kalfar's muse was Tatyana, the ingenue heroine of Russian novel Eugine Onegin. Tatyana in this story is passionate, accustomed to finer things, initially naive, romantic, but grows to be headstrong and loyal. I can see the women wearing this collection embodying the modern version of that.
The designer was flanked by supermodels Paulina Porizkova (who once played my designer boss on an episode of Bull), and Alina Baikova who came out to model and support Kalfar's debut.
Congratulation on your NYFW debut Jiri Kalfar!

Photos by Mariana Leung

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#NYFWM Grungy Gentlemen Fall 2019

Grungy Gentlemen is still all about the six stripes for Fall 2019. I find this menswear collection kind of brilliant. It is not because it is radically fashion forward or luxurious. It is because of young designer Jace Lipstein runs the collection like a textbook marketing exercise. His signature six stripes are presented in every location, print, applique, what have you so that it looks fresh on every look for detail so simplistic. The stripes look sporty, so it appeals to many of his celebrity athlete following, also earning him licenses for major sports teams right from the start.

I remember when I studied intellectual property in law class, there was a classic case study of how you cannot use 2 or 4 stripes in your designs or Adidas will sue your ass, but 5 stripes were ok. It looks like Lipstein was also savvy to this case and added one more stripe.

The name Grungy Gentlemen is the ideal, trendy, contrasting name to pair two sides of appealing personas. Casual but refined, rustic but cosmopolitan, rough, but elegant. Any word except hipster right? The model casting also reflects the image. Models of all heights, body shapes, ages and ethnicities graced the runway, (hosted by nightclub pool hall Slate NY). The majority of models had very current beards. I am not cool enough to know who all of the athletes and music celebs were in attendance or modeling, but hello there rapper Dave East and NFL player Jesse Palmer. I will observe that they all looked good and made the Grungy Gentlemen look their own.

You could call this a street style brand, but the jackets, sweaters and overall styling take that up a notch. You could call this a great lesson in how to execute a modern menswear label, for those who want to be schooled. The Grungy Gentlemen here know how to strut.

Photos by Mariana Leung

Links à la Mode by Independent Fashion Bloggers

• 5 Tips to Survive the Mid Winter Nothing to Wear Syndrome by FunkyForty
• CH2T Styling: 4 Unconventional Styling Tips for Valentine's Day by Cammeo HEAD TO TOE
• #NYFWM Grungy Gentlemen Fall 2019 by Ms. Fabulous
• One Simple Method to Declutter Your Closet for Good by Life with Mar

SPONSOR: Shopbop

Golden Goose, LANA JEWELRY, Cleobella Bags, Palm, Colovos, Brandon Blackwood, Casual Dresses, Slingback Shoes, Cross Body Bags, Men's Reigning Champ lalm-code.txt Displaying lalm-code.txt.

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