It's the end of the year which means it's time to compile a list (and convince yourself that next year you will be healthier)! I sat and pondered about the fashions of this year, browsed my catalogue of Style Watch posts, and I have compiled a list of what I believe to be the most popular Fashion Trends of Austin in 2011...
I am currently obsessed with this vintage leopard print skirt from Splendor, the newest vintage addition to the North Loop shopping district. The skirt is a size Large but has an elastic waist which means I can kinda make it any length I want depending on how I wear it - high waisted with a belt, or low waisted for a slouchy and longer look. It works for daytime or nighttime, and is also super comfy. I've decided that it goes with pretty much everything in my closet. I'm in leopard love!
It was only a year ago that Austin's favorite designer consignment boutique opened its doors on South Lamar. I recall snapping photos at the MOSS grand opening party last year and thinking that it was one of the more stylish crowds I had seen in Austin. A year later at their anniversary party, I got to capture some awesome style once again...
This R.Kelly inspired heart necklace that reads "And After The Party It's The Hotel Lobby" might be the perfect gift for the girl with a heart (and sense of humor) of gold.
Has anyone else been finding themselves watching that new show on Bravo, Fashion Hunters? While it's not as painfully engaging as The Real Housewives of _____ (fill in the blank), I find it somewhat interesting in a less guilty way. Besides the interesting fashion, the best thing about watching Fashion Hunters is getting to see all the crazy characters that come into the store to consign their designer pieces. When I watch, I can't help but compare the consignment store that Fashion Hunters follows to the Austin equivalent, MOSS. The last time I was at MOSS, Masha, one of the owners showed me an amazing little off the runway Chanel cropped jacket that an Austinite had consigned. I want to know who these Austinites are that are buying and consigning awesome designer garments! Maybe MOSS needs its own reality show...
Anywho, MOSS is turning one year old and they are throwing a party!
I wonder what their VERY (in bold!) special sale will be...
What have you been wearing lately in this gross weather? When it starts to get chilly, I turn to button downs, mostly of the plaid and flannel variety. I walked into Sugar Mama's the other day and I swear the guy working the counter and I had the same shirt on. Oh well!
The best thing about this outfit, besides the fact that I'm wearing super thrifty things that came from Goodwill and TJMaxx, is the bag! This classic looking purse is actually in fact a CAMERA BAG. It's so genius and one of the coolest things I have ever purchased online. It's the perfect bag for a fashion blogger like myself who has to look cute while also carrying around a camera.
Some of you may or may not know that I work for the Austin based watch company TIKKR. A lot of people ask me what I do at TIKKR and, well, that's hard to answer because I honestly do a little bit of everything and it changes a lot since we are a very small company. But one of my favorite things that I get to do is photo shoots! We recently came out with a brand new band for our interchangeable watches and I had to figure out how we were going to market this new band in an email. I wore the watch around for a day and all of a sudden I realized what the dotted band reminded me of and I came up with the idea to make a Comic Book. I wrote this story, styled, and directed the shoot. I also got the fun part of editing the photos and making it look like a Comic. I don't normally blog about my day job, but I was really proud of the final product of this and wanted to show y'all because this is the kind of stuff I love to do. Bam! Pow! Check it out!
Sure, you could camp out all night in front of that department store or mall for Black Friday sales (I shutter just thinking about this), or you could casually stroll into your local boutique, sip on some cider champagne (this sounds awesome Blue Elephant) and purchase some unique gifts for your loved ones or yourself. I put together a list of local sales happening this weekend. Check it out!
Splendor(Friday 11/25)
-30% off entire store!
-50% off Clearance rack
SoLa(Friday Nov.25 - Sunday 11/27)
-Buy one get one half off Jewelry Sale
Stella Says Go (Friday 11/25 - Monday 11/28)
-15% - 50% off entire store!
-20% off Sale items
-get a $125 gift card for the price of $100
Cypress Vanguard
-check out their fb page to stay updated on all the deals this collective house has going on this weekend
ATown
-25% off select outerwear (Friday 11/25 - Sunday 11/27)
-Free scarf of your choice with a purchase of $100 or more (Friday 11/25)
-Free select jewelry with a purchase of $50 or more (Friday 11/25)
-buy one get one free OPI nail polish (Friday 11/25)
-free scarf and hat with a purchase of $240 or more (Friday 11/25)
Blue Elephant
-25% off all outerwear (now - 11/27)
-every purchase of $50 or more get a pair of leg warmers or gloves (Friday 11/25 - Sunday 11/27)
-every purchase of $100 or more get a free scarf or wrap (Friday 11/25 - Sunday 11/27)
-every purchase of $200 or more get a free scarf and hat (Friday 11/25 - Sunday 11/27)
-Clearance apparel Buy One Get One Free (Friday 11/25 - Sunday 11/27)
-buy 2 get one free OPI nail polish (Friday 11/25 - Sunday 11/27)
-first 20 shoppers to make a purchase on Friday get a free gift bag
-plus there will be cider champagne cocktails
Feathers
-2 sale racks with brand new markdowns
-get a $20 gift card for every $100 spent (Saturday 11/26)
Adelante(Friday 11/25 - Saturday 11/26)
-30% - 50% off select clothing, jewelry, gifts
-15% off sale items
Hem Jeans(Friday 11/25 - Sunday 11/27)
-20% off entire store
Kendra Scott (now - 11/28)
-20% off (online only) with code 20SITEWIDE
Besides all these awesome local sales, there is also the Vintage Style Fest this weekend AND the Renegade Craft Fair! PLUS this Saturday is Small Business Saturday, which means you can get $25 back when you use your American Express card to buy something at a small business. You can register your card here.
Skip on the malls this weekend because the merchandise they have is a snoozefest. Instead, why not check out all the amazing vintage this town has to offer and go to the Vintage Style Fest.
What:
2 day vintage clothing tour
vendors: Frock On Vintage, Second Time Around Boutique, The Fresh Up, Lovely Austin, Cream Vintage, Hog Wild Vintage, Room Service Vintage, Splendor, Blue Velvet, Flashback Vintage, Bead It, Retro Rubbish, American Icon Austin, My Saucy Mustache, Ermine Vintage, Jewelmint, The Ultimate Message, 5 Stack Vintage, Vagabond Vintage Clothing, Redemption Garb
Admission is free but a wristband will get you free food and beverages, special discounts, a Movember goodie bag, and Free entry to SLACKER Magazine's Movember party
$5 pre sale wristband - you can buy your wristband at any participating vendor
$10 Day of - Tickets day of the event are CASH ONLY and available at each location.
Somewhere on the East side is a girl with a notepad that inside of it says "keep austin stylish" written in cursive. After inquiring about my blog and writing the name of it down in her notepad, she leaned closer to me like she had a secret to tell me on the playground. I thought for sure that I had either time traveled back to the year 1992 or that this girl was a really mature looking 3rd grader with a fake i.d. I was then slapped back to reality when she asked if I wanted to indulge in something that would make me "last all night long" (is it weird that the first thing I thought of was Viagra?)
The Bleach party and Through The Looking Glass launch at the Eastern on Saturday night brought in some interesting kids with interesting fashion. I just hope those who choose to partake in certain bathroom shenanigans don't look back at these kind of nights and wonder where their young looks went. Because whatever you are taking may make you act like a little kid for the night, but, it definitely doesn't make you look like a little kid in the long run.
*Disclaimer: I did not witness anyone pictured in this post using Red Bull*
In this town you can't swing a breakfast taco around without hitting someone who calls themselves an artist. Austin is full of folks working in fashion, music, film, and everything creative. It's no surprise then that Austin is one of 21 cities in which RAW operates. RAW is an independent arts organization for artists by artists that works to provide artists with everything needed to inspire and cultivate creativity.
Every season RAW awards the best artists in the categories of art, fashion, music, film, hair & makeup, photography, and performing art. The voting is left up to each city's local community, and then a panel of judges decides the national winners. This year's RAW Awards Semi Finals Showcase for Austin happened last Thursday at Club de Ville, and I went to check out what local artists had to show and I snapped some photos of all the weirdness.
I knew immediately when I almost missed the Marie Claire Fashion Show because it was actually on time, that I was not attending a normal Austin fashion show. And it's not every day that Marie Claire's Senior Fashion Editor, Zanna Roberts Rassi, in attendance of a fashion show in Austin. Last night's event at Mohawk was impressive, and it's all thanks to local style blogger and UT Chemical Engineering student, Diya Liu. Diya is one of four finalists in the national contest by Marie Claire magazine to find the most stylish college student in America. And seeing as Diya goes to class and chemical engineering lab wearing heels and skirts, I think she deserves to win.
Diya produced and styled last night's show using pieces from the Loft, the sponsor of the Marie Claire challenge. Even though the Loft isn't a store that I would normally think of when I think of Diya and her style, she did a great job of giving the clothes her own special look. The Diya style definitely came through in the show with her use of layering jewelry and bold use of mixing patterns. The show had an eclectic sophistication that Diya is a master at. If Diya wins, she will get an internship at Marie Claire magazine! Let's keep our fingers crossed that our stylish Austinite wins!
"Just don't be the crying girl in the salon" one of my twitter friends warned me. I admit that right before getting into the chair at Topaz Salon, I was getting a little nervous about the big change I had decided to make with my hair. But luckily it was more of an anxious nervousness brought on by excitement versus a scared to death kind of nervousness.
I have never been anything other than a blonde and the most change I have ever made to my hair in the past has been with cuts and highlights. I'm not quite sure why now was the time in my life that I decided to make a drastic change to my appearance, but perhaps it has to do with all the other changes that I have gone through in the past few months. You never really know how much you can handle change until you are forced to deal with losing someone close to you. Change is not always good, but it just is. Sometimes things happen that are completely out of your control and the only thing you can control is how you react and deal with the situation. This is something that is of course easier said than done, and I have been aware of this since I was in middle school and used to watch Oprah after school. But, being in my mid twenties, I feel like I am finally just starting to actually be able to accomplish this task. So, I knew that I would be able to deal with the results of my new hair whether they be good or bad.
I am so excited about this Fashion Show tomorrow night! Mostly because it is hosted by Austin's own Diya Liu, who is an amazing style blogger here in Austin and who also happens to be an overall amazing gal. I continue to be amazed that a chemical engineer student at UT puts in the time and effort to stay super stylish AND blog about it. Come support Diya as she is one of four finalists in the Marie Claire Front Row Challenge!
Star Lee isn't just the owner of local boutique Dog & Pony. She also happens to be a talented DIYer. Star's newest re-worked vintage pieces include some killer spiked and studded garments including everything from tough leather jackets to an ethereal gown. Star was generous enough to let me borrow this brightly colored and gold spiked 80s style dress to wear to a Movember cocktail event. I love the spikes against the floral pattern of this dress because it reminded me of Little Shop of Horrors or those piranha plants in Mario.
You can go check out more of Star's studded one-of-a-kind garb for sale at Dog & Pony. Prices range from around $60-400.
Remember when an airstream trailer was used for traveling down the open road with adventures in sight? Yeah, me either. These days it's highly more likely to find a trailer full of cupcakes rather than a family of four and their border collie. But what about an airstream full of designer shoes? Appropriately located on South Congress, Bootleg is the first shoe boutique run out of a trailer. While I can't picture many Austinites purchasing shoes that cost more than their month's rent, they are definitely fun to look at, drool over, and try on. The good thing about looking at $1,000 shoes is that then the shoes priced at $100 seem like a steal. Or maybe that's a bad thing? I can't decide! But, I'll be coming back to Bootleg when either A) I win the lottery B) Something really bad happens and I need a shopping induced smile or C) I just want to look at really cool shoes.
Sarah Lewis, Owner/Creator of Bootleg, will be rolling her airstream onto the TRACE patio at the W Austin for November’s Sip & Shop. The trailer’s temporary residence at the W begins November 13th through November 15th. This multi-day shopping event will feature TRACE’s happy hour “S.I.P” pricing on drinks and nibbles all day on Monday from the special S.I.P menu.
Every second Sunday of the month, there is a magical event where vintage stores and vendors get together and fill up the Spider House ballroom with tons of goodies from the past. If you haven't made it to the 29th St. Yard Sale presented by American Icon yet, I highly recommend checking it out. The prices and the selection are both great. I have been a few times and so far I have scored: a star spangled button down (how appropriate), a 70's high school band letterman jacket, a suede fringe skirt, annnnnd probably some other items that I can't think of right now.
Some photos below of my last 29th St. Yard Sale trip...
If you are a gal looking for a way to support Movember, I do not suggest skipping the waxing or bleaching this month. I have a better and less creepy idea instead! Buy this super cute mustache necklace made by local designer Jennifer Cunningham of Jen Hearts Art. This necklace costs just $15 and $5 from each sale this month will go directly to the Movember Austin team.
Note: this blog post was written with the assumption that you are cool enough to know what Movember is, but if you have no idea what any of this is about then please check out the Movember website to educate yourself on this awesome cause.
The setting for Gail Chovan's fashion show last Tuesday was absolutely lovely. Justine's provided an intimately casual yet sophisticated backdrop for Gail Chovan's artistic fall/winter collection for Blackmail. What I love about Gail Chovan's designs is that she provides a full collection that tells a story. What's the story told here? To me, I see these girls as dark princesses in a post apocalyptic world fighting for love. For seem reason it wouldn't be surprising to me if these girls had swords or maybe guns (if they are lucky enough to find them), hiding in their dresses. I think it's how Gail uses silhouettes of the past and updates them in a modern way that has me creating these stories. Her clothes are hard while still maintaining a softness, and edgy while still maintaining beauty.
What was equally entertaining as watching Gail Chovan's fashion show on Tuesday, was people watching before and after the show. The attendees were appropriately dressed mostly in black for this Blackmail event, with Stephen Moser in the front and center row donning a black and white wig. A leftover Halloween costume accessory perhaps? Ah, my read of Stephen's Chronicle article this morning proves me right.
I first met Tiffany Tso about a year ago. Both being Austin bloggers, we were seated next to each other at the Austin Fashion Week kick off event where the other Tiffany performed (I will forever associate the two Tiffany's with one another). Tiffany (the one born in the 80s, not the pop star in the 80s) gave me some insight into where I should go shopping in Taiwan, where I was about to take a trip and where Tiffany's family is originally from.
After that, I ran into Tiffany at many stylish events around town where I got a good feel for Tiffany's personal style. The thing that stands out to me about Tiffany among other Austinites is that she gives off a vibe with her outfits that is more urban, downtown, and a bit more rough than what most girls in Austin tend to wear. But what Tiffany does have in common with most of the girls in Austin (that I personally know at least) is that she has about a million projects going on all the time. Tiffany is the Austin Nylon Daily Editor for Nylon Magazine, contributes to Bleach Online and styles for them occasionally, is the manager of BuyDefinition.com, the Editor-in chief of The Horn, works with Star Lee on the denim pieces for Dog & Pony, AND runs her own personal blog Austin is Burning. When she's not working, you might find this East Austin gal getting tacos at Taco-Mex or El Chilito, renting movies at Vulcan, record shopping, going to bars such as The Grand, or vintage shopping.
Check out my photo shoot and Q&A with Tiffany Tso...
Austin is already full of a fabulous and diverse selection of vintage boutiques, but, having one more couldn't hurt, right? Frock On Vintage is the newest addition to Austin's vintage scene and they are kicking things off with an awesome Grand Opening party this Saturday. One of the great things about Frock On is that they will have both womens and mens clothes in one store. I can't wait to check out their selection!
The costumes made by local designers for Dreaming In Color were impressive and entertaining, but some of the costumes worn by people in the crowd were just as cool! An event that once again proves how creative Austinites really are.
If you were wanting to see a typical fashion show, then you probably were disappointed with what took place last night at Dreaming In Color. Local designers brought glitz and fabulosity to ND at 501 Studios with their Vitamin Water inspired costumes. Instead of models working a runway, dancers and performers owned the stage by entertaining the crowd with sultry dance moves, tricks, and even some stripper pole acrobatics. While all the costumes and performances were bubbling with creativity, the $1,000 Vitamin Water prize was awarded to Angeliska Polacheck who designed a costume seemingly inspired by a Lisa Frank themed birthday party on drugs. While I thought that some of the other costumes were more interesting fashion wise, this night proved that you just cannot beat a unicorn on a stripper pole.
If you didn't go to Gagarazzi last weekend then you missed out on a great event and a great excuse to get decked out in a ridiculous and flamboyant costume. Luckily, this weekend provides another great excuse for fabulous camp!
The Empire State Building or even the Statue of Liberty did not make it onto the list of things I wanted to see when I visited New York a couple of years ago. What did make it onto the list was a fabric store called Mood. If you've ever watched Project Runway then you are familiar with this heavily stocked fabric store that the contestants flock to each week and hunt down fabric for their fashion design challenge. If you have ever attempted to design clothing in Austin, then you are fully aware that Austin does not have a Mood or any fabric store of this caliber.
There is no doubt that Austin's fashion scene would be different if a fabric store with a big and versatile collection was right here in town. Stores like Joann's may get the job done for arts and crafters, but for serious designers wanting to make a fashion line, they just don't cut it.
April Kling a.k.a. the Fabricker just might be the gal to end the fabric drought in Austin as she continues to shop for fabric all over the world. April plans on opening a fabric store that she says will be the optimal place for clothing designers in Austin to get their fabric.
For some reason I couldn't stop dancing and wiggling in the photo pit, but I managed to get photos nonetheless (except for that one outfit that walked down the runway when the lights went out...)
Although I was mildly disappointed to not see a boat or a birdcage on top of anyone's head, the Shear Style Hair Show last week was a fun and interesting show nonetheless. While Ron King Salon showed off some stellar everyday type of hair styles, it was the high fashion looks from Propaganda Hair Group that stole the show.
Are y'all ready for a new fall wardrobe? Let's all pretend that it will get cooler soon and do some shopping because this Saturday and Sunday is the first ever Vintage Gamporium. Founded by Masha Harmeier Co-owner of Feathers Boutique and Angie Ferrer Domecq Owner of Angelica DeBiase online boutique, Vintage Glamporium lets you shop vintage clothing from some of the best vintage retailers in Austin (including Feathers and Laced with Romance) PLUS vintage retailers from Dallas, Waco, and even Tulsa all in ONE place. Happy vintage shopping!
Men's fashion shows are few and far between in Austin, so I was pleasantly surprised that one of 3 fashion shows of Tribeza Style Week was the all men's Rock and Runway Show. The venue of the American Legion house combined with the abnormal amount of men at a fashion event made me feel like I was back in college hanging out at a frat house. But luckily the fashions provided by By George, Allens Boots, and Service Menswear were not reminiscent of frat boy style. I thought Service Menswear had a great collection at this show and provided the most variety of style with their looks which included some particularly cute nerdy chic outfits with a vintage vibe. UT Fashion Show winner, Colton Gerard, showed off his impressive toggle coats once again which were responsible for his Best Collection win earlier this year. And By George brought the most sophisticated looks to the show making the models look put together and dapper.
Austin's monsters put their paws up and wore their best Gaga inspired outfits all in the support of Equality Texas last night. Austin's first ever Gagarazzi was a glittery gaga-licious night full of creativity, debauchery, and those in favor of equality for all.
Check out the awesome costumes that showed up at The Highball for Gagarazzi:
Austin is always a great city to people watch, but ACL has to be the absolute best time to people watch in Austin. I had a blast listening and dancing to great live music this weekend, but when I wasn't shakin it, I was scouting interesting style and capturing photos of people in the wild of Zilker Park.
Get ready for the best excuse to not wear pants in public, to learn how to make a hair bow, to wear a dress made of meat, to dress up in drag (guys as girls or girls as guys would both work!), or to glue a bunch of stuffed animals together and wear it with pride. It's almost time for Gagarazzi! I expect there to be some awesomely weird outfits at the Highball on September 30th for this special Lady Gaga event benefitting Equality Texas.
What you can experience at Gagarazzi:
-Pre-show at 9pm with music videos, Gaga karaoke, and more
-Photobooth
-Costume Contest with prizes for Best Gaga, Most Creative, and Most Original
-Show at 10pm with performances by: The Jigglewatts, Dolls From The Crypt, Black Widow Burlesque, Austin City Showgirls, Oh Baby Burlesque, Stars & Garters and more
-Dance Party til 2am
-Gaga themed raffle prizes donated by local artists and businesses including a $50 gift card to Strut, a private party at Underwear worth $500, a gift certificate to Million Tattoos of $150 and more!
Tickets: $7 at the Door, $5 with costume (why would you NOT come in costume to this event?)
For some costume inspiration, check out this promo video Homespun Horror made for the event:
Now that we have all rested up after our OD of Austin Fashion Week, it's time to hit the fashion bottle again and indulge in another week of style with TRIBEZA Style Week. Thursday September 22nd kicks off Style Week with a boutique crawl of one of Austin's more upscale shopping areas, 2nd St. District.
Personally, I can't get enough of this stuff so I am super pumped for another week of stylish events and fashion shows!
You know when your friend comes into town to visit and wants to go shopping? Besides taking them to all the great vintage stores Austin has to offer (that's a must of course), there's now a new store you might want to add to your list. ATown is a surprisingly large boutique with a lot to offer to both Austinites and those visiting Austin. Among the trendy clothing and beauty products lies an impressive selection of jewelry and art from local Austin designers. Just like a good book, ATown gets more and more interesting as you delve further into the store. The back section of ATown is set up much like an art gallery displaying things from local artists such as upcycled jewelry, artistic prints, paintings, and more random treasures. ATown is a very gift-centric store, so it would be super easy for a visiting friend to leave here with a little piece of Austin...like mustache cufflinks perhaps?
I'm glad to see another boutique supporting local artists and designers!
I was flattered and super excited when Shari Gerstenberger, the owner of what has quickly become one of my favorite vintage stores in Austin, asked me to model for a new blog. Shari styled me in some groovy colorful and psychedelic digs from Charm School Vintage for my photo shoot for Femme et Velo. Check out some of the past stylish Austin gals that have modeled for this cool blog...
Tonight is Fashion's Night Out! FNO is a global shopping event that was created in 2009 to celebrate fashion (and help boost the economy). You can check out the Fashion's Night Out website for a list of events happening in Austin at retail chains. But, here are a few local Austin boutiques that are participating in FNO that you won't find listed on their site!..
Celebrate Tribeza's September Style issue at By George's FNO event with music, drinks by Pacifico and Deep Eddy Vodka, bites from Blackbird Bakery, and looks for fall .
I woke up this morning and had a calm and peaceful feeling about me. What was that organic sound outside my window? The trees were rustling in the wind creating something that could only be upstaged by waves gently crashing on a shore. Besides creating a relaxing sound to wake up to, what does this sound mean? A cold front has arrived this morning! Well, not really a cold front, more like a "cool front". That is of course if you consider 90 degree weather to be cool...which I do.
Temperatures may still technically be summer degrees, but the sound of leaves blowing in the wind has got me excited about Fall. It also helped that I took a trip to Dog & Pony yesterday to get an idea of what Fall/Winter clothes I could expect to see this season from one of my favorite local boutiques.
Austin Fashion Week this year could have been called Austin Hat Week. Every time I turned around I saw another interesting and vintage inspired head piece. Sometimes a hat adds something to an outfit making the ensemble look complete and finished. But, other times a hat is the star of the show making the rest of the outfit draw your attention to the hat itself. I saw instances of both of these stylish scenarios during Austin Fashion Week this year. I think the amount of hats I saw during the week can be attributed to the fact that there are several hat designers in Austin itself.
It makes sense that there would be an abundance of hat designers in Austin. Austin is a town known for loving vintage. There was once a time when it was considered disgraceful for a lady not to wear a hat outside of the house. While these societal pressures of yesteryear will obviously never become the norm in Austin, I can see vintage style hats becoming a more popular staple in our fashion scene.
Will you be wearing a vintage style hat this fall/winter season?
The Austin Fashion Week 2011 Awards Show last Saturday put an end to this year's Austin Fashion Week, and as I write this blog post, I am currently in Austin fashion hibernation. After a week of: fashion events, runway shows, mingling, heel wearing, cupcake eating, and champagne drinking, I have felt a need to: hide, eat healthy, stop drinking, wear flats and cowboy boots, and do yoga. But don't worry, this extreme behavior should only last for about a week.
For the Awards I wore another vintage find from Feathers (are you starting to realize I am obsessed with this store?)
It wasn't technically an official Austin Fashion Week event, but it was officially one of my favorite shows of Austin Fashion Week. Besides actually being f*ing hot (we were all packed in Hush like sardines in a sweaty can), the aptly named "So F*ing Haute" show contained some of the most interesting and unique styling that I saw all week. What was most surprising about this show is that it was the first ever show by the creative duo, the Champagne Derelicts. The Champagne Derelicts are a team of stylish Austinites comprised of Hunter Lohse and Jenny Woys, who you may or may not have seen rocking some interesting outfits out and about at fashion events around town.
Hunter and Jenny, whether it's hit or miss, are always behind clothes that make you stop and pay attention. I must admit, I can only best describe the looks from Friday night that were styled by Hunter as a 70s porn version of Scott Disick. It's probably difficult to imagine most guys you know attempting to rock the Dapper Tramp look. But for an underground sweaty runway show in Austin, it worked. But, personally, my favorite pieces were worn by the ladies. When the piece by Tracy Tenpenny that was like a panier skirt made up of nails strutted down the runway, I'm pretty sure my mouth dropped. Where and when can I wear a bustle made of nails? Someone create this badass event for me...
Then to make the show complete, Jenny Woys' designs walked the runway creating a perfect contrast to Tracy Tenpenny's rough and hard designs with her airy and natural aesthetic. The final looks, which used feathers and hair as materials, were a great mystical end to a fun and inspiring runway show. I'm intrigued to see what's next for the Champagne Derelicts.
Austin Fashion Week has been a blast! I've been running around like crazy and I'm kinda exhausted. I haven't had time to photograph any of my outfits except for this one... Thank you Mom for taking my photos!
There was a short time in my life when I really wished I was a Harajuku girl. While those days are gone, I still dream of the day that I get to travel to Japan. It's one of the places that I absolutely must visit. Monday night, Waterstone Aesthetics put on an amazing Japanese inspired show using Harajuku and origami as design inspirations. Waterstone Aesthetics provided the hair and makeup, local t-shirt company Alchemy provided the t-shirts for the harajuku lovers, and the origami inspired costumes were beautifully designed by Ayers Designs.
When the final model wearing an Ayers Design costume came out on a giant pair of stilts, I was blown away. I love these crazy over-the-top type of fashion shows, and I think there should be more of these in Austin. We are such a funky creative town, so I'm not sure why I don't see more of this on a regular basis.
All the proceeds from this show benefitted the victimes of the earthquake and tsunami in Japan through JASGA.org. Check out my photos from the show:
Maison d'Etoile was HOT... and so was the lingerie Monday night. Although we were all sweating uncomfortably in the little old East side house that is home to wig shop Coco Coquette, Charm School Vintage, and Salon d'Etoile; we were all able to endure the accidental sauna due to the lovely eye candy in front of us. Plus, singer Mistress Stephanie not only serenaded us with her lovely voice, but also kept us laughing with her outgoing charm. If I ever have to sing in front of a sardine packed crowd in a sweaty house I too would probably fan my lady bits with an audience member's hat. Not only to keep myself cool, but to also keep things classy.
Megan Summerville unveiled her latest lingerie designs at the Maison d'Etoile event for Austin Fashion Week, and although she told me beforehand that she was nervous, I knew she had nothing to be nervous about. Megan Summerville is easily one of my favorite designers in Austin. The attention to detail that she puts into her handmade pieces is what amazes me the most. I love that her looks have a vintage vibe, but aren't too costume-y. Her designs are unique and special, while still being completely wearable. The wigs from Coco Coquette and fascinators from Madame Reverie added to the Cabaret vibe of the show and it all came together beautifully (despite the heat.)
I'm not sure what to say about the style from this night, because there weren't any big trends that stood out to me. It was honestly kind of a cluster f*ck of outfits. But I guess that sorta represents Austin, right? We are just a motley crew of individuals. I'm totally a fan of weird and unique style...I just wish the outfits from this night had as a group been more stylish.
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