Austin Hat Week

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?  

dress by Wolfon Wear

hat by Misty Mittelstedt

Lights Camera... Fashion with Jackson Ruiz Salon

Jackson Ruiz Salon is bringing old Hollywood to Austin with their 2010 Austin Fashion Week event, “Lights, Camera… Fashion!”  The salon is teaming up with neighboring boutique, Touch of Sass, and designers Lana Chu and Jessica Ciarla. Guests will be greeted by Austin’s own paparazzi as they walk the red carpet.  Upon entering, attendees can sip on Tito’s “Glamtinis”, snack on hors d’oeuvres, and watch a unique fashion show featuring Jessica Ciarla’s “little white dresses” complimented with hats by Lana Chu.

Many hair stylists would find it challenging to style around the one of a kind hat designs of local Austin designer Lana Chu, but the Jackson Ruiz team sees it differently.  When speaking with owner Allen Ruiz, he expressed his excitement for the salon/designer pairing.   Instead of viewing the hats as a challenge, he views it as inspiration.  However, ask Ruiz what he’s most excited about and he will quickly answer… the fashion awards show.

The team is responsible for hairstyle and make-up designs on all 24 models walking in the show. Joining forces with six different designers, Ruiz feels that it’s his responsibility to channel each designer’s message through his team’s hair and make-up creations. They are looking forward to exceeding the success of last year’s fashion show and winning the support of local beauty enthusiasts.

Interested in attending the events? Make your red carpet debut at Jackson Ruiz Salon on August 18 from 6p.m. and then show your support for the team with the 2nd Annual Austin Fashion Awards , August 21 5:30 p.m. at the Long Center.

Guest post by Kara Marshall from Austin Beauty Blog

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