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Fab Read: Fashion Wonderland, Uncover the Power of Illustration in Fashion

FabSugar — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 03:00:22 -0800

Are there any illustration-lovers in the house? You should pick up a copy of Fashion Wonderland: Uncover the Power of Illustration in Fashion ($27), published by Victionary. Basically, it concludes that the impact of illustration is felt most directly in fashion. It is what influences shoppers' choices by allowing products to stand out. Learn the crucial role of illustration in fashion and see its impact through concept sketches, t-shirt graphics, eye-catching magazine ads, and patterns on textiles. Fashion students who want an edge, or those who just want some eye candy, will benefit from this read.

New York Fashion Week, Spring 2008: Alice + Olivia

FabSugar — Fri, 14 Sep 2007 07:00:22 -0700

Mother Nature works in mysterious ways and the downpour right before Alice + Olivia's Alice in Wonderland themed Spring show added to the mystique.

Located at their store, which they outfitted to comply with the whimsical and trippy story of Alice, I found myself falling down the rabbit hole while viewing colorful party dresses, high waisted pants and shorts, bold patterns, frilly sleeves and an overall fun and fantastical collection. There were casual pieces too, like light blue denim and laid back tailored jackets.

But the real treats, aside from a hippie lux sheer blouse with patchwork beaded front, were the yellow and black edible treats. From cupcakes beckoning "Eat Me" to absinthe, I managed to squeeze in the ultimate fashionable snack. I'd like Hayden Panettiere, a big fan of Alice + Olivia, to know that she missed out!

Be sure to check out all my New York Fashion Week coverage!

To see more from Alice + Olivia in Wonderland, read more

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Fab Exclusive! Whitney and Olivia on Whitney's Fashion Week Debut

FabSugar — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 13:30:22 -0700

We've been longtime supporters of Whitney Port's Whitney Eve clothing line. It may have started off on an unsure note, but it's always a good sign when you are able to show at the tents at New York Fashion Week.

Whitney's collection fused girlie and romantic and, to my relief, wasn't too '80s. There were definitely a couple flirty dresses and jackets I would rock, but Whitney needs to move past the pastels. While Olivia Palermo told me she thought the collection was "youthful" after the show, last night, at Divas Live, Whitney explained: "My inspiration was Alice in Wonderland goes to a cocktail party. I wanted something really fun, wearable, but that you could easily go from day to night in. Something you wear to the office and then can dress up with heels to go out. Bright colors."Looks like it's onward and upward for Whitney Eve.

To see Whitney's complete collection, read more.

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Don't forget to check out all of our New York Fashion Week coverage and follow my Fashion Week adventures on Twitter!

New York Fashion Week, Fall 2009: Jason Wu

FabSugar — Sat, 14 Feb 2009 17:32:24 -0800

Behold: My view at Jason Wu! Unless you've been in Thailand the last month, you'd know Jason Wu was one of the most sought after invites for New York Fashion Week. Yours truly experienced the magic. It's no wonder first lady Michelle is a fan - Wu has the lightest touch I've ever seen. Concurrently, these clothes had substance. To answer the burning question: No, Michelle did not attend the show - darn.Inspired by the drawings of Arthur Rackham, who illustrated Alice in Wonderland (one of my favorite books!), models with twig headpieces glided down the runway. Pieces progressed from smart sportswear with feminine touches to ghostly gorgeous gowns. I do hope we'll see this violet chiffon embroidered gown on the Oscar red carpet. With a rainbow of colors and a variety of pieces, this collection is sure to succeed. Feminine details like embroidery, twists, drapes, paillettes, and swarovski crystals, were found on sheaths, skirts, blouses, and, of course, dresses. Considered me wooed.

To see more from the gorgeous Wu runway, read more

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Weekend Links

FabSugar — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 16:23:22 -0800

Milla Jovovich - Fashion Copious for Muse
Turn it Insiders Out - Style Bubble
Winter Wonderland - the coveted
UGG's Soulful Sole - The Smart Stylist
Proenza Schouler PS1 bag - Little Molly Cake

FABTV: Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers "Don't Come Around Here No More"

FabSugar — Sat, 15 Sep 2007 16:00:22 -0700

Alice + Olivia's Alice in Wonderland themed fashion presentation at New York Fashion Week put me in the mood for one of my favorite novels. Alice's adventures through Wonderland was also one of my dad's favorite stories so I was exposed to it at a pretty ripe age. Obviously, I didn't learn about the not-so-subliminal messages until later in life and at some point in time I saw this video. I figured a mellow song after the thrills of Fashion Week was appropriate so get ready to venture down the rabbit hole, Tom Petty style.

Sit back, relax and enjoy the FABTV.

P.S. I never really paid attention to Alice turning into a cake at the end and everyone eating her; trippy indeed.

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The Project Runway Season Five Finale Runway Show!

FabSugar — Sat, 13 Sep 2008 17:10:36 -0700

The grand finale of my Fashion Week was the Project Runway finale show. And what a show it was. Before the season five contestants showed their collections, it was a reunion among familiar faces. It's always a joy seeing Runway alumni gather and mingle. The recently booted Blayne and Terri were there - all smiles - and favorites like Jay, Rami, Jillian (wearing a familiar knit sweater from her collection), Chris March, and Jack Mackenroth (who I chatted with at the Jill Stuart show, he is so sweet) all made cameos. Enter Christian Siriano, who had his own Spring show the night before. Then, Michelle Tractenberg, Rachel Zoe, and Harvey Weinstein were chatting about. Quite the spectacle!Anticipation grew once Heidi, Nina, and Michael Kors all came out to welcoming applause. Side note: Are Heidi and Nina both wearing Roland Mouret dresses? They looked great, but I wonder if that was planned. At 9:30 a.m. the lights dimmed and Heidi appeared, microphone in hand. She said some heartfelt words to the people of Bravo and the Magic Elves (the show's producers) - saying goodbye and thanking them for five great seasons. To bring you up to speed, Runway is moving to Lifetime for their sixth season (and that will be interesting in itself).

The guest judge seat remained empty. All week long there had been rumblings about Jennifer Lopez being the guest judge, but it was anticlimactic when Heidi announced that Lopez was unable to due to "a foot injury." Boo. And so, Tim Gunn stepped in at the last minute to serve as guest judge. Don't get me wrong - I adore Gunn - but it was very exciting when Victoria Beckham graced us with her presence last time. Once all was said and done, the first collection, by Jerell, was unveiled . . .

To see the collections of Jerell, Suede, Joe, Korto, Kenley, and Leanne, and to read my reviews, read more.

Jerell
Jerell has one of the most lovable personalities, but his collection wasn't so. He came out and thanked his parents, boyfriend, and bestie, and I was really looking forward to his final collection. Bustiers, ruffles, dramatic bodices, and black and gold comprised his aesthetic. There was a regal undertone, as well as a pirate feel, but the taste level just wasn't that high. His two gowns didn't fit so well, and there wasn't a strong point of view. My favorite look was the embellished cardigan over a striped dress with sheer overlay.

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Suede
Oh gosh. I really didn't like this collection. It was immature and incohesive, and the Barbie girl color palette was ridiculous. Suede claimed "Suede's going to rock it" but he didn't. He mixed plaid with pastels, ruffles with one shoulder, and shredded and draped pieces; cotton candy fabrics were utterly unsophisticated. I didn't mind the wedding dress, but that was subpar.

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Joe
Joe is vanilla. His heart is in the right place, but his talent is hit or miss. Throughout the season, he's had some winners and losers, but his final works, which he claimed were Americana-inspired, were disappointing. He should have taken a more Ralph Lauren elegance take on the theme, and less Harley Davidson rough and tough. Brown leather corsets, patterned jeans, leather pants, and a navy dress with white stars were misses; a super cute paisley print dress, turquoise ornamentation, and a textured red ball gown skirt were hits. But this collection was not consistent enough to win.

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Kenley
Fun, quirky and feminine - just like the girl who made it. I like Kenley, although her distinct laugh annoys some, and her Alice in Wonderland take on "her dream wardrobe" was surprisingly versatile. Each piece was unique, and yet the collection melded together wonderfully. There were a few ooh ahh pieces: the black dress with fuchsia print overskirt (pictured above), the dramatic ruffle teal print blouse and black flounce skirt, and the pink and black colorblock bodice with dramatic tulle skirt dress. Her little feathered hats, which she has a penchant for, were a nice touch. This was possibly my personal favorite - full of eclecticism - but things heated up after she showed . . .

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Korto
I think Korto has the most interesting point of view, and her collection was beautifully exotic and elegant. However, there were one too many emerald green dresses, I'm just sayin.' Her collection was "inspired by nature and the landscape and clothes of her native country, Africa." She also designed the beaded and colorful jewelry (which I loved). Her color story was rich: emerald green, turquoise, mustard yellow, white, and ecru. Her silhouettes ranged from a slim halter gown and pouf sleeves to flirty cocktail dresses and asymmetrical cuts. The jungle printed banded belt frock was covetable, but a white frilly long dress was confusing. I loved the sometime Oscar de la Renta exoticism, though.

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Leanne
Funny how the six collections gradually got better. I think Leanne is going to win. Her collection was as stellar as any of the professional collections from the week. It was conceptual, beautiful, and theatrical. Leanne claimed she "lost a million hours of sleep" over it, and it showed. Sculptural skirts, dresses, and gowns floated down the runway to the beat of a neutral, cool palette. The craftsmanship was expert and you could just feel the adoration in the air. I would wear the ivory off-shoulder top and turquoise petal skirt and the ivory and beige corset mini dress (pictured above) in a heartbeat. And her modern wedding dress blew Suede's off the (project) runway.

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Fab's New York Fashion Week Top 10

FabSugar — Tue, 18 Sep 2007 04:00:33 -0700

As the New York Fashion Week adrenaline has subsided, and another Emmys has come and gone, I finally had a few minutes to reflect...poolside. Here are some deep thoughts and a fun summation of my recent New York Fashion Week experience. In the end, there were fashion highs and lows, but I survived and boy was it fun.

Most Fab moment? Running around backstage at Alexander Wang! I found myself lost in a wonderland of models (who were illegally smoking in the stairwells!), pre-show buzz and I almost got Wang for an interview for you guys - Vogue stole him away!
Most Fab show? Betsey Johnson. Through my career I have made several attempts to attend a Betsey Johnson show and this was the first time it worked out. I had a Fab seat, in the second row, and the show was super fun and festive. Her political message (see collage) encouraging the fashionable audience to "Vote" was the icing on the BJ cake.
Most awesome celebrity sighting? Repeated sightings of the insanely handsome Nigel Barker, Ivanka Trump (I just love her), and Nicole Richie; both Ivanka & Nicole were at Max Azria.
Hottest handbag sighting: A maroon and black patent Balenciaga tote.
Most Fab pair of shoes spotted: Not that I would wear them, but these Burberry studded platforms, $940, are so badass in person; an Editor from ELLE was wearing them.
Number of Anna Wintour sightings: 4. Once standing solo on the sidewalk (gasp!).
Item I really want to buy (and can maybe afford) come Spring: The grey melange tailored coat I featured by Rebecca Taylor.
Thank god for my...Band-Aid blister block and BlackBerry Pearl!
Best goodie bag item: The most expensive face cream I've ever tried, that is questionably all the rage: Amatokin Anti-Wrinkle Face Creme. And yes, I will be sure to share a pea-sized amount with Bella.
Three favorite shows overall, fashion-wise: If I had to choose...3.1 Phillip Lim, J. Mendel and Rachel Comey.

Until February!

On Our Radar: Christian Lacroix for La Redoute

FabSugar — Wed, 08 Aug 2007 05:00:33 -0700

Come one, come all to the fantasy land of Christian Lacroix for La Redoute. If you enjoyed his RTW Fall collection ads, get a load of this! This is one of the coolest fashion websites I've gotten distracted on in a long time, but more importantly, the French couturier is taking a stab at affordable luxury. Keeping it all in the French family, he has teamed up with mail order company La Redoute to bring us some frilly fashion and homewares extraordinaire. Some items featured in the Alice in Wonderland-esque online fantasy world, featuring model Lily Cole, are already available to purchase online. I think that red ruffled coat and the leather slouchy booties are très magnifique!

To see more fantastical fabulousness, read more

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On Our Radar: Payless Shoes Hot Off the Runways!

FabSugar — Wed, 19 Sep 2007 08:30:33 -0700

Payless' designer shoe collaborations have been such a success in the past, that they're doing it again for Spring 2008. In addition to Lela Rose and Abaete who have worked with Payless for the past couple of seasons, Fab favorite Alice + Olivia has been added to the roster.

The shoes for Spring debuted at New York Fashion Week just last week: Alice + Olivia has six funky and modern styles inspired by Alice in Wonderland, Lela Rose has eight styles based on the two Hepburns (sporty Katherine and glamorous Audrey), and Abaete has shoes in bold Miami hues.

(L-R: Alice + Olivia, Lela Rose, Abaete, all for Payless)

Everything will be available to purchase come February, until then, check out more of styles, read more

Alice + Olivia

Lela Rose

Abaete