Backstage at NYFW: Venexiana Show!

By: Tiffany Olson

Remember my article about the Venexiana show? Well, I had the opportunity to go backstage and get all the scoop on everything before the show! Here is your official backstage pass to all the behind the scenes fun!

Hair and Makeup!

Tons of photogs capturing the BECCA makeup artists at work!

Getting dolled up in BECCA Cosmetics!

Confessions of a NYFW Model: This gal above, said the Venexiana show was her 3rd of the day. At her first show, they put a lot of gel in her hair, for her 2nd show, she needed pin straight hair, so all the gel was fried out via straightening iron! She said she couldn't watch as her hair sizzled! Luckily for this show, it just went up, but she said it took over an hour to get this lovely look! We asked how she cares for her hair after fashion week is over, and she said she sleeps in conditioner over night to try to reverse all the damage! Phew! (I learned that male models have it way easier- no heels and no hair drama!)

Hair in progress...

And here's what the finished product looked like!

And here's the makeup guide all the BECCA Cosmetics gals used! I absolutely LOVED their makeup!

And here's a pic my friend snapped of me interviewing Venexiana designer, Kati Stern!

You can read my full interview with her {here}.

Here's Kati on the runway after the show! The crowd loved her!

Soo exciting! Thank you to the Venexiana team for letting me come backstage and play!

lia sophia love!

By: Tiffany Olson

During New York Fashion Week, I had the pleasure of meeting up with the fabulous lia sophia team and OMG was I dying over all the fabulous new jewelry!

Not familiar with lia sophia? It is a family owned, fashion jewelry company whose products are sold directly to customers through an international network of independent sales women. lia sophia empowers women to become their own CEOs and start their own businesses. Sounds empowering to me!!

Everyone from Kourtney Kardashian, to Ashlee Simpson, to Giuliana Rancic have been seen sporting lia sophia!

I went home with a ring and necklace that I've practically been wearing since I first put them on. They are both from the brand new "boudika" Red Carpet Collection, which debuted at fashion week. Here's Solange Knowles sporting MY arrow ring that I'm obsessed with! (Picture from front row of Vera Wang show last week!)

And an up close shot of the ring...

And here is the fabulous Giuliana Rancic in the pearl short bib necklace! I died over this necklace!

I got it in a longer version in gold! Very tribal meets preppy pearls in my opinion.

I chatted with lia sophia Creative Director Elena Kiam, and she was absolutely the sweetest most sincere and stylish woman! She shared her thoughts with me about how so many things are done electronically now, it's nice to have face to face time with friends while shopping for jewelry! I agree.

Here's what she said on her blog about the event:

"Each season, we set up a special lia sophia fashion suite adjacent to the runways that's exclusively for magazine editors and style influencers to view the collection. The vibe is amazing. From morning until late afternoon, the room is buzzing with tastemakers trying on the different styles, sharing their favorite trends and styles with us and each other, and generally having a lot of fun with jewelry."

Thank you so much to lia sophia for our fabulous jewels and having us in your suite during New York Fashion Week!

Follow lia sophia on twitter here - @lia_sophia

Visit their website here - www. liasophia.com

Add them on facebook here - http://www.facebook.com/liasophia

Note: The lia sophia boudika Red Carpet Collection is sold exclusively through lia sophia sales Advisors, who can be located through the company's website, www. liasophia.com - Prices range from $50-$600.

NYFW: Carlos Miele Spring 2012

By: Tiffany Olson

Carlos Miele kicked up the sizzle factor with his spring collection of hot dresses and coverups.

These models looked like they might have just came from lounging by in the pool on an exotic vacation, as they all had slicked back wet hair! And tans.

5 Thoughts about this show:

1. I love that the hair isn't "trying to hard."

2. I love the cinched waists: so flattering but hard to find in formal full length gowns.

3. Kate Middleton would totally approve of the deep "V" necks.

4. One shoulder gowns are here to stay. Yess!!!

5. I need to go somewhere tropical...

Happy weekend dolls!

Meet the NEW Ann Taylor in D.C.!

In case you haven't heard, there is a NEW Ann in town! Ann Taylor is celebrating the grand opening of new Ann Taylor concept store opening in D.C. at 600 Thirteenth Street this November.  This is the first Ann Taylor concept store opening in the area. Excited yet? We are beyond thrilled! 

Designed in partnership with S. Russell Groves architects, the new Ann Taylor boutiques (just like Ann Taylor DC) are inspired by a stylish modern contemporary home and provide a more intimate shopping experience that is chic, warm and inviting. What's not to love? The residential influence is brought to life through white washed maple hardwood floors, luxurious crystal chandeliers, modern tufted furniture and sleek feminine fixtures inspired by the ultimate closet. Wardrobing niches allow for stronger fashion stories as well as a broader assortment of product than other Ann Taylor stores. Decorative items add the finishing touch with an assortment of fashion books, jewelry vitrines and framed images on display throughout the space.

Special attention was also given to the design of the new styling rooms which feature unique floral wall coverings, luxe ottomans, plush carpeting, and a new proprietary lighting system with flattering back lit mirrors. Adjacent to the styling rooms is a private lounge area featuring an oversized touch screen monitor that provides access to anntaylor.com. The immediate access to the brand’s website allows clients to view and order the complete product assortment outside of what that particular store may carry – including additional fashion and wear-to-work styles, a broader assortment of shoes and petites, and online exclusives such as tall sizes and a Weddings and Events collection.  Curated fashion presentations and expert styling services add to the new store experience and make shopping easy. The key fashion message is complemented by shop-in-shop destinations including the Career Chic shop, a petites shop and an accessories shop. Dedicated stylists are also on staff and available for both walk-ins and appointments to help clients put together perfect individualized looks for any occasion.

{why we LOVE the NEW Ann Taylor!}

• Fashion-Forward Point of View:  Favorite looks of the season are styled on a runway of mannequins lining the middle of the store, making it easy to shop the best looks of the season.
• Boutique Feel: With “shops within the shop” there is a sense of discovery for the client (suit shop, casual shop, accessories shop).
• Lighting: Modern lighting including crystal chandeliers and proprietary lighting systems make the store warm, easy, and inviting.  
• Dressing Rooms: Feminine dressing rooms with individual floral wall coverings are set in a private lounge area with back lit mirrors and an ottoman.
• Multichannel: The dressing room area contains a multichannel touch screen for clients to easily find with product information. (Pinch us? What a dream!)

If this doesn't get you excited to shop than we aren't sure what will! Ann Taylor has gotten a major face lift and we are just swoonin' over all of it. 

NYFW: Lela Rose Spring 2012

By: Tiffany Olson

Lela Rose started her show by dimming the lights and playing John Lennon's "Imagine" in it's entirety, as the show was held on the 10th anniversary of 9.11. Once the lights came up it was all color and fun, as the models strutted down the runway in neon and playful prints.

Her inspiration for this show was reportedly the unrestored and decrepit aspects of Las Vegas and Coney Island.

Mandy Moore attended this show, and based on her reactions, not that I was stalking her reactions, (okay maybe a little), the white dress below was one of her favorites!!

PS - are you paying attention to the shoes on these models? You should.

Because...

.... all the shoes in the show are the new Lela Rose for Payless shoes!!

I do not tell a lie!

Dresses: hundreds of $$$

Shoes: Around $50

So go ahead and scout out which ones you want! I like these...

I cannot wait to get my hands on these shoes!!

Which shoes do you want? Do you agree with Mandy Moore's white dress pick?

I love them all, it's hard to choose!

Another job well done by Lela Rose.

NYFW: Venexiana Spring 2012

By: Tiffany Olson

I love to see bold, fun, looks on the runway - Kati Stern is known to deliver just this, and she certainly did with this collection! The energy at this show was probably the best of any show I saw this season. It made me wish I had a black tie event coming up!!

I had the pleasure of interviewing the Venexiana designer, Kati Stern, backstage before the show. Here’s what she had to say!!

CupcakeMAG: What was your inspiration for this collection?

Kati Stern: Always, always my fabrics. I go and I look for… beautiful. What I find is beautiful. And then I start designing. It’s the fabric, it’s the texture, it’s the color.

CupcakeMAG: What era influences you the most?

Kati Stern: That’s a tough question, because I have a great interest in the 17^th and 18^th century. And a lot of my inspiration comes from there. But at the same time, the 20s and the 30s are definitely an inspiration as well. But what I do is take it and turn it into contemporary – I don’t try to do a costume look. But it’s difficult to take something that I feel so strongly about and then dissect it basically.

CupcakeMAG: If I had to tell cupcakeMAG readers to buy one piece from this collection, what would it be? The one piece they NEED that will just go anywhere!

Kati Stern: Ah! Oh my god. I’ll tell you something, you will see many pieces that will go anywhere. I’m trying to find the one….. (scans the racks of dresses)… I just want you to see this one. (Finds gorgeous dress pictured below.) This is a dress which is satin, and it’s handmade. All the embroidered pieces are hand attached – every pieces of this is handmade inside and out, even the zipper. So, this is a cocktail dress, that you can take anywhere... I’m not saying you can have breakfast in it. You can go in the afternoon, and follow it up in the evening… so that’s one … but you’ll see many variations on the runway.

CupcakeMAG: You seem so calm!

Kati Stern: I am completely! Because anything that can go crazy did already – at this point… a broken zipper? We’ll deal with it!

Don’t you love her? She was so sweet and sincere and her designs are just out of this world. If you're looking to make a statement, these are the dresses for you!

Also, the makeup for this show was by Becca, and was absolutely gorgeous!! Here is a close up of one of the models' makeup. Those eyes!! I die! So pretty! I chatted with some of the Becca girls backstage while they were glamming up the models, and their work is absolutely amazing!

Overall, I loved the Venexiana show and can't wait to see these looks on a red carpet!!

NYFW: Callula Lillibelle Spring 2012

By: Tiffany Olson

After first falling in love with Callula Lillibelle in February at the fall show, I had really high expectations for the spring show. And I’m happy to report it did not disappoint!!

I chatted with one of the designers, Melanie Fraser Hart, and here is what she said about the inspiration for the collection.

“We started off - Sophia Loren, 2012 and who is that iconic person today, and thinking about creating really sexy shapes, but without having to show too much skin, because our purpose is to cover every woman of all shapes and sizes, and for them to feel comfortable. But this season we decided to do much more poppy with the prints and colors, and a little more daring. We just want to make every woman smile.”

Between the polka dots, pretty color scheme, and retro styling, I'd say this collection is a major hit! And they definitely succeeded in making this woman smile - there are so many things that I want! Out of all the collections I've seen, this is the one that actually makes me wish we'd skip fall and winter, and go right back to spring. (And I love fall!)

I swoon over this collection! Yes, swoon! Cannot wait for this to be in stores!

NYFW: Mara Hoffman Spring 2012

By: Tiffany Olson

Colorful and Mexican inspired, (mariachi band included), this was such a fun show! Neon colors, bold necklaces, and silhouettes the modern bohemian will die for, Mara Hoffman strikes again!

The personal style of Mexican women was the inspiration for this Spring collection. As Hoffman described it, this collection is very “Mexican Mamas.”

Peasant dresses, loose fitting rompers and jumpsuits, drapey blouses and tunics - these are the kind of pieces comfortable enough to wear all day, and chic enough to translate into the evening so you can! Each print was custom designed in house, and the detailing was exquisite, ranging from beading to embroidery.

Did I mention I loved the necklaces? Die! The statement jewelry with the tribal prints and printed shoes... you'd think it would be overwhelming but somehow Mara weaves it all together in her perfect, signature way. (Note: all necklaces were by Holst and Lee.)

Side note, Mara looked AHHHHMazing.... and she just had a baby! Her style is just so unique and fun, and we can't get enough.

We continue to love Mara Hoffman!!