J. Mendel Fall 2012: Pure Luxury

Regardless of the season, Giles Mendel will always show luxurious looks with feminine silhouettes, and of course with the most amazing craftsmanship. This season, he really focused on soft shapes in a neutral palette (with of course some burgundy throughout the collection…stock up now because it’s Fall’s biggest color trend!),  along with gorgeous textured fur that appears voluminous yet light at the same time.

The eveningwear was stunning as per usual. Gold tones mixed with nude and the most intricate beading, these sure have a chance landing on the best dressed list at the Oscars next weekend. Another big trend seen on the Fall ’12 runways and also for J. Mendel are cut outs. I love this look because it’s a cool, subtle way to show some skin. And with the class J. Mendel brings to every collection, these cut outs were done perfectly.

When I was at this show I honestly couldn’t even believe I was there. The clothes were beyond stunning, the music was electric and there was a celeb-packed front row where I was even a little starstruck (which is not something I can say often). It was a surreal moment and I’m so thankful to be invited to see such an incredible designer’s collection first-hand.

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No you’re not seeing double…it’s Mary Kate and Ashley looking fierce in all black in the front row.

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Caught her as she almost fell (looks kinda cool though, right?)

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Giles gives out hugs after the finale!

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The look on the right (on Lindsey Wixson) is my absolute favorite from the collection.

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Some exciting J. Mendel news–this was the first time in-house designed handbags were shown in a collection. Yes, Fall 2012 is the debut year of J. Mendel bags! Crocodile with mink and alpaca fur lining? Would expect nothing less from J. Mendel.

Runway images via Style.com

Tory Burch Spring ’12 Chicago Fashion Show

Last night I attended the Tory Burch Spring ’12 fashion show in Chicago with Kelly Ryan O’Brien of Idols & Egos and the Chicago Blogger Network. This was seriously one of the best fashion events I’ve been to in Chicago so far. From the fashionable crowd and the spectacular cocktail hour to the beautiful Tory Burch clothes and Q&A with Tory and Hal Rubenstein from InStyle; it was an all around fantastic event.

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It was also super fun running into Kelsey Kreiling from LaundryMagazine and Amy Creyer of Chicago Street Style.

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And Art Smith…love him!

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It was really cool to hear that this was Tory Burch’s first ever runway show (she normally does presentations) and it was her first time showing her collection outside of New York. So yeah I guess that means…Chicago is pretty awesome (I already knew that, but it was definitely reassuring).

So let’s get to it. Here are some of my favorite looks from the Tory Burch Spring ’12 collection…

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Honor Spring 2012 at Mercedes Benz Fashion Week

Yesterday I attended the Honor Spring 2012 show at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week. This collection had a more toned down Marylin Monroe ’50s vibe to it. This is not only because of the dresses, but mostly because when every girl walked up to the runway for their first pose, a huge gust of wind blew up their dress (in a tasteful way of course). This collection heavily consisted of gorgeous pastels in flowy silhouettes, with a few structured looks here and there. I loved the gold collars on the girls. It was an interesting touch to such a “light” collection.

My photos weren’t great so I included a few of my own plus my favorite looks taken from Fashionologie.

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Fall Fashion Fix: Real Women, Real Chicago Fashion Show

On September 1, The Drake Hotel, The 900 North Michigan Shops and Mario Tricoci are hosting an event to celebrate more than 40 influential Chicago women as they walk the runway in fashions from Bloomingdale’s, Mark Shale, L.K.Bennett, Karen Millen, Club Monaco and more.

There will be fabulous raffles including a $250 Gift Card to the 900 North Michigan Shops, a wardrobe consultation with juliewatsonstyle ($450 value), and The Drake Hotel’s ‘Shop ‘Til You Drop’ and ‘Spa’ Packages (value exceeding $300 each).

What are you waiting for? Get your ticket now!

Growing Works 2011

I posted about the highly anticipated event Laundry Magazine’s Growing Works about 3 weeks ago, and the time has finally come. On Tuesday night I attended the Growing Works show at the gorgeous Garfield Park Conservatory. This was my first time at this venue and it’s the perfect space to host a fashion show. I know this event has been in the works (no pun intended) for quite some time…and it definitely paid off. It’s so great to provide an event for local young talent to showcase their designs and what better company to host this event than Laundry Magazine? Be sure to check out the full list of designers and their profiles from the show.

Check out my pre-show photos…

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The Runway

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Backstage

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With Kelsey Kreiling, Editor In Chief of Laundry Magazine

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Growing Works program

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Pretending to straighten the bowtie of The Bowtie Memoirs

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With Ryan Beshel, of The Bowtie Memoirs

Let’s start the show…


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