Any Second Now

Fashion Week San Diego: The Trunk Show

Here is the final post of my Fashion Week San Diego experience, the trunk show. I really had a great time because it was a very relaxed vibe, and we got to meet many of the designers. They announced the winning designers of #FWSD, and we got to partake in the celebration with several champagne toasts. I also met up with a few of my blogger buddies at the show, and not only left with goodies courtesy of the #FWSD VIP gift bag, but I also made a purchase from Dexter Simmons, who will appear in the reality show Styled to Rock later this week. I took pictures galore, but here are the highlights. Hope you had a great weekend!

Hats and shirts by Dexter Simmons, including the one I purchased (photo courtesy of Dexter’s Instagram).

The man himself, Dexter Simmons! He is such a nice guy, and it was nice to know he is definitely influenced by music in his designs. I wish I could have met Cecilia Aragon and Andre Soriano (who is from San Diego). I will definitely be watching them this Friday on “Styled to Rock“!

Designer Lauren Cram of Victrola Designs; designers Otilia Mendez and Denise Munoz of Diestra Brand and a beautiful gown from Ashley Raymond.

FWSD Trunk Show Collage 4

Pieces from WM Couture Designs and Noia by Evelyne. So pretty up close!

Gorgeous jewelry by Yuwei Designs.

Runway models from A’doreus

Vanessa of Fashion Mixtape and I with A’doreus designer Sharlene Estrella Borromeo. In front of us is a table with wrapping paper made in the same print as that on the dresses in her runway show. Quite lovely up close!

The #FWSD Advisory Panel, including announcer Jeff Krapf.

Toasting the winners of #FWSD: 3rd place, Greenpacha; 2nd Place, WishNow; 1st place, RHCreation. They are seen with sales and marketing director of #FWSD Rhiannon Marquis and Allison Andrews, director and founder of #FWSD.

Cheers! Celebrating with Laura of Laura Neuzeth and Alessandra of Alessandra Gonzalez. Photobomb by the Peroni Italy poster gal!

Greenpacha, Hats for a Better World

Dresses from WishNow Designs. The detailing was exquisite!

Richard Henderson and Timothy McGee of RHCREATION.

The Naughty Monkey Shoes display. I had no idea they were based in San Diego! I would love to tour their facility someday. They provided shoes for the runway shows, and designers even got to design their own shoes!

With Kendall of The Fishbowl by Kendall and Laura (photo taken by Alessandra).

My outfit: Oasap dress; GUNAS purse from Modavanti; Steve Madden shoe boots; Honeybadger glasses from BonLook

Fashion Week San Diego: Runway Show Day 3 Recap, Part 2

Victrola Designs

In order to wrap up all of the runway shows and make way for the final Fashion Week San Diego post, I decided to post my favorites of the remaining designers of runway show day three. It was quite a whirlwind of fabulous fashion, and I am so honored and happy to have been a part of it all. Thank you #FWSD, enjoy!

Designer Lauren Cram of Victrola Designs

Noia Collage Noia by Evelyne

Designer Evelyne Aguilar of Noia

MarAlonzo

Designer MarAlonzo

Danh Ta

Designer Danh Ta

SYC Collection

Designer Sameerah Yasmeen Corporal of SYC Collection

Fashion Week San Diego: Runway Show Day 3 Recap, Part 1

Princess of Punk, designer Zandra Rhodes (whose studio is in Del Mar), was present at Fashion Week San Diego. Very exciting!

Because of the heavy amount of pictures for day three of runway shows for Fashion Week San Diego, I’ll split the posts again into two parts. While I definitely had favorites from each designer’s collections, I did have favorite overall designers. Part one will again include my favorite designers of the evening, and I will post the rest of the designers on either Friday or Saturday (depending on how long it will take to edit the pictures). I will close my coverage of #FWSD on Monday with a post about the trunk show. Enjoy!

A’Doreus

I loved the model on the left. She WERKED it on the runway! The patterns on dresses in this collection are also available on wrapping paper and stationery. A’doreus designer Sharlene Estrella Borromeo (on the right in black) currently works for Zandra Rhodes, and is also grew up with some of my cousins. I hope I can chat with her more in the future.

Ashley Raymond

Two of my favorite dresses from this collection.

This dress was so dramatic and stunning in person. I took several pictures of this design.

Ashley Raymond designer Ashley Ann Barno, with an adorable future runway model!

Yuwei Designs. Beautiful, bold and powerful jewelry.

Yuwei designer Yuwei Lee

WMCouture Collage 1 WM Couture Designs

I had so many favorites from this collection. Check out the polka dot print layered in the skirt, and that beautiful ombre dress. Lovely!

More fantastic polka dots, both subtle and bold.

I saw both of these up close at the trunk show. The detailing in the skirts are breathtaking.

WM Couture designer Wendy McMillan

WishNow, winner of most innovative designs and second runner-up of FWSD.

These designs closed the show, and in such a fun way, because the models danced and shimmied down the runway. The dresses were not only so pretty, but each piece had exquisite detailing. Loved this collection!

WishNow designer Victoria Roberts, who also worked with Zandra Rhodes.

My outfit – Made for Impulse dress; Jump from Paper bag; Miista shoes; London Undergroud cuff c/o designhype; rings by Suki Bijoux; Lucky Brand glasses; handmade 45 RPM adapter earrings (post here). Photo taken by Laura of Laura Neuzeth

Fashion Week San Diego: Runway Show Day 2 Recap, Part 2

As promised, here are the rest of the designers for day two of runway shows from Fashion Week San Diego. There was so much good stuff, so I’ll just let the pictures speak for themselves. Next up, day three of runway shows, so stay tuned!

Love, Charles

Love, Charles designers, Jenna McKown and Kimberly Dooley

Maegan Stracy Collage 1

Maegan Stracy

My favorite piece of the collection. Futuristic yet wearable!

Designer Maegan Stracy
KA Designs Collage 1 K.A. Designs

Loved these pieces. The kimono/batwing sleeves are fantastic.

K.A. Designs designer, Keisha Audrey Sakata

Dos Caras Swimwear

How cute are those balloons? Made for a very festive runway!

Dos Caras Swimwear designers Aida Soria and Syncletica Maestas

Greenpacha Collage 1 GREENPACHA, Hats for a better world

The last outfit and hat had such a wonderful retro feel.

Greenpacha’s designer, Florencia Gomez Gerbi

Fashion Week San Diego: Runway Show Day 2 Recap, Part 1

Jodi Kodesh from KNSD and Jeff Krapf

I’m quickly recapping part one of the day two runway shows from Fashion Week San Diego by featuring two of my favorite designers of that night: Diestra, and the winning designer of #FWSD 2013, RHCREATION. Both were extreme opposites of each other with their color palettes. Diestra presented a wonderful black and white collection, while RHCREATION’s designs were bursting with color. Not only did I love the structure of Diestra’s clothing, but their musically bold graphics really made my retro-lovin’ heart skip a beat. But my breath was taken away by the lovely bold colors, beautiful prints and flowing fabrics of RHCREATION. As the winning designers of #FWSD, RHCREATION won a very impressive business package, which included designing a pair of shoes for Naughty Monkey (based in San Diego, by the way) for their runway show that could possibly go into production, and a trip to ModCloth, who will review their line to possibly include in a future production. SO exciting!

My fellow bloggers and I had much better seats for this night of runway shows, which allowed me to capture all of the fashions for the night without obstruction. In addition to the runway pictures, I’ve got some random shots of the night, such as my outfit picture with Vanessa of Fashion Mixtape. I also included a couple of pictures of the Doggie Fashion Show with #FWSD’s director and founder, Allison Andrews. Stay tuned next week for part two of day two of the #FWSD runway shows, which will include the rest of the designers presented that night. Have a great weekend!

Diestra Brand’s graphics. How fantastic are the cassette tape and turntable images?

My favorite looks of the night by Diestra. That white babydoll dress is to die for!

Designers Otilia Mendez and Denise Munoz of Diestra Brand

The yellow of the second dress was stunning in person.

These prints were so gorgeous.

Richard Henderson and Timothy McGee of RHCREATION.

Cute doggies for adoption! Allison Andrews of FWSD is in the second picture.

This is Marty Ornish, and she is a local clothing designer, specializing in upcycling (her website is www.marty-o.com). I just had to take pictures of this fab coat. I think I’m going to have her do up one of my old denim jackets!

I don’t think I’ve seen a collection of this many fab shoes all in one spot like this, unless I was shopping!

With Vanessa of Fashion Mixtape. We both decided, unbeknownst to each other, that we would sport rock t-shirts, and the color pink! (Photo taken by Alessandra of Alessandra Gonzalez)

My outfit – American Living jacket and Buffalo jeans from JC Penney; Psychedelic Furs t-shirt; New Look shoes from ASOS; Mini Mac c/o Rebecca Minkoff; iSee glasses from GlassesUSA; Michael Kors watch; Suki Bijoux rings

I Wouldn’t Normally Do This Kind Of Thing…

I hope you don’t mind the interruption to what should be all about Fashion Week San Diego. I just attended the Pet Shop Boys concert last night at Copley Symphony Hall in Downtown San Diego, so I couldn’t finish editing all of my pictures for day two of the runway shows. In the meantime, I’ll post a couple of teaser pictures of the concert. The Pet Shop Boys were AMAZING and the concert was a sweet and constant assault on all of my senses, and I couldn’t be happier to add them to my concert bucket list. I guess you could kind of count this as a bit of a runway show because there were several costume changes, and some of their wardrobe pieces were fabulous! I will resume with Fashion Week San Diego on Friday and next week, followed by a post about this visually stunning concert, including a couple of videos of my favorite songs (which will be a surprise). If these EDM masters come to your town, I highly, highly recommend catching the Pet Shop Boys in concert!

Fashion Week San Diego – Runway Show Day 1 Recap

Wow! Fashion Week San Diego has come and gone, and it was quite an amazing few days of events. When I started this blog, I wasn’t sure where it would take me, but I had hoped I would someday be able to attend events just like this. As I am getting to know the fashion industry, I’m also learning about who I am as a blogger and what I want to present. The reason I’m explaining all of this is because I actually don’t have any truly great pictures from day one of the runway shows. We (bloggers) were seated a bit further back than desired, which made picture-taking quite difficult. Some of us then started to move all the way to the back so we could stand without obstructing the view of others, which meant I only captured half of an outfit, along with the tops of people’s heads. After awhile, I sort of gave up a bit and just enjoyed the show because I knew I just couldn’t post most of the pictures I had taken. When the “Styled to Rock”* designers came up, I felt compelled to capture something because the designs were right up my alley: rock inspired and gothic. Long story short, I have a few pictures of the venue, some pictures of the video screens and three videos of the “Styled to Rock” segment, and a scan of the flier showing the designers for the night. For fantastic pictures of day one of the runway shows, check out Fashion Week San Diego’s Facebook page. All this week, I’ll be featuring recaps of the runway shows and the final trunk show of Fashion Week San Diego, so keep checking back for all of the fabulous fashions and action on and off the runway. Hope you had a great weekend!

San Diego Style Bloggers in full effect! Laura of Laura Neuzeth, Paulina of Lil Bits if Chic, Lisa of Mona Lisa Marie, Amber of FACE IT Catalog, Paula and Pat of PATFLOR

A list of designers for day one of the runway shows. I apologize again for not having any pictures to present of designers prior to the “Styled to Rock” designers.

I fell completely in love with Dexter Simmons and all of his pieces. So very rock inspired and edgy.

Andre Soriano and Cecilia Aragon’s collections were so wonderfully gothic. Love!

My outfit for day one of the runway shows: Glamorous shirt dress (purchased from ASOS); Vintage Judith Leiber clutch; Vince Camuto boots (old); Suki Bijoux necklace; BonLook “La Marquise” glasses. (Photo taken by Laura of Laura Neuzeth)

*Styled to Rock is an upcoming American reality competition television series, executive produced by Barbadian recording artist Rihanna which focuses on fashion design. The contestants compete with each other to create the best outfit for one or more famous music acts every week. They are restricted in time and materials. Their designs are judged and the music act of the week chooses his favorite one. One designer is eliminated each week.

The series was originally scheduled to debut on November 5, 2013 on the Style Network. However two weeks before its September 23, 2013 debut, the Esquire Network was announced as taking over Style’s channel space, rather than G4 as originally planned. It was announced on September 30, 2013, that the series will premiere October 25, 2013, on Bravo.

(Styled to Rock excerpt from Wikipedia)

This Weekend: Giuliana Rancic To Host “Night Bright” At UTC on October 5, 2013

Last night I attended my very first Fashion Week San Diego runway show, and it was AMAZING! I will definitely put up posts all next week of my #FWSD experiences, and if last night was any indication of what’s to come, I’m in for some great nights of fashion this weekend! If you can’t make it out to the Broadway Pier for #FWSD, here’s another great event happening tomorrow night at the UTC mall. Television personality Giuliana Rancic will hosting a wonderful event called “Night Bright” benefiting Bright Pink, which will include a fashion show displaying looks from Westfield UTC retailers, a live performance by G.R.L and a silent auction featuring exclusive items and experiences. Additionally, Giuliana will be granting a special wish through her Fab-U-Wish initiative. All details for tomorrow’s event are below. Have a great weekend!

GIULIANA RANCIC TO HOST “NIGHT BRIGHT” FASHION EVENT AT WESTFIELD UTC TO SUPPORT NATIONAL NON-PROFIT BRIGHT PINK^® IN HONOR OF BREAST CANCER AWARENESS MONTH

WHAT: Westfield UTC invites you to an unforgettable evening of fashion for a fabulous cause on Oct. 5 in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month. “Night Bright” will be hosted by E! News personality and breast cancer survivor Giuliana Rancic and will benefit Bright Pink^®, a national non-profit that supports breast and ovarian health in young women. Attendees are invited to dress in pink to show unity and support for breast cancer awareness & prevention.

The event will include a high-energy fashion show featuring the hottest looks from Westfield UTC retailers and a live performance by newly formed dance-pop quintet, G.R.L. To raise funds for Bright Pink’s life-saving programs, Westfield will host a Silent Auction and launch sales of its Bright Pink Book, which offers shoppers dozens of exclusive deals from participating retailers. The Bright Pink Book costs $5.00 and 100 percent of the proceeds will be donated to Bright Pink.

Giuliana Rancic will also be granting a special wish for one incredible woman through her Fab-U-Wish™ initiative, which provides women undergoing treatment for breast and ovarian cancer with an opportunity to spend a day feeling “fabulous” by living out one of their dreams.

Event Components:

· Appearance by Giuliana Rancic

· Premium high-energy fashion show

· Live performance by G.R.L

· Granting of one special wish through Giuliana’s Fab-U-Wish™ program

· Silent auction featuring exclusive items & experiences

· Best dressed contest for attendees – one very fashionable winner will win a meet and greet with Giuliana

WHERE: Westfield UTC, 4545 La Jolla Village Drive, La Jolla, CA 92122

WHEN: Saturday October 5, 2013 from 6pm to 9pm

(Photo and banner above courtesy of Bright Pink)

Fall Fashion in the Valley: A Recap

To continue the countdown to Fashion Week San Diego, here is a post of an event I attended two weeks ago called “Fall Fashion in the Valley”, where I met up with a few of my San Diego Style Blogger friends (original post here). It was a lovely night of fabulous fall fashion for a good cause, where attendees could donate clothing to the COMPASSION ROCKS Clothing Drive . I arrived early, made my donations and joined Alessandra (of Alessandra Gonzalez), Paulina (of Lil Bits of Chic) and Lisa (of Mona Lisa Marie).

Group shot with Noelle, courtesy of Alessandra.

There were so many wonderful pieces, and I tried to capture them the best I could. This definitely was a lesson learned for me on how I will be capturing pictures at fashion shows because as much as I love my Cybershot as an excellent point-and-shoot, I’m going to be using my husband’s DSLR going forward. At the bottom of this post is a list of the retailers highlighted in the show (although my pictures are in no particular order). I want to thank Noelle of Curator PR for the invite because I had such a wonderful time!

I adored this preppy look. Very Harry Potter!

There were more men’s fashion, but this was the only decent shot I took. I promise to get better!

The last two shots was my favorite look of the night from Macy’s, like she stepped out of “The Great Gatsby”. Classic!

Fashions by Ted Baker, Juicy, White House Black Market, GAP, Tommy Hilfiger, True Religion, A Pea in the Pod, Lorna Jane, Old Navy, Joe’s Jeans, Tommy Bahama, UGG, Charlotte Russe, Chicos, The Limited, Sun Diego, JC Penney, Francescas, Ann Taylor, Custo Barcelona, Tous, Cache, and Macy’s.

Countdown to Fashion Week San Diego: Focus on Fashion Trucks

In anticipation of the days that I will be attending for Fashion Week San Diego, I’m putting up a couple of events that happened during the month of September that I finally got around to posting. My head was so full of excitement over Depeche Mode, and I just had to get that out of my system before I could focus on all things fashion related. Back on September 7th while I was at the Disneyland Resort with my family, my best friend Janice attended an awesome pool party event at the Lafayette Hotel featuring some of San Diego’s most fashionable shops on wheels: fashion trucks! I did a feature last year on a fashion truck called Therapie Boutique (post here), so I was excited to know the genre was starting to expand. This last Friday, San Diego Style Bloggers also announced an event this past weekend featuring some of the same trucks. I thought I would include Janice’s pictures from September 7th, and I hope to attend an upcoming events featuring fashion trucks and actually talk to these fashionable entrepeneurs!