Can you believe Christmas is next week? And yes, I’ve famously left some of my shopping until the last-minute. If you have as well, I’ve come up with a list of great outfit gift ideas for the fashionistas in your life through FashionMIA: Modern, Irresistible, and Affordable women’s clothing. I’ve listed my five favorite outerwear pieces and seven favorite dresses from their site, ranging from casual capes to stylish coats and cute shifts to fabulous frocks worthy of New Year’s Eve. The best part: everything pictured is under $50 each!
Part two of my last-minute holiday gift guide will hopefully appeal to fashion and music lovers alike, stay tuned!
I first learned about Trendy And Tipsy at the DaisyMae PR #Popshop & Industry Party earlier this year (post here), and I immediately loved their mix of current Boho Chic trends with various types of vintage clothing. I was invited last month to their storefront grand opening in Pacific Beach, and got to hang out with a couple of my fellow San Diego Style Bloggers. The best part of the night (other than the shopping): I won a raffle prize, which included a $25 gift certificate! Below is a pictorial recap of the event. Have a great weekend, cheers!
Can you believe I won? I bought that Metallica rock t-shirt/vintage flannel, along with another shirt with my gift card, AND received an extra 20% off for the grand opening)!
The goodie bag I won along with the gift certificate from the raffle. It’s always fun to win!
I know it’s been a little while since the Fashion Week San Diego 2015 runway and trunk shows, but I’m posting this wrap up to also announce that the winning designers will be hosting a “Mini Day of Fashion” at La Plaza in La Jolla on Sunday November 22, 2015 starting at 11am. There will be a brunch, a meet & greet with each of the designers: B.JASH.I, Tasanni, and Territa Torres; plus you’ll be able to shop their runway looks at 15% off garment prices. I’ll be there to support these talented ladies, and I hope to see you there, too! My wrap up of Fashion Week San Diego below includes highlights of night 1 of the runway show, the trunk show, and photos of the pop-up shop. Enjoy!
With my fellow bloggers & stylists. After the show, I had a great time having a late dinner and chatting up a storm with writer Courtney Hartmann (bottom right).
My outfit for the evening, as taken by Jenna of Lucky Little Mustard Seed for her blog post “FWSD ‘Runway Show’ Style“. She so graciously named my outfit as one of her favorites of the evening (*squeal!*)…so just for Jenna, here is a shot of my United Nude shoes (below).
With Sharlene of A’Doreus. I would love to wear a dress from her collection!
With Heather of The Stylish Bisou & designer Nikki Marie. Very cool retro styles!
My favorite dress of Tasanni’s runway show!
Another favorite by Lady Lane Desgins. I mean, how absolutely gorgeous is this gown!
A final picture from the trunk show, and beautiful models Leah Brown and fellow San Diego Style Blogger contributor, Tiffany Williams of the blog Glitz and Glam by Tiff
FWSD 2015 Winning Designers Pop-Up Shop at La Plaza in La Jolla
Beautiful dresses by B.JASH.I Couture
I love this little set by Territa Torres. She’ll be making a longer version of the top for off the runway!
Designers Marcie Bain (B.JASH.I); Fatsani Chikwana-Dogani (Tasanni) and Territa Torres
I took Dominic with me to visit the winning designers of FWSD 2015 at their pop-up shop in La Jolla. I bought a couple of items from B.JASH.I and Tasanni. I’ll be sure to feature them in a future blog post!
Had to include this picture of me with the designers, because it was taken by Dominic!
A couple of months ago, I was invited by fellow blogger Vanessa Balli to her private Kit and Ace blogger party at Kettner Exchange. If you haven’t heard of Kit and Ace, it’s a brand created by Shannon and JJ Wilson, wife and son of Chip Wilson, founder of lululemon. Their stores (both online and brick & mortar) feature clothing that is sophisticated yet relaxed, which is at the very heart of athleisure. At Vanessa’s private event, Erica Hecht from Kit and Ace showed tops made of Technical Cashmere™, “a machine washable fabric engineered from cashmere and technical fibres, with added stretch”. We were each given a garment to take home, and I absolutely love the luxurious feel of the heather grey Prevost Sleeveless Turtleneck I selected (pictured in the outfit at the end of this post).
The night was simply lovely, hanging out with beautiful blogger friends having great food, relaxed (and often hilarious) conversation, lots of Periscoping and of course learning about Kit and Ace. Thank you Vanessa for inviting me! If you want to check out Technical Cashmere™ for yourself, Erica has opened up pop-up shop at The Forum Carlsbad, fully stocked with fantastic Kit and Ace clothing (I’m definitely stopping by). In the meantime, here are some pictures from our fun-filled night at Kettner Exchange, cheers!
Delicious food and drinks at Kettner Exchange, along with a fun card game!
I really did try to get my event posts up in a timely manner. But the end of summer and beginning of fall is a very busy time for fashion, so attending the events and then posting them up became quite the endeavor for this fashion/lifestyle blogger! Here are the rest of the August events I attended, so that I can move on to September (now that it’s almost October)!
Kiehl’s LifeRide for amfAR Wrap Party Recap (August 15, 2015)
The riders arriving to Kiehl’s at Fashion Valley
Kiehl’s raised $250,00 for amfAR!
Food and drinks provided by Soda & Swine and Juice Saves, so yummy!
Order Up San Diego/Pacific Beach (August 20, 2015)
OrderUp is an online and mobile food delivery service, and their focus is to provide delivery from restaurants customers truly want. My husband and I attended their launch in Pacific Beach at Backyard Kitchen & Tap.
(Photo courtesy of OrderUp Pacific Beach’s Facebook page)
The appetizers at Backyard Kitchen & Tap was fantastic!
(Photo courtesy of OrderUp Pacific Beach’s Facebook page)
Thank you to Colette of Contour PR + Social for the invite!
FWSD Culinary Couture (August 29, 2015)
“Fashion Week San Diego is back for its 2nd Annual Culinary Couture held at the fabulous Harrah’s Resort Southern California and we’re ready to take your tastebuds on the trip of a lifetime!
This exclusive, invite only event takes you on a culinary trip around the world in true Fashion. From Europe to Asia, South America to North America- Fashion Week San Diego will help you explore the world’s top fashion capitals through cuisine and cocktails. – FashionWeekSD”
I had such a great time at Culinary Couture. The food and presentation were fantastic. Thank you for the invite Fashion Week SD!
Glasses are very much a part of my style, just as much as the shoes I wear or the purses I carry. Imagine my excitement to be able to preview Warby Parker’s new 2015 Fall Collection, which launches today! Warby Parker is a family owned business, and they pride themselves on being able to provide stylish yet unique glasses at an affordable price, which is evidenced so well in their new collection. Plus, they have a wonderful “Buy a Pair, Give a Pair” program, where a pair of glasses is given to someone in need for every pair sold.
If you like what you see below or with any of their frames, Warby Parker also has a “Home Try-On Program” where you can try five pairs of their glasses for five days before deciding which ones you want to purchase. For those of you in the San Diego area, they are also opening a retail location at Westfield UTC on September 19th, so you can see the collection for yourself in person.
I am loving the beautiful autumnal feel of each of the frames in the new 2015 Fall Collection, which inspired me to create some fall style boards around my favorites. Cheers!
The only times I’ve ever worn a corset was when I was in Shakespearean plays in high school and the costume called for it, or underneath my wedding dress. I have not yet worn a corset as a fashion piece that I could incorporate into my wardrobe, although I’ve always wanted to! So when I was contacted by the folks at CorsetDeal.com to try one out for myself, I thought it was a great opportunity to style one, and to understand the whole “waist-training” movement. I’m not sure that I will actually go that route, but I do love the way a corset looks, especially since I’m quite attracted to the gothic and steampunk looks of shows like Penny Dreadful.
I’ll be sure to post how I styled the awesome corset and boots I received from CorsetDeal.com. But if you are interested in learning more about waist training, check out the article they provided below. Cheers!
“Celebrities Who Wear Corsets
Have you ever considered sporting a corset to achieve a slimmer shape, but weren’t quite sure whether corsets were officially back in style? If so, wonder no longer. The waist-training movement, made possible with comfortable, steel-boned overbust and underbust corsets, is moving forward full-steam ahead. Not only are women around the world just like you leveraging the power of the waist training corset to achieve longer-lasting results, but celebrities are, too!
Which celebs have been spotted embracing the waist training corset?
Kim Kardashian
Kim has been an unabashed advocate of the waist-training corset, as her Instagram account will attest! Kim frequently wears underbust waist training corsets both atop and underneath ensembles to give her figure that extra advantage. By all accounts, it seems to be working!
Jessica Alba
Few would guess just by looking at Jessica Alba that this actress is actually a mother of two. Her slim physique and tapered waist gives nothing away, thanks in part to the help of waist training corsets. Corsets are not only helping women accentuate the figure they already have, but are helping them regain core toning that can be lost after pregnancy.
Lily James
Lily James, star of the 2015 movie Cinderella, also achieved her incredibly small waist with the assistance of a corset. The actress noted in an interview that while her waist is naturally small, it was only with a corset that she was able to create that now infamous tapered waist while in Cinderella’s ball gown.
Beyoncé
Even the reigning Queen of, well, Everything is rumored to get a little help from shapewear like waist training corsets. Beyoncé has frequently worn costumes that involve corsets while performing on stage, but it’s believed that she also is a fan of the corset offstage, too. Like Kim, if her Instagram photos are any indication, the corsets are doing their job!
Emma Watson
Yes, even Emma Watson has been spotted in a corset. While Emma’s corset ensemble appears to be more of a fashion choice than an attempt to train her waist, she still raises an important fact: corsets are fashionable! Thus, even if waist-training isn’t on your list of priorities, the corset is still worth considering for its fashion potential.
Ready to experience a waist training corset for yourself? Follow us to shop for corsets and learn more about their benefits!”
FTC Disclosure: I received product and was asked to review the product in return. Although I did receive product, the opinions in this post are strictly my own.
Earlier this month, I got the chance to see the Kendall + Kylie for Topshop collection in a private setting with sips and sweets at Topshop in Fashion Valley, thanks to stylist Sierra! Although I couldn’t purchase anything (see why with my post here), it was fun to see the collection and try on that really great romper. Maybe my hubby will be sweet and buy it for me? Here’s hoping!
Caught in the background: You can see me, Dominic and my hubby’s arm!
Dominic, patiently waiting (my hubby behind me in this picture)…
That romper. So. Want. It!
Loved it even better on…and yes, the shoes and hat are also Topshop, previous purchases of course!
At the end of May, I was invited to preview an awesome collaboration between two great California companies: Spy Optic and RicherPoorer. Spy Optic was founded in 1994 and is the largest independent eyewear brand in the US, celebrating their 21st year in business this year. Their principal product is sunglasses, goggles and prescription frames, with it’s main headquarters based out of Carlsbad. RicherPoorer is a company out of San Juan Capistrano, and their main product are socks for men, women and childern (performance and fashion) in addition to men’s underwear. Their collaboration features Spy Optics Trancas and RicherPoorer socks in a fun polka-dot print.
“One of the things we often talk about here at Richer Poorer is elevating everyday products through quality and design, so having the opportunity to partner with a company like SPY who has a similar vision was a lot of fun,” says Tim Morse, President of Richer Poorer. “Like socks, sunglasses tell the story of your personality and mood. We’re happy to have partnered with SPY to create a piece that’s notonly fun and distinct aesthetically, but delivers on quality in every way.”
The launch party was held at Spy Optic’s Happy Camp, which is a fantastic combination of retail and entertainment space. Walking inside, you see the store front with all of their Spy products, ranging from sunglasses, goggles and prescription glasses to clothing and headphones. Further back, is a space suitable for dinner entertaining with tables and chairs, in addition to enclaves with sitting areas. The most impressive area is the back lot, which could easily house a small concert or festival, with a stage area and bleachers!
Spy Happy Camp!
I. Want. These. GLASSES! The top pair is my absolute favorite, which are the Mona in Fuchsia Sunset. They are amazing in person.
Look who I rant into, Matt and Raul from Ironsmith Coffee, who provided hot beverages for the night! I first met them at the Caffeine Crawl (post here).
A selfie with Vince, Brand Manager for RicherPoorer…sort of?
Awesome gifts from the party. I just love how happy everything is! Thank you Bill & Holly of Remedy Communications, Spy Optic and RicherPoorer for inviting me!
Edited to add that I wore the Spy Optic x Richer Poorer Trancas to the San Diego County Fair this weekend, and I love the Happy Lenses (it’s pictured above with my Bag Junki global clutch/crossbody)! An outfit post will be coming soon!
Join Simon and Refinery29 as they present Style Festival, a combination fashion music event at Brea Mall this weekend!
What:
Style Festival
An event that combines fashion, beauty and music in a fun festival type experience!
Style Stage: A shoppable “stage” of summer inspired trends curated by Refinery29 editors that feature select items from local boutiques and Brea Mall retailers.
Beauty Stage: Pop-up beauty bars featuring festival inspired hair-styling and a temporary tattoo parlor courtesy of Flash Tattoo.
DIY Stage: Guests can personalize custom band-inspired tour t-shirts as a keepsake souvenir of the experience!
Sound Stage: Guests will enjoy a musical performance by MS MR live in concert!
