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nyc event

Fashion Week

New York Fashion Week-Style Fashion Week

September 16, 2018

New York Fashion Week  is over and I finally have time to start writing about what I saw during what is always a whirlwind filled week. This season I got to see some really great collections varying in jeans to gowns that reminded me of my Couture Fashion Week volunteering days in college. I took a few days off simply because I was not feeling great, it was raining or I was too exhausted. As much as it is a privilege to get invited to shows and events, it can be a nonstop week where you lose track of what’s next without an organized calendar. Thank goodness for my mother who always knows how to screw my head back on. How will I survive this week when I’m older? I’ll manage with experience, I guess… or with an intern! If you haven’t already read my The Fashion Industry, Is it for you or Not post, you’ll know I’ve been doing this since I was 18, so I guess I’ll continue to learn as I go.

 

I started off the week, which if you didn’t know always starts in the middle of one week and runs into the next week by attending the Style Fashion Week Shows. Later on in the week I attended the Cenia Convi Jean fashion show which also showcased t-shirt designs my the designers sister. Next stop during the week was a showcase on jewelry by Midori Linea and then a private showing at the JSong showroom. My last stop during the week was the Gypsy Sport show, which was my first time seeing that designer at fashion week. Here’s a roundup of my first set of shows. Click pictures to enlarge.

 

Style Fashion Week

Style Fashion week runs for three consecutive days and features various designers, artists, singers and smaller companies. I attended two out of three days as the third day I felt I wanted to stay home. The shows that I saw during these days included David Tupaz, Bahmardi, Raul Penarada, Hirun Bangkok, Elie Madie and Rocky Gathercole and more. The following were some of my favorites by far.

 

Raul Penaranda

 

 

 

Hirun Bangkok

 

 

Yas Couture

 

Overall all my week was quite a light one in comparison to fashion weeks I’ve covered in the past. I’ll have more  NYFW posts up soon. Which collection was your favorite? -T.S

Beauty

Jeval Beauty Event

June 13, 2018
Jeval Beauty

Last Week DCG Media held a beauty event featuring Jeval Medical. With a focus on skincare this new line of beauty has solutions for many skincare concerns people of every skin color have. Creator of Jeval Medical, Dr. Jacob Varon and Youtuber Rocio Laura held a panel discussion on all things skincare. Bloggers and Editors from various publications attended the event to learn more about Jeval Medical. The event also included a makeup station by Vera Moore Cosmetics where people got a chance to get a one on one touch up on their makeup and talk to creators of Vera Moore Cosmetics, Vera Moore and her daughter Consuella. Guests also got to get blowouts at the dry bar station by Studio 1031 and got manicures done by GHL Nails. Refreshments by Spring 44 Vodka, like the Treat Yo Self cocktail were served as well as appetizers and mini cupcakes by Honor Thy Sweets. Guest also had the chance to take fun pictures in the photo booth.

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Pictures courtesy of press.

Jeval Medical was created by board certified plastic surgeon doctor Jacob Varon with the purpose of making clinical beauty more affordable. With his knowledge of which ingredients work best for skin care concerns like rosacea, acne, wrinkles and Psoriasis he created a line to combat these and other problems. Before the panel started Dr.Varon went around to editors and bloggers for one-on-one questions. They got to ask Dr.Varon about hyper pigmentation, dull skin, wrinkles and any personal skin problems they were having. Dr. Varon suggested which products would be best to combat these problems, but had no problem in recommending other treatments or procedures.  During the panel Rocio guided the event with questions on the company and skin concerns many women have. Rocio had discovered that she has Rocsia so had a personal connection in needing Dr. Varons products. As a vlogger with over 53,000 followers on Instagram alone she knows how important it is to have healthy skin. As we all know skincare must come first before beauty, and Rocio emphasized this during the panel.

Following the panel guests were able to mingle and get their hair, nails and makeup done. They were also able to buy Jeval Medical products with a special discount for the event. Media and press took home goodie bags full of Jeval Medical products to try.

 

Products:

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You can also find products like Therapeutic Shampoo, Concentrated Vitamin C Serum and a Skin Bleaching Sysytem on the Jeval Medical website. Jeval Medical products are colorless and odorless, ideal for sensitive skin. Assuring that your skin won’t have an allergic reaction to any of the products. Learn more about Jeval Medical on their website! There is a sale going on, make sure to add the code 60918-01 to take advantage of their buy one, get one 25% Off + get a Free Unisex Travel Bag promotion.

Let me know if you’ve tried Jeval Medical before in the comments and in social media!-T.S.

Event fashion Uncategorized

Bandelettes Annual Gala

April 29, 2018
bandelettes

Sponsored post featuring Bandelettes.

Ladies! Lets chat real quick on how much we love the thigh gap! NOT!! In fact I’m pretty sure that most of you ladies reading this are perfectly fine with not having a thigh gap. As you should be, because lord knows we don’t all need to look like the original Barbie. As someone who has worked on multiple sides of the fashion industry, including production of clothing I have seen how the industry has struggled to get the correct sizing for plus size women. But slowly over the years with voices like that of Ashley Graham, screaming load and proud about her natural curves the industry is changing. Because there is one thing that all women want, to feel beautiful! As a Bandelettes model told us at the end of the night ” I want to wear sexy clothes too!” As a professional FIT model, she has grown an understanding of how clothes are supposed to feel and fall on the body. Which also means she knows how many times a brand has to fix or remake clothing to correctly fit a plus size woman. Getting it right the first time in what women needed was Bandelettes. This genius invention of sexy thigh bands allows you to wear your skirts and dresses without fear of chafing! No more uncomfortable sweating or painful cuts or having to wear shorts under your cute skirts, dresses or shorts.

 

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Created by Rena Abramoff and Julia Abasova, these boss women came from their native countries with non fashion backgrounds. Once they met, they knew they had to create something groundbreaking which lead to the creation of Bandelettes. With a body positive message behind the brand it didn’t take long for women including Project Runway designer Ashley Nell Tipton to take notice. She made an appearance at their first Annual Gala with testimonials on how much she loved the brand. And her tune has not changed as she and the brand recently unveiled her own limited edition designs earlier this month.

The annual gala was held downtown at the recently opened event space, The Mezzanine in the financial district. Special guests included Becca McCharen-Tran, designer and creator of the boundary pushing brand Chromat. The CFDA Fashion Fund Alumni first partnered with Bandelettes last September when she sent models down the runway in the SS18 Serenity collection accessorized with Bandelettes. The partnership, a merriment of body positive brands continued in the AW18 Wavy collection and hasn’t stopped breaking molds since. Becca was the absolute sweetest and took a picture with me! Also in attendance was drag queen extraordinaire Coco De’Ball who performed. The drink of the night was a strong “Thigh-Piranha”, a take on a Brazilian cocktail. While a fun photobooth, a great DJ, hor d’oeuvres (that I and other bloggers stuffed our faces with) and cupcakes with mini sugar Bandelettes filled the room.

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I seriously can’t say enough how Bandelettes have saved my thighs during the warmer months. A question I was asked by a fellow blogger was “Can you see the lines under your dress”? And honestly I’ve worn a pencil skirt with Bandelettes and they were not visable at all. Thanks to the thin fabric and strudy silicone bands they are virtually invisable and stay in place. Bandelettes come in a range of colors and designs from neutral to bold, thanks to their designer collaborations. And ever the inclusive brand they come in sizes A-F (pantyhose sizes). Have you tried Bandelettes? Let me know in the comments and on social media. Read more about Sparkling Carla here and read more about Bandelettes here!

– T.S.

*Click to view individually

Event Travel

Mazda Brunch

March 18, 2018
Mazda

This is a Sponsored Post featuring Mazda

 

Saturday I attended a Brunch with Mazda and DiMe Media at the New Leaf Restaurant in the Fort Tryon state park of upper Manhattan. Bloggers got to view their newest cars and learn about the company. Mazda, a Japanese car company has been around since 1920 but did not become a full auto maker until 1946. It was birthed in Hiroshima Japan, and during WWII it was one of the only buildings left standing. Mazda which was pioneered by Dr.  Kenichi Yamamoto and Felix Wankel became the first company to invent the rotary engine. 47 Engineers or Samurai as they were nicknamed, along with these two masterminds perfected the engine.

Mazda, a relatively smaller car company compared to other massive manufactures, takes up only 2% of th U.S. car market. Reaching a niche market whose core values of perseverance, passion, harmony and family align with theirs. Values that are of high importance in the Latino community as well.  The purchasing power of Latinos/ Hispanics grew to over $13.9 trillion in 2016 and is expected to grow to over $16.6 trillion or more by 2021. With these stats and aligning values it is easy to why Mazda and the Latino community merge well together.

 

And like business people who reinvent themselves to survive, Mazda has reievented itself with continuing to create new technology. Through various economic crisis Mazda continually reinvented their cars to be more cost and fuel efficent for their customer. During the mid 70’s oil crisis they unveiled the GLC model. During the 90’s they unveiled the ultra popular Miata. During the 2000’s financial collapse, they reveled the economic Skyactiv technology. All while making sure their customers, people who love to drive get exactly that feeling of freedom in driving.

The day consisted of a Ride and Drive experience, Mazda educational presentation, 3 course brunch and trivia with prizes. I won a bottle of  Secret Cellars cabernet sauvignon 2015 in a gorgeous leather Callaway wine carrier. With thanks to the ladies there who helped me answer the question! The delicious meal consisted of a Baby Spinach Salad, an entrees choice of Spring Linguini with Peas, Pan Seared Salmon with peas and asparagus or NY Strip Steak with mashed potatoes and vegetables. The meal was topped with a chocolate mousse cake that was hard not to devour!

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The following were the cars bloggers got to ride and drive. I drove the Mazda CX-3 and fell in love at first push of the start button. It was my first time driving a Mazda, so I was not sure what to expect. Perhaps I expected a sports car with a lot of power. But what I got was power, agility and a smooth ride. Now ask anyone who drives or has been driven around New York City, its never a smooth ride! Although with a Mazda the pot hole filled roads are not as bad. I also rode in some of the other cars with fellow blogger Renee of Getting Fit Fab.

All Mazda’s come with Kodo (soul of motion) design and Skyactiv technology. The Skyactiv technology with G-Vectoring control, was something I experience when it warned me and subtly adjusted my steering while turning. It also works to adjust the cars power and weight as you make turns and take curves. This technology was made with the Japanese “Jinba Ittati” or “horse and rider as one” philosophy in mind.

The cars showcased at the brunch were the following: Mazda CX-5, Mazda CX-3, Mazda 3 as well as the Mazda 6, Mazda MX, Mazda CX-9 and the Mazda MX-5 Miata.

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What’s in the future for Mazda? Diesel friendly cars, hybrids and co-pilot installed technology that can pull the car over when the driver is in trouble. You might say “well why haven’t they unveiled these already?” That is because they have yet to perfect these concepts. Mazda, true to their core values does not unveil new technology without it being tested and perfected. With awards for “Best Car Brand in 2017″ by U.S. News and World Report and ” Most Fuel Efficient Auto Manufacturer” by the EPA among other awards, it wont be long until their upcoming releases receive accolades as well. I’ll be attending the NY Auto Show later this month, so stay tuned for more Mazda loving posts.

 

 

T.S.

Event fashion Uncategorized

Tradeshow Findings: Vintage at Intermezzo

August 27, 2017
nyc tradeshow

The newest part of these tradeshows is vintage which showcases an array of local vintage dealers who curate collections of both name brands and unknown pieces. During my walk through Vintage At Intermezzo aisles I saw a great smattering of original, timeless pieces. I found original Chanel toe capped sling backs and Gucci interlocking purses all with a respective price tag to match. Those pieces may be worth those exact prices, but I’d need to work a very long time to be able to acquire them.

So I was so happy to come across the Empyrean Vintage booth. A mix of affordable no name no labels and famous name brand pieces with personalities of their own. Every vintage piece has a story, and that is exactly how owner Natalie Como feels. I got stuck in her booth not only drooling over all the amazing finds but chatting with this infectious personality as well.

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Vintage has always been a part of Natalie’s life as her mother also owned a vintage shop in NYC called Siam Limited. During this time her mother would reconstruct the items and give them new life. For example she would repurpose ordinary denim into unique finds with fun pink rhinestones. Like heirlooms Natalie inherited the love of vintage as well as an array of unique pieces from her mom. Although her dad was as Natalie put it a “snazzy dresser” so there was no shortage of style inspiration for her.

When she did a stint in the corporate world her ability to express herself through her clothing is what entertained her in a droll environment. As Natalie sources the world of vintage for herself and her customers she does so with instinctual emotion. She respects the history and the story that comes with each piece. Although she doesn’t get too attached to items unless they were passed down to her from her mom or symbolize a pivotal time in her life, like her prom dress. Natalie feels vintage is meant to be passed along, each person giving each piece a new story.

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As to what her favorite era of clothing is, everything but now! For Natalie there was more personality in the way people of the past dressed. You can see her love of the era’s foregone in the colorful bold print dresses and high waisted bell bottoms she wears. As to why her pieces or so affordable in comparison to other vintage dealers? Refreshingly hiking up the price is not her focus. Her knowledge of what the piece is worth combined with her belief that vintage pieces have stories to be passed on are what influence her pricing decisions most.

So what is next for Natalie and Empyrean Vintage? Eventually Natalie would love to open her own store and continue to showcase her pieces in other vintage boutiques. Joining a supportive environment of vintage dealers under one roof known as a Vintage Collective is also on her to-do list. Currently she has upcoming dates for pop up in Vintage on First a vintage collective located in Hoboken, NJ. Empyrean Vintage has also gained notoriety around the globe as Natalie recently styled her pieces for the Dubai based brand “Mesh”.

After hearing Natalie’s story and falling in love with the pieces I saw in her booth I could not leave without snatching a piece for my own collection. If you follow me on Instagram you’ve seen me style vintage pieces passed on to me with modern apparel. And so was my plan for the no label Asian inspired, high split long length top. Here are a few of the ways I styled the piece.

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You can find out more about Empyrean vintage here! ( The link is correct, Natalie is in rebranding mode). Do you own vintage pieces? Let me know in the comments and on social media and check out my post on the other brands I loved at the tradeshow here!

T.S.

Career Event fashion Life Lifestyle shoes Travel Uncategorized

Working a Tradeshow

August 13, 2017
Childrens Club Fashion

For the past few months I worked for Children’s Club, the leading tradeshow for children’s fashion in NY and Vegas. I’ve done so in the past and have written a post about what it is like to attend a show and the brands that were there. Read about that here! As part of a new section of my blog I will start writing about what it is like to work in the fashion industry. Today I will be talking about what it is like to prepare for and set up a tradeshow.

Before a tradeshow occurs there are months of preparation for an event that is only three days long. For every tradeshow there is a team behind it who guides every company that wishes to exhibit at the tradeshow. During my time working for Children’s Club my responsibilities include inputting contracts, chasing money and selecting pictures sent to us by the brands. These pictures would be put on social media, a slide show shown during the show and in the brand book that’s given out at the show. I also was in charge of interacting with the brands on Instagram.

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The process of brands selecting a booth starts with the contract. Each brand is given a contract which gives them options on what type of booth they want, where they want to be located and who they don’t or do want to be located near. And lastly they have to sign the contract, something believe it or not some brands forget to do. Once this first step is taken a tradeshow manager or I can input the contract into the system which officially puts the brand into the tradeshow. After I’ve put in contracts and helped double-check all of them, it’s time to chase down money from brands who have yet to pay the full price of their booth.

Once we’ve collected all the money owed it’s time to floor plan. Something I helped with occasionally, but that is predominantly done by the rest of the team. Booth size, type of booth and the brands’ wishes are all taken into account, although you can’t please everyone and some brands will complain about their positioning and price. There are also the brands who pull out of the show or try to, without realizing they sign a legally binding contract. There are some sad excuses given when the brand has to explain why they are breaking the contract. Although life happens and family or legal issues has forced brands to legitimately back out.

After months of this detailed preparation the show dates are upon us. It’s time for all the brands and teams from UBM Fashion to make their way to the Jacob Javits Convention Center to set up and attend the show. Set up days can be hectic and they are longggg.  They consists of most of the brands coming into the Javits all in one day and setting up the merchandise in their booths. At this point the actual booths are already up, and if the brand is satisfied with their booth they start to put in their merchandise. Operative word is IF, because most of the time set up day consist of all the UBM fashion crew (including me) being pulled in every which way with a million and one questions.

During these days my job predominantly consist of helping salesmen recheck that all of the more than 500 booths have the correct signage. I also help collect samples from all the brands that have the opportunity to showcase their merchandise on mannequins. These are place in the front of the tradeshow entrance. This is basically a free ad for these brands, a great opportunity for them. At the end of each day the mannequins are dressed with the samples I or a salesman collected. I had never changed a mannequin until I worked at UBM! Those things can be uncooperative but look adorable once all dressed and arranged into a group of coordinated outfits.

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Childrens Club Fashion

At the end of the day is when the mannequins for which I picked up samples for are dressed. I dressed the girl in the front with the striped top. Outfits are arranged as best as possible with what each brand gives us.

Childrens Club Fashion

Crates of merchandise are delivered, forklifts are being driven in every which way and carpet is yet to be laid. These days call for jeans, t-shirts and sneakers.

 

 

Finally the opening day of the tradeshow begins and the Javits is full of vendors, wholesale buyers, press, fashion professionals, UBM staff and tradeshow workers. Aside from the actual tradeshows occurring there are also side events. Special speakers like fashion legend Iris Apfel and Accessories magazine editors hosted talks and Q&A’s this year. Children’s Club always hosts a fashion show with Petite Parade. Basically toddlers to teens strutting their miniature stuff on a catwalk. The three-day tradeshows wrap up, with hopefully many orders filled and sales made. Almost immediately preparation begins for the Vegas tradeshows.

In my next post I will talk about what it is like to attend the Women’s tradeshows. I came across some awesome brands and can’t wait to tell you about them. Let me know if you are interested in more of these job post. As I am thinking of making it apart of my blog thanks to my ever-changing career.

To learn more about the UBM fashion tradeshows click here, here or here! 

Lastly since my post was a bit different this time around here are links to awesome fashion/travel blog posts from my great Instagram blogger group. All super stylish ladies!

Read about a trip to Poland! By Monica of Jersey Girl Texan Heart & great outfit posts by Yaudy Cristina here!

T.S.