I Heart IFB More, Thanks To IFBCON 2013

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One of the greatest things about NYFW is IFBCON, the Independent Fashion Bloggers Conference that takes place twice a year in NYC and this year (Feb 6-7), definitely did not disappoint.  Last week, The Altman Building (this year’s venue location) was full of fashion bloggers, buzzing with fashion, beauty, ambition + brains.  As usual, there were very few boys in the mix, which is a shame as I keep coming across more + more male fashion bloggers that are quite engaging like The Fashionisto + Steve Bale of TheStyleManifest, as Bryan Boy is not the only one out there.  In a flash, trends slapped me in the face – I saw lots of fur (real + faux) stoles + vests, plenty of patterns ( floral, camo, animal print + graphic), turbans, sequins + best of all, long white fringe over black.  As far as makeup goes, there were lots of matte red + orangey red lips along with plenty of black wing tip lined eyes.   This being my second IFBCON, as usual, there was a lot to see, do + learn. This year, there were areas where you could take your pic at ALEX AND ANI, get a quick hair makeover by Fekkai, crafting at MAILCHIMP

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+ beauty makeovers at bare minerals – featuring their new palette for Spring.

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Unlike last year, this time there were a lot of giveaways including Cambridge Satchels,

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Monster Headphones + a rainbow of eyeshadows from bare minerals plus, a visit by the amazingly beautiful Tyson Beckford (seen below).

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On Day One, for breakfast, we were welcomed by the screening of the trailer for legendary fashion editor Diane Vreeland’s  ”Diane Vreeland: The Eye Has To Travel” – we all received a free copy at the end of conference (If you haven’t seen it, you must, must, must – so much insight + creativity that just evolved organically rather than stale.), then it was time to work.

The workshops varied in content:  One’s first year of blogging was broken down, ‘blow-by-blow’ by some notable bloggers including Tina Craig of Bag Snob + Zanita Morgan of Zanita (sponsored by Beso), how Rakuten Linkshare can help you to gain more traffic through the magic of affiliate marketing, while Bollare + Glossi showed us what tools + techniques we needed to elevate our influence through social media.  Meanwhile, Lulu Frost‘s CEO + Founder Lisa Salzer explained how she gained success with Co-CEO + Co-Founder Katia Beauchamp of birchbox discussing how the evolution of our industry holds for the future.  But for me, the best part was hearing from two of the top bloggers in the biz, whom not only raised the bar of excellence but also helped in giving birth to fashion blogging as a legitimate revenue producing business:  Susie Lau of Stylebubble –

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(photo: Susie Lau)

+ Leandra Medine of The Man Repeller:

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(photo: Ashley Rowe)


Day Two, was off to a heavy start with discussing a blogger’s guide to copyright + trademark law then a chat with Warby Parker Co-Founder + Co-CEO Neil Blumenthal.  Affiliate marketing was further discussed from different POVS including new ways on how to monetize your site by making the most of your content, how to master your mobile content to how to pitch to the brands you want.  The best was the discussion on what fashion bloggers need to know when it  comes to SEO by the fantastic Erika Miller of ELM Consulting, whom was not only informative, she was very funny.

 Overall, it was a lot of fun + informative – can’t wait for the next one in September!

Opposite Attraction Inspires Ohne Titel RTW Fall 2013

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(photos: Robert Mitra)

For their Ohne Titel RTW Fall 2013 collection, designers Alexa Adams and Flora Gill drew their inspiration from the opposite attraction between positive + negative and strength + ease.  Several factors contributed to this collection’s success including Titel’s signature knits (adored by all) – sweaters, sweater dresses + small jackets, leather – flared skirts + leather accents + the graphic excess of grid + interesting geometric patterns throughout the collection, on sweaters + pants(row 1, looks 1 + 4).  One key departure for the label was printed silks in everything from sleeveless draped blouses to pajama pants (row 4, looks 2 + 3). 

My favorite looks were:  row 1, look 1-love the peplum top in what appears to be chiffon with the sweet surprise of similarly sheer black cap sleeves over pants with muted shiny black ‘sequined squares’ (love the juxtaposition between soft + hard, shiny + matte) + look 4-the all-creme ensemble down to the shoes, have an effortless swagger to them, considering how simple it all is (look at those shoes), row 2, look 2-check out the shape of these obnoxious leather sleeves; and row 3, all looks.

(via WWD)

Love this fashion film ‘Templates’ collection by designer Cara Marie Piazza.  Based in New York, ‘Templates’ is a collection of timeless architectural cuts, dyed with all organic + natural materials, that can be custom made + designed to order. Dyes created from mallow blossoms, pomegranate rinds, iron fillings, turmeric powder + madder root, all sourced ethically are imbued on the garments through alchemical dye sessions – which all sounds like Piazza is some kind of crazy chemist, creating such interesting colorways + effect.

(via WE ARE SELECTERS)

Poetic License Inspires Ostwald Helgason RTW Fall 2013

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(photos: Pasha Antonov)

When I saw Ostwald Helgason‘s RTW Fall 2013 collection all I could think was, ‘What don’t I like about this collection?’  Inspired by Symbolist Literature, like Baudelaire’s ‘Flowers of Evil’ + ‘Little Shop of Horrors’, there was an equal measure of both light + heavy elements to appease all, made up to create this wonderful mixture of textures, patterns + silhouettes.  Spilling with plenty of wit, the collection was full of looks that played out like little vignettes, making you smile – there were the exaggerated prep schoolboy looks (row 1, 1 + 4) where in 1, the golden jacquard cropped pants with black jacquard fitted blazer + black schoolboy cap, looks like a uniform that met it’s demise in the dryer + a shrunken jacket with 3/4 sleeves, accented with bright front pockets in look 4; Then there’s the pair of shorts (row 3, look 3) with the art-nouveau floral pattern, that upon closer observation, you notice the flower is a fanged Venus flytrap – luckily, designers Susanne Ostwald + Ingvar Helgason soften one’s horror by pairing these bottoms with a fuzzy green Lurex sweater; and Loving the sweatshirt with Baudelaire’s face on it (row 3, look 1) – it’s like an amalgam of ‘Out of Print’ tees bearing famous book covers (Vladimir Nabukov’s Lolita) + the sweatshirt trend made famous by Balenciaga + Givenchy bearing images from iconic (Star Wars), to cute (Rottweilers), to cheesy.  

All of Baudelaire’s work is said to have the underlying current of ‘longing for perfection’ through cynicism + Ostwald Helgason has reached perfection with their RTW Fall 2013 simply through great design.

(via WWD)

Alexandre Herchcovitch Is In Full Bloom For RTW Fall 2013

(photos: Pasha Antonov)

The Alexandre Herchcovitch RTW Fall 2013 collection was in full bloom of patterns including florals, light materials + slight deconstructed silhouettes which looked like they had pulled off the top of the dress/just one sleeve + just left it there, around the waist (looks 1, 3 + 4, row 2).  The floral patterns were either a print or embroidery.  Cropped tops also showed up in this collection along with a street-style if not a playground trend, of tying a top around your waist (looks 2 + 3, row 1), which when paired under a jacket, of a different texture or contrasting pattern, makes for a great effect.

(via WWD)

Altuzarra Reinvents The ‘Corporate Uniform’ For RTW Fall 2013

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(photos: Giovanni Giannoni)

For his RTW Fall 2013 collection comprised of black + white looks, Altuzarra took to certain Fall trends not going away anytime soon: lots of leather (real + faux), hybrid pieces (look 4, row 1: top of jacket looks like a trench, down to the sleeves but then cuts short at the breast plate, turning into a peacoat of sorts + look 1, row 2: where the jacket has leather sleeves), wearing a jacket over another (look 3, row1) and fur, with a twist.  But it was the ‘corporate uniform’, of sorts, that really drove this collection.  After working several corporate jobs myself, I always saw my ‘corporate uniform’ (i.e. a skirt suit) as being in ‘drag’, with either going ‘commando’ (not recommended) or painting my toes with green polish as a way to break free underneath.  Yet, Altuzarra reverses this dilemma + exposes the woman for whom she truly is, without apology.

“In my mind, it was this idea of an office lobby with women [coming and going] — sort of like a corporate uniform.” 

His looks all promise sex appeal, with impeccable construction + a tight fit, as if they were made-to-measure for each model.  A for instance is the first look, one of my favorites – where colorblocking is used to emphasize the woman’s figure.  Here, the Altuzarra adds flattery to a ‘possibly boring dress in the hands of another’, with a black leather corseted front panel, complete with a deep sweetheart neckline, that seamlessly nuzzles it’s way into the rest of the dress in white leather (designer Claude Montana definitely came to mind).  The dress is then ‘softened’ by mink sleeves (similar to look 4, row2) which brings us to other fur accents or standout looks, with patchworked black + white fox fur in the shape of vests, coats, sleeves and huge fox mittens.  Hemlines get blurred by chiffon panels under leather + front slits, showing off just enough skin.  Then Altuzarra uses a technique where some padding is added to the hips of several dress constructions, which the designer says ‘gives you this super-flat stomach,’ so muffin tops, need not apply!  In the end, you don’t need a conference room to be part of your everyday to enjoy this collection.

(via WWD) 

Check out this video for Bulgari‘s ‘Serpenti Collection’.  If only I could afford that many sparkly things. When would one ever get the chance to be that close to that many diamonds, rubies et al, especially a diamond encrusted snake?  In fact, as of Feb 9 – 28, Bulgari will be holding a Serpentine Retrospective Exhibition, celebrating the iconic symbol of their snake, at their Fifth Avenue NYC store. With 2013 being ‘The Year Of The Snake’, what better way to pay tribute than with Bulgari.