fashionweektampabay

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Fashion’s Night Out

In Events, Fashion, Updates on September 8, 2010 at 10:46 am

This Friday, Sept. 10, 2010, join me and the Fashion Week Tampa Bay team at Neiman Marcus at International Plaza as we participate in the biggest shopping night ever, Fashion’s Night Out! This one spectacular night of celebrations will awaken your fashion senses.

Fashion’s Night Out started in 2009 in NYC to promote shopping in this challenging economy. This year, almost 1,000 retailers will participate in the second edition of Fashion’s Night Out. The night will be filled with celebrity appearances and special events.

Although this event is NYC-based, other cities are adopting their own version of this event. Saks Fifth Avenue and Neiman Marcus in Tampa will be hosting their own version of Fashion’s Night Out with activities and celebrity appearances. To see a full list of participating retailers visit www.fashionsnightout.com

As you shop the night away be sure to purchase a Fashion’s Night Out official t-shirt, The FNO t-shirt’s proceeds will benefit the NYC Aids Fund. You are making more than a purchase, you’re making a choice to help an industry that touches us all. This is a party with a purpose and everyone’s invited.

To add even more shopping fun to the Fashion’s Night Out festivities, Fashion Week Tampa Bay will be having a ONE DAY ONLY sale this Friday night. A limited number of general admission tickets will be available for only $45! Click here on Friday, Sept. 10.  Happy shopping and see you out at the biggest shopping night ever, Friday, Sept. 10, 2010!

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From the Classroom to the Runway

In Designers, Events, Fashion, Updates on September 3, 2010 at 9:16 am

We’re just weeks away from Tampa Bay’s most anticipated fashion event of the year, Fashion Week Tampa Bay 2010! As our featured designers work long hours to finalize their Spring 2011 collections, the Fashion Week Tampa Bay blog begins the festivities virtually by introducing this year’s designers. This week the spotlight shines on Terri Funaro. A native to New York, Terri started her career as an assistant designer at Vassarette. Soon after she began designing for Vision Apparel to discover that her true love was in bridal. Her designs have been featured in major publications such as, WWD, Seventeen Magazine, Modern Bride (cover), and Brides Magazine.

Although her passion is bridal gowns, her primary goal is to inspire her students. The past 10 years she has been an instructor in the fashion department at the International Academy of Design & Technology in Tampa. She guides her students and encourages them to have their sketches come to life while helping them define their own personal style. She mentors her students to follow the path from an idea to a finished, well-made, beautiful product.

Terri Funaro creates clothes that accent women’s best features. She feels that clothes should make women feel beautiful both inside and out. As she showcases her Spring 2011 collection in FWTB on Friday, Sept. 24 in the Fashion Tent at the Armature , be sure not to miss her evening wear and bridal separates gracefully strut down the runway leaving you feeling beautiful…right from your seats.

For more information on Fashion Week Tampa Bay 2010 and tickets visit www.fashionweektampabay.com

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Tampa Bay’s Dancing with the Stars

In Events, Updates on August 30, 2010 at 10:22 pm

Better grab your dancing shoes Tampa Bay! On Saturday, September 11, 2010 Julie Weintraub’s Hands Across the Bay will present this year’s Tampa Bay’s Dancing with the Stars. The event will be held at the gorgeous Pepin Hospitality Centre and will include auction items and entertainment by Fred Astaire Dance Studios. Some of the auction items that really caught my eye are from Saks Fifth Avenue, The Don Cesar Beach Resort and the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino.

It’s an interactive ballroom dance competition for our local celebrities to be paired with a professional dance instructor. One of the Celebrity Star Dancers is Fashion Week Tampa Bay sponsor, Tampa Bay Parenting Magazine’s Founder and Editorial Director, Angela Ardolino who will be dancing the night away for charity! Proceeds from the event will benefit: Kids Charity of Tampa Bay, Moffitt Cancer Center and Pepin Heart Hospital.

There are fifteen dancers who are local community personalities, celebrities and leaders. Similar to the popular ABC television show, Dancing with the Stars, their dance instructors will teach them dance moves that will amaze the crowd. Amazing the judges is also very important in this dance competition. Each dance team (the celebrity and their dance instructor) will perform a ballroom dance which will be judged by national and international ballroom competition adjudicators combined with the audience’s votes. Tampa Bay’s Dancing with the Stars began in 2008 and has achieved more success year after year. The event’s success will help enable Hands Across the Bay with supporting and improving people’s lives in Tampa Bay who need it most.

This black-tie (and gorgeous gowns for the ladies) event is just two weeks away! Click here for more information and tickets. Also show your support and vote for Angela Ardolino by clicking here!

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Share Your Wear: Real Runway Moments

In Fashion, Updates on August 25, 2010 at 10:12 pm

When shopping for the perfect dress to wear to an upcoming black tie affair or the best birthday suit ever, we tend to bring our girlfriends with us for their feedback while turning the dressing room into a consultation area. Modern-day shopping is commonly done virtually and usually solo nowadays. That’s why RenttheRunway.com has launched Real Moments and a Product Review Tab on their website so that women can virtually share their feedback on their purchase.

Real Moments is a video testimonials page where users have the ability to upload video feedback. Women can share their personal experiences on  how the size fits and the process of renting the runway.

The Product Review Tab allows users to share their comments about a particular product, including how the dress fit and if they’d recommend the product to others. Shoppers are also given the option to choose their height and body type so women can compare to similar body types. What body type are you? Hourglass? Pear-shaped?  Full bust? Slender? Share it on renttherunway.com!

Real Runway Moments will make the online shopping experience as similar as possible to the in-store shopping experience, allowing shoppers to interact virtually through video and the Product Review Tabs. So ladies, after renting that perfect dress for your next upcoming event (maybe Fashion Week Tampa Bay?)  share your picks with your virtual girlfriends.

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What to Wear to Every Occasion

In Fashion, Updates on August 18, 2010 at 4:16 am

No matter how much pre-meditated planning I do on what to wear for an occasion, whether it be a first date or a job interview, I still find myself ransacking my closet for a different choice. I ask myself why? The outfit I chose -post getting dress anxiety- was fabulous. A high-waisted pencil skirt with a collared business shirt and pumps was my original choice. Is it too ‘corporate’ looking? Should I add a pop color? Maybe I should wear pants?…ahhhh! Do you ever find yourself consumed with fear as to what is the perfect outfit to wear? You’re not alone.

Most of the confusion women feel when they are attempting to put together an occasion specific ensemble is caused by fear. Fear of breaking the “fashion rules,” fear of violating tradition or the basic fear of looking bad. Getting dressed for an occasion should not induce anxiety. Your clothes should communicate who you are. So if it calls for breaking the “fashion rules”, rules were made to be broken!

Although at times you may be breaking the rules or not, there are still guidelines to the fashion language that help make our own rules. There is a right time and right place for everything, and the ultimate look book to guide you there: Nina Garcia’s, What to Wear to Every Occasion Look Book. This book leads you through the fashion lingo for some of life’s basic occasions to ensure that your ensemble is always a flawless representation of you.

As I was aboard a 5 hour flight to Las Vegas, I was transfixed by the pages of this book. Each occasion is broken up into categories for easy cross-referencing. The book starts off with work.  There is nothing more stressful than a job interview. The job market is very competitive right now due to the economy. You not only have to consider what you will say but also how you will look. The first impression sets the tone of the interview. You do not want to set a loud tone with extremes of any kind. This is an absolute no-no. The book advises to wear a suit. It says that you are serious and that you take the position seriously as well. As I attached post-it notes to key guidelines, I came across a sometimes unnoticed detail to any look for an occasion, but most importantly to a job interview. Your handbag! My handbag is my security blanket. It literally tells a story about who I am if you dare to look inside. So, you want your future employer to see a neat and well-organized handbag equipped with a pen and notepad ready to go.

Over 300 pages are filled with guidelines and antidotes of the language of fashion. You will be informed about what to wear for an occasion like casual Friday’s, after you’ve been cruelly dumped, or what to wear to jury duty. Holidays, weddings, day, night, and many more make up the categories in which you will find the answers to your fashion fears. This book now stays in my closet and is referenced before I even attempt to think about what to wear. No more dress anxiety for me!

Also by Nina Garcia, The Little Black Book of Style, The One Hundred, and The Style Strategy.


Blissful Memories

In Fashion, Updates on August 11, 2010 at 9:07 am

Think about the last time you came across a reminder of your childhood.  Certain aspects of pop culture from a joyful time in your life will always bring a smile to your face, whether it be a particular song, film character or even board game.  For many fashion forward young women, the most memorable times occurred in the eighties and nineties.

While we all love a trendy, high-end dress, even the most glamorous still enjoy a comfy tee shirt from time to time.  Recently, I have noticed an abundance of graphic tees paying homage to the much adored pop culture of our childhood.  From cartoon characters to teen heartthrobs and even childhood toys, it seems nothing could bring more joy than a cotton tee with the phrase,  “I Heart Zach Morris“.

With so many fun and unique possibilities, don’t be afraid to share your favorite eighties icon with the world.  If nothing else, it will make for riveting conversation and possibly even a new friend.  Who knew that your seemingly “stuck-up” co-worker loved Popples so much?

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The Golden Age

In Designers, Trends, Updates on August 4, 2010 at 9:17 am

I have always been a fan of a thick frame and pitch-black shaded sunglasses that protects my eyes from everything under the sun. This summer, I am trading my dull black shades in for some shiny bright gold aviators. Thanks to celebrity trendsetters, I was first introduced to the golden era of eyewear while attending Fashion Week Tampa Bay’s Ultimate Ladie’s Night Out for the Sex and the City2 premiere. Carrie Bradshaw (Sarah Jessica Parker) sported Mykita & Bernhard Willhem’s Franz limited edition gold aviators in one of the opening scenes. It was love at first sight. So, I have been searching for the right pair for me and came across so many pairs that I need your advice!

First pair are Badgley Mischka. These 24-karat gold aviators have been seen on celebrities like Angelina Jolie and Rihanna who wore them in her “So Hard” video. The shape really frames the face nice not giving it too much of a masculine form.

Next, Ray-Ban gold aviators, which are known for their aviator sun-glasses, doesn’t come as a surprise that they would also offer them in gold. The shape of the frame is more squared and can only work well with certain face types such as square and/or round.

I came across an Elizabeth and James limited edition Fairfax sunglasses that had a thick black frame that surrounded the gold lenses. I always seem to fall back into a thick black frame.

Eyewear over the years has become one of the must have accessories along with shoes and belts. Although the trends change from thick sun-glasses to thin, they are now changing colors as well. If you remember last season the silver Ray-Bans were the hottest accessories around. It seems that designers are feeling a bit more luxurious this season with the 18, 22, and 24-karat gold sunglasses, most offered in thick and thin lenses. However, I can’t decide which pair are for me.

Any suggestions fashionistas?

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Luxury From the Road to the Runway

In Events, Fashion, Updates on July 30, 2010 at 9:19 am

We’re just a few months away from the Bay area’s most anticipated fashion event of the year, Fashion Week Tampa Bay! This year will not only be showcasing established and emerging fashion and accessories designers from Tampa Bay and surrounding areas, but they are bringing the speed of luxury from the road to the runway. Audi has been named presenting sponsor for this year’s Tampa Bay Fashion Week, Sept. 22-25, 2010.

When it comes to style, speed and performance, Audi and fashion go hand and hand. Every detail has its purpose. Whether it’s a button on a pair of jeans or a dramatic open panorama sunroof on a 2010 Audi Q7, the design concept and expressive details that go into the ‘art’ has a connection that is logical and natural.

The company’s commitment to their owners, employees, and environment hold the same core beliefs of Fashion Week Tampa Bay…giving back to the community. Each year Fashion Week Tampa Bay benefits organizations that are committed to the well-being of and service to our world, our children, our health, our future and our dreams. This year Audi will be in full-speed ahead as the week of style leverages the Bay area’s talented individuals and gives back to the community.

This reminds me of my favorite quote by a legendary designer Coco Chanel. “Fashion is not something that exists in dresses only. Fashion is in the sky, in the street, fashion has to do with ideas, the way we live, what is happening”. The Audi brand and Tampa Bay Fashion Week partnership expresses the true meaning of this quote.

So as we mark our calendars for a week-long event of parties, runway shows, boutique vendor exhibits and fashion-focused activities throughout Tampa Bay, Audi will be bringing its luxury car presence to the festivities!

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A Girl’s “New” Best Friend!

In Fashion, Trends, Updates on July 27, 2010 at 1:50 am

It has been agreed upon that diamonds are a girl’s best friend. The luxurious effect a diamond has once brushed across your collar-bone, or coasted down your finger -preferably by a handsome prince-  it sparkles in your eyes to enhance the reason why it is wonderful to be a women, despite pregnancy, cramping, and menstrual mood-swings. However, over time women have befriended more than just a diamond. Shoes, the little black dress and the handbag. I refer to my handbag as my first aid kit. Not because I have everything from a nail file to pens to a phone charger in it, but because without my handbag I feel as if I forgot to put on a vital piece of clothing before leaving the house. A handbag is #3 on my list of things mandatory to wear, after a bra and panties. That’s how much I rely on my handbag and I’ve met alot of women that feel the same way as I do.

This is why when I came across the ultimate diamond house and found out that they added a new friend to the group, I had to share it with all the Fashion Week Tampa Bay friends. Tiffany & Co. has handbags!

I know…same reaction I had- grin from ear to ear and loud shouts like I won the lottery.

The handbag collection is designed by Elsa Peretti, an Italian jewelry designer. She is known for the infamous ‘tear drop’ necklace at Tiffany & Co. She has incorporated timeless Tiffany pieces that are reincarnated as chain handles on evening bags, a crystal-bow brooch is brought back to life as a motif on a clutch and a six-prong engagement ring setting is the basis for a twist-lock clasp…I do!

The enticement of the handbags trimmings doesn’t stop there. The soft color palette, which portrays rich jewel tones like garnet and violet,  also offers neutral tones like black pearl and camel stones that will pair well with many eveningwear pieces.

I don’t recommend sporting this handbag while shopping at the mall with your girlfriends. This handbag is definitely an exclusive item in your closet and should only be taken out on special occasions. However, they offer a few casual handbags such as a backpack and a shopper tote.

Thank you Tiffany’s for catering to every woman’s needs!

To see the full collection, visit www.tiffany.com

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The Ivanka Ska Online Store

In Designers, Fashion, Trends, Updates on June 28, 2010 at 10:34 am

Honestly, who doesn’t love the convenience of online shopping? Shop while lying on the couch in the most comfortable pair of slippers, with a latte in one hand and cookies in the other…. Ah, sounds like paradise to me! If slippers simply won’t do for you, then I totally give you permission to rock your fiercest four inch heels. It’s not like you’ll be walking much anyway, so pain isn’t an issue! I’m very proud to share that designer, Ivanka Ska ( featured in Fashion Week Tampa Bay 2008 and 2009) is making “the shopping experience” our way! Tampa Bay’s first fashion house -The House of Ska expands to the World Wide Web and it’s just a click away!

Ivanka Ska’s online store provides fashionistas shopping convenience and most importantly, stylish trendy clothes, accessories and art. Ivanka Ska is a well-known Tampa Bay fashion designer whose collections have showcased on many runways including Fashion Week Tampa Bay. In addition to being known for her fashion house in St. Petersburg, FL – The House of Ska, Ivanka creates jaw-dropping fashion and unforgettable fashion and art shows. There’s no need to school you on what fashion is (especially what fashion means for us fashionistas or stylistas – like me) but like Coco Chanel brilliantly said “Fashion is not something that exists in dresses only. Fashion is in the sky, in the street; fashion has to do with ideas, the way we live, what is happening.” Ivanka Ska lives and breathes fashion, art and all creativity. She provides the Tampa Bay area with eye-catching “wearable art” because fashion is art!

I love the Ivanka Ska online store especially her breath-taking dresses! The only problem is the inconvenience of having to choose what to purchase… Some of my favorite dresses are below. Which dress takes your breath away? Oh and lastly, the Ivanka Ska virtual shopping experience is just a click away: http://www.ivankaska.info/ Enjoy and feel free to write your own review below.