Venexiana Spring & Summer 2013 Collection NYFW

by Marcy Design Fashion Fashion Week Shopping & Acquisitions

By Marcy Clark with additional reporting by Constance Zheng

VENEXIANA’s new Spring/Summer 2013 collection shone like a shooting star during Mercedes-Benz New York Fashion Week. She used colorful crystalline tones and magnificent heavy silk for her gowns. Showcased radiant crystals under see through chiffon, giving the embellished gowns a look more mystical than loud. Her collection seemed inspired by ancient Rome at times, with toga like draping. At the same time, her glamorous draping was expertly fitted so as to accentuate a woman’s body perfectly. Oranges, milk whites, bloody reds and lake blues shone throughout… dresses fit for royalty with luxurious twinkle silk.

Other clever details included white jackets with black lace embellishment and pants that creating an exciting contrast with the evening gowns. As my assistant Constance said after her first Venexiana show during her first time at Mercedes Benz Fashion Week “It was like walking in a fashion milky way.”

Photo Credit: http://nyunews.com/index.php/2012/09/09/venexiana/

Shauntele Spring 2013 Collection NYFW

by Marcy Design Events Fashion Fashion Week Shopping & Acquisitions

By Constance Zheng from Women’s Mafia

Shauntele Spring 2013 Collection was inspired by the sunset. She mixes pastel colors with dark shades. The collection reminds us of the classic pattern making once used by Christian Dior. She features A-line silhouettes and a Rorschach pattern that the guests of her suite presentation at the Empire Hotel adored.

www.shauntele.com

Store Opening Party: Delicate Raymond Jewelry

by Marcy Design Events Fashion Fashion Week Shopping & Acquisitions

Women’s Mafia friend and stellar jewelry designer Michelle from Delicate Raymond has recently moved to a fab new store in the Lower East Side! She is having her opening party on September 5th from 6-9pm, and it coincides with a Lower East Side Fashion Night Out (Sounds so fun!). Free gifts for those who spend more than $50 and she will be giving away 5 $100 gift certificates.   RSVP to Marcy@yellowskyagency.com to be on the list.

Launch of THE KATSWALK August 31st at Hudson Terrace

by Marcy Design Events Exploits Fashion Fashion Week music Nightlife Talent

The Women’s Mafia and Boutique Models cordially invites you to the Pre-Fashion Week event of the season!  Writer and Editor Katrena Moore, exhibited in Harper’s Bazaar and Seventeen Magazine, launches her new and fabulous web magazine, The Katswalk!

The Katswalk is High Fashion|Music|Film|Love. The first of its kind, we spotlight new artists, bringing originality back to entertainment.

Wednesday, August 31, 2011
The Hudson Terrace
621 West 46th st
between 11th and 12th ave.

Cocktail Reception 8:00pm
Live Fashion Presentation 8:30pm
Runway Show featuring designer Beata B 9:30pm
After Party 10:00pm

Free admission with an RSVP. Please arrive early as space
is limited. Press ONLY RSVP to press@boutiqueartists.com.
Guests please RSVP to katrynym@gmail.com.

Will we see you there?

Carlos Miele FW2011

by Marcy Design Fashion Fashion Week Shopping & Acquisitions

By Carolina Sanchez for Women’s Mafia

Carlos Miele’s Fall 2011 fashion week show was wide-ranging. He went from black and white, to neutrals, to a vivid palette of colors including blue, green, orange and red. His collection was casual yet elegant and incorporated jumpsuits, pants and dresses.

One of the best pieces was this jumpsuit which was shown in three different colors, but this flawless white one with the red belt was definitely my favorite.

He showed the popular Fall favorites which include fur and black all over, but added a splash of color and, in this case, the orange stripes really add life to this combination. There’s nothing left to say except that the scarf-like hoodie is the perfect accessory to complete this ensemble.

Miele brings Harem pants back for Fall 2011 in neutral and dark blue velvet.

Continue reading →

Betsey Johnson FW 2011

by Marcy Design Fashion Fashion Week

By Ritika W at Ms. Fabulous

What was the highlight of fashion week for me? The irreverent, vivacious Betsey Johnson presenting her Fall 2011 collection at Lincoln Center on Valentine’s Day. Undoubtedly, her show is the brightest  trip of the week.   This season, she presented both her upmarket Black Tag collection and her more affordable, Pink Patch lines on the same runway.

For the 33 years, Betsey has put on a fabulous show for her downtown girls.  The models were relaxed and beautiful in clashing over-saturated florals and prints.   They strutted in short Louise Brooks black bobs with lace spray-on color insets.

There were peplum jackets and skintight pants in black and white leopard prints.  Red rompers over shiny red leopard tights were seen.   Red plaid tartan bustiers were worn over long fuchsia skirts. While the collection on the runway was great on the models, the individual pieces were wearable for non-model types too.  My personal collection (of now vintage) Betsey Johnson  dresses still receive compliments, so I can attest that each piece is workable in any wardrobe.

The best part of the presentation was when Betsey Johnson sent her staff of girls and the occasional boys dressed in her clothes at the end  to universal audience support of whistles and clapping.

The designer herself came down the runway and for her trademark finale cartwheel and dragged Patricia Field of Sex and the City fame down the runway with her.

Miss Jay from America’s Top Model fame and the ever present, Robert Verdi, were also spotted in the audience.

More photos:

Fashion Writer Down

by Marcy Design Exploits Fashion Fashion Week Travel

By Alex Geana, Photographer & Writer

Hell is being trapped in a luxury hotel room unable to do more then call room service for porridge and chicken soup. Finally the house doctor came — Sunday morning — sporting a salmon Ralph Lauren sweater, and pronounced that I had strep throat. This childhood aliment that normally has little to do with the adult world floored me. I’m of hearty stock and have plowed through many a minor discomfort, but at one point in my current delirium I almost forgot it was Fashion Week.

While watching Haider Ackermann’s powerful show, all I could fixate on was the hair extensions – like katanas, they sliced their way down the models’ backs. Can I reach out, steal one, and perform hara-kiri in the marble bathtub? Is that possible? I’m already a fashion victim; let’s take it one step further.

Right next door was Tsumori Chisato. I had my head in my lap. Finally the lights dimmed and all my energy went into noticing the bubbly pop prints of childish tigers and dreamy elephants blend with sequins and sailor hats. Don’t even try and convince me she didn’t get inspiration from the musical 42nd Street and hallucinogenic drugs. I stumbled out to my room and Angelina stared blankly at me, wondering if I’d contracted a parasite from the salami I kept in the mini-bar.

Continue reading →

LA Fashion Week: EM&Co. Presents Emerging Los Angeles Talent

by Marcy Design Events Fashion Fashion Week Featured Nightlife

By Courtney Fortune, Singer, Songwriter and Women’s Mafia LA Correspondent

It’s Fashion Week here in Los Angeles and I’m covering my party-hopping between shows and events celebrating West Coast trends for Fall 2010.  On Thursday night I hustled my gay husband to kick it off with me by popping into a special event hosted by Eveline Morel, owner of LA boutique EM & Co.

Morel has been called a “champion” of local designers here in Los Angeles.  Her West LA store boasts combination of world-class apparel, keeping company like Vivienne Westwood, Jean-Paul Gaultier, Stella McCartney and Missoni alongside lesser-known talent straight from the city. “It’s important to really support local talent. And there is a lot of talent in LA.”  She says, “When we see a designer that has that je ne sais quoi, we love spreading the word! And people are listening to us.”  In addition to the 30 lines they house in their small operation, EM & Co. also is known for its thematic parties, which has garnered fashion fans in the city and throughout the world via live webcast (last season four million online viewers logged in to watch her live streaming shows!)

For 2010 Fall Fashion Week Morel presented, “Up Next: LA Designers – Brave New World”, which featured a dynamic installation in multiple acts and models posing as living art.  Walking into its clean, open gallery space provided ample room to get up close and personal with the designs on display.  LA designer Angela Dean was the highlighted artist of the evening, presenting pieces of her well-crafted ready-to-wear collection in metallics and bursts of color.  Dean’s work seems to be a worthy representative of Los Angeles’ Hollywood circles, her gowns have been worn by celebrities like Paris Hilton in her cabaret-inspired Can Can fragrance campaign, Katy Perry, Queen Latifah, and Vivica J. Fox.  Her stately design work has also graced the cover of Oprah Winfrey’s O Magazine.  Here at “Up Next”, Dean’s designs successfully married the ideas of fun, sexiness and comfort, which was very fitting, very LA.
Overall it was a vibrant and well attended night at EM & Co., it’s inspiring to see an independent shop owner looking out for the talent in her own city instead of outsourcing her lines.  It reminds us that although LA’s reputation for fashion may be in its early development on a global stage, supporting designers in our own backyard provides a loyalty-factor that Fashion Week cannot continue without.  It seems her mantra “think global and act local” can go a long way in both the fashion world and beyond.    To learn more about EM & Co. visit www.emandco.com To learn more about Angela Dean visit www.deanzign.com

A Perfect Day At The Spa: An Indulgent Charity Fundraiser Event

by SonjaNYC Altruism Beauty Causes Events Exploits Fashion Health Shopping & Acquisitions

This upcoming Saturday March 13th we are extremely proud to be hosting a Spa, Shopping and Charity event for History Starts Now at the luxurious Downtime Massage & Skincare Spa in Hells Kitchen.  From 4-8pm we will be relaxing, mingling with like-minded New Yorkers, shopping with Women’s Mafia endorsed designers (as seen in our Women’s Mafia Fashion Week Shows!) and supporting a great cause – fighting sexual trafficking with the passionate efforts of History Starts Now.

Please see below some of the luxurious packages and products that you can experience at Downtime, while supporting an extremely important cause. $10 of your ticket price goes towards a 30 minute treatment. As this event may sell out, we recommend that you buy your ticket now and then email mgt@downtimemassage.com to reserve your treatment time.

1. 10 minute “Mani Bianco” Acca Kappa seated hand massage
Using and including Acca Kappa Muschio Bianco Crema Mani/White Moss Hand Cream*-
10 min/$15 (*4.1 fluid ounce retail size product included–actual retail value is $21.60)

2. 15 minute “Revive” Aromatherapy chair massage
Using Aromatherapy Associates Revive Gel on pressure and pulse points- 15 min/$20

3. 20 minute “Supplifying” Exfoliating foot treatment
A highly relaxing treatment using Sundari Body/Corps Supplifying Omega 3 & Flax Seed Exfoliating Scrub with warm water rinse/towel dry- 20 min/$25

4. 30 minute “Revive” foot reflexology
Using and including Aromatherapy Associates Revive* Gel-
30min/$55 (*6.8 fluid ounce retail size product included–actual retail value is $60.00)

5. 30 minute “Renew, Repair, Protect” Minifacial and Eye treatment
Using Aromatherapy Associates Renew Rose Firming Eye Serum, Aromatherapy Rose Overnight Repair Eye Cream and including SkinCeuticals UV Defense* Transparent Moisturizer-
30min/$60 (*3 fluid ounce retail size product included–actual retail value is $36)

6. 30 minute “Support” Aromatherapy Massage
Using and including Aromatherapy Associates Supersensitive* Body Oil-
30min/$75 (*4.18 fluid ounce retail size product included–actual retail value is $53.00)

7. 30 minute “Supplifying” Exfoliating Treatment
With hot towel service for guest’s choice of legs and hands or back and shoulders –
using and including Sundari Body/Corps Supplifying* Omega 3 & Flax Seed Body Exfoliator-
30 min/$95 (*22.3 fluid ounce retail size product included–actual retail value is $72.00)

8. 20 minute professional “Three Custom Color” Makeup Application and Color Consultation
Experience the customizable color that Allure, People, Lucky and InStyle have been raving about.
20 min /$10 (special deal on products at our event) www.threecustom.com

Visit www.downtimemassage.com to see pictures and more details about this delectable spa. Downtime Massage is a Women’s Mafia partner and Women’s Mafia members get 20% off treatments at the spa. Mention Women’s Mafia when booking.

Have you bought your ticket and reserved your treatments yet?

Our Jewelry Designer For the Women’s Mafia Fashion Week Events: Lisa Linhardt

by Marcy Design Fashion Fashion Week Shopping & Acquisitions

By Marcy Clark

You may remember Lisa Linhardt from her TALENT profile with us a few months ago. She has been busy at work creating new and unforgettable socially conscious pieces, several of which we featured in our Women’s Mafia Fashion Shows on February 9th and February 17th. Enjoy the photos and visit her incredibly gorgeous and hip shop at 156 1st Avenue, near 9th.  She’s a priceless gem!

Continue reading →