sew down: the alternative fashion show

I wasn't too impressed with the runway show at Sew Down. The designs were too raw and too edgy for my taste. There were 15 designers with at least 6 looks each and only one outfit caught my eye. The outfit (right) was from Chica Boom and like the label's tagline, it looked cute, cozy and cool. I'm pretty sure I can replicate this look easily. I was thinking about sewing some big buttons to my old yoga pants and then throwing on a striped shirt, suspenders, and nautical themed necklaces and I'll be good to go. This outfit is great for lounging around the house and for going out.

The next day, I checked Wire Image to see if any famous people attended Sew Down that I had missed. The only famous celeb that attended was Kelly Hu. As I was cropping this image of my other favorite thing from Sew Down, gorgeous slouchy boots (left), Kelly Hu's face appears... How freaky! By the look on her face, it seems that she loves the boots too! I actually bought a similar pair in navy blue yesterday from my church for $5!

Even though the clothing was a big disappointment for me, I loved the hair and makeup by Gods & Heroes. The girls had glam pony tails teased at the crown and both guys and gals had stand-out makeup. I loved the gold flakes that they had outlining the corners of the eyes.

Another unique thing that I noticed were the tattoos that ran down the back leg of one of the models. They were of a hand of cards and then the spade, clover, diamond, and heart symbols. Super cool!

In the gift bag: Heartbeat Ts, Voss water, LA.com Cosmo Deck ($15 Gift Cards @ 52 of LA's Best Restaurants), Bodog.com playing cards, Chica Boom bag, and Gods & Heroes travel shampoo pack. I can't wait to use the restaurant gift cards. Besides clothes, I also love food.

Thanks to Kara for the invite!

daily outfitting: purple people eater

Hal Ferman Purple Patterned Dress:
- $3.99 @ Thank You Mart
- Thank You Mart has everything from vintage clothing to plastic jewelry to random Japanese novelty toys. Everything is $3.99!
- This dress is unbelievably comfortable. I love the pleats.

White/Blue Striped Belt:
- Came with a different dress I bought @ The Christian Closet
- Mix-matching patterns is oh-so-cool.

BooBoo, Le Coco, and the Prof. causing all kinds of ruckus with our Voss water bottles (because any other water is just ewww! haha!) at the Sew Down Fashion Show on Friday night.

in bloom with bebe

It was all about the flowers during the Collection bebe show on Thursday night at Smashbox Studios. Celebs like O.C. princess Mischa Barton (the new spokesmodel for Collection bebe), mean girl Lacey Chabret, singer/actress Mya, sister of MJ Latoya Jackson, courtroom frequenter Courtney Love and her offspring Frances Bean Cobain, and star dancer/wrestler Stacy Kiebler were all in attendance to see the line's debut into the realms of high-end designer couture.

Designer David Cardona said that the fall collection was inspired by a vintage tulip dress owned by bebe founder Manny Mashouf. Hence the collection was in full bloom with flowers popping up in every look. The collection's dominating colors were black, gray, and silver laced with splatters of crimson, purple and lavender. There were strapless gowns worn with long necklaces, bubble skirts layered to resemble petals, coat collars were pulled up like leaves, hemlines and sleeves folded like rosebuds and tulips, tons of knee-length leggings, high-waisted pants and capris, and patent leather cummerbunds, gloves, and clutches with matching peep toe heels.

I sat one row before Kim Possible (Christy Carlson Romano)! Disney Channel ain't got nothing on me!

My favorite piece was the red taffeta skirt that looked like a big red carnation (first image). I also loved the bun-to-the-side hairstyle. I thought the entire line was sophisticated, but still young and fresh. It was a great show and every look was beautiful. I want it all! I did get Collection bebe seat cushions though. Now my buttocks will be sitting in style!

daily outfitting: ode to abercrombie

A&F White Cropped Hoodie:
- $39.90 @ Abercrombie & Fitch
- I love this hoodie because it's super comfortable and is the perfect California weather jacket. I have one in gray too! I can throw this over anything and run out the door!

A&F White Tank:
- $24.90 @ Abercrombie & Fitch
- There's beading on the straps of the tank, but they are falling out. I mostly use this tank to wear under other shirts.

A&F Blue/White Striped Halter:
- $29.90 @ Abercrombie & Fitch
- I bought this halter, I think, a year and half ago. I called the maritime trend before it was even a trend!

Ralph Lauren Rope Belt w/ Gold Clasp:
- $1 @ Goodwill
- I'm guessing this belt was originally sold with navy blue pleated shorts...

A&F Darby Denim Shorts:
- $59.60 @ Abercrombie & Fitch
- Recently bought these. Comfortable, casual and cute!

I bumped into Lacey Chabret at Smashbox yesterday during LA Fashion Week (On a whim, I decided to drop by right after work to catch the Collection bebe show). She was really sweet. Look how tiny she is! We are the same height in this picture, but she had heels on and I was rocking silver ballet flats.

i no longer fit my prom dress

Dear Donna,

I hope you know that you are annoying and mean! I know you had a hand in Kayla calling me a fatty patty! And tell Kayla that hair cannot be fat! There was also the time when you moo'ed at the lady with the cow print shirt and we had to duck so she wouldn't think it was us mocking her with farm animal noises. You meanie! But I digress... Despite your tendencies to bug and scare me, I still love you and want you to have a magical prom! So here is the prom dress I bought for you. Hopefully you will fit it. Isn't it pretty?

Love,
Soupee

P.S. Buying this dress for you reminded me that I do not fit my own prom dress anymore...

make it caliente

Today is the first official day of Spring, even though it feels colder than ever outside. There is no better time than now to go shopping for that muy caliente bikini, so that you'll still have a couple of months to work off the winter flab. I won't be able to flaunt in anything itsy, bitsy or teenie, weenie until I hit the gym hardcore.

I'm really digging the nautical theme for this summer season. Bold stripes and anchors remind me of fun times on a cruise ship.

Starve for a week choice:

Set Sail by Nolita

Kinder on your paycheck choice:

Salinas Stripe by Urban Outfitters

The best steal choice:

Lakeside by American Eagle Outfitters

Some of my other favorties:

Frutas by Nicolita

Crochet by Abercrombie & Fitch

Shell by Abercrombie & Fitch

daily outfitting: casual saturday

Navy Blue Button-Up Blouse:
- $1 @ The Christian Closet
- This shirt rocks because it's simple and comfortable.

Calderon Brown Leather Belt:
- $1 @ Goodwill
- I think this color goes well with everything. The peeling leather lends the belt a vintage feel.

Abercrombie & Fitch White Bermuda Shorts:
- $39.50 @ Abercrombie & Fitch
- I got these two or three years ago and I wear them all the time. They match with everything.

Vis a Vie White and Brown Heels:
- $29.99 @ Marshalls
- My sisters don't like these heels, but I think they're pretty interesting and unique. I love the holes in them!

a nude night with the matadors

Friday night at the Cooper Design Space in downtown Los Angeles proved to be a one-of-a-kind experience for me. P. Ka Bu's Salon De La Mode featured the fashion of Maggie Barry, where the boundaries of a traditional runway show were crossed through the addition of movement and performance. In the place of a stage, the models came through curtains in groups and into a circle of flowers. Male and female models interacted and there was even a model that did multiple flips, headstands, and ballet movements.

Maggie Barry's Fall 2006 Collection, "A Nude Night with the Matadors," was exactly that. The guys were wearing some sort of low-rise spandex pants. Most were shirtless. This matador look is definitely not attractive to me. Butt crack is ewww. The guys were really buff, but none were hot. In fact, the guys were creepy looking and kind of old. Barry's women collection had tons of leather accents everywhere. The dresses and suits within the 5 categories (nudes, rib it, New Jersey, bright nights, and lace and blue velvet) had a romantic-gothic-flamenco feel. Everything from the skirts and gowns to the suits and capris were skin tight. The waistline was the focus of attention on the bottoms. The entire collection was a combination of varying textures including: knit jersey, leather, lace, and fur. Every single piece fit the theme of the collection perfectly. I don't think I'll be wearing any of Barry's styles because it's too sexy, too bright, and too tight for a fall line.

The aspect of the show that I enjoyed most was the singer and the live guitar players. I didn't understand anything she was singing, but it sounded good and flowed well with the fashion show.

The work of Miguel Angel Reyes was on display. Very erotic... let me allow the picture to speak for itself.

My favorite discovery from this show are the coochie covers we got. Haha! No more panty lines with Commandos! They are like a pad that's squiggly shaped and are supposed to be stuck to your pants, so that you don't have to wear any type of underwear. They are disposable and made of cotton. I seriously can't wait for my opportune to try them out!

In the gift bag: box of 8 Commandos, Margarita King baby bottle (yeah, I don't know why either), $100 gift card for Tejani jewelry, first issue of California Apparel News' New Resources, and a Maggie Barry black/glitter crochet wrap.

Thanks to Jose Angel for the invite!

daily outfitting: st. patrick's day

XOXO Black Cardigan Sweater:
- Borrowed from my +1
- I love the diamond buttons because they make a plain sweater pop!

Green Silk Blouse:
- $3.95 @ UCP Thrift Store
- This was originally a dress, but I cut it into a shirt. The best part of this blouse is the wrap style at the waistline.

Mossimo Black Skinny Jeans:
- $22.99 @ Target
- These skinny jeans are stretchy and comfy. At such a great price, I might just return to Target and buy every color it comes in.

Black Necklace:
- Free
- I made this necklace from a longer piece given to me by a kind lady from church and some superglue.

H&M Striped Gloves:
- Gift from BooBoo
- When BooBoo went to Chicago, she came back with these wonderful gloves. I wanted them to be a little more spunky, so I cut off the fingers.

painting the town red

Ever since I came into possession with a lovely, red, quilted Chanel purse, I've been wanting red heels to match.

It's a dreary, wet day in Los Angeles and things at work are moving at snail pace, so for my lunch break I thought I'd stop by the thrift shop on Santa Monica (the same place I bought the Chanel purse). Lo and behold, the perfect red heels in my size! The heels aren't just any regular red heels, they're Stuart Weitzman for Mr. Seymour... and they cost me only $5.50! It was as if the fashion gods deemed that these two beautiful things should be together and it was my responsibility to see that their wishes would be fulfilled.

The fashion gods are smiling with content.

frocktails

Along with Paula Abdul, Melissa George, Emmanuelle Vaugier, Shanna Moakler... I toasted the opening of Leona Edmiston at the Sunset Plaza on Tuesday night.

Leona's frocks are colorful and full of mix matched patterns and prints. They're casual and comfortable, yet elegant. Very day/night versatile. I loved, loved this pleated sea mist dress, but it retails for $345. I did get a gift card, but unfortunately $75 just isn't going to get that dress into my closet.

Her runway show looked amazing (and this is just me viewing it on an overhead projector). Models carried large cocktail glasses and donned intricate bird nest hairstyles. The stage was modeled like a large grassy field with blooming flowers, where the models frolicked with paper lanterns.

In the gift bag, there was a Leona scarf (I got a pink with brown polka dots one, while my +1 got a navy blue with white squiggles one), Australian licorice, cookies, a three day pass to Equinox, a coupon for Rolling in Douch cookies, the newest issue of GenLux, and a $75 gift card good towards a Leona frock. Is someone out there willing to give me $270, so I can buy the pleated sea mist dress?

They served Pomtinis, wine, delicious tofu spring rolls and crab cakes. Yum! I wanted the whole tray of spring rolls all to myself.

Thanks to Sadie and Allie at KM&A for the invite!

i love megan!

The one true joy of being the big sister, is the opportunity to embarrass the lil' ones as much as possible.

This one goes out to you, Megan. (Megan is in green because that's her favorite color!)

Megan is super talented, smart, and she loves Shakesperean literature. Last Sunday, we went to the Village Gallery in La Jolla to see her painting. It was the best piece of art there by far! So my opinion is biased, but seriously we have an artist in our midst!

Her painting is called Day&Night. Besides regular paintings, she paints stuff on AOL discs, skateboards... and she makes totes, pillows, hearts, ipod cases...

Writing this entry makes me miss Megan and want to have our private moments in her room....