Jess Audey
FashionChicago 2010
Last Thursday I had the opportunity to attend the StyleChicago.com’s FashionChicago 2010. This event brought together some of the biggest names in Chicago fashion for a four hour long shopping event at a fantastic art studio on Huron. Some of my favorite designers were there including Lara Miller, Borris Powell, Horacio Nieto, and Jess Audey. Many of the designers were offering some great discounts!
Two lines that particularly caught my eye were Crescendo Apparel and Zamrie.
The Brio - www.crescendoapparel.com
Crescendo Apparel was launched by Kathryn McKechnie in fall 2009 with the designs of Kristen Burger. The great thing about this line is that it is designed for women with small waists and big hips. Their mission is to make it easy for women with this shape to find great looking clothes that fit. Their Spring/Summer 2010 collection includes some great floor length boho dresses, elegant knee length dresses that can be dressed up or down, and an array of trousers. My favorite look is called The Brio. It is a striped shirt dress that has a bubbled skirt, gathered sleeves, and a popped collar with a little bit of ruffle. Check out this collection, as well as the Fall/Winter 2009 collection at http://www.crescendoapparel.com/.
Ashley Zygmunt - www.zamrie.com
The second line that caught my eye was Zamrie. This label is brought to us by designer Ashley Zygmunt. Zygmunt was one of the designers included in the Chicago Fashion Incubator 2009 at Macy’s, which allowed her to start this label. She attended Purdue University for Apparel Design and Technology and has worked with some big names including Zac Posen and Peter Sam. Her styles include tailored suits and dresses with alluring details that bring both style and practicality. Some of my favorite Spring 2010 looks include tanks, tops, and dresses with a pastel tie-dye, and silk tanks with ruffles down the shoulders. Check out this collection and the Fall 2010 collection at http://www.zamrie.com/.
312 Fashion Series Recap
The 312 Fashion Series last weekend was a huge success. The three days of shows at Loft on Lake featured Jess Audey, Kate Boggiano, Borris Powell and Anna Hovet on Thursday, April 8th, Lara Miller on Friday, April 9th, and Horacio Nieto on Saturday, April 10th.
Thursday night showcased the fall collections of the four featured designers. Jess Audey’s collection showcased her classic styles with fall patterns and colors including oranges and browns. Anna Hovat included a variety of hoods and leggings and her signature contrasting fabric panels. Her color pallet included white, black, and purple. Kate Baggiano showed a feminine collection that featured a light blue button down day dress and a white ruffle trimmed cropped jacket. Boris Powell’s collection was the same one he featured at London Fashion Week. His looks included elegant ball gowns and a structured coat.
Friday night showcased the Fall/Winter collection of Lara Miller. The show had an artistic flair featuring painting studies rigged into bags as accessories. Her collection was eco-friendly and convertible as we have come to love and expect from Miller. Models converted their outfits while walking the runway. With the changes Miller showed countless chic looks on the catwalk.
The final show on Saturday night showcased the Fall/Winter collection of Horacio Nieto. His collection featured Arlo Menwear and Womenswear. The menswear collection featured structured military jackets with high collars and gray trousers. Nieto accessorized with scarves, gloves, and boots. His womenswear collection featured structured mini dresses and coats in jeweled and rose tones. His looks were edgy and slightly futuristic with straight lines and unique shapes. The models completed the look with twisted faux hawks and killer sky high booties and boots.
The entire runway series was an event to remember. Hopefully there will be more events from 312 Fashion in the future!
Spring Trends to Crave Right Now!
With seventy degree weather just around the corner spring is in the air! With spring weather comes spring fashion! A few spring trends this year are nude tones, floral prints, and denim.
The color of the season is nude! It can be seen everywhere from shoes to dresses. The great thing about nude this season is that even fair girls like myself can get away with it! The trick is in the shape, color, and accessories. Fit is key in choosing a shape that works for your body type. If the style hits in all the right places it will look just as good as your LBD.
Color is also essential. Those who are fair skined should stay away from nudes with yellow tones. Instead choose nudes with rosey or blue tones like a pale pink. When wearing nude the right accessories are key to really make an outfit pop. Pair a nude top with great dark denim, or accessorize a nude dress with a bright belt. The touch of color will pull the look together and really pop on those who are fair skinned.
Hesitant about going nude? The easiest way to wear this hot trend is through your shoes. Nude pumps are timeless and have a way of making legs look extra long!
ninewest.com
Floral is the print of the season. If you are thinking about buying a new spring dress, make sure it is floral. Floral prints are feminine and fun. They can easily be dressed down for the office or dressed up for a special occasion. Even floral accessories are popping up everywhere. Floral printed flats or bags are an easy and fun way to add this trend into your everyday look. For some fun and unique floral dresses check out Chicago designer Jess Audey at http://www.audey.com.
jcrew.com
Denim is the hot fabric of the season. It is everywhere! You could literally wear denim head to toe these days with this trend. The great thing about this trend is that everything goes. Bring out those dusty denim vests, denim jackets, denim bags, and denim minis. The best part about denim is that it goes with everything. It is a versatile fabric that can be paired with an array of colors. It is easy to do a touch of denim in a great shoe, or go bold in a denim mini dress, either way this is a really easy trend to follow.
gap.com
312 Fashion Series – Kick Off April 8th
What could be a better way to spend a Thursday night than at the kick off event on April 8th for the 312 Fashion Series?
The event will take place at Loft on Lake and will begin with a cocktail reception from 7:00 P.M. – 8:30 P.M hosted by StyleChicago.com. At the cocktail reception enjoy cocktails provided by Casa Noble & Fuze while listening to the musical styling’s of DJ Sye Young (Voted one of Chicago Scene Magazine’s best DJ’s).
The Chicago Designer Vignette presentation will begin at 8:30 P.M. and will feature Jess Audey, Kate Boggiano, Borris Powell and Anna Hovet.
Cap the evening off with complementary admission to the 312 Fashion Series official after party venue, The Underground!
Tickets are available through Brown Paper Tickets. http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/102672
For more information check out the 312 Fashion Series website.
For a sneak peak at one of the designer’s collections check out this video of Borris Powell’s Fall/Winter 2010 collection The Rise of an Empress.
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Studio-808, Inc. is the brainchild of Erin Creaney, a PR executive with a near-athletic enthusiasm for emerging designers. Finding herself searching the city for great designers with new and different looks, she knew a larger operation was in order. What's more, she felt the world needed to know about the fashion percolating in the Windy City. Thus was born Studio-808.com.
