Sonia Rykiel for H&M

"H&M and Sonia Rykiel president and artistic director Nathalie Rykiel are proud to announce that Sonia Rykiel will be the next guest designer for winter 2009 and spring 2010. The French house founded by the “Queen of Knits” represents the distinctive, modern and impertinent spirit ofParis. This marks the first time that H&M has extended its designer collaboration to the world of lingerie and related accessories for women, with exclusive pieces to be launched in-store on December 5, 2009. The collection will be launched in 1,500 H&M stores worldwide and at the same time, Sonia Rykiel will make this lingerie collection available in Sonia Rykiel’s major boutiques around the world - another first for H&M."

“Sonia Rykiel is a true fashion icon who invented a signature style around femininity, Parisian chic and modernity - as well as functional, comfortable, wearable clothes. She has an attitude that inspires admiration among women of all ages around the world. We loved the joyful chic of Sonia Rykiel’s 40^th anniversary runway show - and in that spirit this collection is all about revelling in great lingerie for its own sake. This is a totally modern, new kind of lingerie look, and when we started to work together with Rykiel on it, we just couldn’t stop,” says H&M creative advisor Margareta van den Bosch. “It’s a wonderful highlight for our main collection.”

Over-the-knee Boots

All of my friends have been hearing me rant and rave about over-the-knee boots the hottest trend in boots for Fall/Winter and a must have. Thigh-length, thigh-high or simply thigh boots are the ones that extend above the knees. We first saw them back in the Fall Shows but I wasn't sure if this style would really pick up beyond the runway. With this trend there is a fine line between wearing them properly and looking like a prostitute. Obviously Louis Vuitton and Emilio Pucci pulled it off on the runway

For the past month I've been scouring the internet for an affordable pair that aren't to Vivian or Kit in Pretty Woman.

The first pair I found is from Charlotte Russe for $44.99

The second pair is Chinese Laundry for $99

And last but certainly not least these Colin Stuarts for $169 from my favorite store Victoria's Secret

Fashion Week Comes to Philly

FINALLY .. Philadelphia gets it very own Fashion Week mark your calendars because October 8th-10th will be all about Philadelphia Fashion. I'm so excited that Philly is finally getting put on the map.

"Philadelphia will be the newest city to get its own fashion week this fall. A three-day event that will take place October 8-10, 2009 at the 23rd Street Armory (23rd Street between Market and Chestnut streets), Philadelphia Fashion Week will each day showcase student, streetwear and contemporary couture designers based locally and around the globe. Fashionistas also have the opportunity to shop with retailers on site between shows."

"Philadelphia Fashion Week is about showcasing high fashion styles in an approachable, accessible setting," said Kristie Bergey, partner of CMK Entertainment. "We wanted this show to be about what we wear and what we buy in our city."

Confirmed designers include the following:

• Commonwealth Proper*
• Triple 5 Soul
• Wrath Arcane
• Park & Ronen
• 9 Days
• Brooklyn Royalty
• GAR-DE
• Love Brigade
• Delicious*
• Strangefruit*
• SA VA*
• Street Star Custom Clothing*
• S.LOVE

*Philly Based Designers

Philadelphia Fashion Week Schedule

Doors open each day at 4:00 p.m. Guests 21 and older are invited to shop at 12 pop-up boutiques, enjoy drinks and light bites and cocktails until the first show begins at 5:00 p.m. and headlining concerts will take place nightly at 8:00 p.m.

Thursday, October 8, 2009

Student Designers Moore College of Art & Design	Designers Brooklyn Royalty Wrath Arcane Love Brigade Palmieri Jeans* Delicious* Kill City	Entertainment This is a Shakedown DJ Alan Astor DJ Tinypants Black Landlord* (headliner)
David Evangelista, red carpet regular, television personality and one of the nation’s leading hair and makeup experts, will be the emcee of opening night of Philadelphia Fashion Week.

Friday, October 9, 2009

Student Designers Philadelphia University	Designers Street Star Custom Clothing* GAR-DE Nine Days S. LOVE Triple 5 Soul	Entertainment The Model* DJ Bonics DJ Phsh* Tu Phace* (headliner)
Graffiti art installation by Dream Like Reality (DLR) Studios featuring “El Toro,” “Bob,” and “The Nose.”*

Saturday, October 10, 2009

Student Designers Art Institute of Philadelphia	Designers Strangefruit* Commonwealth Proper* Marina Makaron Moscow* SA VA* Parke & Ronen Melani Von Alexandria*	Entertainment Rivers Monroe DJ Dirty* DJ Jeff Ramos The Hustle* (headliner)
Before The Hustle performs at 8:00 p.m., the winning school of the Student Design Award will be announced.

*Based in Philadelphia

Tickets

Tickets are now available online at PhiladelphiaFashionWeek.org. Advance purchase costs: general admission, $75 per day or $150 for a three-day pass; VIP tickets are exclusively available online for $500 per day or $1500 for a three-day pass. Only general admission tickets will be available on site for $100 per day.

Fabulous Deals

You absolutely positively cannot pass this site up. While doing a little browsing I came across the 15 Dollar Store. Everything on the site is $15. I spent sometime to find out if there was anything worthwhile (my initial thoughts were no) but boy was I wrong. In today's economy a lot of us need to be cautious when it comes to the amount of money we are spending on fashion so I'm all about finding thrifty ways to save when it comes to clothes.

My first find was a Ruffled Floral Chiffon Blouse. This could be worn to the office or paired with jeans for a night out with a pair of black skinny jeans.

Need a pair of black skinny jeans? Look no further.

And last but not least (there are pages of items including accessories), was this long striped v-neck cardigan. Pair it with leggings and riding boots for a casual fall day.

Up and Coming Designer

The reason I love Social Networking sites like Twitter and Facebook is because I always stumble across sites that I fall in love with. Someone that I follow on Twitter said to check out a friends fashion blog, and because I love fashion I bookmarked it right away.

My Fashion Distraction http://myfashiondistraction.blogspot.com is a blog written by Cristina Marie from San Antonio.
"An aspiring fashion designer striving to make her mark in this crazy world of fashion." I don't know too much about her other than her designs are simply fabulous and you must check it out. She is currently offering (although you must have your Paypal Payment in by today) 2 customized Bow/Bubble skirts for $100. If I wasn't currently unemployed I would so be on this. $100 for two skirts is a steal especially when you know NOONE is going to have anything remotely similar.

Be sure to check out her old posts to see more of her designs, I can definitely see these items landing in Boutiques very soon!

Who knew: Nails

Say goodbye to french tips there's a lot of newness when it comes to nails. There's nothing like a fresh manicure and pedicure. I'm pretty basic with my nails, I keep them short and stay away from acrylics, gels, and overlays. I do play around with color but that is about as far as I'll go. In my glory High School days I had LONG acrylic nails and the craziest airbrushed design, nowadays I'm not even sure if Airbrushing even exists. But lately I've been bored and have been playing around with color and researching different nail trends. I found the most insane things going on with nails and really felt out of the loop.

Lets start with the most basic: Matte color. Basically Matte polishes come in a variety of colors but do not have the shine that we are used to with polishes. OPI has released six of their popular shades in Matte form.

My favorite fashionista Kim Kardashian had a fab spin on the trend and used a black Matte color but did the tips in a regular black shiny polish. I absolutely love this and as soon as I land my hands on a black Matte polish I'm definitely copying this one.

The next hot new nail trend is Minx. Minx is a solid nail coating that is applied to the nail using heat. Basically you can pick any design you want, or stick with the metallics that Beyonce and Lady Gaga have sported, a sticker like piece is heated and then put on your nail. Prices range from $45 for a manicure to $85 for a pedicure. I've heard many mixed reviews on the quality and the amount of time these last. A manicure should last for two weeks and a pedicure a month but some have complained that the stickers start peeling on the nails in about a week. For the price a regular manicure would last about the same amount of time. There are a few salons offering this in Philadelphia:

Signatures Salon & Day Spa
Marybeth Cross
4084 Higbee Street
Philadelphia, PA 19135
215-831-8477

Elite Nailz
Chenell Ellis

Island Nails and Cosmetic Tattoo
7619 Torresdale Ave.
Philadelphia, PA 19136
215-331-7654

And last but certainly not least is the newest nail trend that has been brought to my attention thru many fashion blogs and the Marie Claire's September issue with an article on nail trends (which BTW I tore out every nail picture for inspiration). The Calgel is a long lasting, layered gel manicure. "Calgel won't lift, peel, chip, go rubbery or damage your own nails with harsh acrylics or drills. Calgel doesn't interfere with nailbed metabolism which is why it can actually strengthen your own nails giving you the nails you always dreamed about. Calgel can be used on tips or as a natural nail overlay, and is available in over 80 colors, so the days of smudging, chipping and peeling nail polish are over!" The Calgel manicure should last anywhere from 3 to 4 weeks. If you opt for a clear color near the base of your nail this will make your manicure last longer because the new nail growth will not be as noticeable. The cost for a full set is $50 and the only negative things that I've heard about Calgel is that it is not easy to remove if your doing it yourself but that goes for any gel or acrylic nail. After researching this I cannot find a salon that offers this in the Philadelphia area yet but if you know of any places, let me know!

Philly IS Fashionable

"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.” - Coco Chanel

That quote by Ms. Chanel is one of my favorites .. Fashion is everywhere but why does it always feel like Philly and Fashion don't go together. When you think of Fashion you think of Paris, London and New York, Philly rarely comes to mind. We don't have a fashion week, Topshop didn't have a grand opening on Walnut Street, and there really are not any mainstream Philly Fashion Blogs ... UNTIL now ... I'm here to put Philly back on the Fashion map. There are fabulous boutiques, fashionable people, innovative designers, and fashion events going on right here in the city. I'm going to scour the streets, the papers, and the blogs and bring it to you.