What I wore to the Jonathan Marc Stein Fashion Show + Copy my Look with this Tutorial!

 I had such a great time dressing up and getting out again to attend the Jonathan Marc Stein Fashion Show in LA last month. I decided to go with this retro look inspired by 60s fashion and needed some makeup to match.

 I was in a rush to leave and didn't want to spend a ton of time on winged eyeliner. Luckily I had the Cleopatra Cat Eye stamp by Lyda beauty! This little tool has saved the day for me so many times. I love how easy it is to use and how it makes the perfect retro cat eye look simple to achieve! Check out the video below for my tutorial on how to wear their green ink color this spring and summer! 

Getting Glam for the first time in a year! My Exclusive Interview with Gretchen Rossi

 She shares her take on fashion, updates on family and more! Watch the full interview in the video below. You can read more about this exclusive fashion event here

My Exclusive Backstage Interview with Miss Dubai 2019 Megan Pormer

This Thursday at the exclusive Jonathan Marc Stein fashion show I got backstage access to the glamorous event where I spoke with several of the celebrity guests and models. Megan Pormer arrived to model the bold and beautiful designs from Stein's Autumn/Winter 21 collection. We spoke about her thoughts on the collection, what she learned from the pandemic and more. 

Megan arrived to the event and went straight to hair and makeup. The model, influencer, and comedian took to the routine like she had never left and jumped right into to prepping for the runway while doing interviews. She told me, "In order for me to feel motivated about anything materialistic I have to feel that there is a purpose of me putting my energy into it and when I think about the fact that I am wearing a dress to communicate the importance of mental health to the world. Because it makes me feel like I am not just a mannequin. This is the first runway show that I'm doing since the pandemic and I needed that meaning. I feel like the pandemic made us all realize that we need more we need something deeper and we need to be of service to other people." She continued saying, "We show our emotions through art...and art comes in different forms painting fashion etc. and I feel like portraying an issue like demonstrating a mental health issue through fashion is a very nice way of communicating with the world and making them understand the importance of mental health." 

As she got ready to hit the runway I asked her what she was looking forward to most about the event. She said, "The most exciting thing for me about this show is not only the fact that Jonathan's designs are fabulous and portrays the real women and embodies femininity and power but, its also the fact that its for mental health to raise awareness about mental health issues through the organization of NAMI. I think that one thing we learned going through the pandemic was the fact that mental health is the most important thing because we all need our mind healthy before we can focus on anything else." 

I asked Megan what she loved about this collection and she told me, "What I have always loved about Jonathan's collections is the fact that his designs can be worn for different occasions it can go from a classy lady at a cocktail event to a wedding gown to a very chic boss girl. He designed this black piece that is short in the front and long in the back and I love how it incorporates how a woman can wear so many hats." 

Finally we talked about what was ahead and what new trends we might see in the fashion world after the pandemic. Megan told me,"I think that art and mental health are going to intertwine in such a beautiful way that not only we no longer need to be ashamed of declaring if we have mental health issues we are going to talk about it openly and be almost proud of the fact that we are all willing to acknowledge it and work on it. What better way than to demonstrate it and communicate than through art and fashion." 

BTS At the Star Studded Jonathan Marc Stein Virtual Fashion Show Fall/Winter 21

On Thursday April 29th Jonathan Marc Stein presented an exclusive and exciting event to showcase his latest collection. I headed out to the beautiful venue in Los Angeles where I got exclusive backstage access to celebrity models and the designer during the filming. The event was a positive sign for the return of live fashion events and everyone was excited to be together for such an exciting day. Designer Jonthan Marc Stein is blazing the trail for what future events will look like as the industry begins to recover from the pandemic. The lineup included celebrity models Gretchen Rossi of RHOC, Miss Dubai Megan Pormer, and Shannon Baker. 

Jonathan's collection was inspired by self love and the event was held in support of NAMI to raise awareness for the vital mental health services they provided during the pandemic. The cause is very close to the designer's heart and he announced he will be donating the proceeds to NAMI. The show was held as an indoor outdoor event and models walked on a sun soaked runway outside while media filmed each look. Inside, guests mingled while models touched up hair and makeup in between looks. The clothing was bold and reflected the theme of self love and empowerment with beautiful gowns in fall colors such as burgundy, silver, and emerald green. Many dresses featured multimedia designs using Jonathan's signature vegan metallic leather combined with delicate fabrics for a stunning look. 

I spoke to the designer in between looks to hear about how he has adapted during the pandemic and what is currently inspiring him. During this exclusive interview we also talked about why he decided to hold this event in support of NAMI and what it was like holding his first ever virtual fashion show. Everything about this collection was new for designer Jonathan Marc Stein. He told me that he usually doesn't create themes for his collection but this season was an exception. His described the theme of forbidden love as "self love that comes from within and I want to showcase all sizes, shapes, and ethnicities." This theme tied into Jonathan's efforts to give back by donating to NAMI because of the connection to feeling positive about yourself. Jonathan said, "I wanted to give back to the community because everybody is struggling right now especially those with predetermined mental conditions." He told me that he felt a very personal connection to this cause because he knows so many people in the community who have struggled during Covid. This collection was all about being positive and creating hope for the future according to Jonathan. He shared that his goal for the collection and the event was to be positive in the face of all the troubling news that has rocked the nation recently. On the topic of the virtual show Jonathan shared that this was an exciting event for him too as this was his first ever virtual fashion show. While it certainly differed from previous shows Jonathan pointed out the positives saying he was glad for the opportunity to edit the videos and tweak his designs on the runway. Ever the artist Jonathan left no detail unfinished and could be seen making adjustments to models and gowns throughout the day. He told me optimistically, "You've got to evolve with the times especially during Covid." We also discussed his take on future trends for this fall and he told me, "This time I brought in dark moody jewel tones with emerald, amethyst, and I also brought in some metallic because I'm really well known for my metallics especially mixed with leather. It's going to be modern, edgy, and moody." 

I also talked with Shannon Baker about her take on the collection and what it was like to be modeling in a fashion show after so many months of staying at home. She shared that she was very excited to be vaccinated and how exciting it was to see that the event was safe and things were starting to look up for the fashion industry and the world. We talked about the collection and her favorite pieces. She told me she was happy to be out supporting her friend Jonathan and that she loved all of his pieces. Her favorites from this collection were the empire waist dresses. 

You can check out my other exclusive interviews with celebrity guests Megan Pormer and Gretchen Rossi here. 

The event was definitely a success and the hybrid style with both in person and virtual elements for the show may point towards the future of fashion shows even beyond the pandemic. One thing was for certain everyone agreed that it was an exciting moment to be out and about with an excuse to get glamourous after so many months in lockdown. The shimmering dresses on the runway held a glimmer of hope that the pandemic does have an end in sight after all.