Check out my celeb interviews, behind the scenes coverage and more in the video below!
Tuesday, October 12, 2021
Monday, October 11, 2021
Greg Lauren Headlines LAFW Day Three with a Star Studded Runway Show
"I think it was really exciting to do something here on the rooftop of an amazing museum in the middle of LA with this incredible skyline... In the heart of where I live and where my studio is and everything about what we've done is made in LA." - Greg Lauren
Day three of LAFW at the Petersen Automotive museum served up several more amazing fashion designers and closed out with the LA based headliner Greg Lauren. The industry veteran who grew up learning about fashion from his famous uncle Ralph Lauren celebrated his 10 year anniversary at LAFW this year with a special collection titled, "Ten".
Day three was all about contemporary styles and featured collections from: Bishme Cromartie, Naids, and Laura Theiss leading up to the finale. The evening kicked off with a colorful collection by Bishme Cromartie couture featuring one of this season's hottest trending colors: lime green. The designs were full of fit to perfection creations with statement ruffles on the sleeves and hips.
The show was followed by hand crafted NAIDS collection featuring beautiful prints and matching men's and women's suiting.
Laura Theiss presented a collection featuring another of Spring 22s trending colors: bright pink. The collection featured flouncy dresses and intricate cutout styles in beautiful crocheted materials.
Finally, the show everyone was waiting for, Greg Lauren opened with a star studded front row including celebs Usher, Chance the Rapper, Hannah Brown, Adam Weiss, and more!
This unique show took the audience through the artist's evolution as a designer showing looks from various collections Greg Lauren has created over the years starting with 2008 and going all the way through to 2021. The show started off with looks 1-4 from the 2008 collection titled "The Artist" and were presented during an amazing dance performance titled "Scraps" choreographed by Jacob Jonas The Company.
The show used dance, music, and fashion to make a statement about social justice with a focus on the social revolution that has taken place over the past decade. Many of the clothes were reminiscent of the 60's and 70's as a nod to the social justice movements happening today and how they are a continuation of events from years past according to the designer.
Looks 5-6 were from 2011-2014 and pulled from the archive from the collection titled "Deconstruction". Greg Lauren explained that these looks were created from repurposed military duffle bags and other recycled items. The designer spoke about the importance of sustainability in fashion and stated that while he did not set out to be a "sustainable designer" when creating those pieces it was something that just naturally happened as the focus on reuse and the environment became more important. Lauren explained that he believes sustainability should be an important focus for all creators going forward and not just relegated as a special category.
Looks 9-16 were from the collection titled "50/50" from 2014-2018. Looks 17-20 were from the 2019 and 2020 collections titled "Scrapwork and Stitchwork" and featured long trench coats and knitwear accessories. Looks 21-30 from the 2021 collection Dress Codes featured relaxed suiting and denim.
And finally "Mosaic" closed out the show with looks 31-37 from the 2021-2022 collection Greg Lauren created with Gee's Bend. Throughout the show there were several nods to the designer's home base of LA including a Malibu sunset backdrop as well as the LA based dance company and relaxed California lifestyle looks. Lauren gave insight into the beauty looks used for the show saying that he wanted each model's unique beauty to be highlighted so there were no two beauty looks the same in this show. Some models wore no makeup at all. The designs were also all androgynous creations which Lauren explained was another important statement he wanted to make with this collection. He explained that he planned for each look in this collection to be able to be worn by any gender.
I spoke to Greg Lauren about the story he wanted to tell with "Ten" as well as his favorite things about designing in LA in an exclusive behind the scenes interview after the show. When asked about the color evolution of this show the designer told me, "The story in this collection was it was really in honor of ten years and so it started with the idea of the artist and moved through our stuff that we did with the deconstructed army materials. Then it moves through 50/50 which combines multiple elements and then what I was most excited about were the last two storylines. All of these groups that were about a new elegance and the sun rising pinks and browns and beautiful colors. Then those vivid colors that were all part of this final group. So there was an evolution from those kind of muted tones to like bursts of color."
We also talked about his decision to present at LA fashion week and he said, "You know LAFW is interesting because it doesn't necessarily get he same type of attention that New York or Paris does but I built my company in LA and everything is made in LA and that's something that's really important to me that I wanted to say thank you for and almost rewrite the narrative of LA fashion week because there is an unbelievable group of talent here that LA fashion week is putting out there and it all comes from LA. So I think it was really exciting to do something here on the rooftop of an amazing museum in the middle of LA with this incredible skyline. And again in the heart of where I live and where my studio is and everything about what we've done is made in LA."
Day One of LAFW Featuring Red Carpet Designers
"Fashion is back" -Designer Oliver Tolentino
The evening began with celebrity arrivals on the yellow carpet including stars such as model Christie Valdiserri who walked in the opening night shows.
Apl de Ap of the Black Eyed Peas, as well as some real life frontline healthcare workers who were honored for their life-saving work during the pandemic. Guests returned the the Petersen Automotive museum and enjoyed the reception before the shows held in the "Cars and Fashion" exhibit. There was a tasting booth by Stella Artois featuring a custom engraving station where guests could engrave a personalized Stella Artois beer glass.
As the sun began to set everyone headed out to the terrace to get ready for the first runway show of the night. Before heading to the catwalk guests could also grab a Seltzer tasting by Fruit Smash. The all natural fruit flavored hard seltzers were the perfect refresher to enjoy before the shows. And their playful "#SorryforSeltzering" photo station was the perfect photo op!
The show opened with a colorful collection by designer Ronaldo Arnaldo with MC2 productions. The collection featured a salute to frontline workers and addressed the last year of pandemic challenges with a line of loose fitting matching sets designed for healthcare workers. The designer even brought a few real life healthcare workers out onto the runway to close the show! It was a great way to honor their work as well as bring hope for the future.
Next up was Frisk Me Good by designer Cierra Robinson. This inspiring show featured models of all shapes and sizes wearing the stand out designs in bright colors and unique cutout silhouettes. This collection was also all about sustainability and was designed using repurposed material for the ultimate sustainable fashion statement.
Following Frisk Me Good was Ria Victoria. This collection featured a grunge beauty look and moody deconstructed designs in a dark color palette with pops of red and lavender. The draped dresses and printed suiting set the tone for the effortlessly cool style of this collection.
Finally he night closed with red carpet designer Oliver Tolentino who showcased an amazing collection of fun and elegant dresses fit for the red carpet. The gowns were made of voluminous material in classic colors like red, black, white and royal blue. Many of the designs featured ruffles, bows, and distinctly feminine details that added to the fun and flirty designs. I spoke with designer Oliver Tolentino after the show who told me about the inspiration for his collection saying, "Hollywood Glamour. Clothes that you can relate to that when you see the clothes, I can ear that. It's very sophisticated and when you see the details in the clothes you will feel that there's a lot of love in making the clothes."
The designer was so excited to present at a live show. He told me, "I've been waiting here for a long time. Its so nice to see a lot of people. Fashion is back. I'm so happy its been a long time that designers are not doing fashion shows. And this is the better way, LA fashion week."
After the final show the night wrapped on another evening of talented designs and trend setting moments.
LAFW Returns to Petersen Automotive Museum in Style: The Cars and Fashion Opening Night Gala
This year LAFW returned to the Petersen Automotive Museum to hold a weekend of shows, live entertainment, and celebrate the return of live fashion shows. The opening night gala was all about cars and fashion this year and guests got to enjoy the museum's exhibit on cars and style through the ages while attending the gala. The gala was a quintessential LA experience from the star studded yellow carpet to the street tacos and Ceviche served to guests among the vintage Hollywood cars and music and DJ. To top it off designer to celebrities For the Stars Fashion House opened the runway show on the terrace and guests took their seats just as the sun set on the Los Angeles skyline. The designer, who has created pieces for stars such as Lady Gaga, and more showed a dazzling collection of their latest avant garde pieces.
For refreshments guests enjoyed the Topo Chico mineral water booth where they were able to experience the relaxing LA lifestyle and sip on lime flavored mineral water in the sitting area complete with mini Palm trees and beach chairs. It also made for a great photo op!
NEFT Vodka sponsored the bar and also offered a tasting of their premium Austrian sipping vodka. The brand relaunched during the pandemic and the US HQ are located locally in LA. During the tasting guests experienced the "sipping" taste that makes NEFT unique. While the vodka can be mixed into cocktails it is made to be sipped and enjoyed on its own. This fresh taste evolves over time while sipping the drink revealing layers of flavor.
The museum exhibit featured several iconic cars used in Hollywood movies throughout the years as well as a historical background on the role style has played in the automotive evolution.
The show opened with remarks by hosts actress Kym Whitley and Tiktoker Joe Flow who warmed up the crowd with some comedy and a high energy introduction of LAFW.
Before the runway show, guests got treated to a live performance by Palaye Royale. The rock band gave an energetic show that blended into the first runway presentation by designer Jacob Meir of For the Stars. Everyone came out dressed for the occasion and I saw some seriously fashion forward looks at this event.
One of the highlights of The For the Stars show was the featured runway appearance by Sports Illustrated model Christie Valdiserri who is the first bald Sports Illustrated model. She rocked a dazzling silver dress garnering cheers from the crowd.
Keeping with the theme of the LA red carpet celebration the final designer was Elie Madi whose work has also been worn by several celebrities including Demi Lovato, Paris Hilton, Katy Perry and more! This was my personal favorite collection of the night featuring glittering gowns and light and airy designs. This collection did not disappoint and I saw several sparkling looks fit for the red carpet.
The night closed out with a resounding applause from the audience and a VIP afterparty on the museum's private rooftop. It was a great way to kick off the season and celebrate LA's creativity once again. Everyone was looking forward to the amazing lineup of designers scheduled throughout the weekend.
Sunday, October 10, 2021
The Pink Agenda Holds A Star Studded Virtual Gala to Raise Awareness for Breast Cancer
On Thursday night, The Pink Agenda, a non-profit dedicated to raising awareness and funding for Breast Cancer research held their annual gala virtually this year. Since October is Breast Cancer awareness month it was the perfect time for this year's TPA Virtual Gala attended by several celebrities and socialites. The Pink Agenda shares a partnership with the Breast Cancer Research Foundation as well as Giuliana Rancic's FAB-U WISH initiative. The event was definitely a success this year and had over 550 attendees from all around the country including several celebrity guests.
The program was hosted by Adam Kuperstein with Giuliana and Bill Rancic as well as cameos from Ryan Seacrest, Taylor Lautner, Lauren Scruggs Kennedy and Jason Kennedy, Melissa Joan Hart, Amy Robach, Dee Ocleppo Hilfiger, Miranda McKeon, Miriam Dance, a special musical performance by Katie Gavin of MUNA, and many more.
One of the main projects the Pink Agenda has been focusing on is raising awareness for young professionals affected by Breast Cancer. Giulina Rancic celebrated the success of the initiative saying, "Partnering with The Pink Agenda fills me with pride. This incredible organization will help make breast cancer history, and we also empower young women affected by the disease through FAB-U-WISH.”
The event raised an incredible $275,000 this year and everyone had a great time getting together virtually to bring awareness to this important cause.
Monday, October 4, 2021
StyleCon OC Returns to South Coast Plaza at Bloomingdale's
Collage Culinary experience, a brand new restaurant right next door to Bloomingdale's in South Coast Plaza supplied the delicious bites. This year StyleCon also expanded to include a panel on the latest trends in cuisine featuring special guests Nicholas Silva of Churrino and Michael Doctulero of Mah Jong. These expert chefs also supplied some of the delectable tastings for guests. During the panel they discussed the latest trends in the Orange County food scene as well as their own journey to becoming gourmet chefs and restaurant founders.
The event also featured a star studded panel of beauty experts from this season's hottest beauty brands including Bethany Davis of Valentino Beauty, Brittany Warren of Gucci Beauty, and Adam Harwood of Charlotte Tilbury.
This was one of my favorite panels and I was so excited to hear from these brands. This is only the second Valentino beauty counter in the nation and they are already making a name for themselves as an exciting new brand on the market. The Bloomingdale's south coast plaza beauty floor also features several other exclusive lines and Bethany Davis from Gucci beauty showcased their brand new products during the panel saying how the "product is an experience in itself" because bottles and packaging at Gucci are designed to be desirable objects and something to display. She showcased the new floral patterns that had so many pretty colors!
Charlotte Tilbury is always on the forefront of the latest makeup trends so it was exciting to hear from this brand about what they will be focusing on this fall. Harwood shared that he believes skincare will continue to grow in popularity as a focus for beauty and that will continue to be a main part of the Charlotte Tilbury strategy for fall.
All the panelists agreed that overall the beauty industry has evolved and real beauty is more popular than ever with influencers and consumers leading the trends and styles.
For this season we heard from each brand on what their latest fall favorite makeup looks are.
The panel also covered inclusivity in the beauty industry and how marketing has evolved. We heard from each brand about their unique approach and what they are featuring in their fall campaigns. According to Bethany Davis of Valentino beauty the top trends to look out for this fall are pops of neon color in make up that reflect the colorful styles we saw on the runways this Fall fashion week. We have lots of fun color to look forward to as different areas start celebrating reopenings after so many months of Covid stay at home orders.
Another one of the trends highlighted on this panel was sustainability. Warren explained that Gucci beauty has several new products focused on multifunctionality as that is a popular demand among consumers this season. Harwood echoed the sustainability message sharing the packaging changes that Charlotte Tilbury has made to use more sustainable packaging materials.
The panelists also discussed how makeup can make consumers feel more empowered. Davis shared that Valentino Beauty encourages customers to mix and match to find what makes them feel good. They are embracing that each consumer will have a unique set of needs. Harwood highlighted how Charlotte Tilbury products are made to bring out the best natural features. The panel was a huge hit and I can't wait to see some of these trends on the shelves!
In between panels I explored the new Bloomingdale's beauty floor and visited several of the activations including the Cartier fragrance fountain. I loved getting to try the new Cartier fragrances as well as sampling some of the classics that are usually only available in the boutiques. After exploring the floor and taste testing the Nespresso coffee samples, I headed over to Charlotte Tilbury for a makeover. They were offering makeover for guests and I loved my experience getting glammed up for photos and trying the latest products. You can check out my before and after pictures below and you can really see the difference! I of course requested my favorite lip color "The Queen" and tried a few new products as well. You can check out my Instagram post here to see a list of all the products from this look! After my makeover I had to do allll the photo ops! There were so many fun ones at this event!
I also checked out the Valentino beauty counter to discover their new offerings and am so excited to see more from this brand! Valentino is one of my favorite clothing brands so seeing makeup from them was super exciting! The convenient location really makes a difference as well!
The day ended with a live musical performance and it was the perfect way to wrap up this fun event!
Saturday, September 25, 2021
Shiseido Blue Project Comes to Huntington Beach with Second Conservation CleanUp
Photo Credit: Jennifer Johnson
On Thursday September 24th the Shiseido Blue Project and partners WildCoast headed out to the Huntington Beach Open for a day of beach cleanups and fun! Joined by Ashley Wahler, Janel Parrish, and Actor Sam Trammell, a group of volunteers geared up with some Shiseido sunscreen and hit the sand to clean up trash. The Shiseido Blue project is an initiative in partnership with the World Surf League, PURE and Wildcoast that aims to inspire, educate, and empower ocean protection. This global initiative launched in 2019 with a range of activities to protect the ocean, including cleaning up beaches, leading global conservation campaigns like We Are One Ocean, and promoting ocean-and sun-safe habits.
Photo Credit: Jennifer Johnson
I spoke to actor and surfer Sam Trammell about the event and got his top tips for enjoying a day at the beach while being conscious of the ocean and environment. According to Sam he always tries to take out more than he brings in by not leaving trash behind and uses ocean safe sunscreen when possible.
Photo Credit: Jennifer Johnson
About 17.6 billion pounds of debris ends up in the world's oceans every year. This is equivalent to nearly 57,000 blue whales.
There are 5 giant garbage patches in our oceans. The largest — the Great Pacific Garbage Patch — includes an estimated 1.8 trillion pieces of trash and covers an area nearly twice the size of Texas
- By 2050, ocean plastic will outweigh all of the ocean’s fish.
Community beach clean ups are a great way to start as well as using more environmentally friendly products. Looking forward to seeing more great things with Shiseido Blue and keeping our Ocean's clean!
Photo Credit: Jennifer Johnson
How to Throw an Elegantly Spooky Halloween Party in Your Backyard
Halloween is one of my favorite holidays. I have always loved to celebrate this holiday by picking out fun costumes and makeup! Halloween parties are a great excuse to get dressed up no matter what age you are! I love Halloween parties but I decided to make mine a little more elegant this year. So here is my guide to creating the perfect upscale and spooky event for you and your friends this Halloween. Since my costume was inspired by the Scooby Doo movies I decided to go with a spooky island theme for the decorations and made this a tropical Halloween party so you will see a mix of Halloween and tropical decor!
What to Serve:
Graveyard dip
This is one of my favorite Halloween appetizers it is so delicious and comes out looking really professional! All you have to do is make your favorite 7 layer dip and then fry up some tortilla shapes. I cut mine into a tree and some half circles for a spooky graveyeard look!
Autumn Chex Mix
I love home made chex mix and it is one of my favorite things to serve at a party. For this event I added some candy corns and candy corn pumpkins into my bowl of chex mix to give it a sprinkle of fall. I also love candy corn pumpkins so this was the perfect place to use them.
Spider Eggs
I found this recipe while researching ideas for my party and I will honestly never go back it came out too cute! All you have to do is make deviled eggs and add an olive on top! You just slice up an olive half into 4 slices and use another olive half to place in the middle of the egg and you have a spider! So creepy but somehow still cute!
Witches Hats
These witches hats are another one of my favorite snacks to make. All you need is a bag of bugle chips and some ritz crackers. I used spray cheese to attach my bugle chips but you can use anything you want like peanut butter or another snack spread. Mingle them in with the spiders eggs for the perfect appetizer platter.
Spooky Smokies
I used my mini crock pot to cook up some spooky smoky sausages. I used BBQ sauce and then served them with toothpicks for a fun finger food! Pun intended!
Cupcakes
I decorated some bright orange Halloween cupcakes for the ultimate dessert. I also added some pumpkin faces and used Halloween themed sprinkles. You can never go wrong with cupcakes!
Cookies
I baked these pumpkin and ghost shaped sugar cookies and included them in my dessert assortment for some extra character. You can also make this another activity for your guests and have a cookie decorating contest!
Candy
I love the eyeball chocolates and pumpkin Reese's on Halloween so sprinkle them around the table for your guests to find whenever they are feeling a need for a treat!
Punchbowl
I love a good vampire blood punch bowl. A crystal punch bowl is the perfect accessory to class up your party decor as well!
Decorations:
Tiki Bar
This is part of my Spooky Island theme. I used some tiki torches I found at the dollar store and these fun lantern lights to create a tropical effect. Plus I had this cute decorative Coconut jar. I topped it off with a sign and this cute Pineapple man idea I saw on Pinterest!
Halloween tablecloth
I used some Halloween tablecloths that came in a party pack and then put this grass skirt around the edge of the table to keep with my tropical theme.
Lights and lanterns
I used these paper lanterns I found at the dollar store and a string of purple outdoor halloween lights. I strung the purple lights from the trees to create a criss cross pattern and then secured the lanterns onto the lights so they would hang down over the party!
Candle holders
I found these iron candle holders at a garage sale and they turned out to be perfect for this party! They give off Dracula vibes and I added some fun ribbons to tie in my party colors.
Tropical tablerunner
This tropical tablerunner I also found at the dollar store and I used it to put on the tiki bar for an added island theme accessory. It also makes the table look more put together.
Pumpkin cart
This easy and fun design is something you can keep in your yard all month long! I bought some different sized pumpkins and used mums to create this autumn themed pumpkin cart. I had this little wooden wagon in my yard already and then created a sign to direct party guests into the backyard. I placed this at the entrance of the party and it also turned out to be a great spot for pictures!
What to listen to: My Elegant Halloween Playlist
These are some of my favorite spooky classics along with some songs I researched and added to create a classy playlist perfect to set the mood.
I Put a Spell on You
Witchcraft by Frank Sinatra
Black Magic Woman by Fleetwood Mac
Abracadabra by Steve Miller band
Disturbia by Rihanna
She Wolf by Shakira
Monster by Lady Gaga
Genie in a Bottle
Monster Mash
Weird Science
My Costume: Daphne from Scooby Doo
I love this costume because it is easy to recreate with clothes you can get from any store and it is a little bit dressy too! Plus who doesn't love 70s fashion right? I created this look using a pair of white GoGo boots I got from a costume store however you can wear any pair of white boots. These ones from JustFab are in style and on sale so this is the perfect excuse to buy a cute pair of boots! I used this brightly color blocked dress from Kate Spade that I got a few years ago. I have linked some similar color blocked styles in bright purple here. I accessorized with this green scarf I found in my closet and of course had to wear a cute purple headband to complete the look! I also used this peach hair color to temporarily get an authentic Daphne hair style! This is the perfect party look because it is low maintenance and you can still wear a cute dress that you'll love!
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