Trends from PROJECT NYC 2023

This year Project NYC was all about creating a cool and curated space to discover what's new in menswear and even some genderless clothing as well. The opening day kicked off with a trends presentation from Moose Tracks. 

I headed through the floor to look for the latest trends as well as discover the up and coming talent in menswear this season. 

I started with this lovely pastel collection by LA based brand no one. The friends and founders created a menswear line that is all about letting go of ego and contrasts utilitarian style with fun colors and embroidery. Guillermo Bravo was another standout brand featuring unique deconstructed styles with removeable pockets, patchwork clothing, and mixed media designs. 

The modern styles are open to genderless styles and focus on high quality designs that add a statement to the everyday. John Carl Yates an NYC based designer displayed pieces from the fall collection inspired by wool. The elevated silhouettes allowed for comfortable and stretchy wool sets that could be mixed and matched with other pieces. I love the cowl neck design that could be worn for either gender. Javelin another NYC brand also stood out as a trend setter with simple and elegant designs that each told a story. 

Jagvi a French brand with stores in Paris presented a contemporary and sustainable collection that brought elements of classic European style to Project. The collection was full of basic pieces perfect for a capsule wardrobe with a few pops of color for statement pieces. This brand was one of my favorite sustainable collections from the show. Other sustainable designers included Natalie Brown New York who creates unisex puffer jackets and other pieces out of recycled vintage t-shirts. Denim brand Gilded Age also based in NYC offers a more unique take on sustainability focusing on making products that are timeless and limiting collection releases. Not giving in to the ever expanding fashion calendar is an important but not often talked about part of reaching sustainable goals for the fashion industry. 

Awet NYC is another sustainable minded brand that focuses on fashion and social change. The brand's founder a refugee who previously worked at the UN brings his unique experience to the fashion industry by organizing events and products around topics such as refugees, women's history month, and more. The brand is also dedicated to helping garment industry workers in NYC who are a vital part of the reason that NYC is such a hub for the fashion industry. 

Loungewear and vacation wear brands including Samuel Zelig, Sundek USA, and Jasper Los Angeles all showed unique takes on the athleisure industry which is still going strong after Covid. Accessories at the show included footwear and eyewear. One of my favorite lines was the sunglasses collection from brutish brand Spitfire eyewear. I also loved some of the more colorful pieces from the GH Bass fall collection. 

The day ended with a fireside chat with Edwina Kulego VP of Project and futurist/influencer Jerome Lamaar about the future of fluidity in fashion and retail. Check out my coverage of the panel in my next article coming soon! 

The Top Menswear Trends from the Hollywood Experts at Simply OC

StyleWeek OC kicked off at the beautiful Fashion Island Mall where celebrity stylists and fashion icons fashion blogger J Fig, Doug McLaughlin of RHOC, and celebrity stylist Ashley Weston came out for a Menswear panel to discuss the latest trends for the upcoming fall season. These top style industry leaders dished on the latest trends that no one else will see until they hit the red carpet later this year so remember you heard it here first! Ashley Weston Hollywood menswear stylist for some of the hottest A-list actors like Harrison Ford, Chris Pratt, Kevin Hart and more told us about her tips for creating a sleek and polished red carpet look.

The panelists talked about their favorite trends of the season and shared the daring looks they predicted would be on the rise in 2019. They all agreed that yellow is the color of the moment and loved adding pops of the bright hue to lighten up any look. Ashley Weston also recommended mixing houndstooth prints into your wardrobe this fall because the classic fall print is making a comeback. She also said that girls could use some of these tips too because going for the masculine look for women is always a great way to mix it up with an oversized suit or a shirt and tie look.

When each of the panelists were asked what their favorite piece was for menswear they all had interesting essential items for the stylish man. Doug McLaughlin started off telling the audience about his favorite leather jacket. He said the jacket was something he wanted to pass on to his sons because he felt that it was the perfect addition to any man's wardrobe and was a great nostalgic piece to be used again and again.

Ashley said she always recommended her clients own a pair of nice loafers because they could be worn at any occasion and dressed up or down.

Daniel Musto added that sunglasses were another essential he loved to have in his closet and J Fig said he couldn't live without a soft comfortable t-shirt. These essentials are all great tips for creating the basis for a stylish wardrobe. The panelists also talked about their favorite way to elevate their looks. Doug McLaughlin shared his favorite tips for looking sharp on date night saying, "Recently I wore a light cream colored suit for date night with Lydia and she loved it because usually I tend to go for the darker colored suits." Apparently his lighter color palette was a big it with his wife and its something he'll definitely be bringing back.

Ashley Weston recommended several tips for looking red carpet ready saying, "I always tell my clients never let your socks show!" She also recommends having one good tailored suit because fit can really make or break a look.

The panel discussion turned to the current state of menswear as the panelists talked about their favorite brands which ranged everywhere from Suit Supply to Rodd and Gunn. The panelists talked about how much the men's fashion industry has grown and changed in the past few years and Ashley Weston said, "I feel like I can tell my clients to take risks now and go with a patterned shirt they might never wear or add some bright colors and they always end up loving it because people think men's fashion is boring and just the same old thing over and over again but it doesn't have to be."

All in all the panel was very informative and even I got some great style tips from it!

Trends from BeautyCon Los Angeles 2017

 This Weekend I went to BeautyCon LA and after hanging out with the trendiest beauty bloggers, product developers, and celeb beauty experts I have rounded up the best trends from the event. Plus checkout all the hottest new products I found in my BeautyCon Haul videos!

Customers from all over southern California came out to BeautyCon LA to experience the most talked about Beauty event of the summer. Some guests came from even farther places such as Canada for a chance to attend the special events offered such as the L'Oreal beauty school and to meet their favorite celeb beauty blogger. The shopping culture was alive and well all weekend as guests paid $50 and up for tickets that allowed them the chance to experience all their favorite brands and the flash show deals many booths offered. Free samples were everywhere and everyone had a great time exchanging tips on where to go for fun deals and great finds. I found myself falling in love with products I never would have looked at if it weren't for all the BeautyCon excitement. You can checkout some of my favorite samples in my BeautyCon haul video below for all my must haves! The celebrity culture is a huge part of this event's draw, especially in LA since the pink carpet boasted names such as Zendaya, Chrissy Tiegan, Debby Ryan, Skai Jackson, Ashley Tisdale and more!

Chrissy Tiegan onstage at her Keeping it Real Panel

The meet and greets and fireside chats gave fans a chance to get up close and personal with their favorite celebs and we were even treated to make-up tutorials in some cases! Check out my article on Ashley Tisdale's make up tutorial at BeautyCon here to read more! There was never a dull moment at the event which also offered fun and games at big brand name booths such as Anastasia of Beverly Hills, NYX, Absolute New York and others that offered an interactive experience for guests as well as many insta worthy photo ops! Personalization was a huge part of the BeautyCon culture this year and many brands offered their own version of a Build-a-Bear for beauty experience. Some of my favorite examples included DefineMe fragrances that offered a selection of 8 scents customers could mix and match to create their own personalized perfume. Other booths offered guests the chance to star in their own glamourous movie moment such as the L'Oreal photo booth where guests used props to create their very own Parisian shopping minimovie that also came with fun snapshot printouts.

This trend is only going to spread as the beauty industry moves towards mass personalization for individualized customer experiences in every department. A few fashion companies, such as Express denim, have also been highlighting this trend with their marketing and products. Guests of all ages also enjoyed the chance to learn about new products and get tips from the experts on how to use the latest in beauty technology right there in person. Brands also incorporated experiential marketing into their booths which made a big impression on customers. While the Wet N' Wild beauty booth didn't offer any free samples their virtual reality experience allowing guests to "swim with mermaids" attracted a big crowd. While there was ample opportunity to connect with brands on social media the event also offered guests the chance to connect with fun and like minded digital beauty communities through meeting fellow beauty enthusiasts as well as the social lounge where youtube vloggers and other social media sensations showed up for one on one time with fans. All in all the event captured the best of the shopping experience and offered some interesting ideas for brands and stores from all kinds of industries to think about. Check out my list of the most fashion forward looks from on and off the pink carpet for some style inspiration that is bound to make an appearnace this fall.

Stripes
Stripes were everywhere on the runways and now they've gotten even more popular with a street style twist on the high fashion looks from designers. I loved seeing all the different sizes and combos people came up with for this trend at the event.

Black and White
This classic color combo made an appearance in separates from crop tops paired with high waisted pants to monochromatic looks with contrasting accessories.

Glitter
My personal favorite, this trend showed up everywhere at the event from metallic make-up and shoes, to glitter face painting and sparkly accessories! Stand out this fall with a glitterized look of your own and check out part two of my BeautyCon Haul for some great sparkly products!



Mini Backpacks

Yours truly was rocking this trend on the pink carpet so I might be a little biased but these cute little backpacks were perfect for collecting all the free samples and free food throughout the day wile still keeping your hands free! Many people used the stylish accessory to add a pop of color to their look and dusty pink was definitely a favorite color. My favorite look to really make this piece work is to pair it with a high waisted denim mini skirt and sneakers for the ultimate effortlessly chic outfit.

Purple Lips
From the red carpet at the Met Gala to the pink carpet of BeautyCon purple lips have been making a big appearance. This trend is so much fun because you can make it into a bold statement with brighter purples or get artsy with some lavender tones. Or a dark purple bold lip can be the perfect way to rock your 90s back to school look this fall! Check out part 3 of my BeautyCon video to see my new favorite purple lipgloss from the event!

CdM Fashion Careers: Larkin Brown Lead Stylist and Researcher at Pinterest

I had the chance to speak with Larkin Brown about her job working in the Pin Factory headquarters at San Francisco recently. Read the interview below to find out about her advice for bloggers and brands who love Pinterest as well as the exciting new things the company has planned for the future! 

What is your job title and what does a typical day in the life look like?

Researcher and Stylist.

A Pinterest perfect moment. Here Larkin styles a shoot to be featured on the platforms style section. Photo courtesy Larkin Brown/Pinterest.

Some days are filled with brainstorming with designers. Other days I might be working with a quantitative researcher digging through the data but my favorite days are when we’re out doing field research with pinners (people who pin) because it’s so inspiring to see people bringing pins to life.

As a stylist sometimes and, this doesn’t happen very often but, when we do our own brand photo shoots I’ll style those and a lot of what I do is that a lot of the insights and data that I find as a researcher and especially on trends I will take that and share it with the media.

Do you have any advice for someone hoping to work in this field?

What has helped me the most is understanding people. If you think about the way people use Pinterest, there are so many ideas and possibilities, we want you to find the one that’s right for you. So much of that is about style, but it’s also about people. My advice is to take classes that are about understanding people so that could be classes in communication, psychology, or sociology. I’ve found that for me that kind of anchoring in my schooling has helped so much in how I’m translating that information about people into style or into the products we’re developing for them.

Fashion is one of the most popular topics on Pinterest, do you have any advice for fashion brands who want to get on the platform?

The good news is that brands are really welcome on Pinterest. Actually 75% of our content on Pinterest is from businesses. There are all these natural pivots that happen so that kind of business or branded content is not only welcome is part of what makes Pinterest so good. Think about Pinterest as you’re allowing someone to peek into your mind, so getting to see the inspiration of the brand or person you admire is really fun for people and pretty unique for Pinterest. It’s allowing people to see the inspiration or thought that went into a collection that makes people feel more connected to that line. Also think about your customer or the audience that you want to reach…what else are they interested in…Home, beauty, food, travel? Which one of those areas do you want to hold equity in as a brand? Then build out boards around that and you don’t have to worry about having to create all this content from scratch. Curating is a big part of Pinterest and it’s really welcome.

How has the “tried it” button affected the Pinterest experience for users and brands so far?

We find that it’s really helpful for them when they’re trying to evaluate if an idea is right for them because they’re getting a sense of how it turned out and also getting tips from other people who’ve tried it before. We also find that people like feeling like they’re helping the community and Pinterest really isn’t a social network. People aren’t using “tries” to get likes; people really use Pinterest for themselves to discover and do the things that they love. It’s that “me” time.

What do you see for the future of fashion focused content on Pinterest and specifically branded content?

So, this is me personally of what I would really want to see I just want to see more body diversity in our content. I think the fashion industry is getting on board with this and I do see it changing and I’d really like to see that change and see it be visible on Pinterest as well. I’d be really excited to see Pinterest play a bigger role in this movement.

How does Pinterest work with content creators and specifically fashion focused creators on the platform?

When we say 75% of content on Pinterest comes from brands we mean businesses or brands that would also include media and independent content creators. A lot of the content that we get on Pinterest, we really rely on the pinners saving it from around the web, so we don’t proactively go out and scrape content from the web. It’s real people, real humans curating it which is part of what’s unique about Pinterest. However, we do have a team that works with the bigger partners and brands and also bloggers, influencers, and independent content creators. We invite them to trainings and meet with them one on one. Also we want their input on features because they’re such a part of the Pinterest ecosystem, we want to get their input too.

I think in the future we see an opportunity to have Pinterest hosted events where we could invite a lot of these content creators more into what we call the pin factory here at headquarters and spend even more time with them. We are excited to do more events.

What do you see for video pins as it relates to the fashion and beauty industries?

I’m most excited about integrating more beauty tutorials into Pinterest and I really I think we have so much good content at Pinterest but what is one of the things that’s special about it is… its all humanely curated.

Something I’d really like to see more of is that if you’re looking you know, at like a beautiful face shot that we could have a beauty tutorial mixed in underneath that was like, hey how to do the perfect cat eye right, if there’s a cat eye in that face and the idea of having that amongst the related items is really exciting because, then its not just about buying the products its not just about finding other inspiration there can be a how to element which is so core to Pinterest and what people use it for.

As a search tool what does Pinterest see for advertising and e-commerce on the platform?

 What do you see for the future of fashion on shoppable Pinterest?

I think our biggest opportunity there is around building bridges to connect those moments of discovery to shopping or buying for something.

 If you already know what you want, if you already know like the shoe and the brand and what
you’re looking for, going to google or going to a department store e-commerce site is going to be 
faster and better for you and we really don’t need to replace that.

I think our big opportunity is when you don’t quite know what you want, where you might not have like the terminology to search for it in google coming to Pinterest and discovering oh, you know what, actually I want a block heel booty… where it’s like a little higher over your ankles like, maybe you don’t know that’s called but you realize, oh my gosh that’s what I want that’s what’s going to feel modern for fall for me and then being able to connect that to either buying it like clicking through to the retailer or buying it right on Pinterest or finding something similar. It’s about when you don’t quite know what you want trying to connect that to a shopping experience.

How do you think visual search can work for fashion and retail companies? How do you think it will affect the e-commerce experience? The in-store experience?

One of the big pain points that we see is just it’s difficult to gauge if somethings going to fit you or 

not and part of it is fit but there also is an element of just like is this going to look good on me

sometimes it’s about color… and in the beauty world, like a color cosmetic, you know is that lip 

color or blush going to work on me.

I’m really excited about using visual search as a way to gauge if is something is going to work for you  and I’ll say you know I think the technology isn’t quite there yet but, I’m excited about that direction. Whether it’s like color matching with foundation or imagine you’re like in a store and you’re really excited about a piece but they don’t have your size in stock and, your debating oh well do I order it and like see if the size you know up or down fits me. That’s still a pain point and I think there is something in this visual discovery technology and the visual search technology that could really help…that really hasn’t been resolved yet with online shopping. I mean the closest thing we have right now is like free shipping, you can try it at home! And it seems like there’s something more we could do there.

Spotlight: Summer Fun at the Ice Cream Museum in DTLA

Today I visited the Ice Cream Museum in Downtown Los Angeles where everyone was enjoying the fun and bright exhibit to start off their summer. The popular exhibit which already had several weekends sold out for the months of May and June while it is in town debuted in NYC last summer and is now coming to LA where celebrities and influencers are already planning visits to the made-for-Instagram exhibition with endless photo ops and colorful displays. The trend for interactive experiences that are tailored to digital and social media for consumers has really taken off and soon new virtual reality experiences will be the next big thing attracting people to events. The pop art style exhibit brought food and design trends together using pop culture phenomenons like "goth ice cream" and neon signs with fun sayings in bright colors such as hot pink as well as rainbow decorations inspired by the popular unicorn trend. Workers encouraged guests to have their phones out and take pictures embracing the fact that consumers are constantly checking and posting on social media. The exhibit was great for guests looking to get an amazing photo shoot and taste the latest ice cream craze of the summer such as Mochi and, appealed to all ages with games like ping pong and even a sprinkle pool to play in scattered throughout the tour. However, the fast paced tour didn't leave much time for a lot of information about the exhibit and the social media popularity of the museum didn't reach many outside of Southern California. I wore a retro Ice Cream themed look with my favorite Kate Spade "What's the Scoop" tote and hot pink Kate Spade dress. Check out photos from my visit below! 

 

No detail was too small to be left undone and I loved the simple artistic design of this cool rainbow coat rack.

The exhibit was tailored to it's location in California and included samples from the popular California ice cream shop McConnel's and fun photo ops of popular SoCal landmarks like the Venice beach boardwalk.

What's Next for Fashion and Feminism?

Image via Instagram @Dior

While feminism has always been an important issue to many in the fashion industry there's no doubt it has recently become "trendy" again in the media as well as for major players in the fashion industry. Fashion houses have been scrambling to recruit popular female celebrity spokeswomen as the new face for their brands. Several major houses also had shake-ups with their creative directors last year and have responded to the recent revival of the feminist movement by highlighting  their appointment's of women to top leadership roles. Most recently Givenchy announced Claire Waight Keller as the next Couturier for the house but they are only the latest in a long line including Oscar de la Renta who announced Laura Kim as co-creative director last fall (which you can read about in my interview with the CEO here), David Yurman who announced Gabriella Forte as CEO, and perhaps most notably Dior whose own Maria Grazia Chiuri debuted her first collection for the house in 2016 entitled "We should all be feminists". 2016 also saw the launch of the "I am poison campaign" from Dior featuring a fiercely dressed Camille Rowe saying "I am not a girl. I am poison." in a commercial that's reminiscent of the 90s punk scene.

Image via Instagram @Dior

The runways of major fashion weeks this past year were also filled with chokers, power suits, menswear inspired silhouettes and traditionally empowering colors such as blacks and reds. Basically, we can confidently say that #girlboss style has officially made it to the big leagues. 

But, could there be another trend brewing under the surface of this feminist fashion revival? 

Image via Instagram @Dior 

Dior's We Should All Be Feminists collection is represented by the simple white t-shirt with the collections title on it in bold black print and Maria Grazia Chiuri's update to the menswear inspired barsuit from Dior but, the collection also included romantic dresses and skirts in whites and blush and her couture collection at Paris Fashion Week was even more feminine. Inspired by Dior's love for impressionism it featured soft colors, delicate tulle layering, and full skirts. 

On the retail front, despite facing a major PR disaster in February Ivanka Trump's brand of feminine businesswear for women has sales up by 33% on Amazon and 29.5% at Bloomingdale's according to this CNN Money article. 

Fashion designers and consumers are redefining what it means to be a feminist with a more inclusive view of women and femininity and they are finding inspiration from women of all walks of life. While collections from the first fashion month of 2017 have exemplified more of the same dark colors and sharp silhouettes the tide could be changing to a lighter more feminine representation of women's  empowerment. 

Trends from the Golden Globes red carpet 2017

The film industry kicked off the new year in style at the Golden Globes on January 8 and awards season is now in full swing here in Los Angeles. Hollywood has spoken on which trends will be sticking around in the new year and which ones we will be leaving in 2016 and I
have the list of all the hottest red carpet styles right here.

90s
The 90s made a serious comeback in 2016 and celebrities in particular loved this trend. Many continued to rock the vintage look on the red carpet with popular 90s accessories and silhouettes.

Cut out shoulders
A surprising trend I noticed on the red carpet was gowns with cut out shoulders. This cut out look got a glamorous update in the new year as it was mostly popular with causal streetwear looks in 2016.






Pastel colors
Several stars favored a pastel color palette at the show wearing colors such as light pink, yellow, and lavender.












Accents
Another fun trend from the 90s that showed up at this show was sequin and embroidered accents in shapes such as flowers, stars, and butterflies.







Bright whites
A newer trend emerging on the red carpet is bright whites. Seeing stars wearing white in the winter reminds us that the old rules of fashion no longer apply in the new fast fashion retail calendar with additional seasons.