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Friday the 13th comes three times this year, so to celebrate the day of suspense, fear of black cats and just all around bad luck, it was a perfect opportunity to put on a fashion event and take away the bad karma for a fashionable night out on the town. So when the crowd gathered at The Sugar Factory for the Friday 13th Fashion Massacre they were treated to a fashion show featuring eclectic and edgy looks, perfect for the evening’s theme. The event was a come and go affair, with the Friday the 13th slasher / horror movie theme carried throughout many of the collections. The event also celebrated a new milestone for several Austin designers who have joined forces to display their one-of-a-kind creations at The Sugar Factory, a boutique owned by world-renowned jewelry designer Gay Isber. The boutique features Isber’s designs as well as 16 other designers and can be booked for jewelry parties for a girl’s night out.
Clothing Designers: Jewelry Designers: Personal Adornments Jewelry by Beth McElhaney Evelyn Christensen E.T.C. Designs
Models were provided by Butterfly Entertainment Makeup by Lecia Harkins & Coby Simcoe Posted in Austin Fashion Events | No Comments »
I had the chance to interview the RAWAustin winners; Valeri Abrego of Jinxedaposed Clothing for Fashion Design; Jessica Bird for Accessories; Jennifer Kraack for Hair; and Kari Kuwamura for Music.
Fashion Design: Valeri Abrego of Jinxedaposed Clothing Accessories: Jessica Bird of Jessica Bird Accessories Hair: Jennifer Kraack of Jen K Hair Music: Kari Kuwamura of Reverbnation Photography Provided by Dark Flame Studio
Interviews with the Winners of RAW AustinSB: What made you want to start your career in Art/Fashion/Hair/Makeup and how long have you been working in your field of expertise? VL: You know I always wanted to be a designer, but as life would happen, I became a teen mom and before I knew it I was a mother of four and decided to become a paralegal to support my family. About 2007, I did a fashion show for my roller derby league and sold like three outfits that night. Everyone liked the designs and I for once thought, maybe it’s time for me to pursue my dreams. I’ve been a professional designer since Oct. 2007 with a day job as well. JB: I have loved and expressed myself through fashion since I could first dress myself. I have a twin sister and the first way I learned to establish my individuality was the way I styled myself. I studied fashion design at University of Texas in Austin, and it wasn’t until it came time to style my senior collection, Modern Gem, that I began making jewelry. I wanted everything that went down the runway to come directly from me, and the collection was inspired by gemology, so I thought it was only fitting to use semi-precious stones to create the pieces worn alongside my garments. I have worked in the fashion industry as a whole, from sales to styling, buying and designing, since I was 16 years old. Jewelry design was channel that fell into my lap, its only been about 7 months since I made my first piece. I am completely self-taught, so I’d like to take some classes and gain some technical expertise. JK: I’ve always had a deep interest in making myself as pretty as possible. Then I directed it towards my friends and other people. I never considered it as a career or that I would be able to make money from it so I just put it on the back burner until my good friend in high school suggested we check out the opening of the new Paul Mitchell Academy. I went, and was hooked, the rest is history. I’ve been doing here since 2005. KK: I would have to say music started me! I didn’t even know I could sing until someone told me I could. And now, I am not satisfied without music in my life, and I can’t put it on the back burner despite the many times I have tried. What made me want to start a career was when I met musicians who played in bars and let me play on their breaks. The owners of the bars would ask me back on my own night and next thing I knew I had to quit my job to keep up with my new career. I started playing music in coffee shops in San Antonio as a teenager about 13 years ago. SB: What made you nervous about entering RAW and what was going through your head when you won the RAW Award? I can’t even imagine how any of you were feeling at that moment! VL: I think like many of my other shows, I’m always nervous on the reaction I’ll get for my clothing. I put a lot of heart and soul in it and then for 15 minutes, people judge it. I remember thinking, “I can’t believe I won. I never win anything!” Then I looked over and saw my partner and assistant and I was overwhelmed with joy, this wasn’t just my win, it was there’s as well. JB: Nothing at all, I love everything about RAW. It is such a unique concept to combine artists from all genres and feature them together. Pure excitement. Once the night was winding down and I had a chance to gauge everyone’s response to my work, I knew I had a good shot at winning. It is a very humbling experience to learn that my work is more than just something I love to do or jewelry I like to wear; there is a market for it, people want to wear and buy it. It could legitimately be a business for me, and it will be. JK: First thing was making sure I sold all the tickets for my show, and then knowing my work will be judged by everyone. And potentially having people think it looks like crap that would destroy me. “Oh shit oh shit oh shit! Don’t fall, now smile, and seriously and that was going through my head literally for the first ten minutes!” KK: I was nervous to play the first event (RAW Unearthed), because I played a solo acoustic set. Luckily, the crowd embraced my style and the show rocked. I was looking on stage and saw a whole bunch of faces that deserved the award. Then I looked at the crowd and saw other artists who deserved to be up there too, and then just thought to myself how lucky I was to even play at Club De Ville. SB: What do you find the most rewarding part of your career and what do you find to be the hardest part of your career? JL: I really enjoy being able to have such a creative job. I’ve had so many crappy jobs, this has been a great ride and I just hope it continues.I think like every other artist, we deal with not being paid what we are worth. Getting stuck at airports, going to shows with no hair and make up, models ruining outfits, long hours finalizing a collection. It can definitely put a tear in the soul. But I think you just have to find your balance through it all and it helps you get through the speed bumps in life. JB: I love it when I see people wearing my jewelry and loving it. The hardest part is writing the business plan. I know what I want, I know where and to whom I want it sold. Figuring out the details of sourcing, manufacturing, representation, branding, etc is the hard part. JK: Being able to create looks with anything from synthetic hair to ribbons and glue, and making people feel hot and sexy!! The hardest part I’d have to say is pleasing the client and standing all day! KK: The most rewarding part of my career is experiencing that moment of flow during a show where I feel in perfect balance with my performance and with the audience. Keeping the crowd hanging on every word, and hearing them cheer for your original music is fuel for life. It keeps me going in everything I do. The hardest part of my career is building a callous on my self-esteem from hearing ‘NO’ from record companies and several agencies all the time. I know it’s part of the process, but getting used to it was the hardest part. It’s more rewarding when you stay original and true to your personal fashion and art, than to change it all for a record deal. SB: What do you feel has been your biggest accomplishment so far in your careers? (Besides RAW obviously) VL: I’ve been lucky enough to participate during New York Fashion week since 2009. I started going in February 2009, it was by far the most scariest show by far. I left Austin at 6am, got to NYC by noon and had to be at Model call by 3pm. Once I got there, there were 30 models for 6 designers and we told we had 30 minutes to pick our models before they were rushed to hair and make up. I showcased with designers from everywhere; Russia, France, Georgia. It was really excited and so scary at the same time. I’ve been to New York Fashion Week five times now including this past September, where I got to showcase my clothing in the Fashion District. JB: Winning Most Marketable Collection and Best Evening Gown at my senior fashion show, Innovation. JK: Being able to work alongside Chaz Dean (for WEN) for New York Fashion Week(however I just got lucky I knew a few people who trusted me to do the job!!) haha….besides that the love/admiration/attention from my clients and strangers about my work makes me feel amazing! KK: My biggest accomplishment is manifesting so many great experiences through my music business. There are so many places I have traveled and so many people I have met, and it makes me realize how tiny I am in this world and how amazing it is to be a part of it. Without music, I would have never seen that perspective. And because of music, I know it is just the beginning. SB: Now that you’ve won what do you think is in the future for your career? VL:I hope that this will help continue the good things coming to me and my staff at Jinxedaposed. I would like to continue doing more shows, local and abroad. I would love to represent Texas in L.A. And show them that Austin has multi-talents. JB: I am now competing nationally and have a chance to go to Hollywood for the final competition. If I get there that’s fantastic, but honestly I feel like I’ve already won. This experience has given me the confidence to know that I can make something of my work. Winning nationally would help me get there. JK: Well I know to keep moving up/book more shows etc. I will still have to network, sacrifice time/money and work hard to continue. One goal is to bring more business into Austin, generate some money to pay people for their services instead of do trade work. There is too much free trade work going on around here! KK: The fact that I have met so many artists from different categories of art is a big step for me. I have this crazy notion that music and musicians play a huge role in the fashion and art industry, and if mixed in the right way, we can create the best atmosphere for our audience. I think a lot of cool events are going to stem from the power of networking, and RAW had a lot of amazing and hardworking talent at their events. I hope to see us dominate as the next generation of Austin’s hottest Artists. Posted in Austin Fashion Events | 2 Comments »
UPDATE: December 1, 2011Diya Liu is the WINNER of the “Marie Claire Front Row Challenge”
The concept?…to find the best college-age fashion lovers, style fanatics, and shopaholics and let them put on a fashion show using LOFT’s Fall collection with make-up and hair styling provided by Rimmel London. Hundreds applied and the final four were selected from top universities across the country. Austin’s own nationally-recognized fashion blogger Diya Liu was selected to represent the University of Texas. Diya leads the ultimate double-life living in chemistry labs and engineering buildings by day, but by night she is all about fashion. Her fashion blog called “In her Stilettos” journals her fashionable ensembles with a uniquely Austin flair. Her blog has been featured on MTV.com, Chictopia, Teen Vogue and more. The four Front Row Challenge finalists flew to New York and met with the Marie Claire editors and magazine executives and learned first-hand about the magazine and styling business. The final assignment was to style the collection from LOFT and direct the hair and make up for a hometown fashion show. In keeping with the Austin vibe, Diya chose The Mohawk as her venue choice and turned the upstairs outdoor deck into a fashion show catwalk. Her models, featuring the LOFT Fall collection, strutted the runway with sophisticated layering featuring bold colors and stripes, Fall fur accents and glittery bangles. Three Marie Claire executives attended the fashion show. Publisher Nancy Bergan Cardone, Web Site Director, Abbey Gardner, and Senior Fashion Editor, Zanna Roberts Rassi arrived in Austin to judge the last of the four fashion shows. Roberts Rassi and Gardner shared that they were impressed with the Diya’s styling of the fashion show and agreed that they would wear many of the looks she presented on the runway. They both commented on how they loved the “Austin vibe” and enjoyed seeing attendees “styled-out”. Update: The winner of the Front Row Challenge was announced on December 1. Diya Liu of the University of Texas won and received summer internships at LOFT, Marie Claire and Rimmel London. Interview with Marie Claire Executives and Finalist Diya LiuRunway Collection from Diya Liu, University of Texas FinalistPhoto / Video credit: Gregg Cestaro PhotographyPosted in Austin Fashion Events | No Comments »
In celebration of fashion, Halloween and life, zombies made their grand entrance at this year’s Zombie Ball, held at the ACL Live Moody Theatre in Austin, TX on Saturday, October 29th. Guests were greeted with flashing cameras and verbal daggers dropped by the Rhymnese Twins on the Red Carpet Review. Hosted by award winning wardrobe stylist and founder of Kitsch Trading Co, Sandra Antoun, the Zombie Ball was the couture event to be caught dead at. Donned in a luxurious white fur coat with black spiky strands, Stephen MacMillan Moser made his debut dressed as a fashionable zombie in purple lips and a sleek black and white wig with an ink black marked line, proving that fashion knows no bounds. Moser, a style guru at The Austin Chronicle, known for his over-the-top ensembles, presented this year’s Stephen Macmillan Moser Glam-A-Zombie award for 2011. With a myriad of positively striking and haunting looks, Moser selected the winners whom he felt best captured the spirit, true essence and good humor of the Moser philosophy. His favorite words of wisdom are “Live fast, die young and leave a beautiful corpse.” Summing up Moser’s approach to life is that, unless you’re already too old to die young, then you just have to keep living faster, acting young, looking older but being far from dead. After striking a pose for the camera-ready photographers, the parade of deadly fashionable attendees made their entrance to the theatre as a slew of bands played the night away. The Bright Light Social Hour, which recently swept the 29th Annual Austin Music Awards during SXSW 2011 with an unprecedented 6 wins, including Band of the Year, Album of the Year and Song of the Year, made its presence known at the Ball. Other bands included Black Taxi, Erotic Rain, Killa Dilla, Kitty Kitty Bang Bang, Sky Candy Aerial Arts, Misty Villain, Brass Ovaries, Rion King, Chops, Rory Boureealis and The People vs De La Rosa. About the Promoters Sustainable Waves- www.sustainablewaves.com The Forbidden Fruit- http://www.forbiddenfruit.com/ Kitsch Trading Co. – www.kitschtradingco.com See Stephen MacMillan’s article about his Zombie experience at http://www.austinchronicle.com/columns/2011-11-04/after-a-fashion/
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Austin Fashionista’s and Art Enthusiast’s get ready for this year’s 3rd Annual RAW Awards 2011! The National Arts Organization awards feature emerging artists and gives out career-boosting prizes such as store placement, gallery placements and life changing consultations. There is 9 different categories that include; fashion, music, film, visual art, performing art (dance or comedy), hair styling, makeup artistry, photography, and accessories. RAW narrows down the nominees by doing a nationwide online vote, local communities vote, and last but no least a panel of judges to score the 9 final winners. The judges are established industry professionals such as Don Grierson (Former A & R Capitol Records), Chloe Dao (Winner of Bravo’s Project Runway 2), Kristen Segal (Fashion Marketing, Fred Segal Boutique), Brig Van Osten (Winner of Bravo’s Sheer Genius). The nationwide digital polls opened October 1st via the www.RAWartists.org website. November 10th through the 17th the City Semi Finals begin and nominees will showcase their talent in their cities. Live community voting starts and will determine who will represent their city in the final showcase. Thursday, November 17th is the final day of RAW Austin 2011 Awards at 8:00PM. Club de Ville will be hosting the event and it is cocktail attire. Tickets are $10 pre-sale, $15 week of, $20 at the door. Come support your fellow Austin artists for this exciting and local event! You won’t regret it! The winner’s will be revealed in December through a video announcement. The winners will then have the opportunity to travel to Hollywood, California in January to be honored and featured at the 2011 RAW Awards Show at the Grauman’s Chinese Theater. Posted in Austin Fashion Events | No Comments »
Saks Fifth Avenue held a exclusive media breakfast for Austin area fashion reporters to see the Fall merchandise that featured Gucci’s Spring 2012 handbags. The event was hosted by selling manager Anastasia Gajkowski and also included yummy mimosas, tasty coffee, and delightful pastries. Models walked down the “runway” wearing the latest Fall styles by Elie Tahari, Jimmy Choo, Miu Miu, Lavia, Prada, Lafayette, Adrienne Landau, Stuart Weitzman, jewelry by Kenneth Jay Lane, Ippolita, and makeup by Chanel. The overall theme of the show was “The Austin girl is becoming the New York Girl.” The newest trends were on full display that included, tweed coats, polka dot tops, chunky bangles, fur accents, platform pumps, glitter accents, chunky watches, python shoulder bags, and pantsuits. The creative geniuses at Gucci have brought back their their old 1973 G clap’s on some of the newest bags! So if any Texas fashionista’s are looking for stylish, beautiful, and trendsetting clothes, go down to Saks Fifth Avenue and you will be sure to turn some heads this holiday season!
‘ Tags: Adrienne Landau, Austin, Chanel, Elie Tahari, Gucci, Ippolita., Jimmy Choo, Kenneth Jay Lane, Lafayette, Miu Miu, New York, Prada, Saks Fifth Avenue, Stuart Weitzman
M.A.S.H – Mall Adventure Scavenger HuntDon’t worry, if putting on heels and racing to the finish line isn’t your thing, you can still partake in all the festivities and come out to support the Komen Campaign for the Cure. For the first time, the M.A.S.H (Mall Adventure Scavenger Hunt) will turn the Hill Country into a super mystery hunt mecca where you can put your super sleuth skills to the test and accomplish tasks at mystery locations. Clues will take you all around the property and the winner will receive some great prizes. Registration for the M.A.S.H Scavenger Hunt is $40 and benefits Stiletto Stampede and their BOOB CAMP program. Pooch Scooch, Survivor Heat, Shoe Fashion Show and MoreOther activities for the day include “Pooch Scooch”. This popular event will ask you to dress up your pup and strut your stuff in the “Pooch Scooch”. A “Survivor” heat will allow you to get your gal and guy pals together and run as a team. Dillards will host a shoe fashion show and health professionals will be on hand to educate about breast cancer early detection. Raffle items for the day of the event include jewelry, spa gift certificates and a one-year membership to Pure Austin Fitness Center. All proceeds benefit the Susan G. Komen Austin affiliate. Boob Camp Helps Mastectomy RecoveryStiletto Stampede’s new program called Boob Camp is designed help post-surgery masectomy patients with recovery. It is a comprehensive program that will concentrate on the physical portion of post-surgery recovery. Excercises and group meetings will staffed by trained breast cancer physical therapists. Pure Austin has partnered with Boob Camp to host classes in both north and south locations. Support Breast Cancer Awareness and Participate in Stiletto StampedeWhen: October 22, Registration begins at 9 a.m. / Race begins at 10 a.m. Where: The Hill Country Galleria is located at 12700 Hill Country Blvd. Bee Cave, TX 78738 Registration Information: www.stilettostampede.org Stiletto Stampede events have expanded to more cities. Save the date for the Houston Stiletto Stampede scheduled for November 5 and in Dallas March 3, 2012. Video of 2010 Stiletto StampedePhotos of 2010 Stiletto Stampede
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The show featured fabrics from designers such as Versace, Liberty of London, Anna Sui, Carolina Herrera, Ralph Lauren, in addition to rare and vintage fabrics that could otherwise not be found in Austin. Local designer, savannahred, showed her newest vintage-inspired collection for real-sized women. Savannahred gave Austin’s fashion scene an exclusive preview of her collection, showing the designs here before they are launched in Seattle. April Kling Meyer, founder of Fabricker, found that there was a niche being ignored in her experience working for a big box fabric retailer since 2001. Her mission is to “provide high-quality fashion apparel fabric to the general public, garment designers, fashion students, textile collectors and enthusiasts”. “We are kind of like galleries in a way– we curate a collection, of fabrics as it were, that appeal to different types of designers and home sewers and their unique tastes”, Kling Meyer said. Fabricker is currently undergoing negotiations to secure a lease for their retail location. In the meantime, they will be hosting various trunk shows in the area. They will also be putting their fabrics online in October or November to create buzz before the opening. Posted in Austin Fashion Events | No Comments »
The Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum hosted this year’s Tribeza Fashion Show that showcased amazing clothes, beautiful models, and a great atmosphere. Before the show VIP guests were treated to drinks by Maker’s Mark, Deep Eddy Vodka, Corona, Victoria, and food by J. Black’s Feel Good Lounge. Music was provided by the creative Learning Secrets DJ. It was a night of glamor, gorgeous fashion, and Austin’s most fashionable all in one room. For the runway show, all the model’s hair and makeup were done by Jose Luis Salon. Boutiques that participated and showcased their present merchandise for this fall season were By George, C. Jane, Estilo, The Garden Room, Julian Gold, Saks Fifth Avenue, Service Menswear, and Underwear. Tribeza also added new boutiques this year that included Feathers, Kendra Scott Jewelery, MOSS, and Y & I Clothing Boutique. The hairstyles for the female models were edgy and sleek, and had purple or blue streaks in them. The male models hair was gelled and were styled to look messy but sexy. The clothes from each boutique all had a “seventies” vibe to it they featured lots of sequins, wide leg pants, leather jumpsuits, empire waist dresses, knee high socks, fur vests. All the collections featured on trend clothing for this fall season; red pants, nude heels, tan tops, tribal print dresses, satchel handbags, striped cardigans, cobalt blue dresses, studded heals, neon crop tops, blazers, and tweed skirts and jackets. After the show ended, guest’s mingled a bit, and were offered healthy and yummy snacks from LUNA bar and energy and health drinks by Neuro. Photography by Dark Flame StudiosTags: By George, Corona, Deep Eddy Vodka, Jane Estilo, Julian Gold, Kendra Scott Jewelry, LUNA bar., Maker's Mark, MOSS, Neuro, Saks Fifth Avenue, Service Menswear, The Garden Room, Tribeza, Underwear, Y & I Clothing Boutique
Party-goers and experts from Austin’s top salons packed The Palm Door Wednesday night, eager to marvel at the newest hair inventions from Jackson Ruiz Salon, Jose Luis Salon, Propaganda Hair Group and Ron King Salon Before the show, guests sipped on drinks from Deep Eddy Vodka and nibbled on bites from Pink Avocado while they got a chance to meet the genius behind the hairstyles that were about to be featured. Each of the salons set up a booth at the show where they showed off their expertise and gave out product samples. The event was hosted by NaturallyCurly.com, a collection of sites that celebrates curly hair. The show began with a brief message from Gretchen Heber, announcing the launch of the name Texture Media which will represent all of the brands in the company. Jose Luis Salon started off the show with models dressed in all black, wearing combinations of leather and lace. The hair was sculpted into intricately braided updos. The result was a bit gothic with a contemporary edge. The models from Jackson Ruiz Salon were nothing but fierce as they strutted across the stage. Each one of the models wore an entirely different look from soft waves to a slicked-back low bun. Ron King was definitely inspired by the 1950s this season. Models of all ages were outfitted by Maya Star boutique in party dresses reminiscent of the era. Many different hair types were showcased from mid-length curly hair to short hair in a bob. Propaganda Hair Group closed the show with two groups of models. The first group featured futuristic fantasy hair and the second featured wearable contemporary designs to show off the salon’s versatility. Posted in Austin Fashion Events | No Comments » |
   
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Also to produce high fashion/avant garde shows and shoots and maybe do some work for movies and commercials!
