Hello and Happy Monday! 

I hope you all had a great weekend! I cannot complain, aside from some car troubles, but even that was resolved pleasantly! I also had an opportunity to go out and support two of my friends on Sunday! 

Charlotte is about to experience Fab Fest next weekend, a festival dedicated to Beatles mania centered fun! To prepare for it, a vintage thrift shop here in the QC, Nouveau Chapeau, hosted a style session with two friends of mine, Kiah Bachman and Kimberly Powell! 

Nouveau Chapeau is a really unique store in and of itself. It is room after room of vintage clothing, purses, and shoes. I personally love their collection of jewelry! If you need eclectic, one-of-a-kind type pieces, or colorful bangles and vintage rings -this is definitely a place you want to check out! 

Oh! Did I mention there is an upstairs part of the shop that is filled with records, CDs, and movies!? 

While guests perused the shop, Kimberly and Kiah were excitedly helping shoppers pick out pieces, keeping the Fab Fest theme at the forefront of the shopping experience. 

This will be my first year to take part in Fab Fest, so I will have more to share with you on that coming up. I'm looking forward to it! I am a big fan of The Beatles and you guys know I love a theme! So, I will be spending a good chunk of this week picking out a look for the event! 

Before I go, I thought you would be pleased to know that I walked away with a few goodies! I snagged a gorgeous black necklace with a fun rhinestone at the center -I told you I love the jewelry there! I snagged a pair of shades, and a picture of Dolly Parton for a friend of mine. 

Thank you for reading! I hope you go check out Nouveau Chapeau if you are in the Charlotte area! It is a treasure hunt you'll be sure to enjoy! 

Welcome back! Today I am sharing with you my experience at The Carolinas Fashion Week, nights four, five, and six! 

Let us jump into it! 

Night 4 - The Beauty of Couture 

I really enjoyed this night of Fashion week. I was not sure what to expect with this particular night, but it ended up being a more intimate look at fashion and design. Instead of a traditional runway show, this night opted for only four designers and only a handful of designs. Models descending a staircase, with the guidance of gentlemen. I personally found that to be such a classy and beautiful touch. Classical music accompanied the models' descent and walk around the small venue. We got an up-close look at the pieces and were able to chat with the models and designers. Which, for a fashion lover like me, was a surreal experience! I was in heaven the whole evening! 

The designers were Berhan Nebioglu, Jonathan Runciman, Power Play by Christography, and Blair Boutique. 

Berhan Nebioglu is a classy lady! I have seen her show a few times over the years and she has a very signature look. Vintage pieces, very classic and elegant. I feel like I've been transported back in time when I see her stylings and yet they feel like they have a modern twist to them. 

Jonathan Runciman is one of my favorite designers of the whole week -I know, I say that a lot! But he is honestly so interesting to talk with! His designs are layered and intricate. Ome of his designs that evening was especially fascinating. It was jarringly different than most of his pieces and it was a dress that could be worn at least 10 different ways with only minor adjustments! 

Blair Boutique is really impressive to me. She is a senior in high school and has already been accepted into a school of design! Her gowns are gorgeous pieces of work! They are intricate and perfectly fitted! She has a great eye for detail and if these are the gowns she's creating at 18, I cannot wait to see what she will be creating in the years to come! 

And Power Play by Christography is always fun to watch! Chris designs very structured, tailored suits for men. What I have found to be his signature style, is that all of his models wear masks. It adds some drama and intensity to the line that I enjoy!  

Night 5 - The Sharp Gentlemen

The fifth night was a chance for the fellas to show out! And show out they did! 

The Sharp Gentz was the highlight of the night. I was able to speak with designer, Juane Lewis earlier in the week, and he said that he likes to make a production when his line showcases. He was not lying! Four models stood in front of us, their backs to us, while a video played explaining what The Sharp Gentz is all about. There were flashing lights, music, and a screen that flashed 'Showtime!' Then the runway walk began! 

The Sharp Gentz is a very cohesive, very sharp, and very imaginative line. Never again can a man say that they don't have options like women do, because The Sharp Gentz provides fantastic options! There were tailored suits, suits with bold prints, colors, and fabrics. Then there were more casual styles featuring billowy pieces, linen, and neutral colors. And even though it was men's wear primarily, there were a few pieces for the ladies as well! 

What I really appreciate about The Sharp Gentz, aside from the fabulous styles, is that it is about building community and brotherhood.  It takes fashion and style to a deeper level. It is not just about clothing, it is about bringing people together, helping another really make an entrance and leave an impact! Juane Lewis is also a super sweet guy! I felt like we had been friends for a while after just talking for a few minutes! 

Night 6 - A Night of Art

​The sixth and final night of runway shows was a fun one! Avant-garde and recyclable designs graced the runway! Venancio Tadeo, A. ma. line, Itala Flores, and Whimsical by Christography all graced the runway. Venancio Tadeo is always fun to watch!  He incorporates his Philopena culture into his designs. The headpieces, the silhouettes, the prints and color. It is all very theatrical and interesting! 

Autumn Fox also showed again, and once again she did not disappoint!

Bian Murphy was another designer I really enjoyed watching! Her designs were so whimsical! They reminded me of faries in a fantasy movie. Some of the models donned wings, most of the pieces were pastel colored and featured sparkles. The hair styling and makeup was very whimsical, most pieces featured flowers as well. She has an extremely detailed line and apparently an intense imagination! 

This is one thing that I really love about avant-garde and recyclable designs, each line and each designer had a whole different feel to them. Bian Murphy had a very fairy-tale like feel about her line, Venancio Tadeo transported you to the Philippines. Autumn Fox was edgy. 

And that is what I love most about fashion, styling, and design. There is no right or wrong, it is just everyone's different interpretation, style, or story that they bring to the table.  I'm just so very grateful to have had this experience with The Carolinas Fashion Week! I am so grateful to the friends I met during the week, and the opportunities I had to interview different people and put myself out there a bit more. 

Chris, thank you so, so much! I hope I can work with you again in the future! 

Thank you all so much for reading and I will see you on Friday! =D 

Hello all! And welcome back! It's been a little bit since I posted a full-length blog! But I just HAVE to share about this last week with you! I had the privilege to attend The Carolinas Fashion Week's inaugural year as a blogger! And it did not disappoint! Far from it! It was seven nights of events and shows and all celebrating fashion, style, and design! I am going to share my experience at each night, but it is a lot to go through, so I am going to break it into two parts. This post will be nights one through three. Then Wednesday will be nights four through six. With that said, let's get started! 

Night 1 -Thrift Gala Kick Off Party

The first night was the Thrift Gala Kickoff Party with the theme of Gothic Reawakening. You know I love a theme! It was so fun to see everyone's interpretation of the theme. Some people go extremely into it! The gala was held at Common Market, which proved to be a great venue. There was plenty of outdoor and indoor space for people to mingle, listen to music, and even a runway show, later in the evening. It was truly a night celebrating art and creativity in all forms. Did I mention there was a lady performing fire eating!? 

The runway show featured three designers and a lot of really edgy designs. They pushed the imagination! There was a dress that lit up, a lot of dramatic bell sleeves, corsets, and mesh pieces. And absurdly tall platform shoes a plenty! The make up was phenomenal as well! Many models walked with a full face of makeup, and I mean a FULL FACE. White makeup or paint covered their face in addition to heavy eye shadow and liner, and dark lipstick! The shows were kicked off with a dramatic and beautiful drag performance by Aleyah Faith, who also looked incredible! She glided and danced so effortlessly down the runway and got the crowd hyped for what was to come! 

Night 2 - Tidal Reverie 

​The second night kicked off runway shows, the first being, swimwear lines. Held at Trella Apartments Uptown, the show featured three designers: House of Bantu, Christography Fashion, and Voglia Swimwear. House of Bantu has quickly become one of my favorite designers to watch! Her line is full of tribal print accompanied by tribal makeup. Her designs also feature bold colors, textures, and in overall incredibly intentional. It has a powerful feel to it. 

Christography Fashion explored swimwear for men. It offered a variety of swimwear in different colors and length and even offered a variety of cover up apparel. 

Vogolia Swimwear was a very cohesive line of swimwear, playing with feminine colors and prints. It stuck closely to a blue and white color theme and explored different cuts of women's swimwear. In addition to being beautiful, Voglia also is an environmental friendly brand. According to their socials, they use "regenerated Italian fabrics" and do not use "one time use plastics."

The setting was perfection too! The models circled around the pool of the apartment complex! It was late enough in the evening that it was comfortable as a viewer. Even some of the residents stepped out onto their balcony to join us! One lady turned out to be a DJ! She brought out her turn tables and gave us some great music for the show! 

Night 3 - A Modern Emergence 

Night 3 was one of my favorite nights of the week! It was the first night where fashion took center stage -quite literally! Models descended from a stage before walking the runway. The intentional red lighting when the models first appeared on stage made for a dramatic entrance! Nine designers showcased as well as 17 students from Northwest School of the Arts! I'm going to share some of the highlights for me. 

Autumn Foxx is another designer I LOVE! Her line, City Edit, such a fun mix of edgy, street style and maximalist glam! Each piece in her line intentional and unique. And so many of them I wanted in my closet! I got a sneak peek at some of her pieces during our media junket weeks before and was extremely excited to see her on the runway! 

Murphy Fashion District was another line I fell in love with! This young man is young! We are talking 17/18 and yet oh, so talented! He has a very cohesive, street style line, that features hoodies, jackets, dresses, and even dresses with attached capes. The on-going theme in his line is hearts, because as he stated, he doesn't "always know how to express affection, its confusing, so I express it on to the fabric.' 

Northwest School of the Arts was really interesting! Its one of the last schools in CMS to have an art program. So, TCFW had to show them support! 17 of their design students showcased their designs on the runway and the were fabulous! Some were simple, some artistic, some big and dramatic. But all of them were creative! 

Blair's Boutique is another really young designer. She was also the recipient of a scholarship presented by TCFW. She has a bright future ahead of her as well! Her line featured mainly dresses and gowns. She said she wanted to create looks to make all girls and women feel beautiful! Blair has great attention to detail, some of the designs of her dresses, the backs in particular are intricate! 

Thank you so much for reading! And stay tuned because I have to break down nights four through six and they just keep getting better! =D