For my Junior Denim Collection, I decided I would pick a store that follows trends but still stays true to its feminine aesthetic. I then chose a decade where I could find inspiration. The 1920’s was a perfect match for the teenage girls I saw wearing my clothes. In my collection, I designed for an empowered young lady, one who is not afraid to take charge and be the center of attention. She wants people to take notice of her, but respect her and her ideas.
Sounds pretty exciting...and I wonder who the other fashion lovers are? Remember, anything is possible on Twitter!
"The Council of Fashion Designers of America and Vogue have announced the ten finalists for the seventh annual CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund awards. The fund was established to help emerging American design talent find continued success in the fashion business, and the winner of the competition (which kicks off at the end of July and culminates in mid-November) is awarded $200,000 and a yearlong mentorship, while the two runners-up receive $50,000. "Fashion is probably the only industry in the world where its fledgling talents are expected to be as creatively adept at running a business as they are at design," says Editor in Chief Anna Wintour. "Many, clearly, are not, and it's through the support of the Fund that these promising designers will be able to build a future for themselves—and for American fashion."
The Ten Finalists:
ALTUZARRA – Joseph Altuzarra
EDDIE BORGO – Eddie Borgo
CHRISTIAN COTA – Christian Cota
ROBERT GELLER – Robert Geller
PRABAL GURUNG – Prabal Gurung
MOSS LIPOW – Moss Lipow
LODEN DAGER – Oliver Helden and Paul Marlow
PAMELA LOVE – Pamela Love
GREGORY PARKINSON – Gregory Parkinson
BILLY REID – Billy Reid
credits: vogue.com
Gregory Parkinson with fellow LA Designer Katy Rodriguez (photo credit: vogue.com)
I am so excited for Gregory Parkinson and his accomplishment! The most thrilling part is that he is an LA designer! Parkinson was born in northern England and relocated to Los Angeles in 1989. Since then, he has been designing his own brand and dressing all women who embrace color and comfort (like me!). I love his work, especially the dresses he designed for former Vogue West Coast Fashion Editor, Lawren Howell's bridesmaids for her wedding last spring. So, I really hope that he is top 3 come mid-november-I will definitely be on the look out for some leaked results. But, regardless of the outcome, he company is receiving some great PR, which creates noise for West Coast fashion-good work Gregory!
Some designs from his Spring 2010 collection, now in stores and sold online.
photo credits: gregoryparkinson.com
http://www.shabbyapple.com/
Hey my soon to be followers! I have been a busy little bee this past week keeping up with school and being apart of the “Society.” That is, my internship with Society for Rational Dress. I love working with the M-team there, who are all very helpful and patient. But, the best part of the gig, is that it is located in a brick loft building in the up-in-coming Arts District!
Just east of Little Tokyo, near the Fourth St Bridge, this artsy neighborhood has plenty to offer. Definitely, my most recent cool spot to be. There are renovated warehouse buildings and new condos surrounding you, and the art is everywhere. It is cleanly place along walls and there are frequent exhibits in random warehouses along the street. There are innovative restaurants like Wurstküche featuring Belgian fries and beer, and exotic sausages-German Food! Cafes like Metropol and Novel Café feature local artist's paintings and are also great spots for salads, sandwiches, or a cappuccino.
My favorite place to shop during my lunch break is on Third Street, it’s a vintage shop called Raggedy Threads. The store is stocked with vintage finds from the 50’s, 60’s, the hippies of the rebellious 70’s, and 80's. They carry women and men’s clothing and accessories, including tees, dresses, denim, and western styles. I am especially obsessed with these khaki corduroy shorts, only $25 and the navy 70's kimono maxi dress, which is only $28. I also love the ode to the owl décor of the place. Keep your eyes peeled while shopping; there are literally hundreds of owls surrounding you! Sadly, they will only be open in the Arts District until December; the good news is they just opened a larger location in Little Tokyo, which will be the permanent store in 2011. You can also find their vintage goodies on Etsy.com, but the neighborhood experience is certainly recommended.
Photo Credits:
http://www.raggedythreads.com
http://www.etsy.com/shop/RaggedyThreads
What’s up to my fellow Angelinos, to all the beautiful people who live in the sunny state of California and all the fabulous peeps to the east. My name is Natalia Cuevas…yeah nice to meet you all too. I’m really excited about starting this blog, Ryan knows, it’s taken me awhile. I grew up in the rowdy neighborhood of El Sereno, which is located in the eastern outskirts of downtown LA--East Los Shout Out!! My life before college consisted of earning good grades and sports and although it is very embarrassing to admit, I wore sweatpants to school and was a bit of a tomboy. After graduating from Woodrow Wilson High School, I moved to 2 hours south and attended the University of San Diego where I studied English and Business Administration, but in the fall semester of my junior year, I studied abroad and lived in Madrid, Spain for 4 months and from then on my life has never been the same. From then on, Fashion has become my love! Watching all the glamorous Euro street wear, I took notice of a certain confidence, attitude, and emotion these women portrayed, they were in charge and they said so through their clothing. When I returned home, I looked at my hometown with a different pair of eyes-fashion eyes…. and saw it everywhere. So with my blog, I plan to bring the best shopping spots, trends, styling advice, and secrets the West Coast has to offer! 
