WIN IT: Payless Wants to Send YOU to Fashion Week

Disclosure: I'm beyond excited about Fashion Week this season...like, more than normal. Maybe it's because the couture collections were so breathtaking (more on those later) or because I already have my outfits picked out (Lanvin fur, leopard print turban, black...everyday), but I cannot wait for February 10th to arrive.

In celebration, I have a surprise for you! As you know, Payless has the insider hookup to Fashion Week through designers Lela Rose (below) and Christian Siriano (above) who both pen collections for the famous shoe/accessories retailer.

Well, Payless is using those relationships for good; they're giving away a trip for two to NYC to attend Fall 2011 New York Fashion Week. Just log onto the Payless’ Facebook Fan Page to enter the "VIP in NYC" sweepstakes and here's what you could win:

Grand Prize:

·         A Trip for two to NYC from February 11 to February 13

·         Admission to the Lela Rose Fashion Show at Lincoln Center

·         Shop at Payless with a $150 Gift Card

·         Get $500 in spending money to enjoy the Big Apple’s not-to-be-missed experiences

First Prize:

·         100 Winners will receive $25 Payless Gift cards 

Hot! Love that you get seats to a fashion show AND spending money - what more could a girl want?

 

Kisses,

Coutura

Photos: Getty Images.

Fashion Week: Tracy Reese Gets Edgy for Fall 2010

It's official. The Tracy Reese uptown lady has left the tea party and headed to the gritty downtown streets. The designer, whose line is synonymous with all things airy, elegant and dainty, has a new daring attitude for the Fall 2010 season.


The dark turn, which incorporated touches of black lace and dark shades, did nothing to take away from Tracy's ubergirlie style. Instead, downtown girl edge was weaved effortessly into her posh and prim aesthetic, most brilliantly in a pink tulle A-line dress paired with black lace tights, a black statement necklace and booties by Highline United for Tracy Reese.


Though silhouettes were a little more form-fitting than previous seasons, pieces like a sky blue printed dress and a pink cardigan with sparkling embellishments were still quintessential Tracy. Texture and print was a prominent theme with plaids, jacquard, fur trim and tweed jackets taking centerstage. Reese also gave the fashionista plenty of ways to stay warm this Fall: black leg warmers, fingerless opera length gloves, chunky scarfs and cozy cowls.

At the show, models like Georgie Badiel and Gracie Carvalho stormed the catwalk to One Way's "Cutie Pie" with plenty of sass to match the tough luxe fashions. The beauty looks were equally edgy: wild, curly ponytails, smoky eyes and lace fingernails! Tracy Reese tweeted that the nails weren't Minx, but rather lace overlay on top of polish. I LIVE for them.

The crowd, including Julia Stiles, Kristen Bell, Adrienne Bailon and Michelle Williams (who looked gorg in a Tracy Reese trench, floral dress and leather gloves), erupted in applause when Tracy took to the runway at the finale.

Tracy did the impossible with this latest collection: she made being a girly girl cool again. I, obviously, am obsessed with the look! Check out the pics below and let me know what you think of the new bad-ass Fall 2010 collection. Should Tracy stick to pretty and posh? Is the new edgy direction a breath of fresh air? Discuss.


Kisses,


Coutura

Fashion Week: Robert Verdi Lounge with Ginger & Liz

By the end of Fashion Week, editors are the walking dead in Louboutins and Jimmy Choos. As fun as it looks, trekking from show to show without a second to breathe, eat or sleep is not for the faint of heart. The Future of Fashion lounge, hosted by TV personality and style expert, Robert Verdi, was the perfect antidote for stressed writers, bloggers and even celebs.

Nestled in the center of the Fashion Week circus, the Luxe lab was transformed into a fashion and beauty oasis, with makeup, hair and nail applications and cocktails courtesy of the new Absolut Berri Acai. Celebs, like June Ambrose and Miss J, who I ran into getting his nails did, stopped by to take a much-deserved break between shows and mingle with the creme de la creme of the Fashion world.

But that's not the best part. Robert Verdi's lounge is the perfect place to discover the new and the next in Fashion and Beauty. Robert Verdi has the earned the moniker, the gay Oprah (Goprah) for his penchant for finding the best and brightest brands in the biz. (P.S. While chatting, we realized we went to the same high school in New Jersey! He's so my gay boyfriend in my head but I digress...)

Once you get the Robert Verdi stamp of approval, it's a known fact that you're on your way to a whirlwind of success. And that success is well-deserved. Each brand he embraces has something special about them---whether it's a fresh take on makeup packaging or innovative shapewear technology that's nowhere else on the market. 

Robert Verdi's nail lacquer line of choice? Ginger & Liz. The haute nail polish brand, which I covered on The Glamazons in November, was founded by model/author, Liz, and entrepreneur, Ginger. With sassy names like "Put a Ring on It," "Swagger," and "Boss Lady," each color is rich, chic and fashion-forward. 

Celebrity nail artists like Kimmie Kyees (Rihanna, Britney Spears, Katy Perry) and Tracy Lee (who works at Damone Roberts salons) say the quality of the Ginger & Liz line is just as great as the color choices. While hooking up my mani, my nail tech said "the polish is thick and only needs a few coats, and lasts longer than most nail polishes on the market." And she's absolutely right. A week later, my nail polish hasn't chipped at all. 

From the conservative career woman to the fashion-loving risktaker, there's a color for everyone. I chose the new, gorgeous unnamed gray color that everyone's talking about (Tweet @gingerandliz with name suggestions!) and for my ring finger, I picked the amazing taxi yellow hue, "Caution." 

Me getting my nails done. Yes, I'm always on the phone.

Finished product---isn't it amazing? The gray color and "Caution" are a match made in heaven.

The adorable "Liz" of Ginger & Liz with multicolor nail polish. I'm so proud of their success (P.S. I knew they were gonna be huge!)

Miss J painted each nail in a Ginger & Liz hue to match his fierce multi-finger ring. Werk!

June Ambrose posted a Twitpic of herself getting a cute Ginger & Liz mani at the lounge.

While sipping on Absolut Berri Acai (which mixes amazingly well with everything from juice to champagne. Trust me, I've tried), I checked out the Jouer Cosmetics makeup stand, which is a French line of chic and modern cosmetics. The intelligent packaging for Jouer, which means "play" in French, allows you to do just that. You can attach different shadows to customize your portable makeup palette. Fabulous!

Once Beautylicious and my nails were hooked up and faces were beat, we snacked on the delicious Popcorn Indian Kettle Corn (see below, yum!) and checked out the fashion brands. Robert Verdi featured the new Maidenform bra that adds two cup sizes to your bustline and ShaToBu shapewear, the innovative brand that burns calories while you wear it! I need ShaToBu in my life pronto to get right and tight for the summertime. 

Check out some pics of us hanging out at the lounge below! Fun times.

Beautylicious and I looking pretty and sipping Absolut Berri Acai and lemonade earlier in the week.

Here's this adorable model I met at the lounge! I had to take a pic with him. Fierce.

His cut was some kind of amazing.

Kisses,

Coutura

GLAM OR SHAM?: Kim Kardashian for Bebe Fall 2010

Hey Glamazons!

Like we warned you weeks ago, Kim Kardashian's designs hit the runway for the first time as a part of the Style 360 Fashion Week series. A young crowd, including Rob Kardashian's ex, Adrienne Bailon, watched as a parade of chic, ubertrendy looks came down the catwalk.

The styles, which ranged from a pink one shoulder dress to a black wrap jumpsuit, were a bit safe and dated---but keep in mind, these designs are for a mall store as opposed to a high-end fashion brand. The look stayed true to Bebe's signature style (form-fitting, sexy, young, trendy) while appearing as if each piece was designed specifically for Kim Kardashian's body. Curves were exaggerated with petal draping and cinched waists, and the silhouettes were all body-skimming and flattering.

The color palette was monochromatic with blacks and grays, interspersed with vibrant pops of pink. All the trends of last season were incorporated into the collection: sheer, cut-outs, one shoulder, statement necklaces, jumpsuits, white blazers, blah, blah, blah. The shoes---some platform sandals, some booties, all open-toe---troubled me.

Kim wore a hooded sweatshirt dress under a leather corset with matching black gloves. In my opinion, it just didn't seem to fit her style (it was more bad-girl than L.A. socialite chic) but her body still looked amazing (is that Quick Trim?! wow!). Oh and did we mention J-Wow from Jersey Shore was there (sideeye)? Check out the looks below and give your verdict:

Glam or a Sham?


Kisses,

Coutura

Photos Courtesy of OK Magazine

Fashion Week: Betsey Johnson Fall 2010

A robber wielding a black pistol. A gambler wearing bandanas and a gun holster. A saloon girl showing her backside to a crowd full of onlookers. Did I mention I'm talking about a fashion show?


Betsey Johnson turned Fashion Week into a tale of the Wild, Wild West, complete with love, sex, romance and guns. Walking in stilettos atop a hay-filled runway, models, including the newly-thin Kelly Osbourne (please hit me up with diet secrets!), were transformed into a gang of robbers, gamblers, bandits and saloon girls. Though the fashions were fitting of a Western battle, the looks were still brilliantly trendy and wearable.


The Western bad boys embraced the menswear trend with top hats, suspenders, tuxedo shirts, camouflage-colored dresses (with gun prints!) and striped looks. The fair ladies wore fur-lined frocks, corseted silhouettes, ruffled dresses, hot pink jumpsuits (so sexy and flirty! I need one in my closet) and prairie skirts. 


The makeup was just as adventurous and effortlessly sexy. Backstage, the head makeup artist, Sarah Lucero for Stila, chatted with me about the inspiration behind the look. "The inspiration is Brigitte Bardot in a French Western film [Las Petroleras] that Betsey was inspired by," said Lucero. "It's all about that smoky, blacked out eye. Lashes are very straight and exaggerated. It's like a doll eye."

To create the sexy 60’s look, “the skin was kept bare with a matte foundation using Stila one step makeup and a peachy pale lip.” To get those sexy, smoky eyes, “apply eye shadow in Chinois all over your lids as a base. Use Espresso on your lids and crease and Ebony to line your upper and lower lash lines.”  Finish the look with “black cream liquid liner and loads of mascara.”

I thought this sign was soo cool and had to snap a picture! Betsey rocks my world.

No Brigitte Bardot look is complete without sexy, voluminous hair. Sebastian Professional lead stylist, Thomas Dunkin, described the look as “60’s cowgirl with pigtails and lots of volume.” To recreate it, “spray Sebastian Professional Volupt Spray” for volume and texture. Blow dry hair and “set it with rollers,” for height and body. Channel your inner cowgirl by separating hair into “loose, messy pigtails.” The pigtails should be “sloppy and asymmetric. Nothing too perfect,” Dunkin added.

Models hanging out backstage.

The finished look.

While messy pigtails are the perfect hairstyle for the saloon girls, the models dressed as "bad boys" chose mustaches for their hair look. The gangleader was a sexy Kelly Osbourne, who walked with puppy in hand wearing a menswear-inspired look, a bandana and a pistol. The theatrics didn't end there. 

In a special tribute to Alexander McQueen, a model walked the runway holding a “Long Live McQueen” sign. So beautiful and touching! 

And to celebrate Valentine's Day, the models spelled out “LOVE” in sequins on their backsides.

Betsey Johnson, however, stole the show with her signature cartwheel at the finale. The icon wore a striped black and white suit (with a sequined heart on her butt) and a mustache. She was trailed by a parade of models carrying giant hearts.

It was clear the audience, which included my personal style star, Fefe Dobson, and Melissa Joan Hart, was thoroughly entertained by Betsey's free spirit. And boy, did we need it. Dealing with Alexander McQueen's death and the weight of the recession, the fashion industry can definitely use Betsey's fun-loving energy, now more than ever. Nothing like guns, garters and cowgirls to lift the spirit! Check out pics of the collection below. 

Kisses,

Coutura