Philly Fashion Week by FBH Celebrates its 7th Season….
After my New York Fashion Week struggle, I thought I was cursed from the fashion world. Fortunately, Philly Fashion Week by FBH was an opportunity to redeem myself. The event was divided into two main days, Ready to Wear fashion on Friday, February 24th, and Couture on Saturday, February 25th.
In the past, I’ve attended the Philly Fashion Week events, and I felt it could have been organized much better. However, the show went very smoothly this year for me. The organizers let the press in promptly, but attendees were forced to wait in a hot waiting room for about 45 minutes before the doors to the runway room opened. The organizers need to specify that doors open at 7, but the show doesn’t start until 8-8:15. In New York Fashion Week, if the show says it starts at 6 p.m., and it starts at 6 p.m. sharp.
Once the show started, it was apparent that Philadelphia is home to a wide array of fashion opinions. There were lines that appealed to an urban audience, like Street Mode, and others, like Banana Republic’s “A Weekend at the Hamptons” that appealed to clean cut, preppy fashionistas.
The organizers tweeted each designer that walked down the runway for the “Ready to Wear” show, so it was easy to figure out who was on the runway. Unfortunately, they didn’t do the same on the couture day, so if any designers names are butchered, I apologize. Click the jump for the highs and lows of the show!
Dress Obsessed: 3 Must-Have Summer Frocks
I am a self-proclaimed Dress-Aholic. I love the feminineness of a frock and the fact that you can wear one item and be pulled together, thrills me beyond belief. With summer’s intense heat, one-stop dressing is a must and a dress is perfect for staying cool and looking good. While I won’t advise you to go Dress Crazy like moi, I do have three summer styles you should try. If you get addicted to dresses, don’t say I didn’t warn you!
Floral
Sure florals for summer is typical, but when a print is this sweet how can you resist?
Flower Deliver Dress- $87.99
Maxi
Maxi dresses strike a delicate balance between loungewear and effort cool.
Striped Jersey Dress – $58.00
Tribal
Tribal print is funky and of the moment… plus who doesn’t love dressing in technicolor?
T-Bags Tribal Dress -$105.00
LOCAL LOVE
Check out the SaVa Dress Sale http://shop.savafashion.com/index.php/
Shopping For: Summer Wedding Attire
When you hit the later half of your twenties, the wedding invitations seem to come fast and furious. And in my case, (and I’m betting many others’ too) Summer seems to be the gettin’ hitched season.
With no less than 4 to attend this summer, I’ve recently began the daunting dress search. After all, shopping for wedding attire can bring with it a few concerns: you wanna look good for the people you haven’t seen in awhile , you don’t want to underdress/overdress, it’s gonna be hot as hell, you want to be comfortable enough to dance all night, etc etc.
So to get the ball rolling, we did some preliminary shopping and now we present to you our top 5 nuptial-appropriate summer dresses.
Winnie Sailor Dress, Chloe Sevigny for Opening Ceremony
If you have more than few dollars to spend (lucky you) and are into vintage-inspired pieces, may we suggest this dress available at Walnut Street retailer Joan Shepp? It’s hella cute, light and totally dressy enough, and even better, you can dress it down with tennis shoes or sandals, and wear it all summer long! Annnnd, it’s on sale. Score!
$270, on sale from $386, available at Joan Shepp, 1616 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, www.joanshepp.com
Eillie Dress by Motel
If tight, short and super-sexy is more your steez, then this dress from British brand Motel should do it for you. Featuring a fit and flare shape, pleated skirt and metallic lace-accented bodice, you’ll be sure to turn heads. Just try not and upstage the bride, eh?
$99, available online only at Urban Outfitter’s, www.urbanoutfitters.com
Sweetheart Rosette Bubble Dress, by Forever 21
For those on a strict budget, Forever 21 provides an endless assortment of slinky little frocks on the cheap, real cheap. And if you dig deep enough, you can usually find something really cute and age-appropriate, even if you aren’t, ahem, 21. We like this little number for its summer-y coral color and rosette accent. And well, it’s only 22 bucks.
$22.80, available at Forever 21, Franklin Mills Mall, 1706 Franklin Mills Circle, Philadelphia, www.forever21.com
Graphic Chiffon Maxi Dress, by Express
If you’re headed to a beachside wedding, we think the popular maxi dress of late is the way to go. Floaty, feminine and comfy, whats not to love? We like this one from Express for it’s sea blue print and ruffle trim. Throw on some statement jewels and you’re good to go!
$61.60, on sale from $88, available at Express, The Shops at Liberty Place, 1625 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, www.express.com
Taryn Dress, by J.Crew
If you’re the romantic type, then you’ll love this silk chiffon dress from J.Crew. It’s available in all sorts of hues but we like this blush tone version. Perfect for showing off a little summer tan. And it’s available in Petite!
$89.99, on sale from $225, available at J.Crew, The Shops at Liberty Place, 1625 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, www.jcrew.com
—Kat Blazowski
Homegrown Talent: Brittany DeShields Clothing
Brittany DeShields is a young Philly designer with a passion for sexy, in your face, freakum dresses. A self-taught designer Brittany DeShields is on her way to becoming a household name. She recently launched her first collection, opened a studio in Fishtown, launched her website BrittanyDeshields.com and her online store I Love B. Des. She is one busy woman!
Brittany’s designs have been worn by celebs such as Mya and Lola Monroe and have been featured on the Fashion Bomb and numerous style blogs. Her signature is her sleek, sexy mini dresses with spandex, mesh and sheer panels. These are for the confident woman who wants to be seen!
Follow Brittany DeShields on twitter @B_DesClothingCo
What do you think of Brittany DeShield’s sexy sheaths?
A year of dresses
Dresses—oh how I love dresses. In fact, just last night PW Arts and Culture Editor Emily G. and I were waxing poetic about our love for dresses. It was a conversation that I’m sure Philadelphia’s Abigail Lalonde has had many times in her life. On August 29 she completed her goal of wearing a dress every single (even through those crazy-ass snowstorms) day for a year, but it wasn’t until last night that the faithful readers of One Hundred Days of Dresses got Abigail’s final blog post.
Hop over to her blog and read about the surprise party her husband threw for her at the 700 Club to celebrate the successful completion of her project or just to browse all the dresses—yes, all 365 of them.
Dresses at Modcloth.com
Floral Silhouette Dress $67.99
Have weddings to attend, and except for my perfect black wedding dress (note: do NOT wear to a New England wedding), I don’t like to double dip.
This one is cute, some people would wear it to a wedding, but I wouldn’t. More of a summer afternoon date-type situation.
Picnic in Plaid Dress $64.99
Vacay dress!
Moroccan Sun Dress $59.99
I’m not into this schoolgirl thing. For outside.
Charm School Jumper $42.99
Keep. Trying. To not by black.
Caballero Embroidered Dress $79.99