Can it be true? Has Fashion Week BCS truly come to an end? Comparatively my schedule seems abnormally peaceful this week, and I can’t say that I regret having more time allotted to…I don’t know…SLEEP! Although, sleep deprivation was but a small fee owed for the enjoyment of witnessing B/CS designers and artists spring to life. More impressive was the community’s support of these artists; crowds flocked to every event in downtown Bryan as well as College Station.

The final event at Daisy Dukes proved to be the perfect follow up to Inspirations’ runway show as well as an appropriate celebratory conclusion to Fashion Week BCS as a whole. With a cat walk spanning the entire dance floor, our persevering models braved its length to exhibit clothing from designers such as Orbit Reform, Keal, Kellie Smith, Clutch Campus, and several more.

I had my own personal fashion moment when I saw that one of the models was showing off a Kellie Smith Material dress that consisted of the same fabric and print as I had chosen to wear that evening. Joyous fate!

While every designer present that evening deserves praise and adoration, I will narrow in on one designer for the mere sake of brevity. I do want you to read this without having to take a nap in the middle.  Kirsten Hall’s Keal collection is definitely one of my top picks. Her designs ranged from menswear built for women to sweet, frilly concoctions. Everything was very well edited and well constructed.  She succeeded in building a cohesive collection while still remaining freshly diverse. The juxtaposition of a straight, clean, mod black shift and a salmon pink cocktail dress gathered at the waist and topped with elbow length bell sleeves in black lace was brilliant. Ms. Hall, if you ever need to find a safe home for that salmon-pink, black lace cocktail dress, I would happily adopt it.

As I said before, though, I laud every designer, who presented Saturday evening, as well as every designer and artist that was involved throughout the entire week. I am very proud to say that B/CS is bursting with creative, artistic energy, and I loved setting aside a week’s time to celebrate it!

To all of the models, who volunteered their time: Bravo! You were all lovely. To the designers and artists, who submitted their blood, sweat, and tears for our viewing pleasure: Double Bravo! Lastly, to everyone involved in the production of Fashion Week B/CS: Infinite Bravos! Thank you to everyone who made Fashion Week BCS possible. It was fabulous. So…who’s up for Fashion Week BCS 2011?

Be sure to check out www.maroonweekly.com this Wednesday for an overall review of Fashion Week BCS, as written by moi.

If you just loved loved loved my blogging and can’t live without it, feel free to follow my personal blog at www.fashionablyimperfect.blogspot.com .

Ciao,

Sarabeth

Happy Saturday, Everyone!

Did you all enjoy a Saturday morning slumber fest? I hope you are all sufficiently rejuvenated for tonight’s big finale at Daisy Dukes. I am really excited to see what Reves Doux has in store for us!

Last night’s runway show at Inspirations did not fail to impress. I have to admit, I was most skeptical about this event, but it proved to be the most authentic representation of a traditional runway show thus far.

The stylists from Inspirations put a lot of thought into assembling and accessorizing multiple, diverse looks for the fall collection preview, and the models walked so well. While casual college looks were presented, many ensembles creatively combined the Aggie spirit with Fashion Fowardness. Accompanied with tunes provided by DJ Get Low, the show was a huge success! Bravo, Inspirations!

I’ll see you all out, tonight, for Fashion Week’s final event!

Sarabeth

What could possibly make tonight’s fashion show at Inspirations even more exciting other than getting to preview the store’s fall collection? Getting to sleep in the next day!

Fashion Week’s events have been fun to say the least, but I’m burning the candle at both ends and am seriously considering taping my eyelids to my forehead…and I’m just attending the events and writing about them! I can’t begin to comprehend how all of the producers, models, and designers are coping! Abba’s “Super Trouper” comes to mind…I’m singing that in my head and dedicating it to everyone involved in the execution of Fashion Week BCS.

Regardless, I happily resigned myself to the fate of a redbull-chugging Friday morning, as nothing would keep me from leaving last night’s events early. Not even the Real Housewives of DC! (Don’t judge. Everyone has a guilty pleasure. Mine is anything that comes on Bravo.)

The menswear show at the LaSalle featured t-shirts designed by three separate brands: Braille, Trilogiii, and Vices. Male models were given a respite and could enjoy a few cocktails and tête-à-têtes, as all of the t-shirts could be viewed suspended from the ceiling surrounding the bar area. Fun idea!

Cocktails were accompanied by a mash potato bar. Yum! One could procure a champagne saucer, fill it with mashed potatoes and any preferred garnishes, devour said champagne saucer’s contents, and then repeat until satiated.

Also available for (my) over-consumption were miniature desserts such as tiny little bowls of mousse, minute cream puffs, and infinitesimal chocolate cookies. Due to the diminutive amount available in each dessert serving, I believe one (read: I) could eat at least…like…23 servings without worrying about calories. I’m pretty sure. It was awesome! Delicious.

Even more awesome were the outfits designed by the artists from ArtBAC and featured at the “Art, Bras, and Canvas” runway show! After relocating down the street from the LaSalle, guests sipped sparkling wine while the beloved models strutted down the catwalk again for the millionth time this week…and we still can’t get enough of them!

As promised, art was present, canvas was present, and Bras were present. Hydrangea-covered bras. Peacock feather-adorned bras. What appeared to be a Badminton Birdie bra. All in all, very fashion forward bras.

We also enjoyed viewing cocktail dresses and some more menswear. We learned that model, Andrew Reese, doesn’t mind sporting a shirt that states, “I love my vagina.” Despite all the bra and vagina talk, the event proved to be sophisticatedly avant-garde. Being immersed in ArtBAC’s world brought an inventive, eclectic edge to the event.

It is most certainly being made evident that BCS is well stocked with an abundance of talent. I hope you join us at Inspirations in Post Oak Mall at 7pm tonight!

Who ventured out last night to get fashionably sweaty with Chris Zebo and other salsa enthusiasts? I, sadly, cannot claim the same glory as those who did. Wednesday night found me incapacitated at the homestead tending to untimely duties.

Alas, I’ve collected information from Kristen Loller, who has been on the Fashion Week BCS war path whilst organizing all of the lovely models we’ve thus far had the pleasure of viewing. According to Ms. Loller, the sangria was de-lish. With a capital D, E, L, I, S,H. I know that Kristy Petty, owner of the Village Downtown, often keeps said sangria on hand…so you should probably head out to sample it if you were in the same boat as I, last night.

The experienced to the amateur braved the salsa floor and busted out their best Latin-inspired moves underneath the disco lights. Plenty of local art was on display as well for those either seeking respite or refuge from the dance floor.

Tonight boasts of menswear and cocktails at the LaSalle, and I will definitely be there around 7pm…bright-eyed and bushytailed. I’m also looking forward to the “Art, Bras, and Canvas” show premiering at ArtBAC at 9pm.

Bras, ay? Menswear to bras…why that sounds like an event providing something for everyone!

I’ll see you out there…and this time I promise!

Sarabeth

Before we talk about the Wonderland that Catwalk Hair Studio and the BCS Fashion Week Crew created for our viewing pleasure last night, let’s ensure that you know where to witness more fashion antics tonight.

It’s time to release some creative energy and salsa in style at the Village in downtown Bryan. Owner, Kristy Petty, and the Village gang will be serving up $3 sangrias from 9pm till midnight.

Don’t be bashful if you’re uncertain of the steps.  Just shake your hips around the dance floor, and you’ll slowly catch on. At least be comforted knowing that you couldn’t possibly look more comical than I do attempting to maneuver around in a “sultry” manner.

Should you find yourself overly fatigued after a round of your best salsa moves, take some time to amble around the art gallery and observe the many diverse creations by our very own local talent.

So how fun was last night? Almost too fun!

Catwalk Hair Studio outdid themselves in regards to avant-garde hairstyling. Different groupings of models were coiffed by Catwalk stylists as well as students from Charles and Sue’s School of Hair Design. Groups of models, all clad in black, exhibited different genres of style from punk to Hollywood classic. Hair was piled on top, frizzed out, straight as a boar, curled up, sculpted into a mohawk and accessorized with feathers.

Each group took turns swaggering down the runway to the cleverly mixed beats provided by DJ Get Low.

Of course, as insinuated by the show’s title, several models made appearances decked out as modern interpretations of characters from Alice in Wonderland. Paige Melvin designed and created the models’ costumes and accessorized them in baubles provided by Merge, Claire Buck Jewelry, and Blair Morrison Jewelry.

Exceptional interpretations of the Mad Hatter, the White Queen, and Cheshire cat appeared on the runway, but my two favorite character concoctions took the form of the Red Queen and Alice, herself.

The Red Queen strutted down the runway in a show-stopping red cocktail dress, sky-high black ankle boots, and an even higher coiffure. Her crimson hair was sculpted into a curly, textured, roughly 1-foot-high beehive of sorts. A matching veil of red tulle cascaded from the soaring updo down past her waist.

Alice donned a satin strapless party dress in a saturated blue topaz hue, which was paired with sophisticated gray mary-jane pumps. The striking color of her dress was paralleled only by the piles of golden locks spilling over her shoulders.

All in all the show was visually stunning and engaging, and DJ Get Low provided the perfect musical ambiance.

I am thrilled to witness such creative energy and support going into all of the Fashion Week endeavors thus far and look forward to being wowed at an increasing rate as the week progresses.

See you tonight at the Village Downtown! Don’t forget your most stylish (is comfort really a necessity during Fashion Week?) dancing shoes.

Sarabeth

(Do you remember the rest?)

“…Of shoes–and ships–and sealing wax

Of cabbages –and kings–

And why the sea is boiling hot–

And whether pigs have wings.”

The time has come, indeed! The time for Catwalk Hair Studio’s presentation of “A Night in Wonderland.” I think it only appropriate that we all brush up on a bit of Lewis Carroll’s literature in order to expand our appreciation for tonight’s promising show.

Perhaps you’ve read Lewis Carroll’s Through the Looking Glass. Or, like many, you may have recently watched Tim Burton’s translation in rapture and confusion. It’s possible that you simply enjoyed singing the “Happy Unbirthday Song” from Disney’s 1951 classic when you were a child…or yesterday as a mature adult.

 Regardless what the extent of your Alice in Wonderland knowledge may be, you will undoubtedly enjoy immersing yourself in Catwalk’s interpretation of Carroll’s alternate world of inanity and madness tonight at 7pm on the Corner Bar’s rooftop.

Don’t lose your head and miss out!

If last night’s events were but a mere introduction to the level of care and creativity gone into Fashion Week BCS, I can hardly wait to witness the escalation!

Last night’s private reception at the MSC Forsyth Gallery boasted of Messina Hof wine, a tasteful cheese and fruit spread, and painted ladies.

Wine and cheese: a normal expectation. Painted models: not typically featured at most events.

Artists Sky Chevalier, Jerome Riddle, and Amanda Hughes treated us to a preview of their creative renderings by painting flowers, jewelry, and even clothing onto six different models, all of whom represented different sponsors for Fashion Week BCS:  Halloween Express, Merge, Revolutions, Deep Eddy’s Sweet Tea Vodka, Three Olives Vodka, and Catwalk Hair Studio.

While the models did sport tube tops and skirts, the average attire was vibrantly transformed into a kaleidoscope of colors, as the ladies confidently strutted down the middle of the Forsyth Gallery and displayed the diverse paintings in which they were covered.

After the brief runway show, the reception guests promptly surrounded the models to observe their body paint in closer detail, have pictures taken, and chat with the artists.

With the party spirit unwilling to abate, the crowd then moved on to Revolutions Café and Bar, where they enjoyed posing for more pictures with the painted models along with drinks and dancing. Captain Jim, head of Heart & Soul Sound System, set the musical ambiance by spinning tunes from the retro likes of Irma Thomas and other vintage era chanteuses.

The evening’s events effortlessly piqued Fashion Week enthusiasm, and one would have to be mad as a hatter to miss out on tonight’s events.

That simile made me cringe just a bit as well…but it needed to be said.

See you tonight!

Sarabeth

The quote above is made more believable  and all the more inspirational when we consider the merit possessed by the individual who claimed it. Gabrielle Bonheur “Coco” Chanel’s words are authenticated by her own rise from humble beginnings as an orphaned seamstress to the grand couturier whose fashion house still produces avant-garde stylings nearly forty years after her death.

Coco was, indeed, different. She taught us that one need not be born into affluence and prominence in order to develop a veritably rich and artistic style. Art does not occur in its most profound state exclusively within the boundaries of New York, Paris, and Milan.

Therefore, we can only assume that Bryan/College Station is brimming with aesthetically creative minds, and like opening the bottle of a well-aged, highly anticipated champagne, it’s time to pop the cork on our reserve of local designers, artists, and musicians and allow their art to explode.

Fashion Week BCS officially commences, tonight! 10pm this evening should find you and your friends at Revolutions in Downtown Bryan celebrating all things fashionably inventive in the Brazos Valley. Prizes, musicians, drink specials and more await your arrival!

While we guarantee an abundance of frolic and merriment at Revolutions this evening, we can also assure you that this will be an alluring taste of all that is to come. Should misfortune prevent you from attending one of the events, I’ll provide daily blog entries detailing all that ensued. I would encourage you to attend as well as read,though. You wouldn’t want to overlook any potentially mind-altering, life-changing details, right?

See you tonight!

Sarabeth

With only a few days left until the kick off of Fashion Week BCS, local media are taking a shine to what we have going on.

Mays Business School interviewed Paige Melvin about the event, and the article can be found here.

Maroon Weekly, the independent entertainment and events weekly, also promoted the event with this great article which can be seen here.

A big thank you to everyone supporting the event! It’s going to be great!

Bonjour Fashionphiles!

I thought it prudent to introduce a bit of French seeing as how this is a fashion blog and all. While I did enjoy a year of French lessons in college, the only phrases I’ve managed to store in the recesses of my mind are derived from Breakfast at Tiffany’s and Eddie Izzard. That won’t get us very far so it’s probably best if we halt all French discussions.

Now, German on the other hand…

I was considering the fact that everyone will have ample time to read my Fashion Week BCS blog entries. Before we are all inundated with my thoughts, I want to know what you are thinking. I’m stuck with the fatuous wanderings of my mind, but your fate needn’t be the same.

Let’s utilize the area below labeled “comments” with…um…I don’t know…Comments!

Here, a subject: What are you most looking forward to in regards to Fashion Week BCS. Anything in particular? A venue? A designer? An artist? A musician? Your plans to wear that dress you’ve been utterly dying to wear but waiting for the right occasion? (Oh, yes, I know all about your ensemble planning. ‘Cause I’m planning mine too. These are serious, weighty decisions to be made.)

Leave a comment below letting me and everyone else know what you’re ready to do back flips about! Or if you prefer a less emotionally vulnerable, cool, collected James Dean response, that’ll do too. Just tell us for cryin’ out loud!

Thank You!

Sarabeth

Hello Fashionphiles!

Suffering from severe anticipation of Fashion Week BCS is like waiting for Christmas when you’re eight-years-old, right?! I am thrilled that Fashion Week finally commences this coming Monday and hope that you are all as equally jazzed as I am!

To have Paige and the rest of the crew  trust me with this blog is a great honor…and a bit…scary? Just bare with me while I work out all of my writing kinks

So we all know that following a private reception for participants and sponsors, the kick off party will begin Monday night at Revolution Cafe and Bar in downtown Bryan and is open to EVERYONE! If you’ve not paid a visit to Rola Cerone’s establishment and possess even the slightest bit of interest in good music, you need to go…like…now. Seriously.

Anyhow, the festivities will begin at 10pm, and I will personally be waiting with baited breath to see which musicians and DJs will be performing(and what kind of delish drink specials Rola has in store for us)!

Get pumped about Fashion Week BCS; I don’t care if you think you care about fashion or not! You will have fun while also supporting your community and non-profit organizations like Habitat for Humanity. You’ll allow yourself some exposure to more than just fashion, but to art and music as well. Many of you already know this, but we have ridiculously talented, multi-faceted individuals here in the Brazos Valley.

New York may be the US’s fashion capital, but I refuse to believe that the East coast produces more creativity and artistry than Texas, specifically Bryan/College Station.

I’ve been to New York. Trust me. We are just as weird.

I’ll be blogging about the events here at fashionweekbcs.com, and I hope to bring you informative, entertaining, and at best, coherent first hand accounts.

For further reading enjoyment check out my fashion column (this week’s about…can you guess? Fashion Week!) at http://maroonweekly.com/2010/09/fashion-week-not-just-for-new-york/

Should your life lack a sufficient amount of daily incoherent musings regarding fashion then also follow my blog at http://fashionablyimperfect.blogspot.com

Ciao!

Sarabeth