Mercedes Benz Fashion Week Miami!!!

I was thinking today that I wish I had a "disposable income" I think that is what rich people call it when they can buy anything. Yeah, disposable like trash?! Anyway I love when designers give things away for free but usually the only people who get the nice free stuff can already afford it. Perfect Example: Valdemar Iodice, a Brazilian designer with gorgeous dresses gave away $7,000 of free Iodice dresses to select magazine editors and store buyers during the 2009 fashion week. I want a DRESS! or go to Brazil...I'll take what I can get. And with the Miami fashion week and Brazil in mind I couldn't help but think SWIMSUITS!!!
Fashion Week from July 15 2009 through Sunday, July 19 at the Raleigh Hotel as Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Swim. There were 19 designers showcased:

• ANK by Mirla Sabino
• L*SPACE by Monica Wise
• LULI FAMA
• MARA HOFFMAN
• MARYSIA SWIM
• POKO PANO
• RED CARTER
• TIBI

• AQUA DI LARA
  
• BOHÉME BOUTIQUES
• CAFFÉ SWIMWEAR
• CIA.MARÍTIMA
• ED HARDY SWIMWEAR
• TRUE RELIGION SWIMWEAR
• V DEL SOL

Now me being an Island girl and living in Hawaii; I miss the heat. Sidenote: I am in Europe for holiday and it's so cold. Anyhow this is <---Ed Hardy 2010 SwimWear. It was all quite impressive

Here is a video of the Tibi Collection

Organic Fashion

Eco-friendly products are gaining major popularity. I can't seem to stop thinking of them. This
GO GREEN
campaign has taken over.
It's not all bad though the products incorporate concerns for the environment, the consumers & the people working in the fashion industry. This lens will hopefully guide you in the direction of some great organic products

Eco-friendly clothes are made using organic raw materials, such as cotton grown without pesticides and silk made by worms fed on organic trees. Eco-friendly fashion doesn't involve the use of harmful chemicals or bleaches to color fabrics! All environmentally safe fashion is suppose to be "from fair trade" - meaning the people who make the items are paid a fair price and have decent working conditions .
It is important to practice
Responsible Consumerism-

The act of consuming products and services while taking into account the impact and consequences for the environment and the society at large.

These are some of my favorite pieces from Organic by John Patrick from Spring 2009. Organic had an ethical focus to the runway show. Seventy percent of the line is made entirely from sustainable materials right here in the U.S., with the organic knitwear produced by Patrick's cottage-industry artisans in Peru. This was such a resourceful design.

Guess who else jumped on to eco-fashion?

Isaac Mizrahi

Not only is Isaac Mizrahi using the salmon skin for shoes- he also made a collection which I believed appeared at fashion week. Mizrahi's dress and shoes are made of discarded skins of Alaskan salmon. The dress has the Alaskan salmon sewn onto chiffon. Eco-fashion is growing but even Isaac said

"Frankly, unless something is really glamorous and amusing, I'm not going to sell my artistic principles short for the sake of 'going green.'"

The honest designer is able to keep his "artistic principles" in tact. Would you wear Alaskan Salmon skin if it was available at Target .
What do you think of eco fashion? --->poll
For my favorite eco-fashion--->sidebar

Colors to Wear 2009

The colors of 2009 have been made official in the Pantone Fashion Color Reports- unaware that such a thing existed? You are in the right place, fashion color info is always changing and can be very overwhelming. Here is a color breakdown because at least if you are wearing last seasons outfit you can wear this seasons colors!

2009 Summer/ Spring Colors to Wear

Spring 2009 will bring a lot of new bright colors that will allow you to explore your creativity and fashion personality. Many of the bright feminine colors will be combined with more masculine looks TIP think 80's shoulder pads. Spring 2009 colors allow a more whimsical look to grace the runways as seen in this Roberto Cavalli image from Spring-Summer Fashion Week 2009.

Pictured- model Maryna Linchuk wearing a salmon rose spring fashion color with a feminine paisley-like design. The 3-piece Roberto Cavalli ensemble has both feminine attributes- floral and salmon rose color; but this season structured and tailored masculine looks are strong. The mid-thigh length blazer with shoulder pads adds more structure and masculinity to the more lighter spring-summer 2009 fashion.

2009 Fall/ Winter Colors to Wear

This Fall these colors are charming the runways with elegance and beauty. A selection of an appealing pastel palette, fashion colors that is obviously infused with elements of nature. Everyone from SoCal to Manhattan and across the pond have been going green with everything from environmentally coucious totes to runway couture and these fall colors are earth, wind and fire inspired to say the least. They also have a deep look that can easily be paired with a brighter under layer to add a little element of surprise. Since layering is always big TIP layering of scarves and sweaters in fall colors with a bright-pop spring color underneath. Contrast and juxtapoistion. This fall you will see the use of bright items to set off the background of more earth tones.

As seen in the L'Wren Scott Fall 2009 Ready-to-Wear collection (above)bright colors add a much appreciated element of surprise to a conservative color look.

“When in doubt, wear red.”

-Bill Blass

to see this again or more like it