Woman's Day Red Dress Awards 2012

Woman's Day held their 9th annual Red Dress Awards at Lincoln Center Jazz Center's Allen Room. The event was hosted by Hoda Kotb of NBC's Today and S. Epatha Merkerson.  Guests dressed in red dresses were treated to heart healthy foods and delicious desserts.  There were special performances by Javier Colon, winner of The Voice, an unbelievable performance by acapella group Naturally 7, DJ Mia Moretti and violinist Caitlin Moe, and closed with the phenomenal Grammy-winning group Sugarland. Honorees that received awards included Regina M. Benjamin MD, MBA, the United States Surgeon General, Mehmet Oz, MD, Star Jones, and Martha Gulati MD, MS, FACC, FAHA.  They spoke of the importance for women, who are usually the caretakers of others, to also take care of themselves and their hearts.

Interview with Designer Zang Toi Fall/Winter 2012 - Glamor at Gstaad

Check out my interview with designer Zang Toi for AsianinNY.com!

Zang Toi Fall/Winter 2012 - Glamor at Gstaad

Zang Toi Fall/Winter 2012 - A friend of mine, who is a seasoned veteran of Fashion Week, rarely gets excited these days about attending fashion shows.  But one of the few shows that she always looks forward to with much anticipation is the Zang Toi show.  The Malaysia born designer's shows did not fail to give a grand show again this season.  His inspiration this time was "Glamour at Gstaad", a city in Switzerland where the women and men are strong an stylish.

With the soulful voice of Adele in the background, the show began with with a lush ivory fox fur coat over a ivory french lace mini dress. Following that piece were dresses and suits in luxurious wool, angora, velvet and Loro Piana cashmere. The color palette moved from neutral ivory and black to brilliant ruby.   The men's suits were dapper and dramatic. One of the outstanding looks was a silk satin smoking robe in brilliant brush strokes. There was a collective murmur and then clapping in the audience when models walked down the runway in brilliant brush strokes silk satin and organza gowns. The gowns were adorned with jewelry by Precious Jewellery by Amee Philips. After the grand finale of a fabulous organza ball gown with  crystal encrusted one-shoulder trail, the entire room stood up for a standing ovation.  Whether you're a seasoned fashionista or new to the fashion world, Zang Toi's are a feast for the senses.
Coming soon - My interview video with Zang Toi for AsianinNY.com 

Black + Ivory Clarence House SIlk Velvet Zebra Mini Storm Coat, Black handloomed cashmere silk zipped ribbed turtleneck + velvet leggings

Inspiration: Betsey Johnson

I missed the Betsey Johnson Fashion show, but I checked out their Fall/Winter 2012 collection online and was inspired by one of her looks.  So for Valentine's Day, I wore a pair of pink heart Betsey Johnson tights with a Cynthia Steffe poncho, purple rabbit fur scarf and Melissa flats.  What do you think?  Did this runway look translate to real life?

Victor De Souza Fall/Winter 2012

The Victor de Souza Fall/Winter 2012 which was held at the trendy Bowery Terrace the Bowery Hotel Hotel, was full of lovely surprises.  The Argentina born designer's collection began with elegant jackets or boleros paired with knee length skirts.

 The looks which were styled by celebrity stylist Kithe Brewster, at first glance, seemed prim and proper, with models accessorized with glasses, modest kitten heels, and hair styled in a high buns. 

However, upon inspection, the designs emphasized the female figure with hourglass shaped jackets and cutouts that offered seductive flashes of skin.  As the show progressed, there were more playful, revealing pieces in unexpected textures, such the rose-pink romper covered in silk embroidered flowers.   

The materials that were used, embroidered tulle, taffeta,  silk, wool crepe, silk organza, heightened the sense of luxury.  The color palette was simple, with neutral off-white, black,  champagne, rose-pink, earth green, and burgundy.  Victor De Souza's looks reminded me of a  modern day Audrey Hepburn, the perfect combination of classic and sexy.

Celebrities Backstage at Zang Toi

Zang Toi with Petra Němcová 

Miss Universe 2011 Leila Lopes, Michael Kenneth Williams, Miss Teen NY

Designer Zang Toi with Celebrity Stylist Kithe Brewster

Celebrities at the Tents Feb 12th

Check out my celeb sightings today at the tents!

Nikki Reed (Twilight) at Tracey Reese

Super Model Petra in Falguni & Shane Peacock

Ashanti in Falguni & Shane Peacock

TV  Personality Jeannie Mai

Singer Michelle William in Flaguni & Shane Peacock

Duckie Brown Fall/Winter 2012 Super Duckie

Duckie Brown showed a relaxed collection for Fall/Winter 2012 of soft jackets, long shirts and sweatshirts paired with wide sweater trousers in mixed patterns.   The color palette was for the most part grey with smatterings of steel blue plaid, grey/green/camel check, grey/orange/grape exploded plaid, and Irish fair Isle.

Front row at Duckie Brown

The show was well accessorized with chunky turbans, Mongolian shearling hats, and long suede or sweater gloves in black or grey.  Hair was tousled, as if the models had just rolled out of bed after a night out partying.

Shoes were Florsheim by Duckie Brown.  The looks seemed comfortable and warm; the monochromatic greys creating long silhouettes.

Lila Horn FW '12

Lila Horn FW 2012 Presentation -  Designers Lillian Barry and Helen Millson bonded as Yale students during their travels to India and their mutual love of Indian textiles.  This season, they were particularly inspired by the "patterns that contour Indian temples".  The color palette was rich in "hues of orchid purple, raspberry and neon blue that many of the women adorn" while worshiping in the temples.

There were lots of contrasting bold colors with zig zag, polka dot and ikat prints in feminine silhouettes.  Some of the designs were on the prim side, such as silk tops with peter pan collars and silk tees with modest necklines.

But there were also some outfits that were more sensual, such as the plumberry Ikat Zig Zag silk dress with a plunging V-back and a blue printed skirt with a center zip. 

The clothes were accessorized by chunky and colorful bracelets and necklaces by Erickson Beamon.  This was my first time attending a presentation for the label Lilan Horn and I found the designs to be fun and wearable.

J Song...Way: Songs For Nature - Fall/Winter 2012

Fall/Winter 2012 JSONG... Way's Songs for Nature,  Designer Way Zen, was inspired during a walk in a city park during a snowy day when she "was drunk by the snow and dreaming of snow angels".  The collection reflected her winter dreams in the feminine and lady-like pieces and beautiful embroidery that JSong is known for. 

White cashmere coat, black cotton embroidered leggings.

The opening outfit was a white cashmere coat with a dramatic collar and detachable arms that doubled as arm warmers.   More coats followed, including an elegant camel cashmere kimono coat with stripes, and  a slimming earth brown wool embroidered snow flake coat and embroidered abstract floral coat.  I was a fan of the gray wool cardigan paired with an ivory camisole and the intricately embroidered diamond skirt in gray yarn. The rest of the collection continued to adhere to the theme of nature with plenty of winter blooms, flora, and petals in embroidered dresses and suits.

Camel Cashmere Kimono coat

In the program notes, JSONG... Way encouraged guests to "take a moment to experience and to be gentle with the beauty of nature, and to share our planet with all beings because we are a part of all of it".  JSONG... Way also celebrated its 15th anniversary, and invited guests to participate in designing a special coat with each person's favorite word.  In the fickle fashion world, it was so pleasant to receive a gentle reminder that we're here to enjoy fashion, but in a thoughtful and heartfelt way...with J Song.

Gray wool cardigan, ivory camisole and gray yarn embroidered diamond skirt.

Blue denim embroidered suit

Lavender shantung embroidered petal sleeveless dress

Left to Right - Alice , Way Zen (Designer), Diana Lee (founder, AsianinNY.com)