FIDM Debut 2011 Fashion Show Gala--The Nick Verreos Recap!!! Photos Galore!!!

FIDM Debut 2011 Fashion Show Gala--The Nick Verreos Recap!!! Photos Galore!!!

Fashionable Gala!

Last Saturday night was the much-awaited Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising/FIDM Debut 2011 Gala. In case you didn't know, "Debut" is the only show like it on the West Coast-- it annually attracts more than 8,000 people over 3 days and features design by graduating students in FIDM’s Fashion Design and Theatre Costume Design Advanced Study Programs as well as work from the Interior Design, Graphic Design, and Textile Design Students.

FIDM Debut 2011 Trophy Girls: Fashion Designer Nick Verreos and his NIKOLAKI gown-clad models, Amara (Left) and Brianna Barnes (Right)

The Saturday Night Gala is a black-tie event for VIP sponsors, donors and Fashion Industry Leaders such as editors, designers, clothing company owners and the like. It is held at the Santa Monica Barker Hanger with well-appointed tables and chairs, full three-course dinner, cocktails and of course, the fashion! I was invited to assist in handing out the Scholarship Winners for next year's Debut 2012--along with Barbara Bundy, Vice President of Education at FIDM. As a bonus, I was asked to bring two of my NIKOLAKI gowns so we would have our very own "FIDM Tropy Girls" wearing NIKOLAKI Couture on stage as we handed out the Scholarships. One of them--Brianna Barnes had a Project Runway Connection:

She had modeled in BOTH Kara Janx's Season 2 Bryant Park Project Runway Finale Runway Show as well as...

Season 3 Winner Jeffrey Sebelia's Collection

The Gala was FABULOUS with a Capital "F" for sure. I, of course, donned my White Dinner Jacket, black bow tie and braces (that's "suspenders" darlings), naturally (Photo Courtesy of Alex J. Berliner/ABImages)

Dishing Fashion: Nick Verreos and Kelley Nelson, FIDM Debut 2011 (photo courtesy of Alex J. Berlin/ABImages)

Bow Tie Heaven: Nick Verreos with Jim Holmes and Peter Helenek from Mattel (Photo Courtesy of Alex J. Berliner/ABImages)

The Advanced Fashion Design Graduates' Debut 2011 Collections ranged from chic Parisian Audrey Hepburn-inspired separates, "Upscale American Apparel" Sporty-Spice, colorful and very innovative knitwear, menswear, FABULOUSLY tailored Little Boy's wear, to exaggerated ruffled red carpet gowns.

Here are some photo highlights:

Pretty in Stripes: A navy-blue silk skirt and striped top by Hannah Childs (Photo Courtesy of Alex J. Berliner/ABImages)

Let's Get Physical: Knit off-the-shoulder top, sheer and PVC leggings, Kristine Flanigan (Photo Courtesy of Alex J. Berliner/ABImages)

Debut 2011 Graduate Pamhidzai Mbanga and her Africa-inspired "boys" (Photo Courtesy of Alex J. Berliner/ABImages)

Best Dressed 1st Grade Plaid: Plaid double-breasted jacket, denim pants ensemble by Kamelia Stojanikova (Photo by Alex J. Berliner/ABImages)

Ready to Rumble: Denim overalls and sweater combo from Kamela Stojanikova (Photo Courtesy of Alex J. Berliner/ABImages)

I'm On The List: Strapless jumpsuit with inter-woven detail from Ethan Bartlett (Photo Courtesy of Alex J. Berliner/ABImages)

She-Bop: Strapless printed dress from Ethan Bartlett (Photo Courtesy of Alex J. Berliner/ABImages)

St. Petersburg Queens: Three knitwear looks from Adelle Louise Burda's Russian-inspired collection (Photo Courtesy of Alex J. Berliner/ABImages)

Edwardian Foxtail Boy: Asymmetrical coat, mustard pants, and rust-colored cardigan from Alexandra Paulus (Photo Courtesy of Alex J. Berliner/ABImages)

London Calling: Blue leather side-zip front jacket, brown skinny pants with inseam patches and mustard-colored hoodie, from Alexandra Paulus (Photo Courtesy of Alex J. Berliner/ABImages)

Brunch at MOCA: Red pocketed tunic with wood (yes, WOOD!) "collar", from Airi Isoda (Photo Courtesy of Alex J. Berliner/ABImages)

Dinner at Nobu: Felt and chiffon ensemble with knitted "Ankle Warmers", from Airi Isoda (Photo Courtesy of Alex J. Berliner/ABImages)

Leopard Who Lunches: Black-and-white Cheetah print top with "coned" sleeves and black ankle-length high-waisted trousers, from Paul Hernandez (Photo Courtesy of Alex J. Berliner/ABImages)

Ruffled Diva: Black organza one-shouldered cocktail dress, from Paul Hernandez (Photo Courtesy of Alex J. Berliner/ABImages)

Fashion Security: Nick Verreos poses with the FIDM Debut 2011 Security Team

All in all, it was a fabulous Debut 2011 Show. It's always great to see what the "Designers-of-Tomorrow" are doing and of course, as a former FIDM Debut Graduate myself (don't even THINK of looking up what year!!!) it's always nostalgic seeing these shows for sure, as well as the young talent up there on the runway. Naturally, I had to get a final photo with the very hard-working security team at the Debut 2011/Santa Monica Barker Hanger. They were AMAZING and so sweet and respectful to me--especially "my guy" Rick Young, who at the very least, made me look as if I was actually someone important...

Until Debut 2012...

Pregnancy Outfits Ideas - Cool Trending Styles For Pregnant Women

Pregnancy Outfits Ideas - Cool Trending Styles For Pregnant Women

Outfits for Pregnant Women. Pregnancy shouldn’t stop you from looking stylish and staying trendy. If you are looking for ideas on how to get a look glamorous look while being pregnant? What are the latest fashion for pregnant women, then this post is for you.

Here we bring amazing outfit combination for pregnant women this season. Whether you are in early weeks or pregnancy or last weeks, we bring some stylish maternity outfits in this collection. From casual maternity style to formal look you can get a lot of ideas from this collection. Scroll down to see how these pregnant women dressed up to have a chic look.

Nowhere it has been written that you can not wear stylish clothes during pregnancy. Pregnant women usually throw their old clothes that do not fit them. You must, in fact, keep the old clothes and redesign them with the help of a professional tailor. With the exception of few clothes that don’t fit you. You can keep them aside. The truth is that when you are expecting a baby and during the last months you need to buy clothes that are loose and flowy. You can then wear them after your pregnancy too so that money doesn’t go to waste. Today we will discuss the top outfits that you should have in your wardrobe during the pregnancy time.

How to use your existing clothes with the maternity wear:

Usually, women throw away their old pieces but you can utilize them smartly and make some amazing outfit combinations. For example, your old scarf, tight or leggings, a favorite handbag, a cool statement necklace can altogether completely pull a maternity look together. Even you can use your cardigans, t-shirts or jackets to wear over your clothes. That way you can hide your baby bump too and look stylish as well.

A great option to wear during the pregnancy are dresses that are flowy such as a wrap dress. These kind of dresses are very classy and they easily pull off the look really well. By being a little creative you can look smart. Other than that you could wear a T-shirt with a blazer on top, a short dress with leggings, cool t-shirt with a jacket and a lot more. You can check out the pictures below for more ideas.

Stylish Clothes for Pregnant women

  1. Pencil skirts? Yes.
"I preferred tighter midi-length pencil skirts while I was pregnant because it accentuated my bump," fashion blogger Tanesha AwasthiI of Girl With Curves told BuzzFeed Life. "I think the key is finding what you're comfortable in and just going with it."

2. Button-ups? Yes and yes.

Get oversized button-ups in either the women's or the men's department. Roll up the sleeves and let the loose material love on your belly. When your bump gets big, wear your button-up open over a tee, according to Sara Qaddoura, curator of e-commerce at London-based fashion startup Not Just A Label.

3. Flared skirts? Why not.
"The flared skirt definitely balances out your proportions, especially at the end of the pregnancy when the belly is so big," says fashion blogger Sara Strand. "The whole belly is less visible—since the skirt isn't high-waisted—and your upper body looks longer."

4. Asymmetrical hemlines? Why yes please and thank you.
"A hemline that's higher in the front won't be so tight on your bump," says Qaddoura. Comfytown USA, here we come!

5. Color-blocking? Cute!
"Color blocking tops can be either really great or seriously awkward," Emily Schuman of Cupcakes and Cashmere told BuzzFeed Life. "If the color change is higher up and doesn't cut across the largest part of your belly, then yes, go for it! It's a fun way to embrace the bump."

 6. Horizontal stripes? OMG.
"Horizontal stripes were my favourite while I was pregnant," Strand says. "I was really proud of the growing belly, and the stripes showed it off in a nice way."

7. Bright colors? Of course.
"It helps to wear more colorful pieces on the days when you don't feel too good," says Strand. "At least my skin tone looked that much better!"

8.Tight dresses? Go for it.
"Experiment with wearing things you already have in your wardrobe," says Awasthi. "I only bought 2 items from the maternity section! The rest were things that had a lot of stretch or were oversized, so they worked to accommodate my bump."

 
10. Heels? If they feel comfy enough, do it.
"If you're having a healthy pregnancy and aren't experiencing any pain while wearing heels, I think it's a really great way to feel sexy," says Schuman. "While I don't wear mine for a 9-hour work day anymore, I'll certainly still throw on a pair for a date night with my husband or to head out for a party."

11. Chunky accessories? Get it, girl.
"I think bold accessories add a hint of luxe and polish to any look, especially when dressing on the casual side of style," says Awasthi. "Adding bold accessories allowed me to feel a bit more put together, which is sometimes hard to accomplish in the later months of pregnancy."

PROJECT RUNWAY RECAPS....."Project Runway" Season 14 Recaps--Episode 9 "JustFab" Challenge: Photo Blog Recap!

PROJECT RUNWAY RECAPS....."Project Runway" Season 14 Recaps--Episode 9 "JustFab" Challenge: Photo Blog Recap!

Classroom to Contentious to Retail: Lifetime Network's Season 14 "Project Runway" Episode 9 "JustFab" Challenge

The JustFab Challenge: This week on Lifetime's Season 14 "Project Runway" the designers had to create a so-called "High Fashion" look that would be mass-produced and sold on the JustFab site. JustFab is one of the show's sponsors, providing the accessories for the contestant's looks. Their creations were to be "inspired" by JustFab Style Personas including "Bombshell", "Trendsetter", "Girl Next Door", "Modern Classic", and "Femme Nouveau". It all made for a rather confusing directive, challenge and especially, runway judging. The episode began harmlessly enough...

Tim Tablet: Tim says "Good Morning Designers! Get up and Get Ready. Class starts in One Hour" via a Tablet--Season 14 "Project Runway" Episode 9

Class Is In Session: Tim Gunn, along with JustFab Fashion Director, Yuchin Mao, introduce the challenge at the mini-classroom/workroom--Season 14 "Project Runway" Episode 9

During the Workroom and Pre-Runway:

Not Sure of That Print: Designer/contestant Edmond Newton originally wanted to use this printed fabric to make a one shoulder/one sleeved dress he thought would be very "Bombshell"--his JustFab design Style Persona. Tim was a bit perplexed by the design and how un-Bombshell it might look. He fittingly questioned Edmond's love of the print. During the model fitting...

Now That's Better: Edmond finally realizes it's time to ditch his original printed design and use a red Lycra knit to make it truly Bombshell--Season 14 "Project Runway" Episode 9

And then, there was Miss "I Forgot" Laurie:

Ummm, Are You OK with Your Model's Bra Straps Showing? One of the other models asks Laurie Underwood, if this is how she intended her design to look going down the runway...with her model's bra straps showing with the see-through organza top she made for her look. Underwood's excuse: "Oh, I Forgot!". Well, we knew that this was not going to be a good sign. You may remember, last week, she got bitten by the Nipple Pasties Virus.

Judging Time: (L to R) Yuchin Mao, JustFab Fashion Director; Singer/songwriter/fashion diva Ciara; Marie Claire's Nina Gracia; Designer Zac Posen; Heidi Klum--Season 14 "Project Runway" Episode 9

My Two Cents:

The judging turned out to be ALL OVER THE PLACE, so much so that no one was on Top or Bottom. The reason, I feel the judging was CRAY-CRAY was because of the confusion of the Challenge. You'll have to read my RECAP beginning at the end of this post and then on the MyLifetime.com "Project Runway" Blog HERE to find out what I thought the directive of the Challenge should have been.



Just one look at the site, you know that "High Fashion" (as in a look straight out of the Alexander McQueen runway for example) isn't a necessary criteria; and neither is "Innovation" as in a forward/modern/Viktor & Rolf type design. One just needs to make something cute, chic enough for a Millennial, 20-something gal, and easy enough to be mass-produced and retail for under $40. And BTW: if something retails for $40, this means that it should cost about $10 TO MAKE (including fabric, label, EVERYTHING!).

Un-Fashionable Judging: Queen Nina and Prince Zac were two of the most vocal when it came to not liking any of the designs that would have actually been PERFECT for JustFab. Which tells me two things:

A) they didn't even LOOK at the JustFab website to see what they sell

or

B) They were too stuck in their "High Fashion" criteria.



Runway:

Kelly Depsey: I liked this printed cropped top and leggings look. It is very JustFab and made of not-expensive knit fabrication (although it might have been difficult to mass produce these specific prints that Kelly got from Mood). Oh, and yeah, that faux fur chubby was verging on "Muppets Hooker", so there was that.

Top Two: Ashley Nell Tipton (left) and Edmon Newton (R). Loved Ashley's super cute look and especially the cropped gold faux leather Moto jacket. Nina hated the top and skirt, naturally. And Edmond--well, thank goodness he changed his original design (with a little guidance from Tim Gunn) and created this "Bombshell" sexy red dress. It was simple with one unique detail (the spaghetti bias), can be worn by many sizes, cheap fabric, done and done. It rightfully won.



And here's the actual style and how it ended up for production and retail at JustFab.com:

Bombshell Red--Edmond Newton's design at JustFab. I doubt if he's making anything from the sales (99.99 % sure he's not), but congrats for winning!

Too High Fashion: (L to R) Candice Cuoco and Merline Labissiere. These two designs were so off-the-JustFab mark, it was as if they forgot the "This Must be Mass-Produced for $39.95 for a 22 Year Old Millenial to Buy it!" part. I don't fault them so much for it since again, the challenge directives were so convoluted.

No Gowns on JustFab: Not sure why anyone--Tim, the producers...SOMEONE!--did not inform Swapnil Shinde (his cheetah printed gown design is above with organza cocoon coat) that JustFab doesn't sell gowns ANYWHERE On their site. And trust me, if it ever did, it wouldn't be one like this. This gown doesn't scream Hipster Millenial, but rather the BET Awards in 2003.

Laurie Underwood: Oh Laurie. While from a distance, I would say this look is sophisticated and quite va-va-voom chic. But, it's SOOOO NOT JustFab and then, there's the see-through organza halter top. It really wasn't even a top but more like a front bib of sorts. And yes, it ended up that indeed, we saw her model's...

Nipple Pasties!!!--Season 14 "Project Runway" Episode 9

Laurie should have...

...probably stuck to her original design of a v-neck sheath dress. Maybe she might have been on top along with Edmond and Ashley and not OUT--Season 14 "Project Runway" Episode 9

And now, time for my RECAP of this week's "Project Runway":

Season 14, Episode 9: Runway Retail

This week’s challenge was to design a look for
JustFab, the online fast-fashion retailer and one of the sponsors of
this season’s “Project Runway.” Easy, right? Nope, not so much as it
turned out. I think the actual challenge suffered from an unnecessary
"high fashion" directive which then lead to contradictory expectations
and critiques from the judges and somewhat perplexing creations.
Eventually, there were some super-cute JustFab designs among all that,
but it felt like we had to go through tooth surgery to get there. Let's
delve deeper...

The episode begins with the
remaining designers in their apartments finding a tablet on their
kitchen tables with Tim Gunn making an announcement, “Good morning
designer. Get up and get ready. Class starts in one hour and you don’t
want to be tardy. Today is going to be JUST FABULOUS!” While the contestants mulled over a possible “school” inspiration, I knew better.

Tim
and Yuchin Mao, fashion director for JustFab are in the workroom, which
has been redecorated to resemble a mini classroom. Mao tells the
designers that JustFab had recently expanded their business beyond
accessories and is now selling apparel. There is a blackboard with five
JustFab member style personas: Bombshell (sexy, not shying from the
spotlight), Trendsetter (risk-taker, edgy), Girl Next Door (casual, easy
spirit), Modern Classic (tailored look), and Femme Nouveau (a romantic
at heart).

Candice, who won last week’s
challenge...



Click HERE on the MyLifetime.com "Project Runway" Blog to read the rest of my RECAP!