October 2013 - LAFashionsnob.com

Mix 96.5 Project Glam 2013- Houston

Oct 22 2013

It was a rainy Thursday evening, but that didn’t stop Houston’s fashionista crowd from trekking out to the Bayou City Events Center for Project Glam- a one night fashion and beauty event that is open to the public. The event was hosted by CBS Radio’s Mix 96.5 and featured local vendors, VIP beauty treatments, accessories, product samples and style consultations, giveaways, exclusive offers and sweepstakes prizes. Vendors this year included: Amerejuve, Avon, Bedroom Kandi/Naughty Girl, Bootights, Color by Amber, Dao Chloe Dao, Deeter Mazda, Dice, Dulce Vida, Edward Sanchez, Evamor, Glam Boutique, Haute Chic Boutique, Houston Texans, Jamberry Nails, King of Luxe Paris, La Vie, Lavo Collections, Lola G, Mary Kay, Niagara Water, Nothing Bundt Cakes, Page Parkes, Personal Safety, Pomp & Circumstance, Rebel Rise, Rodan-Felds, Silver Eagle, South Hill Designs, Stiletto Stampede, Supple Skin, The Rose, Tie and Fashion Guy, Vida Antigua/Yoko Vintage, Woody’s Furs, Wrapped in Wellness and Your Nail Palace.

My favorite vendors of the evening were: Lola G Boutique, Pomp & Circumstance, Rebel Rise, Dao Chloe Dao and Vida Antigua/Yoko Vintage. I immediately hit it off with Lola G‘s owner- Gisela, as she’s a fellow Los Angeles native. I also learned about portable pop-up dressing rooms when I saw that she (and several other vendors) had one at the event. Her inventory included trendy pieces that she felt she would bring a taste of LA to Houston. Pomp & Circumstance– another local Houston boutique offered exceptional jewelry, like the “Sophie” layered necklaces and the “Saint Benedict”- which has a vintage rosary pendant with St. Benedict on it. There were also other cute accessories and clothing in their stash as well. Rebel Rise gave shoppers a taste of statement jewelry. Dao Chloe Dao is a local boutique owned by Project Runway alum- Chloe Dao. Unfortunately I didn’t get a chance to meet her, but I saw that she had some of her designs, as well as clothing and accessories from the boutique on hand for shoppers. Lastly, Vida Antigua and Yoko Vintage were on hand, sharing a booth and showcasing their best vintage sequins, prints and wildly awesome accessories.

The highlight of the event was fashion show. It was hosted by three of Mix 96.5’s radio personalities and spotlighted several looks from a variety of the vendors there. It was styled by top Houston stylist- Todd Ramos.

Thank you for having me and I can’t wait for next year’s event!

Recap of Houston Vintage Preview Party and Market

Oct 18 2013

**Recap of Houston Vintage Preview Party**

Oddfellows in the Heights was THE place to be if you were local to Houston and a lover of all things vintage, like myself; as it was the setting for the annual Houston Vintage Preview Party and Fashion Show – a prelude to its popular vintage market. The event was spearheaded by the lovely Dawn Bell and the fashion show was co-produced by Lindsay Halpin of Violet Peacock– Houston’s “Punk Rock Mad Hatter”. Before the 20s-inspired looks graced the runway, guests were treated to some shopping at the Replay on 19th Street booth. Owners Michael and Laura had a wonderful amount of vintage goodies, one of which- a beautiful floral crochet handbag (that I now own) was on display, waiting for a good home. After shopping, we all gathered in the main and nicely dated hall, where we were exposed to demonstrations of the “Charleston” and other 20s-style dances demonstrated by the Houston Hebcats. I wanted to get up and join the “flappers”, decked out in fringe dresses, shimmying with their partners on the dance floor. We also saw the works of Luna Tango… dancer Susana Collins performed the tango scene from the Phantom of the Opera. This dance represented the “golden era” of the tango, which was between 1935 to 1952. It was lovely and sensual. The last performer was Siouxie Monroe– who gave us a taste of burlesque. She wore a custom-made costume that was reminiscent of the 20s, igniting the audience’s exotic senses. The fashion show was energetic and showcased one-of-a-kind Great Gatsby-inpsired looks from Violet Peacock, Replay on 19th Street, Vida Antigua and others. It was a rather festive and dazzling affair and I was glad to have been a witness to it.

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** Recap of Houston Vintage Market **

The Houston Vintage Market that was recently held was really something to behold. The event was housed in the 1940s Air Terminal Museum, which is shadowed by Hobby Airport. I didn’t have the chance to check out the museum, as I was too immersed in the vintage at hand. I loved the A Hippy Heart Vintage camper that was parked outside the venue. The owner- Danna Hudson was really sweet and I just ADORED how she decorated {the interior and exterior of} her camper, whom she named- Lucy. Inside the venue was like a vintage treasure trove. More than eleven vintage vendors were on hand, selling their best pieces. Vida Antigua offered an array of sequins, florals and plaids. I had (and still have) my eye on a few cute floral rompers, a peach 70s dress with asymmetrical skirt and floral print and a dark pastel plaid jumper. Anitantique Vintage‘s own Anita G. had a lovely variety of costume jewelry, handbags and cute dresses at her booth. Stephanie Jimenez of Splendor- A Retrofit Boutique traveled from Austin to showcase her wares. There were quite a few upscale pieces that I really (am still) coveting, like: a GORGEOUS black Lilli Ann coat, a Victorian cape, a crazy 80s fuschia jumspsuit and a black and peach tie-dye caftan. Judy from My Flaming Heart offered vintage-inspired clothing, reworked and vintage jewelry and Texican/Mexican art. Leah- owner of French Fries and Fur and self-proclaimed french fry lover also had a booth full of amazing goodies. My heart is still panging for a really cute yellow jumpsuit that alas…wasn’t made for a tall frame. But needless to say, she had other fantastic options as well. Arrica of Collected Vintage also had a fantastic collection of pretties (clothing, hats and accessories), especially an oversize sequin and very 20s-influenced dress. Other vendors included: Eleanor Rose, Violet Peacock, Coronation Vintage, Houston Vintage Radio Association and Stacks on Racks. Aside from shopping the amazing vendors, there was also a Miss Houston Vintage 2013 pageant, which Jessie Rox was crowned queen. I’m soooo trying out next year! Sadly, I missed the Elvis that arrived after I left. But there is always next year!

If you’d like to be kept in the loop for all things Houston Vintage, check out their open Facebook group.

American Textile Recycling Services Hosts Open House

Oct 09 2013

The American Textile Recycling Services is America’s fastest growing textile recycling companies, with over 179 million pounds of textiles that have been recycled so far. Not long ago, they held their first open house in their newly renovated (in partnership with Steelcase) 80,000 square foot warehouse and headquarters and this blogger was in attendance. The event hosted city officials, property management reps and media to not only tour the facilities; but also partake in a delicious lunch from Coreanos Food Truck (their OG Burrito- ‘vegetarian style’ was pretty amazing) and some dessert from Crave Cupcakes. The event also included a pop-up upcycled fashion installation styled by Los Angeles stylist- Lehang Pedersen. Lehang was asked to fly in and style a number of looks based from clothing found in the massive piles that were being sorted and graded. “It was my dream job…This is a big, big closet. In the beginning, it can be overwhelming and a little bit messy, but when you get into it, you can find the best pieces for your wardrobe… When I came, I didn’t have a plan. I just went with the flow. The first pieces I found were in perfect condition..the details were there and I thought, well this is what I what I’m going to build from. I was surprised that {not just here} when you go to recycle places, that you can find amazing vintage in perfect condition that people basically just throw out and don’t feel like they have a need for anymore. This company does what they do because they believe that everything has a second life. We reuse it, we make it into new, and mix it with old and new stuff and combine with what we have to still find your own personality and I like that’s great!” Lehang explained. The exhibit featured twenty-six looks that were very Great Gatsby and 20s-inspired. It was amazing that she was able to dig through the mounds of clothing and was able to combine vintage and modern pieces to create pretty on-point flapper-esque looks for the gals and dapper looks for the gentlemen. “I love vintage and for me to use the word ‘vintage,’ it has to be thirty years old… I don’t watch TV a lot, but when I do, it’s always Turner Classic Movies- so black and white, Old Hollywood. My favorite time is 1920 and 1930. I did not expect to get so many pieces. There are twenty-six mannequins and they are all in that story…”

We were also introduced to ATRS CEO David Peganyee, who welcomed us and introduced key execs from their charitable partners Houston Area Community Services and The Arc of Greater Houston. It was so awesome learning about all the good that ATRS is doing for not only the community, but the nation. They provide free textile recycling solutions for the public (you know, those shoe and clothing donation bins that scatter the city) and job stimulation for the local communities here and abroad. So far, ATRS has donated over $4.5 million to local charities. They have eleven branches in nine regions, including: Texas, Florida, Michigan, Tennessee, Atlanta, Oklahoma, Arizona, Colorado, and Southern California. ATRS is committed to keeping textile waste from local landfills and promoting a greener tomorrow.

Archive - October 2013