Moods of Norway Archives - LAFashionsnob.com

WWDMagic August 2014- Overall Experience

Oct 29 2014

WWDMagic– the trade show of trade shows. It’s where the fashion industry congregates twice a year in Las Vegas to literally talk trade, sourcing, the latest trends…anything FASHION… for three straight days. Attendees travel (via complimentary shuttles) between two major venues- the convention center and Mandalay Bay to take on nine (yes NINE) different shows. I’ve attended MAGIC about four times now and have always had a great experience, whether it be meeting new people, spotlighting new brands, seeing shows that perhaps I wasn’t able to see the last time I was there and more.

This time around, my friend and fellow blogger- Shalanda and I flew to Vegas to attend the show. We got in a couple days before the show started, to have a mini vacation of sorts. But once the show started, it was jam-packed from 9am to the close at 6pm. I met with brands (and blog followers) that I’ve only connected with via social media. I re-connected with friends from Los Angeles and Austin. I found a booth that specialized in VINTAGE. AND… how can anyone forget… the coveted trade show bags…like ahem… PROJECT?! I don’t know about you, but every time I go to MAGIC, I always anticipate how cool the Pool, ENK, Sourcing or Project bags are going to be. Geeky, I know…but still…

It was my first time attending Sourcing and like all the shows, it was overwhelmingly informative. There were booths that dealt with sourcing fabrics and trims from over 35 countries and inspiration to be found around every corner. There was a cozy lounge provided by Laurel and Wolf- an innovative interior design website where you take a design style quiz and designers submit boards for you to see (depending on what package you choose). Denim was very trend-heavy this season. August’s featured denim exhibit was Jeanologia– a Spanish company that is in the development of sustainable technologies for garment finishing. Their exhibit is dubbed “Back to America Wall” and consisted of a collection of vintage denim garments that were inspired by the company’s archive. It was also during Sourcing that I discovered… “They have VINTAGGGGEEEE…” But more on that later. Unfortunately, I didn’t have time to sit in on the seminars, but for those of you that plan on checking out MAGIC, I suggest making time to go.

Personal appearances by celebrities are the norm during Magic Market Week. There was an after-party at ‘The Oasis,’ at ENK, where Whitney Port and Trop Rouge‘s Christina Caradona were the ‘hosts of honor.’ Courtney Kerr was at the American Express Open booth, discussing fashion and business.

The American Express Open booth was also home to an intense three day competition, where three New York City-based handbag designers competed in the American Express Open Rising Stars Competition. Victoria Khoss, Kelsea Slade and Shana Luther had to design a handbag that dictated the concept “retro proven newness.” Their mini-studios were set up in the middle of the floor, complete with their sketches, materials and sewing machines. It was fun watching them and just chatting with them about their design process.

In the next segment of WWDMagic coverage, you will learn about quite a few of the “new-to-me” brands that I discovered. Of course I stopped by a few brands that I’ve known for awhile now, such as Moods of Norway. It is also great seeing one of the designers- Stefan, always dressed in his signature dapper duds and small tractor pin. I was also greeted with a heart-shaped waffled with jam. It was a such a welcome treat after burning off breakfast power-walking the show floor.Let’s just say, I walked out of the booth wanting all of their womens S/S 2015 collection.Catherine Malandrino’s paint splatter prints mixed with vibrant solids stopped me in my tracks. Santa Barbara based footwear brand- Koolaburra showcased their signature boho styles. Lots of fringe, a neutral palette and ‘all-American’ meets boho personalities stole the spotlight at their booth. There was some very manly ‘eye candy’ mocking playing tennis at the Lacoste booth. The dynamic prints and colors at Trina Turk. Chinese Laundry is always a breath of fresh air with trendy and chic styles. That platform heel though…

Every time I attend the shows, it’s another adventure, which makes me anxious to go back every year.

Thank you WWDMagic.. it was a HUGE pleasure being your guest this August!

Breathe LA Presents: "Attire to Inspire" Fundraiser & Fashion Show

Mar 21 2012

I was invited to attend the first unofficial kick-off fashion event for LAFW- “Attire to Inspire” fashion show presented by Breathe LA, held at the Conga Room at LA LIVE. The show featured designs by Moods of Norway, VBN Clothing and Yotam Soloman. Before the show started, the over 400 guests were invited to partake in cocktail hour and a silent auction. Moods of Norway was my favorite show of the evening. This was Simon, Peder and Stefan’s first U.S.fashion show for their line and it was great to be apart of it. The collection “Cocktail Mountaineering” boasted rugged-meets-preppy looks for their mens and womens looks. I must say, they really know how to dress a man in subtle floral prints! I also loved the mixture of velvets and knits with dress shirts and bow ties. For more information on this quirky bunch who “make happy clothes for happy people around the world,” check out their website. The second collection to stroll down the runway was an eco-friendly contemporary menswear line called- VBN Clothing (Vicarious by Nature). The duo behind VBN- Kirk, Devon and Eric decided to mix different classic styles for their Fall 2012 collection, like thin scarves, sweaters, loose chinos with rolled up hems (my personal fave) and surf wear. For more information on VPN, go here. The last line to present is LA-based designer Yotam Solomon, who also strives in making avant-garde clothing for the eco-friendly lifestyle. That evening he also debuted two menswear looks. The blazers were smartly tailored and perfect for a red carpet event. My favorite look was the strapless red knee-length dress with simple draping. Yotam showed a finale dress- a simple light blue and white dress with tiered skirt. The color of the dress represented the sky, because Yotam designed that dress specifically for Breathe LA- a nonprofit organization, dedicated to improving lung health and air quality in Los Angeles. The dress will be later sold to benefit the organization. Check out more information on Yotam Solomon here. The event turned out to be a huge success, as over $40,000 was raised for the organization.

Special Thanks to Robert G., designers, models, Conga Room and for more information on Breathe LA, go here.

Pop, Lock & Shop It! @ the London

May 28 2010

The roof of the swanky London hotel in West Hollywood was the setting for the Pop, Lock & Shop It! sample sale two-day event. I went on the last day of the event, when it wasn’t quite as crowded (which meant a more personable relationship with the vendors.) The event was put on by the two fashionista founders of Forward Fashion- Tuesday Simon and Jackie Chambers. The pair met two years ago while working at a buying office in downtown. They founded Forward Fashion on the belief that when you learn from the mistakes of others, you take the positive and enforce those changes into personal ventures. The company has a website, where they cover fashion-related events.The also offer fashion consulting services. According to Tuesday, “…we are pros at connecting the dots and utilizing the outlets we have available to us and thus are able to help others do the same…As a company, our main goal is to help others succeed and reach their full potentials, while we do the same…[Forward Fashion] believes strongly in philanthropy, this is why in many of the things that we take part in, a portion has always and will always go to charity.”

They created this fun shopping event because they wanted people to shop luxury brands at bargain prices at their leisure, while also enjoying gourmet cupcakes, great music and a stocked bar. That day, I browsed brands like Literature Noir, found gorgeous dresses from ArynK, as well as flirty and feminine clothes by YanaK Los Angeles and beautiful handmade jewelry by Tatiana ( email: onlytatiana@sbcglobal.net).

I wanted to briefly spotlight a few brands that caught my eye. The first brand,Moods of Norway was founded by Simen Staalnacke, Peder Borresen and Stefan Dahlkvist. Their motto: “…make happy clothes for happy people around the world.” Indeed, this brand makes their mark, not just in clothing (their labels say anything from “Made by really,really pretty blonde girls” to Grandma’s Waffle Recipes to the numbers 234,243, which is the number of registered tractors), but for the mascots: blue limos, blue and gold tractors and waffles. Their flagship store is located at 113 S. Robertson Blvd in Beverly Hills. Their website is pretty “super-duper” as well, www.moodsofnorway.com.

Fun screen -printed tees caught my eye. I was also able to speak with one of the designers of Hakka, Mae Suzuki. She and her sister, Nana run the company, which was created in 2008. Hakka is Japanese for peppermint. The sisters have frequent collaborations with K.G. Louie (Chinatown), JANM (Little Tokyo) and Tokyology (www.tokyology.tv). Their designs are inspired by Japanese pop culture with a mix of LA fashion. I loved the tee with the bold red, white and blue pills and tee with the print of the iconic LA Chinatown entrance. The tees are made of Supima cotton, which is soft and silk to the touch. The collaborations pieces are $35 and the Hakka line ranges from $45-60. Hakka is sold online at www.hakkaapparel.com and at numerous boutiques around LA, such as: Barracuda and Munky King on Melrose and Flockshop and Realm in Chinatown.

I found a cute jewelry line, Jayrun, founded in 2007 and owned by another set of sisters, Terme and Jayrun Hayempour. They were showcasing their collection of lovely 14k gold filled chains with a mix of natural stones, pearls, 24k gold-dipped leaves and charms. They find inspiration through an assortment of cultures around the world. This particular collection that was shown that day, named, “Summer Romance 2010.” According to the sisters, “we like to think of this collection as being dreamy, high-end and reminiscent of old Hollywood. All the names are reminiscent of old Hollywood actresses and who could have a romance collection without ‘Romeo and Juliet,’ matching tassel bracelet and necklace.” The line ranges from $40-250, which is very reasonable to suit anyone’s budget. [I recently received an email from Terme, saying that Paris Hilton picked up FOUR of Jayrun’s necklaces while shopping at Live! On Sunset.] Check out the jewelry at www.jayrun.com.

Proceeds from this event went to the Abolish Slavery Coalition (www.abolishslavery.org). It was truly a fun day and I’m looking forward to more of Forward Fashion’s events. For more info, go to www.forwardfashion.biz!

Special Thanks: All the vendors, The London Hotel, Ashleigh McGrew, Tuesday Simon and Jackie Chambers, Go Girl Energy Drinks, Don Azul and Szambelan Vodka.

Tag - Moods of Norway