A Perfect Little Ensemble, Stars Included

Let's begin from the bottom, more specifically with these gold star lace-up Loeffler Randall sandals. (Drool!) They are lightweight and simple with a touch of pizzaz. The torn shorts and dull green tones down the bling on your feet and neck to make this the perfect little summer ensemble for any casual day.

Check it:

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FW: Talia Fabrizio

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Itsy Bitsy Printed Bikini

It's about that time to rock the super cute itsy bitsy tiny bikini. Stand out from the crowd in these super cool printed suits.

Check it:

The Hop-Stepper

It's here, it's here; summer, that is. And, with summer comes sandals. Here are six summer flats to jazz up just about any outfit.

Check it:

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Get Obsessed: Jacquie Aiche

Dainty little jewels are kind of the best thing that happened since cronuts. You can layer, stack or be super simple with a few fabulous pieces. Currently, I'm obsessed (specifically with the moon face necklace below) with those of Jacquie Aiche. Here are a few, but check out her website for the full enchilada.

Oh, and by the way, UZ is back up and running.

On a Break

It's not you, it's me...so it's best we take a break.

Designer Interview: Lauren Geoghegan (+Giveaway!)

Lauren Geoghegan once chased baby animals around farm yards of Retford, a tiny town in Nottinghamshire located in the East Midlands of England (aka farmlands very north of her now city of residence, London).

Its her upbringing that plays a large part in her design aesthetic, as she often is moved and inspired by the simplicity and beauty of nature. Earthy tones and smooth features are what make up her structured collection of handbags and leather goods. She's come a long way from her first design, which was mainly all tweed.

After designing accessories for some of the most well known high-street stores in London, such as Topshop and ASOS, Geoghegan, who graduated uni (college as we call it here in the states) just three years ago, decided to launch her own line.



What made you decide you wanted to design leather handbags? 
I just think high quality leather is so utterly charming and classy, not to mention how well it can last if looked after, aging to make the pieces even more beautiful with time. 

Frida                                                                Betty

Where do you source your material from?

I source all my leather from London, most of it from within 5 miles of my studio. I believe it's very important to work and support local businesses wherever is possible.

Barb

Are the handbags bespoke?

[Yes] It currently works well as I find a lot of my customers like to add personal little aspects to the bags to make it personal to them.  I like to be able to offer 100% unique.

Wanda

Do you think you will ever introduce color into the line? 
Ha. I will try! I have big plans for color in my SS14 collection. We'll see how that goes! Every time I add color to a collection I end up taking it back out again, so maybe SS14 will be the season it stays.

Tell me about the harnesses. 

I have always liked designing pieces for the body, some crazy, some more refined. I think my interest in still working with the shape of the body comes from my experience in womenswear. I see the harnesses being worn in a very casual way. I actually wear the bra harness from my new collection quite often just over a simple baggy t-shirt or a fine knit sweater and jeans. I find it just adds a different dimension to a simple outfit. 

You are introducing coin purses ....what other accessories would you like to add in the future (if any)?

I have a long list of things I want to add to the collection but the next two things that are being added ( due to repeat requests) will be a cool, easy to use and carry laptop cover and also a leather backpack. Many people tell me how hard it is to find the right backpack which looks cool but also serves a purpose.

Audrey

You have a lot of music on your blog, which is rare to see on a blog of a designer. Thoughts?

Music is what makes my world go round, and I just couldn't live without it. I would secretly love to learn to DJ!

Your logo is a dog....what made you choose that? 
The dog I have as my logo is a whippet. I hold this breed very close to me, having grown up in the country side animals [including whippets] were a big part of my life. They are much loved to me and my family, so the logo is something that gives me a warm feeling every time I see it.

What is your personal style?
90's lipsticked lesbian detective...

For full available collection, please visit www.laurengeoghegan.co.uk. 

UZ is giving away one of the A/W 2013 collection coin purses! Like Urban Zingara on Facebook  between now and March 31, 2013. If you are already following UZ, leave a comment below or a comment on this post on Facebook!

 A winner will be selected April 1, 2013.

It's Easy Being Clear

Seriously though, see through is hot, hot, hot and right on trend for spring and summer. Since it's all over the accessories circuit, let's focus on one area at a time. First up, bags. From totes to clutches, show off your goodies with these to-die-for carry-alls.

Check it:

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NYFW Photos And Reviews: Clover Canyon

Young hot brand, Clover Canyon, showed a collection at New York Fashion Week titled "Winter Palace", though it may as well have been called From Russia With Love (but then that's not exactly original now is it).

Designer Rozae Nichols created a unique salute to Russia which included a  chilly  backdrop of a snowy lake, custom bejeweled ballet shoes, and graphic prints of Faberge eggs, czars' crown jewels, chandeliers and the Hermitage (a museum of art and culture in St. Petersburg).

As a ballerina myself, I stopped dead in my tracks when I saw the ballet shoes getting last minute touches backstage. Paired with only a few outfits (the rest of the looks were paired with bejeweled pumps), the shoes brought a sweet elegance to the structured clothing.

To top it all off, glitter was dusted over the models' hair. Seriously, where were the shots of Russian Standard?

Check it:

UrbanZingara.com

UrbanZingara.com

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NYC Loves The Chunky Beanie

NYFW Photos And Reviews: Trina Turk

Trina Turk brought a "California Modern" 70s cool to her collection this season. Deep hues of plum, oxblood, cognac, saffron and hunter green were present throughout the collection on leather gloves, curly lamb jackets and silk gauchos.

Pendant necklaces were the main jewels used over the several layers of various fabric and the vintage, David Steele and Albrizio Inc. hats (ribbon added by Trina Turk) brought the entire look together. Though I love myself a wide brim hat, the wrist and elbow length Sermoneta gloves had me drooling. (Bravo to stylist Katie Mossman). And those cuffs?! Love love love.

Nails, including a super amazing fast drying top coat by Julep. Makeup by Stila.

Check it:

UrbanZingara.com

UrbanZingara.com

Colors L-R: Whitney, Toni, Freedom Polymer Top Coat

Check back tomorrow for: Clover Canyon

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A Tale Of Hats

NYFW Fall 2013: Photos and Reviews Part 1

Finally have a hot second to start really talking about NYFW. Obviously, I got sick (believe it or not is a fashion week first for me) so I was out of commission for two full days, which means I missed a lot of good stuff. Thank goodness for live streaming, Instagram and Style.com. Seriously.

Things here in chilly NYC have been ultra crazy and between a mega snowstorm, getting a horrid cold and taxi-ing to and from Lincoln Center I haven't had a minute to share my not-at-all professional yet fabulous photos and reviews of fashion week.

My first show this season was Ms. Jen Kao's show at Moynihan Station. That ginormous space calls for a lot of personality, and Jen Kao brought just that. Lot's of patchwork, leather and fur paired with sheer polka-dot tights and dainty gold claw earrings made for quite the juxtaposition

Here are some of my backstage photos.

 The makeup was super duper heavy with a to-die-for red Mac lipstick (out this fall) and each girl wore a braided hair extension.

The detailing on the clothing was hard to tell from the runway, but as you can see here it was very precise. Some of the boots had zippers around the ankle part and zipped to the pants and there were a few zip-off gloves as well.

UrbanZingara.com 2013

Black, white, blue and silver were Jen Kao's predominant colors this season which I happen to love. Her shiny blush pink long-sleeve maxi was an excellent selection to close the show.
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I wasn't a huge fan of the Cruella De Vil furs (6 looks in total) and some of the denim patchwork could have been cut from the collection, but hey, can't love it all.




For the full collection, click here.

Check back tomorrow for Trina Turk.

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Jen Kao Fall 2012
Reem Acra Fall 2012

NYFW Was Loving: The Chunky Beanie

One item in particular that was spotted all over NY fashion week was the chunky hat. Black, pink, bright orange, yellow, blue (and pretty much the rest of the colors of the rainbow) made a cameo on the heads of some major fashionistas. My absolute favorite hands down is Miroslava Duma's pink Tak. Ori beanie (bottom left).

Check out my faves:

Want one for yourself? Or perhaps three or four? Go for it. Here are a few you can snag now before the frigid weather leaves us for spring.

Love Of A Photograph

So, speaking of romance (it IS V-Day after all), this is just one of my fave, most romantic photographs ever. It's just...grand.

Enjoy.

Photo by Timothy Barnes

Backstage At NYFW 101

It's that time again, New York Fashion Week is HERE. Let out the screams and clap your hands! (I just did.)

NYFW is a crazy hectic rush that a special group of people actually get to experience. Watching your first show is so surreal, which you definitely get used to it over time, but it's still a stunning experience; The lights, the music, the clothes, the walk, the celebs, everything.

But, everyone is always talking about front of house, and so few talk about what is actually happening behind the scenes. Well, let me tell you, it's a whole lotta stuff. People are always asking what happens back there, and in celebration of NYFW, I am going to break it down for you. Each day I will add a new step to this post. Just click on the little grey backstage pass on the right there to bring you directly back to this page. Simple.

Backstage at Fashion Week 101. Here we go.

1.About an hour or so before the show's scheduled start time, the collection, which is stuffed into garment bags and hung on giant rolling racks, is wheeled in. Each outfit is placed in a specific order depending on the run of show*, any accessory sharing or quick changes. Since every second counts, this is a reallllllllly (yes, that many Ls really) important process.

Here I am on the right with my partner in crime, Camilla (stylist assistant), backstage at Jen Kao SS13 looking at the run of show

NYFW Official 1st Day

NYFW is in full effect people. Thus far over-sized leather jackets, dresses over the skinniest of pants, lots of layers and some plaid and graphic prints have taken over the runway. Oh, and of course the all time winter favorite: fur. Mix all this together and it's a subtle  'fancy punk'  situation we got going on for this fall. I kind of like it...a lot.


Check it:

Richard Chai Love, BCBG, Edun

BCBG, Kimberly Ovitz, BCBG

Edun, Richard Chai Love, Timo Weiland

-Follow the rest of my fashion week faves HERE

NYFW Is Here

Remember this totally amazing moment when Alexander Wang shut all the lights off at his SS13 show to reveal glow-in-the-dark garments? I sure do.

I wonder what is in store for us this year. Cheers to the start of NYFW FW13.

Must Have Monotone

I cannot get over the monotone trend, I really can't. It's so effortless and easy and chic. Check it:

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Whale Week

If only we could all be whales. If I were a whale getting dressed would be that much easier with access to such a wide array of the finest of designer clothing and accessories. Unfortunately for me, I am far from being any type of whale.

I feel confusion coming on from readers, flabbergasted that anyone would want to be such a large, oddly shaped and quite unattractive being.  I often refer to a whale as a swimming dinosaur, though officially it is considered a marine mammal (like that’s any better). Simmer, my friends, I’m not talking about the swimming creature with a blowhole on it’s back, I am talking about the rich, the filthy rich, which in some circles are referred to as whales (in a good way).

Here in NYC, and some other parts of the world, Whale Week isn’t a week where people plant themselves on the couch to watch The Discovery Channel. No no, it’s a week where big-ass bonus checks are being opened and spent.

See, in the finance industry, yearly bonuses are handed out around this time, which means serious cash-money in the bank, which means serious spending and serious celebrating. Luxury brands, shops and restaurants rely on this time of year to push them way past their quota, which they are definitely doing. Trust.

Even though I am not a whale, I can still pretend. It’s called window-shopping people (or even better, Internet browsing), where anyone can engage in a little “if I had a gazillion dollars I would buy….” fun. And, to really put you over the edge, maybe even cry a little, follow the Curbed Network (Racked.com, Eater.com, Curbed.com) for the most amazingly-luxurious stories and coverage of whales and Whale Week. Good luck.

If you happen to like REAL whales (not just the design I made up top), check out these super fun whale finds:

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Crop That Top

It's baaaack. Not that the belly shirt crop-top has really gone away, but in the midst of snowfall and negative temperatures, nobody has time for gut exposure. But now, as resort and spring collections take the floors of our favorite shops, the crop is alive and well.

There still is a lot of confusion and question surrounding these shirts of less fabric. How do I wear it? Do I look too exposed? What if I have a muffin top? Can I just wear my old shirt from 6th grade? The answer to these pressing questions my friends, will be answered here.

But before moving forward let's clarify a few things. 1. If you do have a muffin top when wearing certain bottoms, you should not be cropping that top. Choose bottoms that are higher waisted and that don't squeeze your sides. 2. Your hot pink fuzzy tube top with a detachable black rose pin was cool and all for your 6th grade dance, but those times are over. Retire that top...or better yet, just donate it to The Salvation Army. 3. If you are not fully confident in your outfit, don't wear it! This goes for any trend. Being confident in what you wear is key.

Now for the rest, I will use visuals. Check it:

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Bright Bag, Bright Bag

Oh my gosh, look at that bag it is sooooo big (yea? Ok no). But really though, these big 'ol bags are perfect for holding a whole heap of things while on vacation; magazines, sunblock, water bottles, extra flip-flops, your pet, iPad and more and more.

Not only are these men bags big and sturdy, but super fun with loads of brightness too. Who else is going to have a neon map on their tote? Check it:

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Lobster Unpreppy

Lobsters have a preppy connotation and probably because most lobsters are plastered across anything Vineyard Vines. So not my thing. You too? Though so. But I have to admit, I became quite fond of the little pincher when I saw it's lace bod on a grey Tibi sweater. I got to wondering how I could wear such a well-known prepster. Check it:

With gold jewels, leather pants, a bold shoe and textured watch, there is enough depth to create character and perhaps even get snapped by a street photographer. Say cheese (or don't. Street style doesn't smile).

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What's White And Black All Over?

Spring 2013...duh.

Black and white is a full on trend for this spring and pretty much one of the easiest to pull off. If you are an "I only wear all black" kinda gal, you have it pretty easy, as all you have to do is add something white to your look, relying heavily on accessories.

Check it:

If you are dying for a pop of color, turn to beauty products: red lips, hot pink lips, blue eyes, sparkle nails...you get the gist. Here are some new spring '13 faves:

 

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