Blaylock in the Honeysuite

Accessories (The Remix)

Angel M. Feimster-Montoya — Sun, 01 May 2011 22:53:43 +0000

: Good Girls Studio, Inc.

: Soulcialite Studios

Vintage jewelry is good but vintage styled jewelry that has been taken apart and reconstructed is off the chain. Lately, there has been a push towards sustainable fashion and eco-friendly designs. Designers are constantly challenging themselves to come up with gorgeous eye-catching designs that have both throwback and modern appeal. fashionSPARK featured such designers that are mixing it up with items such as gemstones and costume pieces to pocket knives and cognac bottle labels. They canvass flea markets, high-end consignment shops and thrift stores where they find old treasures that have long since been forgotten. They are then taken apart and reconstructed into beautiful new pieces that are attention grabbing and will get you noticed. Johanna Ely of Good Girls Studio and Elisa K. Smith of Soulcialite Studios two designers that are remixing old classics into new funky and fierce designs.

Orange peels and coffee beans are not normally items you wear but when you have an eye like Pilar Ramirez of Pamor Designs, you see past the obvious. Pilar makes beautiful jewelry from dried organic items. She learned this craft in her native Columbia. She dyes orange peels in gorgeous bright hues that are also fragrant with the scent of orange. She also works with other organic materials such as coffee beans, melon seeds and raw amber. She takes these amazing materials and creates necklaces, rings, bracelets and headbands. Pamor Designs are stylish, playful and eco-friendly.

Pamor Designs

Jaclyn Anthony of Jaclyn Anthony Designs makes big bold pieces that are truly sophisticated. Jaclyn combines cutting edge designs to make funky geometric pieces made using materials such as stunning geodes, leather, brass and gold. She hand cuts and scores all of her materials in preparation to create distinctive one of a kind pieces. You can easily see Jaclyn’s influence of architecture in her designs. Her jewelry makes a bold statement. Jaclyn Anthony Designs are not only fun to wear but will also get you noticed and stopped on the street.

Jaclyn Anthony Designs

fashionSPARK 2010!: 5 Years of Trendsetting

Angel M. Feimster-Montoya — Thu, 21 Oct 2010 02:16:20 +0000

Photo by Jedidiah Gant and David Millsaps

These are some highlights from this year’s show. This is the 5th year for fashionSPARK and my 3rd year working with fashionSPARK as the talent coordinator. It is always a pleasure to work with area’s most talented designers and seeing it all come together. Local clothing and jewelry designers are juried in and are part of an amazing fashion show and showcase of spectacular designs. fashionSPARK is part of SPARKcon, an annual creative showcase and conference that combines first class talent, ideas and creativity. This year’s conference took place September 16-19th. SPARKcon was founded in 2006 by Beth and Aly Khalifa of Design Box located here in Raleigh, NC.

DRC Apeparel / Photo by Jedidiah Gant and David Millsaps

Fall fashion trends for 2010 will remind you that indeed everything old is new and fabulous again. Local designers that participated in this year’s annual fashionSPARK 2010 fashion show showcased what is in the season by revealing very familiar styles and themes. Pleats are back. Cropped pants are back and bold vibrant prints are bountiful. Veteran fashionSPARK designers DRC Apeparel were evidence of that. As always, DRC keeps it uber stylish and socially concious. There’s also the return of the infamous shoulder pad but with a modern twist. Picture Joan Collins meets the starship enterprise. Jewelry is bold colorful and will get you noticed. For the 5th year in a row fashionSPARK has showcased the amazing talents of North Carolina designers. This year’s show took place September, 17^th in Raleigh at City Center Plaza. Twenty local designers and 5 local jewelry designers took part in the annual fashion show that has become the biggest in the Triangle area. This year’s show also featured 8 “green” designers that used eco friendly, recycled or organic materials. Jewelry designer Elisa Smith of Soulcialite Studios remixes vintage jewelry creating wearable art. She designs beautiful one of a kind pieces that are bursting with color and individuality. Nico Morrison of Redo Reuse uses organic fabrics to not design beautiful clothing but to teach sustainability by recycling old shirts into hot new fashions. Designers Victor Lytvinenko and Sarah Yarborough of Raleigh Denim are always a crowd favorite with their ultra stylish denim line that’s sold in Barney’s stores nationwide. They keep things local by using materials only from North Carolina. Everything is also sewn by hand and in house. Designer Andre Thornton of Street Mode Twenty2 brought class back to streetwear with sexy cosmopolitan styles shown on models that set the runway afire with a “mean ass” walk. As always Fysh brought mad energy to the show combining great choreography, hip- hop and tons of personality. Reminding us to “stay fresh daily”. Breathtaking designs from Jess Pati (Jessica Palmer and Patrizia Ferreira) fused haute couture with prêt-a porter and made the crowd feel as if they had stepped into the streets of Paris. Each designer dazzled the crowd of over 2000 people by unveiling amazing fashions that will set the trend for not only fall and winter 2010 but for many seasons to come.

Jess Pati / photos by ETHAN HYMAN - ehyman@newsobserver.com

Raleigh Denim / Photos by Jedidiah Gant and David Millsaps

Street Mode 22 / photos by ETHAN HYMAN - ehyman@newsobserver.com

Fysh Clothing Co. / photo by ETHAN HYMAN - ehyman@newsobserver.com

Fysh / photos by ETHAN HYMAN - ehyman@newsobserver.com

fashionSPARK 2010 designers:

Raleigh Denim (Sarah & Victor Lytvinenko)

Marie Cordella

Lindsay Kay

LLLavender (Lauren Smith)

Gabrielle Duggan

Domino (Jessica Domino)

Street Mode 22 (Andre Thornton)

REDO REUSE / Peligrosa Knits (Nicole Morrison Sidell)

Ahpeele (Adam & Hiromi Peele)

Payton-Alexis Bridal (Payton-Alexis Brown)

DRC Apeparel (Tony Mercer& Roderick Vakala)

Kristen Danielle(Kristen Martinez)

White Gazelle (Rima L’Amir)

Bookie Designs (Crystal Pickard)

Jess Pati (Jessica Palmer & Patrizia Ferreira)

DANA (Lauren Dana Boynton)

Zac Schell Designs (Zac Schell)

Good Girls Studio, Inc. (Johanna Ely)

Jaclyn Anthony Designs (Jaclyn Anthony)

FYSH

Jewelry Designers:

Pamor Designs (Pilar Ramirez)

Emily Claire Designs (Claire Jacobs)

Mollybeads (Molly Anderson)

Soulcialite Studios (Elisa Smith)

Zass Design (Zulay & Stephanie Smith)

Garden & Gun. Welcome to The South.

Angel M. Feimster-Montoya — Wed, 20 Oct 2010 00:12:22 +0000

The other day I was in the salon waiting to be seen and naturally my attention turned towards the magazines. In an attempt to stay as far away from Parent magazine as possible I came across Garden & Gun. (Note: I have nothing against Parent magazine but I’m not a parent yet and have no desire to read about being one.) The name of this magazine really caught my eye. I like guns and gardens are beautiful. So obviously, it was a natural attraction. So I quickly flipped through the pages and it seems that this magazine is part Southern Living, part Vanity Fair and part Travel and Leisure. It celebrates the beauty and richness of southern culture. I love it.

Garden and Gun boasts about being the “soul of the south” and it truly is. It captures the unique qualities of the south such as the food, chic fashion sense, the amazing weather and most of all the creative and brilliant folks who are fortunate enough to call the South home. Great articles and amazing photos showcase where to visit, what to do, eat and wear. There is a reoccurring theme that celebrates amazing local, handcrafted items such as guitars, kayaks and boots to name a few.

Check out this article called “Water Born” on Aaron Wells who handcrafts breathtaking kayaks and canoes. Garden and Gun is stylishly brilliant. Welcome to The South!

http://gardenandgun.com/article/water-born

Summer’s almost over so enough already with the Flip Flops

Angel M. Feimster-Montoya — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 15:14:25 +0000

Okay I’m going to blunt and honest. Not only because it’s in my nature, but because I owe it to you. Flip Flops should not be worn anywhere, but at the pool, beach and around water related activities. This is only an opinion, but I’m sharing nonetheless. The only exception is a leaving the salon after having a pedicure. For many people, (way too many) flip flops are a popular choice for summer footwear to the mall, grocery store, a night on the town, and to work. They’ve completely given up when it comes to what goes on their feet.

beach and poolside appropriate footwear

Flip Flops seem to be everywhere and on everyone. They come is all colors and brands from Old Navy to Prada and with price points from $1.99 to $285.00 you have amazing choices. However, even if you did pay hundreds of dollars keep it near the water. $200.00 flip flops are still just flip flops. Now when you need a nice and comfortable sandal to wear during the summer there is a more appropriate choice. Introducing, the more approcpriate thong sandal.

A great thong sandal to wear around town.

If you’re a guy then there are plenty of stylish options for you as well.

Men's sandal

I am still haunted by the Northwestern University’s Women’s Lacrosse team that visited the White House wearing pretty dresses and tacky ass flip flops. Had they been protesting the administration (Bush was in office) then maybe, but still very tacky and inappropriate.

So there you have it. My short rant with suggestions and pictures of how to keep you feet cool in this cruel summer heat, yet stylish. Later for now.

The Evolution of Bodies and Fashion

Angel M. Feimster-Montoya — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 02:23:50 +0000

Women have different opinions on why models are so skinny. Contrary to popular belief, not all women want to see skinny models all the time. Many prefer to see models that look a little like them. All women aren’t a size 2 or 4. However, every woman does enjoy and derserves to be fashionable and sexy. The evolution of fashion is incredible. What is considered fashionable today may be hideous in a year. That same style can make a comeback in twenty years. Body types of women also evolve. Fashion trends seem to run parallel to body types. In the early 1900’s plump and curvy was in. Women wore corsets that contorted the body to get an exaggerated hourglass shape. The clothes they wore accentuated their figures. The 30’s and 40’s emphasized a more slender body. Designers made dresses that hung loose on the body and minimized the curves on a woman’s figure. Incidentally, this run’s parallel to the women’s suffrage, where some women felt that in order to be taken seriously they should look less like women. The 50’s and 60’s introduced actresses Jane Mansfield and Marilyn Monroe. These women were not only drop dead gorgeous but voluptuous as well. They wore form-fitting clothes that hugged every curve. They were sexy and size 12. The 70’s brought the slim and youthful look. Twiggy was the model who coined this look. There seemed to be a push towards an androgynous dressed female. That brings us into today. Models are skinnier than ever, but plus-sized models are also becoming quite popular. Beautiful normal sized women like Emme and Tami Fitzbugh-Thompson are burning up the runways. A more toned body had also emerged. As a result, designers today are catering to all fashion needs. You can choose the sensual and ultra-feminine designs of Donatella Vesicle or the androgynous looks of Miguel Androver. If you’re like me you prefer both. What’s in store for the future? A healthier attitude about ours bodies, therefore a long and beautiful relationship with fashion.

Bag Ladies

Angel M. Feimster-Montoya — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 01:24:36 +0000

This is one hell of a bag. Watching Lucy Lu’s character Mia from ABC’s now cancelled show Cashmere Mafia unwrap this piece of heaven was absolutely ceremonial. She opened the box carefully with both hands and from the look on her face it was the stuff dreams are made of. What is it about a fabulous handbag that can stabilize even the worst mood? A great bag can not only complete an outfit but revitalize it and make it come to life. The bag she was so in love with was the $1,840.00 Aviatrix bag from Gucci. (shown above) What caught my eye was not only the soft beautiful Bordeaux suede material and gold hardware that screamed luxury, but the perfect size of this bag. Chatting with my very best friend recently, we discussed the luxury of owning great handbags, and how bigger is simply better for practical reasons. (Because with handbags and men, SIZE does matter) We don’t like them too big, but just big enough. Now don’t get me wrong, a little clutch for evenings out on the town are a definite must have, but for daily activities such as shopping and work you need room to move and stash. Unfortunately, many of these gorgeous bags are extremely expensive. Though you do get what you pay for. To get a roomy Gucci or Balenciaga bag you may need to skip the rent for a few months or start pole dancing to afford it. Some of these bags retail for thousands of dollars and that’s the reason they are often referred to as ”status bags”. However, there are great options that allow you to buy an amazing bag without getting evicted. Sites like e-luxury and bluefly can satisfy your big, badass handbag addiction. Great and familiar mainstays like TJ-Maxx, Marshall’s and Stein Mart have amazing selections to choose from and are kind to every budget. The efficient fashionista will start here and work her way out. They have a plethora of name brands to satisfy even the biggest label whore. There’s no need to go broke in order to look good, especially in this unforgiving economy. For the creative types like myself, there’s Freddy and Ma. This site lets you design the bag and choose everything from color to size and shape and material. What girl doesn’t want her own custom made bag from her very own design? Just think if this site designed boyfriends and husbands!! Designer husbands…. now that’s another blog post. For who don’t have separation anxiety, there’s Bag, Borrow or Steal which allows you to rent a designer handbag. Choose from authentic brands like Coach to Valentino and have it delivered to your door. You may keep the bag for as long as you want. What you pay depends on your level of membership. So you now have the tools, this amazing informative blog, your smarts and your account balance. So use them! With these options you can have a great big or little bag to call your own. If you shop smart you can actually have more than one!! So people, get out and shop. Retail therapy always works!

Loving the Caftan

Angel M. Feimster-Montoya — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 04:34:24 +0000

Michael Kors Caftan

Maybe it’s me, but I have always loved the caftan. I imagine myself wearing my caftan while lounging on the balcony of my Monterey beach home. (I like to DREAM BIG) I’m watching the waves crash while sipping a cocktail. With daydreaming being healthy and inevitable you must give in to a nice fantasy. Perhaps you’re relaxing on your own oceanfront balcony sipping a cocktail and listening to music. Or maybe you’re entertaining guests, looking amazing and elegant as it clings and moves with you creating an aura of elegance and confidence. This is a wardrobe must have. The coral caftan pictured is from Michael Kors. With its’ signature pagoda sleeves, coral glow and deep V neckline, it is both fierce and comfortable. It symbolizes easy elegance that can be worn while lounging or entertaining guests. Just remember to accessorize with big glam hair. Think Malibu Barbie meets Cleopatra Jones.

Big Glam Hair

Want a bit of shimmer? Then the Diamond Caftan from Michael Kors will definitely turn heads. The deep V meets an accent of sparkling sequins that only need to be accessorized with a fierce pair of sandals and maybe a diamond bracelet.

Michael Kors Diamond Caftan

Plus sized? Rachel Polly has this beautiful caftan that will adorn full curves and ignite a host of compliments. So pick a caftan and dream on.

Rachel Polly Caftan