NYC shopping

When packing my suitcase for my month long trip to New York, I told myself to leave room because it is inevitable that I would go shopping in New York & I have done exactly that. This weekend, I went into Top Shop which was a mad house. The music was blaring and the crowds are insane, but I found a pair of shoes for $10 (and if you flash your student ID, you get an additional 10% off!). Not bad!

After leaving Top Shop, my roommate & I strolled along Broadway in Soho and saw some re-occurring trends. The first being cropped tees. The length of tees is always going up and down and now they're short, which is great is you have a toned belly, so start working on those sit-ups.

The second being lace...it's everywhere. Lace tops, tights, dresses, vest and shirts. It's definitely bringing me back to my youth when lace was all the rage.

Lastly, beaded jewelry. I actually bought a pair at H&M and it reminded me of a pair I looked at in Seattle which were amazing. I saw them at my friend, Perla's accessory and clothing sale. They are made in sayulita mexico by the Huichol Indians, a group of people with a strong history of beading and embroidery. I pretty much love them!
Earring photo credit: Perla Sitcov

Jenna say, "quoi."

Many of us know a few french phrases, but everyone should know, Jenna say, "quoi," a collection by Jenna Howard. A little play on words, but a whole lot of style. She recently attended the Apparel Design program at Seattle Central and focused her final line on coats for "a busy but chic urban woman." She got her inspiration from "the classic urban work-a-day look" and from women of the 60's & 70's like Audrey Hepburn and Jane Birken. While many of the students were during dress and skirts, Jenna choose coats because she gets overwhelmed by choice and "needed to give [her]self parameters." Also she is a "total coat fiend" and even though she has a closet full of coats, none of them are quite right. There's that saying, "If you want something done right, you've got to do it yourself."

Her coats were made from a brushed cotton khaki twill that is amazingly soft. Her lining, made from a silk charmeuse, "had a large black and white feather repeat" and was used "strategically in each coat to make every piece unique." One of your coats had a completely detachabe capelet with a cloak hood!

Although her apparel program was in Seattle, she flew to Los Angeles to get her fabric because as she said "everything was cheap and at my fingertips. All the fabric in the garment district is within a few blocks. It's a bunch of open front stores with fabric bursting out of them. I actually found everything I needed within two hours. That NEVER happens in Seattle. I couldn't even find a decent cotton sateen."

After finishing her student collection, she now has "no desire to design more coats," but is really getting into underwear and hope to start developing it soon. She have the same driving force and underlying mantra for the underwear as she did for her coats: "luxurious, beautiful, hip but FUNCTIONAL." So keep an eye out her!

Jenna's Tip of the Week:

"My driving force for life is to be happy and stress free. I think it's backwards to pick something you want to do, say a career, and assume that it will lead you to happiness. I'm trying things the other way around and am curious to see where it takes me.
Sewing tips: Don't forget to sew the label in before you sew the seam; I forget EVERY TIME. "

Belmont Manor

Belmont Manor is a student collection by Becky Sullivan. Her line included "fully lined jackets, silk blouses, tailored pants and feminine skirts" and was inspired by 18th century riding clothes and wealth, but with a modern twist that can be seen in her exaggerated hoods and collars on the jackets. The jackets were made from 100% wool; the blouses, 100% silk; and the pants from a wool/spandex blend. When she was done with her line and the buttons were tallied up, so had a whooping total of 84 buttons!

Not only did Becky have a great line, she was also the winner of the Seattle Fashion Week student competition this past year. She had to create 8 garments in 2 weeks which included sketching, patterning and sewing, and had to keep up with her normal school load which may seem daunting to many (like me), but she thought the thrill of seeing her "garments go down the runway was worth all the time and effort." Lucky for New York, she will be moving there in August to pursue her fashion career. Yay!

Still want to know more! Visit Becky at her website or read her blog.

Photographer: Celie Gruber
Model: Alana Osborne

Halter Dresses

This is Claire. She and I work for the same designer in Brooklyn. We were out running errands when we can across this great painting. She looked so cute, I snapped a quick picture!

She is wearing a white, tye-dye jean halter dress from Top Shop, purple keds from Urban Outfitters and a great navy blue knit blazer (location unknown).

Subletting

I just got into NY today and arrived at my sublet apartment in Greenpoint. The room is so cute & is decorated with amazing furniture. It also looks like it came with the kitty! It's been staring at a bug outside the window for like the last 15 minutes. It is so adorable, I almost couldn't take it.

This is my second time subletting an apartment in New York. I have been asked how to find a sublet and it's so easy! The first time, I found a place on Craigslist, contacted a few people and choose a place. This time around I went through a friend of a friend. I recommend it to anyone looking to get away for an extended period of time.

Wanderlust

It’s about that time of the year that people start taking vacations. Many experience the beautiful scenery, exotic foods, and unfortunately the wrinkled clothes and the lack of a laundry mat, but Monica Jackins, a frequent traveler, developed a line around this with Wanderlust. Her versatile dresses are made from Organic Bamboo, “a readily available renewable resource.” It’s a super soft fabric and has naturally occurring anti-microbial properties which are “great for keeping your clothes fresh when you can’t wash them on the road.” Did I also mention they were wrinkle-free?!

To go one step further she made each dress versatile. The dresses can be worn both in the day and night & be worn in many different ways. Monica remarked about all three dresses, “the Barcelona dress has an adjustable hemline, so you can show a little or a lot of leg, and the Roma dress has a shawl attached at the waist. You can use it to cover your shoulders, tie it around your waist as a sash, or make it one-shouldered for a cool asymmetrical look. The third dress, Praha, is totally reversible, two dresses in one!” The Roma dress was inspired by her personal travel experience. She explained, “When I was in Rome a couple years ago, it was so hot outside, but the minute you went inside a museum the air-con was freezing! Or when I visited a church I had to make sure my shoulders were covered.”

Monica is still developing her line and hopes to add “a couple skirts and tops.” When asked how she stays focused, she recommends listening to a good playlist to “keep the energy up.” Her personal favorites: "Poppin My Collar" by Three 6 Mafia, "Whatever You Like" by T.I., "We Be Clubbin'" by Ice Cube, the new Keri Hilson, and of course anything Sir Mix-a-Lot. Thanks, Monica!

Glamour Shots

Glamour Shots are the best.

A little lighting, some photoshopping & a great hat equals magic.

It's Up!

My website is up! http://www.margiebrzezinski.com/

It's the dress from the fashion show...check out the blog below. Same dress, different model.

SFW Student Competition

A few months ago, I was selected to show two designs at Seattle Fashion Week. It was sponsored by Comcast, so one outfit needed to be comcast inspired and the other was your own design.

This dress was my own design. I found some vintage silk at a thrift store for $0.99 and I purchased some black ribbing for the waistband. It is a kimono sleeve dress with a boat neck, side seam pockets and gathering at the waist. It's super comfortable and I've worn it a several times since this show!

Comcast, is a cable/phone/Internet company and I based my inspired-design on one of their mottos, "Crystal clear reception." The dress was crystal colored with sheer sleeves and ruffles. I also anchored a few faux crystals on the front placket. There is a glimpse of this dress in the background of this photo.