Check Out: Refinery 29’s Reserve

So by now I’m sure that most of you have tried all the usual suspects when it comes to saving some money. Tippr, Living Social, Blackboard Eats for food and activities and Gilt Groupe, HauteLook, ideeli and MyNines for clothing and make-up. Heck, I’ve tried just about all of them and just when I think I’m over it, Refinery 29 sucks me back in with it’s Reserve website. It’s a website that is geared towards fashion lifestyle with limited time offerings of like 50% off lingerie, 55% off jewelry and more. Since the crew at Refinery 29 are such great curators of fabulousness you can not only find great deals but you can discover cool new brands and establishments you never knew existed. Case and point? The current offer to the Privé salon in the Soho Grand Hotel. $50 will get you a blowout and bang trim, a goody bag full of luxe Privé products, and a VIP card for a 10% discount on your next visit--a $125 value! Since it’s winter time and I’m feeling kind of blah, I can’t wait to get a bit of a hair refresher to get me ready for NYFW!

*Full disclaimer: The kind folks at Reserve are sending me a voucher so I can test drive the experience. Will let you know more about how it goes!

First Look: Katie Gallagher FW2010

I was uber excited today to have the opportunity to check out NYC based designer Katie Gallagher. For those of you not familiar, Katie Gallagher is a RISD grad who has cut her teeth at the likes of ThreeAsFour and Anna Sui.

Her collection was titled, "The Heart of the Woods and What I Found There" references the designer's love of nature and the inspiration it holds over her work.

This was only Katie Gallagher's second collection but given the quality and creativity of her designs, I am anxious to see more. Her designs use creative curvilinear seaming to highlight the best parts of a woman's body. The designer compliments the body con pieces with sculptural jackets/sleeves and expert drapery.

The resulting look was sexy, eerily beautiful, ethereal modern day warriors. Femme without the frills or ruffles.

Fabrications played with variations on tone and texture. Half the collection was angelic with a mix of white, grey and beige tones. The other half of the collection was darker and more gothic. Quite a few pieces featured black on black panels that allowed texture to take center stage and keep things interesting.

I probably wouldn't personally wear the leggings as pants, they looked great in the presentation.

Strong beauty looks perfectly complimented the collection. Crimped hair, grey lips and dark slashes across the eyes made a strong statement. The nails matched the clothing in the layered nude to black effects but they weren't a look I would wear.

Overall I thought the collection was very cohesive and had the right balance of edgy sexiness and wearability. Well done, Ms Gallagher! You are definitely one of my personal faves from this Fall 2010 fashion week. I wish these pieces were jumping into my closet! What do you think of the collection?