Street Style: Lady Leather

Stephanie from Arizona. In town to catch the shows with some friends.

Spotted inside the Tents pre-Tuleh Show

Noticed her because her super chic body con leather dress was simple, flattering and hot! Plus her amazing accessories totally pump up the wow factor of her simple dress. Especially those amazing strappy shoes by Sugar Rock Catwalk fave Camilla Skovgaard! This is leather done right, sexy but oh so classy!

Stylist is Stylish

June Ambrose, Celebrity Stylist and Author of Effortless Style
Spotted at the Anna Sui for Target Press Preview event. Noticed her because her statement necklace with the chain fringe was absolutely fabulous! I couldn't help but be distracted by it while I was supposed to be checking out Anna Sui's Target line, so when I saw her outside on the red carpet, I had to talk to her. Upon closer look, she also has amazing hair, super fun white nail polish and cute shoes! As a stylist what she wears totally reflects her as a brand...

She says the Necklace is Catherine Malandrino! I say AMAZING!

Pink Lady

Nubia, Fashion Blogger of Nubia's Nonsense
Spotted her at Dream Sequins hosted Pre-Fashion Week Meet Up. Started talking to her because I loved how she rocked her super bright blazer with feminine printed skirt. Nubia is not only a stylish dresser but also super sweet and we ran into her later on in the week^^

Blazer-vintage
Oxford Shoes-Fioni, Payless
Skirt-Topshop
Cami-Forever 21

Style Stalking at NYFW

Dianna
Spotted outside the Tents hanging out with her friends.

Noticed her because her strong shoulder statement blouse and origami pleated skirt looked very au courant. Her look is very clean and elegant. Plus her nude shoe choice made her legs look a million feet long ;)

Pleated Skirt - Lanvin
Puff Sleeve Top - dont know
Shoes - Marni
Leather Satchel - Prada

Featured Friend: Brit

Meet Brit. Her style is vintage, girly, and bohemian. She's usually in a vintage (or vintage-inspired) dress or skirt, but from time to time, I'll see her in jeans. Whatever the ensemble, her style always comes through.

I choose to feature this outfit because it's a perfect example of how accessories can make a look. She started with a basic white tunic and slim black jeans, and by throwing on statement pieces like the scarf, bangle and red boots she created a look of her own. I also love that Brit's outfit was cohesive without being matchy matchy. Her scarf, boots, clutch, and coat weren't the same color but all had shades of red or blue - not to mention their own story, very bohemian.

The piece that caught my attention was the scarf. I found it amusing and fascinating that she managed to find a 1950's floral keffiyeh. She didn't actually find it. It was a gift from her friend Melissa. You can check out more of Melissa's scarves and designs at her shop on etsy.com.

Embellished print scarf - melissaloschy.etsy.com
Multi-color coat - Kenzi, a gift from Mom
White tunic - Min Chan Hollywood, a hand me down from a friend
Silver bangle - vendor at Pike Street Market in Seattle
Red leather boots - Aldo from a couple years ago
Blue leather clutch - a hand me down from from Grandma

Featured Friend - Allyson

Though her collection of J.Crew sweaters and collared shirts might lead you to believe otherwise, Allyson lives in southern California. I love her style because she does classic and fun well. She mixes a lot of preppy staples like collar shirts and non-skinny pants with fun sneakers and menswear.

This outfit in particular caught my attention because it was festive and fun without falling back on the cliche Christmas sweater. Plus I am a sucker for menswear accessories like suspenders and the bow tie. While the thought of green pants with a red shirt might seem a bit crazy, she made it work by pairing her outfit with white sneakers that had matching colored piping and balanced out the white shoes with white suspenders on top. Well done, Allyson!

Do European Men Do It Better?

Carlos, Nurse
Spotted at Gen Art Shop NYC

I spotted him on my way out of Gen Art last week. I loved how Carlos was in head-to-toe gray while still keeping it fresh.

Visiting from London on holiday, his outfit was the last thing he had packed. Blacks and neutral colors are great for vacation because they are easy to mix and match. And accessories like Carlos' patterned scarf and belt can make the look fun. My favorite thing about his outfit? His silver shoes! Casual and flashy, love it!

The one thing I might have changed was the length of his jacket, but I also caught him off guard so it might have been just a matter of adjusting. The exposed white shirt below the jacket makes it all seem a bit ill fitting, but I can you assure in real life, he looked great.

Falls in Love

Half of Falls design duo, Leong Ong, poses with Sid
Spotted at the Gen Art Shop NYC Event

Noticed Sid walking around Gen Art Shop NYC because I thought her pleated blouse & skirt were Über cute! Her Vera Wang boots with cut out heel were also simple but interesting. I soon discovered that her outfit was designed by Falls and she was sort of a walking advertisement. She tells me how much she loves the clothes and gushes that the amazing thing about the Falls line is that it looks great on everyone. She quickly pulled me over to introduce me to her friend, designer Leong Ong.

Leong has a very relaxed, calm manner that instantly put me at ease while he talked told us a little about himself and Falls. Leong in collaboration with Philip Leeming launched the Falls line in 2007. Leong was born in Malaysia, studied at the prestigious Central St. Martin's in England but quickly moved stateside because of his love of America fashion. Leong tried his hand at design in the corporate world at Ralph Lauren, while Philip worked at Kenneth Cole. Looking to create something more personal and less corporate lead to the birth of Falls. Falls is now a New York City based brand, but initially they began in small town High Falls, upstate New York. The High Falls not only gave them their brand name, but also inspired their design ideology of mixing nature with urban. Leong tells me how much he loves waterfalls and I agree that no matter how many times I see them, I never get over the beauty. Their love of waterfalls can be seen in the soft cascading ruffles or flowing ties in so many of their designs.

Here are some of my favorite looks from their Holiday 2008 Collection. The cardigans in light weight cashmere with pointelle are feminine but practical. I could picture the below cardigan easily becoming a wardrobe essential for any girl. The blouses are sweet but not precious while maintaining a modern quality that is elegant but a little bit sexy too.

You can buy Falls at Henri Bendel, Saks Fifth Avenue, Steven Alan and Castor & Pollux. Also available online at Revolve Clothing, Lisa Kline or Saks Fifth Avenue.

Are you ready to Fall for Falls?

Monochrome Statement

Sandra, Gen Art Business Development
Spotted her at the Gen Art Shop NYC Event because her monochromatic in varying tones of warm gray caught my eye.

She says the boots determined the outfit. She bought the boots first because she loved them, but keeps buying clothes to match the boots.

I say perhaps the boots speak truth? The warm gray leather is such an atypical shade yet it perfectly compliments the tonal color block dress. I love that it's quiet but still a noticeable statement especially in a New York sea of black.

Dress - Eryn Brinié
Boots - Frye
Cuff - Unknown, but she has a love of Chunky Bracelets

What's in the shopping back? H Fredriksson in Grey tones of course!

Not So Basic Black

Sandra, Jewelry Designer from Montreal
Spotted waiting in line for Ecru New York Hair at Gen Art Shop NYC

Noticed her because even though she was wearing all black, Sandra didn't look one bit plain. Her high-waisted jeans complimented her sheer feminine blouse perfectly. I loved that she kept it classy by wearing a tonal lace bra that matched her outfit and making sure she was still covered in a cardigan.

She kept the look interesting with fun accessories and varied textures. I especially loved the heavy hardware on the belt. The unexpected fun factor comes from the fact that her necklaces, pictured below, were designed by herself and her sister for their Jewelry Line 2Naw-T featuring fun symbols in embroidery and leather.

Jeans - Guess
Belt - Betsey Johnson
Sweater - Marciano
Boots - Browns, Montreal
Shirt - Picked Up somewhere in NYC
Necklaces - 2Naw-T

Featured Friend - Ashley

My friend Ashley always is wearing some great vintage find. Today her outfit is all vintage but modernized by a pair of dark wash jeans. I particularly thought her jacket in the velvet brocade was super cute and paired surprisingly with a crochet top. I loved the contrast between her refined vintage mother of pearl necklace & roughed up vintage cowboy boots. She finished off her look with the very now boho braid.

Underground Style

Alex, Student at Parsons
Spotted underground at the 57th Street NRQW

Noticed him because of the gold high tops!!! Upon closer evaluation, the colorful LV monogram scarf and hat made his outfit stand out. It gets better because I couldn't believe that I didn't notice right away the Britney Spears Tee he was sporting.

His goal? "To class up Britney" And boy does she need it! She's back but she's not classy yet, but fortunately Alex's look was.

Featured Friend - Sandy

My Co-worker Sandy is back for round 2 as Featured Friend. I loved her how her outfit consisted of not so basic basics! A button-up shirt & jeans is nothing new, it's a classic look that always looks crisp & fresh. But when you change the shirt to an nontraditional silhouette and the jeans to a grayed wash it looks new again. I loved how her purse popped her monochromatic outfit. I also thought her boots & brass necklace finished off her look nicely.

Volume Sleeve Blouse - H&M
Jeans - H&M
Bag - Aldo
Boots - Nine West Darby
Necklace - Street Vendor

Featured Friend - Rosalin

This is Rosalin. Originally from California, she had to learn how to dress for chilly weather, and I have to say she's done really well!

I loved this outfit. She took a summer dress and layered to make it fit for a brisk fall night. Her scarf, dress, coat, shoes, none of the items were the exact same color, but her outfit looked cohesive because she played with neutral earth tones.

I wish there was better lighting or I had a better camera to capture the contrast of textures - the smooth, shiny coat vs the wooly scarf and organic dress. Playing with textures is a subtle way to keep things interesting. Bravo, Rosalin!

Dress - Rogan for Target
Coat - MICHAEL Michael Kors
Scarf - H&M

She's No Wallflower

Tina, Reporter for Newsweek
Spotted at the Food Network event at Haru Wall Street

Noticed her because her floral dress brightened up the room, but she didn't look like springtime thanks to the grey ground of the print. Her cropped leather jacket & distressed leather purse added a touch of street to the sweet. I also liked the bow detailing on her grey suede booties, very cute!

Floral Dress - Anthropologie
Suede Booties - Discount Store on Broadway
Purse - Cynthia Rowley
Leather Jacket - H&M

Underground Style: Spots & Dots

Fran, Works in Publishing
Spotted on the F train Carroll Stop, Brooklyn

Noticed her because I really liked the combination of Leopard Spots & Pin Dots on her dress. The subtle metallic in her scarf tied together her purse & the gold hardware on her shoes. Upon closer examination her necklace is really sweet too! Love that her total look was sweet but not too sweet! Unfortunately for us, most of her outfit hails from London.

Cardigan - Zara
Scarf - River Island (High Street Store)
Dress - Boutique in London
Necklace - Also from London
Shoes - Topshop

Featured Friend - Carla

It's true. New Yorkers love to wear black, especially once it gets cold. Carla's outfit is a perfect example of how to wear all or almost all black. She had on a long black coat pair with a black scarf, black Anna Corinna hang bag, and black L.A.M.B. flats. Carla's a pretty savvy shopper too - found her bag for less on eBay and her flats for $20 in Arizona! $20 for L.A.M.B. Unreal.

Her overall look was cool and classic, but it was her fun and subtle use of olive-colored tights and funky footwear that called for a picture. Triple strap Mary Janes can be difficult to wear without looking like a child or shortening the legs, but Carla made it work by pairing with textured and darker tights.

2 Stripes are Better than One

Eva, Food & Fashion Blogger
Spotted in the press line for the Chocolate Show

I instantly loved how she combined 2 different sizes of stripes while keeping her color palette strictly black & white, save some accessories for just the right amount of pop. Her smart blazer & oversize scarf pulled her outfit from being ordinary to being noteworthy. Don't you love that her dress doesn't look like it's blatantly from American Apparel?

Dress - American Apparel
Blazer - Theory
Scarf - Marimekko
Boots -Vintage
Bag - Vintage
Gold Bangle - From India

Different Language, Similar Style

Visiting from Korea, she only spoke a few words of English. I spotted her at Uniqlo and loved her overall look as well as the individual pieces. I liked how she wore the same color dress, leggings, and shoes without looking too matchy-matchy by wearing muted colors and mixing in a yellow tee and a long navy cardigan.

Her dress and shoes were both orange and brown color block and unfortunately for most of us, from Korea. Her cardigan was also a nifty number. The patterned cream scarf-like piece was actually attached pleated and attached to the cardigan. Can someone teach me how to say "super cute" in Korean?

Side note, I can't stand the lime green puffy jacket in the background. I know they're supposedly making a comeback, but I can't see it happening. Voluminous, bubble silhouettes? Yes. Puffy fat boy jackets? No.

Underground Style

Binky, Make-up Artist
Spotted on the uptown F train at Broadway/Lafayette

"The Boots? They're Vivian Westwood!" She exclaims!

Noticed her because of her super fun plaid boots jumped out on her monochromatic outfit. They kind of look like Mary Janes gone wild over plaid socks. I also liked that her little leather jacket wasn't black but an equally versatile, though less common grey!