I love this doubled-up top from Missphit! It’s a tunic-length top that combined a tank style bodice with a ruffled “skirt effect” down below. . . simple dressing at its finest. If I were to get this (debating!), I would wear it with a pair of black skinny jeans and super high heels from Kim Kardashian’s Shoe Dazzle line.

Even though I’m usually not a fan of the “twofer” designs, I think that Missphit did a great job with this piece. I didn’t think I’d say this, but I think I might pick it up and try it out for myself. If it looks good, I might even post a picture on here!

Image: Missphit

Get it for yourself! Up to size 3X.

Betsey Johnson is one of my favorite designers these days (not that it’s a big surprise!) so I have to admit to feeling a pang when she announced that she’s considering retirement. Luckily, the brand will continue, with Eric Satori as the possible successor.  He has previously designed for Azzedine Alaïa, Vera Wang and Herve Leger.

image: Bauer Griffin

As long as he can continue to design whimsical, stylish clothes and accessories - I’m excited to see what he can bring to the table! After all, he’s got some pretty cool shoes to fill…

image: Betsey Johnson Official Store

“Patent Petals” frame purse, made from embossed black patent leather, with a chain strap.

Even if you didn’t run with the mean girls in high school, it’s about time you learned how to create tousled, sexy waves without a lot of effort. This week, Merlin’s model looked gorgeous and confident wearing his sleek pink outfit for the final challenge on The Fashion Show, but there is something to be said for how her wild hair, created by celeb stylist Jeanie Syfu, really completes the whole effect.

You can recreate the look with a few simple steps from TREsemme.

A Few Tips…

• This style works with a variety of hair lengths and types, but super fine/straight hair might have a hard time holding the waves..
• Unlike some of the other hairstyles that work best with hair that hasn’t been freshly washed, you might prefer working with clean hair so you can style it with a bit more product and not have it fall flat.
• If the waves don’t pan out while your hair is down, a messy ponytail can look just as chic and sexy.
• Resist the urge to play with your hair after it is styled - otherwise you could end up with a mane full of frizz.

To Start…

1. Apply TRESemmé 24 Hour Body Sculpting Spray Gel through damp hair, and rough-dry hair upside down with a blow dryer using fingers.

2. Flip hair over after it has dried, and use a 1 1/2″ curling iron to create loose tousled curls.

Want to know the rest of the steps? Check out TREsemme’s Style Seeker to find out how to create your own version of the winning runway look.

Image: Bravo/NBC Universal

In this week’s episode of The Fashion Show, Merlin surprised everyone by whipping out a chic design that made up for some of the disasters he’s been sending down the runway in recent weeks. The challenge was to design an outfit for a 20 something girl based on her high school clique. Merlin got the Mean Girl - a pretty easy one if you ask me, but he of course still complained about it (well, mostly about the movie “Mean Girls”).

It’s very cute, though I don’t think the little bit of bare midriff is really necessary..other than that, I agree this is a good design.

One of my other favorites was Anna’s Goth look - even though it’s not really very goth, and it was better looking without the jacket, I really enjoyed the neckline of the blouse and thought this was a punchier pink to have picked for the runway. I haven’t really paid much attention to Anna’s work before, but I think I will now…

Another one of the designs that stood out for me was Daniella’s Treehugger outfit. It was more of a risk and showed extra creativity compared to the other designs offered in this challenge. Instead of sticking to the stereotype, I feel like she injected a bit of that high fashion-ness that made it more than just clothes.

And now onto some of the least appealing designs this week…

Lidia’s Nerd was a disaster for me. This school girl uniform says nothing about the girl who escaped high school to evolve into something more during her 20s. It’s sad, droopy and totally unrealistic. I felt this was definitely the worst design of the bunch.

Of course, that would be followed up with Johnny’s Jock - which, sure it makes sense that this is a sporty look, but talk about phoning it in! There isn’t an ounce of creativity or personal flair going on here…I wonder if Johnny will go on to design anything more than basic t-shirts for a massive chain after this show. Booooring…

And finally, there is Angel. Poor Angel and her very uneducated attempt at a B-girl look. Most people I’ve asked and almost every single article I’ve read has suggested that 80% of the population never knew that word before this episode. But regardless of what inspired it, she didn’t attack the challenge with any gusto - so it just looks unpolished and unfortunate. Probably doesn’t help that her model isn’t even trying to carry it off with confidence.

The Fashion Show airs at 10pm ET/PT on Bravo and don’t forget - after each episode, check out Tresemme’s Style Seeker for hair style tips and don’t forget that the winning design is available for purchase on BravoTV.com!

Images: Bravo/NBC Universal

Episode 6 of The Fashion Show took the designers back to high school. Those annoying cliques and lunch table territories? Yeah…being sixteen and annoyed with life is all coming back to you, isn’t it.

The Harper’s Bazaar Mini Challenge is about designing t-shirts for student body presidential candidate, Julianna inspired by one of the following high school cliques.

• Drama Club (Reco)
• Skater (Haven)
• Jocks (Johnny)
• Tree-Hugger (Daniella)
• Mean Girls (Merlin)
• Preppy Crew (James-Paul)
• Goths (Anna)
• Nerds (Lidia)
• B-Girls (Angel)

Complicated? Well, they are t-shirts - so it shouldn’t be that hard to do…but then again, they only had an hour to do it and the final designs weren’t all that spectacular. Daniella wins the mini challenge…again.

Next, the designers must create an outfit for the girl who was part of their clique from the mini challenge…who is now in her mid 20s. Time is running thin too - designs must be ready for the runway the next day!

The designers are stressed, tension is high, and Merlin almost has a complete meltdown when Kelly and Issac stop by and start second guessing his work. How can Merlin be so confused about the definition of “mean”?? Better yet is when they stop by Johnny’s station to snark for a few questions about the Fred Flintstone look he’s wearing - now that was hilarious!

I think Anna’s Goth look actually had a lot of potential, even though it didn’t really fit with the stereotype. Merlin and Haven’s designs are named the best and in the end, Merlin wins.

Then there was poor Angel…oh, she tried. She gave it her best shot, having no clue what “B-girls” meant at all - but ultimately, you could see how that sad little puffy vest wasn’t going to make a good impression in front of the judges. None of the designs this week were particularly fantastic, but hers was just lost from the start. Johnny’s Jock look is also pretty laughable, but I really felt bad for the way Angel was raked over the coals for not knowing the term. Kelly Rowland looked visibly offended. Geez, guys…just send her home and put her out of her misery…

Which they do - but not before Issac Mizrahi goes on a tirad about what fashion is all about while the designers stand there and nervously take it. Pressure’s on guys…it’s down to eight designers for next week!

The Fashion Show airs at 10pm ET/PT on Bravo and don’t forget - after each episode, check out Tresemme’s Style Seeker for hair style tips and don’t forget that the winning design is available for purchase on BravoTV.com!

Images: Bravo/NBC Universal

As I mentioned yesterday, The Fashion Show is going back to high school this week, which challenges that will further test their ability to make beautiful - but totally wearable - clothes. From the look of things, the designers don’t seem to be thriving in this week’s challenge any more than they did last week where they were pouting about designing for curves.

Student Body President

High School Again

Backstage Mayhem

The Fashion Show airs at 10pm ET/PT on Bravo and don’t forget - after each episode, check out Tresemme’s Style Seeker for hair style tips and don’t forget that the winning design is available for purchase on BravoTV.com!

This week on The Fashion Show, the designers are heading back to school for both the Harper’s Bazaar mini challenge and elimination challenge. Their designs must be inspired by those awkward teenage years where different high school cliques are well defined by what people wear. Their work will be graded on wearability - a big focus for The Fashion Show - as well as general aesthetic appeal.

Do you remember high school? Where some folks (erm, not me) appeared to be cool without even trying, while the rest of us struggled to keep up with changing trends and new styles…on an allowance? This should be an good challenge to see where the designers take it, especially since some of the designers, tend to go a little over the top. I don’t think Merlin’s dress from the shoe challenge would make the cut in high school. Super fab designer Charlotte Ronson will be joining the judges as a guest judge.

Let’s see if this week everyone can hold it together, stop their whining for a minute and get to work!

The Fashion Show airs at 10pm ET/PT on Bravo and don’t forget - after each episode, check out Tresemme’s Style Seeker for hair style tips and don’t forget that the winning design is available for purchase on BravoTV.com!

Images: Bravo/NBC Universal

This week, Jeanie Syfu created a sleek and sophisticated “power” look to go with Daniella’s chic dress and jacket combo look on The Fashion Show. Sometimes it can be challenging to find a way to work with short hair and give it that extra “oomph” it needs to be a step up from normal daytime hair. With just a few quick steps, you can easily turn your short hairstyle into a sexy, almost androgynous style that is a little bit unexpected and out of the ordinary.

You can recreate the winning look by following a few simple steps from TRESemme.

A Few Tips…

• This could be a challenging style if your short hair has curl or lots of wave to it. Break out the straightening iron!
• If you usually wear your short hair with sideswept bangs, it may take a bit more product to get those pieces to cooperate.
• Slightly dirty hair will be a bit more pliable and easier to work with.
• If your hair doesn’t want to work with you, don’t panic - work with it and have the confidence to let this style turn into something just for you.

To Start…

1. Distribute TRESemmé Simply No Frizz Spray Gel on wet hair, and comb through evenly.

2. Blow dry hair back with a thermal round brush to create volume on top.

Want to know the rest of the steps? Check out Tresemme’s Style Seeker to find out how to create your own version of the winning runway look.

Image: Bravo/NBC Universal

This week on The Fashion Show Daniella won with a stylish black coat and dress duo just begging for some chic accessories. While this wasn’t my top choice, it is a beautiful garment…my bias probably stems from Daniella being one of the biggest whiners I’ve ever seen!

I didn’t have a clear favorite this week, but I did enjoy Reco’s smart looking red and grey outfit - the tailoring was sexy but not trashy (we’ll get to an example of that later…) and the model just looked so happy wearing it.

I also thought Lydia’s dress was quite pretty - the neckline was very interesting and I could see this flattering a variety of body types, not just her model. The way the waist is cinched together is just fantastic!

Somehow I think I might be the only person in the world who didn’t completely hate Merlin’s outfit. Sure, he worked with a tweed, a challenging fabric, but I thought the model looked very chic…funny how he was essentially using the same colors as he did last week, but this was a very big improvement to me.

Now, let’s talk about the worst fashions…

What was Johnny thinking putting his model in this little hoochie mama dress?! This wouldn’t be a pretty look on a girl shaped like a toothpick or his absolutely beautiful curvy model…or for that matter any woman shaped anyway in between! Bottom line…it just looks cheap and trashy.

Then there was Haven’s pink and black minidress with a weird mini cape accent around her neck…this looks like a bathrobe gone totally wrong. I have no idea how Haven stayed in the competition with this one because honestly…I think I actually said the words “BLECH…” right out loud when her model came on the the TV. There was so much she could have done to really accentuate her model’s best assets but right here all I’m noticing is disproportion between her top and bottom halves…just disappointing.

SO…do I think Keith should have been sent home? No. These two dresses were way more off the mark to me. We’ll see if somehow Johnny and Haven can pull it together next week…I wonder if Merlin will cry again…

The Fashion Show airs at 10pm ET/PT on Bravo and don’t forget - after each episode, check out Tresemme’s Style Seeker for hair style tips and don’t forget that the winning design is available for purchase on BravoTV.com!

Images: Bravo/NBC Universal

What a bust! Mexico City’s Fashion Week this year was shorter then expected this year; opening on Tuesday and closing on Thursday. But why? Fashion just cannot take a backseat to the world around us! 

Can we blame the worldwide flu pandemic known as the Swine Flu? Or the worsening economy that has finally trickled it’s way down to my friends just a few hours south of San Antonio? 

Zuma Press

To be fair, to date Mexico has 125 confirmed fatalities linked to the (A)H1N1 virus (better known as Swine Flu. So, backing out of a fashion show because the whole country has shut down right before a show is fair. However, the travel warnings have been lifted and the show must go on! And it did. The shows continued to small audience with some designers showing some pretty fabulous collections. 

Much like shows from earlier in the year these shows did not shy away from the downright depressing emotional state that the world is in. The colors were dark, the hair was frazzled and unkept, and the make-up was deep…in almost every show I happened to find photos of.  Not that any of this is bad, of course. Fashion is like any other creative outlet, designers need an outlet to express what is going on in the world. For writers it is words, for painters it is colors and for fashion designers it is textiles. 

Throughout the next few entries we will take a look at these few shows that made it through Mexico City’s D’Fashion Week and how the small audience and economy may have impacted their shows.