Call it damask.  Call it brocade.  I love it all.   It was my go to print for when I decorated my old apartment bedroom.  It was what caught my eye during my wedding planning.  And I adore it when it comes to fashion and stationary even!  I’m about to take off on a flight to Thailand and am expecting a long 15 day blogging hiatus so before leaving, I thought I’d leave you all with some of my favorite fab decor shots featuring damask and brocade wallpapers.  Tell me what you think!

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It was fun!  I treasure-hunted while I noted who the retailers used for their caterers.  I people-watched as I noted the products they were drawn to.  I bopped to the DJ while I took photos of all the event activations.  And I met Hal Robenstein while doing my little investigation!

Hal Robenstein, Fashion Director of InStyle Magazine hosted the party at Donna Karen NY today and signed books of his “100 Unforgettable Dresses” hardcover book.

He signed mine, “Never be afraid of attempting what could prove to be unforgettable.”  Great quote.

” Featuring looks from the runway, film, television, the red carpet and the worlds of royalty and politics, this booked celebrates the staying power of these gorgeous, sleek, sultry, and outreageous creations….”-Alber Elbaz    I couldn’t wait to hear the fashion presentation led by Hal  himself.  Having to lead fashion presentations in-store myself, I always enjoy watching and learning from others.

By night’s end, I didn’t care whether I saw the front of the presentation or not.  I had to sit and rest my poor heel-trapped feet.  This was my view.  I stared at Hal’s pant pocket chain and wondered how long ago that look fell out of style.

Here was my favorite dress of the evening worn by one of my favorite Long Island m odels, Aida who I’ve booked many times for Saks events.  Gorgeous, isn’t she?

I was surprised to run into as many people that I knew as I did.  After all, I’ve only been working in Long Island for a little over a year now.   Yet it seems, everytime I attend a Long Island event, I inevitably run into a press contact, charity chairperson, or Saks customer when out and about.  Anyways, the highlight of my night was meeting Hal.  I hope to have him at our store soon!

As a huge fan of Forever 21, I was super excited to receive the invite above.  I think I’ve already proven through my blog and outfit posts that I’m forever a Forever 21 girl.  I just love that you can get such trendy pieces at such affordable prices!  And the brand name suits me for even though I’m in my 30s, I feel Forever 21 (as evidenced by my silly hello kitty purse in the picture below)!  Ok so here are the pics from the Forever 21 Spring 2012 Fashion Presentation.

My yellow poof dress is from Forever 21 (had to wear something from the brand to the party now didn’t I?).  I winterized  the summer dress with my new Cynthia Steffe cardigan from Marshall’s, charcoal textured tights, and accessorized with my Hello Kitty purse and necklace from Off 5th.  Also pictured to the far left is “Courtney Henley-Anderson, from blog “That Girl At The Party” and my dear friend Kate who is wearing her signature legging look – sexy!

The spring 2012 presentation was in this beautiful loft space with the most amazing view of NYC but I was so enthralled by the fashion preview that I couldn’t take my eyes off the clothes.  They had cute little vignettes setup shown below.

I wanted the Tiffany blue pumps, tan tie blouse on the left mannequin and necklace from the front and center mannequin.  Speaking of jewelry, my fellow blogging friends told me that we were instructed to take whatever jewelry we loved HOME.  I couldn’t believe my ears and actually had to check twice and then ask another person to double-check I was understanding correctly.  I could take any jewelry that I wanted?  Really??

My eyes widened as I tried to control my excited, thumping heart and search the room for my favorite finds.  I looked around to see whether others were doing the same and indeed they were!  This gave me the final liberty to select my new finds.

My friend, Kate and I both fell in love with the floral bow rings so we each picked up one and felt like screaming “wonder twins, unite!”

I kind of felt like a clepto when I took the bow ring and the bracelet seen here but everyone around me kept re-assuring me that it was A-OK.  What a fun fashion party!  Who ever heard of one where you can go in and take what you like?  And if that wasn’t enough, we got to enjoy some free drinks and delectable treats served by models clad in head-to-toe Forever 21.  How cute are they?

Leave a comment here if you also love Forever 21!

I love fashion shows.  Because of my work experience in event planning, PR and marketing, I take in every branding detail from the invite font to the server uniforms, to the model styling and the platforms that the models stand on.  I also love Juicy Couture.  It’s such a fun-spirited, girly brand that’s carried out in all their ads, stores and fashions.  So when I got invited to preview the Spring 2012 collection through a fashion presentation at the Academy Mansion venue in NYC, I knew I had to go.

Leaving work early at 4 seemed a bit naughty but hey, I was out researching, right?  Here is what I saw when I first walked in.

Hunky guys in tennis uniforms swathed in pink lights all asking me whether I wanted a drink or lite bite – what a greeting!

I need to find a caterer in Long Island with presentation trays as cute as these.  Don’t you just love the mini-burgers and the pre-cut holes for their baby fries?

Yes, that’s Tim Gunn right in front of me.  He was so stoic as he examined each look that I couldn’t tell if he liked anything.

The bright pops of orange, fuschia and yellow were bright, playful and screamed spring.  The navy and the stripes brought a classic touch to it all.  Notice how all the models have the same beachy waves in their hair – very Gisele.

The clothes while still young-spirited and fun seemed a bit more sophisticated as if the Juicy girl grew up.

I could see myself wearing a lot of the pieces and sort of saw the brand evolving into a fine competitor for Kate Spade, Tory Burch, and Milly.

It’s always an odd thing to be staring straight at these live mannequins as you walk in closer to check out all the outfit details.  I mean in real life, you might give someone the once over but if so you’d be mindful to do it quickly in order not to let the other person notice.  But at a fashion presentation, you have to come in close to check out the minute details, and there’s no getting around it.   Some  might find it intimidating almost, having all these gorgeous girls tower over you as you simply try to get up close and personal to see all the fashionable details.  Here’s the beautiful posse staring YOU down.

There was 1 Asian model in the mix.  One.

I’m a sucker for sparkly things so this caught my eye and made  me wonder whether wearing brooches on pant pockets would ever catch on and turn into a trend. cute idea!

Here are some photos of the creative director and some celebs taking the requisite press shots.

And then here’s me and my new friend.  I bond quickly with others who do PR and events for a living.

The tennis theme ran throughout as you can see.  And if you’ve been reading up on spring 2012 fashions at all, you’ll know that this sporty motif is a huge trend for the season.

I love how the Juicy Couture handbags have the bow detail.  I have one similar to this style, shown in my style diary posts.

And here’s the goody bag that Juicy Couture gave away at the end of the night!

If you want my goody bag, be the 10th person to leave me a comment here and one other blog entry (and leave me your email so that I can let you know that you’ve won!)

What do you think of my latest collage below?

If you’re a fan of brights, you’ll love this collage.  Check out all those fab shoes!  And who wouldn’t want that amazing chair/ottoman?  I put this together thinking about a fun, rainbow themed, summer wedding.  The bridesmaids would each wear a different colored dress with some of these rainbow bright shoes, carry one of those multi-colored bouquets and take pics in a photo booth with the rainbow striped background.

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