NEW YORK (AP) — Elegance and simplicity with a touch of risk: They are the basic ingredients in the newest bridal collections by Carolina Herrera, Oscar de la Renta and Angel Sanchez that emphasized voluminous skirts, sharp pleats, sparkles and floral motifs.

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
•  

These Latin designers are known to make some of the most elaborate, influential and popular gowns in the New York bridal market, which recently held a series of runway previews of gowns that likely will be headed down the aisle.

From de la Renta's signature highly elaborate designs to Sanchez's architectural triangular creases in the neckline, there were many sophisticated and innovative options that showed attention to detail.

"Architecture is my resource to achieve proportion, line, but to me, the materials, the detail to the ornament, help make women look beautiful. This collection really has that balance," Sanchez said after his show on Monday.

"I don't find it to be that daring. I see it as a collection that shows the back, that has things that remind of something sexy, but is so veiled, so discreet, so romantic, that it would never look vulgar. I tried to avoid sexiness being transformed into something obvious," he added.

Venezuelan Sanchez stayed faithful to modern dresses with his characteristic play on geometry. A bit of glitz came from the gemstones used to define thin belts. He also included designs that left the back uncovered and others that seemed to arise from a fairy tale.

Sanchez, who designed wedding gowns for Eva Longoria and Sandra Bullock, explained that instead of presenting two bridal collections a year this time he focused only in this one, with a total of 25 pieces. "I wanted a well-thought proposal. I took my time with this collection," he said. "What puts it all together in this collection is the ethereal. For me, a bridal grown has to offer lightness. Something ethereal is per se romantic."

De la Renta made the most out of organza and lace, giving his brides floral designs and strategic use of sheer materials. He left the shoulders bare and opted for voluminous and elaborated skirts. It wasn't an entirely white runway, with de la Renta using occasional flashes of pastel colors, starting his show with a blue dress and including another in pink with details in white lace.

Silk and long veils were key elements to his collection, as well as the use of beadwork. The Dominican Republic-born De la Renta greeted the crowd with a generous smile at the end of his show.

Elaborate embroidery on otherwise simple silhouettes defined Herrera's collection. The Venezuelan-born designer covered arms in lace or with a cape tied to a bow. She included platinum, gold and even some grey in her color palette.

"Carolina Herrera designs each wedding dress to be unique, evocative of the bride's personal style and embodying the spirit of the wedding day — with never a reference trend," according to her house statement offered to the press.

With this collection, the designer also launched her first blog, "The Carolina Herrera Bride," and described it as a resource to brides around the world.

A day in New York City can be exhausting, especially if your time is limited and you only have a few days to pack it all in. The best way to cope with this problem is to start uptown and work your way down. Also, remember to buy a fun pass, this gives you the ability to travel the city’s intricate subway system all day long, without the unneeded purchase of several single swipe tickets.

 

Start at the Museum Mile, which spans from 105^th St. to 82^nd St., all along 5^th Ave. The best place to learn about the city, its culture, and its history, is the properly titled; Museum of the City of New York. The next one on your list should be the Guggenheim. The architecture of the building is certainly worth mentioning, created by Frank Lloyd Wright it is almost futuristic in its design. The museum is one large spiral staircase, without the stairs. It is an ascending circular labyrinth filled with original works by Willem De Kooning, Pablo Picasso, Henry Russo, and Van Gogh. Lastly, venture towards The Metropolitan. Founded in 1870 this gigantic museum houses over two million works that span time and space. You can start with pieces from the Byzantine Empire and end with a work by Jackson Pollack. The Museum of Modern Art is also worth checking out, but it is not located on The Museum Mile, and if time is of the essence you may want to save it for your next trip to the city.

• 
• 
• 
• 
•  

 

What trip to New York City would be complete without a stroll through Central Park? If you feel like sharing a bit of melancholic sentiment with Catcher in the Rye’s Holden Caulfield, have a seat and watch the ducks. Central park was also home to the famous artistic construction The Gates by Cristo and Jean Claude. You also might want to enjoy a quiet lunch at the scenic Boathouse on Central Park.

 

For all the shoppers out there, head to Midtown. If you need to get a souvenir why not stop at FAO Schwarz, dubbed “The Most Famous Toy Store in the World.” It seems to me that any child would love a life-sized stuffed animal. Although you may need to purchase an extra seat on the plane for your journey back home.

 

5^th Avenue provides a slew of high-end shopping centers such as Louis Vuitton, Prada, Gucci, Bergdorf, and Goodman. If you are a female the Abercrombie and Fitch store might be worth taking a look at. Regardless of the temperature outside, buff male models line the streets in shorts and flip flops advertising the new summer collection.

 

It is getting a bit later. The sun is going down. The lights of the city are beginning to sprout, and what better place to enjoy the overstimulation of the city that never sleeps then Times Square? The streets are filled with dazzling lights and a cacophony of music, honking horns, and short-tempered New Yorkers. If you are in the mood for fine dining, The Marriot on 42^nd street is the place to be. Not only does it offer mouth watering delicacies, but an awe inspiring aerial view of Times Square. There is also a Toys R Us more reminiscent of a Disney World than a popular children’s chain. Even if you do not plan on purchasing anything, the larger-than-life exhibits are certainly worth taking a look at.

 

If it is comedy clubs you are interested in, try Dangerfield’s. If sketch comedy is more your style, it would behoove you to check out the Upright Citizens Brigade Theater. There are also several Broadway shows to see, but make reservation far in advance. Also, if you are feeling a bit sordid you may want to check out Howard Stern’s favorite establishment, Scores, but watch out for the $30 cover charge.

 

For a fun nightlife experience head to the Lower East Side. A very trendy area of New York City, the Lower East Side provides a throw back to the grittiness of old school New York. Do not get confused though, the hipster dive bars, and dimly lit lounges are by no means inexpensive.

 

You may have had enough already, but do not miss out on a visit to South Street Seaport. Located on the water, with a spectacular view of the Brooklyn Bridge, this area is home to shops, restaurants, and gives you an all around feel of clam appreciation for the City’s more quiet areas. My favorite South Street attraction is hands down Heartland Brewery and Barbecue. The brewery makes all of their own beers, including chocolate peanut butter beer and lemon ale. Order the beer platter, it is a sample of 11 different beers in 4 ounce glasses. If you are still hungry and want something to munch on, try the chicken fingers with the honey mustard root beer sauce.

 

If you feel like you missed something on your journey there are still some obvious attractions, such as the Empire State Building, the Statue of Liberty, and Rockefeller Center. Three course dinner cruises are also offered, many of them with live bands playing right on the boat. If you are a sports fan go see a Yankees game. More of a Mets fan? Then check out the newly renovated stadium. A piece of advice; if you are visiting the city, never buy an “I Love New York” t-shirt, everyone will know you are a tourist and thus you have transformed into the meat hanging in the windows of China Town.

-brett miller

After New York Fashion Week took place, many new trends just in time for fall have begun to pop up. From gorgeous long draped gowns to baroque styled blouses, the biggest trends are making their way to stores nationwide. Here are the biggest fashion blow ups that have hit the run ways in New York City and Paris.

Draped Necklines

Formal gowns have made a giant development for 2013; a beautiful draped neck reminiscent of the 1920s and 30s. Long gown is the formally trending strapless prom dress and in comes a lovely short sleeved variant with bunched fabric at the neckline. Not only does it fit the body like a glove, it looks romantically classic with either a soft toned color hue or a lavish floral pattern. No doubt that these dresses will match with the already fashionable platform heel and a sophisticated wavy bun hairstyle.

Bright Whites

White has always been incorporated in fashion, but designers have brought the pale tone back into the forefront. This color or lack of is coming back steadily, ready for the holidays and the winter season in general. Fluffy white sweaters and long white skirts are a hot commodity now, especially when paired with an equally as white accessory such as boots, shoes, or even a hairpiece. Soft white signifies innocence and looks amazing with all hair and skin colors, so it’s no wonder it’s heating up the runway in full force.

Crimson Reds

Another popular color in clothing this season is vivid crimson red. This charming and mysterious color has not reached popularity since the 1990s, and is making a comeback in blouses, long silky skirts, and trench coat styled dresses. This beautiful rouge tinge has been mixed with loud striped patterns on the latest runways to give it a new and unique edge.

Loud Patterned Sweaters

Sweaters with decals and prints haven't seen the light in fashion for quite a while, so it’s about time they are featured once again. Warm and fuzzy loose sweaters are an upcoming trend that will surely be available everywhere, as well as 80s inspired prints and the rustic Fair Isle look. Popular colors include warm beige, deep navy, and chocolate brown.

Contrasted Collars

For a cute yet sensible look, contrasted collars are in and heavily upgraded. New trend blouses are usually a solid color such as white or cream with a bold black collar to even it out. These types of collars are every soft and rounded on the edges or sharp and slightly uneven. Sleeveless dresses with contrasted collars are also becoming increasingly popular, especially those with embellishments outlining the color. Although this trend popped up last year, it’s been remarkably well known after this year's fashion week displayed them. The latest fashion trends mix in a bit of old with the new. Each trend has a vintage trait that balances out with a contemporary flare. From the new color palettes, different styles of collars, and elegantly designed dresses, there is sure to be something for everyone this fashion season.

About the Author: Jessica Hamilton, with Cariloha, is an avid blogger that loves fashion, shopping and travelling. She enjoys finding ways to serve the community and help support a green eco-friendly lifestyle.

One of the prettiest collections of this year's fashion weeks was Dennis Basso. For his Spring/Summer collection 2013, Dennis Basso brought back the iconic 1960's socialite. It was "Breakfast At Tiffany's" for the modern era, and we loved it. Basso said that his main inspiration came from the glamorous seaside resort of Deauville, France, where the finest families and high society gathered each spring and summer. Often called The Riviera of Paris, the 60’s were a special time at this fabled resort; when women always dressed for dinner.  The color palette of the collection reflected the sea and the night sky: blush, champagne, pearl, shades of blue and sheer black with gold metallic accents.

The hair was perfect too. Hair design was handled by John Barrett.

Photos by Angie Lagou

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
•  

For the final show of New York Fashion Week, Ralph Lauren broke free from the pack and went down South America way for his Español-flavored spring collection. Jessica Alba, for one, was excited by it, sitting next to Olivia Wilde taking pictures and mouthing “so chic” to a consultant seated behind her. There was lots to be excited about, between the gold embroidered toreador pants, tooled leather jackets and the serape blanket wrap tops, not least of which were the cha-cha-cha accessories: colorful bead jewelry, stencil cut-out leather belts, python and lizard hobos, blanket stitch platform sandals. Not sure if he had Argentine Marxist revolutionaries on the brain, but the berets and the studded motorcycle mailbags lent a fab Che Guevara air.

Read the Full Story at New York Post

Jourdan Dunn made her runway debut in the New York shows in the fall of 2007, walking in shows for Marc Jacobs and Polo Ralph Lauren. She has modelled for Burberry, Calvin Klein, Yves Saint Laurent, Prada, Victoria's Secret, Topshop, Jaeger, Gap, Shiatzy Chen, Benetton, H&M, Neiman Marcus and Saks Fifth Avenue. She's been in Vogue, Elle, i-D, among other magazines.

Jourdan Dunn
British Model
Age 22
Star Sign- Leo

She is currently ranked 15th on the Top 50 Models Women.

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
•  

The fashion industry can be a really unfriendly place to emerging designers. It's difficult enough for established designers to stay in the game but for emerging designers trying to launch, there are a lot of challenges.  So the innovative people at Hype Productions- France, came up with a cool concept a fashion design competition, held in Paris with emerging designers from all around the world.

This summer, HYPE Fashion Show Production and Marketing, an independent boutique style company based in the South of France, is teaming up with US based, SYNERGY Events, to give unknown designers the opportunity of their lives, in the fashion capital of the world in Paris, France.

The competition will have three very talented and experienced judges, Artem Balawv, Barry Laden, and Julissa Matrich. Artem Balaev is the co-Founder and General Producer of Aurora Fashion Week in Russia. He has organized and put on numerous catwalk shows for top of the line designers in Russia and Saint Petersburg. Barry Laden is a British fashion entrepreneur, who is most widely known for his creation of The Laden Showroom. This is the UK’s largest independent showroom and retail space for the promotion of budding designers. The British royal family awarded him the MBE medal for his great service in the industry of fashion. Julissa Matrich has produced shows in New York Fashion Week, Amsterdam Fashion Week, and is in the process of executive producing “Curacao Fashion Week,” which is one of the biggest fashion weeks in the Caribbean.

“This is a very exciting partnership and natural next step in the development of HYPE Fashions. When it comes to fashion events, Paris is the place to be and the Emerging Trends event is a great opportunity for emerging designers to showcase their work in one of the world’s fashion capitals.” -Sarah Oosten, HYPE Fashions.

The winning designer will receive a prize worth over $10,000, including $5,000 cash, complimentary participation at Cannes Love fashion 2013 or Emerging Trends 2012 during Boston Fashion Week (a $2500 value) and major European press coverage (over $2500 value).

About The SYNERGY Events: The SYNERGY Events has created various high-end events in Boston, DC and New York, bringing together young professionals, fashion designers, performers, and artists to network, mingle, and gain the opportunity to be a part of unique affairs. These exclusive events attract an ideal market in a luxurious atmosphere.

About HYPE Fashions: HYPE Fashions is a fashion show production and marketing company based in Southern France that offers its clients unprecedented fashion show production, photo shoot production, fashion event production, talent casting, consulting services, marketing and PR.

Event website : http://paris.theemergingtrends.com/

July 7th 7pm, Espace Saint-Martin