That was the show of  Irina Shabayeva, the season six winner of Project Runway, as she debuted her Fall 2010 collection on Saturday, February 13th at SIR Stage 37. Encompassing an “Amelia Earhart” of sorts theme of  freedom and the un-tethered journey of flight, Shabayeva  was clearly on a course to create a fantasy of intricate beading, textile construction and exotic materials.

Hand sewn creations of soft cashmere, silk screened and hand painted wools and ombre shades were showcased side-by-side with structurally sculpted bodices and flight inspired flounces. Model after model walked down the runway in such luxury, such gorgeous creations, the audience literally did not know where to catch their breath next! Each piece was like moving artwork!!

Materials ranged from natural to industrial as creations were swirled in feathers and patterns only born in nature.

Tupperware-engineered materials provided the hard edges and solid structures delicately balanced with luxurious materials like cashmere, supple leathers, double faced wool and fur. An unusual partnership with an alternative view to fashion and design allowed Shabayeva to join Tupperware’s effort of inspiring women around the world through confidence and empowerment.

“Knowing that Tupperware is so passionate about empowering women, it was easy to implement an element of determination into the clothing,” states Shabayeva. “To me, fashion and the design process is liberating, fun and empowering.”

“When we saw Irina on Project Runway, we were simply in awe of her of talent and vision,” said Tupperware Brands’ Chairman and CEO Rick Goings. “As a company that has long been focused on innovative design, we’re thrilled to work with someone who is forward-thinking and whose work is so inspiring.”

Here is one of my favorite ensembles  from the Fall collection, which was a dress made entirely of pheasant feathers !

A strapless white cocktail dress made from 8 different wings of Tupperware materials impressed me as well,  along with a black glider with hand carved leather wing paired with leather panel pants.

part one

part two

If you have a few minutes, grab your beverage of choice and watch the show!  It is truly a wonderful experience to begin or end your day!

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mac liberty of london collection

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Colors of gray, taupe, putty,  ruled the Red Carpet. Pefect for the cooler toned skins and lighter eyes! Get ready for gray!  It is definitely the new black!  Elizabeth Banks’ Versace was filmy yet constructed, giving a lingerie feel to tufts and tufts of silk chiffon. Cloud like!  Helen Mirren always looks great and classic.  She never seems to age!

In an homage to spring, white, ivory, nude and peach also made an appearance. Flattering, but challenging to wear with such neutral makeup and not look washed out.  I adore Demi Moore’s Versace, and the Elie Saab wore by Anna Kendricks is ethereal. As much as I love Armani, I think the fabric on both these gowns was too stiff and heavy looking for a formal night out.  Maybe a wedding would be better?

There is always the classic black, glamour and class!I wish Kristen Stewart had worn a bit more bling by her face, I think this gorgeous Monique L’Huillier needs to amplify a bit, otherwise it just looks heavy.  Carey Mulligan’s Prada is clever, with the front cut up to show off the shoes! Now why hasn’t someone done that sooner?  The shoes never get enough publicity!

There were just a few red dresses, again speaking to Fall, as in true blue red. My personal fave here is the Donna Karan that Penelope Cruz wore. Sigourney Weaver loves those greek goddess lines, just like in her Lanvin!

Fitted bodices, lingerie inspired and ruffled alike were everywhere, showing shoulders, clavicle and amplifying many starlet’s decollete. Remember the” lower the dress, the smaller the breast” to look your most classy and chic.  Are you listening Mariah Carey?

Hair was worn either loose and naturally styled, almost lanky, or coiffed and extended to heights that only the most confident (aka Sarah Jessica Parker) could pull off.  Karl Lagerfeld at Chanel designed this dress especially for SJP for the Oscar’s this year.  I think it is divine, retro and just gorgeous in the details!  The back was more interesting than the front, with embellishment inset into the lower back and even the lower part of the leg area!  So clever!

Makeup trended largely towards natural and nude tones, worn by almost every woman in a light or flesh colored gown.  Personally, I would have enjoyed a bit more of  a color pop, somewhere, to liven it up a bit and get some energy back in the faces! This nude effect is BIG for Fall/Winter 2010-11, and I guess you could say it is easy and wearable  as an up point!

A couple of actors did  go that route, such as the  retro glam lip  worn by Sandra Bullock with bright pink red lipstick and flushed cheeks, a nice change from the other award shows this year, where she worked a very pretty, albeit clean, nude hued visage. Vera Farmiga rocked a stronger pretty  lip as well.

Not to leave the guys out in the cold, I do want to note that I was DELIGHTED to see so many actors in my favorite designer, Tom Ford.  He not only dressed the hosts Steve Martin and Alec Balwin,  I counted at least 10 other actors in his collection.These pictures of Ryan Reynold’s and Colin Firth do not even come close do doing these gorgeous tuxedo’s  workmanship  justice!

Tom Ford can design a suit like nobody’s business. He is a MAGICIAN! If you have not been to his store in Las Vegas, put it on your list for your next visit.  Absolutely STUNNING and so beautifully appointed, it, and it’s contents of custom suits, shirts, shoes and accessories will leave you in awe! I hear his women’s line is just about to break out to the public as well! YAY!  Can you believe how multi talented this guy is?  (not to mention GORGEOUS! )  He designs, he brings classic fashion houses back from the brink of death, he directs, writes and produces his first film and gets noticed in the Academy Awards his first time out of the gate!  Have you seen A Single Man?  Oh!  It is so beautifully shot, it is like a 2 hour Gucci ad.  And they did the whole film in THREE DAYS!  Colin Firth and Julianne Moore are irresistible in this film!  A MUST SEE IF YOU HAVE NOT ALREADY !

Photo credits: wwd.com, temptalia.com, huffingtonpost.com

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It was a blustery, blizzardly cold morning Tuesday when I shivered my way into Kim Kardashian for bebe show.  Snowflakes the size of snow cones were tumbling down, and all I could think about was a cup of tea and getting into a warm room!  Well, be careful what you wish for because that is EXACTLY what I got!  A very warm room backstage thanks to the Sephora PRO Beauty team’s makeup lights, the Toni and Guy hair team’s blow dryers and curling irons, and about 50 papparazzi cameras!  What a scene!  So much reality for a reality star’s debut into the fashion arena!

In a world where every celebrity, “faux”lebrity, reality star, and athlete has their own “brand” such has followed the Kardashian sisters, Khloe, Kourtney and of course, Kim.  The three sisters collaborated with the bebe brand to design their own interpretation of looks for Fall/Winter 2010/11.  But this is really not the focus of the story, you see, because what I really want to tell you about here is the incredible inside talent that makes the outside talent look fantastic.  In this case it is indeed lead artist Nathalie Bechard, and  the Sephora PRO Beauty Team and their partners for hair, Toni and Guy, lead by lead stylist Whitney Buschke.

The Fashion and Beauty industries are terrific at telling people what they should wear, and when they should wear it, but rarely do the people who create those looks, show after show, day after day get into the limelight.  So here I want to show you what it is like backstage at a Fashion Week show, and some helpful hints on how you can get the looks exactly right for yourselves as well!

Who is wearing what, when and how!  Boards dictate accessories, ensembles, and most importantly, who is wearing them and in what order!

Tricks of the trade to creating the look for the show, and a frequent theme to looks throughout Mercedes Benz Fashion Week !  Soft smokey eyes, perfect skin, natural glowing cheeks, and softly natural, dewy lips!  Hair was softly curled and fluffed

with dry shampoo and a light shine mist, but no stiff sprays or gels. Naturally glamorous, effortlessly chic!

See video below on how to get this smoldering, sexy  look yourselves!

To achieve the look , the Sephora PRO Beauty Team used these items:

For the eyes:

Make Up For Ever Aqua Liner in Star Black

Make Up For Ever Aqua Black Waterproof Cream Eye Shadow

Make Up For Ever Diamond Powder

Dior Brow Gel

Sephora Collection Colorful Artist Palette

Make Up For Ever Smokey Lash Mascara in Black

Make Up For Ever Individual False Eyelashes

For the skin:

Make Up For Ever HD Elixir

Dior Diorskin Nude Natural Glow Hydrating Makeup in SPF 10

Yves Saint Laurent Touche Eclat Radient Touch

Fresh Twilight Facefresh Glow

For the lips:

Sephora Rouge Cream Lipstick in Mmmm…

Sephora Nano Lip Liner in Candid Candy

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Betsey Johnson is no cheap date!

I got the inside scoop on this fact  during  Fashion Week, while taking a breather at  the “Pink your Drink” event at the W Hotels Arrival Lounge at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week in New York.  The  iconic fashion designer, Betsey Johnson, unveiled for the first time in the U.S. arguably the world’s most expensive spirits container: a Chambord® bottle fashioned with $3 million worth of diamonds, gold and pearls.

My compadres at Laura Baddish’s firm, The  Baddish Group, (PR firm to such delicious luxury brands such as Chambord, Driscoll’s Berries, Pama Liquor, and more) invited me to partake in the festivities, and so having a few minutes between collections,  I did!  Squeezing into the airplane sized lounge was no easy feat though, as it was packed to the walls with security, press, artists, papparazzi, and of course, none other than Betsey Johnson, FASHION ICON, herself!  I have been a long time fan of Betsey’s, and in person, she is just as vibrant, colorful, and energetic as you would imagine!  All that yoga I hear she does must be paying off in spades because she looks AMAZING!

Just a little 411 on Betsey, in case you want some more details……New York designer Betsey Johnson joined forces with Chantal Bacon in 1978 and started the Betsey Johnson label, as it is known today. Her commitment to remain true to her one-of-a-kind vision has afforded continued success in the clothing fashion industry for 30 years. Starting in 2004, the Betsey Johnson label expanded as a lifestyle brand with the introduction of intimates, handbags and leather goods, footwear, watches, jewelry, eyewear, swimwear, legwear, outerwear and a fragrance. Today there are over sixty Betsey Johnson stores worldwide as well as an established wholesale business in international markets. For store locations or product information, visit www.betseyjohnson.com.

Designed by international jeweler Donald Edge, the appearance of the incomparable ‘Chambord by Donald Edge’ bottle at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week was the latest stop on a worldwide tour that has taken the bottle to London and Berlin.  From New York it travels to Orlando and Australia for an appearance down-under.According to Edge, the unforgettable Chambord orb bottle is decorated with more than 60 carats worth of diamonds including 1,100 round brilliant cut diamonds, pear cut diamonds, a square cut emerald diamond, the finest round pearls and hand-wrought eighteen-carat yellow gold.

As it is the biggest week in fashion, Johnson was on hand to help Chambord unveil the $3 million bottle. Johnson is a breast cancer survivor and advocate, and Chambord was honored to have her as part of its “Pink Your Drink” program during Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week. In addition to its support throughout the year of the “Pink Your Drink” program for breast cancer charities, Chambord is making a donation to Johnson’s designated charity, the National Breast Cancer Coalition.

“We jumped at the chance to feature the $3 million ‘Chambord by Donald Edge’ bottle at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week and to have a designer of Betsey’s caliber unveil the bottle for the first time ever in the U.S.,” said Josh Hayes, Chambord Brand Manager. “Our ‘Pink Your Drink’ program throughout the year revolves around raising funds and awareness for breast cancer, so it was natural to tie into this very fashionable occasion and very fashionable designer.”

According to Hayes, the ‘Chambord by Donald Edge’ bottle is currently being valued by the Guinness World Records to determine if it is indeed the world’s most expensive spirits container.  He jokingly added that the answer to the most frequently asked question about the bottle is, “Yes, it’s for sale.” Upon futher conversations at the event, I heard that the bottle had indeed been purchased by a gentleman from Dubai. No surprise there.

About Chambord Black Raspberry Liqueur:

Chambord Black Raspberry Liqueur was the Official Liqueur of Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week for the fourth consecutive year. Chambord is made from all-natural raspberries, blackberries, XO cognac, Madagascar vanilla, Moroccan citrus peel and honey extract.  It is produced just south of Paris in the picturesque Loire Valley. Inspired by Louis XIV’s visit to Chateau de Chambord in 1685, Chambord continues to lend elegance and style to every occasion as one of the world’s most versatile liqueurs.If you have never had any , you should do so immediately!  It is absolutely divine in champagne or a French martini,  and always well loved! So have some fun and “pink your drink” this weekend!

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