Jewel Tones, Leather And Red Carpet Gowns at Sachin + Babi Fall 2012

It was Valentines Day in the big apple, and I was busy freezing my toes off and hurriedly making my way to Cedar Lake for the Sachin + Babi show.  It was an incredibly intimate affair- there were four or five rows for seating on either side of he runway and several dozen people standing. The collection was drop dead gorgeous- leather pieces and gem stone colors paraded down the runway while a thumping beat paced the models. 
I love that they decided to do a feminine, sophisticated take on leather- it was everywhere! It really gave the collection a rocker edge. There were many dresses done in leather that would have been terribly sweet and girly in any other material. They also showed some incredibly beautiful red carpet-ready gowns which had breathtaking movement and striking color.The styling was wonderful because it was easily achievable without being boring, which is something I really appreciate.
I love it when I can see each piece in a collection instead of designers piling a million things on a model at the same time There were several vibes going on in the collection, but they were all very cohesive. It all reminded me of a ladylike fashion 'it' girl who got dipped in a vat of goth style and who went on her merry way. There was many contrasts throughout the collection such as ostrich feathers and crocodile, strict pencil skirts and and maxi skirts, and leggy gowns and conservative day wear. Another collection highlight was the seriously amazing coats and some sweet ladylike skirts- some done in leather pieces and some featuring ostrich feathers. Hands down one of my favorite collections from New York Fashion Week! 

My pictures from the show aren't too stellar, but I picked some of my favorite looks from Style.com to show you. 

Big thanks to Sachin + Babi for letting me attend the show. You can check them out on the web here and show them some love on twitter here!

*Photos by myself and style.com

Amazing Jewelry Elizabeth Patterson and Meghann Sommers (That I Get To Wear!)

 What could be inside the fascinating brown box? Why, I'll show you...

THIS. In all it's amazing glory.

As I mentioned in my last post, the fantastical people at Craft and Culture were kind enough to lend me some of their incredible items to wear during NYFW. I really love the idea behind Craft and Culture because it focuses on showcasing and highlighting new designers of all kinds. The talent that they have on their website is stunning and I highly recommend that you check them out. This necklace is from &c. by Meghann Sommers, and I fell in love with it the very moment I saw it. The quartz cluster is HUGE and it totally claims the title of being the heaviest necklace I have every had the pleasure of wearing. I really need to be careful when I'm wearing it. That thing could be used as a weapon. The crystal is enormous, cloud-like, beautiful, and a fantastic centerpiece for an outfit. I love how natural it looks-- like it was plucked straight from some mind-blowingly incredible mine and placed on a chain to be worn as art. You can read more about it here. Something I didn't realize until after it was sent to me is that this necklace is one of a kind. So, basically I have the only one. I don't mean 'well, duh, every crystal is different." I mean, I have the only one of this style.  That makes me feel rather special.

The second necklace is this stunning little gem from Elizabeth Patterson. I loooove this one, you guys. It's light, it's a great accent to so many outfits, and the color and tone are gorgeous. You can read more about it here. Something about this piece is really personal to me, due to the fact that it was hand crafted, and Elizabeth's initials are stamped into it. That little detail really means a lot to me, because I think today we have lost that connection between artist and buyer. The quartz is a little jagged, giving it that 'perfectly-imperfect' feel. It's a really beautiful stone, and you can see right through it. This is also a 'one-of-a-kind-I-have-the-only-one-in-the-world-gee-I-feel-super-cool' piece.

 Can you see the initials?

Huge thanks to Craft and Culture, &c., and Elizabeth Patterson for being kind enough to let me borrow these wearable works of art. I'm so excited wear them this week! I'm planning to work the &c. necklace into my outfit today, and I can't wait to show you the result. 
PS. Craft and Culture, &c. and Elizabeth Patterson all have pretty rad blogs (see here for CC, here for &c., and here for EP)