FASHION NIGHT OUT IN NYC: RETAIL STORES TURNED INTO "NIGHTCLUBS"

Fashion, Fashion, Fashion!

It was simply chaotic in the Meatpacking District yesterday evening.
Stores were open until 11-12pm with DJs spinning, drinks served and promotions given away...people were lining up to get in their favorite stores. In the US, American Vogue has joined with NYC & Company, the City of New York, and the Council of Fashion Designers of America to enliven again the consumer spirit that churns the economy and boosts the local industry of America’s fashion capital, New York City. Next only to finance, fashion is the second-largest sector of industry in New York City—the headquarters of more than 800 fashion companies employing 175,000 people and generating $10 billion in total wages. At City Hall’s May 20 press conference to announce Fashion’s Night Out, Vera Wang said, "To put it bluntly, if people don’t shop, people lose their jobs." Please help the retailers! lol

The first evening of New York Fashion Week, Fashion's Night Out is celebrating the retail business to encourage and help retail stores, who have suffered a lot especially in this economy. It seemed to me like most people were there more for the promotions and free drinks/foods lol... rather than shopping. It was a fun night out with friends, definitely Sex and The City style...

At the Diane Von Furstenberg store, a hundred of young women and a few men (boyfriends) were waiting in line to have their photograph taken with Diane in person. She was there signing signing autographs and yes she seemed genuinely nice and pleasant, a warm and kind woman...yet so powerful.

At SCOOP, they were promoting a new lip gloss that plumps the lips yet has HOODIA an active herbal ingredient to cut appetite...now that sounds gross if you ask me. I do not want to starve myself but it seems like most women want to look like Angelina Jolie these days. The lip gloss were going for $20 each and the promotion was if you buy 2 you get the 3rd one free. Who needs 3 of those? lol...At least, Veronica, one of he spokes model of the lip gloss, looked like she was having fun promoting it.

It was definitely a fun night but not sure it was lucrative for the retailers...

By: To-Tam & To-Nya Ton-Nu AKA " The SACHIKA twins"
www.SACHIKA.com

BRYANT PARK DAY 1: Michael Angel kicks off NY Fashion Week playfully

Michael Angel kicked-off NY Fashion Week with a strong collection and hell of a statement! It was all bold, colorful, bright, glitzy, geometric and very fun. His silhouettes were mainly concentrated on the torso and most of his dresses were short and playful. Aussie Designer Michael Angel made a collection for modern and independent women. He drew inspiration from strong influential women such as Nancy Cunard and Josephine Baker. Bold prints included abstract florals and faceted gems, and several ensembles featured heavy doses of bling on sleeves, collars, and the best of these, "Swarovski" embellished zippers that were subtle and swank. Loved it! His show definitely left our mouth watery begging for more. His fashions are absolutely entertaining to watch although they wouldn't be to everyone's taste.Earrings were also geometric and bold, natural makeup to balance the boldness. Sexy, Sexy even when the economy is low! :) Why not?

By: To-Tam & To-Nya Ton-Nu AKA "The SACHIKA twins"
www.SACHIKA.com

SACHIKA FASHION REPORT: Emerging Designer SPURR: Romantic men are back!

So we had the opportunity to attend a great Fashion Show yesterday.
SPURR BY Simon Spurr launched its Spring/Summer 2010 collection. Having worked for brand names such as Ralph Lauren and Calvin Klein, Spurr started his line 3 years ago, here in New York.
With an array of "pretty boyish models" wearing his clothing, Simon Spurr went for a refreshing and clean look for Spring/Summer 2010. The collection had a great sense of unity.
Lots of pink, salmon colors, soft yellow and light blue, navy blue, grey, pale lilac, pastel color palette with cuts reminiscing of the classic look with a touch of Golf...accentuated by his signature the handkerchief flower...I would say romantic men. Silhouettes were slender, clean lines. Fabrics were light such as light weight nylon, wool, cashmere, Lapel Linen, cotton bamboo. Great mix between casual and sophisticated yet functional.The collection is perfect for men that are confident in their masculinity because not all men can pull off pink or yellow, straight legged-pants with flower handkerchiefs...The vintage jeans appeared very comfortable. Our friend Daniel was wearing of their jean and stated :" They are so comfy! ".
The PR company behind the event pulled off a great event sponsored by delicious ACAI VEEV vodka, Fiji water and Parrot frames, good music by a DJ ALEX from Tokyo, great loft, amazing location and very classy and good-looking crowd.
Look out for this emerging designer, he is definitely a rising high-fashion Designer!

By: To-Tam & To-Nya Ton-Nu AKA "The SACHIKA twins" www.SACHIKA.com

SACHIKA NY FASHION REPORT: "SPURR: Romantic men are back :) "

So we had the opportunity to attend a great Fashion Show yesterday.
SPURR BY Simon Spurr launched its Spring/Summer 2010 collection. Having worked for brand names such as Ralph Lauren and Calvin Klein, Spurr started his line 3 years ago, here in New York.
With an array of "pretty boyish models" wearing his clothing, Simon Spurr went for a refreshing and clean look for Spring/Summer 2010. The collection had a great sense of unity.
Lots of pink, salmon colors, soft yellow and light blue, navy blue, grey, pale lilac, pastel color palette with cuts reminiscing of the classic look with a touch of Golf...accentuated by his signature the handkerchief flower...I would say romantic men. Silhouettes were slender, clean lines. Fabrics were light such as light weight nylon, wool, cashmere, Lapel Linen, cotton bamboo. Great mix between casual and sophisticated yet functional.The collection is perfect for men that are confident in their masculinity because not all men can pull off pink or yellow, straight legged-pants with flower handkerchiefs...The vintage jeans appeared very comfortable. Our friend Daniel was wearing of their jean and stated :" They are so comfy! ".
The PR company behind the event pulled off a great event sponsored by delicious ACAI VEEV vodka, Fiji water and Parrot frames, good music by a DJ ALEX from Tokyo, great loft, amazing location and very classy and good-looking crowd.
Look out for this emerging designer, he is definitely a rising high-fashion Designer!

Salsa Congress 2009 at the Hilton Hotel NYC

My experience at the 2009 NYC Salsa Congress

It is with great enthusiasm that I share with you all my experience at NYC’s 2009 Salsa Congress held at the Hilton Hotel in midtown Manhattan! The entire event was rich with music, fun people, wonderful instructors, fantastic dancers and plenty of vendors to choose from. Each one of my senses was delightfully tickled as I made my way through all the salsa-oriented activities that made you shake your hips in participation! I really got into it!
John “Choco” Knight did a splendid job coordinating this year’s event and addressing the needs of the salsa community. He managed to bring the congress to another level this year by making sure to provide educational opportunities to the youth and also by booking the biggest musical act to hit the congress stage in all its years, legendary Eddie Palmieri!
I had to make sure I was prepared for the 3 days of activities so I headed to the vendors to gear up. I found myself at the Salsa Footsies table where I purchased a $70 pair of dancing shoes. I felt official! From there, I joined a workshop with Melissa Rosado who taught me some sexy dance moves that were sure to attract a serious papi chulo! Thanks Melissa! I also partnered with dance instructor, Rene Gueits who taught the Casino Rueda workshop which concentrated on some serious turn patterns. I broke a sweat and got seriously dizzy so I decided to ask the real professionals how they managed to maintain their cool on the dance floor. I was fortunate enough to come across head judge Jamie Josephson, who explained to me the rules of competition for this year’s salsa congress competitors. I found out the winners took home a mega trophy, a title and 5,000 big ones to share. I was so curious what it would take to prepare for competition or performance so I headed backstage where I ran into a couple of crews preparing to take the stage. The crews included the Diamond Dancers from Caguas, PR directed by Sonia Rivera, Christine and Andrew from Lorenz Dance Studio in Queens, NY, Katherine, Victor, Franklin, and Johanna from Mambo Bravo located in Queens, NY, and the Rekreation Dance Company, a 27 person dance crew out of Houston, TX. Each of them assured me that preparation was rigorous but that the love for the dance superseded any challenges they might face along the way. They all left me in awe with their performances!
Through this wonderful experience I learned that salsa has no limits or discrimination. Anyone can participate no matter how young or old, no matter where you reside on the map, no matter what nationality or origin you come from, or what level of experience you have. And! With a little hard work, dedication and commitment to having fun, you can be on your way to becoming the salsera or salsero of your dreams! I know I’m on my way! Please be sure to look out for more shows featuring latin dance and booty shaking rhythms. My name is Leticia Reyes and I’m special reporting for En La Escena!