Bay Area Fashionista

Western cowgirl costume

Pictured: Hat: M&F Western / Sunglasses: Prada / Earrings: Kendra Scott / Lipstick: Chanel 93 Intime / Shirt: Gap (old, also love this one on sale!) / Skirt: BCBG (last seen here) / Nail Polish: Gucci Metallic Sand / Handbag: Chanel (also love SAVE or SPLURGE) / Boots: Ariat

Last month I attended a fundraising party to benefit the Junior League of San Jose’s Rummage Sale. As a Sustainer in the Junior League, I am extremely proud of this fundraiser and all the hard work our active members put into making it happen; and be a success! The Rummage Sale is a fundraiser we put on once every two years. We sell high quality rummage at rock bottom prices. The fundraiser works in two ways: rummage is donated, so proceeds go directly to the Junior League’s community programs, and secondly, the community is able to purchase much-needed items which are high quality; new or gently used, and offered at unheard of prices. It’s a win/win fundraiser for everyone involved! Love that!

The party we held the night before the Rummage Sale was to celebrate the hard work our Rummage Sale committee put into making the event such as success. Since we know how to celebrate our success in the Junior League through fun, themed events, this event was western themed. This meant everyone who attended wore fabulous western get-ups. It was so much fun trying to recognize people under those hats!

Since I have never been to a western themed party before, I had to find a fabulous pair of boots and a hat! Thankfully, I am a sucker for denim shirts, and fringe is on trend this season; so I was able to put together an outfit without buying clothing. I was thrilled to find this hat for under $50 and these comfortable, sleek cowgirl boots for a decent price. Shopping win!

I know I will be able to wear the hat and boots again; as well as the whole ensemble. There is an annual ho-down for the girl scouts which I always bring my daughters to; now I can dress up! This will also make a great Halloween costume! And who knows, another western themed fundraiser or party could pop up in my future.

Since fringe is all the rage right now, this is a great time to snap up a fringe item which can also work for a western themed costume in the future. You never know when you need to dress up!

For more information about the Junior League of San Jose and all the fabulous work they do in the community, please visit jlsj.org.

Carmen Marc Valvo fall 2015 New York Fashion Week

Photos: Cathy OBrien/Bay Area Fashionista 2015©

Carmen Marc Valvo showed his fall / winter 2015 / 2016 collection at New York Fashion Week on February 15, 2015 in The Theatre at Lincoln Center. The collection was filled with shades of black, red, white and grey. There were school-yard plaids on gala gowns, bright and cozy furs, and a vibe reminiscent of childhood.

I was fortunate enough to be sitting in the second row for Carmen Marc Valvo’s show at New York Fashion Week; I was especially fortunate since my DSLR wasn’t working at the time and I had to rely on my iPhone to capture these photos. The texture on the fabrics and fur was amazing. Carmen Marc Valvo used the finest cashmere, organza, taffeta, mink, flannel, and wool gauze on his clothing. The details were beautiful and included silver with Shadowplay diamonds, white sapphires, white agate, white quartz, black spinel, bead-work, and more. It was a feast for the eyes, and the collection instantly transported you to a red carpet event, or gala event, where you could wear such finery.

Carmen Marc Valvo was inspired by school-yard memories for his fall/winter 2015/2016 collection. He included the following poem as part of his inspiration for the show:

“Lasses and Lads

Intartan plaids

Dressed up in the latest fads

Hoping one day to be grads

Lads and lasses

In schoolyard glasses

Skipping rops and

skipping classes

Memories of playground retorts

Being lousy at sports

and too many reports

Mmeories of cheering stadium bleachers

Mean-spirited teachers

And Sunday school preachers

Memories of apples

And school-marms

Mother’s loving arms

And long lost innocent charms”

We will definitely be seeing many of Carmen Marc Valvo’s gowns on the red carpet later this year. To learn more about Carmen Marc Valvo and his work, please visit CarmenMarcValvo.com

Shopbop Friends and Family Sale on now!

Spring 2015 is in full swing, which means our wardrobes need to be in full swing for spring! Stores are still selling spring 2015 apparel and accessories at full-price, which can make building a spring 2015 wardrobe a little bit difficult. Thankfully, Shopbop is having a fabulous Friends & Family sale right now!

This amazing sale offers 25% off spring merchandise! Love that! Now, it is a little bit easier to fill up our closets with everything we need for the spring 2015 season.

To shop ShopBop’s Friends & Family sale for spring and save 25% off, please click here.

Here are a few of my favorite items from Shopbop’s Friends & Family sale, I hope you love them too! Happy shopping, and stay fabulous 😉

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