carmen marc valvo


Carmen Marc Valvo fall 2015 New York Fashion Week

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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


Carmen Marc Valvo 25th anniversary collection spring/summer 2015 New York Fashion Week

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Photo: I was unable to capture any good runway photos due to the location of the lights and my seat, but I was able to capture this photo of Neiman Marcus’s Ken Downing!

Credit: Cathy/Bay Area Fashionista 2014©

Carmen Marc Valvo presented his 25th anniversary collection for spring/summer 2015 at New York Fashion Week on September 5, 2014. The collection was classic Carmen Marc Valvo with sophisticated silhouettes, grown-up florals and fashion-forward, slightly edgy details.

The hemlines on Carmen Marc Valvo’s runway hit mostly just below the knee; a trend we are seeing for spring/summer 2015. Carmen Marc Valvo’s version of spring florals were fresh and anything but demure. Instead, the floral prints were sophisticated and mature; easy to wear on the streets of New York City or a suburban town. Carmen Marc Valvo also pushed boundaries with cut-outs which added edginess to the collection yet still kept everything covered up that a decent and sophisticated woman would want covered. Loved it!

The color palette shown on Carmen Marc Valvo’s runway offered pastels, muted tones and classic shades of blue, black, white and metallics.

To view the collection in its’ entirety, please watch the IMG Fashion video of Carmen Marc Valvo’s 25th anniversary collection runway show below.


Casual day with Joey J earrings

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 Photos: Earrings: c/o Joey J Jewelry / Lipstick: c/o Dolce & Gabbana “Rose” / Shirt: Banana Republic / Belt: C Wonder / Buckle: C Wonder / Jeans: 7FAM (on sale!) / Handbag: Chloe / Nail Polish: c/o Dolce & Gabbana “Lilac” / Bracelets: JCrew / Watch: vintage Gucci (similar)/ Shoes: Carmen Marc Valvo / Toe Nail Polish: Chanel Fracas

Although we have been enjoying several, back-to-back rain storms over the past two weeks, the temperatures have been in the high 60’s to low 70’s, which means, it is time to wear spring attire! Yes!!! Due to the dreary looking weather, I decided to perk myself up with this fuchsia shirt from Banana Republic’s spring collection. The color is cheerful and perfect for spring! Since crisp shirts are masculine, I felt it was necessary to add a glamorous and feminine touch to the outfit. My Joey J Jewelry earrings were the perfect yin to the shirt’s yang!

I love my Joey J Jewelry earrings. They are so versatile and can easily be worn casually, as in the pictures above, or paired with a cocktail dress for an evening event. To learn more about Joey J Jewelry, please visit JoeyJJewelry.com. Also, be sure to follow Joey J Jewelry on Twitter @JoeyJJewelry, Facebook Facebook.com/JoeyJ.Jewelry, Pinterest @JoeyJJewelry, Google+  Joey J, and/or on LinkedIn.