I Just Came From the Proenza Schouler F/W 2011 Show! AAAAAAHHHH!

Is it obvious that I'm absolutely ecstatic? I am still on a high for being the lucky Refinery29 intern to have watched the show. It's the first time the company was sent an invite (note the singular noun) and because our creative director couldn't go, she gave me the invite instead as a reward for working so hard on organizing the team's Fashion Week calendar. Before this, I had only been able to watch the Cynthia Rowley show and Catherine Malandrino presentation. Both very good shows but still, Proenza is the icing on the cake!

Pre-show, people settled in on benches that allotted a tiny square for each butt (seriously, we were like sardines on those seats!)

Proenza is a much buzzed about brand and now I know why. Their prints are genius! Moving forward from their pre-fall collection, the most of the pieces are rendered in prints that take their cue from Native-American patterns, their take on the ikat and tribal trend that was such a hit a few seasons back. Frankly, it reminds me of our native banig and Ifugao costumes, but in a good way. Our Igorots are creative geniuses in their own right.

A knit top and skirt in the duo's signature tribal pattern

My favorites would have to be the embroidered dresses and tops. Like eyelet but the darker palette and geometric openings make them more glam than granny. And I love the glazed silk jacquard dresses. They look like laminated banig tailored into sleek, structured dresses, but oh so sexy!

The eyelet dress

I'll let the photos speak for themselves. They might be blurry ( sorry, I only have a point-and-shoot that's ready to give up on me!) but that doesn't detract from the beauty of the collection.

I also want this swingy fringed macrame skirt

Reminds me of bathroom tiles

Models doing their final walk. Don't you love the palette?

Two-toned dresses that could outfit a chic working girl

Blouse version of the eyelet dress

Two versions of the macrame skirt

Gorgeous velvet patterned dress

Final looks

The talented cuties: Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez

My spot

Enjoy!


P.S. Anna Wintour (she sat in front of me for a bit), Emmanuelle Alt, Chloe Sevigny, Lia Kebede, Jessica Stam, Liv Tyler and Mrs. Altuzarra were all at the show.

Joyce Makitalo Lands on the Pages of Marie Claire US Feb 2011

Yes it's true, and boy was I excited when I realized that a Filipino designer has once again landed on the pages of a US glossy.

Can you see the cuffs? They're right at the top of the page, front and center. $670 each.

 On page 45 in the 101 Ideas section, Joyce's bold, ornate gold cuffs are shown with an assortment of textured neutral extras. I don't think the pictures do them justice though. You'll really appreciate Joyce's craftmanship when you see her pieces up close.

My friend, stylist Alyanna Martinez, was the one who introduced me to Joyce. She used a lot of her pieces for her fashion shoots with Preview, and I would always compliment her on the attention-grabbing gigantic Makitalo rings she herself would wear. I would use them sparingly for some of my Cosmo shoots (the price points were a little too steep for our readers) but I felt that the materials (semi-precious stones that read like an encyclopedic list and brass dipped in 24k gold) and the raw, original designs more than justified the price. And her jewelry definitely deserve the press and fanfare.They're like works of art, and it's no surprise that the Ayala Museum was the first retailer to start selling her designs under the label Galleon a few years back.

Charm Aragalia Choker (turquoise, tiger's eye, aquamarine, aventurine, sodalite, apatite, agate and solid brass dipped in 24k gold)

Lakme Versicolor Valentina (turquoise, agate, aquamarine, amethyst, aventurine, solid brass dipped in 24k gold)

East Caligo Valentina Necklace (onyx, amethyst, agate, tiger's eye, freshwater pearls, jasper, cubic zirconian, mookie, solid brass dipped in 24k gold)

Venus Argente II Valentina Necklace (quartz, lapiz lazuli, white and blue turquoise, aquamarine, solid brass dipped in 24k gold)

I don't know how much these pieces sell now, but I highly recommend making the investment. I was just scrolling through the pieces on the site, and my sartorial senses are salivating over the amazing designs. See for yourself over at her website.

P.S. A Celestina multicolored clutch is also featured on the same section, page 42!

H&M Collaborates with Hasbeens

Refinery 29 reports that Swedish Hasbeens, best known for their wooden clogs, is collaborating with H&M on a limited line of wooden-soled footwear made of environmentally-friendly materials. Oh rejoice! Ever since clogs became the footwear du jour last season, I've been toying about buying a pair. Actually, no, I REALLY couldn't afford to buy them cause they were just too darn expensive, starting at $149 for the braided sandal, and tagging in at a whooping $399 for a lace-up boot at Endless. At prices ranging from $59.95 to $69.95 for the H&M line, I can finally afford to get myself one.

I like the strappy beige wedge and the low-heeled red sandal (It'll look fab with scrunched up socks and a floral dress!). What are your picks?

I took a look at the Hasbeens website too and read this funny tidbit about the company's history:

"Her name was Anita and she was the hottest mum in all of southern Sweden in the 1970’s. While smoking Camel she screamed at her kids until her curlers fell out and just looked fabulous in her white high-heeled clogs."

Before I end this post, let me share with you my favorite Hasbeens styles:

I'm off to await this line. I probably have a much better chance of scoring a pair than I had picking up any single item from the chaos that was the H&M Lanvin launch!