It seems that with every Fashion Week here in LA, we have more circus acts making it even more so difficult to take the idea of LA Fashion Week seriously.

What was considered to be an exclusive society circle for those in the fields of fashion pertaining to bloggers, stylist, designers, buyers, fashion editors, celebrities ect, has turned into a fair grounds for juvenile wannabes. Wannabes that desperately crash or pay their way in all for the sake of taking an obnoxious selfie or partying till the crack of dawn because they couldn’t stay in the midst of the scavenging Hollywood club scene that once carried caliber.

So what do you do to ease loss hope of a die hard city that has to have their hands in everything?  Bring in a group of people that might be able to leverage what’s embarrassingly plummeting.

Ivy is a dynamic social experience among a young group of elite entrepreneurs and like-minded individuals that shape and form the creative side of our society. They are influencers, business partners, social endeavors and the hopes in paving a new road for the destruction needing repair.

Carmen invited me to a private event showcasing the young designers behind the William Bradley brand, Brad Parnell and Rodney Jones, collection at the Mondrian Hotel in the middle of the Fashion Week carnival. I wasn’t expecting anything more from the previous years, but wanted to check out the evening that Carmen spoke so highly about anticipating a notable night.

I arrived a tad bit late due to traffic, but I was relieved to hear that the reception started at 7 pm while the show itself began at 8. So I guess realistically I showed up in good timing. I didn’t know what to expect nor what to wear, but considering the event was being held on the night of St. ‘ Day, I chose to keep the festive spirit alive knowing that with the hectic day I had, I was going to need a drink. The check-in was incredibly calm. No long line or needing to reconfirm my name on the list. Once inside, I was given two drink tokens and asked to have my photo taken, but we should know by now that I thoroughly dislike red carpets and have my opinions about them; so I slipped right past the photographer and headed up the stairs to look for Carmen.

I found Carmen and her bangs standing with two other guest at a high top table and made my way over the only way I knew how to. Sassy and fun. Immediately, my eyes darted at the trays of food being passed around by the wait staff. Grilled cheese with a tomato dip and pork belly slaw sliders.

I stayed away from the pork sliders but practically took the entire tray of grilled cheese. I didn’t want to seem rude by devouring the entire trays by myself so of course I politely guided one of the young waiters towards Carmen and the other two party guest in hopes that I wouldn’t have to bite anyone’s hand off that dare tried to grab the last three. As far as drinks were concerned, we had a lovely female server actually go out of her way to wait on us with signature  drinks once we handed her our Ivy token chips.

The lines for the open bars were long enough and frankly I didn’t feel I had enough patience, so I greatly appreciated our server and with that tipped her generously especially after she brought me my own tray of slaw sliders.

The crowd was elegant and rich with a sense of young established wealth. Not necessarily wealth in the means of money which I’m sure there was enough of that, but just by the ambiance of success, culture, and class.

The men looked as if they graduated from an Ivy league prep school while the women looked like they sipped  dirty martinis at a yacht club for a living. These were not your everyday Los Angeles locals. No these were people who possessed that part of back East that I adore and love. The upper East side or Gossip Girl would be the best description for this crowd.

No one tried to be anything that they weren’t as they were all affiliated to this social circle organized by the Ivy.

Carmen and I clearly fit the part, especially Carmen and her savvy style showing a combination of spring and an uptown girl out on the prowl for a cocktail. Because I wanted to be a supportive friend, I decided to take a photo with her on the carpet which surprisingly wasn’t crowded by a mob of thirsty coyotes; then again this was a private event where you either have to be affiliated with the Ivy or a guest of an affiliate.

One thing I will say that I was extremely impressed by is the punctuality of the show. It started on time. Not an hour later, not two hours later and then everyone has to rush out the room to fill the seats, no it was properly organized and timed and mapped out accordingly.

Now the collection itself I’ve seen before in the sense that with all the brands and designers coming to the forefront, it’s almost impossible to come up with something original and different regardless of the execution.

Unfortunately, the event was a little stiff for my taste when I found myself downing my drinks before our server could even ask if I wanted another one. Some type of Strawberry fizz that was absolutely delicious. It wasn’t difficult to find two other young entrepreneurs in the midst of me blurting out that I needed to find a rebound. Once I realized that they made no judgment on my blunt and bold confessions I knew it was a new founding friendship to be formed.

Lifestyle Blogger Vanessas Runway

Right after the show, Carmen and I decided to head over to EP.LP for another private after party from a few shows we decided to skip out on. Although the dj tried his hardest to loosen up the crowd, there was no life to match the life I was giving.

It was a calm evening, nothing drastic or what I would’ve expected from the class acts taking over this city and putting it to shame. In comparison to the mess I found at the after party at EP.LP though, I’ll gladly take a little bit of that Ivy league any day.

Xox