Now that LA fashion week has come to an end and we continue to wrap things up again, and again… and weeks later again. Can you give it a rest already?! My gosh.
Basically, people in this city don’t know when to keep a tradition at being just that. They have to drag it out the whole damn year making everything predictable.
You have High Fashion and then you have Hi-Fashion previews walking down a run way or whats better left behind in a dark alley.
Earlier last week I came across an event on Facebook for the relaunch of LA Fashion magazine that I was sure my friend Carmelita with Wanted+Desired was going to attend. While I find Facebook the very last resort in promoting an “Exclusive” event allowing every Tom, Dick and Harry to rsvp and attend, I figured I’d go being that Carmen has exceptionally good taste in the quality that would keep my attention.
The event started at 7 pm being held at the sociable restaurant right up the street from Robertson Blvd at The District by Hannah An. Parking was an absolute joke because there was no parking in the surrounding area; and this time I was going to stand my ground by not leaving my car with valet, so I chose to park a journey, hike up a hill and stomp the pavement.
Carmen had already arrived, so I met her on the red carpet. Now I’m going to back track a little bit because by now we should all know that I hate red carpets and with good reason because frankly it has lost its credibility allowing just about anyone or thing as carpet approval.
Photo Credit by Gennnidy Kotlyarchuck
This time around, I played nice introducing myself to the fashion world as a blogger. Though this won’t be a continual step and repeat, I posed, smized and walked up to the door. My friend Joshua who I had first met through our Vanity Fair Oscar week blogging event, is the associate editor for this magazine; but It completely slipped my mind to reach out to him prior to my rsvp, so I was more than happy to see him before I went inside.
Once inside, I was thoroughly impressed.
Everyone was dressed to impress and elegantly at that. Not the types that go overboard with taking everything and anything from the fashion district while throwing it on themselves calling it fashion. No, you just look a cluster mess.
Carmen knows me by now that once I’m inside I go straight to work. That’s by first attacking the food trays as soon as I see them, taking non discreet photos of people in their candid moments in hopes that they won’t blatantly look at me like a deer in head lights and talking to every sponsor in eye shot. I have a very particular routine that I like to get accomplished and she’s always as patient with me as she can be. Carmen is a little more calm while I’m like a humming bird who won’t stay still. Initially, we tried to make our way over to the open bar, but I got distracted by the table full of chocolates on the patio.
Good Health Cocoa is a chocolate enriched brand that uses 72% of couverture chocolate with hidden ingredients that might make “edible” enjoyments take a back seat. It’s not uncommon to find chocolates mixed with nuts and berries, but herbs and health ingredients that actually increases the benefits of eating dark chocolate takes the sweet tooth to a whole different level. I myself have never been a fan of the bitter taste of dark chocolate, but this line of five chocolate choices and its extra added ingredient of Cocoa butter added a rich smoothness delight to my taste buds. Sharon Adams, the president is in hopes of further marketing her brand of sweets we might just be able to find these delectable delights in our favorite Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods market.
After I fixed my craving, we headed over to the Trending Wine tasting table. Now this was an interesting one because normally when I taste wine with different vendors, they don’t really differentiate in their backgrounds of wines. It’s mainly just based off the taste which normally taste the same as the next, but #TrendingWine went a little further in order to capitalize off of a trend. Literally.
Jason Elkin is the first and clever founder to produce the top most globally recognized hashtag trends in social media through the labels on his wines. Basically, he owns the rights to the many hashtags that we’ve been frivolously using as a way to trend our photos through social media while he’s racking in numbers for proceeds and charitable pursuits. I’d say that gives any good reason to being a wine drunk!
Isn’t she gorgeous? !
Carmen and I started moving along, but yet again we came to a halt once the food started coming out. For future reference to events, never have your kitchen in plain eye sight of guest. At one point I over heard two young women make a snarky comment
“people act like they’ve never eaten before”
Yeah well while these two broads probably gnawed off of carrots and celery with their rabbit friends chocking on a crouton crumb as their main meal, the rest of us never have the time to casually suck on ice while counting water calories. We most likely work a full day and work again, so yeah we like to eat.
Aside from the stuck up snobs, the servers were extremely patient as I’m surprised they didn’t become claustrophobic by the swarms of hungry guest.
Photo Credit by Gennnidy Kotlyarchuck
Our friend and singer Laquan showed up moments after as I knew he had been attending everything fashion week.
We made our way to a table full of baby blue boxes I had seen other guest carrying around while Carmen was talking to some women about their line of @MeliCadeaus customized designed boxes.
On the other side of the patio The Manly Handz Experience were giving guest a deep tissue massage which I’m surprised that no line was wrapped around the building with these two guys.
That wasn’t the only pampering being offered while a group of gorgeous make-up artist posted themselves for what I found to be candid human art.
@Rockstarmua @dab_by_demii and @pi_cosmo_mua each coming from different areas of the make-up world definitely have one thing in common that they are taken for granted by the fad of make-up tutorial “gurus”. Similarly to the idea of an actor and reality “star”. Each being freelancers in their own right, they also work for the gluten free organic brand Voodoo Makeup .
Owner and Founder of Voodoo Make-Up Aimee Carr
Although based in Louisiana, don’t be fooled by the name. Founder and story of Aimee Carr shows that when there’s a will, there is definitely a way to make things adapt to unforgiving circumstances. Having a skin allergy to just about everything that we’ve become so superficial to, she’s managed to turn the tables all in her favor which is an amazing way to show how just the simplest house hold ideas and the earth we live on can be at the palm or make-up brushes at our hands.
I spotted this walking fabulousity holding his phone and I don’t know what engaged my immediate attention first. Naturally, we were all drawn to each others energy and I was even more so drawn to his discreet sense of style from being a designer. D’Jesus Trujillo is quite the fashion jack of spades and you can clearly read why.
Carmen and I didn’t really involve ourselves in the fashion installation that had been rotating the entire night, but we definitely ran into friends of ours in the midst of the event. Our mutual friends photographer Jimmy Alioto and Style Fashion Week head poncho Ivan @rc_styles_fashion.
While we had circled the entire rooms, we made our way up the stairs where the real party had begun. Once I heard the music, I and just myself tapped my feet on the dance floor as everyone else stood like scared wall flowers. I must have interrupted a show because without warning, I was grabbed by the arm and pushed out onto an invisible runway as party guest watched. A very rainbow bright Asian man was grabbing any and every guest in arms reach having them strut their stuff as if to be the show of the night. Now, I’m not a model and I knew damn well these other people weren’t either, but we had fun. Carmen and I were slowing down and it was time to grab our gift bags and head out which was the real reason why we had made our way upstairs where guest of the restaurant and event had sat down to actually eat a dinner.
Throughout the entire night, I had focused my attention so much on the sponsors and moments of the evening, but although it was perfectly clear as to why this event was the current talk of LA Fashion was because of who was the face of the magazine. Erica Mena.
And this is where I come to a pause.
It was only until we reached the second level that she became recognized for whatever contributions she’s given to our city of fashion and what she embodies as a woman. But that’s where my confusion takes place. I was able to get some vague insight into the idea of having her as the face of a magazine cover that I would assume would represent fashion and not necessarily all that is thought to be, but to my limited understanding, it was far more deeper than just a quick play on a pretty face from a reality show or cutting corners. Apparently.
Erica is undoubtedly beautiful and an ambitious woman at that, but I only know her as the hot tempered and vindictive women on the urban show Love and Hip Hop. Half the time I can’t tell if it’s “reality” tv or tv. I surely don’t see her as someone I would define as admirable, inspiring or even a fashion influence.
Granted to each their own on the integrity of superficiality, I can’t get passed what’s been openly given for us to judge as, I judge you by the content of your character and your actions; and while many might throw God into the loop, yeah well I only believe in the universe and a higher power so we can throw that rebuttal for the fish.
It’s kind of like the stunt of Caitlin Jenner gaining an award for being a women within 24 hours notice compared to women who have been struggling as women against their birth right.
The struggles she has faced in her life while they might be hers are no more greater than others I’m positively certain could’ve been a more credible choice outside of number sales.
Carmen Dell’Orefice, Geen rocero, Isis King, Shaun Ross, Melanie Gaydos, Chantelle Brown, Andreja pejic
Alex Minsky, are all the epitome of inspiration when it boils down to the idea of digging deep.
While it becomes a numbers game in what’s going to sale, it’s still in fact fashion which this city continuously tends to dumb down which is also why many of our fashion influencers in the market of fashion take a rain check and book a flight to Milan, Bangkok, Paris or New York.
Not sure if anyone has noticed, but half the front seats to those shows are nothing but party crashers and club promoters while the rest are miscellaneous.
As I do support the success of others as well as triumphs, I also fail to follow a fad that just doesn’t have genuine consistency in comparison to a much notable base of choices.Unfortunately, because I have a huge teetering lack of tolerance in drawing the lines in certain areas of social media and reality television, I was not interested in continuing my night, so once Carmen gave the thumbs up, we grabbed our gift bags and left right after a thank you speech was made.
Meanwhile, we had a great time overall and met some great people along the way. As I sat this week out of runway walks, but we’ll see what time will tell for the next season.
Xox
