Fashion Industry discussion, review, analysis, news, and information

If you live here in San Diego or will be visiting this weekend, you may want to visit The Shops at Las Americas for a fun fashion event involving hot Santas and great fashion designs from students at Fashion Careers College...

The students were challenged to do a redesign of the Santa Suit and models will be strutting their designs at the fashion show.  The outfits will be judged by local celebrities, media personalities, and industry experts.  Afterwards a live auction will take place where the “hot” Santas will be bidded on ;)  The highest bidders win a date with the Santas and the money will be donated to Becky’s House, an organization that provides help to victims of domestic violence. 

Fashion, hot men, and charity...a great combo, eh?

Here are the details:

As you may or may not know, a couple weeks ago I visited and reviewed the Forth & Towne store here in San Diego.  I arrived a little early for the interview, so I decided to check out the other stores that were nearby and one of those stores was Sigrid Olsen.  Somehow I became entranced by the freshness and artsy-feel of the store. 

I was greeted by one of the employees who turns out to be the manager of the store, Yvette Gauna. We chatted about the jewelry (my love!) and she tried to help me find a jacket that I fell in love with in my size.

Ahhhhhh.... Black Friday is fast approaching, but this year I’m not working in retail!!  So I guess I can’t be too upset about the day after Thanksgiving.  This time I’ll be the one ramsacking the sale racks and fighting tooth and nail over....What the heck am I saying?  I’m not fighting over anything! 

And guess what - retailers want you to start shopping at midnight this year!  So after you stuff yourself full of turkey, you better have a cup of coffee with dessert ;)

For those of you here in San Diego, I received some news today....

SAN DIEGO'S LARGEST FASHION OUTLET OPENS AT MIDNIGHT FOR BLACK FRIDAY SALES

Early Morning Savings and Free Goodies Offered to
Day-After-Thanksgiving Shoppers

WHAT:      The Shops at Las Americas, San Diego County's largest fashion outlet center, will be hosting the biggest midnight shopping opportunity in town the day after Thanksgiving.

If you live in south San Diego, you’ve probably been hearing all the buzz about the new mall in Chula Vista called Otay Ranch Town Center.  The mall is located in the midst of new home developments and will finally put the “South Bay” on the map.  Until a few years ago Chula Vista didn’t get much attention because it was occupied by “minorities”.  However, now you have homes in the $600K+ range, so businesses are taking notice and making changes to accommodate this new demographic. 

Today is the official grand opening of the mall.  Me, excited?  Not so much.  I’m not one for big crowds, so I may wait until next week to check it out.  I did receive an invite to the pre-opening of the Forth & Towne on November 16, so be on the lookout for an upcoming post on it ;) 

In the meantime, check out the lineup for this new mall...

It’s been awhile since I’ve done an edition of “San Diego Style” here, but yesterday's Thread Show that took place here yesterday prompted me to do a little write-up.  I missed the show yesterday - however, I’m hoping to either exhibit or check out the show in December. 

Last week’s San Diego CityBeat featured a local fashion designer by the name of Carla Manuel.  This Brazilian-born designer has a showroom in Del Mar filled with her one-of-a-kind designs. Her mission is to provide high-end designer clothing at affordable prices.  Check out her designs at http://www.kitesdesign.com

If you are a San Diego fashion designer and interested in exhibiting at the next Thread Show, check out the application here...

Photo from Kitesdesign.com

It's the second edition of "San Diego Style" and I'm excited to take you into Hillcrest, a community of downtown San Diego that houses many cute little fashion boutiques.  You'll find a blend of unique and eclectic vintage shops and a handful of trendy shops - including this little gem called "Fresh" - a fitting name, to say the least.

As I walk in the first thing I noticed was not the clothes, but the chandeliers hanging and the fun, metallic hangers.  I wandered through the store and selected a few items to try on.  Everything was cute - many pieces reminiscent of the 80's - which I'm hesitating to go back to.  Graphic T-shirts, leggings, stripes, black and white, and bright colors were dominant in Fresh.  A fashionista could easily go wild in there.  However, there is only a small selection of shoes and purses...

I came home with a long, white tee with little hearts all over it ;)  Couldn't resist.

If you're ever in San Diego, check out Fresh:

3840 Fifth Avenue San Diego, CA (Tel: 619-233-4000)

Well, it's the first installment of "San Diego Style" - a glimpse into the fashion of the Southwest corner of the U.S.  As I've said here before, flip flops rule here in San Diego.  However, that was a generalization, of course.  Not everyone is a follower of the flip flops. 

Enter Wenona Gaines-Ramos...My best friend and momma of three little girls who resides in the suburbs of San Diego and is now officially a "soccer mom".  For all intents and purposes, she still clings to the urbaness inside her and emerges wearing stylish jeans and a cute summery top with Coach purse in tote.  Wenona and I took a mini-vacation on Friday and went shopping in the little boutiques that line Fifth Avenue in the Gaslamp District. 

Anyhow, Wenona's look is very laid-back and casual.  I don't know what brands she is wearing, but who cares?  Doesn't she look "hip and cool"?