I had the pleasure of meeting Lauren Bush of Lauren Pierce Atelier at Barneys on Friday. Lauren, niece of George W. and Granddaughter of George Bush, is a model and designer who created her collection to celebrate the many rich cultures of the world with designs that are easy, timeless and sustainable.

The collection features silhouettes made with hand-dyed fabrics sourced from women survivors of war of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Africa. You pick your dress style from the 5 easy to wear styles, pick your unique fabric in bold prints and colors and the dress is made in New York and delivered to you in six weeks. Each dress will have the clients’ name along with the name of the fabric artisan on the tag.

The collection is available at Barneys until March 25th and prices average about $500. 10% of the profits are donated back to the women of the Congo.  There’s a limited collection of ready-to-wear pieces available as well to skip the six week wait.

I love the global concept of this collection. But I also love that the dresses are made in New York City. Read more about Laurent Pierce Atelier at www.lauren-pierce.com.

0 comments permalink |  11:25 PM |  3.20.2010 | 

I am sooooo nervous about meeting Tim Gunn at Scottsdale Fashion Square on Saturday! I can’t think of anything semi-intelligent to ask or say! And I’m desperately hoping I won’t slip in or blurt out, “Make it work!!”

Want do you want to know?? Email me your questions at kira@fashionphoenix.com! You can also ask Tim questions after the Spring Preview show on Saturday in the Neiman Marcus court at 1 pm!!

0 comments permalink |  8:58 PM |  3.18.2010 | 

I had the honor once again this year to attend the Xavier College Prep Scholarship Fashion Show, titled “bloom”, at the Sheraton Downtown. Read this: This is the best fashion show event of the year!! The Mother’s Guild, the Xavier Staff and Students together with Saks Fifth Avenue execute the best show in town, hands down!  And for a great cause – to raise money for the XCP’s Scholarship Fund.

Here are my favorite pics from the runway. I was really, really loving the looks for men this year! The Agency men looked awesome! And couldn’t help but notice the color trend for men’s shoes – pink, purple, green! Very Miami, but I’m diggin’ it! Enjoy!

Black and white, and of course, Chanel are perfect for poolside soirees.

Big, voluminous hair. Love it!

Bright colors for Spring!

Python bag

Silky, delicate satin in a bold color paired with a big chunky necklace. Chic!

The shoes!!!

My favorite shoes

Lots of wedges for spring

Nude wedges. A Must for Spring!

0 comments permalink |  1:07 PM |  3.16.2010 | 

Lauren Bush is coming to Scottsdale for a public event on March 19th from 2-5 pm to launch her new collection, Lauren Pierce Atelier.

Lauren Pierce Atelier, a Barneys exclusive collaboration with designer Lauren Bush (granddaughter of George Bush and niece of George W. Bush), uses vibrant fabrics hand-dyed by women survivors of war in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Africa in an effort to support their livelihood and create one-of-a-kind dresses that are beautiful in both style and meaning.

On the 19th from 2-5pm, shoppers are invited to meet Lauren, select a fabric and select from one of five easy-to-wear dress designs. Shoppers will be able to custom order the looks that will be individually made and will arrive in 6 weeks. No two prints are identical, and when a client receives her dress, it will have her name and the name of the artisan who dyed the material (using the traditional bihusaprocess) handwritten on the tag.

Laurent Pierce Atelier is available at Barneys March 19-25th.  See the collection online here: Lauren at Barneys.

0 comments permalink |  7:50 AM |  3.16.2010 |