How NY's Most Vibrant Fashion Blogger Does Fashion Week..

September 21, 2019

You've probably already heard of Caroline Vazzana, author of best selling book Making it in Manhattan, and of her site with the same name, MakingitinManhattan.com, which shares style, career and fashion tips, and more. If you haven't yet, you'll want to! This 'Stylist/Writer/Editor/Influencer' also happens to be the most vibrantly dressed Fashion Blogger in New York!! In a city that's famous unofficial uniform is black, she's bringing something fun and fresh to the streets!

Inspired by her rainbow of style, and designer aesthetic, I felt she'd be the perfect woman to feature for my NY Fashion Week Illustrated Style Profile!

.....Okay! Are you ready to see what she wore to the September 2019 New York Spring Shows?

Look 1

Dress: Leaf Xia

Contrast plaid midi dress with a ruched bodice and flared skirt.

Shoes: Celine

Ribbed flat wedge sandal with ankle strap.

Look 2

Entire Outfit: Laurence and Chico

Denim and lace collared vest with ostrich feather fringe.

Draped asymmetric cropped textured denim pant.

Crochet bag with ostrich feather trim

Matching lace and denim trim pumps

Look 3

Dress: Tadashi Shoji

Multi colored floral dress with sheer lace inserts

Clutch: St Xavier

Handcrafted fuchsia clutch embellished with red roses

Shoes: Cecelia New York

Beaded, heeled sandals with bold red flowers

Look 4

Dress: Asos

Slit front belted dress with keyhole neckline and placement floral

Shoes: Charles Keith

Cyan buckled heel

Look 5

Outfit: Cinq A Sept

All over sparkle sequin set with draped peplum and wide leg pant

Bag: Louis Vuitton

Vintage Contrast Logo Bag

Look 6

Caroline and her mother

Outfits: Nicole Miller NY

Polka dot printed midi dress with front neckline twist and flutter sleeve

Floral printed midi dress with smocked bodice and tall cuffed sleeve

Yellow Bag: Lutz Morris

Shoes: Manolo Blahnik , Carel Paris

Look 7

Top: YSL Pants: Sachin and Babi

Printed contrast top with peasant sleeve tucked into a wide leg fuchsia pant

Shoes: Manolo Blahnik

Printed flats with a pointed toe

look 8

Outfit: Farfetch

Floral dress with a v neck, flutter sleeve, and sashed waist

Shoes: Balenciaga

Square toed, squared heels with a golden emblem

look 9

Outfit: Anna Sui

Fuchsia and Plum Skirt suit with matching handbag and square toed fuchsia cut out pumps

look 10

Top and Skirt: Noon By Noor

Wide ribbed sweater with cuffed sleeves, tucked into sheer, layered flared skirt with tiered trims

Bag: Ming Ray

Double buckled handbag

Shoes: Manolo Blahnik

Red kitten heels with a pointed toe

look 11

Top and Pant: Sally La Pointe

Brushed sweater with fur cuffs and a turtle neck, tucked into a wide leg pant

Shoes: Kenneth Cole:

Silver metallic sneakers

look 12

Dress: Cynthia Rowley

Combo placement printed maxi dress with slit

Handbag: Koree Loo

Shoes: Sophia Webster

Look 13

Dress: M Missoni

Marled knit dress with long sleeve and side slit

Fanny Pack: Lutz Morris

Contrast snakeskin box bag

Shoe: Sophia Webster

Black and White loafer

and that’s a wrap on NYFW! Follow Caroline on instagram to continue her style journey through Milan Fashion Week!

Do you have a favorite look here?! Which outfit would you totally wear?! Let me know ~ Leave a comment below!!! <3

Deanna Kei is a NY based Fashion and Beauty Illustrator. She works with brands to create unique and engaging content featuring their products and collections. To commission illustrations for your brand please write to deannakei@gmail.com

New York Fashion Week S20 RTW - Trend Review Part 1

September 6, 2019

Have you been keeping up?

The NYFW Spring20 shows are in full swing! This year’s fashion week calendar is looking a bit different than usual as more designers are straying from the regular schedule, but the energy in NY around this time each year is still unmatched!

We’re barely halfway through, but the trends flying off the runway are so fresh that I’m popping in early with a quick trend report to get your appetite wet.

Future Vision: Looking at Spring 2020

At a quick glance:

The usual spring neutrals are making a reappearance. Denim is especially strong again for this 2020 season. Boxy tops, long skirts, wrap overs and belted waists are just some of the patterns to be found in many of the shows.

Now on to the sketches! (Pay attention to the bold trend words below!)

Sketch Above:

Mara Hoffman

Mara Hoffman’s Spring Line had me thinking ‘Vacation in the tropics’. She used a beautiful parrot print and many warm colors—but the outfit I pulled out to sketch is this sage safari dress with a utility vibe. (Do you have a parka in your closet right now that sort of looks like this?—I think most of us do). I want to note the sleeves here. It’s a sleeve shape I’ve also seen in many of the other designers shows. I’m sure you’ll be seeing a lot more of it too now.

Nells Nelson

Nells Nelson showed some clean cut, gorgeous long wrap skirts. I loved the d-ring sashed belt here— and of course, the cargo pockets.

Sketch above:

Alexander Wang

Alexander Wang is always on the top of my list. His collection took two different directions. I tried to sketch a piece from each so you can get the gist of it. Wearing fringe and denim, his models came down the runway with long dark braids. There was definitely a western vibe. He also showed a lot of leather and suede. This black look above is a studded mock wrap skirt paired with a masterfully draped cowl neck top. Many of the looks, the above two included (though it may be hard to tell in the sketch), were topped off by multiple layers of belts around the waist.

Red Valentino

My favorite piece from the Red Valentino line was this beautifully seamed dress. Doesn’t it look like it would fit like a dream? Tonal denim blues are pieced in to create the A line shape. The bodice has a multi-seamed bow panel, which ties back into the more obvious bows sashed across the waists of other items in the collection. The thin strapped black dress next to it has a sheer over layer and oversized bow belting the waist.

Sketch Above:

Tadashi Shoji

Tadashi Shoji showed a beautiful spring gown collection in iced pastel tones of pinks, blues and greens. The floral embellishments and tonal sheer layers carried the very essence of spring down the runway as the models walked in them. His pastel gown collection was mixed with some darker looks and also included beautiful satin brocades. Many of his looks had cuts and shapes reminiscent of the kimono. This inverted black and wine colored look has a high low wrap skirt with a contrast liner. (The sleeve shape here matches up with the Mara Hoffman dress above, doesn’t it?)

Do you have a favorite look from the Designers shown above? —a trend you’re already in love with? Sound off in the comments below!!

Having or Attending a Wedding soon? Here's what's trending for dresses!

May 13, 2019

Spring is a beautiful time to have a wedding (and a great season to attend one!). Spring 2020 is looking especially promising with it’s gorgeous selection of elegant new Bridal gowns from the top Bridal Designers.

With so many unique options, choosing the perfect dress can become quite the challenge. To help you out in your selection, I’m going to give you a run down of a handful of Spring 20 ‘s top Bridal Gown trends, straight from the New York runways of Bridal Fashion Week. Even if you’re not currently searching for that once-in-a-lifetime dress, you can still take away many of these key trend points that will carry over into wedding guest dresses and even Ready-to-Wear fashion for next Spring!

Ready? Here we go!

Soft Belted A-Line - Oscar De La Renta S2020

This first dress is a delicate romantic look from Oscar De La Renta. The bodice of the dress has a deep V neck with scalloped edges. It has a sashed waist for flattering definition and then it opens up into an A-Line skirt. My favorite part about the design of this dress is the balance between the embellished florals, sequins and beading, and the clean, un-decorated hem. Although the top of the dress is heavily garnished, it blends together well with the simplified bottom for an overall effect that is both light and airy. [Fun note: Brides.com cited this dress as being 280 hours of work!]

Tiered Combo - Zuhair Murad S2020

Elegant lace with a scalloped edge frames the deep V neckline of this Zuhair Murad gown. There’s a sashed waist which acts as a meeting point for the dress’ two moods. Sheer, ruffled tiers of tulle overlay an opulent lace column skirt.

Volume sleeves and Cape - Anne Barge S2020

This Anne Barge dress is the perfect statement gown. It’s off-the-shoulder volume sleeves blend into a floor-length cape. It’s embellished with a floral lace motif and scalloping along the hemline. This dramatic look is somewhat reminiscent of Lady Gaga’s Valentino gown from the 2019 Golden Globes.

Structured Softness - Lela Rose S2020

With its high-neck lace overlay, and sheer lace sleeves, this Lela Rose dress is already quite unique from the others in this trend report. It’s embellished corsetted bodice extends over the hips for a controlled waistline and then relaxes into soft mini-pleats. That’s not even the best part—can you believe this dress actually has pockets?! I haven’t met a bride yet who didn’t wish her gown had pockets.

Draped Minimalism - Oscar De La Renta S2020

I included two Oscar De La Renta gowns in this report because they were both so different yet each beautifully designed. This second dress has a clean, classic, draped silhouette with a high slit and a long train. Again, the waist is defined but the cross over top and asymmetrical skirt give it a ‘mock wrap dress’ look. Although this gown lacks the typical bridal lace or beading, its precise drapery adds the perfect amount of interest for the Bride who wants effortless elegance.

Victorian Romance - Vera Wang S2020

This Vera Wang gown was my favorite to sketch. In fact, I loved Vera’s entire 2020 collection and suggest that you check it out on Vogue. This particular gown has a cream white top with an opaque dusty warm-grey tulle skirt. Vera Wang often strays from the traditional white bridal gown and this ethereal piece is no exception. The tulle skirt is draped and collected at the hip. A pink silk rose adorns it. The right strap if this dress is decorated with soft, grey layers of chiffon. The thin straps drop into a plunging V neck.

Spring 2020 Bridal Trend Summary

In case you gotten too caught up in all of the beautiful dresses, here’s a summary of the main Spring Bridal Trends covered in this report.

Deep, plunging V necks
A delicate balance of opposites:
- Volume & Defined
- Heavily decorated & Clean
Soft floral lace and beading
Sheer layers
Waist definition
- Sashed, bowed, or belted
- Cinched, seaming and corsetting

Do you have a favorite trend? Is there one you’d never wear? Which of these dresses would you try on? —and how much do you love dresses with pockets?!

I’d love to hear! Tell me in the comments or send me an email!

Also, check out my new custom Bridal collection - perfect for the bride-to-be that wants a unique, personalized wedding experience.

Deanna Kei is a NY based Wedding, Fashion and Beauty Illustrator. To commission illustrations for your special day please write to deannakei@gmail.com