RUSH HOUR: Official MBFW Gift Bag

Tresemmé Gives Us Tracy Reese Runway Hair

Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Wrap-Up

Nothing revs up the engines of the fashion-obsessed like the industry’s main event: Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week. The shows wrapped up last Thursday, September 15, and as sponsors, we were at the center of the whirlwind of activity—from the emerging trends for Spring 2012 to the glitterati dotting the front row to the street style donned by the fabulous fashionistas hanging around Lincoln Center.

The most notable trends for next spring are for the ladies who brunch—with an attitude. Colorblocking remains relevant, but the hues are new. With citrine, tangerine, and lime all on one end of the spectrum, and minty greens, the babiest pinks, and pale blues on the other, there’s no color combo off-limits when the temps start rising again. Midi-length skirts are continuing well after fall, for a mid-century hourglass shape we love. And that’s not where the ladylike trend ends. Peplums were everywhere, cinching the waist in style. And for those days when comfort is key, billowy drop waists reference the roaring 20s with a modern twist. Here are more of the trends we loved:

Jill Stuart: Lighten up—for Spring, that is. Sorbet shades were ubiquitous on the runway this season, and we loved how Jill Stuart used them to lend a casual vibe to classic sportswear. This look was a favorite because it also takes the pantsuit up a notch, literally. You’ll definitely spot this trend again, because shorts and blazers are a match made in Spring 2012 heaven.

L.A.M.B.: We love the way Gwen Stefani and her team inject this line with a dose of the rock star’s fearless fashion sense. The Spring 2012 collection wasn’t shown on the catwalk (Gwen couldn’t be there so they showed a presentation instead), but we were ok with that because we got an up-close-and personal look at the edgy black-and-white tribal prints we NEED to snag for next season.


BCBGMAXAZRIA: We may have hated geometry, but the angular shapes and linear patterns that made up the Spring collection at BCBGMAXAZRIA are worth studying. The palette was heavy on the black and white side, but pops of orange and yellow were perfectly in line with the hues we spotted in several lines for spring. And we couldn’t be more grateful to the fashion gods—the maxi length is here to stay.

BETSEY JOHNSON: Here’s the thing, we don’t always have an occasion to wear La Betsey’s cupcake-shaped frocks. But you better believe we’ll find one. This shot, direct from our sponsor seats in Lincoln Center, was one of our favorite looks. The little white dress is well on its way to replacing the LBD, and with black piping, it’s the kind of party-perfect frock Betsey is known for.

And the runway looks are only half the fun. Some of the best style at Lincoln Center was donned by the celebs in the first, second, and third rows. Find your faves in these pics we were able to snap.

And while the paparazzi were snapping shots of the fashion jet-set, we had our eyes on the girls just like us, found walking the lobby, headed out for a bite between shows, or even just soaking in the scene around Lincoln Center. We kicked off our #ideelSTYLE series on Twitter, where we share with you ideeli-approved ensembles seen on the streets. What’s in it for our super-stylish mavens? If we deem their outfits ideeli-worthy, they are rewarded on the spot with an ideeli gift card and a moment in the spotlight when their style is shared with our thousands of Twitter followers! Check out some of our faves below.

Back at ideeli HQ, our team was all abuzz with our featured Fashion Week designer sales, style-centric Facebook fodder, and giveaways to give all mavens a chance to take part in the MBFW action. Thousands of you entered our Runway-Ready giveaway on Facebook, for a chance to win a head-to-toe designer ensemble with pieces from Vivienne Tam, BCBGMAXAZRIA, Betsey Johnson, and L.A.M.B.

And getting outfitted by the pros didn’t stop there. We partnered with fellow MBFW sponsor Maybelline New York to bring you a #FLASHFRIDAY Twitter giveaway of epic proportions. They sent over this gorgeous caboodle of fit-for-the-pros Maybelline makeup for one lucky maven to win. Looking like the top models has never been so easy!

Another Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week has come and gone, and we hope you loved hearing our take on the week’s festivities. Who were your faves this season? And because we're always thinking of what crazy antics we can pull off, let us know what you'd like to see us do next season. Until February, happy shopping!

ideeli at MBFW: The Runway, Our Way

As an official sponsor of Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week, we’re thrilled to bring you into the fashion fold with us for 8 days of special sales, guest bloggers, and, on Twitter and Facebook, live runway coverage and a super-sized dose of style-centric interactive features. Starting Thursday, it’s going to be all MBFW all the time, and here’s what you can expect to see:

Featured Fashion Week Designers
We’re celebrating our plunge into the latest MBFW with what we do best: amazing sales. So while our fashion team is off getting a first glimpse of the new collections, we’re bringing you looks from some of our all-time favorite designers, the same day their runway shows debut. Look out for:
Sept. 8—Tadashi Shoji
Sept. 9—Cynthia Rowley, Nicole Miller
Sept. 10—Vivienne Vivienne Tam
Sept. 11—Tommy Hilfiger, L.A.M.B.
Sept. 12—Perry Ellis, Betsey Johnson
Sept. 13—Badgley Mischka

Twitter and Facebook
Follow the action via moment-to-moment runway updates on Twitter (@ideeli). It’s the runway, our way. On Facebook (facebook.com/ideeli), we’ll be pumping up the fashion muscle on all of your favorite page features, including special Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week editions of Editor's Picks, Like or Dislikes, Pop Quizzes, and more. Everything from trend reports to what the MBFW glitterati are wearing to getting your take on looks from the shows.

Presenting: #ideelSTYLE
While the runways are full of covetable trends for next season, some of the most fabulous styles sported at MBFW are on none other than the attendees! We were so impressed by the street style in and around Lincoln Center last year, that we decided to launch #ideelSTYLE, a Twitter campaign showcasing maven-worthy ensembles that we think you, our followers, will love. Look for #ideelSTYLE on our tweets, and if you're at MBFW and rocking a great look, there's a perk in it for you. If you're featured on our timeline, you'll get an ideeli gift card, to feed the habit in true #ideelSTYLE.

Giveaways
We'll be running a special edition of our weekly #FLASHFRIDAY Twitter giveaway on Friday, September 16, thanks to Maybelline New York. It'll be your chance to score a full-blown pro kit, with the same mascaras, shadows, lip colors, and more rocked by your favorite models. Don't forget to check out Maybelline New York's livestreaming of 30+ top shows at www.youtube.com/liverunway.

Our Runway-Ready giveaway is up and running on Facebook, giving you a chance to take part in all the fabulousness of the big event. You'll have a chance to win must-have pieces from our featured designers, so you too can be runway-ready.

Phew! That's quite the lineup. From the clothes to the celebs, #ideelSTYLE and giveaways, we’d love to hear your thoughts on Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week! Tell us on Twitter, Facebook and right here in our comments.

My First Fashion Week: Part 3

Every season, in our role as an official sponsor of Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week, we ask one novice MBFW-goer to record her adventures and, ahem, misadventures. This February, ideeli’s fearless Assistant Editor, Carmen Villafañe, is our My First Fashion Week correspondent. The 23-year old Miami native, who is usually orchestrating our sales editorials in the office, is experiencing the glam scene at Lincoln Center for the first time—and let’s just say she’s not the retiring type. Here’s the final installment on her exploits! With three shows to go before I wrapped up my first fashion week experience, I was feeling like an old pro. I had this calm confidence about me—because I’m a fashion insider now, and I know what’s up…right?! So wrong. With Tuesday's tickets to Badgley Mischka in hand, I was late. Very, very late. Train trouble, traffic once I switched to a cab, pretty much the universe saying “Forget it babe, you snooze, you literally lose.” As I sprinted into the tents, it seemed like eons ago that I sat down at my first show, unsure of what to do with my hands while I waited for Luca Luca to start. (That’s my stack of invites below.) The lights dimmed as I slid into my seat. I'm definitely not a pro yet; this was beginner's luck at it's finest. The show was everything you’d expect from the famed design duo. A one-shouldered, fuschia-sequined column gown begged for an invitation to a gala, and of course, in true Badgley Mischka form, the piece de resistance: bridal. The slim ivory gown with a ruffle that cascaded down from the waist was almost enough reason to make me heed my grandmother’s nagging reminder that “I’m not getting any younger and should settle down.” Almost.

My last day at MBFW was Wednesday, and I was scheduled to attend avant-garde darling Alexandre Herchovitch and the always classic Adrienne Vittadini. As I jaunted up the breezeway towards the tents, where all the street style photogs hang out to snap pictures of fashion's elite, I ate it. Literally, on hands and knees, face 15 shades of red, hyperventilating from my sprint up Broadway. But it wouldn’t be me if it stopped there. While I was trying to access Twitter on my iPhone, I proceeded to tweet the ideeli login information for the free world to see. Crisis was averted by my much more calm and collected co-workers back at the office, but still. All before even stepping into the tents? Lock it up, Carmen! Check out one of my more successful tweets below, streamed live in the lobby. Luckily the show hadn’t started, so I dusted myself off in my 3rd row seat, and made sure there were no unsightly tears in my stockings as the music cued up. Herchovitch is known for his off-kilter sensibility and dark motifs. I loved that he stuck to a palette of chartreuse and black for a dramatic effect, but tempered it with lady-like lace. And I have a few ex-boyfriends who probably would agree that the straightjacket-strapped coats are perfect for me. That's out one of the designer's hooded numbers below. Just like that, it was time for my last event of the season. I thought Adrienne Vittadini’s Modern Muse collection was going to be a presentation—where you admire the clothes up close like a museum exhibit. It was packed, and I realized, not only was this going to be a full-on show, but I’d be standing two feet away from some of the most iconic women in fashion. That's them below—from left, Pat Cleveland, Niki Taylor, Irina Pantaeva, Fredrique van Der Wal,Carmen Dell’Orefice, Roshumba, and Carol Alt. Like real troopers, the supermodels walked twice, dancing and having fun on the runway in a way only established, confident women can do. The practical separates in luxe fabrics were classic Adrienne Vittadini but the real stars were the women that wore them. They personified what style should be, with the inner glow that comes from doing you and loving it—no matter what you’re wearing. Irina and Roshumba work the runway below. To wrap up what’s been a whirlwind of fashion, fails, and what I hope my future will look like, here are a few gems I picked up on my first fashion week.

• Let your freak flag fly. The last thing the industry wants is another knock-off. Be yourself! Fashion week is the perfect time to try that orange lipstick you have no idea what to do with. That said; wipe it off before meeting your real life friends for dinner. It doesn’t translate very well.
• Fashionably late is relative. So you might have a few more minutes to work with, but don’t miss Lela Rose’s show because you’re running late. She sure as hell isn’t waiting for you. Moment of silence for that fail of all fails.
• Positive IDs on celebrities. They’re beautiful, but in the heat of the moment, I guarantee all those years of watching E! News will fly right out of your head and they might as well be the guy sitting next to you on the subway. In short, Tyson Beckford, is in fact, NOT Tyrese.
• The only thing you have to be afraid of…is you. My level of anxiety before my first show would have required horse tranquilizers. But by day 6 I was breezing through the tents, waving at Fern Mallis, and chatting up the bartenders—they might as well have set up a cot for me in the lobby. Keep in mind that this week-long world of all things fabulous is populated by real people just like us.
• Make new friends, but keep the old. The best part about this entire experience was getting to share it—be it with a newfound industry buddy, ideeli staffers or the best friends that are there through it all.

The past week has been a whirlwind. I barely slept—a combination of adrenaline and energy drinks had me up until 4:45 a.m. writing my second blog post. My apartment looks like a bomb hit it, with clothes, shoes, bags, and paper invites strewn everywhere from the various ensemble changes throughout the week. I face-planted in front of Lincoln Center—in flats. I spoke to Grace Coddington. This experience—the rush, the clothes, the people, even the fails—is why I got into this crazy biz to begin with. This may have been my first fashion week, but rest assured y’all, it certainly won’t be my last. See you next season!