Midwest Fashion Week: October 19th - 22nd

One of the things that makes me proud to be in fashion in Indy is Midwest Fashion Week. In it's five year inception, MFW has grown from a small local event to one of the region's hottest fashion tickets. Midwest Fashion Week is hosted twice a year, once in March and the second is in October. Last MFW, I got to meet the AMAZING ladies from Eliza Parker.

The theme for MFW this quarter is Fashion is Empowerment and is sponsored by many of Indiana's leading companies, fashion houses and media. The itnerary has recently been posted for the October's events. I hope to get to at least one or two functions during the short week of festivities. To view the complete schedule, check the website.

Janelle

Puerto Rico High Fashion Week Wrap Up

Covering Puerto Rico High Fashion Week for Ruby Leonne and Style & Mode was an unique experience.

I went on Saturday with aspiring plus size model Ana Garcia, wearing a beautiful dress from Torrid, and her friend Apolonia. It was the finale and some of my favorite designers were going to be showcasing their designs.

 I arrived there and went to the press table to get my ID. I still couldn’t believe I was covering the most important event of the year in fashion on the Island. I sat down with my photographer, Javier, and I was literally in Fashion Heaven.

Jose Raul Collection

Magalis Garcia Collection

The first fashion show was with Jose Raul, Magalis Garcia and Jaer Caban. Their collections were unbelievable. I was transported to Paris feeling I was in one of their great fashion Shows. Yes it was that good!! Then Lisa Thon showed her collection. Everyone was at awe...simply stunning.

Lisa Thon

Jaer Caban Collection

Eddie Guerrero Collection

To finish the fashion shows, Eddie Guerrero showed his collection. He had some musicians playing African music and his collection was inspired in this theme. Very exotic! It was a great way to finish the show.

I also visited The Shop, saying hi to Marilyn Arroyo, owner of Plump Couture. She was looking beautiful as always. I went to a great boutique named Bounkit and the jewelry was absolutely stunning.

Ana wearing Torrid with Caridad Fernandez PRHFW President

While visiting the Shop I saw Caridad Fernadez, the PRHFW president. She was so accessible to everyone. She took a picture with aspiring plus size model Ana Garcia and that was the highlight of her evening.

The Shop

What I liked most is that people from all walks of life attended this magnificent event. I talked to a lady who lives in the projects and she was there because the prices were affordable to all, I had so much fun with her telling me she took two busses to get there and was proud of this! 

Designs

 Caridad Fernandez said once that this was an event for all the people of Puerto Rico and she was right. I saw so many girls in this event, thin and curvy and they all looked great. I hope one day I can cover a Full Fashion Week in Puerto Rico because there are so many beautiful curvy girls that want to be given the chance to do the same things as the thin models, who knows what can happen, life is full of surprises!!

Blesssings to all,

Marta

Could You Be The Most Beautiful Girl in the World

I think beautiful women simply have a unique way about themselves. Their good attributes, kindness, authenticity, sense of humor, artistic talent, intelligence, confidence without conceit, respectfulness and humility stand above everything else. It's just something about their attitude. What is my point while writing this blog? I want everyone to realize that beauty comes from within because no matter how beautiful and how fashion you are, if you don’t have inner beauty, you have nothing my friends.

I chose four women here on the Island that have all of these qualities so you can see that Puerto Rican women can be beautiful inside and out.

Mariana Vicente

Mariana Vicente is our Miss Puerto Rico Universe 2010. She is one of the most beautiful women I have ever seen. Mariana decided to pose topless with the intention of promoting El Yunque internationally and getting people to vote for this national forest becoming one of the seven world natural wonders. She knew this would cause a little bit of a stir, but she did it because it was for such a great cause, and it was very tastefully done. I saw the pictures and they were beautiful.

Dayanara Torres

Dayanara Torres is our 1993 Miss Universe. She caught my eye because of her humble beginnings and how tight she is with her family. Every time she is interviewed she is so charming and so down to earth. During and after her reign as Miss Universe, she became an ambassador for UNICEF, traveling through Asia and Latin America in support of the organization. She was married to Marc Anthony. Her greatest accomplishment is being a great mother to her children!

Ana Garcia

Ana García is a beautiful aspiring plus size model from Puerto Rico. Her inner beauty reflects her outer beauty as she always has a kind word for everyone she meets, never judging anyone and accepting everyone as they are. What I most admire about her is her perseverance, her passion for what she believes in, she accepts she will never be a size zero and she is happy with this. She is proud to be plus on an Island where there are many issues about plus size women, especially in the modeling world. She has inspired other plus size ladies all over the Island to reach out for their dreams.

Tirzha Alcaide

Tirzha Alcaide is a woman whom I find fascinating. She is the designer of Matahari Jewelry and is in charge of The Shop in PRHFW. Furthermore, she is reality show contestant, works for charities and yet she is always so accessible to everyone. Her sense of humor and smile light up a room. You would think that a woman with all her accomplishments would be conceited and she is not like that at all. Talking to her is like a breath of fresh air.

So you see, if you cultivate your inner beauty, like these women have, your outer beauty will shine like a star. MY POINT EXACTLY!!!!

Blessings to all,

Marta

Shop Till You Drop

I love the phrase shop till you drop. If you want to literally do this you must attend The Shop at Puerto Rico High Fashion Week. The Shop was created for designers to have a space where they can showcase and sell their collections. It's where the public can appreciate the wonders around the designer's designs and retailers can also meet personally with the designers and have direct contact with them.

Tirzha and Pitango, a ring designer from Israel at The Shop 2010

I was talking the other day to Tirzha Alcaide, she is the lovely lady who is in charge of The Shop. This lady has an amazing story. While being in charge of The Shop, she is also competing in a reality show named In Search of the New Diva Puerto Rico. You can be sure I will blog about her very soon to tell you all about the show and her experience.

PRHFW President Caridad Fernández visiting The Shop 2010

Tirzha was telling me they will have fashion shows, lot’s of great booths with beautiful merchandise and a bar area for the customers. They are expecting more than 12,000 people! It will be held at The Puerto Rico Convention Center in San Juan from September 28 to October 1, 2011.

Designer Reynaldo José with one of his creations

If you are in town be sure to check it out because if you love to shop till you drop, this is the place to go! Hope to see you there!

Entertainment at The Shop

Blessings to all,

Marta

Reynaldo José: Featured at Puerto Rico High Fashion Week

The life of a designer is intimately linked to tastes and sensibilities that change at a moment’s notice. He or she must be able to capitalize on or - even better - influence those opinions. Designers reflect society’s sensibilities through clothing design.

Puerto Rico High Fashion Week is just around the corner and I am going to blog about an amazing young designer from Puerto Rico. His name is Reynaldo José and he will be participating at this event that promises to be spectacular. I contacted him and asked him if I could blog about him. He was so nice and graciously accepted immediately.

Reynaldo José with one of his models

Reynaldo José was born in Caguas, Puerto Rico, on December 15, 1986. His artistic inclinations started from a very young age. When he was just twelve years old, he won the award “Fashion Designers of the New Millennium”. I find this to be amazing! He received a scholarship to study at the renowned school of Lisa Thon and graduated in 2001 with high honors. With ten years of experience in the fashion industry, he has participated in numerous local and international events like Novel Design Group, Flashes of Fashion, Red Carpet Fashion International Convention, Miss Bahamas World, Plazarela, and the most important fashion event: Puerto Rico High Fashion Week.

Reynaldo José with one of his models

José has been honored with many awards throughout his career. Recently, he's been nominated to receive the Manuela Toro Morice Award, by the Chamber of Representatives of Puerto Rico, as a young distinguished person from the Municipality of Caguas.

He has a BA in Communications, with a concentration in Visual Arts, from the Sagrado Corazón University and he is pursuing his Master’s Degree in Communications. Among his immediate plans, he hopes to continue the fascinating world of fashion and communications.

Reynaldo José with Oscar De La Renta

I am so proud to say he's from the beautiful Island of Puerto Rico. José is so talented and yet so humble and I can’t wait to meet him at PRHFW!! Reynaldo José, I wish you all the luck in the world, the sky is the limit!

Blessings to all,

Marta

Puerto Rico High Fashion Week 2011

If you live just for fashion, navigating in the fashion world or rarely seen outside of it, where is the one place you would love to go? The Puerto Rico High Fashion Week of course!

 Puerto Rico High Fashion Week, founded in 2005, is the pinnacle event of the fashion of Puerto Rico and the Caribbean. The event presents important fashion designers, including the most promising young talent and outstanding designers. It is estimated over 100,000 people have attended this world class event, in which 300 people work directly or indirectly. This event will inject about $2 million into Puerto Rico's economy.

Omar Hasbún, Custo Dalmau, Caridad Fernández (PRHFW President), Tita Hasbún and Billy Hasbún in Dominican Republic.

There has been a strategic alliance between the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico in order to strengthen the fashion industry in the Caribbean. Puerto Rico High Fashion Week (PRHFW) is described by the Puerto Rico Hotel and Tourism Association as the most important fashion event held on the island; it combines the best of local and international fashion, and it was just announced that its next edition comes with international air.

Isabel Toledo

PRHFW officially opens its second season of 2011 from September 28 to October 1 with the unique show of Isabel Toledo, the celebrated Cuban Fashion Designer based in the United States and who celebrates 27 years in the industry. Toledo achieved global recognition from Michelle Obama being elected to design the outfit she wore during the inauguration of her husband. This unique Fashion Show will benefit the Art Museum of Puerto Rico. I will be blogging about the designers and so many more things that PRHFW has to offer during my next blogs so stay tuned!

Michelle Obama wearing Isabel Toledo dress

Blessings to all,

Marta