Saturday, October 26th was the final day of the Puerto Rico High Fashion Week event in the Museum of Art of Puerto Rico and I was able to share this experience with my best friend Ana; it would not have been such an awesome night if it wasn’t for her. After escaping the dreaded traffic of Puerto Rico we arrived at the Museum at 6:30, when the show was scheduled for 6:15 (fashionably late is an understatement in P.R.) We didn’t know exactly where the event was being held so after passing through the empty museum we found ourselves going down nervously on a huge staircase outside, hoping that our heels would not cause a fall. Once we were down we saw where the event actually was, in a large white tent where civilization was heading to. We entered the tent into a packed lounge area to wait until the curtains were opened and the crowd would pour in as if going through a funnel. For the first show we bought general tickets so we had to choose our seats in the last two rows. Fortunately, Maleyda, who was part of the organization of this event and has been very supportive of my blog by providing press communication, got us to the front row. This first show was actually a presentation of a group of up and coming local designers called The New Generation II. Reynaldo José was the first designer to present his take on Spring Summer 2014. This collection composed of bright hues of aqua, fuchsia, and lilac had a lot of volume and interesting textures seen in ruffles, capes, frills, and geometric embroidery. The next designer was Gabriel Ocasio, who presented a completely different style, with edgy pieces in black, white and bright yellow. The most recurring element in Ocasio’s collection was a graphic print of the famous portrait of Julia de Burgos. Orlando Emanuel was the third designer, and his collection of feminine dresses was actually one of my favorites of the night. The combination of nude, orange and turquoise was flawless especially with details such as sequins, embroidery, and striped fabrics. The fourth and final designer to present was Joseph Da’ponte, which seemed like an anti-spring collection or better yet an anti-Christ inspired collection. The smell of incense that was troubling Ana from the beginning of the show grew more intense as a group of male models in nothing but black and white briefs with peculiar add-ons along with chunky tribal jewelry came in. They stood in a tight formation for about a minute and then a strange satanic-ish music started. It was all black and white pieces with cross designs and appliqués made with wires, rhinestones, and even candles and incense which were lit on the shoulders of the last piece of the collection. The dresses I liked from Da’ponte’s collection were really the only two wearable which were an Ouija print body con and a white flowy gown with wire appliqués on the top. When that first show was finished Ana and I went and had some gourmet snacks while we waited for the Arte Por La Paz Gala to begin. We did miss Jaer Caban's collection, but I stayed updated and from what I saw on Instagram it was composed of intricate pieces with very modern figures and textures. There were a few crazy accessories as well, but all in the name of fashion. Finally, the Gala began with a musical number by the talented students of Escuela Libre de Música Ernesto Ramos Antonini, including inspiring young vocalist Adiel Micheo. Then designer Jackie Tejada presented her collection for children and tweens, "Paper Dolls", which the name almost says it all, that's exactly how those tiny models looked. Her designs were delicate, feminine, filled with lace, embroidery, all in a color palette of pink, pastel yellow, orange, and white. Reynaldo Álvarez was the closing of the night, with a collection straight from Paris. His designs were simple, chic, and elegant using color blocking with nude, black, white, turquoise, and fuchsia. Solid pieces with sleek asymmetric cuts and small details such as a bow or a modern flower were all part of this collection. Before the models made their final walk out came Giselle Blondet, founder of Arte Por La Paz, in one of Álvarez's designs and the event ended. I am very grateful to have at least made it to this night, this was after all the first time I assisted the event and there is no way in hell I am missing the next one! Enjoy the pictures, just click on each to see them in detail.
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If you have been following my blog you probably know by now that one of my favorite colors is neon (if you're not following you should!). I love the way it can make you stand out and that it is perfectly suited for the colorful tropical-ness of my little Island. This look right here is actually from before the week of San Juan Moda, and I wore this to work. The great thing about a business casual dress code is there is still room for creativity, and this day was a particularly creative day. I was wearing a very cute fan printed dress from Marshall's with tights to make it proper, the neon sweater is from Ann Taylor Loft, the black lace up boots are from Charlotte Russe, and the bag (which you have probably gotten tired of) is from Aldo. These pictures were actually taken right outside the building were I work by a fellow coworker and photographer Gabriel using my Nokia Lumia 1020 (amazing right?). I really love how the picture shows a mixture of nature and the city. I also enjoyed the angle Gabriel used (he'll be hearing from me soon for more pictures!). Hope you all enjoy these pictures too, and don't forget to follow all that is Sequin Vision on Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, and Facebook! Friday, October 11th was the sixth day of San Juan Moda, and for me it was just the second and sadly the last day. That night I decided to wear one of my favorite dresses from Forever 21, a long with the most bad ass biker jacket from Dollhouse, the cutest burgundy shoes from Shoedazzle, and the best partners in crime: my Miyata bag from Aldo and my "Shame" lipstick from Urban Decay. Of course, my press badge could not be missing from this outfit as you can see, and even though the weight of the whole week fell upon me, the show went on and boy was it a good one! Before heading to Hotel San Juan I had some yummy sushi with Texi, I was not going on a fashion hunt with an empty stomach! The first collection presented was by Carlos Alberto, designer known for dressing our Miss Universe. The guest list of this show seemed to include a lot of non fashion related people like the ex-mayor of San Juan, the ex-president of the House of Representatives, and a bunch of women dressed like they were going to club Brava, a long with a crowd of soccer moms that came to see their little girls model, because apparently the designer mixed (or should I say smashed together) the collection "Splendor Child" and "Replicas". The girls looked incredibly cute, and I actually enjoyed a few of the pieces, but as for the gowns and "other" pieces for women... it was as a fellow fashionista sitting next to me said "the worst of 90's prom in one". There were sheer pieces, there were feathers, there were rhinestones, there were mermaid silhouettes, and there was even a special guest appearance by the Powerpuff Girls (the three models at the end in green, blue and pink). I am a little glad I was not able to see all that well from my press corner for this (harsh, but true). Next up was Frolain Hats by Blanca Viera at the beautiful and popular Hotel San Juan lobby. I thought the designs were amazing though I am biased to head wear that reminds me of Lady Gaga. My favorite from his collection called "Endless" was a black piece with white stripes on the picture below. After surviving the second ballroom mosh pit of this event, I was able to find a better spot to take pictures of the next show, Pipo Pere's collection "Grafi-co", which paid homage to Italian fashion house Missoni. The 70's vibe was clearly represented in this collection with colorful patterned fabrics, a lot of fringe, flowers here and there, long sleek hair, and bug eyed sunglasses. What captured my attention the most from this collection was the use of the latest trend of pairing sheer skirts over bodysuits, only he did this with a lace or mesh skirt on a playful print instead of using a solid color. The night ended with another presentation in the lobby by Jesuan Ramos and Belmari Sifonte for Punky Collection, a delightfully creative line of accessories that have a modern tribal flare. As if their pieces don't stand out enough, their models were head to toe in black and made these neon acrylic fashion statements pop. That's it for my adventure on San Juan Moda, overall it was a great event and I would definitely like to go again next year. Now I have to try and have an adventure on Puerto Rico High Fashion Week, hopefully I will cover at least one of the shows, you will find out soon on the next posts to come, in the mean time enjoy more pictures of this event and a video of Pipo Pere's collection. On October 10th, day five of the San Juan Moda event at Hotel San Juan I was able to assist as press for the first time representing Sequin Vision. I, for some reason, did not try to get a pass for someone to accompany me so I arrived alone to a not surprisingly full hotel. Being my first time going as press I innocently went through the line to register to end up finding out I could walk by all the people who were desperately trying to get in the ballroom where all the action was. The first thing I saw once I got in the ballroom was a sea of people who seemed to be socialites or people who all just new each other. It was not long before I realized I knew someone there too (Puerto Rico definitely is small!). After socializing and taking pictures of the spectators, it was time to get to where all the fashion magic was going to happen. There was a whole area for press at the end of the runway, unfortunately I was assigned a seat at the back corner of this area where I could barely see the show. I did, however, meet a pair of really awesome guys, one of which was a blogger too for Fashion Is Bananas. The designer Lisa Thon was the first to present her collection for Summer Spring 2014 called "Zensorial", which showcased swimwear and resort style for men and women. I have to admit I was not really wowed by the collection, but at least Thon saved the best for last, which was a sequined black and white printed jumpsuit. After this, the crowd headed down to the lobby where accessory designer Alberto Torres presented his collection of mirrored necklaces and belts inspired by the Peruvian Yma Sumac. I really enjoyed his designs, which were also seen on a recent runway show for Ecliptica called "Paradis". Also, the designer Verónika Pagán collaborated with Torres providing her famous body suits so that his accessories could stand out even more. Once that presentation was over, the crowd or should I say mosh pit pushed each other back to the ballroom to see Sonia Santiago's collection SS 14 "Forever Sonia". The name of the collection says it all, these were designs that will forever immortalize the designer! Of the designs that I could see, they were very feminine and romantic gowns with lace and embroidered details over sheer fabrics that made the models look like goddesses. My favorite was a royal blue gown with an open draped skirt and a sheer top with details of embroidered flowers. For this awesome night I wore the white Lafayette pants you saw in my look "Clarity" , a vintage printed crop top, shoedazzle metallic pumps, and zara orange transparent clutch. Enjoy the pictures and my second look is coming soon! Photos by: © J. Perez-Mesa / 2013 About a week ago I went to see Jobs starring Asthon Kutcher at the Fine Arts Cafe with my best friend Ana. It was a day in which I went straight from work to class and from there I was lucky to catch Ana with free time at the same time as me. The movie was great, we enjoyed watching Ashton (especially Ana), had some sushi, and we had a lot of laughs. I went for a very conservative but dark look with a Loft sweater, Forever 21 shirt and skirt, Zara ankle boots and my Aldo Miyata bag. Since I wore this look for work, the tights were very necessary, but added a little extra chicness to it a long with the hair in a bun. These pictures were taken with my Nokia Lumia 1020 by Ana right there at Fine Arts, and I am so grateful for them! I have to admit, I was not completely satisfied with this look, but it is a work look and that means certain restrictions must be applied, and I will never like restrictions when it comes to fashion. Enjoy this look, and expect better ones to come since I still have to show you what I wore to San Juan Moda! The ribbon cutting initiated the 16 runway shows of Haute Couture and Accessories at Hotel San Juan The opening ceremony for San Juan Moda was held this Monday October 7, 2013 at Hotel San Juan in Isla Verde. A dedication was given in honor of the renowned designer Carlota Alfaro who has been a pillar in the education of Puerto Rican designers. Later that evening the first designers to have their designs walk down the runway were Carlos Alberto, who presented his new collection for children and Heriberto Vázquez also presented his collection for SS14 "Black Image". Hotel San Juan will be receiving during this week 15 local designers in total and one international designer as well, and to welcome them all a ceremonial ribbon cutting was done on Monday evening too. I'll be covering the shows for day 5, 6 and 7, which something I am very excited about! Today is already day 4 of San Juan Moda so stay up to date on all that has happened by checking out their website and facebook page. Stay tuned for a fashion filled weekend! Gotta love those casual Fridays! This look right here is a work look believe it or not, because it was the greatest day of the week. This was actually two weeks ago, but better late than never right? I was wearing Aéropostale plaid shirt and boyfriend jeans, a long with my new shoes from Shoedazzle which you saw part of in my look "Clarity". I've been wearing a Gucci watch I found at my grandmother's and the same few accessories lately so you can see those here as well, you can also see the aviators from American Eagle Outfitters and my Miyata bag from Aldo. These pictures were taken with my new Lumia 1020 phone, and can you tell how much better they are from the ones my Nikon camera takes? Only problem is, I'm gonna need to buy some space here for these huge pictures (so worth it). I have another huge announcement, which you can see in my other post of today, so go check that out too! Enjoy! When I wear something as simple as this dress it's when I feel the most chic and at the same time the most comfortable. I wore this about two weeks ago (i know the post was really overdue) for a Monday at work, which I have turned into my dress wearing days to have something to look forward to besides waking up at 6:00 a.m. to be an hour in traffic. The dress is Rachel Roy and I got it at an awesome sale Macy's had a few weeks ago, I am really liking all of her designs. The shoes are pretty old, they are from Baker's and they were a birthday gift. The purse, which you've seen in quite a lot of my looks is one of my favorites from Shoedazzle. With this simple chic look I decided to wear simple accessories and makeup too. Enjoy! |