This has been one of my favorite looks of 2019 so far! I found this super cute vintage tiger print sweater and paired it with my lion medallion heels. I love layering tights under everything so it ties the whole look together while staying warm in the KC snow.
sweater : Vintage (similar) | shorts : Zara (similar) | shoes : Jeffrey Campbell
The final night of the F/W’18 season of Kansas City Fashion Week was spectacular, as it always is. I am so happy to have completed my 11th season of KCFW and am pretty sad to say it will be my last; for a while anyways. I am moving to Italy for school and will be unable to attend next season but I think I left on a good note.
I always try to make my final night’s outfit the best out of them all. For this look, I am wearing a long red off the shoulder gown paired with a fur shawl; both by Lucia’s Sarto. I think that it’s important and shows support to wear a designer who is showing that evening. I wanted to keep the look elegant and clean so I slicked my hair back and paired it with simple, minimal gold hoops and that is all.
Nataliya Meyer is an incredibly talented fashion designer with an eye for beautiful tailoring. She is the designer of the dress I wore this evening and is amazing at what she does. Her collection was gorgeous. It was so feminine and flowy with the most beautiful luxurious hues. Her gowns are always like something from a movie.
Ethel & Dean is a children’s line for the edgy kid. I love how punk and out there these pieces are- and for kids! The color palette is wearable and light mixed with edgy decals. I love the fantasy-like details (wings, masks, hoods, etc.).
I love looking at bridal dresses and I am obsessed that this collection was not all white! The designer incorporated blacks and beiges to adorn the white which I thought was so interesting and different.
THIS was probably my favorite from the evening. I want to purchase every look from this collection. This line was made for the working woman who still wants to look stylish and fashionable in the office. The designer portrayed this quite literally by having models hold coffee cup, hold briefcases, and wear pencils behind their ears. It was such a realistic fashion line and such perfect, necessary concept. My favorite piece was the metallic blue jumpsuit. To this day, I can not get my mind off of it.
Sara Kahrs’ collection just screams fall. The colors and shapes make me honestly just want to skip summer (my least favorite season anyways) and go straight to fall. All the colors were pretty dark and then every now and then there was a pop of bright yellow to stir things up and keep it interesting. By looking closely, the garments were put together so well. I can see this being put up in a storefront window display immediately.
What an extravagant way to end fashion week. Everything (like seriously everything) about this collection was insane! The Versace-like choreography, sleek hair and bold make-up, and of course- the jewelry! Georgina is such a talented and creative designer and each piece she creates is so exclusive to anything I have ever seen. Her finale piece was a dress made from all metals and I was so blown away by it.
Over halfway done with posting my fashion week looks and reviews! This night was one of the best nights from socializing, to my own outfit, to the collectons that were shown. I felt truly content leaving this evening of KCFW.
Side note: I was unable to capture my own runway photos from where I was seated so all runway images are courtesy of photographer Danny Bourne. Go like his Facebook page here.
This is probably (weirdly) one of my most favorite outfits I have ever worn. This neon green dress was the most “not me” piece I could have picked out but for some reason it was a must. As of lately I feel like people, influencers and bloggers especially, have lost a sense of personal style and being different and I wanted to break that stigma with this. (I am in the middle of writing a post about this topic so keep following me a long to read!) I just kind of went for it with this outfit and did not expect the compliments that I received!
dress : Nasty Gal | boots : Target (similar) | earrings : Nasty Gal | necklace : vintage (similar)
photographer – Sara Clance (Facebook)
***runway images are courtesy of photographer Danny Bourne.
Tobie Marie’s collection was absolutely stunning and brought the biggest smile across my face. What a way to start off the evening! The designer chose all different types of models, showing that fashion includes everyone. Her pieces were feminine and luxurious. Everything was pastel the fabrics were light; it was like a dream.
Miranda Hanson is so talented at such a young age and her designs always impress me. She know the current and upcoming trends and incorporates her own touch; making them wearable and unique. Stars and flames have been everywhere lately and I was so please to see them appear at Kansas City Fashion Week. I would love to get my hands on that flame two piece set. These pieces are like a blogger and street style girl’s heaven.
Lauren Bander always keeps it consistent with a whimsical – vampy theme. I am in love with the movement of each garment. The airy fabrics and dark, moody shades are the perfect combination and remind me of a dark fairy tale. I love that I can picture these pieces in movies; this really shows that a fashion show is more than just a runway, but they can tell a story.
I met this talented designer when we modeled the runway together back in 2013. I always liked her because she is such a light and has an eye for some serious high fashion. Not only does she have chic personal style, Munisa is an incredible fashion designer. This collection was straight out of Milan Fashion Week. I really don’t know if it was the colors or textures or what; but all I could think was MILAN! Her collection was street style meets high fashion runway and I was all about it. I can see myself (and MANY other influencers and fashion lover) wearing every single look. I am so proud of how far this woman has come!
I absolutely loved the use of mixed textures and prints in this line! There were pops of primary colors, knits, denim, snakeskin, and much more. Somehow, all of these totally different elements came together beautifully. The minimalistic abstract makeup definitely added a nice cohesive touch. My favorite piece was the finale look; the printed pant suit with the elbow slit. Oh my gosh I would wear this in a heartbeat!
Barbara Bultman’s collection was not only physically stunning but extremely powerful. This line was made for women empowerment. Bultman kept her collection classic, with bold colors and unique shapes, but also woke and in the now, by creating a strong message. Each model had a different empowering saying written out on her hands. Now, especially, women supporting women is so important and Barbara’s message got across through art and fashion. VERY well done!
Wow. This collection brought the perfect amount of masculinity to femininity. If you could mix the two aesthetics of posh and edgy together this was it. The harsh lines of the red, black, and gray structured jackets gave the looks some edge, while the quilting and fur accents kept it elegant and feminine. It truly was the perfect amount of everything. So chic yet so unique: almost like a New York business woman meets a Parisian romantic. The tailoring on every single garment was perfect and the sHe by ChristianMICHEAL logo was the best personal touch.
In case you missed my previous nights covering KCFW click HERE for Wednesday night coverage and HERE for Thursday night. Be sure to check back tomorrow for my final post covering Saturday night at Kansas City Fashion Week F/W’19.
xx Bella
Hello, hello! Your Kansas City Fashion Week F/W’19 Thursday night runway show recap is here! This was such a fun night to attend and I got to watch some amazing pieces from such talented designers go down the runway.
So I know I said that I wanted to branch out of my comfort zone and wear a ton of bright colors this season but when I saw these pants, I couldn’t say no. I feel like this outfit can be worn out to an event or in the office; very versatile. I paired it with my Jeffrey Campbell lion medallion pumps to edge it up a little bit.
top : Forever 21 | pants : Forever 21 | shoes : Jeffrey Campbell
LIV started out the show with bold colors keeping everyone interested and excited. Each piece was different and unique in its own special way. I love that there are finally more up and coming plus size designers.
As of lately, I have been greatly intrigued with zodiac signs and Nokota.Style’s collection immediately made me want to read my horoscope. It was the perfect blend of moon child and space cowboy (weird but it worked and I was obsessed with it). I would wear just about wear every garment that was displayed.
Oh my god. While watching this line my jaw was literally dropped the whole time…no joke. These pieces are something that could be in a museum they are so unique. The House of Pamela Renee’s collection was probably my favorite from the evening. It gave off kind of an old fashioned casino vibe between the furs, colors, and prints. The tailoring was impeccable and pool balls? On clothing? Obsessed. I would wear every single item that came down the runway in a heartbeat. The collection even had its own custom soundtrack! Well done.
Rachel Pollack brought youthful elegance to KC Fashion Week with her chic silhouettes and luxurious colors. I am a big texture girl and loved the pops of faux fur on the sleeves. The fur changed a simple dress to a statement dress and I think I need one in my closet.
Such a unique menswear collection; business on the top, party on the bottom. Two toned pants are something you don’t see a lot of, especially on men and I thought it was so different and extremely well presented. These pieces are definitely for the youthful working male millennial who values personal style.
Hannah Kristina brought an exquisite blend of edgy femininity to the runway. The dark colors and girly shapes made for a attractively uncommon collection. My favorite pieces were the navy jumpsuit and the black embellished finale piece.
So quick backstory on this designer: this designer was the first designer I ever got to model for in my Kansas City Fashion Week history when I was 13 years old! I remember how nervous I was for my first runway show and on top of that, she had me do a quick change! That was years ago and now as media, watching from the other side, I am so happy to see her back in KC showing more of her beautiful work. Lenzantia is a sustainable fashion line and it is obvious to see her love of texture. I appreciate the mix of mens and womenswear in one line and adored the color scheme. This was a huge collection and each look was carried out beautifully.
Thank you so much for the read! Stay tuned the next two days for the Friday and Saturday recap of #KCFW!
In case you missed it click HERE for Wednesday night’s review!
xx Bella
***all runway images taken by me, feel free to repost them as you will but remember to give me credit**
I can not believe how much I have slacked off with blogging. I am usually one to post event coverage hours after it happens but sometimes life gets in the way. My sophomore year of college has ended and I am about to start the summer hustle before I study abroad in Florence, Italy but, before I get super busy, I figured I should write up my 2 month late Kansas City Fashion Week Recaps.
This season, KCFW was held at the Grand Hall at Power & Light (one of my favorite venues) for the F/W’19 collections. I am thankful that I got to attend these events as media for my third season.
This season of fashion week I stepped out of my comfort zone and incorporated bright colors! I am usually one to stick with all black or neutrals but wanted to try something new. I found this hot pink coat at Topshop and I knew it was the right piece to kick of KCFW!
coat : Topshop (similar) | shirt : Karl Lagerfeld | skirt : Missguided (similar) | boots : Rebecca Minkoff (similar)
photographer – Jason Atherton (Facebook)
The very first collection to be shown at Kansas City Fashion Week was one of my favorites of the whole season. If you know me, you know I love menswear a LOT. These pieces were so well tailored to the models and look as if they are 100% ready to be sold in a retail setting. My favorite piece was the knitted boatneck sweater. Texture is so important to me so this really stood out but stayed true to the collections aesthetic with similar colors.
This collection, so I was told, was inspired by superheros which is so badass! Only a few colors were used, as you can see below, but each piece was so different. The leather and silver combination was extremely powerful and the movement on each garment was amazing.
Red has been my favorite color for a while now and I got so excited about this collection. My favorite piece was the red velvet cape. Very powerful vibes here.
I met the designer of this collection, Schyler Slaven, a few years ago when we runway modeled together. I am so happy and proud to see how far she has come since then. I want every single piece from her line. I almost want to call it “elegant loungewear”. The colors and fabrics were sheer and simple and I fell in love with everything about it! Keep it up girl, you’re killing it!
Candace Callahan Wolf’s collection was so diversely chic. There were gowns, pants, dresses, and jackets- so much variety; and all in white! The pearl detailing on some of the pieces was such an elegant surprise. My favorite piece from this line was the button up bomber jacket, so cool.
Em’s Trends’ line somehow brought me back to my childhood. As a kid, I was a princess and fairytale fanatic. Between the floral headpieces and embellished gowns it was like a dream come true. I wish the models could walk down the runway hundreds of times because I really wanted a close look at the detail. Really, really beautiful.
This collection was to show that a modest and conservative woman can still be fashionable and chic. It was an entire denim collection and the tailoring was incredible. Denim will always have a special place in my heart and I have a love for the reconstruction of it. I can see myself wearing a lot of this collection.
Again, I feel so terrible for how delayed this post is but as I said before, life gets crazy and it’s healthy to relax and sometimes not worry about anything at all. The next three nights of KCFW will be posted within the next three days in chronological order so stay tuned.
xx Bella
***all runway images taken by me, feel free to repost them as you will but remember to give me credit**
Hello! This is just a real fast post but I wanted to quickly mention what I was doing at Lee Jeans Headquarters this past Sunday! So Lee Jeans is based out of the Kansas City area, Merriam, Kansas to be exact, and I was invited to be a model coach at the MODA Photoshoot. MODA is basically a collaborative group bringing together all sorts of people within the industry to network and create. Check out MODA here. I had a blast working with other models and professionals and can’t wait to attend more!
xx Bella
jeans : Lee | shirt : Baldwin (similar) | belt : Gucci | boots : Rebecca Minkoff (similar) | hat : Target (similar) | jacket : Forever 21 (similar)
I feel as if I have been going to meet-ups left and right and I absolutely love it. It’s so refreshing to work with tons of creative people who all have their own individual mindset. I will keep updating this post as more shots roll in!
The theme of this meet-up hosted by the KC Creatives was Valentine’s Day. Molly Balloons (queen balloon artist of Kansas City) was there to create some fun things too. I decided to stick with the theme and wear the color red by throwing on my favorite red striped flare pants from AFRM. I wear these things so often I think I should buy a second pair for when these completely give out.
I have a short part 2 from this meet up coming soon! Stay tuned!
xx Bella
photographer : EAILY
photographer : Rachel Leigh
photographer : Kenzie Shea Photography
shirt : Topshop (similar) | pants : AFRM | earrings : Forever 21
HELLO! Thanks so much for tuning in to my second ever vlog. I am obviously still getting the hang of being comfortable talking to the camera in public which is why I’m so awkward at times but I’ll get better. I am so blessed to have been invited on the first official Kansas City Fashion Week Cruise trip. We had an amazing team and I had so much fun. I am hoping that KCFW does something like this again soon!
BLOG POSTS FROM THIS TRIP :
I am so thankful to have been invited to the 2017 Kritiq Fashion Show as a blogger! This show was held at the College Basketball Experience part of the Sprint Center in Kansas City. It was such a cool atmosphere full of amazing people from Kansas City. This show was so inspiring to see just some of the talented creatives that Kansas City has to offer. From athletic streetwear to couture gowns there was a variety of it all.
I was invited to the Kritiq by designer, Roger Figeroua so my main focus on this post will be the collection that he presented. I have known Roger for a while and he never fails to amaze me. He is original, creative, and has so much talent. Roger brought a mix of ready to wear apparel and couture gowns to the show, while keeping a consistent color pallets of blacks, whites, and blues. I love everything he designs and can’t wait to see where life takes him. Thanks again Roger for inviting me, much love! Xx
Be sure to like Roger’s Facebook page here and follow him on Instagram here. Feel free to go back on my blog here to see what Roger brought to Kansas City Fashion Week’s F/W’17 season.
All of the other designers and brands that showed at Kritiq were great! The entire show was such a fun experience. I could tell that the models were having a blast as well as the emcee and guests. Below are some photos of my favorite looks!
coat : Etiquette Boutique (similar) | jeans : AFRM (similar)
BELLA LIGHTNER 