runway

All White After Labor Day – Cinque Terre, Italy

~ bellalightner ~ Leave a comment

Happy Sunday!

My last post was about my weekend in Cinque Terre and I loved what I wore so much I wanted to do a whole separate post with more photos! I think that the “no white after Labor Day” rule is stupid and outdated. Fashion is supposed to be fun and I don’t believe in rules.

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outfit details : blouse : Zara (similar) | pants : Etiquette Boutique (similar) | white sneakers : Fila Disruptor II| sandals : Pino’s (similar) | bag : Italian Market (similar)| sunglasses : Nordstrom

photographer : Santiago

Pink Going Out Dress

~ bellalightner ~ Leave a comment

Hello hello!

I shot this look almost two months ago and these photos have just been sitting in my drafts and I totally forgot about them!

I wore this pink jacquard dress once to a formal and felt the need to style it for more of a casual, going out look. Pairing almost any “one time” event dress with a leather jacket and boots or booties makes for a whole new outfit! I added a hat to give it a touch of personal style and my everyday rings and accessories give it the perfect edge.

xx Bella

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dress : Nasty Gal (similar) | jacket : CiSono (similar) | boots : Target (similar)

#KCFW F/W’19 Saturday Night Runway Show

~ bellalightner ~ Leave a comment

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.

My Outfit

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.

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Designers

Lucia’s Sarto

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

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.).

My Heirloom Bridal Design

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.

TRBrown

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

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.

Her by Georgina Herrera

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.

#KCFW F/W’19 Friday Night Runway Show

~ bellalightner ~ Leave a comment

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.

My Outfit

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!

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dress : Nasty Gal | boots : Target (similar) | earrings : Nasty Gal | necklace : vintage (similar)

photographer – Sara Clance (Facebook)

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Designers :

***runway images are courtesy of photographer Danny Bourne.

Tobie Marie

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 Designs

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

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.

Munelle De Vie

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!

Amanda Casarez

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 Designs

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!

sHe by ChristianMICHEAL

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.

with Brooke Richardson

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

#KCFW F/W’19 Thursday Night Runway Show

~ bellalightner ~ 1 Comment

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.

My Outfit

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.

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top : Forever 21 | pants : Forever 21 | shoes : Jeffrey Campbell

Designers :

LIV

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.

Nokota.Style

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.

House of Pamela Renee

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.

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Rachel Pollack Designs

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.

West Fens

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 Designs

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.

Lenzanita

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.

with Eliza Williams and Brooke Richardson
with Brooke Richardson

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**

#KCFW F/W’19 Wednesday Night Runway Show

~ bellalightner ~ 1 Comment

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.

My Outfit :

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!

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coat : Topshop (similar) | shirt : Karl Lagerfeld | skirt : Missguided (similar) | boots : Rebecca Minkoff (similar)

photographer – Jason Atherton (Facebook)

DESIGNERS :

 Fey Chavez

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.

 

Cierra Marie McMichael

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.

 

Sew Unrelaxed

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.

 

Schyline

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

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

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.

 

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Sewrissarenee

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.

 

 

with colorsofcostarica.com

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**

#KCFW S/S’18 Saturday Night Runway Show

~ bellalightner ~ Leave a comment

Hello hello! Again, this post is super delayed but I now am free (finally) to share it! This final night of fashion week was my favorite. I got the opportunity to style 12 looks to hit the runway on side of Randall Schneck. We pulled clothing from Dillard’s at the Oak Park Mall, one of Kansas City Fashion Week’s main sponsors, to create 12 Fall looks. I have never gotten to do anything like this before so this was a new experience for me and I loved every second of it. Watching those outfits go down the runway was such an incredible feeling.

STYLING

BELLA LIGHTNER & RANDALL SCHNECK

***all runway photos are by Jason Atherton (Facebook) ***

Each season of Kansas City Fashion Week gets better and better. I know everyone says this but it is really true. I have grown up within the KCFW community and I feel as if they’re a second family to me. Looking back throughout the past 11 seasons, I have seen myself not only grow as a model and blogger, but as a person. This season was my favorite as I got to expand my horizons by trying new things.

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With Brooke Richardson brookelaryn.com (left) and Kylie Rifkin barelybyathread.com (middle)

MY OUTFIT :

The amount of times I’ve worn this dress is kind of crazy but I just love it so much- it HAD to make an appearance at Fashion Week. I wore this a lot in the summer but I thought it would be different to make it more Fall-ish by pairing it with a black hat and OTK boots!

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dress : For Love and Lemons | hat : H&M (similar) | boots : Calvin Klein (similar)

Unfortunately I did not have my professional camera for this night of Fashion Week and my phone took such low quality photos they’re not even worth sharing on here. Be sure to check out my other posts from this seasons fashion week, Tuesday night here and Thursday Night here.

#KCFW S/S’18 Thursday Night Runway Show

~ bellalightner ~ 1 Comment

This post has been EXTREMELY delayed and I can’t apologize enough for it. However, school has been taking over my life and that right now it my top priority. I finally got some free time now that it’s my Thanksgiving break to write up my Kansas City Fashion Week recaps (thank God)!

With Brooke Richardson brookelaryb.com (left) and Kylie Helen Rifkin barelybyathread.com (right) *photo by Kyle Devlin*
Shooting blogger Jana Meister Enevoldsen janastyleblog.com *photo by Kylie Helen Rifkin

During this event I was interview by Tara Logan for Kansas City Fashion Week’s official Facebook page. This was kind of nerve-wracking since I have never done an on camera interview before but I hope that I did okay! You can watch my interview HERE and Tara’s YouTube video recap HERE.

DESIGNERS :

Syke Brand

Skye Brand focused on the terrible and ongoing issue of sex trafficking. Models were bound by ropes at the hands to make a statement that victims of sex trafficking are trapped. The finale model broke free of the ropes, which was somewhat of a light into the end of sex trafficking. This was a very powerful collection and gave me and probably others, much to think about. Overall, I loved the concept to raise awareness about something that is so relevant in today’s society through art.

Rebekah Lux

Rebekah Lux was one of my favorites from this night. When it comes to statement pieces, I am team metallic all the way. Her pieces were so much fun and had so much life and energy to each and every one of them. Her look featuring pink metallic culottes was by far my favorite in this collection. I am so inspired by everything that she created.

Naava Swim

Naava Swim gave me so many Miami Swim Week Vibes. Every piece was different but the collection was still cohesive as a whole and I LOVED the blues and yellows. The models looked amazing and showed so much personality on the runway.

Designs by Miranda Hanson

This collection was absolutely gorgeous! It was so airy and feminine and the details were beautiful. I am in love with the color palette, as some of my favorite shades are pastels. Each look flowed well in the entirety of the collection.

Dous

Dous was another one of my favorite designers because I am such a huge menswear fan. I talk about how much I like menswear all of the time and this collection made me so happy. It was very street style-esque and the graphics added a nice touch and kept all the looks together. There were also a few womenswear looks which were kept on the androgynous side. Lots of denim and heavier fabrics were used, probably to keep the clothing more wearable and practical.

Travis Cal

Travis Cal’s collection was just a lot of fun. I enjoyed the mix of women and menswear  along with the variety. The whole thing was romantic and full of texture; there were sequins, florals, lace and prints.

Kendra J Bridal

It’s definitely more difficult for me to discuss bridal gowns because that is not in my area of focus but watching these dresses go down the runway made my heart so happy. Each one had so much detail and was totally stunning. My favorites were most definitely the ones that had lace overlays.

MY OUTFIT :

My mom just handed down this two piece set from the 70s and I had to break it out for fashion week! The pink was a bit girly so I edged it up with a black satin bomber worn off the shoulder and some fishnets.

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set : vintage (similar) | jacket : Forever 21 | hat : Target | shoes : Marshall’s (similar) | fishnets : ASOS

photographer – Jason Atherton (Facebook)

#KCFW S/S’18 Tuesday Night Kansas City Chiefs Style Lounge

~ bellalightner ~ 1 Comment

Hello readers! I feel like I haven’t written up an official blog post in forever. I have been crazy busy with my sophomore year of school and as of now that is my top priority. However, this past week I attended Kansas City Fashion Week to cover my second season of media. For any new readers who don’t know my backstory, I modeled in nine consecutive seasons of KCFW and then realized that my passion was not walking the runway but instead watching from the crowd. Last season was my first time covering fashion week as a blogger and I am so thankful to have done my second one.

Photo by Chris Ruckle
Photo by Chris Ruckle
Photo by Chris Ruckle

This season, I got to do something that I’ve never done before. I got the opportunity to style outfits to go down the runway! This night I styled five looks, all pulled from Dillards at the Oak Park Mall (KCFW’s sponsor) to be worn by the NFL Kansas City Chiefs cheerleaders. All of my pulled looks are below : photos by Jason Atherton of Atherton Photography.  (Facebook Page)

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MY OUTFIT :

Since this night was KC Chiefs themed, I thought I would break out my team spirit and wear the team’s colors; red and yellow. I found this amazing biker moto jacket from Missguided and paired it with a lace top and some yellow striped track pants. At first this concept seemed strange but I think once it was all put together, I did it right.

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jacket : Missguided | pants : WhoWhatWear X Target (similar) | top : Dillards (similar) | shoes : Jeffery Campbell (similar)

***Stay tuned for the other two nights I attended. Blog posts will be up within the week.***