This weekend, May 18-19, I stopped by Heart Boutique, located at 19th Street and Capitol Avenue in Midtown. I’ve been dying to do a shoot with this boutique simply for their amazing accessories, but their statement pieces are also stunning. I was such a huge fan of the knuckle rings they carry that I bought two, one with an all-seeing eye and the other with “love” in cursive! They have a ton of high-waisted shorts, too. The perfect combination Outfit 1: peachy pink embellished tank with cutout back, black high-waisted shorts with crotchet detail, elephant ring, all-seeing eye knuckle ring, “love” knuckle ring, peace sign knuckle ring and black infinity bangle from Heart Boutique. Shoes

This past Saturday, May 18, I went to view Richard Hallmarq’s ready-to-wear collection at The Park Ultra Lounge. It was exciting to see someone who’s from Sacramento (he attended John F. Kennedy High School) flourish in the fashion world. Before we viewed his collection, he made an inspiring speech showing that hard work really does pay off. I could see that all the love and time he put in was definitely reflected in his sexy collection of evening wear for women. Hallmarq also talked about his experience on “Project Runway” and how it helped him develop as a designer. He realized men’s wear was not his specialty and he laughed about it. I really admired that. Most of the time when I fail i

This month's Second Saturday Art Walk in Midtown included a Créateur Hair and Fashion press party show at Hot Italian. The fashion affair was a mixer to present the work of fashion, hair and makeup artists Yennie Zhou, Nikki Tran and Ling Chan. The mixer also served to introduce the upcoming May 18 Créateur Hair and Fashion Show. Two models wearing Zhou's designs showcased not only her designs but also the artistry of the “Nikki+Ling” collaboration. The pairing will be featuring futuristic designs, fantasy hair and makeup at Friday's fashion show. Several representatives, designers and photographers from Sacramento Fashion Week attended the mixer. A video showing the much anticipat

Vintage fashion costumes adorned the entrance to Sacramento City College's campus' Student Center. The SCC City Fashion Club presented an enchanting evening of fashion on Wednesday night, May 8. The Spring 2013 Fashion Show featured a classwork runway and designs by seven student designers. Excitement and anticipation were apparent backstage as models and designers worked on last-minute details. Also backstage were beauty and esthetician school representatives from Paul Mitchell. Faculty members Lynne Giovannetti and Jean Winchell represented the fashion club and managed the activity backstage and at the door. Giovannetti, Applied Apparel Studies Program professor, shared some inform

This past Tuesday, May 7, I had the pleasure of meeting with Trisha Rhomberg, co-owner of Bows and Arrows, to do a shoot on the latest merchandise hitting the floor. I’ve always checked out Bows and Arrows for the variety of vintage, handmade and new items. I loved the funky eclectic vibe of the shop; you walk in and see stuff that is truly unique. When talking about personal style Trisha said, “Fashion should be fun … I was sick of being concerned about trends and what others thought about what I wore, I like to dress to have fun!” It reminded me of how everyone follows a trend, or tries to avoid the trend, when fashion shouldn’t be about trends, but be a form of self-expression. Fashion

This weekend when I went home, I raided my sister’s closet and took some great pieces. I guess that’s the added bonus when you have a sibling that’s the same size as you! Swapping clothes is a great way to keep your wardrobe fresh, and I wanted to show how I incorporated some of my sister’s clothing into my everyday wardrobe. First of all, when you raid someone else’s closet, it’s best to pick pieces that are unique when compared to your wardrobe, or something that will complement what you already have. When you swap clothes, you’re generally looking for something unique but also practical to wear. As I went through my sister’s closet, I looked for spring and summer essentials I knew I nee

April's Second Saturday Art Walk drew the highest attendance of the year. More visitors and vendors enjoyed warmer weather as they visited the various art galleries and events in Midtown. Sacramento law enforcement made its presence known as they patrolled Midtown on foot, bicycle, horseback, patrol car and I even saw a helicopter flying in the 20th and J Street area, The added security made some people feel safer. “I like to see the police out here. I've heard about people getting robbed and assaulted the past few months around here and I do feel safer walking the streets,” said Grant Martin. Other people walking with Martin's agreed with his comments as they nodded. 20th Street betw

I’ve lived in the midtown area for almost a year now and the diversity among the citizens in the downtown area is remarkable. When you grow up in Elk Grove it seemed that everyone had the same taste in fashion. The community in a way looked like everyone took a bath in Forever 21 and all the guys went to the same store to get their snapbacks. Sacramento is not seen as a city that’s big on fashion and it’s in part because popular culture makes us believe that we need to be shopping at Bergdorf Goodman or Bloomingdales in order to be considered fashionable. Here at the Capital mainly the midtown and downtown area, there are a wide variety of people setting a new standard for fashion and b

This past Saturday, I checked out Bows & Arrows’ High $5 Sale and picked up some great pieces. I have been checking out these biannual sales for years and am never disappointed with the sales. There’s always an eclectic mix of secondhand, DIY and vintage clothing at these sales, as well as Bows & Arrows itself. There were a couple different vendors at the High $5 Sale, including Racks Boutique and Cuffs, that filled the alley next to Bows & Arrows. The most exciting part about going to the sales Bows & Arrows puts on is the massive amount of clothes laid out and hung up on racks. It’s overwhelming but exciting at the same time, because you never know what you’ll find. I really appreciate B

“Project Runway” made its way to Sacramento State University's Union Ballroom this pastt Friday night. Loosely patterned after the “Project Runway” reality television series, participants competed to be selected as the winning designer at SFA's spring 2013 “Project Runway” inspired fashion show. Designers were judged on their marvelous work and a winning designer was selected at the end of the competition. KCRA anchor/reporter Lisa Gonzalez served as host for the evening. Minjeong Kang, Esther Amato, Simone Vianna and Duane Ram served as judges for the fashion shown and selected the top designer at the end of the showcase. Eight designers and three boutiques showcased a variety of f

     This month’s Second Saturday included a fashion show held at the Spanish Fly Hair Garage’s Fly Fest. The Fly Fest is a special event held every spring highlighting local art and the wonderful hair salon, Spanish Fly Hair Garage, owned by Shannon Martin (who also does styling too). The whole event was a fashion affair. Local bands featured in Karen Wilkinson’s article performed during the event. I especially loved this guitarist’s leather moto jacket from the event.      Before the fashion show, I got my face painted by Jenn Boone of Gypsy Mountain, who drove down from Paradise to support her sister’s salon. She gave me a rainbow eye with faux blue bindis. I am such a sucker for face

Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc. held “Fads From the Past to Present: The Delta Runway Report,” showcasing decade-inspired looks styled by the Sacramento Art Institute of California this past Saturday at the DoubleTree Hotel. The grand finale stole the show with Hilda Klam’s spring-inspired mermaid dress, based off the mint fabric with a minimal flower print she purchased from the Galt Flea Market. Klam has always designed her own special-occasion dresses, so naturally, fashion design became her passion and dream career. She slaved away on her gown, with a hand-sewn lily-pad design going around the hips of the bodice and cascading down through the train, with a mint stripe down the middle.

Sacramento fashion has grown at a rapid pace during the past few years. Boutiques, salons, fashion shows and local designers have exhibited their talent on the local and national fashion scenes. Creative interior and fashion designs created by Simone Vianna have resulted in unique collaborations. Models, designers, photographers and stylists enjoy collaborating with Vianna and look for her guidance when it comes to fashion. Originally from Baru, Brazil, the multilingual and multitalented Vianna has created a priceless reputation for herself as a leading creative designer, stylist and consultant in Sacramento. Besides being a talent coordinator for Sacramento Fashion Week, Vianna's tirel

 I love spring because it’s a time where flowers bloom, the weather gets nicer, and the Sacramento and Davis communities come alive! From the Sacramento Music Festival to UC Davis’ Picnic Day and Whole Earth festival, there are so many outdoor events to attend! I became inspired by all the blooming flowers and channeled one of my favorite brands, Free People, when making these hippie headbands. I made these headbands with large, exaggerated flowers, because I am a sucker for making a statement when I’m going out. I bought these faux flowers at a local dollar store, Thrift Town and the Yolo SPCA thrift store, because I wanted a rainbow of color to sit on my head. After collecting an assort

  The California Film Foundation (CFF) in collaboration with Sacramento Fashion Week (SACFW) presented an event called Fashion on Film. Filmmakers were invited to create a music video, short documentary or narrative using the California fashion industry as the focus. CFF and SACFW were available for help if filmmakers needed guidance. Each film had to meet several conditions in order to show their film. The completed films were part of the scheduled events during Sacramento Fashion Week. Filmmakers, directors, models, designers, merchandisers, musicians and others engaged in the fashion industry gathered teams together to create film projects. The completed films were shown to a sol

Lights, camera, fashion is all the buzz to be heard around the Emerald City as it kicked off its seventh annual Sacramento Fashion Week http://sacfashionweek.com/, February 24 - March 2. Growing in attendance each year since its launch in 2006, we have been able to watch fashion in Sacramento transition from adopted trends from nearby cities and magazines to developing designers and fashionistas with inimitable style. SACFW Editor in Chief, Bridgett Rex explained that SACFW allows us to educate our community about fashion and style, creating a demand for people to become more interested and eager to engage in fashion. “With events like Sacramento Fashion Week, the community becomes mor

Sacramento Fashion Week came and went much too quickly. The week dedicated to Sacramento fashion was not all glamor and included several workshops. As part of the week long schedule there was the return of a panel discussion when Sacramento State University hosted the 2013 Sacramento Fashion Week (SACFW) Fashion Forum. In collaboration with Sacramento Fashion Association (SFA) the forum was held at Sac State's University Union on Monday, Feb. 25. The moderator for the SACFW event was Tracy Saville, CEO & Publisher of Possibility Media Group. The open panel discussion included various industry professionals and was open to the public. Former International Academy of Design and Technol

Sacramento Fashion Week (SACFW) was a huge success this year as it expanded to three nights of runway fashion. The 2013 SACFW had a full schedule of meetings, workshops, runway displays, showcasing local, national and internationally known boutiques, designers, models and speakers. A launch party, model and designer practices, a fashion forum, workshops, a Fashion on Film event, designer meet and greet, VIP galas, afterparties and of course runway fashion took place from Feb. 24 – Mar. 2. The full week schedule began early on Sunday Feb. 24 starting with a practice at the Elks Tower Ballroom. The full practice on Sunday morning brought over 100 models, designers, photographers and vo

Sacramento State's Student Fashion Association (SFA) recently held model castings for their April 12 fashion show. The castings took place on Feb. 22-23 at Sac State's University Union. Over 80 models attended the casting and two judging panels evaluated them.  Each model performed a short catwalk and posed for the judges. During Friday's casting three judges made notes for designers to review at a later date to help them select models for their showcase. Serving as a judge was Simone Vianna, fashion editor, wardrobe consultant and she also serves as a talent coordinator for Sacramento Fashion Week. Alongside Vianna was Mary Kawano owner of Krazy Mary's Boutique and Sugar Shack Boutique

Don't let the party stop after you've had your fill of beer and fashion this week, Sacramento! How do tattoos, black face paint, and tight, black leather sound? Good? Then check out Hollywood rock band Black Veil Brides at Ace of Spades next Wednesday, March 6. While seemingly more known to some for their visual aesthetics than their music, these wild-haired bad boys in eye shadow are continually refining their musical style and have seen it evolve from screaming heavy metal to a more anthemic rock sound. They're making a play for the big time with their third album, "Wretched and Divine: The Story of the Wild Ones," an ambitious rock opera à la My Chemical Romance's "The Black Parade.