Friday, April 26, 2013

Ladies Who Lunch: Brandon Spring Spring 2013!


We spoke to Brandon Sun, veteran of J. Mendel & Oscar de la Renta, about his Spring 2013 Collection and what it’s like designing his own line.


Presenting his ready-to-wear line for the second time at Mercedes Benz Fashion Week, Brandon Sun’s Spring 2013 collection demonstrated that this designer’s skills go way beyond his signature furs.


Experimental tailoring combined with luxe accents and hi-tech fabrics make this collection interesting, but also very wearable!


Brandon Sun Spring 2013 is impressive, especially considering it is only his second full ready-to-wear collection!  I’m sure he has already captured the attention of fashion editors everywhere and I will definitely keep an eye on this rising design star to see how he evolves!

Monday, April 22, 2013

Ladies Who Lunch: Joy Cioci Spring 2013!


Joy Cioci has always been known for her luxurious but wearable collections and for Spring 2013 she delivers once again.  Mixing functional fabrics like neoprene with luxurious fabrics, the Spring 2013 Collection is both sporty and chic at the same time.


Joy Cioci’s Spring 2013 is inspired by her childhood growing up on the seashore of Florida and 1920’s/1930’s synchronized swimmers.  The collection manages to capture all of the nuances of those inspirations, but interprets them in a very modern way.


Joy Cioci is also know for an attention to detail that gives her collections a couture edge.  Beading, embroidery, macrame lace and crystal pleated fabrics are highlights of an elegant collection that is a triumph for Joy Cioci.


Video Photography by Mariana Leung

Thursday, April 18, 2013

Ladies Who Lunch: CHRISTOPHER ESBER & ELLERY Spring 2013!


Already stars at home in Australia, Christopher Esber and Kym Ellery, showed their Spring 2013 Collections in a joint presentation making their US debuts at Mercedes Benz Fashion Week.


Christopher Esber has had a near meteoric rise in Australia and it is now time for him to market his talents overseas! Christopher Esber, at the age of 25 has already made his Australian runway debut, won a national design award, represented Australia at an American trade delegation and was submitted to a British Fashion Council project to identify the world’s best emerging designers during London Fashion Week.


Kym Ellery has also been a rising star in Australia, but this designer is way to talented to not get noticed on a global level With her ELLERY collection.  Kym Ellery dresses some of the world’s top models and has captured the attention of editors at US Vogue and Harpers, as well as getting requests from Madonna’s stylist. Kym Ellery is on the fast track to becoming a designer of international renown.


Video Photography by Cassandra Past

Tuesday, April 16, 2013

Ladies Who Lunch: Farah Angsana Spring 2013!


Farah Angsana is a master of eveningwear, whether it is a sexy cocktail dress or a dramatic gown.


The Indonesian born designer is a serious globetrotter and a recent trip to Brazil fueled her imagination for the Spring 2013 Collection.  But the collection’s main inspiration was love!  And, nothing is as beautiful as the glow of a woman in love!


The Spring 2013 Farah Angsana Collection opened with a grouping of black and white looks. But as the collection progressed, the runway was flooded in a sea of color, from ocean blues, springy greens, bright yellow and sunset oranges.



Farah Angsana’s Spring 2013 Collection is sexy, sophisticated and glamorous and the inspiration of Love shines through!

Thursday, April 11, 2013

Ladies Who Lunch: DONCASTER Spring 2013



DONCASTER has been around for over 80 years, transitioning from being a men’s shirting company to a women’s sportswear line over the years.  Surprisingly, despite their longevity, I have only become aware of DONCASTER within the last year.


A pioneer in the direct sales market, DONCASTER presents a wonderful lifestyle collection that is designed to take the sophisticated modern woman through the many facets of her day and evening.  For Spring 2013, DONCASTER offers a large suitably chic collection that meets the needs of a wide variety of stylish women.


Bringing her trademark style and finesse to DONCASTER, designer Particia Clyne has made the Spring 2013 Collection one that you will definitely want in your closet!  Balancing comfort, wearability and high fashion can be a tricky feat, but Patricia Clyne proves once again that it is possible!


Check out the DONCASTER Spring 2013 Collection and I am sure that you will be as impressed as I am!


Video Photography by Cassandra Past

ladieswholunchtravel.com

Tuesday, April 9, 2013

Ladies Who Lunch: VLOV QINGQING WU Spring 203


Chinese designer Richard Wu presented his VLOV QINGQING WU Spring 2013 menswear collection for the second time in New York at Mercedes Benz Fashion Week.  With a highly successful business taking China by a storm, VLOV is a label that is ripe for the American market.

We spoke with designer Richard Wu before his Spring 2013 presentation to find out more about his stylish collection.


The name VLOV represents Victory and Love, the reflection of a successful life.  A very fitting name for this lifestyle brand that targets upper middle class men in the 20 to 45 age range.

Mixing fashion forward design with conservative silhouettes, VLOV would be a perfect fit in my closet and in the closets of men across the US!  We spoke with designer Richard Wu before his Spring 2013 presentation to find out more about his stylish collection.


Video Photography by Cassandra Past

Saturday, April 6, 2013

Ladies Who Lunch: Johnny's Real New York Pizza!



As you well know by now, I am a pizza fanatic!  It’s like heroin to me and I always need a fix.  When I am at home in New York, this is never a problem.  Quite the opposite, I am overwhelmed with good pizza choices.

The down side to living bi-coastally however, is that when I am in California, getting decent pizza is a serious challenge.  Note that I said “decent”, because finding “good” pizza has been next to impossible.  I finally had settled on finding a “decent” pizza that could help me survive my California pizza drought, but had up until today come up empty handed.

Granted in the past few years, a few Neapolitan pizza places have opened up on the OC, Pizzeria Ortica and Pizza et Vino for example.  Both serve world class Neapolitan pizza, making the challenge for good pizza in CA a little easier.  But sometimes you just want that big slice of NY style pizza and alas, I have had trouble finding one that was up to my standards.  Until now.


I was cruising on the internet and entered “best NY style pizza orange county, ca” in google and Johnny’s Real New York Pizza popped up as one of the matches.  I had tried all of the other ones that had come up (all of which resembled NY pizza about as much as a banana resembles an apple), but Johnny’s Real New York Pizza was new to me.  I mentally made a note that I would have to give it a try someday.

Then this morning, I had to take my dog to the groomers.  having 3 hours to kill, we headed over to Johnny’s for a bit of lunch.  I of course went in a total skeptic, having had my hopes dashed so many times before by so called purveyors of “Real NY Pizza”.  We ordered a 16” pie, half cheese and half cheese & mushroom, and a large house salad.  


We dug into the salad which was chock full of romaine, artichoke hearts, hearts of palm, olives, sundried tomatoes, provolone, pepperoncini and we had on the side for my partner cubes of salami & mortadella.  An excellent salad with a nice vinaigrette, I was very pleased.

And then the pizza came.  It looked like the real McCoy, so I grabbed a slice and gave it the fold test.  Bingo, it cracked when it was folded, signifying a thin crisp crust.  Then I took my first bite........OMG this was the real thing!  The crust was perfect, the sauce was perfect, everything was amazing.  I devoured three slices, a little too quickly in my excitement.  This pizza addict was finally getting the thing that I had been jonesing for since my return to CA 3 weeks ago.  And should the occasion arise, they are also one of the few places in CA that actually serve slices.

I have finally found a place in the OC that lives up to its claim of being REAL NY Pizza!  I’m already planning for next week on ordering one uncut so that I can bring it home (a bit of a drive, but worth it) and heat it quickly in the oven!  Johnny’s Real New York Pizza has gained a new fan and I will become a familiar face to them. :)

Johnny's Real New York Pizza
2756 E. Coast Highway
Corona Del Mar, CA 92625
(949) 729-9159

Thursday, April 4, 2013

Ladies Who Lunch: Fratelli Rossetti Spring 2013!


Fratelli Rossetti presented its Spring 2013 Collection at New York Fashion Week in a Chelsea loft, a perfect space to show the luxury Italian shoe line.  The brightly lit space showed off the colors and details of the line to maximum effect and the large space allowed them to playfully pay homage to the companies heritage.


Fratelli Rossetti has a rich and colorful history in the luxury shoe market.  Renzo Rossetti and his brothers began making sports shoes in the 1940’s and the company has evolved into one of the leading luxury shoe makers in the world.



Relying heavily on its roots, Fratelli Rossetti is committed to producing artisanal shoes, using the finest materials and an undying passion for the fine craftsmanship of shoes!  The company has also expanded to offer handbags that possess all of the same qualities as their shoes.



The Fratelli Rossetti Spring 2013 collection utilizes hand dying techniques that produces multi faceted tones and beautiful colors.  Other key concepts in the collection are menswear inspirations, platform shoes, woven leather and eyelet cut leather.


A beautiful collection, Fratelli Rossetti Spring 2013 only leaves me with one dilemma.  Which styles do I choose for myself?


Tuesday, April 2, 2013

Ladies Who Lunch: 4 Corners of a Circle Spring 2013!


Designer Natsuko Kanno draws the inspiration for her 4 Corners of a Circle collection from her native Japan, taking Japanese culture and marrying it with a modern western sensibility.


For 4 Corners of a Circle Spring 2013, Ms. Kanno took her inspiration from Tanabata, the Japanese Star Festival.  Tanabata takes it’s origins from a Chinese folklore story about two lovers who are separated and Ms. Kanno uses the theme of love and hope to infuse her collection with a lightness and romanticism.


Translating her inspiration into the collection, Natsuko Kanno’s Galaxy Print of a floating pattern of stars is a key component.  The print appears on sheer shirts, t-shirts, car coats and even on city shorts with overlay details.

The silhouettes for the collection are an interesting melange of light and flowing with an architectural edge.  This melange produces interesting shapes and details, while still remaining romantic and feminine.

It is interesting to see how each season Natsuko Kanno evolves as a designer.  For Spring 2013 her 4 Corners of a Circle collection has once again shown that she is a designer to keep your eye on.

Video Photography by Natalie Kaufler