Fancy charm necklace by Tangerine

You see her walking down a fashionable boulevard.  She struts through the Champs-Elysees like she owns the place.  Fifth avenue melts and bends with her every move.  She seems effortlessly stylish with sleek lines or playful embellishment, and she is almost always covered in sparkly, funky, elaborate jewelry.

What is her secret? How does she afford to pile on pearls with Dior one day, and stack cocktail rings on both hands with a fly pair of Seven Jeans the next?  Is she a long-lost member of some royal family? A debutante who lucked out on a large trust fund? 

You'd be surprised how many of the Smart Set utilize every diva's best kept secret - Costume Jewelry.

Kim Kardashian wearing costume jewelry - Bamboo ain't gold, honey.

Costume jewelry levels the playing field by allowing the truly fashionable and creative to be stunning without breaking the bank.  While having a few heirloom pieces in your collection is definitely recommended, plastic, ceramic, wood and glass are godsends for the young, broke, and fabulous!

Be the Queen of the Night with these mesh earrings from Tangerine.

I had the immense pleasure of being invited to attend Irina Shabayeva's Fall/Winter 2011 runway show for last week's Mercedes Benz Fashion Week.  If you keep up with reality television, she was Project Runway's Season 6 winner.  But, regardless of any televised appearances or pop-culture fodder, Ms. Shabayeva is real designer with some serious talent.

Courtesy of Irina Shabayeva

Ms. Shabayeva's collection focused a lot on texture and shape - she heavily utilized laser-cut fabrics and mutli-layered glistening fabric.  Ms. Shabayeva's collection was also unique in that it featured Swarovski crystal embellishments heavily throughout the collection.

Swarovski embellished cocktail glamour!

The great thing about Swarovski crystals are their versatility and ability to an an infinite amount of glamour to any outfit - a lot is never too much!!  Could you just imagine how amazing the above cocktail dress would look with this hot zebra design Jimmy Crystal clutch?


Fab-u-lous!

A great way to kick off the shows and other exciting events going on during the Fall 2011 Mercedes Benz Fashion Week! NOLCHA, an award-winning leading global platform advancing independent fashion designers and retailers, hosted an all-star affair at the Empire Hotel, right across the street from Lincoln Center.

Adolfo Sanchez with a piece from his amazing collection

Ramona Singer from the Real Housewives of NY

The crowd was amazing, the fashion and accessories on display were electric, and the views from the rooftop penthouse at the Empire Hotel were amazing.  Not only were the clothes and jewelry to die for, everything being shown was organic and made from recycled materials!

Cool hat made from 100% recycled Alpaca wool - from design house Pitusa

Stay tuned - next up: straight from the catwalk at Lincoln Center - a Swarovski jewelry designer who's making moves - and she's a huge fan of our merchandise!

These amazing works of design and whimsy, crafted by young design students in collaboration with Pucci, are created completely out of paper.  Using texture, form, and shadow, these talented artists turn the simplest of materials into a luxurious fashion statement.





These dresses would certainly not look out of place at a fashionable fête under the stars. Or, take to a winter wonderland party and embellish with Swarovski accessories. Just be careful to not let the snow or ice get on your dress - it would slowly disappear!

Courtesy of New York Magazine

Time to get excited!
The ever popular Mercedes Benz Fashion Week Fall/Winter 2011 is coming up soon! Get ready for new and exciting designer duds from the Old Guard - Gucci, Armani (above), Prada. and others - and a taste of new, young, and upcoming designers to look out for!

Here at Vonk, we're busy securing invites, meeting designers, and scoping the scene for the Great Event. We'll keep you posted on all the parties, the fashion, and the fun!

Courtesy of New York Magazine

Courtesy of the Museum at FIT

If any of you fashionistas out there live in the NYC area (or are planning to visit in the next few months), it would be an absolute shame to pass up the amazing FREE exhibit being shown now at the Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT).  The exhibit is titled "Japanese Fashion Now", and is a retrospective on contemporary Japanese fashion, roughly covering the early 80s up to the present moment.

The showcase is chocked full of original, satisfying, and often outrageously ingenious fashion creations from the land of the Rising Sun. Well-known brands and designers such as Comme des Garçons an Yohji Yamamoto are on display here, as well as hip, upcoming (and relatively unknown) talent. 

Courtesy of the Museum at FIT

Yum. That's all I have to say about these delightful Gucci silk and satin pumps. They are lavishly covered in light blue crystal elements that pop against the soft taupe color of the shoe.

At $1,100 retail, I don't realistically think I'll be able to land my hands on these anytime soon, but a girl can dream can't she?

Some looks I'd try out while wearing a pair of those killers:

1. Michael Kors; 2. Philosophy di Alberta Ferretti; 3. Easton Pearson

In dire times such as these (i.e. the dead of winter), it can be very difficult to dress in a stylish way. It has happened to many of us - you've picked out a winning outfit for the evening, only to have the statement you wanted to make drowned out by a sea of sweaters, scarves, oversized jackets, and floppy hats.

But there's hope! Here are some tricks we have learned after working hard to stay cute, cozy, and practical:

Spring Cocktail Dress = Elegant, Encompassing "I have to look nice" Winter Ensemble

Do you own a cocktail or party dress that you love but A) it's thin and strapless, and/or B) you never seem to have a place to wear it?


Classy, understated (or overstated if that's your angle) well-made silhouettes are a perfect choice to balance the bleak practicality of most warm winter wear. Here are a few suggestions for incorporating your dinner dress into a polished, frost free look:

Layering tights. This is one of the most important ways to keep a sleek look and keep the cold out. Start with a thin pair of sheer stockings, and over these layer a thicker, more substantial "sweater" tight.




Take those leg warmers from the back of your closet. While we can agree that leg warmers add a certain "funky fun" charm to certain outfits, they lack sophistication and can make most sleek outfits seem bulky and awkward.  But! They are perfect for your arms!


Wear them under a sweater to add an extra layer of warmth to your arms (to make up for the strappy/sleeveless dress).  This makes a big difference - just try it out!

A fashionable scarf or piece of fabric works really well as a stylish head cover - just make sure to cover your ears! For days when it is simply hovering around freezing and no negative temperatures are involved, a stylish scarf or any long piece of material can keep you warm and sleek - just don't forget to cover your ears!

 And there we go! Throw a daunty scarf around your neck, and slip into your favorite trench or pea coat.

As we enter 2011, the start of a WHOLE NEW decade, many of us fashionistas are ready to throw off some of the angst of 2010.  (The economy? Snowpocalypse? Jeggings??)

 No. Just....No.

Though some designers are choosing to take an understated route for their 2011 collections, dripping their collections with pieces reflecting subtle consumption mixed with obvious quality, fashion-savvy folk and some more daring designers are playfully pulling from less economically stressed decades.  Delicate and intricate lace, harking back to a more playful, carefree era, made an appearance at the Oscar de la Renta and Zac Posen Spring 2011 shows; 80s punk and leather featured heavy in the Balenciaga collection.

But what about those who even go a step further - pulling from an era in history that only exists in the art, writings, plays, and popular conscience of the people who fondly reflect on its importance?

Futuristic Punk - 80s style dystopian chic.

And, for our NYC residents especially, the Steampunk trend has most certainly gained "steam" over the past year, and seems to be a strong force in the indie fashion scene...

Steampunk - think of a bespoke risk taker in an H.G. Wells universe. Taken at an event in Dumbo, Brooklyn.

One huge aspect of "statement" trends such as these - which draw heavily from current trends but still exist outside the mainstream realm of fashion - are accessories, such as lavish costume earrings or sparkly, stately collars.  We'll keep our eyes peeled for more exciting, future-forward (or nostalgia-heavy!) style on the fashionable streets of the world!