Courtney's Style Diary: 2013

Saturday, October 19, 2013

McKinzie Chic by Sheri McKinzie

So Im super duper late with this post because of certain circumstances, but better late than never...

Here again with another designer presented to me by Savannah...
The designer's name is Sheri McKinzie of McKinzie Chic. Her designs have been seen on
celebrities such as Draya Michelle and Fantasia, just to name a few!

Her Fall/Winter 2013 collection has been released but here's the information I've been sitting
on for weeks:

McKinzie Chic Goes Floral: Designer to the Stars Gears up for Fall 2013 Collection

Philadelphia Fashion Week is right around the corner. And you know what that means: an abundance of Philly’s fashion trendsetters flooding the famed Crane Arts Building to see what Philly’s fashion division has to offer. With 10 designers debuting on September 20^th, both national and international designers will come to the main stage to debut their Fall/Winter 2013 collections. And this year’s lineup incorporates Philly’s very own, McKinzie Chic, a trendy women’s ready-to-wear line consisting of blazers, dresses, and jumpsuits.

The brand is the brainchild of South Philly native Sheri McKinzie and was launched during summer 2012. Since the launch of McKinzie Chic, Sheri’s unique pieces have been met with nothing but celebrity validations. Her pieces have been spotted on your favorite celebrities such as Basketball Wives’ Draya Michele, Fantasia Barrino, Bad Girls Club’s Milyn Jensen, and R&B Divas LA’s Michel’le. The hard-to-find textiles add to the exclusivity of McKinzie Chic, as each shopper is always sure to enter the nightclub or dinner date rocking a never-before-seen look. She reinvented what it means to wear a jumpsuit, fashioning sexy cleavage along necklines and accentuating jumpsuits with impeccable lining, making it the archetype way to accent a silhouette. McKinzie Chic reinvented “sexy” making it more chiseled, with her eclectic idea to use rose-patterned sleeves rather than baring skin in her Spring 2013 collection. But as she dives into fall, she is promenading once more into “rose-land,” but this time channeling Italian hedge maze gardens met with sleek city sophistication met with art dealer chic. Make sense?

So on September 20^th, models will grace the runway at the Crane Arts Building in her new “Floral Chic Fall/Winter 2013” collection. Sheri has optimisms of gaining the attention of prospective buyers, jetsetters, and stylists. So she is fine-tuning the brand once more, this time from an upmarket angle.

“This time I went for eye-catching, timeless, elegant pieces. And I think I did just that. I’m trying to cross over with this collection and show that I am a versatile designer,” says Sheri on her drive and inventiveness behind the collection. “I want women to see this collection as their essential to a night out on the town or their plus one date to a friend’s wedding. The pieces can be worn almost anywhere.”

The innovative Fall/Winter pieces can’t be duplicated as she mixes up this collection by using roses that vary in size and creating a new trend of pairing long sleeves with three-quarter-length sleeves. She keeps it clean, crisp, and lustrous by sticking to strict color schemes of red, black, taupe, and off-whites but creates pieces of clean basic design. The unique textiles are what make the statement in this collection. She steers away from the mainstream market’s overly frequented basic prints and busts the seams with rare stretch materials. With only days away until her Philadelphia Fashion Week premiere, Sheri is eager for the launch of her cutting-edge collection.

“I want people to look at this collection and think ‘Hey I can see Kim Kardashian or Angela Simmons or Rihanna in this’,” she confesses. “I’m taking it there.”

It is safe to say that the new McKinzie Chic collection is a highly awaited one that you’ll want to be the first to see. Stay tuned on what’s next for the McKinzie Chic brand by checking out www.mckinziechic.com or following on Instagram and Twitter @mckinziechic.

Here are some photos of McKinzie Chic designs:

xoxo,

Courtney

Sunday, July 21, 2013

K. Nicole Couture

Wassup,

So Im here to introduce to you an up incoming label named "K. Nicole Couture".
I was introduced to this label by one of my followers, Savannah Britt [@sav_britt],
who does PR work for them. She had this to say:

The Fashion World Welcomes Newcomer K. Nicole Couture

As the seasons prepare for a turn, the fashion world brings in the fall season with its newest addition, K. Nicole Couture. The innovative fashion line is the brainchild of designers Kera Anderson and Nicole Styer. The duo set out to create a line that offered a mixture of ready-to-wear and couture pieces, with its tasteful selections of Italian prints and other luxury textiles. Wrapping up the summer season, Anderson and Styer have a completed collection that they are ready to debut to the fashion circle.

Styer is the owner of N.R.S. Boutique, a one-of-a-kind clothing and accessory stop located in the heart of South Philadelphia. Her boutique venture comes as a direct result of her artsy upbringing, which later was followed up by Styer pursuing a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Fibers and Crafts from the University of the Arts. Styer’s counterpart, Kera Anderson, developed a close relationship with Styer after frequenting N.R.S. Boutique, always requesting custom-made pieces that were for her own closet. But Anderson has a sort of fashion experience that is not shaped by design schooling but rather a gift she dubs as an “eye for fashion.” She has the ability to recognize plush textiles and envision them crafted as jackets or jumpsuits.

“Whenever Nicole and I go fabric hunting, as soon as I walk in the store I know which fabrics work best, how they could be worn, where they are from, etcetera. It’s like having a sixth sense,” Anderson jokes.

Anderson and Styer came together to create a line accommodating to the everyday working woman, the boss stepping out of the Town Car, or simply the woman who appreciates sophisticated style. The line vows to remain true to femininity but with a slight integration of edge with the designers drawing inspiration from 16^th century crown molding, costume wear, and royal charades. In totality, the collection offers jackets, pants, dresses, and jumpsuits. The centerpieces of the Fall/Winter 2013 collection stand in the 16^th century inspired jackets, all of which are seamed with the finest velvets and paisley textiles.

The pair is now gearing up to do a presentation of the collection on August 24^th in Philly. They are optimistic to share the new line with buyers, upscale boutiques, stylists, and independent buyers. Following the fall/winter presentation, K. Nicole will resume with trunk shows and continue to get people just as excited as they are about the brand. To stay up to date with K. Nicole, follow the brand on Instagram and Twitter @knicolecouture.

Can't wait to hear more regarding the future of this very creative line.

For more information you can contact @sav_britt or @knicolecouture.

Below are some exclusive promo photographs.