Puss in Boots

While running a quick errand through the mall, I found myself rubbernecking in front of the Nine West window. The culprit to the stop in my mission? These amazing Husky boots for the Fall/Winter line! I am in love with the new over-the-knee look in boots this year. I tried them on for fun knowing they would not fit with my athlete legs, but semi-unfortunately to my surprise they fit perfectly! Now this means they are on my To Buy list. Can't wait.

Photo compliments of www.ninewest.com Go find more cute boots there!

Fall. Fashion. Fabulous.

The time is finally upon us, as August is nearing an end, that the leaves will start there colorful artistic statement before they take off for the year. The time for pumpkin spice lattes, layered outfits and rich colors! My favorite time of the year! To celebrate the break from the sweltering heat I wanted to recap some of my favorite elements from NYC's Mercedes Benz Fashion Week back in February. Maybe we can catch the trends that will be on the racks in a matter of days!

My first overall impression of the forecast is a little dark. A lot of the runways consisted of black, and although creatively constructed, I look forward to this season for its fabulous color not its dreary funeral presence. Therefore, I am going to focus more on those.
There are many garments that contained this flowing wispy, romantic quality. It makes me feel like the lead in a period romance role of some movie. This dress by Jill Stuart makes me want to grab my vintage gloves and cocktail hat and go for a stroll through Central Park and then resting for afternoon tea! Which also brings me to a very happy note: many models were decked out with creative pieces from the millinery department (hats)! I say that its about time hats were incorporated back into daily fashion.
There were also many metallic pieces; more silver than bronze or gold, but regardless they were nothing terribly original. I feel metallic has been a trend for a while, and although I love the look, I feel the gilding can take a break for a few seasons...maybe be in the background in accessories only. I did however, enjoy the interpretation Georges Chakra took on the color palette. This dress has the structured pop reminiscent of the 1950s with a presence of the recent Ombre dying trend. I love the final product; well done.

Many garments incorporated the asymmetric neckline. I love this neckline, I feel its elegant and unique. I was hoping a designer would make it work for fall without leaving a jacket to do the job; I did not see this. I feel the best way to take this dress (or pieces like it) to the cooler months is adding a simple fitted long sleeve cotton top; crew neck. Keeping the undergarment simple will allow the top piece to be the statement and the play on the two-tone outfit will be fun to mix and match throughout the season. This dress by Christian Siriano lends a soft lady-like look from the chiffon and the ruching will provide the slimming figure we desire. The asymmetric line shows enough collarbone for sexy, and the cap sleeve seals the outfit with a touch of girly innocence.

Many tops and dresses for this season had the keyhole cutout on the bodice, but none were done quite like this one by Carolina Herrera. Leave it to CH to take a sexy cutout to an elegant respectable place. Fitted but covered, modest with a sexy sheer peek-a-boo; I love the final product. Also this color is such a vibrant hue, how wonderful is that??! The colors that were seen throughout most designers were of purple (mainly eggplant), dark Mediterranean blue, and marigold. With all the black, they were refreshing surprises for the eye.

Finally my favorite outfit of the entire Fashion Week! An eccentric blend of vintage and fun by Leifsdottir. One of my favorite colors of fall is pumpkin, and what a nice way to pop the outfit by placing it in the skirt? I love the patterned hose (its the only kind I wear). Then to top off the outfit with fun vintage pieces like peep-toe heels, a girly umbrella, and a French cocktail hat?...Perfection! This outfit makes me ready for fall in an instant!

*photos compliments of Mercedes Benz Fashion Week - find them HERE*

Gather your scarves, patterned hose, and cute jackets; Fall will be here before we know it...Yay!

Designer on the Rise!

I was just cruising around Etsy for some inspiration, when I stumbled upon the amazing Carol Hannah, a designer to be on the look out for! Based out of Brooklyn this Southern Belle brings fun, beauty, and sass to dresses for any occasion! I can't wait to see what's up next for her!

I had a fun interview with Carol Hannah herself, learning all about her, her inspiration, and her wonderful line. Check it out!

BTW: Carol Hannah will be on this season of Project Runway (season 6) which is now airing! Be sure to check her out and show your support!

* Your profile says you're based in Brooklyn, did you grow up in the city or move there to pursue a career?

CH: I moved to NY to pursue fashion, but am a southern girl through and through. I grew up in a small city in South Carolina called Anderson, and I lived in Charleston, SC for 5 years (College of Charleston, etc).

* What inspired you to become a designer?

CH: It was kind of a natural path. I learned to sew from my mom starting at age 7, and did my first wedding dress in high school, custom wedding gowns all through college. In March of 08 I was featured in Charleston Fashion Week as an emerging local designer. Then off to Project Runway and now here!

* When did you create an Etsy account for Carol Hannah and how long did it take to start getting off the ground and making regular sales? www.carolhannah.etsy.com

CH: I opened the Etsy store at the end of March, but I've been doing this for about 6 years. I started making regular sales on Etsy in the first week, and it's been growing pretty consistently each month. Lucky Mag picked one of my Etsy dresses as a summer must have in June, which was exciting!

* What are you currently drawing inspiration from for your current projects for the quickly approaching fall?

CH: Well, I'm actually currently working on my Spring '10 collection as Fashion Week is coming up in a couple of weeks and am getting ready to launch my new bridal line. The collection for spring is based a lot on Charleston and the lifestyle and colors there...you can read a recent post about it on my blog at www.carol-hannah.com/blog.

* What is your future vision for Carol Hannah?

CH: Well, I just started selling through retailers, so that is very exciting! And like I said, the wedding collection is nearing completion soon. I basically have 3 different lines...the bridal, the regular collection (evening/cocktail), and the jersey collection. The jersey one is new for me and new forEtsy and is basically a way for me to offer some things that are a little more casual and affordable. Just as comfortable as your favorite t-shirt, but much cuter!

My end goal is to create a successful company so that I can partner up with various groups to try to offset some of the negative effects the fashion industry has on self-esteem and self-image in younger girls. I got into fashion because making clothes made me feel better about myself when I was a young, awkward kid, and I love the trans formative power inherent in fashion for that reason. But the kind of catty, judgemental side of fashion has always bothered me.

* Any fun/important anecdotes that I just should mention about you, your line etc?

CH: Hmmm...well it is pretty funny that everything I make always seems to circle back around to weddings. A lot of the women that buy my dresses on Etsy are buying them to wear to their rehearsal dinners, to wear as a guest to a wedding, or as bridesmaids dresses. I think weddings and I are meant to be!

*All photos compliments of Carol Hannah*

Are you an aspiring designer in the Southeast region of the United States? Charleston Fashion Week is looking for the next big emerging local designer. The winner gets a fully produced fashion show! Go to www.charlestonfashionweek.com for details.

Southern Architecture

Charleston is rich in American History being a founding city, but my favorite thing about Charleston are the gorgeous buildings and streets. I literally could spend a week there doing nothing but shooting and still not capture everything lovely there!

This is my favorite house in Charleston.
Imagine this being your front yard...not bad.

Pretty Charleston Window.
College of Charleston Holds their graduations here. I am pretty sure I want to get married here.
It would be a beautiful wedding!
Look out on the boardwalk.
Charleston will always be one of my favorite places in the world to travel. South Carolina: Smiling Faces, Beautiful Places!

Southern Pride

I just got back from a wonderful trip to Charleston, SC. I am blown away every time I go there at how beautiful it is! I have so many great pictures that I narrowing them down will be quite a challenge, I may have to do installments!

On the battery..Charleston is known for its gorgeous iron work.
Kids playing in the famous pineapple fountain on the battery!
Out for a stroll, I love couples pictures.
This picture reminds me of a girl selling Italian ice next to the Roman fountains. I love it.
Tender moments on the boardwalk swings.
Photographer herself at work! *Photo compliments of Stephanie Wright*

There is nothing like Southern Hospitality, so this blog post I wanted to focus on some of the people in Charleston!

Current Obsession

There are many things that I love about summer. Sunny weather, swimming, ice cream, my birthday...the list goes on much longer trust me! Another great thing about summer are the cute tank tops. I recently was shopping in Anthropologie and found the most adorable shirt by Floreat that I swear I will soon own. It is the perfect blend of girly and sophisticated!

Floreat Wavelet Blouse

This would be a great shirt for a picnic, or a day date, or any excuse you can find really!

*Photo compliments of Anthropologie.com*

Sneak Peek

I have not had time to add all my new items to my shop yet, but I wanted to give my blog readers a sneak peek at what is to come in the next few days!

I was inspired by the idea of neck lush which is made from ripped t-shirt strips. I decided to make a few hair pieces out of them! What do you think?
and a brown feather fascinator headband which I love. Its very elegant and subtle with a nice throwback to the 1940s when women wore fascinators all the time!
The items will all be posted on the shop in the next few days so stay tuned at Embellished: www.embellishedbyjessica.etsy.com

USA Capitol

2 1/2 years ago I traveled with my family during the Christmas holiday to Washington DC. I had a couple rolls of film to use up from a photography class I had taken in school, so excitedly I snapped shots around my nation's capitol! Well the realities of a full time job, full time school, and volunteer commitments set in, and I never got around to getting in the dark room to develop the film!

Well after calling all over Charlotte I finally found ONE place that will still develop traditional professional film! Biggs Camera on Kings St....Thank you for being my saving grace!

So here are some of the shots I liked...unfortunately they all have a slight grain on them which I am sure is from keeping them in a drawer for over 2 years, but it does add an old quality to them that I quite like!

The Eternal Flame where JFK is buried.
"Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country." JFK

Very wise words...what's funny no one today actually does that, they just complain and wait for a handout from the government. Maybe we should revisit this thought more often.
Arlington Cemetery is a very moving place.
Smithsonian Museum in the afternoon. This shot turned out really cool.
The nation's capitol...and a pretty lamp. I love swirly iron work so I thought I would take advantage.
Finally, my favorite picture of all! It took my breath away when I looked at the negative, I just love it. This is the soldier who guards the Grave of the Unmarked Soldier, he walks back and forth all day guarding the grave of our country's sons, daughters, mothers, fathers, lovers and friends. This grave means so much to so many, as we all know someone serving for our freedom and the price they are paying daily or have paid for us. Thank you.

Embellished Photo shoot

My wonderful cousin is in town from Stockholm and among all the shopping we did I convinced her to be my model for my new pieces for Embellished! The photo shoot was so much fun and the pictures turned out great. I will be posting the new hair clips soon, but in the meantime I wanted to share with you all some of my favorite pictures.

These pictures we took for fun once we finished shooting the hair pieces. Since these won't go on my shop, I am showcasing them here!

The photo shoot took place in Rock Hill, SC at a couple of abandoned warehouses. This awesome Jeep was parked outside one, and I instantly fell in love!

I love that I've seen my favorite fashion mags use this same concept, but it cost them lots to get the props and the space and for me its free!



I love how much fun this one is!
I was very excited about this shoot, there are hundreds of pics to choose from (I love digital) and they are all so great. What are your thoughts?