Must have Bags for Summer 2011

# 1. Fringes

When I think of fringes I think fall or winter, but fringes are back and in style this summer. Fringed bags will give you that Hippie fashion look you've always wanted.

                 Roberto Cavalli                                                                                        Blu Marine                      

# 2. The Mini purse

The mini purse is when you don’t want to carry a lot of things around. So it’s perfect for the summer when you’re going out for a quick errand, a date night, or a fun night out where you don’t want to carry your whole life around. These purses are very chic and I love the chain detailing which acts as an accessory to your outfit just like a necklace would. 

Blu Girl                                                                                                   Derrek Lam

# 3. Natural Fabrics

I love flower prints, and this summer bring bright colors and natural fabrics to your hand bags such as raphia, straw or linen. These bags are perfect for the beach and everyday to bring a natural eco- chic style to your outfit.

     Moschino Cheap & Chic                                                                                 Hermes                       

# 4. Shoulder straps

 I enjoy carrying shoulder strap bags especially in the summer when I go to school because my hands are free to carry  books, magazines, keys you name it. This summer pouches and messenger bags can be worn across the chest or on the shoulder along the hips.

Moschino                                                                                                   Ana Sui

Images provided by Caroline Daily.com

Larger than Life Jewlery

 I’m captivated by Charles Albert’s use of various stones and sterling silver to create these extravagant glamorous statement pieces. Charles Albert’s jewelry is a fashion-forward brand, with a variety of large beautiful pieces. I was amazed at the different stones he uses along with the sterling silver detailing. His jewelry is a work of art as well as high fashion which I find irresistible. 

 I was inspired by the statement pieces of jewelry which could be worn with simple outfits to make them pop. I love how Charles Albert incorporated a Look book Collection on his website; you really get a feel for what his designs represent. His jewelry is meant to attract attention and is larger than life. The editorial pictures show off the bold and edgy jewelry and the Look book Collection pieces have been featured in Marie Claire, Vogue Germany, ELLE Mexico, ZINK, Hydrogen, TLC and Teen Vogue.  

Check out the Lookbook and the Website----> http://www.charlesalbertlookbook.com/

This jewelry line is in a high end market, but you can find affordable alternatives similar at Aldo accessories, Forever21, and Charlotte Russe. *Check out the links below the images.

      Charlotte Russe Necklaces

Aldo Necklaces & Forever 21 Rings

Green is the New Black: Ad campaign

Last quarter for my Principles of Advertising class, my group and I had the opportunity to create a mock advertising campaign for Runway to Green; which had "29 top designers in the fashion industry staging a runway show to raise money for environmental education and awareness programs. The designers also agreed to participate in the Natural Resources Defense Council's Clean by Design program, which will teach them how to integrate greener practices into many aspects of their businesses, from raw materials, fabric finishing and production, to packaging, recycling and shipping". 

Huff Post Style: Green is the New Black

Our ad campaigns goal was to create a widespread awareness and interest about Eco-friendly fashion in the Charlotte, NC community, and host an event such as Runway to Green here locally. We wanted customers to get excited about “doing their part” and becoming involved with environmental practices. For our campaign we hosted a “green” fashion show at South Park Mall. My group and I did research and conducted surveys to become knowledgeable about our target market, venues, retailers, sponsors, and created a creative brief for our objectives.

Images: Getty Images, Charlotte Style Magazine, Stylecity2 Blog

The group wanted a name that combined Eco friendly with fashion, so we agreed to go with the concept and name the fashion show event “Green is the New Black” with the tagline “Changing the World with Style. The event would take place in South Park Mall on Saturday, September 24, 2011. We would collaborate with retailers in the mall who currently sell Eco-friendly merchandise such as Anthropology, Urban Outfitters, as well as use clothing from local designers/retailers. I had the opportunity to create the logo and media graphics in Photoshop that would be featured for our social media on Facebook, Twitter, our YouTube channel and Website that we created on Wix.com. For our ad campaign “Green is the Black” we would have “Teasers” advertisements beginning in June on the digital posters in South Park Mall as well as on the South Park Website and on our social media sites. We would reveal one puzzle piece first then the other puzzle pieces would be added sporadically with in the week leading up to the event then eventually revealing our fashion show event.

Green is the New Black Ad and Logo

Green is the New Black Facebook fan page

Visit the Green is the New Black website

We had several sponsors for the event that promote and sell eco friendly merchandise such as Trader Joes, and Whole Foods. We also had Simon Mall, and Clean by Design as sponsors. At the fashion show event we would have a 1 minute video presentation about Runway to Green and Green is the New Black in the beginning of the event to educate the audience. At the event we would be giving out eco friendly Green is the New Black tote bags with stuffers from featured retailers and sponsors. We would give out T-shirts at the end of the event and also sell them afterwards in our information booth. We wanted Green is the new Black to be positioned as a fresh, modern idea to help preserve the environment through the fashion industry. Overall, I had fun creating this ad campaign and our teacher loved our campaign and wishes this event would come to reality. 

Check out the Green is the New Black merchandise