2016 ACM Awards — Best Dressed

There were some stunning looks this season on the red carpet for the ACM Awards. But I have to give major props to the gents this go round; there were so many who were killin’ it this past weekend. Here are all of my faves!

Kimberly Perry

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Kimberly is a golden goddess in this nude, long-sleeved gown. All of the golden adorned embellishments are eye-catching!

Kimberly Schlapman

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As a huge Project Runway fan, I of course had to include PR & Project Runway All-Stars alum Alexander Pope on this immaculate creation. With the current season of PRAS, the red carpet challenge, Kimberly agreed to wear one of the winning designs. Alexander by far had one of the best looks and this was a well-deserved win.

Maddie & Tae

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This duo sure knows how to slay a red carpet! Maddie is donning a fit-and-flare black strapless Lorena Sarbu sweetheart dress, paired with black L.A.M.B. heels. Her styling was by Tiffany Gifford, makeup by Tarryn Feldman, glam by Kristen Carbine, and hair by Meg Boes.

Tae looked beautiful in an all black House of CB Jumpsuit, also wearing stunning L.A.M.B. heels — super sexy!

Lindsay Ell

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Another PR alum on the list, Johnathan Kayne — such a gorgeous look! Full on glam, including hair & makeup, which was by Dover Hair & Makeup.

Kayla Adams

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Johnathan Kayne has 2 stunning looks on the ACM red carpet. Kayla is rockin’ this bedazzled mini! She coordinated with her look, Alexis Bittar jewelry and Jimmy Choo heels. Her stylist for this dazzling look was Katy Robbins.

Kacey Musgraves

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This is one stunning all black look, but what sets it apart from other traditional black looks on the red carpet — the details — the embellished bodice trim, the fit, the texture on the look, just to name a few. Zac Posen did a grand job here! Her other look details were inclusive of —

Savannah Chrisley

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What red carpet is complete without a barely there, insanely stunning look. Savannah wins that award here, wearing an ivory sheer, sparkling Amato Couture look. Other look details include —

Dolly Parton

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Not sure who Dolly is wearing, but she looks like the country music Queen that she is — royally majestic!

Keith Urban & Nicole Kidman

nicole-kidman-290Keith looks great, not sure of the designer details for his all black look, but Nicole is very much the shining, fashionable star of the duo. But of course as a pair, the 2 look quite lovely! Nicole is wearing a long-sleeve, sheer black Alexander McQueen gown, featuring a sequin unicorn on the front and more animal motifs. She paired with her look, vintage Fred Leighton jewels.

Thomas Rhett & Lauren Gregory

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Thomas went a little fun for his suit look, going with a very cool colored choice rather than staples such as black or grey. And Lauren truly was his perfect red carpet match, looking angelic in this minimalist white gown.

Dan & Shay

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Dan & Shay, lookin’ quite dapper as a duo, but add in their beautiful ladies, we have a dynamite foursome now!

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Charles Kelley

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Charles is lookin’ quite handsome in his black Saint Laurent suit. I love the details — the forest green tie and polka dot shirt.

Sam Hunt

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Sam went a little classic in all black, but with a modern flair as his suit is sans tie.

Reid Perry

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Guys rockin’ these hip colored suits and not lookin’ cheesy, I’m loving it!

Dustin Lynch

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Dustin is pairing blue and black, looking amazing!

Kane Brown

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So many handsome gents on this list, right!! Kane is another who is looking just as suave and debonair as the rest!

Tim McGraw

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Tim is keeping it old-school country in his all black suit and he looks great. The fit here is spot on.

Darius Rucker

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And to complete my look, an all black suit from Darius — how adorable is he!

PRAS — Matchmaker, Matchmaker Make me a Match

Find me a find, catch me a catch. This was the name of the PR All-Stars game for this week. Alyssa announced that the designers would be designing looks for Match.com singles who were going on a first date. So while Match.com was matching singles, PRAS was matching designers. That’s right — team/pair challenge. And it was last week’s winner Sonjia who got to play matchmaker.

pras4-ep7-episode2Sonjia picked Dmitry for herself. They would be working with 1st date duo Helen and Craig. Sonjia then paired Fabio and Jay together, who would be working with the only same sex pairing, Bryce & Tarek. Next up, Samantha and Michelle, working with singles Raquel & Arvind. And finally, Justin and Helen, who would be dressing Becca and John. This challenge was definitely a quick one, with barely a day to create these looks as the dates were that night! Yikes! There was a great incentive though as the winner would receive a pampered prize pack with a luxury spa day for 2! For the most part, the designer pairs worked seamlessly well and even the dating pairs all seemed to have had a nice time.

pras4-ep7-episode10With a $300 budget in tow, to divvy as each designer pair saw fit, the designers were then off to Mood. Not much drama came about with this challenge, except for the Samantha/Michelle pairing. Michelle was very adamant that she was not a menswear designer and was quite vocal about how unfair the set-up was. I’m not sure why, but couldn’t the designer pairs have tackled both looks together, instead of each working on only 1 look? Maybe there wasn’t time to divide the workload that way, but Michelle ended up working solo on the menswear look. It seemed as if she would be in store for a major downfall and possible elimination this week. She was even sick on top of being crazed over having to do menswear. In fact, I wasn’t sure if she was actually sick or if this challenge was making her sick.

pras4-ep7-episode14Zanna came by for her visits, making sure the designers kept in mind these clients were real people who would be going on real dates. Another nice touch for these 1st date couples was that Biosilk would be providing hair care services for the actual dates and the runway show. After the dates, the pairs joined their designers for the morning of the runway, regaling of how well their dates had gone. It seemed as if we were in for a tough runway because everyone loved their looks. But this week the judges’ panel was adding a little sass via guest judge OITNB star Laverne Cox, so I had no doubt the judges would critique, and critique they did!

pras4-ep7-episode18The judges critiqued each look. And because I felt one designer pairing was not given enough praise, I will gladly discuss each look as well! I will start with Dmitry & Sonjia because I was baffled at how their looks were just SAFE! Puhhhhh-LEASE!

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I guess since there was technically a winning and losing pairing, maybe that had some bearing on keeping Sonjia out of the running for the win. But it seemed even if she had been judged solo and not a group score, the judges still were not all loving this bold turquoise look. Although I never think the judges are on the same page. But the panel seemed divided over the midriff cutout. I don’t get why though. The cut-out, the details on the bodice, that’s what made this look. If that cutout were not there, this look would have been a bore like some of the other pieces we saw this week.

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Biosilk/Chi hair care shout-out — Sexy, flowy waves

I applaud Sonjia for creating a bold piece. Some of the other looks were not all that special and at least she put some true designer effort into her work. I also love that she made use of such a great color choice. She was really trying to make her girl standout! This piece had just the right amount of sexiness to it. Sonjia struck a great balance.

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I didn’t peg Dmitry for a win this week, but I thought he did a superb job in tackling his menswear pieces. His pants were the only ones that fit well. I’m not sure why or how Laverne loved Justin’s menswear pieces more than this. Oh wait, I think she was distracted by the male model, not the clothes. Because had she been focused only on the look, Dmitry by far did a more superior job.

-project-runw6ay--allI’m not sure what bells and whistles the judges were wanting for a hetero-male first date look. But of all the menswear pieces, Dmitry had one of my more fave looks. I liked Jays’ a bit more for menswear in general, but if I were looking for what I would want my man to wear, it would be more akin to what Dmitry designed. And I think he really did add some special touches to this sweater to make it more than just an ordinary, average sweater.

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Biosilk/Chi Hair Care Shout-out — Handsome, refined, love the hair!

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My next fave pairing, the judges top pairing, was Jay & Fabio. I think what likely kept Jay from the win was maybe the jeans, they were a bit ill-fitting. But for the judges, I think they wanted to award Fabio for his risk-taking design. But Jay put in just as much design effort with this jacket. And even in baby pink, it works for man! Very happy he did the sleeves in grey though, smart move Jay!

-project-run7way--allMenswear is a bit more difficult to tackle in such a short time-frame. And for Jay, he clearly didn’t want to rest on his laurels. He wanted to do more than a shirt and a pair of pants. And he did by also making a jacket. With a bit more time, Jay’s look could have been so much better, but what he did in the time he had was amazing!

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My winner for the week was Sonjia, but based off this winning duo the judges picked, I see why Fabio’s look made the most sense for the win. I don’t think every man would love this look, it’s very stylized and just wouldn’t work for every man.

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I even remember the judges saying they thought of scrubs when looking at this look so I’m still not sure this win made the most sense. But what was nice to see was that this look was very Fabio. He was the designer this week that I could see the aesthetic translate from womenswear to menswear. Both Jay & Fabio did great work with their menswear pieces, very fashion forward and fashionable. And yes, men can be fashionable too!

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So oddly enough, with the Michelle/Samantha pairing, it was Samantha who ended up with the worse-off look.

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Michelle was able to tackle her fears and somehow salvaged a workable look. Michelle’s look was not perfect, but the top was quite intriguing. The zipper details created for some special touches. I had 2 main issues with this look. One, both the top & the pants shouldn’t have been so loose. And second, the pants didn’t fit quite right. The judges’ focus was on the ankle area, but mine was on the crotch. Needless to say, they needed some more work.

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Michelle isn’t a menswear designer though, so with that in mind, she did an okay job.

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But it was Samantha who was saved by what I am guessing was a higher group score, keeping her safe from elimination. I think had the judges just been scoring these looks as solo pieces, Samantha would have joined Helen in the bottom 2. I can’t believe this is all Samantha came up with for this challenge. Even making use of a crop top, this look had nothing sexy about it at all. And that’s surprising because Samantha is a sexy urban designer.

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The judges focused on the crop top, namely the boob-issue. But the skirt could have used some focus as well. It was way too long and was very boring. Helen & Justin might have been given a second chance since no one went home this week, but Samantha was given another chance here too.

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This left Justin/Helen as the bottom pairing for the week, although in an anti-climactic decision, no designer went home. PRAS is taking a holiday break, so in a sense, I guess this was a timely gift for both designers.

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I’m not sure who the judges would have ultimately sent home. My guess would be Justin because the judges seem to love what Helen does way more. They also found some saving graces with her separates look this week, as did I. The front angle was god awful here though. I agreed with the judges, very pajama-like and it made this beautiful woman look so much larger. And no one wants to look bigger!

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Biosilk/Chi Hair Care Shout-out — Love the gorgeous curly locks!

But the shorts were a nice touch, something different and what a woman might wear to look super-sexy for a first date. The open-back was also gorgeous. And again, what likely would have saved Helen from elimination this week had the judges actually sent someone home.

Mary Kay beauty shout-out — sun-kissed look, gorgeous, stunning!

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Helen wanted to initially design the menswear pieces, but Justin thought he was rescuing Helen and doing her a favor since he has done menswear before. But Justin didn’t do much after making the decision to design a menswear look. He created a shirt and a pair of pants. Nothing special, nothing unique. You could find this anywhere. And I know his guy said he loved J. Crew, but that doesn’t mean you should settle. Just like with Samantha’s client. She said she loved crop tops, but that doesn’t mean if you can’t execute one you should just do it to do it. As a designer, you have to listen to what your client wants, but also infuse your design aesthetic. Justin didn’t do that here.

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There was even some execution issues to top off Justin’s lack of design. The pants were too tight and Justin’s client even said the shirt didn’t fit right. But again, I believe menswear is way harder to do in this sort of atmosphere, such short time frames. It’s very rare on PR we ever see well-executed menswear pieces. But if you are going to do it, you need to do more than this!

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So remember, PRAS is off next week, Happy Holidays!

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ENK Shows — Accessorie Circuit — 1st Time Attending for Fashion Nexus!!

There have been many firsts, fashion firsts to be specific, since I launched Fashion Nexus. I’ve always been invited and of course I’ve heard of ENK prior to last week. I was just never able to attend the multi-day event. But I’m happy to now report I HAVE! And it was such a blast! I was so excited to meet and greet new brands and even see some familiar faces from brands I already know. There was so much to see and because I saw so much this post is just the first of three. I want to go into more in-depth detail about the immaculate jewelry, high-quality accessories, and stunning apparel pieces I came across.

So 1st up, let’s take a look at some very well-crafted and well-made accessories, handbags, clutches, belts, etc., from some great brands!      

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ashlyn’d I have fallen in love with this brand of unique, custom, and high quality clutches/handbags. Check out their latest collection here. You can also check out my full featured piece on ashlyn’d as well. Always impressed with each piece I see!

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Botkier If you want practicality, while also feeling like a fashionista, then Botkier is the brand for that. So many options from basic handbags to satchels to totes to cross-bodies. It was a must for me to include the brand on my 4th of July piece!

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Rebecca Minkoff Rebecca Minkoff is probably one of the 1st designers I met as I was developing my fashion blog. She was very kind and it was an honored experience to be in the midst of such a great talent! The brand is also no stranger to Fashion Nexus features — 4th of July piece; Jamie Chung — 2014 Coachella Best Dressed; and her Guest judge spot on Project Runway All-Stars.

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Liebeskind Berlin Liebeskind is a brand that has caught my eye for some time now. Of course I made sure it was included as a featured brand on one of my “Best Dressed” lists, 2014 PCAs, Greer Grammer sporting one of the brand’s signature clutches! I’m very impressed by the many new pieces, in addition to the brand’s staple bags.

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Lauren Merkin This brand is all about customizing and personalizing for the consumer. It’s hard to be disappointed when some of the design aspect is in your hands! There is definitely something for everyone — basics, fun, color, creativity & more!

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WCM Belts Handbags are of course must-have accessory essentials, but so too are belts! WCM is a recent brand I’ve discovered and one I hope to stick with when it comes to features and showcasing of the brand’s design and functionality.

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Exciting Updates For the Passionate & Innovative Designer Kenley Collins

1454766_10152126700786874_1181591451_n                                                                     1457736_10202003308838342_15567068_nIt’s safe to say the multi-talented designer, Kenley Collins, is working hard in the fashion world and is here to stay. I previously wrote an amazing piece about Kenley and now I’m so pleased to showcase to you all her most recent and fabulous work! Please read the earlier piece, but here is the brief rundown on this major talent.

Kenley emerged in 2008 when she was a finalist on Project Runway Season 5. A few years later she made a stint on the 1st season of Project Runway All-Stars. But Kenley has not rested on her laurels. She has shone like the sparkling star she is since her time on PR. She often releases collections that demonstrate her aesthetic and style — bold, retro, feminine fashion. My previous piece was all about her Grease Pink Lady collection. Well now, GET READY, and enjoy the perfectly inspired Marilyn Monroe collection. Also, enjoy the many images and if you get a chance, tweet Kenley how stunning they are because really, they are!

Here are the various individual pieces and pricing information. You can shop the line online under What’s New.

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1452099_10200820224414953_580480422_nI certainly see Marilyn when I look at these pieces; in fact, I’m sure it’s the point. But I also 100% see Kenley’s gifted hand and creative mind in this pieces. I would know if I saw it that each one was a Kenley Collins original! I see a nod to the past in these pieces, but with a fresh take. Black and white is classic and the pops of royal blue are sheer perfection. Anyone who would wear these pieces is certainly a woman who knows fashion and style, and that is someone who wants to have fun! Take a look at these gorgeous editorial images Kenley shot.

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1422907_10151693006517016_1526957291_n                                                                     1452497_10200848885291457_586789564_nOnline, Kenley still is offering other pieces so check out her Dresses, Separates, Accessories, Vintage, and Sale categories. Another fun way we get to see Kenley showcase her talent is with the unique and custom dresses she makes for none other than Nickelodeon pop starlet Ariana Grande. Ariana has been on my best dressed list, as well as many others, so I’m sure for future events, while wearing Kenley pieces, she will continue that trend!

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1374877_10200713015414795_1970433354_n                                        1380567_10200658031040220_1790316693_nJust as with all of Kenley’s other work, when Ariana is wearing a Kenley Collins original you will know it! So one final little piece of fun, Kenley is still demonstrating her talent in more ways than one. She is still having a great time while designing window displays for the candy emporium, It’Sugar, with candy clothed pieces. (various locations)

1457736_10200854445390456_1739761831_n                                                               971323_10201420148449366_777924638_nHere are a few images from Kenley’s launch of the Marilyn collection, which was at SlapBack in Brooklyn. You can also purchase Kenley’s pieces there.

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