All Things Bridal with Fashion Group International

Hello blog interweb friends! There have been some pretty exciting things happening over here at SparkleFarkle HQ, which is what I've named the small corner in my room dedicated to the pursuit of my after-work hobbies.

Most recently I joined the board of Fashion Group International, the local Arizona chapter. I am so excited to be taking on the Special Projects/Blog position, working with some amazingly talented professionals. My position will primarily focus on the expansion of the FGI Arizona blog - and I will be writing about all things bridal in the Valley! Boutiques, Wedding Fashion, Planners, Stylists and more.

My most recent article features Almond Tree Weddings - a Phoenix boutique specializing in consignment gowns, local artisan jewelry and fashion for the rest of the bridal party. You can read the feature over on the FGI Arizona Blog!

All of my previous features can be seen under the category "Bridal". Hooray for wedding things & a happy Tuesday to you!

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My Golden Globes Experience (Live from NBC 12 in Arizona!)

The Golden Globes are definitely ranked a little higher in my book, mainly because I love to see all of the movie stars, TV celebs & the sprinkling of popular musicians all chumming it up in one room. It's always interesting to see the tables and who they awkwardly place together, even giving us a sneak peek at the real life cross-pop culture friendships that have been established.

But let's be real. Most individuals watch the two hour pre-show, more than they really pay attention to the awards. The gowns! The beautiful hair! The sparkly millions of dollars worth of diamonds! The sky high shoes! I could go on. Which I did, on our NBC affiliate, Ch. 12, last night on their new show Connecting Arizona.

My experience was completely amazing. A TV first timer, I was so nervous the days leading up to the show! I read up on the Golden Globes, watched every segment I could find on last year's fashion police & this year's award show teasers, and solicited pep talks from pretty much every one of my best friends.  The day of, my stylish friend Karina let me peruse through her closet, picking out a number of amazing dresses to wear during my big debut.

I took a little trip over to a nearby Dry Bar, to get my hair done in true celebrity fashion. I was not about to risk burning the whole side of my face/wimpy hair/a bad do. It was amazing! I completely zoned out as Clueless was on, and before I knew it, the blowout was done! A quick stop home to pick up my things, and a got on the road for Ch. 12 to begin watching the red carpet. The ladies & I worked out of the upstairs newsroom, picking our favorite looks of the night with show hosts Tram Mai, Caribe Devine & Fay Fredricks.

Before we knew it, it was time to go on! We slipped into our cocktail wear, got our mics positioned, and were seated in front of the green screen. My fellow fashion panelists included the Arizona Republic's Megan Finnerty, Sharee Hartwell, owner of FORD/Robert Black modeling agency, and Terri Camberlengo, and Terri Camberlango, owner of the Agency Arizona. It was an absolute blur. Two segments in and poof! It was over. We were back walking upstairs to grab our things and head home.

My favorite picks for the evening? Kate Hudson. She KILLED IT. That dress, holy moly! 

Others I loved? Kerri Washington, J. Lo, Eva Longoria (who cares if she showed a little angelina leg...she looked incredible!), Jennifer Lawrence, Jon Hamm's girlfriend Jennifer Westfeldt, and that sparkly teal Tina Fey number was lovely!

Who were your favorites red carpet hits? Any terrible misses?

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Lulu*s Style Studio - In Phoenix!

I am so excited to announce that for the past few weeks, the Phoenix Style Collective has been working  alongside Lulu*s to bring a style studio event to Phoenix. The event is totally free & open to all you fashionable bloggers out there! Mara from the lovely blog M Loves M will be hosting - who I am so excited to finally meet. Hope to see you all there!

Reserve your spot at http://stylestudiophoenix.eventbrite.com

Tweet me if you're planning to attend too! {@kthornhill}

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Fashion's Night Out

Be there!

{An Evening with Madewell}

A few weeks ago, my beautiful blonde friend Chelsea hosted a very fashionable evening at the Madewell store in Scottsdale. Our good friend Courtney is the store's director, and she put together such a fun evening with a live DJ, tons of local phoenix bloggers & friends, tammie coe treats and my favorite san pellegrino blood orange refreshers.

My friend Ashlyn and I stopped by after work. It was my first visit to a Madewell store, and boy was my heart in for a good ache. I fell in love over and over as I sifted through the beautiful tops, spring skirts, brightly colored dresses and baggu bags, all a little too pricey for me to buy the 50+ items I am coveting.

Hello, arm party.

Ashley, Ashlyn, Chelsea & I.

It was fun! Thanks Court & Madewell for having us!

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{Shoe Lust}

Ever since I splurged and bought myself those bright NYE booties, I haven't been able to get impractical shoes out of my head. Normally I'm pretty good in shopping situations that involve impulse purchases and frivolous spending, keeping the goal of buying for my work wardrobe in mind. Alas, my budget is in tact, and my credit card still nestled away in my wallet. But who says I can't peek?

The lust list:

1 Steve Madden // 2 Bandolino Shoes // 3 Steve Madden // 4 Frye // 5 Nine West // 6 Vince Camuto

All of these lovely shoes and boots are available at your nearby Macy's, who approached me to peruse their fabulous shoe offerings. I certainly found more than a few pairs (which I limited to six), that I've decided I already own in my mental dream closet. The boots I'd pair with black skinnies and my favorite silk top for work, and either blue booties with a fun dress for a night on the town. The Bandolino wedges and the drool-worthy leather Steve Madden booties I'd pair with dark matchstick jeans, long sleeve top and fun accessories. 

Looking at this roundup, and the majority of the shoes stashed away in my closet, it's clear to me I have a thing for camel shoes. The rich color matches so well with jeans, black pants, tights & colors, I seem to find endless options to pair with the shoes regardless of season.

I think all of the shoes could be dressed up or dressed down for work/play, given the right outfit. Who wants to gift me each pair so I can test this theory? ...mostly joking. 

{Phoenix Style Collective Launch Party}

I mentioned I'd have more information on this new project soon, and here it is! We're throwing a launch party on Jan. 27, and would love to see everyone come out. Check out more info below, and let me know in the comments if you'll be attending!

{Project Ethos Instas}

A few more snaps from the Project Ethos show over the weekend...

from lola (the prettiest of iPhones)

1. We managed to sneak away to the bathroom for some speed tweeting

2. Goodie bags filled with awesome things

3. The runway - pre show

4. Tasty margaritas

{Project Ethos - Scottsdale}

On 11.11.11, Project Ethos made a stop at The Mint in Scottsdale. The touring event merges a fashion show, art and music under one roof, inviting local artist and designers to showcase their best pieces in front of buyers, media & fashion enthusiasts. Sponsors of this event included So Scottsdale!, VitaminWater, and Frederick’s of Hollywood Swim, to name a few.

Courtney and I arrived early(ish) for the media meet & greet, but sadly only had the opportunity to speak with one designer's publicist. The others were no where to be found, or were not doing a good job of identifying themselves! So we grabbed a few margaritas & ventured out to tour the art on the back patio.

My favorite were several mugshot style photographs scattered throughout the sponsor booths, which somehow I didn't get photos of! As we waited for the show to start, of course we managed to squeeze in a mini-fashion shoot of our own. Outfit of the evening:

jacket//Urban Outfitters, top//Nordstrom, skirt//Forever21

The four local designers for the event were Latonya Adkins of Hour Glass Apparel, Brianne Bridge, Monique Martinez-Sandoval of Ouma Clothing and Amelia Walsh.

They all did a fantastic job choosing dresses that are wearable, and the last two were especially swoon-worthy. My personal selection for a winner was Monique! Love romantic poofy designs, love ombre. I had no other choice. 

The event was fun, but I do wish the designers had shown additional pieces in their collection! I think the actually fashion show lasted 15 minutes. I have to assume most people in the audience were itching for more. Looking forward to Project Ethos making its way back to Arizona! Until then, check out the designer's website a support a few local fashion entrepreneurs.

{A Neiman Marcus Exclusive - Ken Downing}

Last week I had the pleasure of sitting in on a presentation by Ken Downing, the senior vice president and fashion director of Neiman Marcus. As soon as my starstruck amazement wore off, I watched as he completely enthralled more than 100 Phoenix fashionistas, presenting his thoughts on the upcoming 2012 resort trends.

Recently wrapping his whirlwind resort fashion show tour around the world, Downing pieced together his favorite looks from the runway in a powerpoint presentation. Things he loves? Oversized statement accessories, fancy pants (!!), the comeback of chic ladylike clothing (which he credits largely to Kate Middleton) and the idea of wearable fashion. He doesn't like everything on the runway, and he passionately believes that black is a constant, not a trend. People, this man is a genius. 

A few of my favorites from the presentation, and the trends I'm most looking forward to? Hot pink, tribal blacks & whites, minty green, navy, royal blues & bold purple.

As much as I loved hearing him say the words "fancy pants" over & over, unless I can get my legs as svelte as his...you probably won't find me in a pair come spring! Can't do it.

Did I mention we met? Gushing. The man is just so fabulous! The whole evening was a blast. Thanks to Courtney for being my fun wingman as usual, and to Neiman Marcus for the invite!

{Karen Kane Holiday 2011}

Over the weekend I was invited to attend a fashion show for designer Karen Kane, to get a glimpse into the brand's Holiday line. Together with fellow Phoenix bloggers Courtney & Kara, we headed to Scottsdale Fashion Square where Dillard's had set up a miniature runway next to the Karen Kane department.

 

Before I received the invitation, I wasn't familiar with the Karen Kane brand. I spent a little time perusing the website, oogling this, this & this before heading to the show, already excited to see some of my favorites worn by real people/models. The designer shares my love of an extreme sparkle, asymmetrical cut, stripes and cozy sweaters, and that was all it took to sell me on the brand.

From my first impression, a majority of the clothing leans to an older demographic. The pieces are made well, are sophisticated and I loved the dark color palette. I purchase the majority of my clothing with the idea that I'll be wearing it to work more than anything else, and was happy to find pieces that would fit into my professional and personal wardrobe.

Mixing pieces that are more mature into my overall outfit is something I do quite a lot, although I could see how a younger shopper might be swayed in a different direction by the overall feel of the line. This thought was immediately followed by good news for all you twenty somethings and young 30 year olds! After talking to Michael Kane, the brand's new director of marketing, the Karen Kane line is looking to expand their audience in a big way, while still catering to the diehard brand followers who have been around for years.

They're definitely headed in the right direction and nailed this Fall's trends of sparkle, shimmer & bordeaux. We also got to take a peek at Karen Kane's Spring 2012 lookbook and you can already tell the improvement the team has made to refresh the entire brand. Bright colors, stripes (more!), long dresses and tanks fill the book's pages, and I can't wait until they arrive in store. 

Looking to try on some of the Karen Kane looks I posted? You can find the line at Nordstrom, Dillard's, Bloomingdales and of course KarenKane.com for all you online shopping fans!

A huge thank you to Michael for hosting us PHX bloggers, Karen of Scottsdale Fashionista for bringing us all together, and the rest of the Dillard's team for putting together a great show. Some of the other fabulous bloggers in attendance included: Courtney, Kara, Kristianne, Sarai, Dustin & Lauren! Check out their blogs for other fashion show recaps!

{Daydreaming of Fall}

Happy September 1st!

I have such big love for the month of September. It's my birthday month (which doesn't hurt) but it also means we're right on the cusp of fall! My favorite season. Even though we won't feel the season's loveliness for months here in AZ, a girl can daydream, right? Sigh. Those dreams are filled with scarves and leggings, crisp mornings, changing leaves, pumpkin flavored baked treats and apple cider.

At the Neiman Marcus fall preview breakfast for bloggers yesterday, we talked beauty secrets, handbags, shoes & upcoming trends. I'm excited to mix deep bordeaux throughout my fall wordrobe, but even better...shimmer! Sequins and sparkle, bring it on. I trend I can really get behind :)

So fabulous.