MET Fashion Photo Show Presents: "Body Beautiful Accents" at the Sky Room

Good evening ladies and gentlemen and welcome to another edition of the MET Fashion Photo Show blog. On Tuesday May 21st, visitors at the Sky Room were treated to a spectacular show featuring the creative makeup skills of Tawni Michelle. In addition, the jewelry worn by each model was created by two young designers whose pieces are getting a lot of attention in the fashion world; Kawin Long and Jasmin Rhoden. Tawni, Kawin & Jasmin took time out of their busy schedules to sit down and discuss their creations, ideas and direction. It is my pleasure to introduce these three women to you as they share a piece of themselves this evening in a very unique and exciting fashion show.



ME: Good evening Tawni and thank you for participating in today's edition of the MET Photo Fashion Show blog. I know that you have a wonderful show coming up in a few minutes.
TAWNI: Yes I do and thank you for having me.


ME: How long have you been doing makeup?
TAWNI: I have been doing makeup for thirteen years and I have been doing makeup through my company for the past seven years.


ME: What is your influence?
TAWNI: I don't like standard, beauty makeup. I like "avant garde", creativity.


ME: How long does it take you to paint someone using body paint?
TAWNI: The process can take as long as two hours. I was using liquid latex paint.


ME: The models look great. Where can we see more of your work?
TAWNI: If anyone is interested in seeing more of my work and learning more about what I can do with makeup, they can visit my website at www.dramatizon.com.


ME: Can products be purchased from your website?
TAWNI: Yes they can.


ME: That's great, I know that you have to get back to the show and I really appreciate you taking some time to introduce our viewers to your creative style but I have to ask you three must have items for the upcoming spring/summer season.
TAWNI: 1) Bold, matte colors that are good for eyes and lips. I like pink, yellow and orange specifically.
2) Mascarra
3) Shimery blush

ME: I know that you have a slogan for your company and it has expressed everything that we discussed tonight and I'm sure that we will see it in the show but please share your slogan with the audience.
TAWNI: "Creating drama all over your face"

ME: Thank you Tawni. Good luck with the show!
TAWNI: Thank you.



ME: Continuing with this edition of the blog it's time to learn about the jewelry that will be featured in tonight's show. First we are going to talk to Jasmin Rhoden. Her pieces are being worn by Angie and Danielle this evening. Good evening Danielle and thank you for participating in tonight's Fashion Photo Show blog.
JASMIN: Thank you for having me.




ME: Tonight you are participating in a body paint show with Tawni Michelle and you are featuring your jewelry in the show. Please tell the audience about your jewelry line.
JASMIN: The name of my line is "Lailaskye Boutique."


ME: How long have you been designing jewelry?
JASMIN: I have been designing jewelry for over a year now.


ME: Where can we see more of your jewelry line.
JASMIN: The audience can see more of my work by visiting my website; www. lskyeboutique.bigcartel.com

ME: I know that we don't have much time but I wanted to ask you about three must have items for the spring/summer season. This is something that I ask al; of my guests.
JASMIN: 1) Crystal beaded bracelets from Leila Skye
2)Statement neck pieces
3) Bold and bright colors

ME: Thank you Jasmin for participating in today's blog. Before you go I wanted to get some final thoughts from you about tonight's show.
JASMIN: Tonight's show is going to be great and I am very happy with the models and the show. It's going to be great!

ME: Thank you Jasmin and good luck tonight. As I mentioned earlier, there are two designers for tonight's show. I would like to introduce you to the second designer for tonight's show. It is my pleasure to introduce you to Ms Kawin Long. Good evening Kawin and welcome to the Fashion Photo Show blog.


KAWIN: Good evening and thank you for having me.

ME: Kawin, we are minutes away from a very exciting show and the models featured in the show will be wearing some of your designs. Can you please tell the audience about your jewelry?
KAWIN: Yes. The name of my jewelry line is "Capchique". I can be found on Facebook. My jewelry can be worn with many outfits. You can dress casually because the styles and colors of my pieces are "bold."




ME: Ziad is wearing one of your pieces, please give a brief description of the piece that he is wearing.
KAWIN: Ziad is wearing one of my pieces that is very versatile. This piece can be worn as a long chain or it can be wrapped. It comes in silver and black. If you would like more information about any of my pieces, you can call me at (347) 676-6945.


ME: That's great. I see that Darcy is wearing another one of your pieces. Please tell us a little about the piece that he is wearing.
KAWIN: Darcy is wearing a very unique piece. It has a velvet backdrop to lie comfortably on your body. You can wear this piece with casual clothes. This piece is very one of the bold pieces that I mentioned earlier.



ME: What would you like the audience to know about your jewelry line?
KAWIN: My jewelry is affordable. We sell rings, bracelets and scarves. I can be found on Facebook under my name "Kawin Long, or by searching for "Capchique."


ME: Kawin, the show is about to start so you have to run. Before you go though, please leave the audience with one last thought about your company.
TAWIN: "Accessorize your life!"


ME: Thank you Kawin. Good luck with the show.
KAWIN: Thank you, and thank you for having me.


ME: Ladies and gentlemen thank you again for tuning into another edition of the MET Fashion Photography blog. Stay tuned as we will feature several designers in a very special edition of "Artist Spotlight". Several designers from several different shows over the last few weeks will be featured in a special edition blog focusing on the designer, their designs, and where they can be found on the web. Stay tuned! Watch out for the fashion shows by tuning into the MET Photography's Fashion Photography page. Visit my page today to see the rest of the photos from The Body Beautiful Accents Show at the Sky Room Hotel.

MET Fashion Photo Show Presents: "Fashion for a Cause"

Good evening ladies and gentlemen and welcome to another edition of the MET Fashion Photo Show blog. On Saturday May 13th I was at “Ballroom 49” located at 725 Tenth Avenue in Manhattan. This was a very special evening as designers, models and photographers came together for “Fashion for a Cause.” Fashion for a Cause brought together two amazing women on the likes of Alina LAL Couture & Megan Quail. These ladies put together a fashion show in the hopes of raising money to fight leukemia and lymphoma. They spent numerous hours orchestrating the show as models, makeup artists, photographers and others volunteered their time and resources to raise money to fight against these horrific diseases.

Alina and Megan were nice enough to provide me with an interview explaining the intricate details needed to pull off such a wonderful event. Without further adieu, allow me to first introduce you to Alina, LAL Couture, Fashion Designer for LAL Couture.



ME: Good evening Alina and welcome to the MET Fashion Photo Show blog.
ALINA: Thank you and good evening.

ME: Alina, I want to start off by saying that you and Megan are doing a phenomenal job in raising awareness for leukemia and lymphoma. Please tell the audience about Fashion for a Cause; and how and why you are working with this project.
ALINA: I was approached by Megan Quail who explained the project to me. We would create a fashion show in an attempt to raise funds through fashion. I would showcase pieces from my fashion line and we would have models walk the runway in an effort to raise money. As a designer I am in the business to make money and advertise my creations. Today this is something different. I am showcasing my designs to raise money for people who I have never met, but who are in desperate need of assistance. We have to find a cure for anyone who is affected by leukemia or lymphoma. Today, it is not about taking, but giving back. We are donating our time and resources for something that is much greater than all of us. We are collaborating on this show with several models. We asked the photographers to document this for us by taking plenty of photographs. We want to use the photographs to increase awareness.

ME: It sounds like you would need a lot of volunteers for this event.
ALINA: We did. I was very surprised at the amount of people that said that they would help us. They volunteered their time for the show. We really appreciated it. I want to take this time to personally thank my assistant, Iryna Gorb. I couldn’t have done this without her help.

ME: That’s great! What can you tell us about the fashions that we will see tonight.
ALINA: The clothing featured this evening is from my spring/summer 2013 collection. I had a show about two weeks ago. Because of time constraints, I used a few of the pieces as well as a couple of new ones. I am using “whites” and “blues” in my collection. I am also using “floral prints” with “hot pink.” I am also using some “oranges.”

ME: Do these colors have specific significance for your collection?
ALINA: Yes. The color “blue” is the deepest and most calming color of the color spectrum. I believe that we really need to utilize the calmness that blue produces. We are applying the color blue for the cause as well. It is also important to reflect the color blue in our own lives.

One has to understand that there are things and experiences in our lives that are good and bad. We have to accept them and try to improve upon them. In addition, we also have to look at other peoples lives and see how we can help them as well. This is what this show is all about, helping others. My spring collection is called; “Vena Tua”, it is Latin for “Your Spring.”

I have so many feelings about what I create. Because of this, I have so many different pieces. Everyone has to experience their own style and I want my designs to be a part of their lives.

ME: Where does your insight for your creations come from?
ALINA: My insight comes from me personally. I do not focus on fashion magazines, trendy styles, or styles in general. I don’t want to look like everyone else.

ME: With that being said, do you personally see problems with the fashion industry?
ALINA: Yes. I believe that in this industry, everything is “set”. Models are supposed to be one size. (A size 0, 2, nothing over a 4) There is not enough differential. I want to find different size models. I want models that reflect society as a whole. I am looking for models that wear size 6 and 8. My clothing is for everyone. I want my clothing to fit women of different sizes and ethnicities. My clients will be able to see what’s best for them. Too many women feel that they do not have the typical “model criterial”. I want part of my clothing line to focus on “plus size” women. This is a personal goal of mine.

ME: Thank you Alina. I’m sure that there are a lot of readers in my audience that will applaud your efforts to include women of all sizes, not just the traditional ones. This is the portion of my blog where I ask my guests what are three must have items for the spring season.
ALINA: I believe that three must have items are;
Items of clothing that fit you well. Trendy clothes may not look good on you. Don’t try to follow today’s trends all of the time.
Long skirts and long dresses. Women should look feminine and classy. (We will see this today though LAL Couture)
Accessories are a must, especially “hats”. You can switch them up often. Scarves are another part of “must have” accessories. I have beautiful lace scarves in my collection. (Visit etsy.com/shop/LALCouture)

ME: LAL Couture, where did the name come from?
ALINA: LAL Couture stands for Love, Attractive, Life Style. You have to be attractive to yourself so that you can be attractive to others. You have to create this on your own. I came up with this concept by using my name and I switched it up to represent my clothing line, not the designers. There is also one other person associated with LAL Couture by the name of Mr. Beautiful, aka “Vegas.” (Vegas is the behind the scenes partner. Alina & Vegas both founded LAL Couture together. Alina is just responsible for the designs.)

ME: Thank you Alina, I know that you have to run so that you can put the final touches on today’s show.
ALINA: Thank you for having me.

ME: Next I would like to introduce you to Ms. Megan Quail, the other have of this wonderful team putting together tonight’s event. In addition to everything that she has done so far, she has also been awarded “Woman of the Year”. Ladies and gentlemen, it is my pleasure to introduce you to Ms. Megan Quail. Good evening and congratulations Megan.
MEGAN: Thank you, and good evening to you too.

ME: Tonight’s event is really special. Because of all of your efforts, we are now one step closer to hopefully finding a cure for leukemia and lymphoma. Please tell the audience about “Fashion for a Cause” and what it means for you.
MEGAN: This is personal for me because I have a family friend who was diagnosed with leukemia. This show represents hope for cancer patients. It is uplifting. Everyone is coming together for the same cause. Everyone wants to help. Alina has been great! She jumped right into the cause and she has done so much to help put this all together.

ME: Beyond today, what can people do to help?
MEGAN: People can donate online by visiting the following website; www.leukin4cure.webs.com.

ME: That’s great, do you have any final thoughts for the audience?
MEGAN: It has been a lot of work but it has also been a lot of fun. Putting together an event like this allows you to meet many wonderful and caring people. An event like this is a great reminder that we must help others. Going through cancer is a lot for someone to experience and it should be a wake up call to help others and to do good things.

ME: Well, I want to once again say thank you for appearing in today’s blog and I want to personally wish you and Alina much success with today’s event.
MEGAN: You are very welcome and thank you for your support as well.

ME: Ladies and gentlemen this concludes the latest edition of the MET Photo Fashion Show blog. On behalf of everyone who participated in today’s event I would like to say “thank you.” I am including a list of the models, hair stylists and make up artists who participated in today’s event.



Models:
Karla Choko
Elena Fonteyn (Marie)
Dee Dot (Diana)
Anika Tifft
Arliz Gomes
Jahnna Salazar
Christina Marie
Tai-doll Guzman (Taena)
Andrea Duncan
Natira Brown
Sim Simah
Cecilia Carlstrom
Rebecca Bielski
Jen Elson
Lauren Bryant
Stef Kovacic
Izzy Leggat (Isabelle)
Kristina Be

Makeup Artists:
Kriz Garcia
Shadia Pulido

Hair Stylist:
Athena Vargas

MET Fashion Photo Show Presents; "Artist Spotlight featuring John Ashford"

John Ashford is a fashion designer who specializes in shoes. He has a very unique brand of shoes called “Authentic”. His shoes are designed for a very unique type of client. Each pair of shoes is hand made and can be designed for your personal needs and tastes. On Wednesday evening, John Ashford featured some of his creations in a dynamic and high energy show at the Sky Room featuring beautiful models, great sounds and an infusion of a very lively NYC crowd who came out to watch the show.

I had the opportunity to photograph the show and to engage with some of the models and the designer himself. I asked John to describe his clothing line in one sentence.
“Real art encompasses originality!”-John Ashford

As you look through the gallery featuring some of the creations from John Ashford, pay close attention to the details of the clothing worn by each model. The clothing is complimented by the shoes that each model is wearing. Enjoy the show. For more information on John Ashford and his “Authentic” collection, please visit;


Authentic by John Ashford
www.authenticbyjohnashford.com
info@authenticbyjohnashford.com
 212-386-2163


252-D West 37th Street (Btn 7th & 8th Avenues.)
2nd Floor
New York, New York