Come join Audrey Magazine for the Spring 2011 launch of Anh Volcek’s debut collection for her women’s wear line L’une at Los Angeles Fashion Week.
French for “one,” L’une is about becoming one with your clothes, and to that end, Volcek creates a line of dresses that are as comfortable as they are beautiful. The Parsons School of Design honor grad honed her old world draping techniques in Paris from a patternmaker who worked for Dior and Louis Vuitton, before fine tuning her skills at the couture house of Koji Tatsuno and Lapidus. The Vietnamese American designer, who was born at sea on the Pacific Ocean in 1975, has also worked at Calvin Klein, Nautica and Gap.
Missed Audrey’s Night Out, or just want more fashion? Join us at L’une’s debut this Thursday, October 21! Just RSVP at rsvp@lunecollection.com.
For those who are still tuning in with Project Runway, I am sure you would agree that this season is filled with tension between the designers. But what makes this season exciting (at least for us!) is not only the drama but also the fact that there are two Asian-American contestants who both seem to be strong contenders. 
It was definitely disappointing to see Korean contestant Ivy Higa eliminated from PR just three weeks ago. Fortunately, Andy South from Hawaii still remained in the competition, so Asian-inspired pieces continue to be represented on the runway. Surely he’s had his ups and downs, but who could ever forget the winning dress he made for the party store challenge, or the avant-garde look for the L’Oreal Paris make-up challenge?
In this week’s episode, South stayed true to himself and his point of view as a designer is really shining through. It was a little nerve-wrecking when his fellow contestant, Gretchen Jones, stated his design ‘looks like the mistress you’d pay a high, high price for to have her spank you.’ He even played off the joke and said he translated his inspiration to ‘the head waitress at this tea house who does happy endings.’ But he managed to ‘make it work’ (in Tim Gunn’s words) at the end and made a little black dress with lines that really flatter a woman’s body. I was ecstatic when Heidi told him he was going to create a collection. However, he is among four who were given the opportunity, but only three can show at New York Fashion Week. As much as I love South’s edgy warrior-woman looks, I’m hoping he’ll surprise us with something new in his collection! The judges are waiting for him to design something different as well. It’s been a while (since Chloe Dao in season two) that an Asian-American landed in the top three of Project Runway. Go Andy!
Don’t forget to catch the next episode (Finale Part 1) on Thursday, October 21 at 9pm on Lifetime!
Photo by Kiino Villand, courtesy of Style Section L.A.
Check out this cool story about the unofficial Filipino Fashion Club, made up of some of the hottest names in fashion on the West Coast, including Los Angeles Times fashion editor Melissa Magsaysay, WWD west coast chief Marcy Medina, designers Oliver Tolentino and Monique Lhullier, Michelle Ravelo-Santos, the west coast PR manager for W Hotels, and Decades owner Cameron Silver (who is not so much ethnically Filipino as he is culturally apparently):
http://www.stylesectionla.com/area/article/2010/10/08/filipino-fashion-club
Video recap is here!
Yes, it was all that and a bag of fried chicken wings.
Audrey contributor Tamae Ishii shot some very stylish Asian Americans at New York Fashion Week last month. Here, some of our favorites and why.
This is “how to wear your cocktail dress for day” 101:
Sheer polka dot tights are hot.
Why this works: Camel-toned accessories (a staple in daytime chic), a faded denim jacket and rugged lace-up booties tone down what could have been an evening-only piece in her closet. Try something similar with your favorite cocktail dress!
Next, we have a lesson in mixing it up at night:
Plush meets hard-edged.
Why this works: The plush brown wrap takes an otherwise typical all-black evening ensemble into the current season. (That hardware-embellished bag doesn’t hurt either.) Don’t be afraid to mix it up — it’ll keep you warm at night, too.
When in doubt, go grey:
Grey leather.
Why this works: An instant update to all your outfits, leather is especially a standout in an atypical hue like grey. Pair it with the season’s pencil skirt, and you’re pretty much set.
Another shot we really liked:
Shiny slippers are so cool, but oddly enough, I think the best part of this look is that bright red chair contrasting with his geek chic look.
And of course, nothing makes a statement better than a broad smile. Work it like Joe Zee, creative director of Elle magazine …
Joe Zee, creative director of Elle magazine.
… or Kelly Choi, host of Bravo’s Top Chef Masters.
Kelly Choi.
– Tamae Ishii
Deciding what to wear to an event can be a grueling task. Do you overdress? Underdress? Do you wear your favorite classics or try something trendier?
And in the case of a fashion show, the age old question can be, do you go with black or color?
Through my red carpet corresponding, I’ve found most celebs sticking to the classic black for the evening. Nevertheless, some found great ways to spruce up a basic. But is it better than donning a bright hue? Let’s take a look at the competition.
The Blacks:
Serena Yang sassed up her LBD with geometric gems on the shoulder blades and killer shoes.
On any other man, this outfit would look a bit frumpy and hobo-ish but Jack Yang is not any other man. Blackjack!
Pro ping pong player (dude, I know,right?) Soo Yeon Lee kind of has this Halloween witchy costume thing going on but she’s dang gorgeous so she pulls it off.
Love Karin Anna Cheung’s blingin’ chains and hot skirt.
Same for Kavi Ladnier
Lina So looks classy and elegant…and kind of out of place at this event!
Nikki Soohoo’s white stripes brings a stark contrast to her black strapless.
The Colors
Ashley Jones supports designer Jenny Han with a jewel-toned purple cocktail that looks comfy and stylish.
James Kyson Lee had a flight to NY that evening which may explain why he was so warmly dressed for the warm evening. Nonetheless, shnazzy scarf!
Lynn Chen sports a casual maroon top. We were more in love with her fabulous professional do. The first time she ever got her hair done for an event!
Mayleen Ramey looks super Californian cool in this breezy sundress and flat sandals. ROck ‘em girlfriend!
Michelle Phan’s blue gem-toned cocktail was a nice contrast to the red carpet.
Paperdoll’s unique style is shown through each members’ different fashion choices.
Sheetal Sheth rocked her gunmetal gray jumpsuit.
So what do you think? Is it cooler to stay in edgy black for the evening or don a bright hue? If you want my opinion…
I wore this for the evening (pictured here interviewing Justin Chon). So I say: viva la color!
Who went to our Audrey’s Night Out last week? (If you missed out, read about it here and here.)
If you were lucky enough to be there, you saw Carol Chen’s C.C. Couture line on the catwalk. Well, good thing we’ve got your back, cuz whether you were at Audrey’s Night Out or not, we have three C.C. Couture pieces to give away to our oh-so lucky readers!
White tweed coat with crystal and satin pleating embellishment. Size S available.
C.C. Couture was started by Carol Chen, who first came to Audrey‘s attention as the first Asian American Miss San Francisco. Back then, she talked of her aspirations of becoming a designer, and now she has!
A puff collar, precise pleating and satin takes this coat from day to evening in a snap. Size S available.
As you can see, Chen creates modern-chic pieces for the uptown girl. I love the way a coat can practically be a dress, and vice versa.
Button this up for a chic coat dress; open, it's a sleeveless jacket you can throw over anything for instant polish. Size XS available.
For all our usual giveaway participants, listen up! The rules to win have changed!
@audreymagazine is trying to get up to 500 followers by the end of October. So, we’re giving the coats away to three tweeters who can get us the most followers by Wednesday, October 6, 11:59 p.m. Simply get your friends to follow @audreymagazine and tweet: “@(YOUR TWITTER NAME) told me to follow @audreymagazine for this awesome giveaway.” We’ll count up the tweeter with the most @mentions and award them the coats. And, you must have a U.S. mailing address to win. Good luck!
‘Cause it was awesome!
Here are some of our favorite parts of the night.
The Venue
Audrey’s makeover of the Petersen Automotive Museum was a complete success. The already gorgeous showroom was enhanced with lavender gobo light strewn across the walls. Our only gripe may be going all the way to first floor just to use the restroom but if you can’t make the trek, you didn’t really need to go anyway.
Star-studded Red Carpet
Lots of celebs popped up on the red carpet, including The Bold and the Beautiful’s Ashley Jones (pictured above), C.S. Lee (Dexter), Youtube makeup guru Michelle Phan, and Amy Hill. Non-celebs also made plenty use of the bright orange Audrey backdrop, posing like the inner-divas they are throughout the night.
Justin Chon
The Twilight star stole the show not once but TWICE when he took the stage hosting the celebrity runway portion of the show. First, he gave an endearing speech honoring and celebrating the Asian American woman and then he took off his shirt to reveal some bright red nipple tassels and short jean shorts. Talk about making a fashion statement!
Fashion
You must be 5’10″ and 100 lbs. to pull this Mik Imik dress off but we still think it’s super pretty.
The outfit on the left is SO HOT. The bowler hat, the red lace rights, the fluffy scarf. Jotting it down for our Christmas wish list. And the fur vest on the right is furr-ocious. Paws off to designer Jenny Han.
Pop Up Booths
We loved being able to check out what we saw on the runway right after at the designer pop up booths. That way, fashion like Jellypop shoes (above) can go straight from the runway to…your feet!
Goody Bags
Let’s face it, we’re Asian. We love free stuff. The packed Audrey’s Night Out goodybags reciprocated our feelings quite nicely.
Friends
Meeting new people while hanging out with old friends are the key benefits to Audrey’s Night Out. Whether mingling, networking or flirting, there were plenty of people from the 1000+ guest list to chat with.
Open Bar
Hey, we had a long, hard month working on this night, okay? Thanks Ketel One and Stella Artois for making it all that much better.
Photos courtesy of Karla Ticas. What were your favorite moment from the night?
After months of preparation, the night finally came!
…and left.
Audrey’s Night Out was an indubitable success and we have been overwhelmed with all the love, laughter, fun, fashion and Ketel Ones shared throughout the evening and then after.
Full-on updates will be posted over the next couple of days but in the meantime, let me share with all of you who couldn’t make it (and those who did but still want to stare at pictures of themselves) some great places where you can catch snapshots of the night:
- Asia Pacific Arts, Hey Do You, Femme Photog and Wrecked Stellar talked fashion.
- Attic followed celeb fashion show host Justin Chon and ogled the hot models.
- Hot celeb model Lynn Chen ogled the food.
- Audrey Night Out’s superwoman producer, Chriselle, finally got some sleep.
Many more updates from our stellar media guests will come in over the next few days (they’re all still recovering from the unlimited Ketel One and Stellas from the night).
If you attended the show and have pictures and words to share, share them here!
Audrey contributor Tamae Ishii previously reported on the ever-coveted 3.1 Phillip Lim spring 2011 show. Here, she reports on the Spring/Summer 2011 presentation of Andy & Debb, designed by Korean husband-and-wife design team, Andy Kim and Debbie Yoon.
The Andy & Debb Spring/Summer 2011 collection was filled with very wearable and covetable pieces reminiscent of the mod look — what Twiggy might have worn back in the 1960s. The looks were streamlined but not severe with miniskirts, short sheath dresses and cropped slim pants in hues of taupe, black, white, dusty pink and slate blue.
Although the silhouettes were simple, the detailing was precise and interesting. The dresses, skirts and jackets with the black silk interlocking loop overlays were of particular interest. There was also a psychedelic tie-dye shift dress that popped with color and felt more modern than hippie. Overall there were many pieces in this collection that would be a great addition to any girls wardrobe!
– Story and photos by Tamae Ishii.
For more looks, keep reading.
The Korean husband-and-wife team behind Andy & Debb.
