NYFW: Day Five

Day 5 of New York Fashion week, my second last day, was a really fun one. I got to attend an event with a good friend and explore NYC a bit, and the shows I had today were really unique. Here’s the scoop on day five:

The Shows:

Studio 189:

Studio 189 is an artisan produced fashion brand and social enterprise. It was co-founded by actress and philanthropist Rosario Dawson and Abrima Erwiah. They started this as a way to take on the fashion industry and “connect the dots” of the supply chain across borders. The products are created and produced sustainably in Africa (primarily Ghana).

Some of you may know that after my first year of law school I worked in East Africa at a Women’s Legal Rights clinic. This instilled in me a real love of Africa – the people, the food, and the fashion, so Studio 189 really speaks to me and I am so excited about what they are doing and the beautiful clothes they are creating.

Dawson wanted the Studio 189 show to be representative of everything the brand stands for – inclusivity, diversity and fun. To that end, it was great to see models of all shapes and sizes – including a pregnant model, a model with a physical disability, and male & kid models.

The show really brought a fun, different perspective to New York Fashion week. While the models walked in a traditional runway show, that wasn’t the entirety of the “event”. There was a singer who came out and belted out a song, and a troupe of dancers who performed some incredible moves with a nod to traditional West African dance.

Finally, Rosario Dawson came out and ended the with a heartfelt speech about inclusivity and racial awareness and the good the fashion industry can do if it so chooses. It was a great show, and an even better experience.

Zero & Maria Cornejo:

My second show today was Zero & Maria Cornejo. This is a big show every year during NYFW so I went in with high expectations and was not disappointed! The SS19 collection for Zero & Maria Cornjeo focused on satin and orange, cream and black hues. The pieces look luxe but also comfortable – they’ve achieved that oh-so-challenging spot of creating pieces that look chic and fashion forward, but allow the wearer to feel like they’re wearing pajamas. I definitely want the orange satin number below.

*zero & maria cornejo photos courtesy of Vogue*

Events:

Saks It List Townhouse:

My first event of the day was attending the Saks Fifth Avenue “It List” Townhouse. Basically what this is is that Saks has a townhouse in Manhattan turned into a fashion preview. They deck out each room with a different theme and have clothing matching that theme in the room. They also make it so that it is incredibly instagram friendly with so many fun places to take photos.

My personal favorite was the leopard print room – it was bananas how much leopard they fit in one room. There were some gorgeous Dior leopard print pieces for fall that melted my heart. Decor wise, the ball pit bathtub was the icing on the cake.

Foley & Corrina Event:

Foley & Corinna, a designer handbag brand, had a NYFW mixer for a bunch of us influencers during happy hour today. They had appetizers and drinks (including watermelon margaritas and rosé champagne) and basically just allowed us to take a break from the fashion week chaos. The space they had for this event was decorated so beautifully and included a “champagne hotline” pink telephone which you know I made sure to get on!

The Foley & Corinna handbags from the new collection were so pretty- I love the unique shapes and the quality of these bags. How cool is the shape of the bags on the second row of shelves below? I need that yellow one for fall! Lauryn (from LaurynCakes) and I spent way too long just sitting picking out our favorites.

Foley & Corinna was also kind enough to gift us a handbag of our choosing from their new collection and I am obsessed with the one I chose and can’t wait to share it with you all. I’ll have it up in an outfit post in the next couple of weeks!

Rent The Runway Sample Sale:

Last but not least for the day was a late shopping run at Rent The Runway. RTR had a blogger and public access sale at which they were selling off pieces from their store at incredible prices. I got a beautiful Chiara Boni La Petite Robe dress which retails for $600 for $80. It was pretty serendipitous that I found this dress because I had the Chiara Boni runway show, where I was scheduled to be seated front row, the next day. I initially grabbed this dress because I loved the color and when I saw who the designer was i knew it would be perfect to wear to the show. Stay tuned tomorrow for my FINAL NYFW recap to see the dress!

linking up with: trend spin // style swap // confident twosday