SF’s Fashion’s Night Out Cheat Sheet

The minute is approaching. Only T-1 day until the streets are alive with the sound of spending. It may not be New York over here, but it’s still sure to be a helluva party. Fashion’s Night Out touches down tomorrow here in San Francisco at roughly 6 pm and the sheer number of options that shoppers have is truly astounding. I have created a guide (or cheat sheet) to help ease the pain of having to figure out where exactly it is you should be at a given time. Below is a list of the events, where exactly they are, and what deals are going on.

1. Head to Neiman Marcus whose events are ongoing throughout the night starting at 6pm and ending at 9pm. This is where I’ll spend a good chunk of time taking pictures of the happs for FashionSchoolDaily. Check it out for the guaranteed photo op and these events:

– See work by Academy of Art design students (storewide)

– Meet jewelry designer Mimi So (precious jewels salon, 1st floor)

– Check out models showcasing fall trends (designer jewelry, 1st floor)

-Make-overs and “paparazzi” (cosmetics, 1st floor)

Free booze, Free food

2. Cruise for celebrities at Macy’s but NOT WITHOUT A PRICE!

– Meet Carlos Santana from 6pm to 7pm but only if you buy shoes or a handbag from his line, still it might be worth it… (shoes, 2nd floor)

– Meet Countess LuAnn de Lesseps at 7:30, personally I have no idea who she is but they (the fashion authorities) say that she’s from a show called The Real Housewives of New York City. Hmmm, still don’t care (bridge, 1st floor)

– See a show from 6pm to 9pm! A fashion show of course, or more of a challenge I suppose, called Flutter, A September Night’s Dream put on by my main man, Owen Buenaventura (he hooked it up with press passes to the SFFAMA Awards). Designers include Jill Giordano & Brian Scheyer, Daniel & David Concepcion, Phuong My, Danielle Pettee and Mike San Gaspar. (Impulse, 3rd floor)

3. Sak’s seems’s like they hardly give a shit, I wish they’d elaborate on what exactly they’re doing cause it sounds pretty decent.

– DJ’s and trivia, models and make-overs (they didn’t say much more)

– Something about Chloe artists sketching attendees?

Free booze

4. Bloomingdales has also been pretty vague about their happenings. Here’s what I dug up (it’s not much):

– “Informal modeling” (???)

– GIFT BAG

Free booze, Free food

5. Nordstrom’s is one of my favorite department stores partially because of their exchange policy and partially because of their inventory and friendly employees. Either way, show them love tomorrow, you’ll be happy to hear that they (unlike some other dept. stores) don’t suck at providing useful information to the public.

– Get dolled up at the Chanel cosmetics booth from 6pm to 9pm at the “Girls Getting Gorgeous” event

– Shop exclusive collections from Toms, William Rast, and more

-This is the only place to buy FNO merch like those tees and bags that are everywhere. I want one.

Free booze, Free food

6. Loehmann’s, the department store I always associate with that show, The Nanny (adoringly so) is also in on it.

– The debut their new arrivals to their back room

– Hopefully there’s booze, but that’s just wishful thinking…

7. The Westfield Center is chock full of stores you will want to go to. The deals are overwhelming so I have compressed them into shorted blurbs.

Under the Dome VIP Event – $10 gets you wine and appetizers and other stuff you probably want (5pm to 6:30pm)

Bare Escentuals – Make-overs and free samples

Hugo Boss – Free booze, Free food

Brighton Collectibles – Designer story boards Free booze, Free food

Charles Chocolates – “Guided tasting” which translates to Free food

Edition by Banana Republic – Free booze, Free food

Herve Leger by Max Azria – Perfume with the purchase of a dress Free booze, Free food

Kenneth Cole – Free tote with purchase

LarkCreekSteak – Free desert with mean, so that’s kind of sort of like Free Food

Max & Co. – Free gift with purchase of $500 or more Free booze, Free food

Max Studio – 25% off Gift Certificate, shopping spree raffle

Melvita – Some skin care promo and Free food (actually it’s a honey tasting, but it’s close enough)

Michael Kors – Handbag raffle, DJ, Free booze, Free food

Torneau – Raffle, trunk show, Free booze, Free food

Tous – Goodie bag with catalog, perfume sample, and promo item Free booze, Free food

True Religion Brand Jeans – Free gift with purchase of $150 or more

Vera Bradley – Raffle, discounted purse with other purchase

White House Black Market – Free gift with purchase of $300 or more Free booze, Free food

Shaping up pretty nicely, eh? But the most shocking part is that I’m not even done yet. The FNO website has a few more participating San Francisco retailers that I’ll also mention.

8. The Betsey Johnson store at 160 Geary is participating by offering a free gift with any purchase and of course, Free booze, Free food

9. Jimmy Choo unveils the collaboration with Ugg Australia. Love it or hate it, you’ll probably want to see it.

I know it’s last minute to call for comments but if ou knw of any other participating retailers in the San Francisco area, let me know via the comment box or tweet me (I gave in to it) @laureilly1990 and I’ll add it to the list.

Farewell, and happy shopping.

edit: Shotwell Boutique on Grant St. will be participating with a ‘play dress up and photoshoot’ thing.

Stellar 3: San Francisco Fashion Awards

So this is terrifically late. It’s okay though, no one’s been waiting on their tippy toes for this anyway.

Hosted by SFFAMA, Sunday’s fashion awards were executed quaintly and cleanly, with an air of sophistication a la ladies who lunch. Except for, if you’ve been to a fashion event with me before, you’ll know that someone (ahem) always shows up to drink the wine and pretend like she can take photos… A half-absent guest list, several glasses and a stolen bottle of wine later, this is what happened:

Photo by SFFAMA

Photo by Eventvibe

Dress, vintage // tights, Musical Legs // Shoes, Sam Edelman

Oh, and did I mention there was a fashion show? Yeah, I know, from the flyers and announcements, you never would have guessed it but it was as pleasant a surprise as any and the gents were sporting bicycles as accessories. How modern.

And finally, this- Bacca da Silva is the cutest, cuddliest man and I now forever love him. That’s all.

Alyssa Bird

Early evening yesterday was the wonderful designer (and the sweetest girl ever) Alyssa Nicole‘s Fall fashion preview at Silverman Gallery hosted by DNA (Designers+Artists). Dominated by nude and brown hues in silky, sheer fabrics, this delicate, ethereal collection was a breath of fresh air in a market dominated by the heaviness of the hippie aesthetic and leatherdaddy chic. I arrived late (as usual) but thanks to the fashion show code of  “always start at least 30-min after the scheduled time”, I actually got to see the show in it’s entire greatness. The refreshing live music was called to a pause and two by two, the models sauntered by the hungry audience. Sophisticated and pretty were Alyssa’s dresses and also the desires of those who were fortunate enough to have been on the invitation-only list. Speaking of the guest list, the attendees also left little to be desired. From Alyssa’s intern, Ken Chen to some of the more repeat fashion event offenders (in a good way), this event showcased a very favorable cross-section of San Francisco’s stylistic abilities.

Haberdash Fashion Show

Despite the plethora of meticulous and highly stylish gents in the city, men’s fashion events in San Francisco are shockingly scarce. Lucky for us Bay-dwellers though, The Bold Italic comes to the rescue like it always seems to by hosting a week long fashion event geared at menswear and menswear only. Last night they hosted a fashion show, showcasing the likes of Revolver, Jacks, and Candystore Collective, among others. One thing that came to my surprise as well as my delight was their decision to forego models in place of average joes. The effect was fashion that was tangible, fun, and likable.

Here are a couple of dandies I snapped up on my iPhone last night ( my Rebel died on the way over, it was quite embarrassing to take someones photo on a flat thing for a change).

BELATED POST: IRL Party

I know everyone’s been posting their outfits and pics today from the IRL Nasty Gal/Lookbook.nu party hosted by DNA (Designers+Artists) at Space Gallery but I forgot to take any pics of my own outfit (which was AWESOME, if I may say so myself), so the delay was necessary. First pic is of me and my girl Alyssa by Carolina Ramirez, the coolest photographer chick at the party (waaaaaaay cooler than me) and the rest of them are style snaps I stole on the drunk of the moment.

Me: Bolero jacket, vintage // Shirt, from Shotwell // Skirt, Picky Studio // Shoes, Jeffrey Campbell

(Last three pics from this dope bar in FiDi called Rickhouse).

Dia de los Muertos

Halloween has come early this year in the form of the most fabulous five-dollar tights I have ever laid eyes on. First, I’d like to thank Music Legs, the brand that birthed these beauties, second, let’s hear it for buycostumes.com, the site that sold them, but mostly, I applaud the Internet, without whom none of this would be possible. Hurrah, hurrah. Ironically, yesterday was San Francisco’s first sunny day in eons and I was wearing tights out to go swimming in a rooftop pool. Gotta love the bay.

Hat, F21 // Dress, unknown // Tights, music legs // belt & boots, vintage // bag, Harajuku Lovers

Who Needs Miu Miu When You Have DIY?

See related posts: McQ, A-Wang, Marc, M&M, Lu-ella-ella-ella, Balmy

Michael Angel Knows Divinity

Today was busy. Let’s start with that. I woke up late because my alarm didn’t go off, just enough time to get me to my interview at Crossroads but not without first stopping in my tracks, panicking at the notion that I was going to a FASHION interview and had not planned out what to wear. Fear not, though, luckily, I had just received a package in the mail with the most fucking amazing leggings by Michael Angel. Easy fix. Throw on a slouchy gray tank and some and my old cowboy boot faves and voilà, interview ready. That’s good cause I turned out having a couple more interviews later on, of which I am most excited about an internship at D-Structured, a fashion/art gallery.

Jacket, Piko // Top, Old Navy // Leggings, Michael Angel // Shoes, thrifted // Bag, Cheap Monday

Pop Art Pop-Up

This past week has been chaos with the two simultaneous SF fashion weeks happening (whats that all about???) but at least it’s been interesting. Tonight was one of the first night that I actually bothered to take pictures at even though it’s so damn easy thanks to my brand new iPhone 4 (hello product placement, and no, I’m not getting paid).

First is what I wore and then there’s a couple of the lovelies that I met at the Pop Art Pop-Up (which is actually not part of Chic Fashion Week, just coincidentally coinciding) including the designers of Serial Cultura, a fucking luscious San Francisco based clothing line, an Academy of Art textiles teacher, a photographer at SF Station, and a couple of dapper attendees.

Coat, Charles Klein, thrifted // Tunic, J Crew, thrifted // Leggings, Zara // Belt, Miu Miu, vintage // Shoes, Sam Edelman Zoe

A lovely gallery-goer

Designer wearing Serial Cultura

Sandra from the AAU textiles department

This handsome young man

Lily from SF Station

I have the biggest style boner for this girl.

I’m not even embarrassed to say it: I have a huge, throbbing erection for the way she plays dress up. Jerk it here: http://moohoop.tumblr.com/

Also, yes, you don’t have to say it, I may be the laziest person to ever write a blog. I’m not even going to bother to resize the images and make them look all pretty and uniform or whatever. Ahh, sometimes I miss the old me who used to care about shit like that. Whatevs2bad4U:(