Last week, I came home from a friend’s going away party to find that my closet had imploded. Actually, it collapsed. It was a bit of an awakening that caused me to realize exactly how much wardrobe I had accumulated while in school. It also showed how much of it consisted of fabulous vintage pieces that weren’t actually my size. (Who can resist a Victor Costa sundress, or a seagull print hostess gown?)

Rather than cart it off to Goodwill, I had a friend whip up a logo, got a “Quick Shopping Cart” from GoDaddy.com, and launched my own vintage shop. The result is www.fiftydollarvintage.com, which features 9 vintage pieces a day, at 50 dollars each.

This mod mini dress is still up for grabs!

I like to think of it as vintage shopping without having to dig through piles of junk all day.

P.S. To help me save my closet from another collapse, liquidate some of the stock, and keep the site’s inventory well stocked, I’d like to invite FSD’s readers to save 15% with discount code FSD. Happy shopping!

Written by: Kalla Vieaux

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I recently received an email saying that the Cornell Alumni Association was hosting their second annual fashion show fundraiser. I was surprised. Mainly because fashion is one of the last words I would associate with Cornell University.

I tried mastering photography on the iPhone at the fashion show. I should probably learn to use the zoom function.

Sure enough, it was an interesting event. Cornell alumni walked the runway in designs from Stefanie Schoen, Good Karma, and Dlish Couture. While most of the designs were pretty basic, there was one skirt with sequined hem detailing that reminded me of the New York skyline — and I wanted it! Of course, what really caught my attention was the bowl of “Lucky Taco” fortune cookies, which looked fabulously kitsch and tasted mostly disgusting.

Then it was off to Le Club, where Chef Amy Glaze has started offering a private six course dinner for two — served in the kitchen. I was very curious about this dining experience, so I had to check it out. Gina, the owner, was nice enough to let us pay a visit to the kitchen. It was a little less glamorous than the vision I had mentally concocted.

She pointed to a utility cart by the door that was home to an unplugged microwave and some other miscellaneous kitchen utensils and explained that’s where the table goes. I felt torn. While fine dining in a commercial kitchen is definitely a unique experience, I have to wonder if one wouldn’t be more comfortable in the dining room.

Written by: Kalla Vieaux

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I was thrilled to head to Bay Bella Publishing’s Luxe & Love anniversary gala, which had plenty of gowns and goodie bags — two things in life that I love.

The event took place at Berkeley’s historic Hotel Shattuck, which is looking rather attractive since their recent renovation. Vendors brought in mini-cupcakes, loads of chocolate covered Oreos, lots of truffles, and salad — which I ignored in favor of items with higher sugar content.

I got to meet lots of people from the wedding industry (which was a new experience) and my not-so-modelicious self managed to get recruited for a faux-engagement shoot with some photographers in Napa the next day (also a strange new experience).

The Genesis dancers show off their skills.

The highlight of the evening was getting to watch dancers from the Genesis Dance Group(owned by Edyta and Alec of Dancing with the Stars) show off their professional ballroom routines. I was totally jealous of their costumes… and their dance moves.

Written by: Kalla Vieaux

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I’ve graduated! And I have been really busy celebrating!

On the last day of class, my friend Jennifer and I headed to the SF Symphony’s Black and White Ball. We had a few weeks of dress-drama preceding the event, but we had a blast. We worked on our salsa moves, saw Kool & The Gang, and ate lots of sushi. The celebration has continued throughout the last week, with tons of brunches, dinners and other festivities.

We got fun magazine cover mock-ups at the ball. Love it!

The funny thing about graduating is that suddenly everyone wants to know what you’re going to do. That’s a really good question. For now I’m interning with Bay Bella Publishing. They make Bride Nine and Mocha Bride magazine (you’ve seen FSD blogger Erin on the cover,) working on my lifestyle company, and launching a website that’s basically a “Hot or Not” for dresses. On the site, girls and designers can share their favorite frocks with the planet.

In the meantime, I’m trying to keep up on The Wall Street Journal and working on shameless social climbing.

Written by: Kalla Vieaux

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When I heard about the launch of Sex+Design magazine, I had to check it out. Which also led me to check out their launch party at Supper Club. The images on the newly launched site reminded me a bit of Steven Miesel’s infamous “Dogging” shoot, so I was excited to see what was in store.

A fun Flawk photo from the Sex+Design website.

The actual event featured a disappointing lack of the underwear-clad hipsters plastered all over the Sex+Design site. I was more than a little bummed that my Betsey Johnson cocktail dress put me among the most scantily clad persons there. (And my friends were quickly annoyed with the accompanying flashbulbs that seem to follow the most scantily clad.)

I hoped the fashion show by FLAWK would be more titillating. However, after waiting… and waiting… and waiting… for the show to begin, and becoming more and more surrounded by tall people determined to block my line of vision, (and because all my blogs seem destined to start with fashion and end with food) I wimped out and headed to the W for a chicken sandwich. Sometimes food beats fashion.

Written by: Kalla Vieaux

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I own one pair of jeans. This means that indiDenim’s brick and mortar launch party was either an event I really needed to go to, or really didn’t.

Regardless, I headed over to 440 Brannan (a love because they also carry Christopher Collins and gr.dano, alumna Jill Giordano’s line) to see what was in store. The post cards claimed that I could get perfectly fitted jeans, just for me! Considering that I only have about 20 inches of leg, I kind of wondered if I could get a half pair. Or maybe half off?

I ‘built’ these “fierce class” jeans on the indiDenim site. They’re made in the U.S. and look like the one pair in my closet.

I have to admit it was a fun event. There were many people in the crowd wearing measuring tapes around their necks like Mardi Gras beads, but I never quite hunted down who I needed to in order to get fitted. I did have time to check out the various denim swatches (I’m a sucker for gray denim, which they didn’t really have) as well as the pocket varieties for the jeans. It made me feel a little like a scientist in my own denim lab. (I’m also a sucker for industrial sewing machines and drafting tables.)

Of course, I also checked out the cupcake table, which was strategically positioned next to promotional cards that read “Designed to fit… Every cupcake you have and have not eaten.” I dare you to guess how many cupcakes I ate.

Written by: Kalla Vieaux

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[440 Brannan: Official Website]
[indiDenim: Official Website]

The Academy of Art University’s fashion week passed in a blur of events, all of which I carefully blocked out on my semi-tacky Anne Taintor calendar. As I reflect on the week over a pot of coffee and spoonfuls of Nutella, I’m starting to realize that it’s the sweet, small moments that count.

The biggest of the “small” moments was participating in a roundtable discussion with Suzy Menkes and 5 of my fellow journalism students on Wednesday morning. Suzy’s engaging verbal command makes it feel like every word she divulges is an intimate secret. One of those secrets was that Madonna has been reading Suzy’s book The Windsor Style in preparation for an upcoming movie role as the Duchess of Windsor. Thank goodness I snatched the out-of-print book from the library before Gladys Perint Palmer shared our “secret” with the rest of the School of Fashion.

The next exciting small moment was being approached by Walter Van Beirendonck at the static show (the show before the big fashion show). I wrote about Walter in my very first published article (in One Eighty) so shaking Walter’s bauble-laden hand was a definite milestone. The only person more excited to shake Walter’s hand was the recipient of an unexpected internship he offered.

Finally, it was time to watch the show, which I got to share with my friend of the last 5 years, graduating designer Emma Erickson (who scored an internship with Hervé Léger.) She guided me through the show with encouraging commentary such as “You’ll like this collection… it’s what you’d buy if you could have whatever you wanted.”

But, for that moment, standing in the nosebleed section of the bleachers and witnessing the camaraderie and pats on the back between this year’s group of close knit graduating designers, I had everything I wanted.

Written by: Kalla Vieaux

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I grew up in a log house on a river with wood-burning fireplaces. In high school, I took a basket making class that involved cutting a black ash tree from my school’s estate. I pounded it with a rubber sledgehammer for days until the rings fell off. Then I sliced, peeled, and wove the tree into decorative baskets. As a result, I’m typically less than impressed with all things made from trees.

That being said, I was a bit skeptical when I heard Gumps (my all-time favorite place to create a mental gift registry for the day when I wake up a grown-up) was hosting a party for some wood vessels.

The party featured Philip and Matt Moulthrop and I thought, “Are they famous? Gosh, I hope not too famous. I’m already stalking Tippi Hedren on View From the Bay this week. Can’t meet too many important people in too little time.”

Okay — I knew the Moulthrops were a little famous. But I failed to realize (in my years of dismissing all things made of wood) that the Moulthrops are actually iconic.

I headed to Gumps, where I received my education in all things Moulthrop and glamorous wooden things that were created by the Moulthrops for three generations. I favored the more colorful ones. I learned the colors and patterns in the woodturnings actually develop as the wood starts to decay. I also learned that wooden things are okay. Actually, I learned that wooden things are gorgeous.

Written by: Kalla Vieaux

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I’d heard lots of hype about Bouquets to Art at the de Young Museum, so I had to check it out. I was feeling especially ambitious, so I decided to attend one of the daily floral arranging demonstrations. I went into the event expecting to maybe learn some tips to arrange the perfect centerpiece for a dinner party — so did the housewives in front of me. One even brought her notebook.

I was in for a surprise. The demonstration, by Natasha Lisitsa and her colleagues of Waterlily Pond, was awe inspiring. And nothing that I expect to reproduce at home. The bouquets were bigger than me. (Natasha designed the 800 pound bouquet that stole the show at the event last year.)

Natasha was bummed she wasn’t allowed to suspend anything from the ceiling. Instead she hoisted this bouquet up about 15 feet with a extendable pole.

The pieces were stunning. Some required nail guns and electric drills for assembly. This made it a little less surprising when Natasha whipped out an anecdote about her youth in Soviet Russia. While demonstrating on a piece involving giant metal pipes, she quipped “When I was in high school, in order to graduate you had to be able to assemble a machine gun in 8 seconds. This piece sort of reminds me of that.”

The audience erupted in nervous laughter.

Natasha claims it took her hundreds of tries before she was able to assemble the gun quickly enough get her diploma, but watching her quick, deft work with the flowers makes it difficult to believe that anything takes her more than a few tries.

Follow the jump for more pictures. Read more…

In case you haven’t heard, there was a raffle for two VIP tickets to the Discarded to Divine fashion show and auction at the Give 2 Take 1 clothing swap last Saturday. Since the only thing I love more than shopping is winning (just ask the people at ebay), I headed to the Discarded to Divine preview at the de Young in anticipation of my big win. (Did I mention to go vote for my looks on Couturious.com’s scholarship contest? I want to win THAT too.)

The event had a huge turnout – and a ton more stuff than I expected. Of course, there were bits and pieces that looked a little granola, and there were some things that didn’t look like they deserved to be recycled. There were even some pieces that I recognized from clothing that I damaged out from my stores and donated during my retail career. It felt a little like when you run into that overweight ex who suddenly looks smashing.

I snapped photos of some of my favorite pieces to share — just don’t try to beat me for them at the auction.

“Rhythms of Geometric Shapes” by Thynzar

“Abstract Symmetry” by Nicole Villa

“Beaded Silk Tulip Dress” by Taisja Maxfield

Written by: Kalla Vieaux

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