Creative City Podcast is Back with the Scoop on the Style + Sustainability Gala!

Exciting news: Season 3 of the Creative City podcast is officially underway!

In episode 21, fellow stylist Jessie Cundiff and I chat about what it takes to build your portfolio, the importance of doing the work, and how to get started as a fashion stylist.

In episode 22, my friends Anh Tran and Catherine Richards of Hark+Hark talk about conceptual art, their jewelry line, and the upcoming Style + Sustainability Gala on October 1st.

Style + Sustainability is a fun fashion gala, complete with cocktails, a tea room, a skate park, food trucks, and greenery everywhere! 25 fashion designers and artists have created “living garments”–as in fashion that incorporates plants–to strut down a catwalk made out of moss in a renovated 100,000 square foot warehouse. Urban Blooms has built a fantastical sea of vertical gardens just for the event, which is the kickoff for the new Uptown Innovation Corridor.

I’ll be there behind the scenes, helping style and dress 30 models in 63 looks(!) and making sure everyone hits their cues. Get ready to explore, network, shop, eat and dance at the most sustainable and collaborative fashion experience Cincinnati has ever seen!

Modern Makers & Urban Blooms Style + Sustainability Gala, Saturday October 1st, 7-10pm. Get tickets here.

Follow @TheStyleSample

For New Lingerie Shop Swoon, the Name Says it All

I’ve mentioned my devotion to cotton underwear and no-wire bras before, but I never expected there to be a lingerie store centered around all of the above just blocks from me and my credit cards. Swoon, which opened on Vine Street this month, is a feminine (and feminist) haven of warm peach tones and comfy underthings for women who mix the fanciful with the practical.

The boutique carries bras and underwear from eco-friendly lines like baserange and Clare Bare, sexy-strappy sets from Marika Vera and Toru & Naoko, flowy kimonos that serve as boho-glam robes, and grooming products from Fur and Oxalis Apothecary. I loved a bra and high-waisted underwear set by Pansy, mostly based on the fact that it matched my skin tone (which is clearly not that beige tone some designers call “nude.” Nude is not a single color, folks).

Swoon owner Melissa Lieb is a DAAP graduate with a background in jewelry design (more on that in a sec), and is very focused on ensuring the lines she carries are ethically manufactured using organic materials. I’m all about comfort, but I’d never considered the idea that the chemicals from your drawers can be absorbed by your skin until Melissa explained it. Food for thought, for sure.

As I was browsing, I noticed a gorgeous necklace with chunky stones and asked who made it. It turns out Melissa still creates jewelry, as well as these fantastic illustrated vignettes. Some people do All The Things, no?

From the female-friendly merchandise to the casually hip decor (of course Brush Factory’s Rosie Kovacs helped build the couch) Swoon is sure to make you…well, swoon.

Swoon, 1421 Vine Street in OTR, 513.404.8541

Follow @TheStyleSample

Style // Check Yo’Self

Sometimes a bad day gets the best of me, and the only way to counteract my mood is with a little caffeine and a lot of fresh air. Oh, and these windowpane-check trousers help, too. Big pants make everything better.

Zara trousers, Kit & Ace tank, Target sneakers

SHOP THE LOOK

What do you do to turn around a crappy day?

Follow @TheStyleSample

Cut + Sewn’s New Showroom Helps Indie Designers Show Off Their Goods

SHOWROOM’s small boutique space in Northside

Guys, I think the indie fashion revolution has (finally) made it to the Queen City! While lifestyle stores like MiCA 12/v, Continuum, and Sloane have always carried goods from local makers, Cut + Sewn‘s new retail showroom–appropriately called SHOWROOM–is solely focused on promoting the work of independent designers and artists.

The boutique serves as a combination gallery/atelier for the folks who work in Cut + Sewn’s studio, and showcases their creations in a convenient buy-it-now setting. Guest curators and designers co-create the vision for each season, and the space will serve as the meeting ground for workshops on design, craft, and sustainability.

Healing stones and botanical bundles from Shaheen Miro

A table full of jewelry and scents and soaps and other things you definitely want

I stopped by on their opening weekend and chatted with Cut + Sewn’s Jenifer Sult and Designer/Stylist/Illustrator Chelsea Cutrell while browsing the goods, and let me tell you, they got some goods.

There are several pieces I cannot stop thinking about: slinky slip dresses from DAAP graduate Calle Evans (perfect for my Fall glamleisure aesthetic), elegantly graphic Hark + Hark rings, playful ceramics by Amanda Bialk, comfy day-to-night dresses from TextileHaus, breezy linen tanks by Twin Echo (these would look SO good with high-waisted flares), and an amazing bag by Bone Feather, made of rich black leather with a shoulder strap that will fit perfectly over layers of coats and sweaters come winter. Not enough bag designers think about the length of shoulder straps, but trust me: it’s important.

The Bone Feather bags I’m obsessing over

SHOWROOM is only open during weekend brunch hours for now, so swing by while you’re waiting for a table at Melt or after you grab a coffee at Sidewinder. Support independent businesses, and check in with my faves for me.

SHOWROOM, 4183 Hamilton Ave in Northside. Open Saturday and Sunday 10am-2pm.

Follow @TheStyleSample

Podcast Season 2 + Upcoming Events!

Two fashion designers, a magazine publisher, a communications diva, a multi-purpose music studio founder, a furniture design outfit, a Copy Director, a design studio, an online sales mogul, and a Social Innovation Specialist later, and season two of the Creative City podcast is a wrap!

Season 3 starts September 21st, so sign up for the mailing list to stay ahead of the game. I really love talking to all these amazing folks about what makes them tick, and I think you will, too. Listen here or download on iTunes:

UPCOMING EVENTS

If you’re interested in talking about cool stuff live and in person, you should definitely check out these events next week:

Photo by Tim Bayer

Wedding Workshop, Wednesday Aug 17th

When I was in 5th grade, I sold hand-lettered nametags to my classmates for extra lunch money, so clearly I’m a pro. Next week you’ll have the opportunity to learn hand lettering from actual professional illustrator Erin Barker (who designed The Frock‘s beautiful logo) at the Wedding Workshop! Plus I’ll be presenting a styled bridal show featuring gorgeous wedding and bridesmaids gowns for pretty princesses and boho babes alike. And it’s free!
RSVP here

Downton Fashion a la Carte, Friday Aug 19th

If you haven’t been to the Taft Museum’s Dressing Downton exhibit yet, get thee to the manse next Friday! I’ll be there as part of a fashion panel discussing the show and the exhibit, and will likely be tipsy after a single Pimm’s cup (I’m a lightweight), but who cares? Velvet knickers and feathered headdresses await!
Tickets at dressingdowntoncincy.com

Black Family Reunion, Friday Aug 19th – Sunday Aug 21st

I’ve been going to the BFR since it started, back when Black Bart and Bebe’s Kids were all the rage. This year it’s back with a parade, live games of Family Feud, and a performance from Cameo (just try to get “Candy” out of your head now). I’m taking over the #BFRCincy Instagram and Twitter, so be sure to follow along and join the fun!
Visit www.myblackfamilyreunion.org for details

Follow @TheStyleSample