undramatized illustration via Amber Demure

We have reached “put ice cubes in your dog’s water bowl” temperatures, and it’s only going to get worse.  After an abnormally cool Spring, I had almost forgotten what summers in Austin were like, but, with temperatures now in the 90s it feels like summer is finally here.  If this will be your first summer in Austin, you should be warned that the next few months will be a test of many things, including: your ability to not gain weight from margarita and sno cone consumption, your ability to save your phone from water damage from late night pool immersions, and your skin’s ability to recover quickly from sun burn.

But amongst all these things, probably one of the hardest things to do in the summer in Austin is stay stylish.  I know some of y’all think it’s a lost cause and once temperatures go above 90, you will immediately opt for a tank top and flip flops.  But here are some of my suggestions on how to stay looking good in the heat for both girls and boys…

Tips for the gals…

1) Make Swimwear Part of Your Outfit.

I dunno about you, but I spend most of my time during the Summer in my swimsuit.  But this doesn’t mean you have to look like you just came from the pool.  Luckily there are many styles of swimsuits these days that can also double as bodysuits, and vice versa.  A black one-piece swimsuit is a great suit to pair with a patterned skirt or some shorts to create an outfit.  We found local wardrobe stylist Alana Madill sporting this look this past weekend on South Congress: check it out.  There are also some bustier style bikinis (like this one) that you can easily put with a high waisted flowy skirt or vintage style shorts to create a cute look that’s appropriate for both pooltime and non-pooltime activities.

Here are some examples of cute summer onesies that you can easily make part of your outfit…

1) Shiny halter bodysuit, American Apparel

2) Betty swimsuit, Nasty Gal

3) MINKPINK Celine One Piece Swimsuit, Urban Outfitters

4) Cherry blossom cap sleeve swimsuit, BlackMilk

2) Wrap it Up.

We don’t get the luxury of letting our hair down too much in the Summer.  The “top knot” is a hair must-do when in the heat, but this summer it’s also all about accessorizing with the head wrap.  Not only is it cute, but it’s also practical as it can double as a way to keep your hair up, keep your sweat off your face, or hide your dirty hair after a bike ride…

1) Cult Gia Pin-Up Headwrap, Urban Outfitters

2) Polka dot printed wire tie, Free People

3) Make a Statement with Sunglasses.

Sunglasses are of course a summer essential, and they are also a really fun way to add style to your look (or to stylishly hide a pool party hangover).  This summer is all about eye-catching frames, mostly of the round and cat-eye variety.  Try a fun patterned frame, or stick with a classic tortoise shell.  And if you really want to stand out this summer, put on a pair of sunglases with mirrored lenses…

1) Mirrored sunglasses, Alexander Wang

2) 60′s oval sunglasses, TopShop

3) Tortoise shell sunglasses, Phillip Lim

4) Striped cat-eye sunglasses, TopShop

4) Show Your Feet Some Love.

There’s nothing worse than noticing a girl in a cute outfit, only to scan down to find her feet are sadly in a pair of old flip flops.  Unless you are near a body of large water, please leave the flip flops behind.  Here are some examples of cute summer footwear alternatives to the dreaded flop…

1) Mayan sandal, Free People

2) Calcutta wrap sandal, Free People

3) Flat thong sandal, Zara

5) Wear Simple Makeup That Won’t Make You Look Like a Melting Clown.

The only makeup you should really wear in the summer in Austin is a tinted moisturizer with SPF.  Everything else is pointless and will cause this to happen (another undramatized illustration by Amber Demure).  My all-time favorite is the Mineral Tint by Rae Cosmetics because it soaks in and blends in well with your skin and is lightweight.  It also has an SPF of 20 which is pretty high compared to most makeup with SPF, and if you’re fair like me then this is essential.

Tips for the guys…

1) Go For Short Shorts.

If you’re still holding onto those long board shorts from the 90s, get rid of them.  For men’s swimwear, it’s now all about the short shorts.  You don’t have to go super short, but, at least above the knee and a more fitted fit is what you should look for this summer. And if you’re bold, go for a bright colorful pattern for fun.

1) swim shorts, H&M

2) swim shorts, H&M

3) floral print swim shorts, Zara

4) Katin apache trunk, Stag

2) Sunglasses.

Classic and masculine square cut frames work best for the guys.  A simple classic black pair is a standard choice, or you can find some with some added detail or pattern for stylish interest.

1) Aldous, Warby Parker

2) Snowdon, Tom Ford

3) Versace

2) Summer Footwear.

I know it’s tempting to just slip on a pair of flip flops in the summer, but unless you’re by the lake or the pool, your rubber flip flops just scream laziness.  Here are some nicer alternatives that are still casual.  If you want to do a sandal, try it in leather instead of foam or rubber…

leather sandal, Aldo

Yolen sneaker, Aldo

Vans, Urban Outfitters

toe sandal, Zara

Most importantly, just tell the heat to suck it! And maybe carry some baby wipes…

Joanna Wilkinson
keep austin stylish

Name: Alana Madill

Age: 28

Occupation: Wardrobe Stylist

Spotted at: South Congress

Wearing: vintage Christian Dior swimsuit, Habitual shorts, vintage jewelry, American Apparel bag

Joanna Wilkinson
keep austin stylish

It was the end of the night and time for the last runway show, and while I was highly anticipating seeing Stephen Moser’s runway collection, I could tell some of the audience had grown weary.  If you left the Austin Fashion Week Awards early last Saturday night (and I know some of you did), you missed out.  Stephen Macmillan Moser closed the show with a theatrical performance that I think truly surpassed everyone in the audience’s expectations.  I was waiting to see a fashion show, but what I got was something completely different.

Don’t get me wrong, the clothes were definitely interesting and elaborate, but they were costumes.  I think Michael Barnes of The Statesman put it best when he tweeted that someone should stage an opera with Moser’s clothing.  Every model played a character that night, and every outfit made them look the part.  The show was announced as a “pagan wedding,” and it was like watching one of Moser’s dreams come to life on the stage.  The time and place unknown, it was a total fantasy.

Perhaps I shouldn’t have expected anything else from Moser.  Everyone is familiar with the Austin style icon and his over-the-top outfits.  His runway show was simply a much grander and more theatrical expression of what the fashion journalist and designer personally represents on a daily basis.  The last Trailblazer Award of the night of course went to Moser, and on top of walking away with a golden boot, he also walked away with a giant portrait of himself.  Self indulgent? Yes. Did we hate it? No.  There was nothing but love for Stephen Moser, and the Austin Fashion Week Awards was really his night.

photos by Patrick Meredith

Joanna Wilkinson
keep austin stylish

When you think of Kendra Scott jewelry, you probably don’t think of high-fashion runways.  As the go-to jewelry line for Austin females wanting a pop of color, or a simple statement necklace, it is impossible to go to almost any event in town without seeing at least one girl wearing Kendra Scott.  And as likely as you are to see cowboy boots or burnt orange at a UT football game, you’re about just as likely to spot some Kendra Scott earrings.  But for the Austin Fashion Week Awards last weekend, Kendra Scott once again amped up the “wow factor” for the runway.  Kendra Scott jewelry might just be an accessory, but the first model walked out looking like a walking, breathing, chandelier come to life, immediately proving its worthiness of the runway.

Joanna Wilkinson
keep austin stylish

Two models slowly creeped down the double runway, their footsteps in sync like soldiers, but their walk as light as ballerinas.  Gail Chovan’s runway show at the Austin Fashion Week Awards reminded me once again how fully encompassing her shows always are.   Gail Chovan, local designer and owner of Blackmail boutique and atelier, is one of Austin’s veteran designers.  Gail notoriously considers herself to design outside of Austin’s fashionable comfort zone by adhering to a more avant garde European-taught design aesthetic.  Gail studied fashion design in Paris and now teaches there when she can.  Her collections consistently invoke emotion within me, and I look at her designs like works of art.

Her most recent collection, which graced the runways on Saturday night, left me thinking about the dichotomy of power, and vulnerability.  The show was titled “Abiquiu,” and Gail says the collection was inspired by the life of Georgia O’Keefe when she was living in New Mexico.  Gail is known for working with black fabric, but this collection was a change for the designer because it contained several pieces in all white. Gail says this was inspired by O’Keefe’s tendency to wear black in the fall & winter and white in the spring & summer.

Gail told me she wanted her designs to have an organic feel of weightlessness, yet with the balance of sound construction.  Using deerskin and linen fabric, Gail accomplished this juxtaposition by creating pieces which she says are products of the New Mexico desert, “where the sand and wind blow up against the smoothness & strength of the adobe structures.”

Doesn’t it make you feel all sorts of good inside when you go to any type of artistic show and you actually understand and feel what the artist was trying to express?  That’s what Gail Chovan’s “Abiquiu” did to me, and I was once again left mesmerized by her work and her ability to make a statement.

photography by Patrick Meredith

Joanna Wilkinson
keep austin stylish

After the Boudoir Queen’s runway show ended, I felt like I was being forced to get off a magical carnival ride.  I didn’t want it to end, and if I had been my two year old self, I might have thrown a temper tantrum in my front row seat.  Dawn Younger-Smith’s clothes do it to me every time.  The designer has a way of using clothes to create a romantic world that most women can only see in their dreams.  Using vintage and antique fabrics, some dating all the way back to the 1800′s, Dawn said her inspiration for her Fall 2013 collection titled “Vreeland” included everything from famed French designer Paul Poiret to the Rolling Stones in Morocco.

Although the Boudoir Queen creates an aesthetic that is highly romantic and feminine, her clothing always have a Rock n’Roll edge.  BP Fallon, who worked and toured with Led Zeppelin during their heyday in the 1970s, opened the Boudoir Queen’s runway show on Saturday night with a poem? A speech?  I’m not sure what it was exactly, but it ended with him stating “I believe in Boudoir Queen,” and that’s a statement I can get behind.  Her collection was my favorite of Austin Fashion Week in its entirety because I could see myself wearing almost every single piece whether I’d be twirling around in my bedroom daydreaming of traveling to Paris, or attending a fashion event right here in Austin.  She ruled the runway at last year’s Austin Fashion Week, and she still reigns supreme.

jewelry, and some of the headpieces and body chains for this show were provided by Lauren Checcio Jewelry

photos by Patrick Meredith

Joanna Wilkinson
keep austin stylish

“Keep Austin fashion weird!” Daniel Esquivel exclaimed from the podium as he received one of 4 golden boot awards given out to the “Rising Stars” of Austin fashion.  The local designer and recent Project Runway alum was definitely doing his part to keep the fashion weird at the Austin Fashion Week Awards last weekend.  The designer showed up to the red carpet on Saturday night wearing a handmade leather rabbit ears mask.  He obviously caught my eye, and I have to say that he was one of the few people I saw at the Awards who actually was bold enough to wear something outrageous and eye-catching.  I believe there are two ways to go about dressing for the Austin Fashion Week Awards, you can either 1) wear something red carpet worthy and glamorous, or 2) wear something unique and funky.

Many of the ladies Saturday night went for an “old Hollywood” look, and trends I spotted that night included vintage headpieces, feathers, and jewels worn in the hair.  A majority of the men that night opted for a “dapper gentleman” look wearing wingtip shoes, pocket squares, bow ties, and William Jackson of Influential Magazine even donned a boater.

Some red carpet arrival photos:Kara Swinney wearing dress by Daniel Esquivel and Matt Swinney, founder of Austin Fashion Week

Cheryl Bemis of Fashionably Austin

designer Priscilla Barroso of Crowned Bird wearing her own designs, wardrobe stylist Jenny Woys

Lance Avery Morgan (right) of the Society Diaries

Sandra Antoun, wardrobe stylist

designer Ross Bennett, and wife Erin Bennett wearing dress by Ross Bennett

red carpet photos by Patrick Meredith

Joanna Wilkinson
keep austin stylish

So there I was with my friend attempting to zip me into a dress that was admittedly a little on the snug size.  When the zipper suddenly stopped and felt like it might completely refuse to go up any farther, I held my breath and just said a little prayer to the fashion gods.

About a week ago I had the pleasure of being a judge for something called the “Black and Tan” fashion show, a fashion design challenge that took place during the beginning of Austin Fashion Week.  The dress I chose, and the one which ended up winning the challenge, was designed by local Austin designer Amanda Yilmaz.  I am so happy that the fashion challenge introduced me to her, because her work is beautiful.  Amanda graciously let me pretend to be important for a night, and I wore her fancy red carpet worthy black lace gown to the Austin Fashion Week Awards last weekend.  I lost count of how many compliments I received, and I was so happy to be able to introduce so many people to this lesser known Austin designer.  It’s time for Austin to know about Amanda!  I mean, just take a look at this other total couture gown she has made… pretty fantastic, no?

The cream cheese icing on top of the red velvet cake (my favorite kind of cake) was that I also got the star treatment at Mirror Mirror salon before the Awards. Martha Lynn hooked me up with a fabulous faux bob, and I got some art deco fancy nail work done by Jen.  I absolutely loved my look for the night, regardless of the fact that I realized once already in the bathroom that I wouldn’t be able to actually go to the bathroom without having a friend escort me into the stall to help me get out of the dress (and then back into it.)  It was definitely a red carpet night.

keep austin stylish

Name: Jonathan Coker

Age: 21

Occupation: writer

Wearing: Wrangler top, vintage jacket, Topman

Found at: La Zona Rosa

recent Project Runway contestant and Austin based designer, Daniel Esquivel

As anticipation grew for the last night of Austin Fashion Week runway shows at La Zona Rosa, so did the threat of a thunderstorm over downtown Austin. By the time the first collection hit the runway, so did the rain. It’s only fitting that Friday night, which featured 5 former fashion reality show contestants, would end up causing the most dramatic scene. Raindrops fell through the old roof of La Zona Rosa and literally began to hit the runway as models wearing Crowned Bird strutted the catwalk in the first collection of the night.  Priscilla Barroso, the designer behind Crowned Bird, set the bar high by showing a unique and playful retro-inspired collection.  You can read more about Priscilla’s designs and see all the photos of her runway show here.

Because Friday night featured many designers whose work we have become familiar with via TV, there was unsurprisingly a lot of hype surrounding this night of runway shows.  What’s exciting about the fashion scene in Austin right now, is that it has finally begun to reach a big enough audience such that we can truly judge designers on a higher level.  The bar continues to be raised while more and more Austinites start to voice their opinions.  And just because someone was on a few episodes of a TV show, doesn’t necessarily mean we have to love everything they put out.  Friday night’s runway shows proved this.

Before his show, I asked Ross what I could expect to see from him on the runway.  Ross Bennett has become a recent fixture in the Austin fashion scene due to his appearance on NBC Fashion Star a couple of years ago, and his Rising Star award win at last year’s Austin Fashion Week Awards.  However, I have to admit that I am still waiting for Ross to prove himself worthy of the attention he has received from most of the Austin fashion community.  I do not understand who Ross is as a designer yet, and I have a feeling he doesn’t know either.  Wednesday night Ross arrived in his usual dapper attire donning a suit and bowtie, while the next night pulled a Chris Gaines on me and arrived in an alter ego outfit consisting of a beanie and a t-shirt layered with women’s necklaces around his neck.

Ross named his most recent collection, which he showed on Friday night, “classical chaos.”  He told me I could expect to see a darker collection from him, which he said would be a reflection of all the chaotic things he has had to deal with in his life recently.  What walked the runway on Friday, however, was in no way dark and in no way chaotic.  While he did have a few “classical” pieces which I think were okay pieces, overall I don’t know what story he was trying to tell with his clothing.  I think Ross needs to do some more exploring and figure out who he wants to be as a designer.  You can have however many personal looks you want, but your collection needs to have a solid identity.

Besides Crowned Bird, Lilly Lorraine was one of my preffered collections of the night.  However, it is surprising to me that a designer out of Austin would design using such heavy fabrics.  When exactly is one supposed to wear all these heavy dresses and coats? But I do think that she showed one of the most innovative, artistic, and also cohesive collections that I saw during all the shows at La Zona Rosa.

Christi Craven, the designer behind Lilly Lorraine, actually designs and creates her own unique textiles, one of which is currently patent-pending.  To fully appreciate her clothing, I think you need to take a look at her designs up close as she pays close attention to detail and you can see the interesting fabric manipulation.  One of the things I love most about her work, is her ability to create pieces which are both structured and yet soft at the same time.  I also love her use of lines and am impressed with how she designs to create figure flattering pieces even though she uses fabric that could otherwise appear bulky.

His was definitely the most hyped of all the runway shows, and it breaks my heart to say that the collection from our local Austin designer who just barely missed making it to the Project Runway finale, was also the biggest let down.  It’s not that Daniel Esquivel showed a bad collection, or that it was by any means my least favorite collection, it’s just that I was hoping for much more.

After seeing his success on Project Runway, I think we were all expecting to really be blown away.  Don’t get me wrong, his polka dotted gown that opened the show was fabulous and sophisticated with a wink, just like Daniel himself.  Everything which walked the runway after that first dress however, was a bit of a disappointment.  I actually have a feeling, and also hope, that perhaps the designer has just been too busy to be able to put out a truly inspiring collection.  This was his big chance to wow us, and a black t-shirt with “Daniel Esquivel” printed on it paired with a basic bikini bottom, was not the way to do it.  I am still interested though to see what he comes up with next.

Other collections which showed on Friday night included Pearl Southern Couture by Amber Perley out of Dallas, Vian Hunter out of Seattle, Three07 from Alabama, and RVN presented by Young & Fabulous. Both Amber and Vian were on Fashion Star alongside Priscilla of Crowned Bird.

Pearl Southern Couture and Three07 showed very similar collections which were both obviously geared towards sorority girls with Three07 even showing a few UT game day inspired looks. The collections were unoffensive, but yawn inducing. I especially grew tired of Amber’s because it seemed to never end as a lot of the pieces looked so similar to one another.

But just when I started to doze off from Three07 and Pear Southern Couture, Vian Hunter’s collection woke me up.  Unfortunately it had nothing to do with the clothing, but rather everything to do with the odd choice of using Macklemore’s “Thrift Shop” song as her runway music.  I don’t care if I was sitting in the front row, how does one not start rapping along to this song?  I caught Matt Swinney and Ross Bennett looking my way and laughing during the show, but I know they were secretly trying to hold back busting out the lyrics and some dance moves as well.

Joanna Wilkinson
keep austin stylish