What: The Mochila Project cocktail party
Where: The Webster
When: November 11, 2009
Who: Hosted by Vogue contributing editor Lauren Santo Domingo, Laure Hériard Dubreuil, and Angela Maria Tafur de Barco
I could not have been more thrilled to be at this event. Mochila handbags are traditional Colombian bags woven by indigenous South American women. Their rise in popularity in the world of high fashion is no longer in question. My friend and fellow fashionista, Lauren Santo Domingo, recently called together a bevy of her beautiful friends to browse through The Mochila Project collection. According to Lauren, the idea for the project was so inspiring that it only took two months to conceive and launch the line. When crafting the bags from scratch in Colombia, it can take 40 hours of labor-intensive work to complete just one, but selling the totes to local vendors is a vital way that the women help sustain their villages. Lauren and company envisioned the bags embellished with the touches of some of her favorite luxury designers. Phillip Lim, VBH, Missoni, Badgley Mischka, Roger Vivier, Calvin Klein, and Mathew Williamson all lent their hand to the project, which Lauren launched with a cocktail party at one of my favorite Miami Beach boutiques, The Webster. The collection remained on temporary display at Laure Hériard Dubreuil and Frederic Dechnik’s four-story designer store before being auctioned for BeLive on November 19.
What: Exclusive Preview of Versace 2010 Spring/Summer Collection
Where: My Miami Beach estate, Casa de Sueños
When: December 5, 2009
Who: Hosted by Vogue, Versace, and myself
I included some looks from the Versace Fall line in my last column and I have been so enamored with the fun and funky designs that the brand has been producing that I could not resist the idea of hosting a fashion show at my home to preview the Spring/Summer collection.
I know that with the winter holidays approaching, the last things on many of our minds are spring color palettes and sleeveless summer silhouettes. However, we also know that the fashion industry operates seasons ahead of real time reality, so keeping current with the present season probably means your closet is already passé.
Without a doubt, this is one of Donatella’s most exciting collections yet as it highlights everything sexy and fun about being a female. Backstage at one of her shows she attributed her inspiration for the collection to Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland, which debuts in March 2010.
Make sure to visit HauteLiving.com after the event to view what is certain to be a stunning gallery of images from this high fashion event.
