Fashion Week Downtown: My Night in "Stories"

Throughout my college years, one Pittsburgh event I always looked forward too was Fashion Week. So back in April when I first read how the annual Pittsburgh Fashion Week was cancelled this year, after six consecutive years, I was a bit crushed. However, my hope was restored in June when I began hearing buzz on social media about a new fashion event that was coming to downtown this fall: Fashion Week Downtown. 

About The Event

The event itself was held at the Union Trust Building on Grant Street and was organized by the Pittsburgh Downtown Community Development Corporation (PDCDC) who partnered with Social Butterfly Magazine. The main man behind the idea though was John Valentine, the corporation's executive director. Mr. Valentine, much like the rest of the Pittsburgh fashion community, was sad to hear about Pittsburgh Fashion Week's hiatus. Due to the fact the fashion industry is an important part of the Pittsburgh art and business community, he couldn't just let a year go buy without a proper fashion event. So Mr. Valentine, the PDCDC and Social Butterfly Magazine came up with Fashion Week Downtown to keep the fashion culture here alive this year. And that's exactly what it did.

VIPs mingle before Fashion Week Downtown in the lounge of the Union Trust Building. 

Resident artist at The Space Upstairs mid opening performance.

The event, which the PDCDC team only had a few months to plan, had an amazing turn out of roughly 500 guests, and the tickets for the event completely sold out 6 weeks prior to the event. The event also featured exclusive appetizers catered by Union Standard as well as a complimentary signature cocktail for the VIPs, as well as a cash bar for the general admissions. The runway show itself featured a special performance by Pearlann Porter & the Resident Artists at The Space Upstairs. The performance title "Jazz Couture" consisted of 3 (very different but simultaneous) contemporary dance performances set to improvisational jazz on the runway. Next Elena LaQuatra (the Reigning Miss Pennsylvania USA) announced the brands and their designers, which there were 13 of, along with 50 beautiful outfits and models! Awesome right?

Runway model, Joanna Wentling, modeling gown by designer Brian David (Instagram, Facebook).

Fun Fact: Brian and I have been in contact since the show and we are in the process of planning a collaboration! More details coming soon.

My How I ended up in the VIPs

My seat at the runway compliments of Social Butterfly Magazine. 

So, now that I've got you caught up on all the details, you're probably wondering how I got to attend due to the tickets selling out so quickly. Well lucky for me, a friend of mine from college, Jeanette Shustack, works as a graphic designer and staff photographer for the local publication Social Butterfly Magazine. The magazine was covering the event as well as working with the PDCDC. So when Jeanette heard that they needed some staff volunteers to help with the set up the runway and possibly double as press for the show, she reached out to me and a few others via Facebook. Obviously, I eagerly accepted due to my love of Pittsburgh and the fashion industry in general, but I would be crazy to not jump at the chance to be a VIP at a fashion show!

My First Fashion Show Experience + All of the Snaps

So after running around and feeling like Andrea Sachs all day, (But with a much kinder boss than Miranda Priestly of course!) 6 o'clock came and I got to take behind the scenes photos of the event, eat some delicious food, and chit-chat with some fabulous members of the Pittsburgh fashion community. And of course, this was all uploaded to my Story on Instagram, which has changed since the show. However, due to the nature of the event I decided it would be fun to do something new and leave you a slide show of some of my snaps from the evening. Featuring a few of the awesome shots I got sitting two feet from the runway (Thanks again Jeanette & Social Butterfly Magazine!) as well as some of my just for fun behind the scenes shots. Enjoy! 

Wanna check out all of the designers from the show? Take a look: Alana Yoffee, TK Fashion Design, Hollywood Glam!, Ruby Dawn Designs, Suz Pisano, Leesa Kassler, ProBantuStyle, S.Moye' Fashions, Sofiya Mozley Fashion, Bradford Mumpower, Brian David, Faith-n-Khaos, and James Houk Design.

In closing, I just have to say I had an absolute blast and am still so grateful I was invited to this awesome event! A special thanks to Jeanette & the rest of Social Butterfly Magazine, as well as Renee, Kari, and John from the PDCDC! I hope to see you all at Fashion Week Downtown next year.

So, what do you think of Pittsburgh's new Fashion Week Downtown? Any favorite outfits from the runway? Let's chat about it in the comments below!

Xx, Bree

ModCloth IRL: Pittsburgh

If you follow me on Instagram or Twitter you know that this past Sunday I had the honor of attending and exclusive press event for Pittsburgh's own ModCloth. Before I dive into all the details, first I want to say thank you so much to ModCloth's Fashion PR woman Aire  for inviting me to this fabulous event, I also want to say how wonderful it was to meet and chat with some of my favorite Pittsburgh Bloggers in person (I'm looking at you Jessa, Kim, and Terra)!  It was honestly such a wonderful time and it was so great to have had this opportunity, and not just because I got to shop privately for some super adorable clothes.

So what is ModCloth?

For those of you who are unfamiliar with the brand ModCloth, let me give you a quick run-down about the clothing store. Firstly, ModCloth is an online retailer that was founded by couple Susan Gregg Kroger and Eric Kroger back in 2002, and now has expanded to employ over 350 people in their three locations throughout the USA which are based in San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Pittsburgh. Susan and Eric initially started the company so they could promote unique and expressive clothing, as well as sizes for all body types because as they state in their About Us section, fashion is for every body. 

I myself have been a fan of this store since my senior year of high school and I still shop with them to this day. Though, I encourage you to go and poke around their shop for yourself, if you don't have the time, I'll just tell you now that their clothes really are quite unique and a little quirky. Many of their dresses have a vintage feel; however their other clothes (such as blouses and bottoms) give off quite the urban vibe. In my opinion, ModCloth truly has something to make everyone happy.

ModCloth: IRL (In Real Life)

The press event I attended last Sunday was for ModCloth's pop up shop tour that they've named "ModCloth IRL", that they have been doing in a handful of states this past year, but their last stop of the year was here in Pittsburgh where it all began! The reason ModCloth decided to host something like this was due to the fact that being an online store, sometimes people are skeptical of ordering. 

"What if it doesn't fit?" 

"What if I don't like the material?" 

"What if it's too short or long when I try it on?" 

These are the questions ModCloth wanted to eliminate by doing their pop up shops. This way their clients can actually meet with their stylists in person as well as touch, feel, and try on clothes before placing an order online. I know that I was thrilled with this idea just because I personally struggle with finding proper sizing especially online. Mainly because due to my slender build I generally am a XS/0 however, in my experience, those sizes tend to run a little short, which isn't ideal for my 5'7" frame. So needless to say, being able to try the clothes on at the shop really made me feel much more confident about my purchase.

The other great thing about this event was, one of ModCloth's head stylists Lindsay, was there to show us the biggest trends coming up this fall and winter along with some tips and insight about the different types of "ModCloth Girls". I also had the opportunity to work with another stylist named Laura who helped me put together two very stylish fall outfits, and I also snagged an awesome cardigan to help keep me warm in my office (pictured below).

Want to get in on the goods?

If you already love ModCloth or are a first time shopper and want to check it out in person, you can if you are in the Pittsburgh area this week! The pop up shop will be opened until September 27th, 2016 and is located on 625 Smithfield St. Pittsburgh, PA 15222.

Did you make it down to ModCloth to get some darling clothes? If so, tell me about your experience in the comments below!  

Xx, Bree

#FREEDAY: Winghart's Recent Charity Event

All throughout my college experience, I took a great interest in both photojournalism and documentary photography. The reason this is, is because I wanted to be able to raise awareness of social issues as well as help people through my art. However as we all know my career took quite the left turn when I started working for DSG's visual merchandising department and then started this blog. And while I love both, I'm beginning to feel slightly unfulfilled. 

This being said, with my blog rapidly approaching it's two year mark, I've decided it's time to start tackling some more prominent issues on here, while continuing my normal style and beauty posts. The first being a cause that has been near and dear to me since my college Junior and Senior thesis classes, and that would be helping the homeless. Long story short, my last two years of college were spent photographing, interviewing, and making friends with people who were living on the streets of Pittsburgh (I mostly concentrated on the Hill District and South Side). So needless to say, when I was notified that Winghart's Burger and Whiskey Bar was having an event to help feed the homeless as well as raise money for The Light of Life Mission, Pittsburgh Charity, I knew I just had to cover it here.

Just a Little Background Info

Winghart's South Side location, 1505 E Carson St, Pittsburgh, PA 15203

Winghart's is a local restaurant that first opened it's doors back in 2011 and it's first location was located in the heart of downtown in Market Square. Later they went on to open their South Side location which is where Free Day was held. Zach and Colin (they're the owners) started a restaurant to serve fresh, never frozen food. If you would like to read their "About Us" and check out their menu for yourself, just click here or here.

Owner's Colin Smith and Zachary Winghart (names ordered respectively from left to right).

Also while I'm talking about the restaurant, ever since I was in college, Winghart's has been one of my favorite places to eat downtown. They're food is great, reasonably priced, and their cocktails are spot on as well. So, to my readers who live in and/or plan on visiting the 'Burgh, I highly suggest putting this restaurant on your list of places it visit! (And if you want my recommendations on food/drink, these are my faves: O.G. Mac & Cheese, the Percephone Salad, and the I Don't Care Whatever Burger. As for sips? I love their Gram Positive, and their seasonal drink 2 Monkey's 1 Banana, which features Monkey Shoulder Scotch, banana liqueur, muddled banana, and a slice of banana as a garnish.)

The Event: FREE DAY

While at the event, though I did not get to talk to Colin much, I did get to chat with Zach about what prompted them to do this fundraiser. Much like myself, Zach and Colin both really want to give back to their community and see the growing homeless population as a very pressing issue. Though I'm not going to go through all of the statistics here, as we all know the homeless epidemic has been on the rise in the U.S. since the bursting of the housing bubble in 2007. And unfortunately many of these individuals are not getting the help that they need. So obviously, Zach and Colin wanted to help in anyway they could, and that's how they ended up with Free Day.

The event itself took place this past Monday at Winghart's South Side location on East Carson street. For the event that they dubbed "Free Day", is exactly how it sounds: Their entire food menu (And remember, it's all made from scratch folks, and is absolutely delicious!) along with soft drinks was 100% free (excluding brews and spirits) in order to make sure people struggling could get a great meal. Free Day, however, wasn't just exclusively for the homeless, it was also opened to the rest of the public. Meaning anyone could get a kick-ass meal on the eatery's dime! But the charitable cause didn't just stop at feeding the people of Pittsburgh for free, as I stated earlier, Zach and Colin were also working with The Light of Life Mission, Pittsburgh Charity and collecting donations at the diner's discretion.

Final Thoughts

In closing, I just have to note what my favorite part of this event was and that was simply all the empathy I witnessed that day. Not that I don't [like to] think that most people are empathetic, but the sad truth is many of us have a hard time putting ourselves in some one else's shoes. However, while in attendance at Free Day, I noticed there were people from extremely different walks of life and backgrounds just sitting shoulder to shoulder and talking like old friends. Seeing this reminded me why I love being from Pittsburgh so much, how it's strong community of overall friendly people shaped me to be the person I am today. Whoever thought a little bit of free food would have such a big impact? As I heard Colin say in his interview with Channel 4 News, if one restaurant in the downtown area per week had a "free day" just think of the great strides this community would make in helping our fellow Pittsburghers that are in need, I personally think it's a great idea.

How about you? Would you like to see Pittsburgh's (or your city's) restaurants begin holding weekly free days to help the homeless? Sound off in the comments below, or tweet me at @StarkRavingChic with the hashtags #FreeDay and #Pittsburgh (or the name of your city) and I will retweet you to get the word out! 

Xx, Bree

**Note, if you didn't get a chance to make it down to Winghart's on Monday but would like to make a donation to help the cause, you can donate here at The Light of Life Mission, Pittsburgh Charity.