Miami Fashion Week Video

Laura Ashley by Martin Wood

Coming to a bookstore soon is Laura Ashley by Martin Wood who documents the history of this designer from clothing to interiors. The book is filled with hundreds of photos spanning back to the early 1900's and through the late 1960's. 

The book serves as a great coffee table book as well a great resource for the Laura Ashley English country style. This is a must have for any Laura Ashley fan!

Caffe Swimwear 2010

A new comer to Mercedes~benz fashion week swim was Caffe swimwear which showed a most interesting collection. Using prints and solids for their suits gives women options in regards to having the suit make the statement or incorporating accessories to finish the look. Some pieces where made of multi-fabric construction and a few had O ring gold detail, a trend we noticed through out the week. The floral prints juxtaposed against the solid tops or bottoms makes for a very original collection.

Mara Hoffman Swim 2010

Mara Hoffman a long standing fixture on the New York runway scene shipped down to South Beach to show what we feel is her first swim collection. In short this was a gate to wire win for Hoffman and was no question the best show of the week! For Mara it's all about color and there was a vast selection of colors and prints to make her suits stand out above the rest. These standout designs make a statement and should be a signal for other designers in the swim suit field. The amount of variety will certainly land her loads of editorial coverage where other designers fell short in this department. In our opinion she's one to watch.

CIA.MARITIMA Swim 2010

Designer Benny Rosset for CIA MARITIMA showed one of the best collections to date, we have been following this designer for some time, but for this season his collection demonstrated two key factors. For one it was a collection that had a theme and vision and was fluid in design where most of the looks flowed consistently. The second point was the use of gold accessories such as cuffs and neck pieces which made his suits just pop off the runway. It seems the inspiration for the collection was Greek, with Greek key patterns adorning a good amount of the suits. Another factor which helped tremendously was the use of models who "filled" the suits.

Swimwear like any other market is stiff competition but when you see a designer who has vision and knows his customer it makes viewing this collection a pleasure! One of the best shows we saw all week.

Marysia Swim 2010

The last show for Mercedes-Benz fashion week swim for the first night was Marysia swim and being shown last was a rushed show. This first time started who has never shown in South Beach provided the audience with a strictly retro collection with swim caps  and ruffles for the majority of the looks shown. 

Fashion by tradition is about moving forward, providing something new and fresh for consumers not delving into the past. According to the designer herself it was "Ballerina Punk", for us it was a throw back to the 20's and 30's. For Marysia Swim it was only their second collection so it may be a case of trying to find their customer, but if there was a retro movie being filmed this designer would fit the bill due to the costume nature of the collection. Today's women we feel wants to look good, sophisticated and polished, unfortunately this was not the case here.

Caffe Swim 2010

We had never heard of Caffe swimwear before but it seems there's something for everybody with this offering for 2010. Looks range from boho inspired beaded suits to solid color with gold attachment details. As well there was a selection of bags which had a Mexican/Central American theme but where not needed for the show and added as a detractor to the swimwear. Our opinion is the solid colored suits with the gold details work best, but the gold O and D ring attachments to the suits may look a but uncomfortable and were on the large size.

Tibi 2010 Swimwear

Kicking off Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Swim was Tibi who has shown down in South Beach before. The collection is a wash of color with many suits done is a sixties inspired acid pattern. It’s a bit of a throw back in time but with her color scheme it works very well. The vibe of the collection is relaxed and not stuffy high end. High points to the collection where the Hot Lava Bikini which we view as her editorial suit as well the Roulette Bikini which had that bandana pattern feel. The only problem we had was at the very end where the last three looks we felt were not needed. The very last suit was a solid gold cut out Mailot which completely played against what we had seen in earlier looks. 

Overall the collection is worth the investment and was well executed with beautiful gold cuffs adorning the models, but in past seasons we have seen more cohesive collection from Tibi. 

Too Faced Cosmetics MAGIC WAND

if your looking for a quick way to apply foundation we highly reccomend Too faced cosmetics Magic Wand which comes in seven different shades. The line has London fair, New York Light, Paris Light Medium, Hollywood Medium, Miami Tan St Barth's Bronze and Caribbean Cocca. With the push of a button your face is foundation ready! Infused into the product are Aromatic Flower Extract, Cucumber, Camellia Leaf Extract and Sea Water.

Our own in house tester Tina used the New York Light for one week and claims that Magic Wand provided even coverage and held up through out the entire day. Magic Wand can be found at Sephora, Nordstrom and other major retailers. You can also check out the Too faced website at www.toofaced.com 

Belli Skincare Skin Smoothing Body Exfoliator

The majority of exfoliators we have run across for skin possess two main components which we can't seem to avoid. The first is the size of the "grit" in a lotion, gel or mixture is large and feels like rubbing rocks across your skin. The second factor is the residue that is left behind after you have exfoliated your skin, which can be more times than not greasy, but we found a solution!

Belli Skincare has created their skin smoothing body exfoliator which has none of the problems listed about. The lines three main ingredients which are Green Tea which protect your skin, Ginsing which helps refines and counteracts dryness and other skin problems and Peppermint Oil to reduce pain makes using this product beneficial and enjoyable. The "grit factor" is small there is no hard rock feeling but the product does it's job and exfoliates! We also love the Peppermint oil which leaves the kin nicely scented, and there's no residue when you wash the product off. If your looking to but this great product it is carried at pottery barn kids, baby/maternity boutiques and fine spas. More information can be found at their site www.belliskincare.com

Ignes Bags From Uruguay

With the global recession dragging on its very hard to break away and buy anything, but as we have stated before we feel bags and shoes are the new affordable luxury items for both men and women. But what could be better then creating your own custom bag or clutch which can be done with Ignes Bags. The process is hassle free when you pick your bag style, leather choice, lining, color and whatever else you might want. There is a vast selection of bags to choose from with material choices like calfskin, cowhide, ostrich and even salmon.

From our quick check of their site most if not all of their bags range under $500.00 and the custom factor makes it that much more attractive. So if your dying for a new bag to add some zing to your wardrobe head over to www.ignesbags.com  If you mention "The Fashion Tribune" get 25% off!!!