I have an affinity for the color red. Red shoes, red bags, red lipstick and most importantly the red dress. Red is the power color that looks good on most people.  It's a shame that many women are scared to wear this color in fear of being labeled a tramp.  I came across a red strapless gown by Brian Reyes that stopped me dead in my tracks.  The sculpted silk maxi dress is a modern take on the Pretty Woman dress.  The corset-style cup, asymmetrical flounce hem and tonal piping at the seams are sexy but sophisticated at the same time.  The Brian Reyes Corset Strapless Gown is for the twenty-something or thirty-something woman who wants to have fun turning heads at a gala or evening affair.

You need confidence to wear such a statement making dress.  When wearing a dress like this you have to be mindful of a few things:

• Less is more so keep accessories to a minimum. Chandelier earrings or a statement necklace, not both.
• Red goes with both gold and silver. Make sure you choose the tone that works best with your complexion.
• Keep the hair pulled back in a chic updo or go Cali girl chic with a low ponytail.  Opting for voluminous curls or waves will be total overkill.
• Your makeup should compliment the dress. Go for nude lips with a smoky eye or neutral eyes with a bit of shimmer and a berry lip.
• Shapewear is your best friend so embrace it. A strapless toning slip or DKNY smoothies will be the key to smoothing those problem areas. 

LINK LOVE:Lady in Red | Brian Reyes Corset Strapless Gown

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Image Source: Zimbio

LINK LOVE:Ugly Betty’s America Ferrera Dazzles At ‘Dry Land’ Screening

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Fresh from a stint at Oscar de la Renta, in 2006 Colombian born BrianReyes.com
Shop Brian Reyes at

LINK LOVE:Exclusive Interview with Brian Reyes

In Rent The Runway’s first edition of “Behind the Seams,” they’re bringing you the inside dish from Brian Reyes. This celebrity favorite (whose office happens to be next  Rent The Runway’s!) has us craving his cocktail chic styles, and we wanted to see what makes him tick.

What inspired your Spring 2010 collection?

S/S 10 began as a structural examination of roots and the grounded world that lives beneath the soil. We started with an amazing visit to Kew Gardens in London. They’ve just opened their “Treetop Walk” which is fantastic, but next to the entrance is an exhibit that is really geared for children about life beneath the soil. It’s a well depicted, in the simplest terms, discussion about the interconnectivity of the world we live in and how our actions in one aspect of our lives forces change in so many others. Balance is everything in the world of soil. I then took this idea of rooted realism and started exploring the lives of woman and societies that hadn’t fully understood how falling out of balance can affect our lives, which brought us to the study of Rorsach or the bleeding heart prints.

How did you go about designing the prints in this collection?

I have developed prints on my own for many seasons and this was the first time I’ve ever worked directly with a graphic artist. It was a very fluid process. Our meetings take place almost immediately after a runway show for the previous season, in this case, immediately following the Fall 2009 runway show. Originally, we were working on just one print, but we had so many ideas that we ended up with a few that I felt very strongly about — whether the bleeding heart print or the vibrant blue of the Chagrin print, both make such a statement in this collection. We always play with scale, color, opacity, and repetition to create the prints.

Which part of the design process do you like the best?

I feel very lucky to be doing something that I love and something that inspires me every day. Running a small business is a challenge, and I don’t always get to be a “designer,” but I always know that once the tedious aspects of the day are complete, I can spend my afternoons and evenings really being inspired. I think very few people are able to really pursue their passions, so I feel very blessed.

How is the Brian Reyes brand growing in 2010?

I’m so excited about my Fall 2010 collection. We’ve spent the last few months expanding on our analysis of trees, bark, leaf structure, core structures. We’re really excited about the colors and the intricate prints we’re preparing for Fall 2010. While all of my prints are custom designed, I had the chance to collaborate with an inspiring artist from the Ukraine, Oksana Mas — her take on modern art is quite expressive, and I love that she works with materials in constantly evolving mediums.

If you could sit front row at a fashion show for any designer in history, who would it be and why?

I’m not really a fashion show kinda guy… I’m such a fanatic when it comes to the history of fashion and the development of so many style ideas that have progressed from the early 1800′s into today’s modern fashion boutique. What women wear today feels so incredibly different from where the fashion community started last century, but there are reference points, and very few people who brought truly revolutionary ideas in their time. I’m much happier in a library thumbing thru retrospective books on the old fashion masters, or visiting the costume exhibit, than being at a runway show.

How do you celebrate finishing a collection?

Oh that’s a tough one… I usually go out the night following the show, and then I try to escape the studio for a week or two after a runway show to clear my mind and get started on the next season. The fashion calendar can be relentless in that the minute you’ve finished one collection, you jump right into the next. In my studio, I’m very hands on when it comes to the development of clothing.

If a girl was going to purchase her first Brian Reyes’ piece, what would you want it to be?

One of my favorite pieces, from my collection, was Look 36 from Spring 2008. It’s a very specific gown, and there is only one in the world. However, I’m obsessed these days with luxurious separates. I think it’s very important for young women to begin building their wardrobe with great pieces. An amazing sweater, an amazing jacket, a simple, beautiful formed dress, something that gives a woman a taste of what we do.

You have all been seeing Rent The Runway all over Fashion Indie and that is because we are all totally obsessed with the concept behind this brilliant website! Rent The Runway today, use promo code: indie2010 for $10 off purchase and receive one FREE ticket to Prom 2010!It’s so simple! Visit www.RentTheRunway.com and….

Browse through our array of A-list designers and find a dress you love. Or two!

Schedule a delivery date and your dress will appear on your doorstep, in two different sizes. Just to be safe.

Put your dress in our handy pre-paid package and drop in the nearest mailbox. We take care of the dry cleaning!

It’s that time of year again when flowers blossom and little birdies hatch… oh yeah, and everybody gets married!! Rent The Runway has a whole category devoted to weddings to help make your life easier, especially on you wallet.

I have two back to back weddings approaching, one of which is this weekend. I actually should be packing right now, but I can’t even begin to bother with that. I’m on Rent The Runway checking out their latest inventory selections for Spring Weddings, still trying to decide which dress I want to rent. Of course you always want to look your best at weddings; you’re seeing people who you haven’t seen in months, sometimes years. Here are some of my fave choices so far:

We will always see the “classic” denim cut-offs and bermudas, with the latter being my usual choice. My plan is to take advantage of the “shorts boom” and add some variety. I’m really loving the shorts with the full leg, as well as those draped cuties that have the look of a skirt. The “new short,” can be dressed up or down which is a great selling point for me. From Flat sandals, ballerinas & wedges to heels and booties; a frilly ruffle blouse or a something a bit more understated…worn for day or night, it all works.

As usual, I have my “favorites among favorites.” Topping the list is Vena Cava, Dsquared, Catherine Malandrino, Elizabeth & James, Sachin & Babi, Thread Social, Rag & Bone Cynthia Rowley & Re Collection. I also love the Camilla & Marc “destroyed” shorts…..I envision those with cute, flat sandals and a nice tank. They would make good “road trip” shorts, as they look super comfortable.

Vena Cava

Brian Reyes

Jenni Kayne

T by Alexander Wang

Ever

Catherine Malandrino

Dsquared2

Alexander Wang

Free People

Camilla & Marc

Victorialand

Free People

Helmut Lang

Helmut Lang

Vince

Elizabeth & James

Generra

Alexander Wang

Rag & Bone

Patterson J. Kincaid

Rebecca Taylor

Sachin & Babi

Joie

Thread Social

Alexander Wang

Milly

Alice & Olivia

Dolce Vita

Cynthia Rowley

Re Collection

What Goes Around Comes Around

Pop Basics

(shopbop.com)

LINK LOVE:"Shorts Story"

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If you’re one of the lucky few who were invited to Love Brigade’s annual New Year’s Eve masquerade you’re in luck. Not only cause you get to welcome the New Year with Brooklyn’s finest, but because Gilt Groupe is having a sale on Art of Elysium Designer Masks.

Yes, there is no way you’d get it by tomorrow, but with a little craft store visit and knockoff intuition, I’m sure you can craft your own.

Be sure to join Gilt Group and check out these amazing masks from designers like Rodarte, Erin Fetherston, Brian Reyes, and Peter Som. Click here to join.

Designer Brian Reyes wants to make sure your wanker is runway ready. He’s just released a new series of condoms for Proper Attire to benefit Planned Parenthood. To me, something doesn’t fit…

I just wonder who these are for. If you’re a man who knows about Brian Reyes, are you really whipping it out for women who know him as well? Just saying, Planned Parenthood might not be the best benefactors for this series of wiener snitzels.

The condoms are available online at properattirecondoms.org.

LINK LOVE: http://blogs.fashionweekdaily.com/?p=19712

Who: Fifth On Main, a new e-commerce boutique targeting the contemporary womenswear market, launching late Spring 2009.

What: Pop-up store holding a Fall/Winter & Resort Sample Sale + Spring Preview Sale, open to the public.

Designers: Abaete, Alvin Valley, Brian Reyes, Badgley Mischka, TIBI, Twelfth Street, Carmen Marc Valvo, Catherine Malandrino, Nicole Miller, Rebecca Taylor, Mint by Jodi Arnold, Theory, Chaiken and more!

The goods: 40% – 60% off retail prices

Even more goods: RSVP to lauren@rich-pr.com and receive an additional 10% off your total purchase!

Where: 109 Spring Street, between Greene & Mercer
Soho, New York

When: Friday, April 17th 10am – 8pm
Saturday, April 18th 10am – 7pm
Sunday, April 19th 10am – 7pm

Pale pastels, breezy linens, gauzes and silks, the occasional pleat and neckline ruffles were the components of Brian Reyes Resort 2009 collection. Sometimes simple is the way to go, especially on vacation, but we all want to turn heads on the beach don’t we? Sorry Reyes, your pale collection had us feeling a little too washed out.

Thanks STYLE!

Gossip Girl’s Chace Crawford and Blake Lively

Gossip Girl’s Ed Westwick

Gossip Girl’s Leighton Meister

Ali Lohan

Ugly Betty’s Becki Newton and Ana Ortiz

The stars of Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2: Blake Lively, Alexis Bledel, America Ferrera and Amber Tamblyn.

The NYC premiere of The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2 came to town last Monday. The stars hit the red carpet dressed in adorable fashion. From casual to chic, the celebs looked fantastic. While Blake Lively’s orange Grecian Gucci dress was my favorite, Alexis Bledel overall look was stunning. America Ferrera’s cerulean Brian Reyes dress looked great on her skin tone, and Amber Tamblyn’s navy jumpsuit was daring.

Unfortunately, everybody was not fashion forward. Lohan was by far the worst dressed. She looked too casual, as though she was going to the mall. Casual can work but it is all about execution. Gossip Girl’s Ed Westwick looked laid back and dashing in Lacoste. The Sisterhood stars were all smiles and looked darling. Catch the girls in the film, August 6th!

Thanks to NY Post for the pics!

Models for Brian Reyes have hit the runway. The Resort 09 collection, created by Mr. Reyes, makes a statement in subtle performance. The color palette used touches on more of a pale front with interesting textures used to create detail. Pendants swung from models’ necks to give a well-accessorized impression. The fabric is mended in a way that appears to flow throughout each piece. All of the looks fit well within; all pieces of a complete puzzle.

To view more of Brian Reyes’ collection click here