About a month ago, while attending a fundraising event for F.A.B. Authority at Kendra Scott in Fashion Valley, Allison Andrews of Fashion Week San Diego and I were discussing an upcoming partnered event they were helping Vanguard Culture with called the Avant Garde Costume Gala . . . and as a result of said conversation, I had the incredible honor of collaborating with one of her 2017 designers, Baza Couture, for a fun project = creating a one-of-a-kind by definition avant-garde look to wear to this annual costume party! Immediately from our first meeting, I knew Miriam of Baza Couture and I were going to make an incredible duo. She was warm, bubbly, and insanely right-brained 🙂 just like me! I gave her this sketch of a wildly colorful Phoenix bird for inspiration, shared my initial thoughts on color [shocker I know! haha!] and the rest is history! Miriam completely loved the idea, sketched it out before me on a sheet of paper, and created something straight out of my own #rainbowtastic dreams — ALL within two lunch meetings and one week of sewing start to finish. CrAzY, right?!
Being armed with such rad gown, well, made the rest of my costume’s styling easy-peasy. I paired it with these mega, pearl-accented, gold hoops to play off the fabric’s beading and wore my clear Steve Madden heels so the focus wasn’t on my feet. I also put that good ole Musical Theatre degree to good use by calling upon my past schooling in stage makeup for my eyes, cheekbones, and lips. OH! And to top-off this experience, this unique collaboration ALSO gave me the opportunity to have my hair done by [wait for it] Gila Rut = the same bad-ass team behind all of the phenomenal hairdos you see year after year on the Fashion Week San runway. Talk about a stellar faux hawk, y’all!! I honestly felt like the funky Belle of the ball on Saturday night and I believe that translates pretty darn well in the pre-event pictures I also had the pleasure of taking with 656 Photography. I hope you enjoy them as much as I did rocking this look. This event is definitely perfect for anyone who loves to dress up for Halloween!
Sometimes you have to burn yourself to the ground before you can rise like a Phoenix from the ashes.” — Jens Lekman
Myself pictured with Miriam Baza of Baza Couture & Vanessa Balli
HUGE THANKS TO: my BFF, Allison Andrews, for the not-your-run-of-the-mill girls night 😉 Fashion Week San Diego for their high calibar of designers, professional staff and interns AND for always keeping a #stylecrazed gal like myself entertained all-year long with your calendar of various different events throughout our San Diego community, Miriam Baza of Baza Couture for [of course] her talents, not questioning my love of color and instead embracing it thus creating something even far more gorgeous than I could ever imagine, Gila Rut for the hairstyle that even Gwen Stefani would give a head-approving nod towards, Louie of 656 Photography for working his magic with a lense and making a girl feel right at home in front of the camera, AND last-but-definitely-not-least, Vanguard Culture for your mission of creating art jobs, inspiring creative collaboration among all genres of the visual, performing and culinary arts, AND hosting innovative, cultural events that aim to bring diverse, socially-conscious communities together = just like Saturday night’s Avant Garde Costume Gala! I absolutely loved the party’s concept and had an absolute blasty-blast of a good time at the event . . . my ONLY regret is not knowing that you had to “officially” enter the costume contest :/ as both Allison and multiple other party-goers kept asking me during and after why I wasn’t up there?? Lol. Let’s just chalk it up to a rookie’s mistake, y’all! I simply had no idea.
Photos by 656 Photography
