Bloomingdale's

It’s almost the weekend…and it was an amazing week we won’t soon forget: great music, great parties—and so many chances for great fashion! Here are some of our fave pics to give you the scoop. At the Diesel + Edun Studio Africa party we ran into Bono…and Solange! A quick stop at the Nylon/Hugo Boss soireé caught model Irina Lazareanu rocking boho chic. Then a hop, skip and jump over to the Guess bash, where we spotted Jesse Metcalfe!

OK, so maybe not every weekend can be a music festival, (although we can dream) but here’s hoping yours is packed with as much fun and surprises as ours was.

Love, Susan & Emily Happy to be back in New York but still missing the Palm Springs Music Festival.

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The desert fashionistas were fully accessorized: boho head jewelry (or flowers) mini crossbody or fringed bags, loads of jewelry (hand jewelry was a must) and moto booties. Also new was the printed baseball hat—mostly seen in floral or animal prints. 

Next, we’ll fill you in on the men’s trends, plus all the super-hip parties we attended!

The Fashion Office: Susan Marasco & Emily Hull-Martin

 

The summer rite-of-passage music festival has gone global over the last few years. And as its cultural significance expands…so does its fashion influence. And not just with musicians and fans, but the photographers, bloggers, DJs, marketers and company executives who all contribute to the mix. Surprise—guys think about what to wear now as much as the girls! And among all the trends we saw this week, the most dominant were prints: prints on shirts, prints on shorts and most importantly, prints on tank tops. 

But ‘man cannot live by tank top alone’…so accessories were just as important. Seen on the scene: lots of porkpie and fedora-style hats, woven bracelets and of course, sunglasses (Wayfarers just never seem to lose their cool). It’s so great to see guys expressing themselves in new ways at these festivals—and we can’t wait to see these looks on the streets this summer!

- The Fashion Office

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So…what’s trending at the scorching hot desert this year? Here, the festival “uniforms” for women:

High-waisted distressed cutoffs, paired with cropped tops/bustiers or graphic tees. 

Head-to-toe WHITE—especially in lightweight bohemian-chic dresses and denim vests. And of course, it can’t be a music festival without crochet—as seen in dresses, tops and shorts.

 - Susan Marasco & Emily Hull-Martin

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Let the fashions begin! We were at the weekend opener of the summer music festival in Indio, California—

where it’s not only about the music, it’s about the who, what and WEAR—and the fashions to see and be seen in.

Here’s the scene, fresh from the Empire Polo Club

The Fashion Office: Susan Marasco & Emily Hull-Martin

Last week I crossed the pond to London and the first stop on my agenda was the “So Dior” exhibit at Harrods—what a way to begin! Let me take you on a tour: Upon pulling up to Harrods, you immediately see the store “flagged” with the Dior logo…  

Once inside there are signs everywhere leading you to the exhibit where you will find a most beautiful replica of the first Dior couture house, the windows resplendent with Dior perfume, handbags, jewelry…and, of course, gorgeous ready-to-wear.

Susan Marasco back in New York

Last week Bloomingdale’s debuted the ever-so-elegant Oscar de la Renta Home Collection—decidedly chic tabletop and gifts that will give you ever so many new excuses to entertain! With a nod to stylish seaside living, Oscar offers hand-painted dinnerware made in Portugal, sculpted teakwood bowls and gorgeous figural dip-dyed platters. We kicked off the introduction with a cocktail party hosted by Interior Designer extraordinaire and Creative Director Miles Redd, along with the fabulous Erika Bearman, a.k.a. OscarPRGirl. Add a little Oscar to your life and pick up something from the collection today!

 

-Emily Hull-Martin from New York

Maybe it’s Austin, or maybe it’s the guys who come to play or attend SXSW, but there’s no question the unofficial uniform of this week’s music conference is denim on denim. The casual, easy pairing of a denim or chambray shirt with a broken-in pair of jeans looks great (the wear and tear fits right in) and has the added bonus of staying comfortable during these music marathon days—and nights. The fit can be slim or loose, depending on your preference—and mixing denim colors (blue and black) or shades (light and dark) is encouraged. 

 

- The Fashion Office from SXSW

South by Southwest, (aka SxSW) the annual music and interactive conference in Austin, Texas, can get busy—really busy. There are dozens of venues and hundreds of bands all playing in just a few days. It’s an incredible way to find new music, see some seriously interesting style…and easily burn yourself out. That’s why our good friend (and venue host) Billy Reid threw a small dinner party with Bloomingdale’s at the Hotel Saint Cecilia to unwind and celebrate with a few of the bands performing at his event space. In attendance were the Milk Carton Kids, TOMS Shoes founder Blake Mycoskie and Billy, of course, amongst others. Look for more coverage of the bands and people of SxSW—and all the summer’s music festivals on Bloomingdale’s Instagram and Tumblr.

- Kevin Harter and Josh Peskowitz from Austin

We are on our way to a jam- packed week of shows and parties at the SXSW music festival.

Here are some of our favorite “must have” items to pack, for looking stylish and standing out in the crowd:

* Jacob Davis -rip and repair jeans- The ultimate pair of lightweight jeans that are already perfectly broken- in.

* Herschel Backpack- for lugging all of the essentials from show to show.

* Bailey Straw Hats- for keeping (and looking) cool in the Austin heat.

* Marc by Marc Jacobs Sunglasses- so everyone will think you are “with the band”.

* Colorfast Tank top- in this season’s must have Aztec print.

* AG Denim Jacket- Essential for throwing on for the after parties during Austin’s chilly nights

* Aiaiai Headphones- weather proof, foldable headphones, perfect for listening to all the newest music

Stay tuned to see all the trends from SXSW this week.

- Anya Deweerdt from New York