What TO Wear...

[caption id="attachment_16453" align="aligncenter" width="478" caption="Jeffrey Atlanta's Jake Walton and I, deep in designer chatter about "what to wear" to Jeffrey Fashion Cares. August 27th."]

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Balenciaga, Lanvin, Givenchy

... so many choices, ONE spectacular event... what's a girl to do? Jeffrey Atlanta's

Jake Walton

and I can help! Jake styled five sensational

head-to-toe

looks that are guaranteed to turn heads at

Jeffrey Fashion Cares

! Featured exclusively on

Style Mag VM

, click

here

for video!

Lanvin.

Click on Photos for Video.

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Dressing Up for Jeffrey Fashion Cares

[caption id="attachment_16355" align="aligncenter" width="430" caption="Model Alexis Lousta in a bold zebra print Balenciaga ensemble. Lanvin pony hair clutch in orange. Shoes by Celine."][/caption]

Alright ladies, as we approach the 20th anniversary of Jeffrey Fashion Cares, I know the fashionista in you is going through your closet trying to figure out what to wear...but don't worry... with the assistance of Jeffrey Atlanta manager Jake Walton and a few fabulous friends we all know and love as Balenciaga, Lanvin, Alaia, Proenza Schouler, Nina Ricci, Givenchy, Blahnik, Choo, Celine and Gucci, we've got you covered from head-to-toe. *Tune to StyleMagVM.com next week and #WatchitHappen. Let us help you embrace the designer lover within through 5 chic, show-stopping looks [with commentary] that will certainly turn heads and get you noticed as you walk into Jeffrey Fashion Cares. Monday, August 27.

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The VOGUE Olympics per Annie Leibovitz

[caption id="attachment_14674" align="aligncenter" width="478" caption="JONATHAN HORTON | GYMNASTICS"]

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What do top models, fashion and Olympians have in common?

Nothing

. Except when photographed  by

Annie Leibovitz

in a spread worthy of a gold medal for the pages of 

Vogue

. Fashion model

Karlie Kloss

[lucky bitch] vogues for Vogue with a half-dozen, half-naked, ripped and toned male Olympic hopefuls.

View images:

[caption id="attachment_14675" align="aligncenter" width="478" caption="Jonathan Horton | Gymnastics & Karlie Kloss in a silk organza and tulle Vera Wang gown."]

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[caption id="attachment_14676" align="aligncenter" width="478" caption="Ashton Eaton | Track & Field hurdles over a $4,490 silver lamé Oscar de la Renta."]

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[caption id="attachment_14677" align="aligncenter" width="478" caption="Ashton Keaton with Karlie in Lanvin dress & heels."]

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[caption id="attachment_14678" align="aligncenter" width="478" caption="Ryan Lochte | Swimming. Karlie in Stella McCartney."]

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[caption id="attachment_14679" align="aligncenter" width="478" caption="Ryan Lochte in a speedo and Karlie Kloss in Haider Ackermann."]

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[caption id="attachment_14680" align="aligncenter" width="478" caption="Bryan Brothers | Tennis wearing K-Swiss and grabbing them by the balls in Atelier Versace, a seductive Karlie Kloss."]

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[caption id="attachment_14681" align="aligncenter" width="478" caption="Steamy! Dress: Alexander McQueen; Bryan Brothers, towels."]

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[caption id="attachment_14682" align="aligncenter" width="478" caption="Dwyane Wade | Basketball with a slam-dunk Oscar de la Renta."]

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[caption id="attachment_14683" align="aligncenter" width="478" caption="Dwyane Wade in Jordan shorts; Karlie in Bottega Veneta chiffon dress."]

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I'll take a cigarette with my gold medals, thank you...

*You can read the Country STRONG article by Robert Sullivan in this month's issue of

Vogue

.

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PARIS!

There is nothing quite as

très magnifique

as Paris in April. The weather is fabulous and there are blooms everywhere.

Being the good little tourist that I am, visits to the Eiffel Tower, Louvre, the Latin Quarter, Versailles, Notre Dame, Galeries Lafayette, Champs-Élysées, Le Arc de Triomphe and a Seine River ride were all a part of my trip.

I was fabulously exhausted!

Slept little and walked much, but so worth it. Riding the "Metro" was interesting and even challenging at times yet nowhere as insane as London's "Tube."

If you make an attempt to speak French, everyone is much nicer and friendlier. So, in addition to

"bonjour"

and

"au revior"

by the end of the trip I could also request a red wine and assorted cheeses platter. (kinda)

The Galeries Lafayette is a 10 story department store with a stunning architecture. I got lost in its beauty and in the building itself. Its just that big!

Keeping it French, in Lanvin, at the roof top of the Galeries Lafayette with a breath-taking view of the Parisian skyline. Moments earlier, my mother enjoyed a chocolate torte and I a glass of Bordeaux in their restaurant.

The staind glass dome ceiling at the Galeries Lafayette, mesmerizing.

The Eiffel Tower at dusk.

An American was photographing his beautiful classic car using the Eiffel Tower as the backdrop.

No matter what time of day or night or viewpoint, I do not ever get tired of the Eiffel Tower.

The Arc de Triomphe, one of the most famous monuments in France. [On one of the busiest streets!]

Notre Dame.

This is just a detail of the extraordinary and ornate sculptural relief works that surround the cathedral.

I stumbled upon this little street up from Notre Dame... so French.

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Jeffrey Atlanta & UrbanCouture

by Mary Alice Hull



A few Fridays ago I had the pleasure of joining Vincent Martinez and his fashion students at Jeffrey Atlanta for one of the most entertaining and knowledgeable breakfasts of which I have had the honor to be a part.

This particular morning came about following the showcase of Vincent’s students amazing work at the “Doggies on the Catwalk” a few weeks prior. Don Purcell, Jeffrey Atlanta's General Manager, and friend Cathleen Smith, were sitting together at the show. They were amazed that high school students could produce such profound work! The two were so impressed with the students that they decided that it would be extremely fun and of course educational (this was during school!) to have the students come in, before regular work hours,  to Jeffrey Atlanta and see the work of some of the world’s top designers!

[caption id="attachment_6980" align="aligncenter" width="478" caption="Don Purcell talks about Lanvin and it's deconstructed details."][/caption]

This is an opportunity that might only come about for those amateur designers chosen for Project Runway and clearly is not something that many of us are privy to.  With the opportunity at hand, Vincent jumped at the chance and here we are; Friday morning at Jeffrey Atlanta. I had never been inside Jeffrey before, but being familiar with the store after attending and working Jeffrey Fashion Cares this past fall, I believed that I was walking into a business that is generous and unbelievably kind, and my beliefs were proven accurate.

The breakfast began at 9AM and as I walked through the halls of Phipps Plaza  I couldn’t help but feel a delighted giddiness about walking into Jeffrey Atlanta, before hours to enjoy an audience with the man who knows it all! Don Purcell, gave precise details to each piece of clothing  as well as it’s designer’s background. Who gets that chance? One could google a designer all day long and read about their background and what got them started, their inspirations, etc. but the energy that was created from Don and his expansive wealth of knowledge was something that truly can’t be found on the internet, much less in the usual high school classroom. It was like butter hearing him talk.



As someone who would like to fancy themselves knowledgeable about fashion and tries to be cutting edge and on the brink, I was mesmerized. Then I saw the student’s faces and I realized that their absorption was on a level beyond my own. It was easy to understand because Don captured the room not only with his content but with his passion. Suddenly, it was very clear to me that the students recognized this as a rare and treasured opportunity. Don cast vision for these future designers, he made them believe that they could accomplish greater things, but also modeled the courage that their dreams, like his own could come true.

It was a privilege for me to observe and to be a part of this inspiration for future designers. I won’t forget it. But I suspect that my own appreciation is a fraction of the gratitude felt by the future designers themselves. Thank you Don and Vincent for the opportunity!

[caption id="attachment_6982" align="aligncenter" width="478" caption="UrbanCouture designer, Lindy Menefee, takes a closer look at an exquisite Proenza Schouler dress."][/caption]




[caption id="attachment_6984" align="aligncenter" width="478" caption="Vincent Martinez, Tom Espinoza and Chris McClellan are as mesmerized by Don Purcell as much as the UrbanCouture designers are."][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_6985" align="aligncenter" width="478" caption="All photos by Malori Rodriguez."][/caption]

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