There are many markets across the country for fashion buyers and editors to stock up on the latest and future trends, from Atlanta and Dallas, Vegas to LA, New York, Paris and many more. My absolute favorite market is the one in cool California.

There is so much to do and explore in L.A., I find myself so inspired after each trip. On my most recent market trip, I had the company of my wonderful husband. Pleasure and business at its best!

We arrived to Los Angeles on a Monday morning, ready to hit the day. We stopped by the Cooper Building first, where you can find most contemporary designers, fashion jewelry, accessories and shoes. – Just what I was searching for. We spent the day exploring together, a real treat since my husband never had a clue of the reality (and hard work) that goes into Market trips before this one. It felt good for him to witness my talents and expertise, and knowledge about fashion. We met several designers and along the way, discovered lots of great items for our grand opening in 2016. After wrapping up day 1, we headed down to the Perch for dinner and drinks, then rested for the next day.

On the second day, we hopped from from appointment to appointment. I can’t yet reveal the lines we chose, but I can assure you we picked up some chic shoes and fabulous fine jewelry that’s young and edgy, and the BEST handbags and scarves, too. After the success of day 2, we headed to Costa Mesa for dinner with friends by the bay, where we were merry all night.

Saving the best for last, day 3 beat them all. We spent most of our time shuffling from store to store for modern design inspiration, lines and creative ways to weave together these new ideas. We went to Kyle by Alene Too, and had lunch at Villa Blanca afterwards (longtime readers will remember that I am Lisa Vanderpump’s #1 fan).

Next, we stopped by a cool boutique called Satine that sold in-store art and carried all my favorite lines. You should really check out their store if you visit L.A. they have the edgiest little store that is certainly worth a special effort to see. We went to Maxfield’s, where stars like Justin Beiber frequent, it’s all high-end meets Rock and Roll. They have the hottest lines, from Hermes to Chanel, to Celine and RTA—a mixture of the best.

Then we headed to the famous celebrity boutique, Kitson. A staple in celebrity gossip magazines, I’m sure most of you have heard of this L.A. hotspot. There, we found the funniest gift items and lots of inspiration lines. One item of note was their exquisite customer service.

Finally, the creme de la creme of stores and the one that inspired me to pursue a career in fashion, the fabulous Elyse Walker. I once spotted the owner at Designers and Agents in NYC and fell in love. Her namesake store is the holy grail of specialty stores in my opinion, and I was thrilled to visit her beachside boutique in Santa Monica, where she has rolled three stores into one. The first, a clean, crisp room brimming with contemporary high-end merchandise, but also cool denim and everyday wear. The second room dons white carpet and velvet couches, the “designer room” where shoppers can find lines like Zimmerman, Valentino, and Brunello Cuchinelli. The third room was my personal favorite, with an open layout and setup so that the speciality handbags and shoes were the true focus. I was delighted to find a stocked bar, theist fashionable salesgirls and stylist, and the best handpicked mix of shoes and handbags in this room. A great way to cap off our trip to Market.

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Recently, I had the pleasure of meeting with the fabulous Shelley Mozelle, publisher of El Paso’s premiere lifestyle magazine, The City Magazine,” to discuss fashion. They stopped running a fashion column months ago since they weren’t having luck finding the right editor. Well, I’m thrilled to report that after a coffee-fueled brainstorming session, Shelley offered me the position of fashion contributor at the magazine!

I’m so excited to share this adventure with you all, my loyal friends and readers, and to be a part such a well-known, quality local publication. Shelley wrote a warm introduction to my first article in the October issue, where I touched on Fall trends. I was also featured in a section about local fashion bloggers, alongside one of my personal favorite fashionistas, Sheerstomping.

Look forward to the November issue, when I bring you more advice and facts about the fashion world. I am happy to be working with Shelley Mozelle, who is a truly sweet and wonderful person whom I feel grateful to have met. You can read more at www.citymagazineelpaso.com or purchase a copy at your local Walgreens!

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Recently, I received a blog topic request from Dana Jamieson, asking about transitioning Summer investment pieces into Fall staples. I’ve written before about how important it is to invest in versatile, quality clothing, but had never considered the importance of transitioning from season to season, instead of storing them for the same time the following year. What a great idea for a blog post!

Most fabrics can transition year round, but I put together a list of helpful hints to consider when planning your look ahead:

There are a few fabrics that are altogether “out” for Fall: linen, cotton voile and bright, white denim. Aside from these, feel free to mix and match your pieces by adding rich, Fall-hued accessories or pairing a light jacket or vest to make them appropriate for the cooler weather.

Above, I am wearing a dress I purchased from Veronica Beard in early June. It’s a pretty, cotton long-sleeve dress, yet I wore it with sandals all Summer long. For Fall, I will add a leather jacket and leather booties, and come Winter, I plan to pair it with tights, suede shoes and a fur vest. This single item will have worked for three different seasons while looking and feeling appropriate and on-trend. Depending on the weather, you can always add tights to dresses for a winter look, or a leather jacket for more versatility and edge. Accessorize with different colors, lengths, weight and fabrics, but most importantly, have fun experimenting to change your Summer pieces into the perfect Fall fashion!

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We’ve all just welcomed Fall, but the world of fashion is ahead of the curve, showing and producing Spring Collections for specialty and department stores all over the world. These looks offer a sneak peak at what we can expect to see in the pages of our favorite fashion magazines and style blogs.

The Fashion calendar is consistent in that designers show their wares in same cities in the same order twice a year (summer/spring and winter/fall collections). Fashion Weeks kick off in New York, followed by London, Milan, and finally, Paris. This allows buyers, editors and retailers time to take in the trends and plan for the upcoming year, and to forecast the next must-have items.

Retailers place orders in advance, giving designers time to fulfill them by the time the season comes around.

Just last week, I traveled to market in New York City to scout and order ready-to-wear pieces for El Paso. Below are the five trends to look out for in Spring/Summer 2016, and what to keep out of storage, when planning your wardrobe in the coming months!

1 . Haute, Haute Hippie- Fringed hemlines, flared denim, boho maxis and paisley prints make a comeback in Spring.

2 . High Seas - Nautical style was a recurring theme, with sailor-style pants, and striped tops galore. Lots of navy and off/white combos keep the look fresh, fun and accessible.

3 . Cold Shoulder - Off-the shoulder dresses, tops and jumpsuits were everywhere! Invest in a strapless bra ladies, there is an off-the-shoulder something or other in everyones collection for Spring.

4 . Lace for the Ladies - Sweet and feminine without looking twee, white lace and cotton eyelet trim was seen on many beautiful Spring silhouettes and wink at the 70’s trend. Stock up on delicate lace blouses that can be dressed up or down.

5 . Coming up Roses - Rose Quartz is the proper name of the wine-hued pantone color that will be seen in lots of key items for SS2016. It’s a beautiful, gentle tone— like a blushed cheek— that definitely says Spring.

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