Spring & Summer Trends: Blogger Preview Event for Simon Fashion Now!

Last night I attended a blogger preview event for Simon Fashion Now's Spring 2012 show at the Galleria Houston. This year, the event was fun and interactive---I got to meet a lot of local bloggers and each store had a little presentation for us on spring trends---most notable were those given at L.K. Bennett and Bare Escentuals---I was incredibly impressed---you could tell a lot of preparation and thought went into them.

Let's start off with L.K. Bennett. I've loved the brand since it basically went from zero to sixty in three seconds flat when Kate Middleton, (Duchess of Awesome), was often photographed in their famous "sledge" pumps (totally on my wishlist, BTW) and many of their dresses. I appreciate that this brand's philosophy is that dresses should go "from the desk to dinner." Do you know what that means? It means appropriate hemlines! Tall women rejoice!  The brand's dresses are very elegant and total staples---if you stay the same size, you'll wear that dress for life.

Here are a few of the looks/trends presented at L.K. Bennett:

(how gorgeous is that turquoise bag and the gold wedges below!?)

Next up we visited White House, Black Market and Banana Republic, two stores I'm really familiar with. I shop at Banana Republic all the time and love the styles there (you can see my latest BR purchases here.)

Then, we visited a store I don't often shop at, French Connection (FCUK).  I'm glad it was one of the stores on the tour because they actually had a lot of really cute items. Two of my favorites were a dark green lace dress and a white one with fringe:




Our final stop was at Bare Escentuals and it was awesome. The name of the girl who gave the presentation is escaping me now...but she was gorgeous and her makeup was stunning (um, come to think of it, so was her hair!) I have used the Bare Minerals loose eyeshadows before, but I was excited to see their colletion of pressed products which she said were especially for "women on the go" (as they are less messy/easier to apply). Fortunatley for us all, the BE swag bag was impressive and FULL of both sample-sized and full-sized products so I'll get to try a lot of things from the line which I'll share with you in an upcoming video on my YouTube channel.

Speaking of awesome swag, my arm was practically numb by the end of the night (in a good way) from carrying all of these goodies (I also had a big bag from Zara, but I'm saving those purchases for my haul video on Saturday!)

(Lulu loves presents)

In addition to the incredible BE bag, L.K. Bennett super generously gave us these gorgeous keychains/bag charms.  I love this because it's actually something I would have picked out myself, the color is neutral and the tassles are super trendy. LOVE.

The Galleria/Simon holds this blogger preview a week out from the Simon Fashion Now show each year, so if you're in Houston, it's definitely an event you may want to add to your calendar.

Here's a snapshop of the fashionable events to come April 12-14:

Thursday, April 12

• Simon Fashion Now begins at The Galleria on Thursday, April 12. Party at The Galleria in style and celebrate the best of spring fashion during an invitation-only fashion show on The Ice at The Galleria. More than nine luxury retailers will be on hand for the show-stopping look at spring’s hottest looks which can all be purchased straight from the runway.

Friday, April 13

• Trends & Friends Night will take place on The Ice at The Galleria in a format similar to the Thursday night show. Trends & Friends Night is a free evening of fashion, cocktails and bites. The Friday fashion shows on the ice are open to the public with seating available on a first come, first serve basis. Simon Fashion Now continues Saturday with in-store promotions and special discounts available at participating retailers.

Saturday April 14

• Simon Fashion Now continues Saturday with in-store promotions and special discounts available at participating retailers. Simon Fashion Now presented by Cadillac is a vibrant mix of accessible, luxurious and affordable style that allows shoppers to purchase looks without delay and directly from Galleria retailers. All weekend events are free and open to everyone.

Participating retailers at The Galleria include, but are not limited to Neiman Marcus, Saks Fifth Avenue, Brooks Brothers Men and Women, Buckle, CH Carolina Herrera, Fendi, Ferragamo, Jimmy Choo, Original Penguin, Max Studio and Victoria’s Secret. You can visit www.simon.com or The Galleria’s Facebook fan page at for the latest event updates.

What spring/summer trends are you most excited about? Are you also lusting after the L.K. Bennett heels? Leave me a comment below!
xoxo,

Veronika.