One Saturday evening, I ventured across the bridge to historic Old Oakland for an event in Levende East hosted by La La Valentine and East Bay Loop.
Designers, bloggers, and fashion lovers gathered to meet one another and network. Being away from my blogging friends in Los Angeles, I had make some new connections. After all, you can never have too many friends!
Models featuring designs from Skylier
The dark atmosphere and live Bosanova music created an upbeat space to reach out and chat with your neighbors as you filter through the bar/lounge space.
The lash bar and the photo booth were popular way stations to amp up the evening and the photographers were so fun. You felt like a model with their directions, antics, and energy.
Speaking of models, I met Michyl Collins of Plusforus.com, a professional model, near the live blogging station. She is so beautiful, sweet, and confident, I couldn’t help but feel awed in her presence.
It turns out Michyl was outfitted by the Curvy Divas Rock brand and I had the opportunity to meet the owner, Monique. Monique told me about her inspiration behind Curvy Divas Rock and how her brand empowers women to love and accept themselves as they are.
Taking a brief respite from all the fashion chit-chat, I got my portrait drawn by Alex Rosmarin. As a self-proclaimed “non-fashion person,” he somehow ended up modeling for glasses. It was a unique experience being drawn and I hope to get a copy of the final result.
Nearby, a few models for a swimwear line were getting their photos taken. I forget the name of the line (Oops!) but I was taking mental notes on their poses and how the photographers directed and posed them. There’s nothing like watching models work it real life to get a good sense of what works and what doesn’t.
As the evening wore on, I came across Tiffany, who writes for Miss Omni Media. I loved her accessories and how she rocked the puffy sleeves look. She directed me to her friend who happened to be wearing an awesome vintage hairdo.
The pin-curls took about an hour to do and she was also part of Pin-Up Portfolio that creates “pin-up makeovers.”
I had such a blast and I got to meet so many amazingly talented people. This will probably be the first of many fashion events in the future. I can’t wait for another one! =)
Other things I’ve been up to:
- Check out my feature interview at Fashionably Marketing!
- I’m hosting a SF Bay Area Meetup on April 23, so if you’d like to mingle with some bloggers, come check it out!
{ 7 comments… read them below or add one }
Sounds like a fun event, Jess! I am glad you had a great time.
Those lady’s pin curls are awesome! That’s so cool that you’re hosting a meet up! Can’t wait to read about it.
Sounds like a blast and a great way to meet new people and expand one’s fashion horizons! If I lived in the Bay Area, I would totally join you in April – but I’m sure you’ll have a blast (and I look forward to the recap!).
My blog and pictures were featured at this event.
I wish I could have gone! Looks AMAZING. And I will agree with C&P; the pin curls look amaze-balls.
xx{ish.},
Mae Lu @ thereafterish.!
@PetiteLittleGirl: Thanks! I like meeting people, so this event was right up my alley.
@Curls and Pearls: SF has so many bloggers but they don’t all get together unless they’re at the same event. Even then, they have their own groups. So I hope everyone will get along and get to know each other at the meetup.
@Recovering Shopaholic: I think the more we learn from each other and the more people we know, the more resources we have collectively to become better bloggers. Plus, don’t we all want more friends?
@Mae Lu: I think I saw a few of your photos in the slideshow on the wall of the event. It was pretty neat to see so many people’s photos and styles. =)
This looks so fun! I’m trying to find a meet up group here in ATL for fashion bloggers..Know of any here?!
Tiffanie
Aren’t Raquel’s pin-curls so pretty? Get pinned-up at the Pin-Up Parlor in Berkeley!
It was so nice to meet you that night, and thanks for sharing the photos with me. I’ve got the brunch down in my calendar. Thanks for the invite.