What I Wore To The 2014 Independent Handbag Awards Preliminary Judging Panel
Yesterday, I spent the entire day at The Lexington Hotel on 48th Street in New York City with a number of other fashion influencers who, along me, were cherry-picked to serve on the preliminary judging panel for the 2014 Handbag Designer Awards. Other judges included beauty expert and journalist Grace Gold, fashion stylist and on-air personality Dawn del Russo, Lois and Samia of the über hip style blog The Snobette, street style blogger Emma Grady of PastFashionFuture.com, and accessory and style expert Pamela Pekerman, and stylist and commentator Colin T. McDonald,to name just a few. Throughout the day, we sifted through thousands of handbag submissions from independent designers all over the world who vied for the top spot in categories such as The Optitex Best Student Made Handbag, The Feed Most Socially Responsible Handbag, The Timberland Best Green Handbag, The Bernina Best Handmade Handbag, and The Best Handbag in Overall Style and Design.
Though you’ll have to wait until June 18th to find out who won in each category (no spoilers here!), I can say I was highly impressed with many of the designs I encountered — some of which I shared via Instagram and Twitter.
Now, since this is my second year as a judge, I knew to pick a chic yet comfortable ensemble — after all, it’s a long process (though, admittedly, tons of fun). And since temperatures lingered around 5o degrees in NYC today, I had to refrain from wearing any sundresses and open-toed sandals. Instead, I opted for a cami maxi dress from Bella Luxx in a basic black shade. The dress retails for $108 at BellaLuxx.com, and it’s beyond comfortable — like more cozy than most pajamas. I can literally live in this dress! To dress the piece up, I reached for my black BCBCMAXAZRIA Eva Electric Stokes Jacquard Moto Jacket, which features a draped collar and has an all-over jacquard print consisting of peaking lines in shades of brassy camel and white. I then jazzed the look up further with a draped Fiona Paxton necklace in a lovely brass hue. Since the necklace was so major, I kept my earrings minimal, opting for a pair of Bing Bang by Anna Sheffield studs featuring three skull shapes in black, gold-toned, and brass-toned metal.
As for my shoes, I toughened up the outfit a bit with a pair of pointy-toed Vince Camuto ankle booties with golden stud details all along the front of the shoes and two studded ankle straps with Western-inspired buckles.
As for the beauty look, I kept things really basic, working my hair into a high ponytail and focusing on flawless skin, neutral eyes, and a bold lip. I started by applying the Clinique Moisture Surge CC Cream Compact (which is divine!), followed by the Armani Maestro Foundation, then adding a touch of the NARS Orgasm Illuminator to my cheekbones, a bit of Tarte’s Amazonian Clay Blush in Tipsy to the apples of my cheeks, and finishing the coverage with a dusting of the Urban Decay Naked Skin Ultra Definition Pressed Finishing Powder.
On my eyes, I wore the butter LONDON Wink Eye Cream in Twiggy, lined my upper lash line with the Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil in Zero, and coated my lashes with the Givenchy Phenomen’Eyes mascara.
As for my lips, I applied the Wet ‘n’ Wild Mega Last Lip Color in Purty Persimmon, a super saturated, bold-as-can-be orange that’s beyond long-lasting.
Check out the outfit pics above and stay tuned for more updated about this years’s awards!
