How to: Wed in Style

I love the direction that the local Nashville Lifestyles Wedding mag chose to go with their "rock candy" cover showing of blinding bling in a sea of candy! Go get yourself a copy! Here are a few photos from our editorial and some extras that we shot for the story.

FYI, at Panache, we do have some clients who have expressed interest in our assistance with styling them for their big day. We have a consulting package where we help you pick out a dress and accessorize yourself and your bridesmaids as well as put together a honeymoon wardrobe and we pack for you! Complete with each outfit wrapped in tissue and lavender smelling sachets. You can find our contact information here.

Whether you have a vintage themed wedding or a day at the beach planned, the weight, length, fabric of the dress and the accessories you choose should all fit the overall feel of your wedding. I've been to weddings where the bride had a satin heavy evening dress for a day wedding, outside. It contradicted the easy, breezy feeling of the decor and she looked miserably hot. So, dress for your personality and the special day you have planned!
A cotton dress for a beach wedding. Pefection.
Gorgeous couture mini from Jessica Maros Couture. Just the thing for an urban, unconventional bride.
My personal favorite, Salome, here as an Old Hollywood glamazon.
For the sophisticated bride with an affinity for clean lines. A custom alternative to a J. Crew factory-made gown. An Olia Zavozina creation.

TIP: Post wedding festivities, your dress will be in need of some deep cleaning, and I have discovered where all the bridal shops in town and any well-dressed people in the "know" go to get their duds (gowns, satin shoes, beaded bags or tuxes) restored to "like new" conditon. OAKWOOD CLEANERS (615-620-6095) is the best place in town! In fact, since taking my own clothes there, I've come to find out that some of the most fashion-forward and meticulous people I know, take there clothes there. So, I'm passing it on to you...you can trust your everyday wear or finest frippery to them and they work wonders! Tell them Kyah sent you!

photos by Wee Seing
MAU/Hair by Natali Hettich
Styling by Kyah from Panache

Designer Spotlight: Hanna Hattori

Looking for amazing summer dresses?

Hanna Hattori is where it's at.  Her animal friendly, handmade sundresses are original, fresh and most of all... absolutely adorable.  

I always believed that your favorite shoes will take you to a wonderful place and I think the same for clothes. When I'm wearing my favorite dress, I feel happy and know it's gonna be a wonderful day! I want other people to feel the same way in my dresses. I want my dresses to be your "go-to" dress that gives you all the confidence, and brings out the best in you. - Hana 

Shop online at HanaHattori.com

Summer inspiration for the guys...

Three great looks to follow...

Lara Stone: W Mag

When I checked out W magazine online yesterday, I was blown away by this editorial with Lara Stone. Not just because the images are gorgeous, but because I just wrapped a shoot with a very talented team on Sunday and much of the elements that are in this spread were in our own story. It seems that more fashion editorials and CD packaging are using natural light and vintage elements. We are seeing the over-produced look less and less and the best photo's aren't put through such extensive post production. In my humble opinion, of course. Anyway, I'm looking forward to posting the pics of our most recent shoot. Keep an eye out and go get yourself a copy of W magazine in the meantime!

How to: Take a "vibey" photo...

www.reidrolls.comwww.heidiross.com

Here are two of my favorite images from two of my favorite photographers. Working behind the scenes on photo shoots has given me the opportunity to learn a few of the great photog tricks of the trade and I wanted to pass some of them on to you, so that you too, can take a vibey picture with your own basic digital, or even, disposable camera. So here are few fun tips...try them out and let me know how much you love the results!

1. Cover your flash when taking a photo. It will cast some interesting light patterns onto your finished product.

2. If you have some mesh or netting, drape it over your lens, or over your head and shoot thru the fabric.

3. If you are the subject of the photo, don't be afraid to try lots of expressions and shapes with your body. You'll get some funny looking shots, but you are bound to get some fabulous ones too!

4. For the best light, try to take a lot of photos during the "golden hours" which are considered to be the first and last hour of sunlight during the day. The sun is softer so the lighting is more diffused and feels warmer.

5. Try using your parent's camera...you know, the kind with the film! Remember that?! Film creates a really authentic texture for those of us who can't add it in with photoshop. Also, experiment with an old Holga camera. They take awesome pictures.

6. Last little tip...just shoot a lot of frames! Usually, both the photographer and the model get more loosened up as the day goes on so you never know the magic that will come out of that! The more pictures that you take, the better chances of getting a lot of beautiful images.

I've certainly been inspired by working with these photogs in taking more interesting "DIY" photos. These are tips for those of us who don't consider ourselves techy with camera equipment, but still want to take cool pictures. Try these out and let me know!

Have a great weekend!
Kyah

What I Wore: Daytime Frolicking

Sooo... I got a new motion camera from Urban Outfitters and I am a little obsessed with it.  It captures 4 frames in one shot.  I haven't quite mastered the motion part of  it yet, but i'm working on it.  
I took a few snapshots of myself as I was out and about in KC... check em out.

What:

Tshirt: Beg Borrow Steal

Shorts: Boyfriend short (Urban)

Bag: Vintage

Sunglasses: Urban Outfitters $10

What:

Gold Sequin tank: Vintage

Shorts: Levis (thrifted)

Shoes: Nine West

What:

Asian floral overlay: Forever 21

Shorts: Levis

White tank: Urban Outfitters

"Fashion is a form of ugliness so intolerable that we must alter it every six months."  -Wilde

What are we listening to you ask?

BLACK MOTH SUPER RAINBOW

Check them out.

I stole this encouraging word from this blog which stole it from that blog.

Shot of Inspiration: Estate Jewelry

WWW.PARISCOUTUREANTIQUES.COM

Street Swing: Kansas City

Marc by Marc gives the perfect example of how to do punk right. 

This week I am writing you from my boyfriends tour bus in  Kansas City. Every time I visit this arty little town, I fall more and more in love with it. 

KC is known for its eclectic array of punk-rock fashionistas and more hair dye and piercings than the average person would know what to do with. Understandably, this is not everyones cup of tea. Though, I will tell you that I firmly believe,  punk rock (fashion) is far from dead. It's just a matter of how to work it out. And you, KC, have left me inspired. 

We all know there is something mysteriously, exciting about wearing the color black. Not only is it flattering,  no matter what the style,  you will be sure to feel a little more like a bad ass. Below gives a punk rock twist on the colorless color and a new way to wear it. 

Black Leather belt, blazer and black leggings. Throw a splash of neon underneath and you are ready to party. 

I am obsessed with the look below. British punk rock with lots of reds and navys will surely leave you classy and cool. I love the boots most of all. Check out JohnVarvatos.com for a similar look. 

Splashes of purple and pink almost always do the trick. Add a flower for a little rockabilly twist.

Visit us at PanacheStylists.com 

Couture South of the Equator: Gerardo Privat

Gerardo Privat is changing the face of the fashion world in Peru. There are a group of artists in different sectors in this country that are putting Peru, known as a third world country, on the map. I wrote briefly about Christian Bravo (a local TV personality) and his restaurant Bravo Resto Bar, and about Pedro Suarez-Vertiz, who reflects the heart and musical soul of the Peruvian people in his Spanish rock music. Gerardo Privat is one of the great couture clothing designers.

I spoke with Marco Gamboa, of Privat's team and learned a lot about Gerardo's fashion sensibilities and what fuels his creative process. The most interesting comment that Marco made was the attention that Gerardo pays to European trends and blending them with the Peruvian culture. For example, in the second photograph, the model is wearing a very English looking waistcoat, but on closer inspection you can see that Gerardo has custom-made a fabric with an Inca design which means "good luck" and the fabric is made from alpaca which is a local staple. He beautifully blends his culture with a couture European jacket shape.

Peru is in the midst of the winter season, so I've pulled some photographs of the Winter Couture 09 collection and for those of us that are sweltering hot north of the Equator, I've pulled a few pictures from his Spring/Summer Pret-a-porter line.

Gerardo designs his clothes for a woman that is meant to "be in the spotlight" and he definitely does that with his body conscious, brocade, tulip skirts and brightly-hued corset tops. The collection plays with layering prints on prints as we saw a lot of in North America and Europe this last winter season and I'm sure that his clothes would bring out the colorful latina in all of us. I, for one, can picture myself in any of these outfits for a night on the red carpet or the salsa lounge.





I love the detail in this blouse. They have recreated in this in many beautiful colors on request.

From the summer Pret-a-porter collection:


For more details about Gerardo Privat, visit his website www.gerardoprivat.com.
As they say in Peru, "Chau"!

Street Swing: Lima, Peru

Some of you may have noticed that we missed our Friday blog last week and that was due to the fact that we are south of the equator in Lima, Peru. Today, I want to introduce (drum roll...) a new column to our blog: Street Swing. As the name suggest, this is an opportunity for us to write about something seen or heard, on the street. Since I have been traveling in Peru over the last week, I have been snapping endless photo's and scouring the streets for fashion-worthy news. The pictures I have readily available for you today are actually about the people we have met here.

Being Peruvian herself, my friend Sara has been giving us the grande tour of the food and the nightlife. Last Saturday, we found ourselves at Bravo Resto Bar, ran by executive chef and owner Christian Bravo. Christian left the club that he owns (Depeche Order, 80's dance venue) to meet us at Bravo, where he prepared the most delicious 12 course tasting menu. Suffice to say, we rolled out of the restaurant after we polished off the chocolate and lucuma (fruit only found in Peru) ice cream dessert.

We were joined at dinner by our hosts, Brad and Sara, Tricia and Gariann (travelers from the States) and Pedro and Cynthia. Pedro Suarez-Vertiz is the Peruvian equivalent of Bono and boasts a huge fan base. So, I've got to brag on this guy and encourage you to go check out his music. While we we've been here, we've seen his face on many a billboard and/or magazine. Here a couple photos from his interview in Cosas Magazine.



Here we all are, wined and dined, and ready to dance...

So we headed off to Depeche Order for some "footloose" dancing fun.

Shot of Inspiration: The Bow Tie

A classy little accessory...Classy and nerdy...(Nerdy is no longer used as a derogatory term.)Classy and casual...
Classy and sexy..."Bow Tie" dress by Marc Jacobs. I love this one!Bow Ties are rad. Don't be afraid to throw one around your little collared shirt. It makes you cooler, I promise. 

Shot of Inspiration: Beaded Bags

Lately I have created some sort of obsession with beaded, vintage purses.  Check your local flea markets for your own unique find. I know Nashville has a great selection.