:: In The Mirror | MELANIE MARiE::

I was contacted by a friend a few weeks ago who asked me to

check out a jewelry and handbag designer by the name of MELANIE MARiE.

I had no idea that I would be blown away by the design, style, and allure of her pieces!

As I communicated with her directly, I felt her passion and ambition for the MM brand. 

She took the time to answer a couple of questions for me,

AND she's sponsoring my next GIVEAWAY!

The Melanie Marie Collection is stylish, affordable, and MirrorCheck approved!

Check out the interview below!

Q. Who is MELANIE MARiE?

A. I am MELANIE MARiE! I am a 24-year old accessory designer from Yonkers, NY and I

am currently still there ;) Designing for me began when I noticed the love of accessories and

embellishment in everything among females. I have always loved accessories, whether it be

bags, rings, bracelets, or necklaces and being creative by putting together pieces and coming

up with different styles that I buy in stores, thrift shops, or my borrow from my grandmothers

vintage collection was always a favorite hobby of mine. I have dozens of handbags that always

seemed to have some minor detail on them that I wanted to change, so that eventually turned

into me wanting to come up with my own designs. I would get so excited when I came up with

a new piece that it evolved into me creating more and more and then eventually grew into me

starting my own business.



MM Collection Jordan Necklace



Q. Did you ever think that the launch of your collection would have such a quick and positive response?

A. Well, I’m a very positive person so I launched my line with the confidence that people would

like the pieces but I did not think that it would take off in the short amount of time that it did! I

have already been featured in magazines, photo shoots and celebrities have been seen wearing

my pieces. It’s all very exciting since I have only been working on the MM Couture Collection for

less than a year.

Q. What have you done as a designer for your brand to set your products apart from any other?

A. MELANIE MARiE is a line that is based off my unique style. I always notice when there

is a new trend, there are so many designers that have similar pieces. I don’t want anyone to

look at a MELANIE MARiE bag and think to themselves that it looks like another designers

handbag. That is why I create pieces based off my experience and environment. If you notice, I

have a few pieces that are named after women. I name pieces after friends because I feel their

personality is reflected in the piece somehow.

MM Collection Black Onyx Duo Ring

Q. When I see your jewelry, I can totally see myself wearing EVERY piece. How does it make you feel to know that you are creating a brand that people love?

A. Aaaww thank you! That makes me VERY happy because I love all my pieces and I want

everyone else to feel the same. I feel very accomplished and grateful when people tell me

that they think my pieces are great. Knowing that people love my line makes me want to work

harder to keep my customers happy. I want to make sure that I keep my customers in love with

MELANIE MARiE so I keep them coming back for more.

MM Couture Showstopper Handbag

Q. What is the vision for the MM Collection going forward to continue success?

A. The vision I have for my collection is a very big one. People say when you dream to dream

big and that’s exactly what I am doing. I plan to expand my collection to include accessories for

men and children and get my pieces in major department stores and other boutiques. I even

want to start designing shoes! I LOVE shoes so why not, right? One day, I might even open a

store, but we will see how everything works out.

MM Collection Iman Cuff

Q. Do trends play a major role when designing your pieces?

A. I try not to design pieces based off the trends of everyone else. I try to design pieces that are

different so my customers wont feel as if they have the same pieces as everyone else. I want

the customers to have a sense of exclusivity.

Q. Do you have any events or collaborations coming up?

A. I do! I am currently working with a publicist as we speak, so I will let you know once I have

them set in stone. ;) I just had a collaboration event with Honey Magazine during NY Fashion

Week for my MM Couture Collection preview.

Melanie (middle) with designers Coco & Breezy

 Q. Where can we purchase pieces from the MM Collection?

A. You can purchase pieces on http://www.melaniemarie.com/. Soon MELANIE MARiE pieces will be

available in boutiques throughout the country. The names and addresses of the boutiques will

be posted on the site. I will keep everyone informed via the Facebook fan page and the MM

Twitter page.

  

MELANIE MARiE GIVEAWAY 



MM Collection Peace Earrings



 Enter for your chance to win these teardrop peace sign earrings valued at $50!

Melanie mentioned they are a best seller!!

TO WIN YOU MUST DO ALL OF THE FOLLOWING:

1. Follow Me on Twitter

2. Follow MELANIE MARiE on Twitter

3. Like the MELANIE MARiE Fan Page on Facebook

4. Leave a comment on this post with a valid email address

If you enter Tweet me and let me know! :)

Submission acceptance ends October 6th @11:59pm CST!

::CheckingOut::

:: P O P U L A R ::

Recently styled looks for a new online clothing store, Popular Boutique.

I had so much fun on set and everyone was great to work with. Popular Boutique carries some of my favorite brands like Motel, Blaque Label, Vitta Luna, and more!

Be sure to visit their site and make a purchase or two!

Check out some of the images from the shoot!

::CheckingOut::

:: Jet-Setters ::

This is an interesting look inside the job of a Product Trend Analyst at Cotton Inc.
 Cotton wanted to bring to light the work of this seemingly forgotten job and all the hard work that is put into it, so they created this piece.The story was brought to my attention via email and I wanted to share it with you guys!

Meet Cotton Incorporated's Product Trend Analysts, who travel the world in search of the latest trends to create innovative forecasts for a wide range of clients. The six month process to complete a trend forecast involves extensive travel, where the analysts take home samples of new, innovative fabrics, take pictures of trendsetting locals on the street, and immerse themselves in the culture around them. In New York, they research a wide range of subjects, from politics to the environment, all of which can have an effect on fashion trends. All that information goes into the forecasts, which are done anywhere from 18 to 24 months ahead of selling season, in a process that takes about 6 months to complete. The completed trends are then presented to clients around the world, who look to incorporate the forecasted colors, fabrics, or silhouettes into designs for their consumer.

This reminds me of the scene in "The Devil Wears Prada" where Miranda goes in on Andy about calling the clothes --Stuff.

"This... stuff"?

Oh. Okay. I see.

You think this has nothing to do with you.

You go to your closet and you select

I don't know- that lumpy blue sweater,

 for instance because you're trying to tell the world that you take yourself too seriously to care about what you put on your back.

But what you don't know is that that sweater is not just blue.

It's not turquoise. It's not lapis.

It's actually cerulean.

And you're also blithely unaware of the fact that in 2002,

Oscar de la Renta did a collection of cerulean gowns.

And then I think it was Yves Saint Laurent wasn't it- who showed cerulean military jackets?

I think we need a jacket here. And then cerulean quickly showed up in the collections of eight different designers.

And then it, uh, filtered down through the department stores and then trickled on down into some tragic Casual Corner where you, no doubt, fished it out of some clearance bin.

However, that blue represents millions of dollars and countless jobs and it's sort of comical how you think that you've made a choice that exempts you from the fashion industry when, in fact you're wearing a sweater that was selected for you by the people in this room from a pile of stuff.



::CheckingOut::

:: T R A S H Y ::

Jeremy Scott's Spring/Summer 2011 RTW Collection was just TRASHY- And I loved it!!!


Take a look at the show!!





Here are my favorite looks from the show!

images (style.com)

And how about these shoes...they remind me of cow hooves...eh

Definitely cohesive with the trash bag pieces, and the dresses that resemble meat (also putting me in the mind of Lady Gaga's VMA meat dress)

How did you like his collection?

::CheckingOut::



:: That Girl ::

I have heard Stevie Wonder's "That Girl" almost everyday in the last two weeks.
 (I'm exaggerating but I did hear it quite a few times)

Idk what that means or hell even if it means anything but I'm gonna share it with you and while

you listen to the song, for your viewing pleasure, check out these pics of me sporting a cardi over a floral romper with tan wedges. :o)

::CheckingOut::



:: Limited Edition ::

First look at Jeffery Campbell's limited edition collabo with LF stores.

JC created the shoes in the pictures below for LF EXCLUSIVELY!!

Only to be sold at their stores, or over the phone by calling their hotline which is listed on www.lfstores.com.

Ok, I am in LOVE with the IT Boot in black, and the VON TIE Boot!

Pick your poison. Which style do you like?

::CheckingOut::

:: See Spot ::

I'm behind on posts, I've got to do better, and that's all I'm going to say about that.

 Forever21 was definitely spot on when making these Miu Miu inspired Mary Jane platforms.

They aren't the most comfortable shoes in the world, but we all suffer for fashion right? Paired with a sheer tank, lace bra, distressed jeans, thrifted belt and bag (which I LOVE) I was ready for shopping with my sister.

I want to thank everyone who entered the PinkVELVET Giveaway!!!

Based off the comments I recieved a winner was randomly chosen. I loved reading

everyone's response and how they would wear the earrings!

Annnd the winner is.....Dip-tea!!!

Thanks again, there will be more!!! xoxo

::CheckingOut::