Theia Spring 2012

Romanced on a bed of roses?  I can't imagine a lovelier way to present a Spring 2012 collection.  With Goddess Chloris as a muse, designer Don O'Neill showed a meticulous collection of gowns and the debut of the Theia day dress line.

Chloris was the Goddess of flowers.  For Theia, this mean light, petal-like transparency. This inspiration was also translated into high tech digitally printed floral fabrics to hand-embroidered blooms on bodices.  A dimensional technique rarely produced in modern textiles was incorporated into an all-over gown.  

The day dresses included flattering seaming, prints, a sorbet color palette, as well as black and white.  Another innovative technique was Mr. O'Neill's use of laser-cut paillettes.  Instead of hard, shiny sequins, fabric was laser-cut into delicate, soft shapes embroidered onto cocktail dresses and gowns.  This resulted in an elaborately textured dress without the heavy weight of typical beads and jewels.

There were gowns of Theia's signature "crunchy" sequins (a mix of over 10 tonal colors giving a rich, dimensional effect), and light-radiating crystal embroidery.  No wonder the siren call of Theia has attracted the likes of Gossip Girl's Leighton Meester (she wore a Theia wedding gown), Taylor Swift and Emmy Rossum.

The designer gave the Ms. FAB team an exclusive interview to describe his work on this season's collection and access to the full show:

photos by Mariana Leung, video by Nicholas Waickman

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THEIA Fall 2011

Red carpet favorite, handsome and charming Don O'Neill gave the Ladies Who Lunch team and Ms. FAB an exclusive interview about his journey to create THEIA.

The designer started designing with Christian Lacroix and evolved through Carmen Marc Valvo and Badgley Mischka before starting his own Goddess-inspired collection THEIA.  Celebrities like Taylor Swift and Gossip Girl's Leighton Meester love his dresses.

Oprah Winfrey recently wore one of his glamorous dresses on the cover of O magazine...You can win the dress via their Facebook contest right here. 

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Taylor Swift's Dad Sells T-Shirts at Her Shows

Taylor Swift’s dad Scott Swift is her biggest fan, and he likes to be heavily involved at her concerts, so he's happy to take on any task at her shows -- even if that means hocking T-shirts."My dad is adorably optimistic, positive, pie-in-the-sky," Taylor said. "He thinks every new song I write is my best. He sells T-shirts at my merchandise stands and hands out guitar picks to fans.”

Many fans have met Scott while at Taylor’s shows, and said how friendly he is. One fan, Emily, told how she met the former stockbroker at a concert in Washington, DC.She wrote on a fan site in June this year: “I got pit passes and met Scott (Taylor's dad for anyone unaware) He came out and gave us guitar picks then my friend and I talked to him for a minute or two by the soundbooth during ‘Hey Stephen.'

“I was so close to hugging Taylor but she had to turn around and go the other way to get back to the actual stage. But I touched her hand at one point during the show. And she looked right at me during ‘Fifteen’ on the moving stage.” Taylor also told how she takes elements of her mother’s personality into her onstage persona too.

She said: “Mom is a planner, an organizer. She’s very strong and practical. She’s the person that’ll tell me if I ever start to change my personality. The balance of the two of them created my personality.”

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Selena Gomez Says She and Taylor Swift Are Like the 'Same Person'

 

Selena Gomez and Taylor Swift are so close that they're not sure where one starlet ends and the other begins.She said: "We're the same person sometimes. Even her brother will say, 'Ok, you guys have the same laugh. It's weird. We're just good and honest with each other."

When asked what makes their friendship so special, 18-year-old Selena said: "The honesty. And having the same mentality of friendship in the business."

Taylor is not the only showbiz friend of Selena's -- the singer also reveals she would "do anything" for 16-year-old Justin Bieber.She said: "I love him, he's one of my best friends. I would do anything for that kid."

Selena recently revealed she wanted to do a duet with British pop star Cheryl Cole because she's such a huge fan of her music.
She said: "I'm so a massive fan of Cheryl. I want to be her best friend! I love everything about her. She's my role model. It would be my dream to collaborate with her."

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Lipsy London's Tea Party Launch

Lipsy London brought its girly style to NYC Tuesday afternoon with the most English of traditions, an afternoon tea. The Meatpacking District lounge Provocateur provided the perfect backdrop to the festive silhouettes and bright, feminine prints of the collection.

The British label introduced itself to America to members of the media and fashion industry while they sipped Earl Grey, and nibbled on cupcakes, scones and dainty finger sandwiches. The club was decked out like a whimsical urban garden while models posed among the racks of the Spring/Summer collection.

I was quite impressed at the contemporary, designer styling of the party frocks. Their Laser-cut skirts, crystal embroidered party dresses and Goddess draped cocktail attire already counts Taylor Swift and Paris Hilton as fans. The pleasant surprise? The price tag. Most of my favorite dresses were in the $150 - $185 range. Handbags, corset tops and skirts were equally painless?
Want to try on your piece of the English rose? The collection has come to Bloomingdale's this Spring and can be found online at lipsy.com

Photos by Mariana L. and Ritika W.

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Win a $1000 Shopping Getaway to NYC and View InStyle in 3D!

Talk about interactive magazine experience… This month’s InStyle holiday issue has a few added features that you don’t usually find in print media. The special gift giving section is set up so you can participate in an interactive three-dimensional experience with the help of a webcam and internet. Click: InStyle Gifting in 3D to download the plug-in and immerse yourself into their most stylish picks for gifts. You’ll find messages for deals, tips, and you can even make your favorite items go viral!

Once you are sufficiently wowed by this new technology (think Matrix meets Neiman Marcus, or Lawnmower Man made over by Chanel). You can be really nice to yourself and a girlfriend … Enter to win the trip for two to NYC with a $1000 shopping spree. Click through to InStyle’s sweepstakes here and when you get to New York, I’ll share my best brunch spots over a cocktail!

Good luck, shop chic and beware the blue pills!

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