11233186_453258311543185_4901405953174680130_oThe second day of Phoenix Fashion Week, which was focused on Evening Wear collections, took off with a strong start. ARAE designer, Rachael Levine, lead the group of five designers (photographed above) with her hand dyed silk collection. It’s no surprise that she won Designer of the Year for day two. You can tell that she lives and breathes her brand which stands for “imperfectly crafted, refined construction with free spirit and bold design.” The brand tagline holds true in each piece that she makes and was apparent by her runway show. During Media Day on Wednesday, I had the opportunity to meet with Rachael, feel the fabric and hear her story. When I first saw her abbreviated collection at Shop Garment District, I thought what awesome tie-dyed pieces. If you thought that too, let me correct you! It’s actually a Japanese tie-dye technique, called Shibori, that pulls color out of the fabric rather than your traditional tie-dye that adds color to the fabric. Plus, she’s performing this on very rich silk fabrics, so it’s a long process of wrapping, clamping, protecting the fabric, etc. The best part is that every one of her pieces is uniquely different from the next.

12087696_453258341543182_2025510546148645653_oHer runway collection showed the versatility that silk has. She showed dresses, shorts, pants, capris, tanks, crop tops, and a jacket. Not to mention that the print placements and combinations make each piece look completely different from the next. I could fill my closet with her collection and never get bored or run out of options. It’s actually a joke in my household that when I go shopping and my husband asks me what I bought, it’s typically a silk top. So, I guess you can say that I’m a HUGE lover of silk, but I don’t believe I’ve ever had silk pants. Half of my closet is silk tops and dresses, so I can’t wait to add a one-of-a-kind pant and/or short to my collection. Plus I don’t have to wait for EVINE Live to sell her items; she already has the collection available on her website.  To see her runway finale, watch my YouTube video here.


The next designer was Jeanette of Cute Like Mad. She resides in Washington, but is originally from Sweden. Since both of my paternal grandparents are Swedish, I was immediately excited to meet her and see her collection walk down the runway. I met her at the Shop Garment District event and at Media Day. Jeanette was a pleasure to talk to and her passion for her art was definitely apparent when she showed me her look book. There are a couple items in the look book that did not make it down the runway, so I urge you to look at her website. I particularly like her leather pieces and her reversible jacket online. To provide you with more insight into the brand, Jeanette says,

Cute Like Mad is for the woman who has a rebellious edge, sometimes perfectly concealed. Someone who doesn’t mind standing out in a crowd, opens their own doors, laughs out loud, wears “too tall” heels and then kicks them off and dances barefoot.

The Cute Like Mad show started with a guy walking down the runway with a light stick, which was a great way to add some excitement. I’m not too sure how it tied in, but I loved it regardless. My favorite pieces in her collection was the black and purple print that comes in a dress, short and jacket. For a look at all the looks, watch my YouTube video here.


Another designer who I felt connected to is Laura Tanzer. She currently lives in Tucson, AZ and moved from New York, which are two of my favorite places that I’ve also lived in. Her boutique is actually in the heart of Tucson in the artsy downtown district, which is close enough for a fun day trip. For her runway looks, I enjoyed her high waisted pants most. Her first runway look was all red with a black and white printed jacket. I thought the all red looked really sharp on the model. I don’t think I can pull it off with my skin tone and hair color, but it looked great on the model. Also, the striped pants and crop tops, were very entriguing to me. The shape of the striped pants is perfect for the re-emerging flared pant trend. I also liked the white top and red skirt combination. The top is similar to the crop tops that are paired with the striped pants, but almost looks slightly longer. The red skirt is interesting with the chiffon-like fabric underneath and I love the sharp v at the bottom that it is cut into. For all of her runways looks, continue to my YouTube channel to watch her video here.


The remaining designers of the night were Breanna Rose Skoon of Lousy Rich (YouTube video here) and Michele M. Walden Mcphee of Michi (YouTube video here.) Lousy Rich was created by the designer’s love for accessory design. The collection combines both of her passions, accessories and fashion, while living on the edge with her designs for the downtown girl meets the uptown lady. Michi is a knitwear line that started when the designer received much praise for her knitwear that she created for herself and her daughters. She continued her education and turned her creations into a business.

IMG_4956IMG_3903On the red carpet with blogger Nicole Denton of Violet & Vine. Outfit details: Shoes- Target, Skirt- Kora Rae, Sweater- Express, Earrings- Kendra Scott, and Bra/Cami- Victoria’s Secret. Click on links below for more information.

All professional photography courtesy of Matt Young Photography. For more photos, please visit his Facebook photo album here. | Facebook | Website | Instagram |


Be you, bravely.

The Foxy Kat

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