A few weeks back, China Glaze sent me three complimentary bottles of nail polish from their new fall 2010 China Glaze Vintage Vixen Collection, including Jitterbug, a grey chrome with silver micro glitter polish that I absolutely love. I wore two coats of Jitterbug to a wedding on my fingers and toes to glam up my bridesmaid dress, then kept it on for the start of Fashion Week because it looked good for an entire week. It's a versatile metallic that can go from day to night depending on your mood and attitude. My pedi still looks like new. Talk about staying power! I thought I had used China Glaze in the past but couldn't find any bottles in my nail polish stash, so this might be my first time using the brand but I can't verify that. All I can say for certain is that this won't be my last time. Really impressed.

On a scale of 1 to 5, 1 being "poor" 5 being "excellent," here's how I'd rate this polish:
Smell: 3
Applicator: 3
Coverage: 4
Staying power: 5
Ease of removal: 3
Color: 5
Price: 5 (found it for $3.35 on Amazon.com)
Additional: China Glaze is free of DBP, toluene and added formaldehyde.

For Spring 2011, bebe toned down its edgy sex kitten vibe - much to my pleasant surprise - and presented a softer, modern bohemian collection inspired by the Mediterranean and fashion icon Brigitte Bardot. My photos don't really do these clothes justice because I must say, I thought almost everything looked gorgeous on the runway. Like I said, pleasant surprise! The bebe models were glamorous beauties with hair styled into long, tousled curls and sultry, natural-looking makeup. The mostly neutral color palette of tans, ivory, blush pinks and powder blues was complemented by rich golds, bronzes, a few delicate florals and some chic black pieces to add just a little edge. Lace, crochet and embroidered details added to the boho feel without dipping into hippy territory. Accessories included sky-high platform stilettos, suede foldover booties and fringe bags.

My favorite looks included a black halter vest paired with leather laser cut shorts and an ivory cotton trench with an adorable scalloped hemline and an azalea watercolor print silk and lace dress topped with a black lace jacket and oversized gold pendant necklace that looked plucked from an ancient Cretan tomb. Rompers and jumpsuits will be back; they looked amazing on the models but I'm so on the fence with that trend. This collection was just what I needed to see to get me back into a bebe store come spring after a rather long personal hiatus from shopping there.

See my video of the finale here. Keep reading to see more photos I snapped during the show!

One of the best parts of Fashion Week for me at least is learning about emerging designers. I might not get invited to big guns like Ralph Lauren or Vera Wang (yet, hehe) but a blogger such as myself is usually welcomed by new designers to come see their collections. One such designer is Bibhu Mohapatra, a native of India who has worked for Halston and J. Mendel honing his skills and talent for creating red-carpet worthy cocktail dress and evening gowns. Highlights for me at his spring presentation, which I attended on September 14, included a sky and alabaster silk linen jacket worn with an organza trimmed shift dress and a black and blush lace overlay gown with layered tulle underskirt, perfect for a Hollywood starlet.

All the models wore black pumps or peep-toes by Brian Atwood which made for a clean, uncomplicated statement that allowed the clothes to speak for themselves but I would have loved to have seen more exciting footwear paired with such elegant evening wear. The color palette was soft, tones like grass, stone, dusk, plum, and black, which were feminine and mysterious at times, but felt old and a bit stuffy at others. I'm not sure how the round-frame glasses related to the collection but it's the third or fourth time I've seen this style during Fashion Week, so I have a hunch we'll be seeing this in stores. I'm looking forward to seeing more from Bibhu as he grows as a designer.

Click through for more photos!

Here's a quick video I shot of the finale at STYLE360's bebe Spring Summer 2011 fashion show that I attended on September 14 at the Metropolitan Pavilion during New York Fashion Week. I was excited to see bebe because my blog is called The Budget Babe after all, and there isn't much budget fashion at Fashion Week itself, although the point of Fashion Week for much of the industry is to see how and where all the trends originate. The styles we see on the runways will eventually trickle down to the racks at Target, so that's what makes Fashion Week relevant for everyone who loves fashion. Or just likes to shop.

But back to bebe: I figured it would be nice to see clothes on the catwalk that you and I might actually be able to purchase a couple months from now. Having said that, I wasn't expecting to love the clothes as much as I did. For Spring, bebe seems to be headed in a softer direction. The inspiration according to bebe Founder Manny Mashouf was to take iconic French film star Brigitte Bardot of the seventies and translate her style for the woman of 2011. The result was slightly bohemian, glamorous, sexy-without-being-vulgar dresses, shorts, jackets, jumpers, and minis in a soft color palette or whites, pinks, blues, camel and the always necessary black. I will post stills so you can see the clothes a bit better but enjoy this quick video in the meantime!

While many shows during Fashion Week attract guests who put on their meanest scowlss aka "I smell dookie" faces as they watch the models strut down the runway, the Chris Benz Spring 2011 presentation seemed to put huge smiles on the faces of all who entered the Atrium near Lincoln Center, captivated by the exuberant colors, happy silhouettes, and cheerful pop music that filled the air. I even saw one Carmen Electra snapping her fingers and bopping her head to the beat. You might even go so far as to say she was dancing. I loved this show, not just because it was happy but because the clothes were exciting and different, although they clearly referenced the '60s.

The designer cited his inspiration as "a '60s ex-pat model in Paris," which played out in bow tie blouses, high waists, a retro color palette, platforms, tweed jackets, colorblocked shifts and full skirst and but there were plenty of modern-day touches to explore, like artsy embroidery, futuristic florals and unusual cut-outs. Purple nail polish was icing on the cake. Celebs in attendance included J.Crew's Jenna Lyons, Kelly Osbourne, Jessica Szohr, Alison Pill. See if you can spot Susan Sarandon, Carmen Electra (from the back; hint her hair's in a bun) and The Rachel Zoe Project's Brad Goreski in my photos, all after the jump!