HP and Style Coalition hosted a fabulous Project Runway party during New York Fashion Week that was crawling with alumni from the popular reality show! I've been a fan of the show for years so it was really exciting for me to see so many of the designers in real life. (Mondo! Casanova! Emilio!) The evening kicked off with a champagne toast to the Project Runway alumni and a panel discussion on fashion and technology. Then guests got to mingle, enjoy drinks and hors d'oeuvres while experiencing the latest HP technology.

As an HP blogger ambassador, I've been test driving the HP ENVY x2, a powerful tool that's a laptop and tablet in one. It features a sleek aluminum finish and innovative hinge with magnets that smoothly guide the tablet portion in place. There's also an HD webcam on the front and an 8.0 megapixel camera on the back. I think everyone's favorite part of the party was an HP "photo booth" outfitted with silly "fashion" props where you could pose with friends, then instantly share the photos or print them out. I had way too much fun with this (see photo above).

Thanks to HP and Style Coalition for the experience!

{Shown above clockwise from left: Jenni from I Spy DIY and Sydne Summer from Sydne Style, who spoke on the panel; the hashtag for the evening; Me and Project Runway all-stars Laura Kathleen and Emilio Sosa; Me and Megan from TFDiaries}

For more, visit follow HPShopping.com, and follow @HP on twitter and Facebook. The HP ENVY x2 is available in the United States and has a starting price of $849.99.

Disclosure: This post is brought to you by HP and Style Coalition.

Kohl's sent me a few items from the upcoming Derek Lam for Kohl's collection, and I'm so excited to be able to share this sneak peek! I get so psyched for these designer collabs but to be honest, I had forgotten Derek Lam was teaming up with Kohl's (it was announced back in June). The Derek Lam for Kohl's DesigNation Collection is a budget-friendly fashion line inspired by Rio de Janeiro, "drawing from the city's fusion of urban and jungle, past and present." These are looks that transition from beach to cafe, swimwear to daywear, day to night. I can see Lam's inspiration right away with the tropical prints, easygoing silhouettes and easy-to-care for fabrics (everything is machine washable in an effort to be eco-friendly, according to the clothing tags) on the three pieces I received.

The mixed print colorblock shirtdress (shown above) retails for $70 and is made from 100% polyester. I received a size S and it fits like a glove, with enough room for my growing baby bump. If I weren't expecting, I would belt this dress to give it more shape. You could wear it now with leggings or in the spring with sandals. Cute.

The khaki top (see it below) is 100% polyester and retails for $48. I received a size S and it fits me perfectly, gently skimming my baby bump. The armholes are a bit snug, causing the sleeves to poof up every so slightly, so this top looks more voluminous on top than my photos show. Khaki isn't the best color for my skintone but it's very summery and will be easy to wear.

The third and final piece I received in size S is a muted orange print shirtdress which retails for $70. It fits me well but just barely with my bump because it's 100% cotton with no stretch. The cotton is smooth and soft and I expect it will feel lightweight and breathe easily in the spring and summer. Again, I'd belt this to give it more shape. I love the hidden buttons on both shirtdresses and the pockets - nice touch!

Lam is the second designer to team up with the Kohl's DesigNation collection; the first as you may recall was Narcisco Rodriguez. Nothing in the Derek Lam collection is over $98 and you know things will go on sale quickly (it's Kohl's, after all). I can't wait to see more.

Shop this collection at Kohl's stores and online at Kohls.com beginning April, 2013. Initial thoughts?

I love the look of J.Crew's Lady Jacket, but don't want to spend the $200. Have you seen any less expensive options? —Becca

Lady jacket in blue tweed

To get the look for less, try this New York & Co. tweed jacket instead. It comes in four spring-ready colors for just $42 (down from $69.95). Click the image below to view. —BB

Fringe Trim Cotton Tweed Jacket

Jenni Kayne's D'Orsay pointy toe flats seem to be the most knocked-off shoe for spring. Here they are in yellow for $450 at shopbop.com:

Jenni Kayne d'Orsay

And here's Forever 21's version for $19.80.

FOREVER 21 D'Orsay Pointed Toe Flats

The young LA-designer's shoes also come in leather for $495:

Jenni kayne D'Orsay Flats

The Steve Madden "Vampy" looks identical and costs $99.95. Tisk, tisk!

Vampy

Which would you wear?

Fashion week for me kicked off with BCBGMAXAZRIA and set the stage for many of the top trends I'd be seeing throughout the week: Eastern influences (in this case, Istanbul and Gypsies), fur trim, urban streetstyle and lots of leather. All the models wore chunky knit beanies and heavy layers, something you could emulate on any budget.

Next, it was on to Tadashi Shoji, who treated fans to evening gowns and cocktail dresses inspired by the rise and fall of the Russian Empire (I told you we were looking East). Rich silks and aristocratic touches were paired with folk details and traditional embroidered patterns. My favorite gown was the final look; the voluminous capelet top lent drama to the runway but I could see a starlet wearing this gown on the red carpet without it.

My next stop was Timo Weiland's women's show which gave me my first taste of the grunge/punk/menswear influences that so many designers tapped into this season. Timo's girl was of a London flavor, in heavy outerwear, dark hues and clunky shoes. I liked the tough asymmetrical dress that closed the show.

Finally, I was invited to Skylight West Studio for Edun, a brand founded by a rockstar you might recognize named Bono of U2 mega-fame and his wife. Edun was edgy as well, with leather moto jackets, twisted tartan plaids and chain details.

Back at The Empire Hotel, my home base for fashion week, I bumped into Sara from High Fashion 4 Less, who is just as beautiful in person as you'd expect. Connecting with bloggers in real life is definitely one of the highlights of fashion week, when we all converge in one place at one time to celebrate our common love: Fashion.