Earlier I posted video of the finale, now here are some photos I took at the Jill Stuart Spring Summer 2011 runway show which I attended on September 12 at the beautiful promenade at David H. Koch Theater, Lincoln Center, during Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week in New York City. The clothes were absolutely swoon-worthy, in a chic palette of cream, black, soft pinks, golds, "the colors of the sunset," according to designer Jill Stuart, who gave backstage interviews immediately after the show. Models were styled with hair in carefree buns, blood orange lips and barely-there eye makeup. The cap-toe banded pumps and boots were the perfect complement to the pleated dresses, modern-tailored shorts and ladylike blouses. Romantic, strong, flirty, classic, fresh. Love!

The show drew a slew of celebs like Kim and Kourtney Kardashian, Jessica Szohr, and Taryn Manning. See if you can spot Nigel Barker and Miss Jay Alexander in one of my amateur paparazzi photos below.

Click through for more photos.

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!

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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!