Event Recap: The Frye Company Atlanta Grand Opening with Vogue Magazine

The Frye Company Atlanta Opening - Photos: Tomas Espinoza

Last Thursday, more than 200 Atlantans descended upon Ponce City Market to celebrate the grand opening of The Frye Company's Atlanta flagship store during a private event hosted by actress Ashley Greene and Vogue Magazine. 

I never eat at these things but I just couldn't say no... SO GOOD!

Patti Davis

Atlanta Movie Tours

Max Sanchez

White Salon & Spa

Carrie Sagel Burns

Atlanta Movie Tours

 Laura Cochran Nay on my left and Frye Atlanta GM Kelly Miller on my right.

Chad David Shearer & Caren West

Caren West PR

Anna Lanfreschi chats with Ashley Greene while I talk it up with Vogue's Kellen Bunner.

Richie Arpino & Yvonne Monet

DJ Pat O' Brien

Aiden Turner & Jessica Miller

The Frye Company & Vogue Magazine

As guests perused Frye's Fall Collection for men and women, they were treated to a mix of savory and sweet southern bites created by Chef Shane McIntosh of Ocean Catering Co. including homemade mac n’ cheese tartlets, mini “Memphis” pulled pork BBQ sandwiches and red velvet baby cakes with cream cheese icing, brandy pecan cups, and key lime tartlets. Guests also sipped on signature libations from Copper Fox Distillery and enjoyed local craft brews from Wild Heaven Craft Brewery while DJ Pat O’Brien curated the soundtrack of the evening. 

Ashley Greene and I chatted for a while. I went up to say hello to her with my friend Anna. We couldn't resist letting Ashley know that she is our favorite vampire in the Twilight Saga Series. Photo: Paras Griffin/The Photoman Life

Ashley Greene, sporting Diana Cut Stud Frye booties and a grey Frye Heidi Fringe Crossbody clutch, mixed and mingled with guests, helped them shop and snapped photos throughout the evening. And I wore: Blazer - Banana Republic; shirt - Hugo Boss; jeans - Helmut Lang; pocket square - Etro AND boots, of course - FRYE!

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JEFFREY MEN'S POP UP SHOP ATLANTA

For all the fashionados out there, hurry to Jeffrey at Phipps Plaza for the Men's Pop Up Shop starting October 2nd and running through the 11th! This is HUGE. It's a big deal guys... shop some of the latest designer menswear brands that you love but can't find in Atlanta.

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FASHIONABLY LATE WITH RACHEL ZOE

She's back...

"A new weekly talk show is coming to Lifetime, hosted by the renowned stylist and designer, Rachel Zoe. Straight from Zoe's fashion empire headquarters on Melrose Avenue, "Fashionably Late with Rachel Zoe" gives viewers the definitive inside look into what's hot and what's not in fashion, beauty and pop culture. Joined by fashion insider and Harper’s Bazaar Editor-At-Large Derek Blasberg, Zoe's husband Rodger Berman, and their celebrity friends, each episode will be a fun, glamour-packed look at the world around us through the lens of fashion. The half-hour talker premieres Thursday, September 24, at 10:30pm ET/PT, following all-new episodes of Project Runway."

Tonight's guest is Jessica Alba.

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Peace and Love from the Second Row at NYFW!

by Emily Chandler-Westergreen

The 60s have been creeping up on us for the past several seasons, but coming up for Spring 2016, prepare yourself for a virtual Woodstock. Boho, fringe and tie dies were splashed all over the runways, along with that wonderful color orange (which has been back for awhile). So dig back through last seasons Goodwill bag and hang on to that orange jumpsuit that you HAD to have, yet never wore.  

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Oh orange, how we love thee...but the love is not always returned. Sometimes it's best saved for Tennessee fans or those who had too much fun Saturday night and get to engage in "community beautification." Heavy hitters like Prabal Gurung and Jeremy Scott disagree, so like a good fashionista, I will happily don my head-to-orangeiness, pallor be damned! 

Festival Chic couture style has a made a comeback largely in part of the coolness factor of all these big music festivals like Coachella, and the 40-year-old wanna be raver who can afford a $600 designer dress to stand behind the VIP ropes at TomorrowWorld next weekend and sip her rosé. (Which, if all goes well, will be me.)

Jenna Lyons & Emily Chandler Westergreen

Mara Hoffman

I watched the Mara Hoffman SS16 RTW show from the second row. Yes, I said SECOND, which would normally be a horror story too tragic to live to tell, but I got to sit directly behind Jenna Lyons, aka "the woman who dresses America." So I embraced my second tier status and the opportunity to chat with the quirky J.Crew goddess, who is just as funny and approachable as you would want her to be. She was intrigued with the concept of Underground Runway. I mean, obviously, why wouldn't she jump at the opportunity to get last season's J.Crew at a fraction of the price? Duh! 

So I sat delightfully in the NYFW equivalent of the Titanic's "steerage", hoping to absorb even 1/100th of her quirky mismatched style through osmosis. IT worked! Suddenly I have an urge to wear a full length sequin maxi paired with a flannel button up and topped off with a fur vest. Who cares that it's 92° outside? Apparently the osmosis was so strong it wafted all the way to Atlanta and transferred to my preschool age daughter. You know, come to think of it, that's eerily similar to what she tried to convince me to let her wear last week to soccer practice!

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The 67th Emmys RED CARPET

Kerry Washington

Marc Jacobs

Lady Gaga

Brandon Maxwell

Taraji P. Henson

Alexander Wang

Jessica Lange

J. Mendel

Laverne Cox

Calvin Klein Collection

Naomi Watts & Liev Shreiber

Dior Couture

Kiernan Shipka

Dior

Uzo Aduba

Jonathan Cohen

Laura Prepon

Christian Siriano

Viola Davis

Carmen Marc Valvo

Sofia Vergara

St. John

Maisie Williams

Ermanno Scervino

Taylor Schilling

Stella McCartney

Sarah Hyland

Zac Posen

Jon Hamm

Tom Ford

Tracee Ellis Ross

Zac Posen

Amanda Peet

Michael Kors

Claire Danes

Prada

Amy Poehler

Michael Kors

Carrie Brownstein

Stella McCartney

Christina Hendricks

Naeem Khan

Emma Roberts

Jenny Packham

Gina Rodriguez

Lorena Sarbu

Jaimie Alexander

Armani Prive

Maggie Gyllenhaal

Oscar de la Renta

Julianne Hough

Marchesa

Sarah Paulson

Prabal Gurung

The 67th Primetime Emmy Awards delivered a glam-worthy red carpet! Like the Oscar's red carpet last February where all the celebs were so polished, the Emmys did not disappoint with many more fashion hits than misses. The red carpet brought a lot of glamorous variety by way of strapless, off the shoulder, one shoulder, sheers, trains, sequins, vibrant color, pattern, solids, body con, flowing and plenty of tuxedos, including on some of the ladies.  (Photos: Getty Images)

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Naeem Khan Spring 2016 NYFW

How do I describe such beauty? Are words even necessary? Naeem Khan always delivers stunning collections but his Spring 2016 at NYFW was jaw-dropping gorgeous! The collection which is rich in color, pattern and volume, epitomizes all that is elegant, luxurious and feminine. Dresses, caftans and ball gowns in the most regal and sophisticated interpretations. Naeem Khan continually demonstrates his masterful skill and captivates us with his vision.

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The Four Straps You Need In Your Watch Collection

Milanese Loop

Simplified Leather

Nylon & Canvas Straps

Rubber Sport Bands

Usually the first thing a guy notices when picking out a new watch is the face. With so many different displays, colors, designs, etc.—and now the option of smart watches—the face offers the most variety and will be the most noticeable component of any time piece. But somewhat subtly, the number of choices you have in your watch strap has also increased in recent years, and there are a lot of popular styles today that might have been considered slightly unconventional just a decade ago. So forget about traditional clunky leather straps and the boring, ordinary chain link bracelets. Here are four edgier strap options that any thorough watch collector (or just stylish guy) should consider snatching up.

Milanese Loop

The Milanese Loop is my favorite alternative to regular chain metal straps, in that it serves some of the same basic functions (namely, it can be dressed up or dressed down, and it's metal), without all the chunkiness. Reviewing the Apple Watch Milanese Loop (which is largely responsible for bringing the strap back to the mainstream), Apple Vis called it "a pleasure to wear" and compared its feel to that of "a soft bath towel." If that doesn't intrigue you, then you must just not prioritize comfort! Milanese Loops do tend to feel almost liquid-like due to their delicate, woven mesh designs. They're lightweight and easily adjustable, which makes them very convenient as well. One tip: don't wear one too tightly. It can be less comfortable and also looks a little too formal.

Simplified Leather

Most ordinary leather watch straps have stitching along their edges, and in many cases (I'd argue most), it can make the center of the strap appear somewhat puffed up. This problem is completely avoided in what I like to call simplified leather straps: lighter, more casual leather bands that are increasingly popular of late. These straps are more uniform, less bulky, and absolutely ideal for casual wear. Lyst's section on men's watches demonstrates that they can also cater to a number of different styles of watch face, and they can be more formal as well (as in the case of a chic Shore Projects watch with a white face and simplified black leather strap).

Nylon & Canvas Straps

This is a style I borrowed from Gear Patrol, which did a really cool write-up on some custom watch strap designers, including one who specializes in "tool" watches designed with military grade, fabric straps. Specifically, this refers to the kind of tightly woven nylon and canvas straps (often pale brown or army green in color) that have long been popular in various military divisions and NASA. If you're looking for a more rugged option to have around, this carries a very masculine fashion appeal along with it.

Rubber Sport Bands

Apple has also made this watch strap popular in the past year or so, with iPhone DJ calling it "incredibly comfortable" (and noting that it's actually made out of something called fluoroelastomer, not rubber). But Apple isn't the only brand producing this strap. The truth is that rubber, silicone, and similar materials have long been a great choice for those with athletic concerns, and lately they're more necessary than ever given the trend toward watch use in workout routines. If you're active, one of these belongs in your collection.

Adding these four options to your standard leather and chain link straps will give you a perfectly diversified watch strap collection. It's a great way to make sure you always have a watch for any given occasion or use.

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