NYFW Joy Cioci, Emerson, Carlos Miele, Badgley Mischka

Here's a round up of some of my favorite looks from Joy Cioci, Emerson, Carlos Miele and Badgley Mischka.

Joy Cioci's ode to a 20s summer had pearl-encrusted swim caps, sea-salted nails and beautiful blues making me look forward to Spring.

We saw a lot of braids at the shows this season...and Emerson had some of the best, lying low on the forehead, and created by Zahir Ziani. Jackie Fraser-Swan's inspiration was 70s horror films, with the black and white ensembles balanced out with softer floral pieces and touches of red like the finale's burst of red confetti, Carrie-stylez. Dancing With The Stars' Maksim Chmerkovskiy was there, as were other recognizable celebs: Crystal Reed (Teen Wolf) and Johnny Wujek (ANTM creative director).

You know how much I love a good print, and Carlos Miele delivered. Paula Abdul, Vanessa Williams and Daisy Fuentes are fans. (It was also fun to see Joy Adaeze in front of me) always with cool headgear and go backstage after the show.

I may have been slightly more excited to spot Bryanboy (and Kelly Bensimon, who I photographed backstage at Alice + Olivia, Ivana Trump, Lauren Conrad, Kevin Jonas) in front row than to pay attention to the beauty of Badgley Mischka. That's until the show started, and then their romantic “Midsummer Night’s Dream” inspired collection had a lot of beautiful pieces that took my breath away, namely the final coral layered organza number....what a dream. Remember when this happened?

NYFW David Tlale

I was honored to be capture David Tlale's presentation at NYFW, as he's a native of Johannesburg, South Africa, and I grew up in Botswana, living there for 10 years, so my support for anything African comes from a solid place in my childhood heart.

Major props go out to his collection, which was a remarkable vision of a modern Africa.

David Tlale says of his work:

"We showcased a very urban Africa. The collection exuded elegance and sophistication. I called it “Transcendence,” because I wanted to show a migration from the “perceived” Africa to a more modern and transcendental work that goes through and beyond cultural nuances and the delivery of that work to the global consumer.”

I briefly met Dr. Precious Motsepe who is a well known figure in South Africa and the US, as director of African Fashion International and the head of Motseppe Foundation; and she was enamoured with the the collection, as was everyone else I overheard at the presentation...

NYFW Alice + Olivia SS 2013 Backstage + Presentation

I was thrilled to be invited to shoot Alice + Olivia backstage and presentation at NYFW.

I have never fallen so in love with color as I did at this presentation. Everything was just gorgeous, from the skillfully applied makeup (I am a huge fan of this Stila product) to the sleek low pony-tails and of course, the colorful, perfectly fitting, 50's inspired collection. The energy backstage was contagious, not to mention how fun it was to see Kelly Bensimon give interviews and snapping photos with her iPhone.

Another highlight for me was meeting Jamie Beck (From Me To You) who I've admired for a long time. She was really sweet and I literally died when THIS was taken.

I also had a chance to meet Kelly (The Glamourai), Rebecca (Rebecca Prus) and Kim (J'Adore Couture) all of whom were as lovely as one could imagine. Then my new fashion week friend Chris (TheTinyTieRant) and I hightailed it outta there for more shows!

So here, in a bit of gritty photojournalistic style...I hope you enjoy.

NYFW Norisol Ferrari RTW SS 2013

This was one of my favorite shows I went to at NYFW. Sitting in front row might have had something to do with it. Possibly. But truly, Norisol Ferrari's SS 2013 collection. inspired by iconic film actresses like Munroe, Hayworth, Fontaine, Kelly and Garbo, was an ode to feminine curves and ageless grace.

Speaking of which, Ferrari had a wonderful group of seasoned models walk down the runway: Carmen Dell 'Orefice, 81, Carol Alt, 51, Alva Chinn, 57 and Karen Bjornson, 58, all of whom worked those perfectly tailored dresses like there was no tomorrow.

And in my mind, I saw the whole thing in silhouettes and shadows.

NYFW Erickson Beamon SS2013

Karen Erickson and Vicki Beamon showed their SS 2013 collection in a spectator style presentation, with an "audience" seated on bleachers decked out in bold Erickson Beamon jewelry. Female models clad in lingerie-esque gowns and woven sweaters wore brilliant geometric necklaces and were carted along by well-coiffed-Converse-wearing male models.

NYFW: SEEN: George Kotsiopoulos at Tracy Reese

There wasn't a fuller house than at Tracy Reese's show.

I literally got there (from Boston) as the show was starting and was rushed in by security, so there was zero room in the press pit (where I was invited to shoot), and my resulting vantage point was less than ideal.

Still, it gave me a chance to actually enjoy the show: spectacular tribal-ly green prints, side-parted hair and chem-lab glasses, and afterward, a spotting of George Kotsiopoulos!

Boston: David Yurman at Lux Bond & Green + GIVEAWAY!

Last week, my sister, niece and I were excited to check out the unveiling of David Yurman's Fall 2012 Collection at Lux Bond & Green. The line will only be available for purchase in September, so it was nice to get a sneak peek. Thank you to Shauna, Sheryl, Trevor, Judy and Denise and everyone at Lux Bond & Green for the invitation and for graciously assisting us in trying out all the beautiful David Yurman jewellery!

It was lovely to see some of my favourite Boston Bloggers: Julie, Khatu, Lani and Hannah and I got to meet Amanda, Chelsea and Shauna's sister Kasey, for the first time, while we "tweeted" it up amongst champagne and cupcakes. Tweeting pays off people, look what Amanda and I won!

Thank you to my sis who took all the photos of me (in my favourite cobalt dress)!

I'm happy to announce that Lux Bond & Green would like to give one lucky reader of Hogger & Co. a $75 gift card for Lux Bond & Green!

To enter, simply follow the instructions below!

Contest ends at 12:01am EST Monday June 25, 2012

A winner will be picked at random! Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Miami: What to Pack

Off to Miami for a few days! I'm looking forward to photographing ArtWalk and WallPeople2012 while I'm there and am so excited to meet up with Elizabeth who's been incredible with sending me restaurant suggestions and an extensive list of things to do!

To Miami HEAT, baby!

Miami: What to Pack by hoggerandco featuring a white shirt dress

Boston: Zoora Shoot!

We had a twirly good time shooting the Zoora Capsule Collection last week, here are some highlights.

Thank you Aubrie for having me capture this collection and Rachel, you were a treat to shoot!

Boston: Zoora Shoot, Teaser

Had a ball with Aubrie and Rachel at yesterday's shoot for Zoora's Capsule Collection, which we saw at the Liberty Hotel not long ago. We shot at the very cool Mass Challenge space at One Marina Park Drive in Boston.

Here's a sneak peek of the shoot. Be sure to check out Zoora's Capsule Collection for custom Spring looks for under $100!

Boston: DressCode Boston

Had a blast attending Dresscode Boston's Spring showcase at the Intercontinental in Boston. The show featured brands from local faves: Stel's, Unifrom Boston, Ball and Buck and Drinkwater's Cambridge, and was hosted by men's style curator Jeff Lahens. I'm so excited about Dresscode Boston and JL Men's' new logo, which is from Jeff Lahens' Boston Fashion Week show, which I was so honoured to shoot.

Some Instagrams from the evening.

Boston: Zoora Capsule Collection

Last night Zoora had a capsule collection show at The Liberty Hotel for their Fashionably Late series, in Boston.

A beautiful collection of designer items (custom piece all under $100) made the walk around the gorgeous hotel that used to be The Charles St. Jail.

It was nice to hang out with some blogger faves, the coolest couple we know, Kate and Jack, from Union Jack Creative, Danielle from Story of Style and Helena from The Honey Flower Girl, who you've also seen here.

Happy St. Paddy's Day!

How about wearing MINT for St. Paddy's Day, for taking in the parade in Southie? Or drinking green beer in a hidden Irish pub in Boston?

Whatever you end up doing, enjoy the weekend!

Happy St. Paddy's Day!

Happy St. Paddy's Day by hoggerco featuring clear aviator sunglasses

New York Fashion Week: Prete & Bruno

Prete & Bruno was my final NYFW show, and one where I wasn't in the pit, which was a nice change. The Trendy Dwarf and I had a great vantage point of the whole collection. I absolutely loved all the black, golds and greens. One couldn't tell by it's flawless execution, what trouble they had in putting on the show. Everything was classic and elegant, right up to the beautiful chignons created by Vince Smith. And those shoes.

To round up New York Fashion Week, for me, in one word: exhilarating.

Looking forward to next season!