Winner Alert!

by Jacqueline Davis Moranti 

For my first giveaway on BurgundyWhispers, I would say it was pretty successful. I'll admit I was really terrified, I worried that I wouldn't put out enough information or say something wrong. Readers, if your a blogger, do you remember your first giveaway/ contest hosted on your site? How did it go? What are your tips for a successful and smooth giveaway? 

And now for the fun part, the winner of the beautiful WeWood watch from Kembrel, Elizabeth of Typographie Vintage! Congrats and keep an eye on your inbox as I will be contacting you soon! Thanks to Kembrel for the support!

Neutral Colorblocking and A Giveaway

Colorblocking is back, but did it ever really leave the scene? This trend has been seen on many of the recent fashion shows, Michael Kors' F/W 2013 collection being one of them. I absolutely love being able to highlight different parts of the body with the use of different colors. Light or dark, complimentary or analogous colors, hues or tints, all tell a story. I like to believe this neutral ensemble says, "I'm over you, Winter."

This trend can be relayed in other ways than a garment that is actually colorblocked, wearing pink pants and a yellow top, paired with an orange jacket is another way to incorporate the trend. It's a fun way to play with fashion! This jacket from Kembrel has a retro feel, like something out of the MadMen set.  I like to think it's because of it's collar- less nature and scalloped hem.

Jacket and watch C/O: Kembrel, top: Club Monaco, jeans: Guess, pumps and jewelry: thrifted

This is not a sponsored post

Now for the moment you've all been waiting for, the first ever giveaway on Burgundy Whispers! This watch by WeWood, is absolutely gorgeous and made of 100% recycled wood. Everytime I wear it, I get a ton of compliments and now I want to thank all of my readers by giving you your chance for compliments! Thanks to Kembrel for this awesome product!

To Enter:

1. You must follow Burgundy Whispers, via GFC or Bloglovin'

2. You must sign up at Kembrel 

 Additional entry options are....

- Follow Kembrel on Twitter, Facebook, and Pinterest

- Follow Burgundy Whispers on Twitter and Instagram

- Tweet about the giveaway

- Mention (and link to this post) on a blog post

Then, comment on this post and mention what steps you took to enter this giveaway and leave your email along with it. This giveaway ends on Tuesday, March 5th at 9pm EST. The winner will be chosen through a Random Number Generator and contacted via email. Good luck readers!

Cobalt Blue Accents

It's no secret that Emerald green is the pantone color of the year, but Cobalt blue is currently reeling my heart away! Im not the only one noticing, retailers like J.Crew, Club Monaco, Intermix, and Zara also have the Cobalt fever! 

An easy way to incorporate this color into your wardrobe is by using little accessories to amp up a neutral palette. Try belts, bows, shoes, bags, glasses, socks, jewelry, the list can go on and on! This dress is a cool black and tan pattern from one of my favorite local boutiques, Kembrel. The dress is beautiful by itself, but me being me, I wanted to add another element to it. I took a sash from a blue dress and used it as a tie and then finished the look off with a patented skinny belt. Pairing the black opaque tight with these cool cuban heel booties provide a nice lengthening effect. This ensemble reminds me of a photo of my mother, when she was a young adolescent. I've come to realize, it's actually quite fun to dress the way your parents did, in their "hey day!" It tends to come naturally to me, thanks mom!

Jacket: Club Monaco, dress and boots C/O: Kembrel, belt and ring: Forever21, tie: DIY,  tights: American Apparel

Dear readers, how do you feel about the way I've jazzed up this dress with the cobalt blue accents? How would you style this dress?

Turtleneck Weather

I don't know about you, but here in Philadelphia, it's been freezing cold! So cold that it feels like your bones are rattling! In this weather, layering is key to beat the hum drum of the wind chills. One of my favorite pieces to wear in the winter is definitely a turtleneck. Being able to cover up every inch of exposed skin usually helps me get over this wintery weather! 

Besides wearing turtlenecks, I'm all about great outerwear. This one for example is one of my favorites, it reminds me of a Helmut Lang jacket with it's asymmetrical hemline and unbalanced structure. The best thing about it, is that it does not come with a Helmut Lang price tag! You can find this great wardrobe staple at Kembrel. It looks great with everything, believe me, it's not easy to find a coat that works with 90% of your wardrobe!

Coat C/O: Kembrel, turtleneck: Stylemint, pants and gloves: Club Monaco, belt: J.Crew, necklace: Anthropologie, pumps: Schutz

Brave the weather in fashion! What do you do to stay warm this winter, readers? What do you think of this coat from Kembrel?

Kembrel Trunk Show

Recently, I attended an event at an awesome Philadelphia store called Kembrel. Kembrel is a Philadelphia based boutique that sells many of the local artisans in the neighborhood, and represents them next to classic, well established brands. It was started on the mindset of a fashion conscious college student, that wanted independent clothes and apparel, with high quality, without going broke!

"They wanted to make shopping easier for their college peers. They wanted hip, unique clothes and gadgets every day of the week. And they wanted it on a Ramen-sized budget." Kembrel Boutique

On this particular day, Kembrel hosted a trunk show event, featuring the four Philadelphia Fashion Incubator designers, Melissa D' Agostino (D’AGOSTINO Fashion Textile Design), Kaitlyn Doherty, Autumn Kietponglert (Heartless Revival) and Latifat Obajinmi and Moriamo Johnson (Aso Damisi). It was really nice to talk to the local designers and hear what they had to say about their take on fashion design and their residence as part of the Macy's Fashion Incubator program. 

Button Bib Necklace by Aso Damisi

Aso Damisi, is designed by two beautiful sisters from Nigeria that relocated to the United States at an early age. They are all about meshing together African inspired textiles with classic and timeless designs. I absolutely fell in love with these designs, the prints and the fabric just speak to me! Wearing prints has become such a big explosion in the past year, and I don't see an end to it!

Heartless Revival designs

Black and white, couture and goth... these pieces from Heartless Revival just go together so well. These designs are a very edgy take on Ready to Wear, just imagine that skeleton tunic with a pair of pleather leggings and and a short, cropped moto jacket!? One amazing look is what you end up with!

D'Agostino silk, hand dyed ties

Designer, Melissa D' Agostino talking about her special hand dying method

The one word that comes to mind when I think about D'Agostino designs is beautiful! I know, it's kind of a cliche word but when true beauty blossoms, you have to give credit where it's due! I've actually been a long time follower Melissa's designs, i've even been to a fashion show with her designs featured.   You have to really see the designs in person and feel the fabric to fully explore the beauty of her work!

Hand sewn, leather belts by Kaitlyn Elizabeth 

I can totally see this dress on a celebrity!

While I was speaking with the designer of Kaitlyn Elizabeth, I was blown away by how young her designs were and how much talent she had. She hand sews everything herself, including all of the leather pieces. Her execution and craftsmanship is magnificent! Her designs have a very young and contemporary feel to them, making them a perfect match for many retailers. Studs, colorblocking, leather, exposed zippers, cut outs, its just so now! 

All in all, I believe all of the designers featured in the trunk show deserve a second look over. I really do think you will fully appreciate their designs, I sure did! It was a great event, and if you're ever in Philly and looking for a new place to shop, check out Kembrel boutique!