NFW Party & Call For Nashville Emerging Designer 2016

It's the classic pieces, the building blocks of a great wardrobe, that never let you down. You can just throw them on and walk (or roll) out the door.

If you ever scoffed at the idea of "must have" garments (like I once did) this outfit should change your mind. A knee-length pencil skirt in an animal print; the perfectly proportioned white buttoned-down shirt; a structured black jacket. In this case, the shirt is the first buttoned-down shirt I have ever owned that actually fits me correctly - ample bosom included. The jacket gets it's structure from the dual-zipper design, and the shine  makes it perfect for a cocktail party.

I got all three pieces from one of my favorite shops, Couture for a Cause - which means half of the profits went towards local charities Bridges Domestic Violence and Unchained.  You may remember a certain beaded ivory dress I found there that's seen two very special occasions so far. This entire outfit was there, waiting for me, when I met Llynda More to pick up those fantastic boots I talked about last week. The best part? I also got to spend the afternoon with the store's owner and my dear friend Patricia Apple. I definitely recommend you visit the store if you're local or like their Facebook page for updates on their beautiful inventory.

 The reason I got dressed up in the first place was to attend the early kickoff party for Nashville Fashion Week 2016 at 5th and Taylor.  The dates for the 2016 shows were announced, as was the call for applicants for next year's regional Emerging Designer and 2015 Nashville Fashion Forward Fund. 

"Applicants [for Emerging Designer] must demonstrate creativity, quality and a broad appeal to a wide range of consumers. If chosen, the emerging designer will have the opportunity to showcase their collection during Nashville Fashion Week, April 5-9, 2016. All emerging designers interested in showing their Fall 2016 collections are encouraged to submit their application for review."

The Nashville Fashion Forward Fund is awarded to one fashion industry professional with ties to Middle Tennessee. This includes designers, models hair and makeup artists, stylists, photographers, boutiques and retail, and bloggers. 

The deadline to submit applications  for both is December 13, 2015. Click on this link for more information and/or to submit your application: http://www.nashvillefashionweek.com/nfw-eda/.

It was really difficult to pick only a handful of photos from the party to showcase here. You can see all of the shots in an album on the Spashionista Facebook page. Feel free to tag yourself if we caught you making merry that night. 

Linking up with Visible Monday, Creative Mondays, Shoe and Tell, I Will Wear What I Like, Turning Heads Tuesday, Top of the World Style, Fun Fashion Friday, Blog Share Learn