Eternal Reign Show! (or, how to be the classiest fashion blogger ever: almost get kicked out of the show)

 Last weekend I had the pleasure of attending a fashion show for the up-and-coming lingerie and swimwear line, Eternal Reign. Two of my friends from school actually work for the brand and one modeled that night, so I got to witness some interesting moments behind the scenes of (my first!) show.

Before we get into the actual show, let me just say that there are very few situations I encounter that I am actually mature enough to handle. Pretty much all situations involving alcohol fall into this category. You show me someone who is enough of a grown-up to not act a fool at an open bar and I will show you someone to whom I simply do not relate. So anyhoo, there was, in fact, an open bar at this event that lasted for an hour. Should have been plenty of time for me to get sufficiently blasted, but of course, as soon as it ended, my friend and I determined that we must must must have a shot of whiskey. I ordered the shots, the 'tender delivered them to me, and then promptly turned his back and walked away. Friend and I looked at each other, immediately sharing the same thought: let's bounce. Again, maturity, not my strong suit, especially after a few cocktails. So we scamper away from the bar, high-fiving and feeling pretty damn cool. Milliseconds (I shit you not) later, a very large, very angry man appears in front of my face, stopping me dead in my tracks. Crap.

Suffice it to say, I almost got kicked out, at some point there was some talk of the police being called I believe, but in the end, we were able to smooth things over and we got to stay for the next show. Also they charged the shots to my card without me having to pay the minimum, so I guess in the end I won? I'm not really sure. Probably not, actually. I think I probably just embarrassed myself a lot. Bartender, if you're reading this: I'm sorry. It was just too damn tempting. And a $50 minimum for cards! HOT DAMN I ain't made of $50 charges here. But mostly, I'm sorry. And it won't happen again (at your bar).


Well now that I've gotten that off my chest, let's talk about FASHION. Being at my first show ever was both exciting and somewhat terrifying. I thought I was going to have a heart attack trying to pick out an outfit that was chic but not too chic, sexy but not trying too hard, funky but not over the top.  As much as I love getting dressed and experimenting with clothes, as soon as I'm in a situation where I actually need to look like I know what I'm doing with fashion, I kind of panic a bit. I landed on my army green Alex Wang lace-up booties, black tights, a knee length black leather skirt with pleats from BCBG, one of those kinda slutty leotards from American Apparel with the mesh V going all the way down and a sparkly beaded collar necklace. I wish I had a picture but I don't. Another reason I'm something of a failure as a fashion blogger: not only do I not have a photographer in my life, I DON'T EVEN OWN A DEECE CAMERA. Halp me please, someone.

I was also kind of nervous about the concept of being in the presence of a bunch of hot chicks wearing basically no clothes all night. Like, whoa, what was that gonna be like? Aside from going to the bathroom upon arrival and encountering a model wearing a thong (and nothing else), it was pretty normal. The models that Eternal Reign used were all gorgeous, natural women with bodies that looked healthy and hot. It was really refreshing to see a group of models that represented a variety of heights, shapes and looks. It was clear that they felt confident in themselves and in the clothes that they were wearing, and that set a really great tone for the night. On their website, Eternal Reign states that they are "inspired by the femininity, confidence and empowerment of the modern woman" and this definitely came through in the show.

In addition, the pieces themselves were lovely, and very diverse. From dainty lace-trimmed lingerie to an amazing yellow fringe bikini, I can't imagine a woman who wouldn't see a little something she liked in this collection. Some of my personal favorites:

Best suit of the evening, in my opinion. Not only would the sunny yellow color be perfect on the beach, but the fringe is amazing and it would look great with denim cutoffs or a long skirt at a summer festival or concert.

Also comes in black! Wear it out to the bar with jeans and then keep it on once you come home for sexytime. I like the white because it's obviously majorly hot, but still a little bit girly too. I would grunge it up with black skinnies and combat boots.

Pretty sure this suit is reversible, which is nice because personally, I hate investing in bathing suits because they serve such a specific function. Anything that has two-in-one power is great by me.

Loooove the color of this one.

The lace detailing on this lingerie set is beautiful. The little rosebuds are so sweet. And I love the model's face! She looks  so confident and happy.

More lace.

And now, my absolute favorite piece of the show.  White + crochet + long, flowy skirt = everything I look for in a summer dress! Once again, it shows skin without being slutty and maintains that soft, romantic vibe I love so much.

Overall, such a fabulous collection and such a fun show! The venue, Work In Progress, was also  amazing in its own right. Upon entering, I came down these little, winding stairs and found myself in a long hallway patterned like a chessboard, complete with a few large chess pieces scattered around. There was graffiti and random doodles all over the walls and some weird, psychedelic artworks waiting to be discovered. One in particular was this. Yes, I took a video of it. If you can't tell, it's a large, strange looking sculpture of a face that has video projections on it to make it seem like it's moving. Or maybe it is moving? I'm not sure, but it's awesomely bizarre. I'm sorry, I guess I wasn't aware I was supposed to pull one of these. 

All the beautiful models and the fabulous designer, Emily Liptak, in the middle.

Thanks again to everyone at Eternal Reign, especially Libby and Megan, for making my night so much fun and putting on such a sick show! I can't wait to see what's next for this great brand.