Fashion Week S/S 2013 Dinner Party

Thanks Abby, for this photo!

Rachel, Brittany and I had so much fun hosting our fashion week dinner party last year, we decided to make it an annual event. This time, instead of a progressive party with a course at each of our apartments, we reserved The Maxwell's event room for the evening. Since we all wore heels, it was a lot more convenient for our guests.

Hors d'oeuvres during cocktail hour were prosciutto, goat cheese, and peach crostini. Rachel found the recipe on Pinterest, one of our favorite sites. Follow Rachel and me!

Rachel pours the drinks before our guests arrive

Brittany, our resident mixologist, came up with the drink recipes. Our first cocktail was a lime and mint martini. 

Goat cheese tarts with arugula salad

The appetizer course was a goat cheese tart with arugula salad. To. Die. For. We found the recipe in American Fashion Cookbook, the CFDA cookbook. Unfortunately, I didn't take a photo of our main dish, roasted tilapia with mushroom risotto. Brittany was so on top of filling up my drink that I sort of forgot about it. Oops! 

Lindsey Menner, Megan Giannini and Becky Tilson in a staged laughter shot

Dessert was black and white cookies and raspberry linzers, two iconic New York City cookies. If we can't be in NYC, we can bring it to us!

We even got shushed by a girl who lived on the same floor as the party room. Oops. I blame the cocktails and the copious amount of wine.

What they wore:

Me in Asos patent leather skirt and top, a VPL bra, and Alejandro Ingelmo pumps

Rachel Conner in H&M leather pants and lace top, Pitaya blazer, Victoria Secret bra

Hostesses with the mostesses: Brittany Conner in a Tibi top, Parker leather pleated skirt, and BCBG heels.

Megan Giannini in French Connection and Francesca's, shoes from an Italian boutique

Abby Reed in Forever 21 top, Bleulab leather pants, Fergie shoes and Target necklace

Lindsey Menner

Becky Tilson

Laura Hull

Hostesses with the Mostesses: Brittany Conner (center) wore a Tibi top, Parker leather skirt, and BCBG heels. 

Then we took the after party to Tini on Mass Ave:

Fashion Week S/S 2012 Dinner Party

At my place from left to right: Brittany Conner, Lindsey Menner, Rachel Conner, Lindsey Slipher, Kiley Duke and Megan Giannini. I jumped in the photo on the right.

It's the most wonderful time of the year! Fashion Week! But while all the New Yorkers, Parisians, Londoners and Milanese have glamorous fashion events galore at their fingertips, us Hoosiers have to work a little bit harder to celebrate.

Me, Brittany and Rachel. I felt like J.Lo in this outfit, although that wasn't the original plan.

Since my sister Rachel, my cousin Brittany, and I all live conveniently close to each other in the Mass Ave/Lockerbie area, we decided to host a progressive fashion dinner party to toast the spring/summer fashion shows. Fashion week makes us a little bit wistful, since we all used to live around the NYC fashion action (especially Brittany, who just moved back), but this time, we brought the fashion to us! 

Left: Lindsey and Rachel. Right: Me, Lindsey Kiley and Megan.

We invited all our most fashionable friends to wear their best runway inspired ensembles and join us in a evening of food, fun, and obvie, fashion. We even used the American Fashion Cookbook, full of recipes from CFDA members, for some of the dishes. Food and fashion are my two favorite things, so I love tying them together whenever possible.

Some detail shots from our runway inspired outfits

Brittany made the super cute menu. For more on the food and recipes, go to IndySlim

We started off at Rachel's Mass Ave apartment with Derek Lam's yellowtail crudo, edamame and cucumber, mint and lemon martinis. We bought the yellowtail at Kona's Fish Market, and it was delish. Afterwards, we headed to my place for the main course, Diane von Furstenberg's Saturday Night Chicken, and a few bottles of white wine. 

 Left: Brittany and I at her apartment. Note that she's still taller barefoot. So unfair! Right: Brittany making some kickass St. Germain champagne cocktails.

Kiley pretending that she made the cupcakes, but we all know the real truth.

Dessert was Spiced Rosé Gelatin With Peaches, mini strawberry cupcakes and St. Germain and Champagne cocktails at Brittany's new place in the Maxwell. For more on the food, including recipes, check out my sister and my blog, Indy Slim.

 At The Libertine...

...with absinthe cocktails... yeah buddy!

We finished the night at The Libertine, Neal and Lindy Brown's new bar on Washington Street. The cocktails were glorious, and it was a great spot for a fashionable night cap. 

Colorblock Dinner Party!

The colorblock inspiration board

Last Saturday, Lindsey Menner (of CutieCooks) and I threw a small dinner party for eight of our closest friends. The theme was entirely based on the colorblock fashion trend, which inspired the menu, the decorations, the cocktails, and obviously, the dress code. We all had a ball!

 Sara, Rachel, Matea, Gabrijel and Lauren

 Megan, Ally, me, Lindsey and Kelly

 The Gelics and Conners!

 Gabrijel and I

 Lindsey and I

 DVF and Haider Ackermann runway place cards

 Prada and Marc Jacobs place cards

Sara and Kelly

 Chris Kane, Miu Miu, Gucci and Prada place cards

The colorblock inspired menu for the evening