5 Spring Essentials

Saturday was one of those days when I sat in the reserved section at a fashion show and interviewed a celebrity. You know, a typical weekend. In case you don’t recognize the adorable little man in the picture above, it’s Nick Verreos, who was on Season 2 of Project Runway. And on Saturday, he had the fabulous opportunity to meet ME and host a fashion show at Macy’s featuring “5 Spring Essentials.”

Nick was an amazing host. He interacted with the crowd and the models and explained each trend and how to wear it. And did I mention he’s adorable? And that he had a pocket square in his pink seersucker blazer? If I were a boy, I would want his outfit. Hell, I want his outfit anyway.

Oh right, the trends! Here they are. And be sure to check out some of the highlights of my interview with Nick at the end of this post!

1. Lace

I love me some lace in any season. I would definitely wear this lace top, maybe with faux leather leggings (because on me, this shirt would be a tunic), or just plain old skinny jeans. I would also wear it with the sassy face this model is making.

2. Peplum

A friend asked me recently when the peplum trend was going to end. Apparently she’s not a fan. The answer is: not yet. And I’m happy about it because I love peplum, including this fancy dress (which I couldn’t find online, but here is a similar one).

3. Printed Pants

Not to brag, but I totally wore polka dot jeans to this event without even knowing the printed pant was one of the spring essentials. I am so on top of it. I’m not totally sure how I feel about these floral jeans for myself, but I did like how the model wore them.

4. Dresses (Shifts, Sheaths, and Shirts)

The best part about this portion of the show was hearing Nick try to say “shifts, sheaths, and shirts.” But the dresses were pretty cute too. I liked the color combo in this shift dress, and I found it in coral online, too!

5. Pullovers

The outfit below led to a long tangent about “Flashdance,” which was good because talking about sweaters can only be so interesting.

Finale!

So there you have it! I think my only complaint about the show was that all the models were tall and skinny. Since the audience consisted of Midwest department store shoppers, it would have been nice to throw one petite and one plus size model into the mix. But that’s just one petite person’s opinion. The show was seriously fun and I’m more excited than ever for spring. And of course it’s still freezing. Fantastic.

But wait. There’s more…

I was lucky enough to get to spend a few minutes with Nick in the beautiful ambiance of the Macy’s conference room to ask him any questions I wanted! We had a pretty interesting conversation. He told me that he wears H&M underwear, and he favors Indiana to win the NCAA Tournament this year. Keep that in mind when you’re filling out your brackets! Here’s a little more of what we chatted about:

Q: What makes you stop in the middle of the street, style-wise?

A: Somebody who’s working it from head to toe. I travel all over the country and I love it when somebody took the time to work it. It doesn’t mean they have to look especially fabulous. It could be a kid with 18 piercings and a punk mohawk and combat boots. I always say go 110%. If you’re only doing 95%, stay home! Being fearless with your style – no matter what kind of style – makes me want to cross the street faster and say, “who are you?!”

Q: What other Project Runway contestant would you like to dress you?

A: That’s a good question! I would say Jay McCarroll. He’s very quirky and fun. He does great prints, and I love prints. He just came out with a sock line. Printed socks! In airports, I get fabulous reactions!

Q: The name of my blog is Sarah’s Real Life because I document the outfits I actually wear. So I wanted to ask you, what do you wear on a typical day when you’re just dressing for yourself?

A: If I’m working a lot at my studio, I like a comfy pair of skinny jeans, and I roll ‘em up. And I go for the American Apparel deep V t-shirt. I like the deep V, the plunging neckline! Then I might just have a little blazer, roll up the sleeves, and then loafers. Sockless. I do Miami Vice Eurotrash. That’s my look. I’m owning it.

Q: What is your guilty pleasure TV show?

The Daily Show. I’m obsessed. And then BBC World News. I love finding out what’s happening in the world. The BBC makes me pretend I’m in Europe when I’m not. I need my tea and crumpets! I wish I could say the Housewives and American Idol, but I don’t watch much reality TV shows. I think it’s because I’ve been on one so I know too much. I almost feel like I can hear the producers saying, “We need you to start something with that person!” So it’s hard for me to watch. I think that’s why I go for John Stewart and BBC World News!

Just one more reminder: he’s adorable.

Disclosure: This post was sponsored by Everywhere. However, opinions expressed are my own!