{#FashionFriday} Photo Highlights from the @CountessLuann Countess #Jewelry Collection

Press Preview of Countess Jewelry Collection - Countess LuAnn de Lesseps, New York City

I attended the Press Preview of Countess LuAnn de Lesseps Countess Jewelry Collection in New York City and thought Fashion Friday would be the perfect day to share the highlights with you!

Yes, 'that' Countess, Countess LuAnn de Lesseps from Real Housewives of New York (#RHONY) television fame,  launched her jewelry collection October 16th via evine.com.

Watch an overview here: (via OK! TV on YouTube)

The collection which is broken up into themes, includes:

Gotham City Wear - a collection inspired by the 'Fashion Mecca' that is my hometown New York City - think Bold Statement Pieces for a night out.

Above: Can't you just picture this and a cute little black dress for New Year's Eve this year?

Above: The Feathers Trend in jewelry tends to come and go, this one has a got a ton of 'texture' and presence.

Above: These are some large simulated pearls! Maybe a bit too 'Pebbles Flinstone' for me! LOL

Above: I appreciated how many of the pieces that look similar, actually had subtle variations

Above: While I probably wouldn't do such a large simulated pearl on my neck, I do like it here. The larger simulated pearl does work on the earrings for me.

Above: Super sophisticated Statement Necklace!

Western Chic - a collection she says works well for both 'Country' and 'City' Living

Overview of Countess LuAnn de Lessep's Countess Jewelry Collection Western Chic Line - F2NYC

I am a HUGE admirer of Southwest and Indian inspired Jewelry and while I am a statement necklace lover at heart (which drew me to the necklace on the upper right immediately), the piece that really won me over was actually the bracelet, so I got a good close up of it for you to really see the nuances that you might not see in the photo above.

Statement Bracelet from the Countess Jewelry Collection - Western Chic Collection

Isn't she lovely? The bold colors, eclectic mix of bracelets and even bold graphic interplay made this one my favorite from the Western Chic Collection - I was so hoping to be able to take this one home! (sadly that wasn't the case)

Countess LuAnn models my favorite bracelet from the Western Chic Collection of her Countess Jewelry Collection

Above: I am so glad she modeled this bracelet showing that it works just as easily with a white shirt, blue jeans and western boots as it does with a dress!

LEFT: Statement Necklace in Silvertone, RIGHT: Statement Necklace in Goldtone

ABOVE: Silver or Gold? Decisions! Decisions! Thanks to the affordable price tag you can actually treat yourself to BOTH! The Countess wanted to create an affordable jewelry line and each piece in the collection is under $100, how great is that?

Statement Necklace from the Countess Jewelry Collection - Western Chic Collection

Above: A recent horoscope suggested I buy something purple to wear to an upcoming event, I'm thinking this statement necklace would certainly fit the bill!

I wear a lot of Turquoise in the Summer, this would be killer with a White Pant Suit or a White T-shirt and Jeans!

St. Tropez Collection - a collection which is inspired by her travels to St. Tropez

Countess Jewelry Collection St. Tropez Line - F2NYC

Above: The St. Tropez Collection was inspired by Countess LuAnn's travels to St. Tropez, I wish I was on the beaches of St. Tropez right about now!

Above: I love this statement necklace and it's matching earrings from the St. Tropez collection.

Curvy Girl Tip: Want to love your swimwear summer photos a bit more? Wear bold earrings and a statement necklace like this one to take your swimwear photos, it pulls the eye toward them and helps you camoflauge the areas you don't want the eye to zoom in on. I think this set would look perfect with a black swimsuit and a breezy, flowy open cover up!

Hampton's Collection - a collection with a bevy of tortoise

Countess Jewelry Collection Hamptons Line - F2NYC

Above: With the cooler months ahead I could see this jazzing up a Turtleneck Sweater or Cardigan Set

ABOVE: For some reason the single strand version gives me a retro sort of 70's vibe that matches the 70's looks making a resurgence in Fashion for Fall this year, bell-bottom jeans, suede or leather platform boots and these pieces from the Countess Jewelry Hampton's Line pair perfectly together!

The Scene:

The event was held in the New York City Offices of F2NYC

Countess LuAnn de Lesseps and her mother

I have a shot of LuAnn putting this necklace on her mom, I will save that one for the Pinterest Board. Gotta do some stuff on the Social Channels that I don't give you here to keep things interesting!

Center: Ramona Singer, Right: Countess LuAnn de Lesseps

TV Personalities: Center Left: Ramona Singer, Center Right: Carson Kressley

ABOVE: I have always been a big fan of Water Walls, I keep saying I should get one so I couldn't resist snapping this photo! I love how you can see through it.

Note: I took way too many photos I will go Watermarking them and you will find these pictures (and a few bonus photos) in my 'Countess Jewelry Collection Press Preview' Board via Pinterest!

MY TAKE:

I love that the collection is as versatile as it is affordable. With accessories you can easily spruce up your favorite basics, and in many cases swapping your accessories (jewelry, handbag, scarves, accesories) is way cheaper then changing your entire wardrobe over each season.

I was pleasantly surprised by how to down-to-earth Countess LuAnn was, I guess as someone who is familiar with the Real Housewives Franchise you come to associate the 'show' with the 'person' and that sometimes isn't always good.

Somehow Countess LuAnn's lovely Mother ended up at our table it was fun to meet her but also witness how sweet LuAnn is with her Mom!

It was also fun to meet Carson Kressley in person too. And while The Countess was certainly a pleasant surprise I will say Ramona was definitely who I expected her to be. (Take that as you will).

CON: There is only one con. During the event I got into a conversation with Countess LuAnn about Twitter and Twitter Parties, I mentioned to her the "Twitter Takeover" I was invited to host for Oprah Winfrey's OWN Television Network where I tweeted from the @OWNers handle directly for a prime time weekend. SHE LOVED THE IDEA!

I was super stoked at the idea of not only presenting this collection to you all with a blog post, but with a tweet chat/twitter party that would have allowed you all a chance to win a piece to call your own.

While I did reach out to her PR team that same evening to follow up, they never got back to me.

I have worked many a 'sales' type job in my day - classified ad sales, staffing agency - I developed a thick skin and certainly am not afraid of the word 'No'. But I hate being ignored, particularly when the client themselves actually WANTED this to happen BEFORE the line launched on evine.

It would have been a super viral way to promote the line and I do hope they see this and opt to follow up on the idea eventually.

Overall I loved the line and found something from each of the four premiere collections in the line that I would totally rock. With the Western Chic and Gotham collections standing stronger for me in terms of my personal style.

Readers Sound Off: WHICH OF THE FOUR PREMIERE LINES IN THE COUNTESS JEWELRY COLLECTION IS YOUR FAVORITE AND WHY? 

Want Bonus Brownie Points, (of course you do!) visit evine.com and pick your favorite piece and tell us which one it is!

˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙

FTC Disclosure: All opinions are 100% MY OWN. This is NOT a Compensated Post, it is an Event Recap. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission 16 CFR, Part 255 - Guides Concerning the use of endorsements and testimonials in advertising, you may check our Giveaway and Disclosure Page for additional information regarding Ascending Butterfly Disclosure.

Not So {Wordless Wednesday} Check out #photos from the @MadisonPlus MP Select Press Preview @alisoneighteen in New York City! #Fashion

One of the best parts of living in New York City is being right smack dab in the hub of Fashion Central! There certainly isn't a shortage of choices here, there is literally something for everyone. Although there is a fashion segment where for a long time options felt super limited, Plus Size Fashion. 

Curvy Girls often feel like there are few options to look stylish and still be on trend in their size.

I'm happy to share that I recently attended a Fashion Event at New York City's Alison Eighteen that was a ray of hope in the sea of floral prints and mom jeans that most people complain is their only choice after a certain size.

Curvy Girls rejoice, Madison Plus, a website for plus size Fashions founded by Erica Young and Aimee Cheshire has set out to fill the void and show that curvy girls can still rock the trends! Their mission statement is simple: "Attainable luxe designed for full-figured, fashion-forward plus size women."

As a curvy Latina I can tell you that finding Fashion that is trendy and stylish isn't always easy, for me Jean shopping has always been an expedition even at what I consider my best 'fighting weight'. I greatly enjoyed meeting Aimee Cheshire, CEO of Madison Plus who shared her vision behind the curated content sold at Madison Plus.

Here are my best shots from the Press Preview from the Madison Plus Select Event:

Aimee Cheshire CEO of Madison Plus holds up a White Jacket from MYNT 1792 at the Madison Plus Select Press Preview Event at Alison Eighteen in New York City

Aimee Cheshire CEO of Madison Plus holds up a Blue Jacket from MYNT 1792 at the Madison Plus Select Press Preview Event at Alison Eighteen in New York City

Just a shot to soak up the ambiance at the venue, Alison Eighteen

Statement Jewelry on Display at Madison Plus Select Press Preview Event at  Alison Eighteen in New York City

Eden Miller, Designer, holds up Fashions from Cabiria Style at the Madison Plus Select Press Preview Event at Alison Eighteen in New York City

My Take:

I greatly enjoyed the Madison Plus Select Press Preview! It was fun to see so many Fashion-Foward styles for us curvy gals on display! Aimee's enthusiasm was definitely infectious, and you can tell she is passionate about curating the best collection of styles possible for style conscious plus size women! I was also impressed with designer Eden Miller who shared her whimsical style and collection of clothing for women in sizes 12-24. And as you can probably tell from my photo choices, the true style standout for me was MYNT 1792! I couldn't get enough of their pieces which matched my personal style to the tee!

If they weren't already on your radar, I hope you now make Madison Plus your one to watch! Because they are definitely on my radar, and I hope to have them back on our pages again soon!

Get Social:

Get social with Madison Plus, and don't forget to tell them you saw them featured on Ascending Butterfly!

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - 'Like' on Facebook

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Follow @Madison Plus via Twitter

Butterfly who is YOUR favorite Plus-Sized Fashion Retailer or Designer? Bloggers can also feel free to post your Wordless Wednesday links as a comment so we can check out your photos today too!

˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙

FTC Disclosure: This is NOT a Sponsored Post. Nor is this a compensated post. I was under no obligation to share my event recap and all opinions expressed are 100% my own. There were no gift bags offered during this event either!