La Nuit Noire: A ball dedicated to shedding light on suicide

"We have galas, fashion shows, and fundraisers for cancer, heart disease and a million other things. It's time for an elegant event to be held to stop suicide. This is a cause that can be directly impacted just by spreading education and awareness."

The matter of suicide is delicate and difficult to discuss. Pretty Living PR co-owner Allyn Lewis, a suicide survivor, lost her father to suicide in 2008. After years of coping and dealing with pain and confusion, it has come time for Allyn to share her story. On November 20^th 2008, “I walked in the door, and five years later, I can still hear the words from mom stinging in my ears, ‘They found your dad,’” Allyn shares, “People say that it gets better as time goes on when you lose someone, but when you lose someone to suicide, it does not work that way.”

And so, La Nuit Noire (the dark night) was born. It is with this debut event that Allyn hopes to provide support to those currently suffering from the loss that suicide creates, and to provide the public with the drive to spread resources and education for suicide prevention. The first annual La Nuit Noire Ball will be held to inspire fellow suicide survivors, pay tribute to the memory of the loved ones lost and raise awareness in their honor.

You're invited to attend the first annual La Nuit Noire Ball on January 25, 2014 at Cefalo’s in Carnegie PA, from 7-11p.m. and to join the effort in sharing Allyn’s story and suicide awareness with the public. Event features include the launch of Tidal Cool Couture with a fashion show presented and designed by Andrea Howell, live performances by Ambition, Shaun Novak, Kiersten Kelly and Danielle Barbe, along with local celebrity guests.

All proceeds to benefit The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP), the leading national not-for-profit organization exclusively dedicated to understanding and preventing suicide through research, education and advocacy, and to reaching out to people with mental disorders and those impacted by suicide. 

Purchase Tickets | Donate | More Information

This is a partnered post, but all opinions are my own. 

Pretty Presents: Small Business Holiday Catalog

1. & 5. Tidal Cool Creations | 2. Vienna Victoria | 3. White Haute Fashions | 4. Cutie Pitutie Bath & Body

So whether you're a very last minute shopper or just ready to look for something for yourself as a treat for getting through the holiday rush, Pretty Living has you covered. With their holiday gift guide, Pretty Presents, you're sure to find something that satisfies your need to shop. And every item included in the guide is from a local small business, which is really a present to this community as well, since your purchases will help those little guys grow and thrive in Pittsburgh, and you can shop easily from home! Win-Win-Win.

Above I've selected just a few of my favorite pieces from the catalog in hopes that you will browse through it for yourself and support these great businesses! The catalog includes items for men and women, so you're sure to find something great for yourself or a friend. 

Wishing you a very happy holiday and happy shopping!

Catalog | Order Form

This is a partnered post, but all opinions are my own.

Fashion Forward Fridays: Dona Jo Fitwear

So if there is one thing I know about girls, it's that we hate to look bad, even in situations where not looking are best should be is permitted. I'm sure you know what I'm talking about....the gym (or really anywhere you might workout). That internal debate always seems to go off in our heads as to whether or not we should be "dressing cute" to go work out. The answer, in my opinion, is always no, you should not be wearing makeup and no your hair should not be made perfect before you go to the gym. Your outfit however, can be "cute" or in today's case for Fashion Forward Fridays, very stylish.

Meet Ashley Ferraro, a Pittsburgh native and designer of Dona Jo Fitwear. Ashley is the answer to your prayers if you're anything like the girl described above. Or if you're just the girl who is sick of wearing her boyfriend's shorts to the gym. Read on, fashion-loving, active ladies as Ashley gives you the ins and outs of Dona Jo Fitwear through this exclusive interview!

Stylish & colorful workout clothes from Dona Jo Fitwear - all photos provided by Ashley.

Tell us about yourself and how Dona Jo Fitwear was created
I’m originally from Pittsburgh, but traveled to Florida for school – Go FGCU! I met my husband, Raphael, in college. I made my first trip to Brazil in my sophomore year of college and fell in love with the country. I wasn’t really into working out at that point, but it was my first encounter with a more stylish, sexy, and vibrant way of dressing to the gym. I was amazed how Brazilians were so confident in their own skin. The second trip to Brazil everything changed. I fell in love with the Brazilian style of workout clothing and I bought some pieces for personal use. As much as I loved everything, I knew if we wanted to see the Brazilian style of workout clothing here in the US, we were going to have to modify it! So about a year ago when we started brainstorming about the business, we knew we had to modify the cut, designs, and quality standards. We decided to create a brand that combines the Brazilian inspiration for stylish, sexy, fun designs and colors, with the American quality standards. Once we created our own identity, and the designs came to life the business was born. 

Why did you decide to design workout gear rather than anything else?
I LOVE working out, it’s such a huge part of my life. I’ve been an athlete my whole life. My husband was also an athlete when we met, and he got me into going to the gym about 4 years ago. I have been working out 4-5 days a week ever since. It changed my whole outlook on health and how I feel about myself. Looking good motivates me to work out harder, have fun and feel good about myself. This is how I want all my customers (JoJo’s) to feel when they wear Dona Jo!

Look good and feel great while working out in Dona Jo Fitwear.

What inspires your designs?
The free-spirited, confident and vibrant Brazilian culture is where most of the inspiration comes from. Brazilians want to be sexy, comfortable and sporty so I grab that inspiration in every piece we design. I am the only American on the whole team, so I “Americanize” each piece we create in our manufacturer in Brazil to ensure everyone here will LOVE it too! 

Where can readers buy your pieces?
Anyone can shop on our website www.donajofitwear.com. Or, you can email me at aferraro@donajofitwear.com for a personal styling appointment if you are in the Pittsburgh area. Also, we have wholesalers in the USA, Brazil and Ukraine…and a few more to come. 

What are your future plans for the Fitwear line?
Right now we are getting all our designs finalized for the fall/winter collection. The collection is looking beautiful and will be something totally different than anything you see in the market! We will be introducing new prints, textures, colors and designs. 

Our future goal is to have wholesalers throughout the world, and a few corporate owned stores in the biggest markets.  We want to give all women the opportunity to be motivated to live a healthy life style and feel great about themselves when they wear Dona Jo.

What is the most rewarding thing about having your own line?
I love being able to dress women to feel confident in their own skin while working out. The gym can be an intimidating place, so feeling and looking the part is SO important to achieve better results. You have to dress the part…if you want to lose those last 10 lbs, it’s important to power up your self-esteem by looking the part. Dona Jo has the right gear for that!

Anything else you'd like to add...
I <3 all my Jo Jo’s – Thank you for all the love and support! Keep being #fashionablyfit!

Hope you all check out the Dona Jo Fitwear collection 

and stay #fashionablyfit this weekend!

This is a partnered post but all opinions are my own.

Summer Soiree & Fashion Show scheduled for July 25th

Just letting you guys in on an upcoming event that I am really excited for! Pretty Living PR, is hosting Pretty in Paradise, a summer soiree to benefit UPMC Cancer Center for Melanoma Research on NEXT Thursday, July 25th at The Cabana Bar in Wexford, Pa.

The event is, obviously, beach-themed and will feature a fashion show by Tidal Cool Creations, who was featured on Chels & the City a while back for Fashion Forward Fridays. This event will also offer raffles, local celebrities, hors d'oeuvres, and prizes! While the event starts at 7p.m., Tidal Cool Creations will start their fashion show at 9p.m. and you really don't want to miss this because it is the last runway/party before Tidal Cool heads off to New York Fashion Week!

Need a little more convincing? The cause that you will be supporting, UPMC Cancer Center, offers comprehensive diagnostic services, cutting-edge treatments and supportive care to patients with melanoma and non melanoma skin cancers. Also, specialty care options are available through the Melanoma and Skin Cancer Program of the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute, patients also have access to a large network of community-based physicians. So, you'll have a great night and you'll be supporting a very important and worthy case.

To order tickets, head over to the Pretty in Paradise ShowClix page and to keep up with all of the events and promotions offered by Pretty Living PR, feel free to follow them on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook!

This is a sponsored post, I received tickets to this event but all opinions are my own.

Fashion Forward Fridays: Tidal Cool Creations!

Recently I was approached by Pretty Living PR to feature one of their clients, Tidal Cool Creations and thought that this company would be perfect to include with Fashion Forward Fridays. Although not considered a Pittsburgh-based company, they are located in Cleveland Ohio, but have showed their previous collections at Pittsburgh Fashion Week and are growing to even greater fashion heights.

I love the mixture of hard and sweet elements in this new collection, Primary. It is very much my style and I connected to it's mix of edgy and girly instantly. Below is my interview with the Tidal Cool Creations designer, Andrea Howell, and some inside looks as to what to expect from this up and coming brand. Enjoy!

How did Tidal Cool Creations come to be?
I launched Tidal Cool Creations a few years ago as a creative outlet, and was designing and sewing commissioned items as a side job and hobby. Last Spring I auditioned for Fashion Week Cleveland (the first audition or submission I'd ever done) and was accepted. Upon hearing about my acceptance into the show, I decided to go all in, quit my career in restaurant management, and focus 100% on my clothing label.