This year, Belk is excited to share its collection of beautiful gowns offered at all price points for the budding fashionista’s big night. Not to mention, Belk welcomes two new designer’s collections to its already stellar selection.

Jessica Simpson’s designs will help girls look red-carpet ready with her affordable collection made to fit and flatter all body types, while Aidan Mattox gowns will bring a touch of sophistication and Hollywood glamour to any look.

Both collections will be available at Charlotte’s SouthPark Mall and www.belk.com.

Each of these collections tells a story of how to use contrast in a space using a chair, lighting, a pillow and wallpaper.  

1. Row 1: This classic black and white palette (dark vs. light)  is timeless and the repetition of  geometric patterns give a space movement;
2. Row 2:  Imagine this collection with 3 wallpapered walls (using item 5) with the center accent wall painted black (using item 2).  In this example, the black wall is grounding the space allowing the other accessories to sing.
3. Row 3:  This chair in this collection beautifully illustrates the concept of contrast.  You wouldn’t expect the legs to be painted canary yellow but it works!  The accessories complete the look and create balance.

Contrast doesn’t only show up in black and white, its also mixing textures and patterns.  These rooms (from www.houzz.com) illustrate several successful uses of contrast.

contrast in color

contrast in color

contrast in textures and patterns

Thought to subtly blur the line between luxury and street fashion, Mary-Kyri designs present a high fashion aesthetic from the Spring 2012 runways. The inspiration comes from scenarios such as, ‘Attending a Lady Gaga concert’ and the ‘Working Girl in Manhattan.’

Field selected eight different designs for the event including the Jualla design pictured below. With the selection of the Jualla came an idea to embellish the shoes to match the colored crystal corset and mini tutu that they were to be worn with.

With this request, Mary-Kyri embellished the Jualla with 2,457 clear Swarovski crystals creating one of the most unique and elegant pairs of shoes the world has seen.

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(Emma Stone in Giambattista Valli, Zoe Saldana and Sarah Jessica Parker in Prabal Gurung.)

This marriage of unapologetically feminine hues is not for the faint of heart. The intense saturation of this rosy duo automatically places you in wardrobe eye candy status (a title that must be sported with effortless grace and quiet confidence) and should be approached with fearless bravada. For those who prefer to merely dip their toes in these poppy colored waters (as oppose to diving right in with full on head to toe tonal color) this look can easily be tailored and paired down to lower key accessories for subtle impact. And, with the genius color pairing gracing the covers of glossy grocery store magazines and in store catalogs like J.Crew it is guaranteed that your brilliant brights aren’t just limited to spring and summer anymore. Sport this bold pairing year long from flouncy frocks and sandals to colored denim and chunky scarves.

Pink + Red Wardrobe Must Haves:

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Style tip: Any individual red or pink item (such as a blouse and pants/skirt or a dress and a clutch) can be paired together to create this look (see Sarah Jessica Parker above) and help expand your wardrobe past the duration of this fun and flirty trend. Opt for paler blush pinks and pinkish-nudes to tone down the look for a more corporate setting. Pair with neutrals like black or camel to create a more sleek and sophisticated evening feel or a winter weather appropriate look or, if you’re feeling super trendy and fashion forward continue the colorblocking trend and pair with a rich mustard yellow or peacock blue (see images below).

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Now go get creative. Put on your rose colored glasses and get dressed!

Some of the models showcased more whimsical pieces that featured chiffon ruffles, while others wore more edgy pieces that included black leather and snake skin details. Each model was seen wearing open toed ankle boots with studded detailing. Black leather gloves were worn by some of the models.

While “Promise,” by CocoRosie, played in the room I couldn’t keep from being mesmerized by how enchanting the entire collection was. Each piece seemed to be a work of art.

The incorporation of leather, wool, and cashmere into these fur pieces gave a wonderful sense of versatility. Brandon Sun has done a remarkable job of transforming fur accessories into a wearable collection, which truly defines Ready to Wear.

The aesthetic of Sonja Rubin and Kip Chapelle’s collection centered around the alternative to the traditional black and white tie codes with a figurative more feminine gold.

The collection includes lingerie finishes appearing on the hems, necklines, and corset belts. Fabrics include silk crepe, satins, and jerseys. Long 20′s silhouettes and short fitted dress bodies can be found amongst the collection offering a suggestive and sophisticated sexiness.

The bohemian, country, free, chic energy made everyone feel instantly like they were home. It felt as if you were looking and admiring old friends, and not a new collection. The jaw-dropper was this amazing baby-doll navy sequin dress with silver and off white beaded sequin trim. Candela really captured the essence of the L.A. girl to me, and took me back to my California roots. A breath of fresh air.

The models hair ranged from soft tousled beach like waves, loosly kempt up-do’s, and a simple braid framing the face into long flowy locks.

The make-up was soft but very much present. A soft creamy textured brown smoky eye started at the lashine and faded into the perfectly groomed brow performing a stellar ombre of colour. Rosey blush contoured and hugged the apple of their cheeks, and their skin glowed with a slightly shimmery highlight on the high planes of the face. Their lip colour looked worn, and faded almost coming from within, but done in a fresh, soft matte brownie based red. I wanted to literally be every girl, on any day of the week.

Adjacent to me was actress Shailene Woodley adorable and chic equally excited for the show to begin. Lights come up and out comes the first look.

A black silk bustier dress with a vibrant violet rose print organza overlay. This is going to be good. Splashes of color was evident in almost every look. True color, not washes of it. Reds, violets, royal jewel blues, yellows, lime green with continuous prints and patterns. The neon and color blocking trend we’ve been seeing isn’t going anywhere fast. Pleats, leather trims, lace overlays and unconventional layering of the clothes gave the collection a fresh, modern and cool take on some of fashions greatest past times.

Who would of thought, a perfectly tailored short sleeved, floor length silk chiffon formal gown paired with a high collared button-up sheer shirt underneath made it not so formal, and a little more fun. Nude colored linings gave sheer, floral maxi dresses a new vibe, sexy. It made you look twice, in a good way.

Full out wide legged pant jump suits with pleats in place of a side hem were my favorite. A huge trend for make-up and hair for Fall ’12 was exemplified to perfection with each model. James Pecis for Bumble and Bumble nailed it. Their hair was straightened, yet tousled, non brushed, total “model off duty” with a simple middle part gave the show the edge it needed. Utterly cool. Their make-up was led by James Boehmer of NARS Cosmetics and showed off another huge trend us industry insiders will be bringing to a counter near you. The “just left the gym look”. Achievable? Yes. Skin looked barely touched with maybe a touch of concealer here and there and glistened under the lighting. The focus on the eyes was thick black liner that looked like it was on its way to a winged out look, but stopped right at the outside corner of the eye. The lip was a beautiful satin finish rosy, plum shade. Their cheeks looked naturally pinched. Perfection.

Photos: NY Post