Mid-city restaurant, Katie's, will be featured on tonight's episode of Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives on the Food Network. The host of the show, Guy Fieri, will be focusing on a seafood sandwich so large they call it The Barge. Look for Katie's tonight at 8pm central time on the Food Network.
 (Ps - Katie's food is amazing! Look for it in Mid-City!)

     Friday night closed out Fashion Week New Orleans and WOW what a great show! Another lineup of amazing local designers, boutiques, and stores graced the runway including Langford Market, Meghann Harney, Banana Republic, Brooks Brothers, Anna Mixon, Kano Branon, and Saks Fifth Avenue. 
     The audience's sure favorite was local designer Kano Branon. Kano encompasses what New Orleanians are all about. His designs were simple yet interesting and beautiful and he received a standing ovation after his last model walked the runway. Kano had his own clothing store before Hurricane Katrina, and like most others, it was destroyed. As a struggling designer, he worked as a waiter, trying to get by, and now he's back with an amazing collection and still living in his beloved NOLA.
     A celebrity guest also made an appearance, taking his turn on the catwalk. Mike McKenzie of the New Orleans Saints strutted his stuff down the runway Friday night during the Banana Republic Mens and Brooks Brothers collections. Who knew Mike McKenzie could walk the runway?
     The night closed out with the announcement of the Top Designer Winner. It went to the one and only Alicia Zenobia for her experimental clothing designs. Her show was intriguing and entertaining and the audience loved it!
     We're looking forward to Fashion Week New Orleans 2012!

     The runway was rockin' for Fashion Week NOLA last night! Last night's runway shows consisted of multiple local boutiques and local designers. All the clothes were gorgeous and Spring/Summer ready! One of the interesting aspects of last night's show was the presence of the New Orleans Fire Department. NOLA Firefighters modeled clothes from Style Lab in an effort to push their calender sales and other fundraising efforts to help support the department. How Fun! Another surprise of the night was the presence of some of the ladies from The Bad Girls Club, currently being filmed in Kenner, Louisiana. Three of the girls from the show modeled lingerie from House of Lounge. Overall, FWNOLA is rocking! 
     Stay tuned for more updates, pictures, and the results of the Top Designer Competition! Keep it fashionable NOLA! 

     Last night kicked off the first night of Fashion Week New Orleans, and what a huge success it was! The night started with a Designer Competition formatted in a Project Runway style. The local designers were AMAZING (pictures coming soon)! New Orleans really does have some great talent and some stunning fashionistas.
    Other runway shows consisted of local boutiques such as Wish, Lola, Lili, Hemline, Swap, and many more! Stay tuned for more updates and pictures!

     The kick-off VIP party for Fashion Week New Orleans took place last night at Twist on St. Charles Ave. All that were there included models, designers, retailers, make-up artists, hair stylists, reporters, and all other elite taking part in fashion week. The party was catered with delicious appetizers and cocktails, while fashion week videos played throughout the venue. 
     John Robert Powers staff attended the party with two of their models, Skylar McCartney and David Bartholomew, both of whom are walking in the runway shows, which start tonight at 6pm at the Sugar Mill. We hope to see everyone there! 

     Many New Orleanians may not know that this American icon lives part time in the French Quarter. Locals may say, "Who is he?", "I've never seen him". But everyone knows him. He is Harry Shearer, the voice of the long time running TV show, The Simpsons. Harry is the voice of Ned Flanders, Mr. Burns, and Smithers. Harry is also a civic-minded satirist and political science expert. After living in New Orleans and experiencing what "really happened" post Hurricane Katrina, Harry decided to expose the real villain of Katrina, and in his opinion, it is not Mother Nature. Harry narrated, directed, and funded the documentary himself titled, "The Big Uneasy". The idea came after the President visited NOLA in October 2009 and stated it was a "natural disaster" right to the face of New Orleanians. So what caused the disaster in NOLA? Harry says it was the avoidable engineering failure that is being repeated in the city and is also seen in other cities such as Sacramento and Dallas. He claims the real villain is not Mother Nature and Hurricane Katrina, but the one and only Army Corps of Engineers and the lack of supervision and permission of freedom granted to them by the government. 
   WHOA! That's a lot to take in! Regardless of what Harry's political views are, he wants to tell the untold story of New Orleans. The story of how this city rebuilt itself: through tremendous civic organization and action that would have never happened without the disaster. He knows the resilience of the people of this city, he is one. 
     "The Big Uneasy" screens today at the American Film Institute. We hope you get your point across to Washington, Mr. Shearer! 

     

     This week kicks off the second fashion week to take place in New Orleans this year. Fashion Week NOLA is bringing a different element than Bourbon Park's International Fashion Week. This series of runway shows, exhibits, and chic parties is more consumer driven and is focusing more on spotlighting the designers, boutiques, make-up artists, hair stylists, and models. FWNOLA starts Tuesday March 15th with a kick-off party and is followed by 3 days of runway shows (March 16-18) at the Sugar Mill. They will be headlining guest designers and will also be hosting a Top Designer Competition enabling an emerging undiscovered fashion designer to gain exposure and recognition. The winner will also be given the opportunity to showcase their designs in Hemline's boutique for 90 days, along with two trunk shows. Participating retailers in FWNOLA include Saks Fifth Avenue, Hemline, Style Lab, Bella Couture, House of Lounge, plus many many more!

     Other exciting news about FWNOLA is the emerging models that have donated their time to walk in the runway shows. Who knew so many beautiful people existed in one little city?! With six models coming from John Robert Powers Performing Arts Academy alone, FWNOLA is already establishing itself as a premier fashion experience. Models from the school include Skylar McCartney with NEXT Model Management; Brooke Hurring, Ms. iPOP!; David Bartholomew, iPOP! Model of the Year; Cody Bruno; Brittany Palmisano; and Ashley Wilson Buyers; all local models from John Robert Powers Modeling School.