You can read it online at the Post-Gazette.com, or see below!

The Blogger: Julia DiNardo, founder and editor of Fashion Pulse Daily.

The Big Apple will get a bit busier when the who’s who of the fashion world descend on Lincoln Center Thursday for Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week, eight days of runway shows and presentations previewing the trends that will make a splash in stores next fall and winter. Meanwhile, hotel suites, galleries and rooftop terraces across the city will be transformed into makeshift showrooms for other New York Fashion Week festivities.

For many, the biannual affair is synonymous with VIP parties, runways and industry powerhouses such as Anna Wintour and Andre Leon Talley surveying the scene from the front row. But behind the glamour and glitterati are thousands of models, stylists, makeup artists, designers, writers and volunteers who make it all possible. Meet three of them from Pittsburgh:

The blogger: Julia DiNardo

Fashion Week or not, beauty and style are always on Julia DiNardo’s agenda.

When the 30-year-old Highland Park native isn’t working as a freelance writer (she’s contributed to media outlets such as Redbook, GQ, BeautyHigh.com and AOL StyleList, among others), she’s refining stories for her Fashion Pulse Daily blog or prepping for the course on style and society she teaches at New York University’s Gallatin School. She’s also the creator of Neighbor Teaze, a line of T-shirts with slogans and graphics inspired by Pittsburgh neighborhoods.

During Fashion Week, her workload intensifies. Now based in the Astoria neighborhood, she covers about 60 shows for her blog and a handful of other beauty sites. Backstage interviews with stylists also dot her days.

“It’s just a matter of splitting my time, hopefully successfully, between being backstage and coming around to the front of the house to see the shows and the looks as they come down the runway,” she says.

Ms. DiNardo is a seasoned pro at balancing the long days of shows and the late nights of writing, having covered Fashion Week for almost a decade. Plus, she’s passionate about what she does.

“I always knew I wanted to do something in fashion,” she says. “Sometimes I forget, being here and going to a lot of events, how amazing and special it is.”

When she needs a hand, she taps friends in the industry or current or former students to write a piece.

“I’m glad I can offer them that opportunity,” she says. “I think that the blogging community seems to have a strong cohesion. … Sharing tips and information about how to better things isn’t considered as much of a trade secret. It’s ‘I don’t mind helping you. Let me help you,’ which has been a breath of fresh air.”

She’s watched Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week relocate from its midtown home at Bryant Park to Lincoln Center and start to treat online media more like print’s equal by providing more resources on-site for digital journalists.

“It makes me feel things are definitely starting to move in a more online-friendly format,” she says.

The stylist: Philip Pelusi

Vivienne Tam, Kati Stern, Jillian Lewis, Benjamin Cho — all names one may expect to see on a Fashion Week roster. But for Philip Pelusi, they’re memories of past collaborations.

“We’re adding on to the list, but you can only take on what you can handle and do well,” says the Bloomfield-born hairstylist and product developer, who is in his 60s.

This weekend, Mr. Pelusi, who has salons in New York City and across Pittsburgh, will rekindle his collaboration with Ms. Stern, the Venexiana designer whom he’s worked with for five or six seasons. This time around, he’s planning a “neo-Renaissance” look for her over-the-top couture gowns that “will be modern but will have some soft, interesting wave patterns going back into a top knot,” he says.

Prior to the big day, Mr. Pelusi and his team of stylists — many from Pittsburgh — practice executing the look planned for the models and meet with the designer for approval.

“If they’re feeling something else, we have to be able to come up with an answer for them,” he says. “You have to be ready for everything and anything.”

Even a well choreographed plan can be tested by the backstage chaos. Models can be late, conditions are cramped and there are interviews with reporters to do in between styling. But one of the greatest challenges is creating the same look on multiple models with different features and hair textures, he says.

To help refresh a model’s hair that’s sodden with sprays and gels from other shows, Mr. Pelusi uses products from his Tela Beauty Organics and P2 lines, which he also uses for styling. His philosophy is that hair is a fabric and adding healthy ingredients to it makes a better fabric, and ultimately a better design.

“It’s a process,” he says of Fashion Week. “When you’re going through it, it’s like having a baby. … When it’s over, a lot of good things happen.”

The student and aspiring model: Alexis Katsafanas

For 20-year-old Alexis Katsafanas of the North Hills, fashion isn’t just something she sports for a photo shoot or learns about at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York. It’s in her genes.

“I know it sounds silly, but I feel like it was just an interest I was born with,” she says, recalling childhood photos of her dressing up and posing for the camera.

Since graduating from Hampton High School and moving to New York to study fashion merchandising, her childhood fascination has flourished into a lifestyle of juggling school, test shoots and blogging about menswear for StyleSegment.com.

“Some days I wake up in the dorm room and I look out the window and I can see the Empire State Building and I feel so lucky,” she says. “It’s so crazy. I live here!”

She’s also interned with Elite Model Management and Karen Lee Group and witnessed the hustle and bustle of the holidays in New York firsthand as a seasonal employee in the men’s department at Saks Fifth Avenue.

Fashion Week provides even more learning opportunities. In recent seasons, Ms. Katsafanas has volunteered backstage, and this time she plans to report on shows for StyleSegment.

She also has been invited to model for New York-based women’s label DEIVIE, which she has walked for in the past and posed for its lookbooks.

“I guess I’d be most happy if I could find my dream job and successfully model on the side, even just as a commercial model” for a catalog or health magazine, she says. “Right now, it’s just more whatever job I can get, and I’m having fun and going to school.”

Sara Bauknecht: sbauknecht@post-gazette.com.

Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12038/1208542-314.stm#ixzz1mVqWelDm

In the mood for a new, free handbag? I thought so! We’ve got a super cute brown slouchy small satchel for you with chic zip hardware detailing from UNIONBAY’s spring 2011 collection up for grabs! Come spring, the bag will retail for $40, and see below for RULES OF ENTRY.

UNIONBAY, a brand from my youth (and probably many of you remember it as well) is currently sold at Kohls JCPenney, and Sears, with a range accessories, footwear and apparel for girls, boys, juniors, and young men.

RULES OF ENTRY:

1) Sign up for the Fashion Pulse Daily Newsletter (if you haven’t already)

2) Tell us in the comments below “What do you think will be the biggest fashion trend of 2011?”

3) USA entrants only, one entry per person, must be 18 or older.

Good luck!

*Contest ends on Friday, February 5th, 2010 at 11:59pm. The winner will be selected via Random.org

Besides our fab giveaway, UNIONBAY is also hosting a  ‘top gifter contest’ on Facebook- a fun and interactive gifting giveaway where fans can gift virtual spring UNIONBAY items to friends and gain a point for each gift sent, with the top gift giver wins a real UNIONBAY gift! Merely “like” the page to get started.

You voted, and the CARLOS BY CARLOS SANTANA Women’s Windsor in Red/Red won! Here’s the complete look, with the winning pair of shoes. Thanks again for your input, and I hope you like the look with these rockin’ red Carlos by Carlos Santana shoes!

Mondays can be painful. To make matters worse, oftentimes I feel like I didn’t even get a weekend, as there was so many errands to run and loose ends to tie-up that I just didn’t have time to go near during the week. Sunday night, I sometimes feel work week trepidation; I’m anxious, nervous, and even stressed – picking out a cool outfit for Monday the night before can help to get me in the mood to get back into the swing of things. This week, I’m wearing the CAVI Striped Sweater (compliments of CAVI) available in-store at Macy’s and priced at $39.

CAVI offers clothing for the make and female ‘modern consumer’ focusing on classic looks with a twist. In this sweater, angled and draped detailing can be found, with an ever so slight upper bodice accentuation. Garnished with metallic buttons, I decided to further doll the look up by adding my Kenneth Jay Lane crystallized snake brooch over top, layering a Forever 21 cropped crochet sweater underneath, Old Navy khakis, and Alexandre Herchcovitch for Melissa oxfords to round out my personal look. Learn more about CAVI via Facebook or Twitter.

Well, I’ll tell you in this video! On a rainy NYC day,  I sported my all black 1964 Premium Sorel Boots without an ounce of fear that my feet would get soaked! Sorel is seriously helping me to tolerate the cold and inclement weather much much better – perhaps I won’t have to eventually move to a warmer client after all. Check out my video above, or at the Sorel You Tube Channel, Facebook, follow on Twitter, or pick up your own pair of the 1964 Premiums!

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Doing good is definitely the new chic. To be more precise, sustainability is on the minds of many brands these days –  H&M just released its first sustainable, organic collection, but before the massive chains jumped onto the environmental bandwagon, Simple Shoes was already pioneering green shoes with its dedication to using recycled and organic materials. The plastic it uses is from the water bottles you thoughtfully left in recycle bins, the squishy touch insoles in some Simple styles are from used carpet padding, and even their shoe boxes find their origins in recycled paper. To take a step further, Simple Shoes’ latest development is making biodegradable shoes: while normal shoes might take over a thousand years to degrade in landfills (incredible, right?), the brand’s new technology turns your abandoned Simple Shoes into nothing in twenty years.

All this talk of sustainability might be making you think plain or utilitarian rather than chic or cute, but Simple Shoes knows the true meaning of eco-chic. Their sneakers come in bright, contrasting colors for those of you looking for a pair that can spice up an outfit and pull you through a long trek. For Fall 2010, Simple Shoes released its Take On Ribbon shoes (picture above), which feature soles made from recycled car tires and ribbon laces made from…recycled soda bottles! Comfortable, chic and sustainable, Simple Shoes makes you feel good in every single way.

Julia and I both put our Green Toes into Simple Shoes (excuse the corniness…). They were truly comfortable and – before the rain became depressing – perfect for spring!

- Justina Lee

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- Justina Lee

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Is there any way polka dots can not scream cute? Don’t think so. Add a bow to the equation, and you know you’ve got an unabashed celebration of adorable girliness in your grip. But this delightful Polka Dot Chain Shoulder Bag, $17.80 (also available in black or white) is more than a treat to the little girl in every one of us. With a braided chain and a golden buckle, it also calls for a curtsy and a “How do you do?” – by that we mean a refined lady dreaming of Chanel and afternoon tea in a French garden. Sounds like spring? Yes, it’s time to wake up from the winter hibernation and step into spring in style!

- Justina Lee

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Thanks to everyone for your support, and here’s the post!

This week’s Blogger Spotlight goes to the darling Fashion Pulse Daily
Julia from Fashion Pulse Daily got an overwhelming vote this week…and rightly so, this blog is full of handy real life fashion tips and the lovely lady behind it has to be one of the nicest people in real life (and online) it’s such a pleasure to present this week’s Blogger Spotlight!

Nominated by: Ashe Mischief , RetroChick, Dream Sequins, Dozen Dresses , Adventures in Fashion and Nookie

Why did you start blogging?
I originally came from a print background, and as I began writing more and more for online, I became completely enamored with the style, the voice, the personal touch that came along with blogging. There is no other experience like it, and I love that each day is a fresh start, with new content and ideas that can also be seamlessly updated at a moment’s notice – a HUGE advantage over print!

What is most inspirational for you when blogging?
I really think that meeting other creative entrepreneurs, from indie designers to fellow bloggers, and exploring the new online frontier and powerful tool of social media fuels my enthusiasm. I love finding new angles to bring to features, and the freedom that comes with blogging is unparalleled to anywhere else in the publishing industry.

Plus, I feel that the online blogging community is WAY more supportive and understanding of each other, a rarity, especially in fashion!

Describe the type of man or woman who would love Fashion Pulse Daily…
The readers are predominantly female, and my Dad keeps begging me to do more men’s fashion-related posts, so I’m sure that will be down the pipeline. The reader who would love Fashion Pulse Daily is someone who would like to use FPD daily as a resource as well as an inspiration for themselves. The site covers the latest breaking news in fashion and beauty, but also features eco-friendly items, gives shopping and styling tips, while frequently injecting a sense of humor and raising questions that provoke the viewer to think about and respond. I love the reader interaction on the site, because after all, where would I be without them?