The Style File

When most people think of South by Southwest Music Festival, their typical thought is just that: music. But I had a slightly different thought in mind: fashion (and shoes of course). Last month, myself and the rest of the Bed Stu team headed for Texas, where we spent five days working, promoting Bed Stu, and of course eating some amazing southern BBQ.

The first day spent in Texas was exhausting, to say the least. A 5 a.m. wake-up call, a three-hour drive to Austin, and a six-hour blogger and vendor tour of Austin’s best shopping set the scene for a very busy work trip.

The fashion tour throughout the live music capital was possibly one of our most leisurely activities throughout the trip (scratch that, kayaking was probably a bit more serene). The creators of Style X (pronounced “Style By”), which is a subsection of SXSW, invited bloggers, editors, and vendors to check out the best stores in the Austin area. A short van ride later and we were at what soon became my favorite destination for clothing, accessories, and home decor. Bows + Arrows was a store that could keep me hooked for hours. One of my favorite finds would have to be the hand made art made by a local artist. Did I mention this artist was also the DJ for the event?

South by South West may be all about the music, but Style X is all about merging music with fashion. On the second day in Texas, the East and West Coast Bed Stu teams got off to an early start with a 6 a.m. call time at the Austin Convention Center. The morning consisted of setting up a booth filled with our shoes and accessories, organizing our stock room, and tracking down some much needed coffee. Needless to say, we kept busy during the two-day (totally free) selling event.

There’s nothing like sitting front row at a runway show--especially when that show happens to be prancing with all of my favorite Bed Stu shoes. The show was a little different than you may expect. This runway wasn’t filled with the Karlie Kloss’ of the world, who effortlessly glide down the runway with the typical “model stare.” Instead, the creators of Style X stayed true to “merging music with fashion,” and dressed up some of the musicians playing SXSW with duds from the vendors at the Style X convention.

Our last day in Texas was spent how any normal overly-worked person would have spent it: an afternoon brunch and a quick kayak ride around the city. With one last “goodbye” to the music city that captured my heart, we were on a flight and headed back to the big city.