Werk It Weekends: Elegance Unveiled: Cincinnati Style Report Fall/Winter 2024 Magazine Release Party

We went out with a bang for the 2024 publishing cycle, and all I can say as the Editor In Chief is WOW! At the beginning of the vision board stage of the process of making our 2nd Annual Wedding/Romance issue, I gotta tell ya, I knew that we were going to be in for an undertaking. What I didn’t expect (even if I secretly hoped for it), was all of the hands that were on deck and went into making this issue and subsequent Magazine Release party so successful.

When we began planning this event, I had a secret weapon that I did NOT have last year in the form of Alex Bowman of Avi Luxe Events. As someone who quite literally wakes up and chooses creative chaos EVERY SINGLE DAY, I am in awe of Alex’s ability to organize, compartmentalize, plan, and then move into action. She quite literally came in and just took the planning and coordination of the overall Elegance Unveiled Event. Once I settled on a date, I was able to begin focusing on what I wanted the overall feel of the show to be.

Guests were greeted by glasses of sparkling cider before entering the “ceremony space!”

The response that I landed on was a celebration of LOVE; love for your partner, love for yourself. I wanted people to leave feeling good about their love and themselves. In working with Alex, I was put in touch with Christina of Mojave East, a wedding venue that brings an elevated yet laid back feel to its events. I was SOLD. Listen to me, if you are looking for a space to do an event where you can feel fabulous, decked in your finest, but right at home and able to let your hair down, this is a great place to consider. The space lends itself to transforming into an elevated ceremony and reception space, and the staff is top notch. THANK YOU MOJAVE EAST!

Designed by AviLuxe Events and Photographed by Exposure Best Photography

Once space and coordination were tackled, I had to start thinking about who was going to be shown off. Enter the sponsors and advertisers that help keep Cincinnati Style Report afloat for 2024. Our featured designers were Am.A-Line Collections, Me By Lee , and Mahogany Brown Bridal. All three of these brands are black woman owned, and the talent, THE TALENT?!?!?!? Seeing their clothes go down the runway was quite literally the icing on the magazine production cake for me and our guests. Here’s the thing, you can’t experience an image the same way you can experience a show. When you see a garment in a magazine or online, you can guess and try to assess what an item is going to actually look and feel like in person, but you won’t know unless you’re actually experiencing it. That is why I am so proud of and LOVE our magazine release parties. You don’t have to guess about an item, it is literally RIGHT THERE for you to look at, feel, ask the designers in person about, and even purchase! You can’t beat that kind of approach as a fashionista/fashion ICON.

Me by lee

Am.A-Aline Collection

Mahogany Brown Bridal

After guests experienced the clothing in person, there was a cocktail hour where guests could chat with advertisers and vendors. Our vendors Kindred Light Studios , Haute Air Ballons , and our featured caterer Flavor Dishes Cincinnati were on hand to personally introduce folks to their brands along with our featured designers and advertisers Am.A-Line Collections and Me By Lee. It was so encouraging seeing our readers, subscribers, and guests coming in and getting engaged with our brands, learning about their services and getting a one on one experience with them!

Delicious cocktail offerings courtesy of Flavor Dishes Cincinnati

Our DJ KB kept the vibes up and the party going, seamlessly. After the cocktail hour, guests were treated to a sit down meal catered by Chef Dominick and his team from Flavorful Dishes Cincinnati! The meal was incredible. Very rarely do I have a moment to stop and eat at CSR events, but I distinctly remember taking one bite of the chicken on my plate and slinking off into a dark corner like a weirdo so that I would be able to enjoy the rest of the meal uninterrupted. Dessert was brought in by Bonded By Batter Cakery.

As the night wound down, our guests took to the dance floor along with some of our models and vendors. Kindred Light Studios provided a Photo Booth where guests were able to have their own model moments, and they certainly did!

A guest prepping the photo booth (courtesy of DiscoPop and Kindred Light Photography) for their moment to SHINE!

I gotta tell ya’ll, this year has rocked my socks. Between the everyday responsibilities of being an adult who is running a business, is a wife, mom, daughter, sister, friend, I have also been trying to find my footing as I navigate life in general. It’s been….spicy. BUT, I am so grateful. I am grateful for my interns for the Fall/Winter 2024 issue. Lauren, Sophia, Kaleyah, Sarah, and Knia were my fresh faced angels who would swoop in and take over social media, writing articles, attending events on behalf of CSR and assisting on photo shoot sets and event set up and break down. They have no idea how instrumental they were in keeping my hair attached to my scalp. I am grateful for the models. Every issue since Spring of last year, I have conducted a Model Call to find models to feature in Cincinnati Style Report’s pages and on the runway. Every single time, it never ceases to amaze me, the diversity that shows up to these model calls. The models chosen are always SO gorgeous, and this issue was the only one thus far that I can say we chose exceptionally well. Not only did all of the models show up where they were needed, but they DELIVERED. Thank you ladies and gentlemen for being the fabulous faces and figures of the magazine and Cincinnati Style Report is honored to be part of your story.

I am grateful for every single contributor to this magazine. There are too many of y’all to name without me forgetting someone who is also worthy of a personal shoutout, but please know that I am so grateful for each and every one of you. This year, as I tackled health issues, this magazine was the first one where I didn’t have to attend a single shoot. Every image that you see in the magazine is a submission from the photographer, designer, model, or makeup artist. I am grateful beyond words.

Also deserving of a shout out, Tiffany from Exposure Best Photography. Tiffany came in did what she’s been doing since we met last Spring: Giving the GORLS gorgeous shots of their events. All of the photos taken of this event unless otherwise indicated were taken by Exposure Best Photography. I am looking forward to her holiday portrait minis, as they are the best in the city in my opinion, and the price point is fantastic.

Twyla and Jeff, my street team and personal cheer squad. Goodness, I would be lost without them! Twyla has been Cincinnati Style Report’s employee of the month since its inception. If you have ever been to a model call, she is the smiling face at the door welcoming potential models. If you have been to an event, you may have seen Twyla helping her dad with welcoming guests OR she is selling refreshments. She is quite literally the reason I keep going. Her enthusiasm and eagerness to help Cincinnati Style Report grow is so encouraging. My quiet yet loudly supportive hubby who knows not a thing about fashion or interior design, has been to every event and has read every single issue from cover to cover (he proofreads). The only reason why I am able to do so much on my own is because of THEM.

By the grace of God, I have been able to continue to chase my dreams in the highest stilettos I can manage, and I am so humbled and grateful that I have been able to drag all of you along with me! I hope and pray that you all are having as much fun as I am!

This brings me to my final thank you for this post. That’s right, thank YOU. If you are reading this as a guest of this show, as a subscriber, as a follower, in any capacity, thank you. It has been placed on my heart by God to be a constant reminder to all who experience CSR that you are wonderfully and fearfully made. Love yourself in all of your “flaws”, insecurities, imperfections, and differences. You are beautiful and you deserve to be represented as such. Thank you for making a space for Cincinnati Style Report in your homes, in your online feeds, on your calendars when we have events. NONE of this would be possible without YOU. Thank you, thank you, thank you. May God richly bless you and continue to send you reminders of your awesomeness until we meet again for the Spring/Summer 2025 issue! Oh, and if you haven’t snagged the most recent issue of the magazine, do so here!

Stay Stylish!

-Taneica O.