This week, We sat down with Boston Blogger Renata of "Scorpion/Disco" to get to know her a little better:

How did the name of your blog ScorpionDisco come about? I'm a Scorpio, so that part is obvious. I've always felt an affinity towards scorpions because of that, but the one time I saw a real scorpion, I got so scared and literally jumped onto a table. Disco just has a nice ring to it, and I hope it reminds readers of something irreverent, fun, and just a little bit naughty. 

Tell us more about working in your Grandmother's dress shop: My grandmother's love of fashion and clothing really influenced me and inspired me to get into fashion. She has been in the industry for a long time - she has a photograph of herself modeling in a fashion show for First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt! Later in life, she opened up a dress shop in Philadelphia, and I spent many afternoons there after school, playing in piles of clothes in the back offices, using swatches to dress my cabbage patch dolls, and styling outfits with the "on-hold" merchandise back there. She would bring me to fashion shows, and dress me in the most fantastic outfits - and each dress always had a matching hat. That was the life.

Who was your first internship with and what was that like? My first internship was with a couture designer in Philadelphia - Paula Hian. I was so young and dumb - I was probably a sophomore in High School - but she and her small team really entrusted me with a lot, and it was one of the most amazing learning experiences. That internship really set the bar high - Afterwards, I interned for a bigger, national fashion brand, where I was steaming clothing and cutting squares of fabric, and learned next to nothing. I longed for my Paula Hian days, where Paula herself would often be in the studio, her office door always opened.

Can you tell us about your most favorite post? The Ode to the Pink Slippers. (http://www.scorpiondisco.com/2011/08/ode-to-pink-slippers.html) It is just so summery, and I love the contrast of my pink Indian slippers, that I bought at a market in Sicily, against the bright green Pennsylvania grass and my driveway, just as the sun was about to set in the late afternoon. It's also very different from a lot of my blog posts - I experimented a bit with photo editing, so it felt like I had tried, and learned, something new.

Where do you find your fashion inspiration? I love looking at fashion blogs - my favorites are a Turkish blog called LuxuryShoppers.net, and a Greek blogger called Mary-Jane-Girl. I also have a serious system for reading magazines. I earmark pages and then go back and look things up online, check out stores, and make inquiries by phone or email about the things that pique my interest. I also have a giant folder of every page I've clipped from magazines in the past decade, from national rags like Marie Claire and W Magazine to pages from magazines when I was living in Turkey or Italy or visiting France or Puerto Rico.

What's on your wish list for this year? I know I need more shoes! I have serious shoe-envy when I go to blogger events and all the girls have really crazy, amazing, and often dangerous-looking footwear. I am also searching for the perfect body-con skirt, and there's a hot pink DVF clutch with a twig clasp that has my name on it. Oh, and Norma Kamali Cat-Eye sunnies. 

Who are your favorite emerging fashion designers and why? Well, I obviously love Emily Muller's use of gorgeous, luxurious natural fabrics - she has this amazing jumpsuit in the richest silk charmeuse that I have on pre-order. I also love another local fashion label, Emerson. The designer, Jackie Fraser-Swan, works out of Boston but shows her collection every season in Fashion Week in New York. She designs for the tough-yet-feminine gal - Someone who is no-nonsense, but likes to look her best. I can really get behind that! 

Check out her fabulous blog at: Scorpion/Disco

In both photo's featured, Renata is modeling a Kevala dress!  Check it out here

 This week, We sat down with Boston Blogger Hannah of "Chill Air & Perfume" to get to know her a little better:

1. What made your get into fashion blogging when your background has mostly been something not related to fashion?

This week, We sat down with Boston Blogger Kristen of The Boston Fashionista to get to know her a little better:

What is your background? I was a writing undergrad, and, like everyone in my program, I thought I was going to be A Writer. I quickly realized I was no Joan Didion or Margaret Atwood, and other professional passions took over - namely politics (I worked on campaigns for years) and then in a career in university administration. I still longed for a creative outlet, however, and after I finished my Master's degree in Management, I also wanted to try my hand and building something from scratch. So I started a blog!

When did you you start blogging about fashion? March 2011. I had been an avid consumer of fashion blogs for years, and like many people, one day I came to the sudden realization: I can do this, too! Plus, as a robust fashion blog reader, I knew exactly what I liked and what I wanted to build.

How often do you blog? I blog every weekday (except holidays). As an outfit blogger, this can be daunting - sometimes even the best thought-out outfits just don't "work"! But I believe that is part of the conversation we have with readers.

What are some of the 2012 fashion trends? Any pet-peeves? I love skirt suits! So polished and professional! And brights continue to be hot, which are beautiful, especially when paired like unexpected neutrals (like grey and beige instead of black). Peplum tops are everywhere, too - they are pretty, but I'm interested to see how wearable they end up being. They make your waist look small, but will that be at the expense of your hips?

There are many new brands coming up including Kevala- how open are people to try and accept these brands in your opinion? With the rise of eCommerce fashion and the fact that fashion itself is seemingly more and more popular (and democratized), I think people are absolutely willing to try new brands - everyone wants to be at the front edge of What's Next. I think it is exciting that designers now have more direct to consumer outlets where they can try to start their own lines and business - though it makes me wonder who is left to design for the mass market (J Crew, Banana, etc) and for fashion houses. There is important training there, not just technique-wise, but in learning about what moves consumers. 

Check out her fabulous blog at: The Boston Fashionista

Also check out a feature of Kevala on her blog here

We all know the time of the month that makes us cringe.  What?  You mean I can’t wear my yoga pants to work!   Bah!    Nothing fits me now!     Take a deep breath, go back to your closet, and look again.

Just because you can’t wear yoga pants to work, doesn’t mean you can’t wear a skirt that has an elastic band.  There you go, feel better? Try not to wear a tight fitting shirt that will make you feel uncomfortable.  It’s okay to wear slightly larger fitting clothes if you’re more comfortable in it.  Not only do you feel uncomfortable when you wear clothes are are too tight, other people notice too, and you always want to look your best, don’t you?!   Don’t worry, in a few days you can wear all your other clothes again.  

Not that time of the month and still your normal size feeling a little tight?  Increase your water intake, increase your normal physical activity, lower your sweets and cheese and fat intake, and you’ll be back to your normal size in no time!  Don’t buy new clothes just because your current clothes are feeling a little tight.  This can become an infinite spiraling cycle.  Being healthy is beautiful, no matter what size you are :)

Oh my.  A 100% chiffon dress with a cotton/silk lining for under $120 in a style you won’t find anywhere else (that we know of!)    Hmmm... Where to find such an amazing deal?    At Kevala of course!  

You’re a busy girl.  We know that.  Which is why we’ve only selected what we feel are the most amazing styles in fabrics you’ll absolutely love with a price that can’t compare.  

We created Kevala to give you the option of finding the perfect dress for your perfect occasion.  Maybe it’s a friends wedding, maybe it’s a birthday party, maybe it’s a night out on the town.  Whatever your occasion, the Kevala team is here to help you select a dress perfect for you.  

We want you to enjoy shopping for unique designer dresses, and that’s what we have here at Kevala.   We find amazing designers around the world and work directly with them to make the best designs available to you.  Looking for something we don’t have?  Please tell us so!  We love to have feedback about our designs!  Looking forward to hearing from you soon!  

Conservative Style: I don’t know about you, but sometimes, I don’t feel comfortable wearing a dress that has an open back.  Maybe it’s for a holiday work party, or if I’m going out with one of my husbands colleagues for dinner.  I’ll search through my closet, only to find that all my “going out” clothes are dresses that are open backed.  Arg.  Now what?  Now I have to settle and wear a top and pants?  Dang, I really wanted to wear a dress!  I’ll go to the mall only to find that many of the dresses are open backed, and even if they are full backed, they’re too conservative to wear for the occasion.  Kevala has you covered.  Many of our dresses are amazingly designed, and have full backs.  Maybe you have a reason why you’d prefer to not show your back to the world just yet.  Kevala will keep you in fabulous style.  We also have dresses that are strapless and open backed, so when you are ready to show off your back, we’re ready for you.

We hope you are having a wonderful holiday season enjoyed with ones most dear to you.  This blog will continue from last weeks blog regarding what makes Kevala Unique, because... well... there was just too much to write in only one blog entry! 

Recognizing Our Designers:  Unfortunately some company’s (we won’t name names, we’re classy!) will use original designs from designers around the world but do not give recognition to the original designer.  Isn’t that sad!   We don’t do that at Kevala.  Each of our designers is not only recognized on our website, but also when you receive your wonderful unique dress.  

Quantity:  For most of our dresses, we only create one dress for each style and size.  Only one.   That means... there is only one size 2, only one size 4, and only one size 6, etc.  created for each style.  How wonderful is that!  

Hand Crafted Embellishments: For two of the dresses in the fall collection, one of our designers, Michelle Rodrigues has used an artisan hand crafted embellishment on her dresses (Drapey Darling).  It’s absolutely wonderful.  We at Kevala will continue to support the use of artisan handwork.  

Hand work: At Kevala, we not only support artisans who create hand crafted embellisments, we also support artisans who are able to create unique hand embroidery designs.  In two of our dresses in the fall collection (Demure Dame & Layered and Lovely) the designers have used french knots embroidery using threads. The strawberry shaped work is the two layered work and the dots inside are the french knots done by hand.  

 I might have one last blog entry next week discussing the last few points which make Kevala unique... you'll just have to wait and see!

We'd love to hear your feedback on what you'd like to see in future blog entries :)

Happy Holidays from the team at Kevala!