 |
| Hot Town, Summer in the City |
Showing posts with label fashion. Show all posts
Showing posts with label fashion. Show all posts
Sunday, July 05, 2015
Thursday, July 02, 2015
RUN! (Don't walk) to... China: Through the Looking Glass at the Metropolitan Museum of Art
DON'T CALL IT A COMEBACK.
Yes, yes, I have been off doing baseball things for years, but today I was inspired...no, REQUIRED to share with you what I sort of accidentally saw at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. You must visit the China: Through the Looking Glass couture fashion exhibit, open until September 7, 2015.
With no plan this morning, I spontaneously figured out how I could get myself and a friend into the museum for free through my day job, kind of saw a headline about this particular show in the New York Observer...and well, it was one of those perfect days that you had no idea was ahead of you. Those folk over there at the museum sure do know how to curate themselves an exhibit! Breathtaking.
And I even got 10% off on a Chinese-inspired beaded necklace in the museum shop! Everyone wins!
xo, GSNYC
 |
| I knew this had to be ALEXANDER McQUEEN upon first sighting. |
 |
| Do I hear the Nutcracker? |
 |
| McQueen. If the shoe fits... |
 |
| Punk Rock + French Couture + China + Goth = be still my beating heart. |
 |
| Tom Ford. This and...(scroll down) |
 |
| ...this had me at "nobody would ever put this together and yet it's the most fabulous combination in this show. |
 |
| Beading, glorious beading |
 |
| I'm a long, tall, fabulous teapot. Don't you dare tip me over. |
 |
| side view |
Thursday, August 21, 2008
New York Times: Tiptoeing Into the Stores
Start buying your lottery tickets, or marrying rich, or working 3 jobs...or get really good at going to sample sales: The Fall Season is upon us!!
August 21, 2008
Fall Fashion
Tiptoeing Into the Stores
By CATHY HORYN
The New York Times
SINCE the shows for next spring’s clothes start in two weeks, the window for surveying the new fall fashion seems to be closing before it has fully opened. A lot of the best pieces, the runway stuff, still haven’t arrived in stores. Not everyone follows fashion so carefully as to notice what has arrived at Barneys, or in Bryant Park. (Is it runway season? Isn’t it always?) But before these columns are suddenly filled with rompers and bathing suits, let’s see what looks right for fall.
A practical elegance ran through last year’s polished clothes. This season, things are more romantic, thanks to moody prints, dramatic blouses and antique effects, but there is a sting — namely, the economy. Lots of people can’t afford, and can’t accept, paying $3,000 to $4,000 for an outfit, which is entirely possible in Designerland. You can rationalize blowing your rent on Gucci’s $1,900 swinging fringed boots — by telling yourself you’ll spend only $89 for Zara’s copy of Gucci’s mini peasant dress. But you would know immediately that your cheap-jack Doctor Zhivago outfit wasn’t working, and then what?
The best style is almost always a result of an unexpected combination of good and less costly things, of masculine and feminine elements, with a sharp eye toward what’s in fashion. Bear in mind that proportions are generally longer this season: hemlines flutter around the knee; pants are full (with classic pegged variations, like those Stefano Pilati showed for Saint Laurent); jackets have extended shoulders or an extravagant collar; blouses all seem to have a stock tie or an old-fashioned effect, like Proenza Schouler’s draped charmeuse versions (about $850). And a cropped fur or shearling vest can be a good investment, as a finish to prints and long layers.
To be sure, there are some wonderful standout looks that make you wish your family held the patent to the lug nut. While pawing through the racks of new clothes at Bergdorf Goodman, I spotted Thakoon’s all-over sequined dress in a murky rose-pink pattern, the hem and cap sleeves edged with printed chiffon ($4,900). Another great look for the individually minded shopper, at Linda Dresner, was Stephan Janson’s deep-green tweed skirt with a matching popover top, its three-quarter sleeves fluffed with gray-green marabou feathers ($3,110). You could definitely slay the fashion sisters with that outfit, as different as it is chic, especially with a pair of Christian Louboutin stiletto pumps (O.K., another thousand bucks).
But while lots of women are pretty certain that Balenciaga’s molded wool dresses are the acme of fashion, they halt before the price ($3,475). I was happy to discover a slightly more realistic alternative — and one that doesn’t show up in virtually every magazine editorial. Balenciaga has a creamy white sleeveless blouse in a stiff wool crepe that is banded in black at the waist and finished with a modest bow ($1,345). With a slim black skirt, it would convey the same minimalist look.
Fashion snobs have an exquisite understanding of store deliveries. Most of the stuff hanging in stores since mid-August is from preseason designer collections, or from moderate-priced labels like Vince and Nanette Lepore. Over the next few weeks, they’ll be spruced up with runway pieces. A few designers, like Marc Jacobs, who makes most of his clothes in New York, delivered very early. At Barneys, I saw a terrific wool pencil skirt by Mr. Jacobs with an elastic grosgrain waist — just pull it on! Considering the name and the quality of the fit, it seemed a good buy at $495.
While in the store, I went in search of trousers. Mr. Jacobs’s slouchy version in black velveteen ($1,100) sums up the season’s look, but I found other styles, too, like Alexander Wang’s paper-bagged trousers in dark gray wool ($495) and a pair of muddy glen-plaid pegged trousers by Piazza Sempione ($695), a label many women like for its consistent fit. Lanvin also had a sharp-looking pair of pegged tweed trousers, but at $1,250, you have to start rationalizing.
It’s curious the things you see when you’re looking for contemporary fashion as well as good value. After my attention at Bloomingdale’s was drawn to a well-made knitted coat in cream wool with a rolled collar by Nanette Lepore ($650) and a cute navy wool-jersey dress by James Perse ($240), I saw across the floor a sleeveless blouse in papery taffeta with a spill of rock-star ruffles down the front. Made by Vince ($165), it was a dead ringer for a L’Wren Scott blouse.
For the most part, though, cheap blouses look just that. Nearly every store has some version of the stock-tied, lantern-sleeved or Victorian frilled blouse, but I hate to think how all that drippy polyester crepe will look on sale racks next season. This is one item where it’s worth trading up, especially since a blouse with a great pair of trousers or a slinky gold sequined skirt, like Proenza Schouler’s ($850), can make such a statement. The creamy silk crepe blouses shown by Mr. Jacobs and Oscar de la Renta, with a slightly asymmetrical tie, look best. There are more affordable variations by Doo.Ri, Thakoon and Sari Gueron, from $495 to $695.
Although the swirling prints of Dries Van Noten hold a certain artsy charm, the Russian-inspired paisleys and foulards that Frida Giannini did for Gucci have more kick, it seems to me. Six months after looking at that collection, at the modern proportions, the black tights and high fringed boots, the mix of prints with tough fur or leather jackets, it still has energy and muscle. Unfortunately, shoppers will have to be content with looking at the Zara knockoffs. In the Gucci flagship on Fifth Avenue, I looked with apathy at the preseason merchandise begging at the rails. Take me, take me. Fat chance. I knew about the good stuff.
It was a similar story at Yves Saint Laurent — a collection that led in every trend — and at the new Jil Sander shop in SoHo. The runway pieces hadn’t arrived.
“Come back in September,” a Saint Laurent salesman almost sang.
But ...
“They’re samples,” a saleswoman at Jil Sander said, referring to a display of gorgeous tweed dresses.
Let’s hope the entire fall season is not a figment of my imagination.
August 21, 2008
Fall Fashion
Tiptoeing Into the Stores
By CATHY HORYN
The New York Times
SINCE the shows for next spring’s clothes start in two weeks, the window for surveying the new fall fashion seems to be closing before it has fully opened. A lot of the best pieces, the runway stuff, still haven’t arrived in stores. Not everyone follows fashion so carefully as to notice what has arrived at Barneys, or in Bryant Park. (Is it runway season? Isn’t it always?) But before these columns are suddenly filled with rompers and bathing suits, let’s see what looks right for fall.
A practical elegance ran through last year’s polished clothes. This season, things are more romantic, thanks to moody prints, dramatic blouses and antique effects, but there is a sting — namely, the economy. Lots of people can’t afford, and can’t accept, paying $3,000 to $4,000 for an outfit, which is entirely possible in Designerland. You can rationalize blowing your rent on Gucci’s $1,900 swinging fringed boots — by telling yourself you’ll spend only $89 for Zara’s copy of Gucci’s mini peasant dress. But you would know immediately that your cheap-jack Doctor Zhivago outfit wasn’t working, and then what?
The best style is almost always a result of an unexpected combination of good and less costly things, of masculine and feminine elements, with a sharp eye toward what’s in fashion. Bear in mind that proportions are generally longer this season: hemlines flutter around the knee; pants are full (with classic pegged variations, like those Stefano Pilati showed for Saint Laurent); jackets have extended shoulders or an extravagant collar; blouses all seem to have a stock tie or an old-fashioned effect, like Proenza Schouler’s draped charmeuse versions (about $850). And a cropped fur or shearling vest can be a good investment, as a finish to prints and long layers.
To be sure, there are some wonderful standout looks that make you wish your family held the patent to the lug nut. While pawing through the racks of new clothes at Bergdorf Goodman, I spotted Thakoon’s all-over sequined dress in a murky rose-pink pattern, the hem and cap sleeves edged with printed chiffon ($4,900). Another great look for the individually minded shopper, at Linda Dresner, was Stephan Janson’s deep-green tweed skirt with a matching popover top, its three-quarter sleeves fluffed with gray-green marabou feathers ($3,110). You could definitely slay the fashion sisters with that outfit, as different as it is chic, especially with a pair of Christian Louboutin stiletto pumps (O.K., another thousand bucks).
But while lots of women are pretty certain that Balenciaga’s molded wool dresses are the acme of fashion, they halt before the price ($3,475). I was happy to discover a slightly more realistic alternative — and one that doesn’t show up in virtually every magazine editorial. Balenciaga has a creamy white sleeveless blouse in a stiff wool crepe that is banded in black at the waist and finished with a modest bow ($1,345). With a slim black skirt, it would convey the same minimalist look.
Fashion snobs have an exquisite understanding of store deliveries. Most of the stuff hanging in stores since mid-August is from preseason designer collections, or from moderate-priced labels like Vince and Nanette Lepore. Over the next few weeks, they’ll be spruced up with runway pieces. A few designers, like Marc Jacobs, who makes most of his clothes in New York, delivered very early. At Barneys, I saw a terrific wool pencil skirt by Mr. Jacobs with an elastic grosgrain waist — just pull it on! Considering the name and the quality of the fit, it seemed a good buy at $495.
While in the store, I went in search of trousers. Mr. Jacobs’s slouchy version in black velveteen ($1,100) sums up the season’s look, but I found other styles, too, like Alexander Wang’s paper-bagged trousers in dark gray wool ($495) and a pair of muddy glen-plaid pegged trousers by Piazza Sempione ($695), a label many women like for its consistent fit. Lanvin also had a sharp-looking pair of pegged tweed trousers, but at $1,250, you have to start rationalizing.
It’s curious the things you see when you’re looking for contemporary fashion as well as good value. After my attention at Bloomingdale’s was drawn to a well-made knitted coat in cream wool with a rolled collar by Nanette Lepore ($650) and a cute navy wool-jersey dress by James Perse ($240), I saw across the floor a sleeveless blouse in papery taffeta with a spill of rock-star ruffles down the front. Made by Vince ($165), it was a dead ringer for a L’Wren Scott blouse.
For the most part, though, cheap blouses look just that. Nearly every store has some version of the stock-tied, lantern-sleeved or Victorian frilled blouse, but I hate to think how all that drippy polyester crepe will look on sale racks next season. This is one item where it’s worth trading up, especially since a blouse with a great pair of trousers or a slinky gold sequined skirt, like Proenza Schouler’s ($850), can make such a statement. The creamy silk crepe blouses shown by Mr. Jacobs and Oscar de la Renta, with a slightly asymmetrical tie, look best. There are more affordable variations by Doo.Ri, Thakoon and Sari Gueron, from $495 to $695.
Although the swirling prints of Dries Van Noten hold a certain artsy charm, the Russian-inspired paisleys and foulards that Frida Giannini did for Gucci have more kick, it seems to me. Six months after looking at that collection, at the modern proportions, the black tights and high fringed boots, the mix of prints with tough fur or leather jackets, it still has energy and muscle. Unfortunately, shoppers will have to be content with looking at the Zara knockoffs. In the Gucci flagship on Fifth Avenue, I looked with apathy at the preseason merchandise begging at the rails. Take me, take me. Fat chance. I knew about the good stuff.
It was a similar story at Yves Saint Laurent — a collection that led in every trend — and at the new Jil Sander shop in SoHo. The runway pieces hadn’t arrived.
“Come back in September,” a Saint Laurent salesman almost sang.
But ...
“They’re samples,” a saleswoman at Jil Sander said, referring to a display of gorgeous tweed dresses.
Let’s hope the entire fall season is not a figment of my imagination.
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Les Nanas: Magic Sweater
I am the luckiest girl in the world. So lucky in fact, that I got this magic sweater at Les Nanas for half price. But unlucky for you, it was the last one. It literally turns any outfit into a stunner. Dresses, pants, skirts, a paper bag - whatever - they are all transformed into a statement of fashion when worn with this loosely-knit, short-sleeved sweater with a tie around the waist. And there's even a touch of a metallic thread running through it, making it stand out in the crowd of black tops - but not too much. How to be hot even if it's cool this summer. Thursday, June 12, 2008
Les Nanas: The End of an Era
I am literally unsure how I am going to survive, fashion-wise, after this summer is over. My favorite store in all the (is)land is closing shop in September. I've been holding on to this news, hoping it was a bad dream. But alas, it is real life...Yes, Les Nanas, the store I write about all the time will be no more. The owner, Nathalie, has decided to leave dodge...and thus end a 20-year era of providing fabulous Paris-based fashion to the ladies of Gramercy Park.As such, everything in the basement is on sale: 50% off! Spy the photo of the skirt I scored, as an example. I believe I paid about $80. And, they have just gotten a bunch of great new stuff in upstairs (not on sale), so it is worth going in to check out as a last -- or even for your first - hurrah.
If by next year there is a palpable negative difference in the level of style in the Gramercy Park area, you now know why.
However, if any of you are wealthy or motivated enough to BUY Les Nanas (and keep it operating the same exact way), I believe she is open for offers and bids. Contact me!
:( GSNYC
Saturday, June 07, 2008
Sex and the City: My Movie Review
So I finally saw Sex and the City on the big screen last night with a gaggle of broads. First, we dined at Lunetta (where the Mayrose used to be), drank ate and drank, and then headed over to the theatre near Union Square on Broadway.The place was packed with 99% women and 1% "other." I have possibly not ever been in a theater with such a raucous crowd!
Anyway, my assessment of the film is this: it is not as smart or funny as the TV show was on HBO. Why is this? There were way too many hit-you-over-the-head explanations and so-called jokes. It was entertaining enough, but simply just not as good as the show was.
However, if asked to give an award to the best character, I'd have to nominate Kristin Davis who plays Charlotte York Goldenblatt. She's almost a modern day Lucille Ball. It's as if she was the only one who really understood the level of camp that this movie was achieving.
Also, one of the main reasons any of us went to this flick was to see Chris Noth be Mr. Big. And what happens? She (Carrie) refuses to speak to him throughout most of the movie! I don't think that I got my Mr. Big fix. And while he looked good, possibly better than he did during the entire final season of the show, it seems as though he needs to work on his on-screen kissing. Or maybe he just really didn't want to make out with Sarah Jessica Parker. Fear of Matthew Broderick?
I kind of look forward to seeing it again on the small screen, because sitting in the second row was a little bit too close for comfort. What other explanation is there for how Smith went from looking 22 to looking 38 in 4 short years?
Friday, June 06, 2008
Yotam Solomon: Vulcan?
OK, sometimes all publicity is not good publicity. This might be one of those times...I received some information about Yotam Solomon,
a Los Angeles-based designer who graduated from California’s Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising in 2008.
a Los Angeles-based designer who graduated from California’s Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising in 2008.
They tell me, that as a native of Israel and a former violin prodigy in Austria, the designer was influenced by his family’s European roots.
My perception? (keep in mind I have not seen this stuff in person, however I did look through his Web site) -- Mr. Solomon is actually a native of Vulcan. Just look at the photos and I think you'll agree. There is some Star Trek action going on here.
And what's up with that "YS" logo? Just chuck an "L" on the end of that and suddenly you have...Yves Saint Laurent?? Please.
Good news is that Mr. Solomon (or is it...SPOCK?!!) is young. I implore him to keep on trying to go where no man has gone before.
Thursday, April 24, 2008
Clashing Fashion
Today's New York Times Urban Eye talks about how men are now "allowed" to wear what they may consider to be mismatched separates, such as plaids and paisleys, and also points to a NYT Fashion & Style article by David Colman on the subject. Great, so now (most) men who don't know how to dress to begin with will have another excuse as to why not.
But my real point is this: women have been doing this for years. You will see this, particularly if you've spent time in Chinatown or on the subways that run through there. But seriously folks, as you will see in today's photo, I have managed to adorn myself in a flower print skirt, horizontally striped tank, white eyelet blouse and a black loosely knit shrug/cardigan thing. So far nobody has outright laughed at me, so I think it "works." The key being: stay in the same color/hue family and don't involve more than one fabric. In this case I have all kinds of cottons in black, white, green and orange.
And if you are a special kind of fashionista, you are allowed to step over the line. But this kind of risk-taking is reserved for professionals only. Cuidado!
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Kifka+Heller: Open Today
It's back! I will be visiting and reporting back soon:
Kifka & Heller
445 W. 49th St. (near 9th Ave.)
NYC
Hours: 11 a.m. - 7 p.m., Monday - Sunday
Kifka & Heller
445 W. 49th St. (near 9th Ave.)
NYC
Hours: 11 a.m. - 7 p.m., Monday - Sunday
Friday, April 18, 2008
June 1: Styling for The Soul – An Afternoon of Fashion
The G.S. really believes that wearing clothes that fit great and make you feel sassy can change the way you feel about yourself, which will in turn help you to live a more fun-filled fab life. Give it a shot and learn how on June 1:
Styling for The Soul – An Afternoon of Fashion
with Dame Lori, the Duchess of Finesse and Marianne Talbot, Directrix of Modern Venus Ltd.
Hosted at the Alicia Mugetti Design Salon
Sunday, June 1, 2008
12 p.m. – 6 p.m.
Wouldn’t It Be Amazing . . . to own your styling vision, own your beauty, own your body and own your spending before you begin shopping?
The Dame and Marianne want to take each of you on your own personal style journey in one afternoon …. And as an added treat, there will be special Alicia Mugetti designs for you at special prices!
Come play with Dame Lori and she will:
* Become your personal stylist for your soul
* Help birth you into chic beauty as your Pleasure Doula
* Teach you to be your own Mistress of Metamorphosis
Learn how to:
Find out what turns you on! Who are your fashion icons and muses? Let’s create your Collective Soul Style today!
Get inspired about creating your Styling Spending Plan. Where to go? What are the best sources for you so that you can get instant gratification and get it for free or almost free? Or at full price!
Collect the 7 most important pieces that will bring you maximum wardrobe pleasure.
Conjure the most fabulous and perfect items effortlessly and with endless creative fun!
In addition, Marianne Merritt Talbot, the Directrix of Modern Venus Ltd., New York’s premiere lifestyle and career coaching company, will dance you through a “Top 10 List on the Art of Presentation”– which will add more substance, power and sparkle to your professional presentation style, particularly in the workplace.
Date: Sunday, June 1, 2008
Time: 12-6 p.m.
*Registration and special shopping opportunities: 12-1 p.m.
* Program: 1-5 p.m.
* Networking, wine and more shopping!: 5-6 p.m.
Location: The Alicia Mugetti Design Salon, 675 Madison Avenue (near 61st St.)
Price: $95.00, which includes a finessed fashion find!
To register or for any questions, email info@ModernVenus.net or call 212.929.9999
Styling for The Soul – An Afternoon of Fashion
with Dame Lori, the Duchess of Finesse and Marianne Talbot, Directrix of Modern Venus Ltd.
Hosted at the Alicia Mugetti Design Salon
Sunday, June 1, 2008
12 p.m. – 6 p.m.
Wouldn’t It Be Amazing . . . to own your styling vision, own your beauty, own your body and own your spending before you begin shopping?
The Dame and Marianne want to take each of you on your own personal style journey in one afternoon …. And as an added treat, there will be special Alicia Mugetti designs for you at special prices!
Come play with Dame Lori and she will:
* Become your personal stylist for your soul
* Help birth you into chic beauty as your Pleasure Doula
* Teach you to be your own Mistress of Metamorphosis
Learn how to:
Find out what turns you on! Who are your fashion icons and muses? Let’s create your Collective Soul Style today!
Get inspired about creating your Styling Spending Plan. Where to go? What are the best sources for you so that you can get instant gratification and get it for free or almost free? Or at full price!
Collect the 7 most important pieces that will bring you maximum wardrobe pleasure.
Conjure the most fabulous and perfect items effortlessly and with endless creative fun!
In addition, Marianne Merritt Talbot, the Directrix of Modern Venus Ltd., New York’s premiere lifestyle and career coaching company, will dance you through a “Top 10 List on the Art of Presentation”– which will add more substance, power and sparkle to your professional presentation style, particularly in the workplace.
Date: Sunday, June 1, 2008
Time: 12-6 p.m.
*Registration and special shopping opportunities: 12-1 p.m.
* Program: 1-5 p.m.
* Networking, wine and more shopping!: 5-6 p.m.
Location: The Alicia Mugetti Design Salon, 675 Madison Avenue (near 61st St.)
Price: $95.00, which includes a finessed fashion find!
To register or for any questions, email info@ModernVenus.net or call 212.929.9999
Thursday, March 13, 2008
New York Times on "Opening Ceremony"
Sorry, hate to ruin this for all you fans of this spot, but don't blame me, blame The New York Times...Opening Ceremony, at 35 Howard Street, opened in 2002 by two former luxury retail executives, Humberto Leon and Carol Lim.
Wednesday, March 05, 2008
Anti-Style from the Beastie Boys
I love the Beastie Boys for many reasons, one of them being that during their extensive career they have pretty much maintained the same demeanor and style. The urban-anti-style that so many a white boy have taken on. It allows you to be cool and lazy at the same time. It says "I'm smart but not stupid." I saw them last night at Terminal 5 and am glad to report they are still as unfashionably fashionable as always.Thursday, January 17, 2008
Project Runway - The Avant-Garde Episode
Did you watch Project Runway last night? OH MY GOD. I have to say the Chris/Christian team and the Jillian/Victorya teams produced some of the best designs I have ever seen in the show's four seasons. While I would DIE to own and wear J/V's outfit (black coat), I was happy that C/C won (dress) - they really created a piece of breathtaking art.
Tuesday, December 25, 2007
HOUSING WORKS THRIFT SHOPS JANUARY WAREHOUSE SALE
HOUSING WORKS THRIFT SHOPS JANUARY WAREHOUSE SALE
WHAT: Warehouse Sale – There's no better way to ring in the New Year than with a shopping spree for gently used gems. High-fashion gowns that need a little mending. Kenneth Cole pumps that have lots of mileage left. Gorgeous necklaces that just need a little untangling. Just meander the 1,000 square feet at our overstock warehouse sale, full of clothing, shoes and accessories by well-known designers and brands—you never know what you'll bring home. We provide you an endless supply of shopping bags. You fill them with as much stuff as you can carry on the 7 train. All for a good cause.
BENEFITING: Housing Works, the nation's largest grassroots AIDS service organization, dedicated to improving the lives of homeless New Yorkers living with HIV/AIDS.
HOURS: 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM
DATE: Saturday, January 12, 2007
LOCATION: 48-49 35th Street, Long Island City, NY 11101(Take the 7 train to 33rd Street)
718.786.6160
Maps and subway directions available at http://www.housingworks.org/thrifts/
PRICE POINTS: $20 per “all you can stuff” medium (provided) shopping bag
METHOD OF PAYMENT: MasterCard, Visa, American Express, Cash
MEDIA CONTACT: David Thorpe 646-621-1805 Thorpe@housingworks.org
When you donate to Housing Works Thrift Shops, you do more than offer a new life to your used furniture, clothing or artwork. You help to raise more than $10 million annually in support of homeless men, women and children living with HIV and AIDS in New York City. Call the Donations Department at 212-366-0820 for more information or visit us online at http://www.housingworks.org/thrifts/
WHAT: Warehouse Sale – There's no better way to ring in the New Year than with a shopping spree for gently used gems. High-fashion gowns that need a little mending. Kenneth Cole pumps that have lots of mileage left. Gorgeous necklaces that just need a little untangling. Just meander the 1,000 square feet at our overstock warehouse sale, full of clothing, shoes and accessories by well-known designers and brands—you never know what you'll bring home. We provide you an endless supply of shopping bags. You fill them with as much stuff as you can carry on the 7 train. All for a good cause.
BENEFITING: Housing Works, the nation's largest grassroots AIDS service organization, dedicated to improving the lives of homeless New Yorkers living with HIV/AIDS.
HOURS: 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM
DATE: Saturday, January 12, 2007
LOCATION: 48-49 35th Street, Long Island City, NY 11101(Take the 7 train to 33rd Street)
718.786.6160
Maps and subway directions available at http://www.housingworks.org/thrifts/
PRICE POINTS: $20 per “all you can stuff” medium (provided) shopping bag
METHOD OF PAYMENT: MasterCard, Visa, American Express, Cash
MEDIA CONTACT: David Thorpe 646-621-1805 Thorpe@housingworks.org
When you donate to Housing Works Thrift Shops, you do more than offer a new life to your used furniture, clothing or artwork. You help to raise more than $10 million annually in support of homeless men, women and children living with HIV and AIDS in New York City. Call the Donations Department at 212-366-0820 for more information or visit us online at http://www.housingworks.org/thrifts/
Friday, November 30, 2007
Fashionably Late with Stacy London
I should really hate this show, and in theory I do because it's way too bullshitty girly retarded, but I do think that there are some very useful fashion tips to be gotten from Fashionably Late with Stacy London (Friday at 10 p.m. ET on TLC)- such as a black skirt that can be worn in 13 different ways.
Thursday, November 29, 2007
Subway Fashion: Sunday
Whilst trekking back uptown on the subway on Sunday, after visiting my real apt., which is about 85% rebuilt, I noticed a high level of interesting fashion going on around me. I wondered why....and then realizing that it was the Sunday after Thanksgiving, decided that it was probably full of actual New Yorkers. I.e. the tourists had all gone home and the NYers were all just returning from whence they came. Sorry to all of those out-of-towners who are offended by my NYC fashion snobbery, but 99 out of 100 times, it's the truth. I use the Sex and the City "scrunchy episode" as an example.
Anyway, the best spotting was a trio of young, very thin Asian girls who were each wearing tight stretchy jeans, Converse low tops or leather Airwalk high tops, and many layers of tops, jackets, and/or hoodies. The most interesting thing about their get-ups was that they were each wearing (real) fur "scarves" around their necks. To me, they were the epitome of modern urban street fashion. And no I don't have a photo, which is why I do this for free.
Anyway, the best spotting was a trio of young, very thin Asian girls who were each wearing tight stretchy jeans, Converse low tops or leather Airwalk high tops, and many layers of tops, jackets, and/or hoodies. The most interesting thing about their get-ups was that they were each wearing (real) fur "scarves" around their necks. To me, they were the epitome of modern urban street fashion. And no I don't have a photo, which is why I do this for free.
Friday, October 26, 2007
WSJ: Fashion Bullies Attack -- In Middle School
Wow. The meanies are meaner than EVER these days. Back when I was in middle school the kids who wore lots of expensive clothes actually got MADE FUN OF for it. At the time the main culprit was Guess, which goes to show you the difference between then and now (Dolce & Gabbana for kids?!).
When I was still in elementary school, designer jeans a la Jordache and Sassoon were all the rage (yes I am tragically dating myself), so the moms in the neighborhood made a pact that NONE of us would have them. It was a noble cause, but when one girl's aunt bought her hot pink Gloria Vanderbilt's, then all bets were off and my mom bought me some Jordache as well as my own purple GV outfit. Yes, purple pants and a lavender "woolly mammoth" shirt. But she got them as discounted prices, I assure you.
Read on for why money is not a good thing in more ways than one - fashion should be about personal taste and style and not about being beaten down because you don't wear the right label...unless of course you are wearing Skechers, and then you should be beaten:
Fashion Bullies Attack -- In Middle School --- As More Designers Target Kids, Label-Consciousness Grows; The Snarky 'Nice Clothes'
By Vanessa O'Connell
25 October 2007
The Wall Street Journal
Aryana McPike, a sixth-grader from Springfield, Ill., has a closet full of designer clothes from Dolce & Gabbana, Juicy Couture, True Religion and Seven For All Mankind. But her wardrobe, carefully selected by a fashion-conscious mother, hasn't won her friends at school.
Kids in her class recently instructed her that she was wearing the wrong brands. She should wear Apple Bottoms jeans by the rapper Nelly, they told her, and designer sneakers, such as Air Force 1 by Nike. She came home complaining to her mother that "all the girls want to know if I will ever come to school without being so dressed up."
Teen and adolescent girls have long used fashion as a social weapon. In 1944, Eleanor Estes wrote "The Hundred Dresses," a book about a Polish girl who is made fun of for wearing the same shabby dress to school each day. The film "Mean Girls" in 2004 focused on fashion-conscious cliques among high-school teens. But today, guidance counselors and psychologists say, fashion bullying is reaching a new level of intensity as more designers launch collections targeted at kids.
As a result, an increasing number of school and community programs focused on girl-on-girl bullying are addressing peer pressure and the sizable role clothing plays in girls' identity. In Pennsylvania, California, Maryland and several other states, for instance, community groups and some schools have started Club or Camp Ophelia, a pair of programs developed by Penn State professor and author Cheryl Dellasega that teach girls relationship skills. A "Bully Quiz" the girls take asks, "Have you stopped being friends with someone because she wore clothes you didn't like?"
Dorothy Espelage, a professor of educational psychology at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, who has studied teenage behavior for 14 years, says she has seen an increase in "bullying related to clothes." She attributes that to the proliferation of designer brands and the display of labels in ads. In the more than 20 states where she has studied teens, she has been surprised by how kids revere those they perceive to have the best clothes. Having access to designer clothing affords some kids "the opportunity to become popular -- and that protects you and gives you social power and leverage over others," she says.
Over the past three years, numerous designers have targeted the lucrative children's and teens' markets. Little Marc, the kids' clothing label by New York designer Marc Jacobs, expanded its line this winter and dropped its price, making it more accessible to a greater number of shoppers. The French luxury label Chloe, Milan-based Missoni and Italian designer Alberta Ferretti are launching new kids' labels for spring or summer next year. Other designer kids' lines include Dolce & Gabbana, Armani and Burberry, while Michael Kors, Coach, Dooney & Bourke and Dior have been targeting teens or kids with accessories.
Retailers, too, have rushed to cash in, opening offshoots of their boutiques specifically for children. Cantaloup and Scoop, which sell designer clothing for women in New York, now have Cantaloup Kids and Scoop Kids boutiques that carry a similar selection of designers for their customers' daughters and sons.
The greater focus on fashion in teen magazines and on TV has increased girls' awareness of designer labels. "The market has become more sophisticated," says Fiona Coleman, children's trends editor for WGSN, a fashion-consulting service. Kids today follow not only what celebrities wear, but also what their children wear, she says. Brooklyn Beckham, the son of soccer star David Beckham, was photographed wearing Junior Dolce & Gabbana in magazines as a toddler, propelling the brand into the limelight. Madonna's daughter Lourdes Leon, who has her own stylist, has appeared in magazines wearing Juicy Couture tracksuits.
School guidance counselor Angie Dooley sees the love of labels at Lawrence Junior High School in Fairfield, Maine, where some girls wear the same few brand-name items they own again and again. "They don't want anyone to know that's all they have," Ms. Dooley says.
In one study, more than one-third of middle-school students responded "yes" when asked whether they are bullied because of the clothes they wear. Susan M. Swearer, associate professor of school psychology at the University of Nebraska in Lincoln, surveyed a total of more than 1,000 students at five Midwestern middle schools from 1999 to 2004, with about 56% of the sample female. While the prevalence of fashion bullies was greater in wealthy cities and towns, where more designer clothing is available, she found the problem is significant in poorer communities, too.
Teens and adolescents are expected to wear not just any designer brands but the "right" ones. "The better brands you wear, the more popular you are," says Becky Gilker, a 13-year-old eighth-grader from Sherwood Park in the Canadian province of Alberta. "If you don't wear those things you get criticized." In many schools, the most expensive designer goods, such as those by Chanel or Louis Vuitton, have the highest social ranking among girls. But popular teen brands such as American Eagle, Abercrombie & Fitch and Aeropostale are also important. Miss Gilker says Hollister and Roxy are big logos at her school.
But even the wrong color can bring put-downs, Miss Gilker notes. When she wears pink, she says, "I get the snarky 'Nice clothes!' when people walk by in the halls." Her mom, Karin Gilker, who is 44, says she has tried to explain to her daughter that she should ignore such comments and wear what she likes. She also has tried explaining that "pink looks wonderful on her -- she's a blonde -- and she looks really good in it."
Several new programs are trying to help parents, teachers and girls cope with bullying. In Maine, a nonprofit called Hardy Girls Healthy Women has developed a curriculum that has caught on at a number of junior high schools and is being adopted in after-school programs in Florida, Ohio, New York and other states. The program encourages young girls to build coalitions and gets them to look more closely at the messages they get from the media, including those about fashion and clothing.
In June, a national conference on "Relational Aggression, Mean Girls and Other Forms of Bullying" in Las Vegas drew more than 800 teachers, educators and counselors. Many of the sessions focused on the role the media plays in putting social pressure on girls regarding fashion and appearance.
Susan Bowman, vice president of Developmental Resources, a Chapin, S.C., educational consulting firm that put on the conference, told the audience that for many girls, the answer to the question "What do I wear?" seems to define who they are. In 2005, Developmental Resources began holding a series of "Mean Girls" workshops for educators around the country. The workshops, she says, explore why fashion is such an important part of a girl's identity, and how that, in turn, "creates even more social pressure on the 'have nots.'"
Some psychologists believe that fashion bullying is happening at younger and younger ages. Megan Flynn, director of children's services at Westchester Jewish Community Services, says she has recently begun using an anti-bullying program with girls in the fifth and sixth grades, as well as with older students. The program, she says, provides "a process where they can take a closer look at the messages they get" in the media.
Aryana's mom, Ava McPike, feels it is important that Aryana not be pressured to conform to the dressed-down standard at her school. She believes that generally other people favor those who "look good -- the cute kids," says Ms. McPike, who drives to Neiman Marcus in St. Louis, Mo., with her daughter to help pick out clothes. But Ms. McPike does give in every now and then. She recently bought two Ralph Lauren dresses, in pink and green, and her daughter rejected them, because, her mom suspects, they wouldn't pass muster with her classmates.
When I was still in elementary school, designer jeans a la Jordache and Sassoon were all the rage (yes I am tragically dating myself), so the moms in the neighborhood made a pact that NONE of us would have them. It was a noble cause, but when one girl's aunt bought her hot pink Gloria Vanderbilt's, then all bets were off and my mom bought me some Jordache as well as my own purple GV outfit. Yes, purple pants and a lavender "woolly mammoth" shirt. But she got them as discounted prices, I assure you.
Read on for why money is not a good thing in more ways than one - fashion should be about personal taste and style and not about being beaten down because you don't wear the right label...unless of course you are wearing Skechers, and then you should be beaten:
Fashion Bullies Attack -- In Middle School --- As More Designers Target Kids, Label-Consciousness Grows; The Snarky 'Nice Clothes'
By Vanessa O'Connell
25 October 2007
The Wall Street Journal
Aryana McPike, a sixth-grader from Springfield, Ill., has a closet full of designer clothes from Dolce & Gabbana, Juicy Couture, True Religion and Seven For All Mankind. But her wardrobe, carefully selected by a fashion-conscious mother, hasn't won her friends at school.
Kids in her class recently instructed her that she was wearing the wrong brands. She should wear Apple Bottoms jeans by the rapper Nelly, they told her, and designer sneakers, such as Air Force 1 by Nike. She came home complaining to her mother that "all the girls want to know if I will ever come to school without being so dressed up."
Teen and adolescent girls have long used fashion as a social weapon. In 1944, Eleanor Estes wrote "The Hundred Dresses," a book about a Polish girl who is made fun of for wearing the same shabby dress to school each day. The film "Mean Girls" in 2004 focused on fashion-conscious cliques among high-school teens. But today, guidance counselors and psychologists say, fashion bullying is reaching a new level of intensity as more designers launch collections targeted at kids.
As a result, an increasing number of school and community programs focused on girl-on-girl bullying are addressing peer pressure and the sizable role clothing plays in girls' identity. In Pennsylvania, California, Maryland and several other states, for instance, community groups and some schools have started Club or Camp Ophelia, a pair of programs developed by Penn State professor and author Cheryl Dellasega that teach girls relationship skills. A "Bully Quiz" the girls take asks, "Have you stopped being friends with someone because she wore clothes you didn't like?"
Dorothy Espelage, a professor of educational psychology at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, who has studied teenage behavior for 14 years, says she has seen an increase in "bullying related to clothes." She attributes that to the proliferation of designer brands and the display of labels in ads. In the more than 20 states where she has studied teens, she has been surprised by how kids revere those they perceive to have the best clothes. Having access to designer clothing affords some kids "the opportunity to become popular -- and that protects you and gives you social power and leverage over others," she says.
Over the past three years, numerous designers have targeted the lucrative children's and teens' markets. Little Marc, the kids' clothing label by New York designer Marc Jacobs, expanded its line this winter and dropped its price, making it more accessible to a greater number of shoppers. The French luxury label Chloe, Milan-based Missoni and Italian designer Alberta Ferretti are launching new kids' labels for spring or summer next year. Other designer kids' lines include Dolce & Gabbana, Armani and Burberry, while Michael Kors, Coach, Dooney & Bourke and Dior have been targeting teens or kids with accessories.
Retailers, too, have rushed to cash in, opening offshoots of their boutiques specifically for children. Cantaloup and Scoop, which sell designer clothing for women in New York, now have Cantaloup Kids and Scoop Kids boutiques that carry a similar selection of designers for their customers' daughters and sons.
The greater focus on fashion in teen magazines and on TV has increased girls' awareness of designer labels. "The market has become more sophisticated," says Fiona Coleman, children's trends editor for WGSN, a fashion-consulting service. Kids today follow not only what celebrities wear, but also what their children wear, she says. Brooklyn Beckham, the son of soccer star David Beckham, was photographed wearing Junior Dolce & Gabbana in magazines as a toddler, propelling the brand into the limelight. Madonna's daughter Lourdes Leon, who has her own stylist, has appeared in magazines wearing Juicy Couture tracksuits.
School guidance counselor Angie Dooley sees the love of labels at Lawrence Junior High School in Fairfield, Maine, where some girls wear the same few brand-name items they own again and again. "They don't want anyone to know that's all they have," Ms. Dooley says.
In one study, more than one-third of middle-school students responded "yes" when asked whether they are bullied because of the clothes they wear. Susan M. Swearer, associate professor of school psychology at the University of Nebraska in Lincoln, surveyed a total of more than 1,000 students at five Midwestern middle schools from 1999 to 2004, with about 56% of the sample female. While the prevalence of fashion bullies was greater in wealthy cities and towns, where more designer clothing is available, she found the problem is significant in poorer communities, too.
Teens and adolescents are expected to wear not just any designer brands but the "right" ones. "The better brands you wear, the more popular you are," says Becky Gilker, a 13-year-old eighth-grader from Sherwood Park in the Canadian province of Alberta. "If you don't wear those things you get criticized." In many schools, the most expensive designer goods, such as those by Chanel or Louis Vuitton, have the highest social ranking among girls. But popular teen brands such as American Eagle, Abercrombie & Fitch and Aeropostale are also important. Miss Gilker says Hollister and Roxy are big logos at her school.
But even the wrong color can bring put-downs, Miss Gilker notes. When she wears pink, she says, "I get the snarky 'Nice clothes!' when people walk by in the halls." Her mom, Karin Gilker, who is 44, says she has tried to explain to her daughter that she should ignore such comments and wear what she likes. She also has tried explaining that "pink looks wonderful on her -- she's a blonde -- and she looks really good in it."
Several new programs are trying to help parents, teachers and girls cope with bullying. In Maine, a nonprofit called Hardy Girls Healthy Women has developed a curriculum that has caught on at a number of junior high schools and is being adopted in after-school programs in Florida, Ohio, New York and other states. The program encourages young girls to build coalitions and gets them to look more closely at the messages they get from the media, including those about fashion and clothing.
In June, a national conference on "Relational Aggression, Mean Girls and Other Forms of Bullying" in Las Vegas drew more than 800 teachers, educators and counselors. Many of the sessions focused on the role the media plays in putting social pressure on girls regarding fashion and appearance.
Susan Bowman, vice president of Developmental Resources, a Chapin, S.C., educational consulting firm that put on the conference, told the audience that for many girls, the answer to the question "What do I wear?" seems to define who they are. In 2005, Developmental Resources began holding a series of "Mean Girls" workshops for educators around the country. The workshops, she says, explore why fashion is such an important part of a girl's identity, and how that, in turn, "creates even more social pressure on the 'have nots.'"
Some psychologists believe that fashion bullying is happening at younger and younger ages. Megan Flynn, director of children's services at Westchester Jewish Community Services, says she has recently begun using an anti-bullying program with girls in the fifth and sixth grades, as well as with older students. The program, she says, provides "a process where they can take a closer look at the messages they get" in the media.
Aryana's mom, Ava McPike, feels it is important that Aryana not be pressured to conform to the dressed-down standard at her school. She believes that generally other people favor those who "look good -- the cute kids," says Ms. McPike, who drives to Neiman Marcus in St. Louis, Mo., with her daughter to help pick out clothes. But Ms. McPike does give in every now and then. She recently bought two Ralph Lauren dresses, in pink and green, and her daughter rejected them, because, her mom suspects, they wouldn't pass muster with her classmates.
Monday, September 24, 2007
Fashion Photographer for Hire
I just learned of a young photographer named Liz Hopson who is on the cusp of breaking out. So if you are in the market for a portrait, fashion, beauty photographer, grab her before she's too booked and famous to call you back. I was truly taken in by several of her shots.
Thursday, September 13, 2007
Olga Kapustina
OK, so Fashion Week passed me by, but some designers have reached out to me - there is hope yet! For example: "Olga Kapustina made her runway debut on Friday, September 7th with a gorgeous Spring 2008 collection."Olga Kapustina's signature dresses "have become de riguer for smart, single women on the prowl." I would say that the above pictured dress is a strong indication of such, especially the 'prowl' part.
Her wears are available at Barney’s and TG-170 in Manhattan and a few boutiques in Brooklyn.
Apparently, "the Chelsea-based gamine has a loyal following in the film industry, with Angelina Jolie, Sophia Bush, Cameron Diaz, Rachel Bilson, and Reese Witherspoon all wearing Olga on the red carpet, on the dance floor, and in the streets." The streets? What are those ladies doing on the streets? Oh yes, they are also on the 'prowl."
Apparently, "the Chelsea-based gamine has a loyal following in the film industry, with Angelina Jolie, Sophia Bush, Cameron Diaz, Rachel Bilson, and Reese Witherspoon all wearing Olga on the red carpet, on the dance floor, and in the streets." The streets? What are those ladies doing on the streets? Oh yes, they are also on the 'prowl."
Monday, September 10, 2007
Leave Being Paris to Paris
For the love of fashion, if you are not Paris Hilton, please try something else, like being yourself, for example.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
