New York Fashion Week - Rebecca Minkoff - Style360

When you think of Rebecca Minkoff, you think of bags.Totes, hobos, satchels and the like in luscious colors,

soft supple fabrics, and shapes that call to your soul. You see them, and have the urge to buy one immediately. The above bag, The Nikki Hobo is available at Bloomies now.

So, when I had gotten the invite for the Rebecca Minkoff presentation on September 14, 2009 as part of the Style360 New York Fashion Week events, I knew I had to see those amazing works of art; I just didn't know that I'd also see a fashion show.

Her spring bags come in all sizes; from tiny clutches to huge oversized hobos. Lots of the bags had dangling strings attached to them. I hesitate to say  fringe, because one or two strings a fringe doesn't make.

bags ranged in color from butter yellow, bold orange, blue, to deep black. Lots of studded and zip details too.

As for the clothing; according to the program notes, Minkoff was inspired by Gianni Versace, early 90's Tim Burton and photographer Peter Lindbergh. How did it translate on the runway? Lots of black and white, animal prints and a style that says, "don't touch that cookie." some of the pieces were wearable, some looked dated. It's hard to channel a designing icon like Versace, and not have some of the clothing look like it should be hanging in Bloomie's Designer's Salon circa 1991.

Do these examples make your heart flutter? Would you wear them this spring?

Hot Fall Trend: Ruffled Shoes

One of the hottest trends for fall is shoes adorned with ruffles. Cascading tiers of ruffles, ruffled edging, ruffles along the vamp, the heel, oh, let's face it, they went crazy and ruffles are everywhere!

It's nice to add a little feminine touch to a severe suit. If you're feeling a little flirty one day, you can let your shoes do the talking, even in jeans.

Ruffles comes in all price points The super cute flat is from Target ($24.99). The grey pump is Liliana from Hush Puppies ($95), and you can find it at Macy's. The sexy maroon pump with the velvet ruched bow is Christian Louboutin- The Lady Page Velvet- Bow Pump ($995) at Neiman's, natch! Love that sexy purple pump? It goes by the name of Koture Ruffled Peep-Toe by Fioni ($24.99) at Payless. The itty bitty bootie is Cuddles by Steve Madden ($149) at Lord & Taylor. The sexy ivory stitched down ruffled bootie is from Pour La Victoire ($285), presently living at Piperlime.com, and the sexy D'orsay pump known as Risky ($365)from Elizabeth and James, lives there too.

So you can see, no matter what your budget is, there's a ruffled shoe just for you.

Will you wear a ruffled shoe, or won't you? Do you like the trend?

Badgal Brown Mascara by Benefit Cosmetics

Want sexy, flirty eyes that are long, fluffy, clump free and fiiiine? Check out Benefit Cosmetics BADgal Brown Mascara ($19). The long, lean wand separates and defines lashes.  You can find it at BenefitCosmetics.com and at department store  cosmetic counters nationwide.

Now you have something to wink about!

The Twilight Saga: New Moon Original Motion Picture Soundtrack Is Coming!

Yes, folks, the soundtrack and The Twilight Saga:New Moon, movie is on their way! Today, you can pre-order it at iTunes and you'll get four bonus songs that will be heard in the movie, and have never been released before.

Here's the track listing:

1. Death Cab for Cutie—Meet Me On the Equinox
2. Band of Skulls—Friends
3. Thom Yorke—Hearing Damage
4. Lykke Li—Possibility
5. The Killers—A White Demon Love Song
6. Anya Marina—Satellite Heart
7. Muse—I Belong To You (New Moon remix)
8. Bon Iver & St. Vincent—Rosyln
9. Black Rebel Motorcycle Club—Done All Wrong
10. Hurricane Bells—Monsters
11. Sea Wolf—The Violet Hour
12. OK Go—Shooting the Moon
13. Grizzly Bear (w/ Victoria Legrand)—Slow Life
14. Editors—No Sound But the Wind
15. Alexandre Desplat—New Moon (The Meadow)

 

BONUS:

16. Lupe Fiasco—Solar Midnite
17. The Magic Numbers And Amadou & Mariam—All I Believe In
18. APM Orchestra—Die Fledermaus—Duettino: Ach, ich darf nicht hin zu dir
19. Death Cab for Cutie—Meet Me On the Equinox (music video)
20. Ulg Bastlein—Wandrers Nachtlied II, Op. 96, No. 3, D.768
    

In addition, by pre-ordering the soundtrack through iTunes now, fans can immediately download Anya Marina’s “Satellite Heart.” The song debuted yesterday exclusively through MySpace, and you can listen to it at www.myspace.com/anyamarina.  

Interested in watching the trailer? Head over to the site.

Have you been waiting for the second movie with bated breath? Who's your favorite character? Do you like vampires? Werewolves?

Valemont - MTV's Shortest Supernatural Series Debuts Tonight!

MTV really knows their audience. Who watches them? People who think The Hills, The City, Laguna Beach, et al are non-scripted reality tv shows.  They're short on intellect, long on lemming-like behavior, and once plunked in front of that channel, they haven't the strength to hit the remote to watch something challenging.

Playing into their lack of depth, MTV is debuting a scripted, supernatural mystery series that will run exactly two and a half minutes (2:30) between the season premiere of The Hills and The City. Whether or not people will be able to distinguish the show from a long form advert is anyone's guess.

Here's the plot -Sophie (pictured),  our heroine infiltrates the elitist Valemont (I keep calling it Valmont- de Laclos would slap me) University trying to find out the why and how of Eric, her older brother's disappearance. She also uncovers family histories and other spooky things. Along the way she meets the archetypes we have grown to love and hate. The spoiled rich bitch, the Adonis,  The Cruel Jokester, etcetera, etcetera. Sounds like Hex meets Skins meets Medium. After the debut on TV, the 23 concluding episodes will be found on-line at MTV.com

Kristen Hager is Sophie

Eric Balfour is Eric Balfour

Other cast members include Nikki Blonsky, Dillon Casey,  and Jessica Parker Kennedy.

The website is interactive, and you, yes you, can enroll in the Uni! Who knows what you'll find walking across the quad.

Are you going to watch it? Do you think this is dumb?

New York Fashion Week - Malan Breton - Style360

Malan Breton is an innovative designer; whose accomplishments overshadow his appearance on Project Runway. For bad, or for good, mention his name or the show, and they always get entwined.

That wasn't why his show  was SRO; it was because his eye for detail, the delicacy of his design and his sense of romance has created a legion of loyal customers and fans.

It didn't hurt that Malan was debuting his menswear line either. Male Models. Yum.

So, on a shiny Monday morning, September 14, Style360 at the Metropolitan Pavilion hosted his show.

Regarding his menswear line; the hardest items to construct are pants and blazers. Malan's were perfectly constructed. The shoulders sat where they should, waists were nipped appropriately, and pants were long and lean. Of course, it was also delightful when he sent down male models wearing shirts, vest, undies and socks. One of them did a jete or two down the runway.

As for his women's wear; think Mad Men meets Audrey Hepburn's Sabrina ala Hubert de Givenchy meets sleek modern sexiness.

Body conscious day and evening looks in a palette that ranged from icy lavender to purple; lace, silks and satins foretold an elegant spring.

Cougars and Cubs: No, we're not talking Animal Planet

First there was Samantha from SATC, then that Jane Seymour episode in How I Met Your Mother, countless jokes, a few websites, two bad reality shows and now....drumroll please!

The California Cougar Convention is coming! Yup, November 6th, that's a Friday - you can sleep off the hangover on Saturday- it's a mostly all day event at the Beverly Hills Crowne Plaza Hotel in Beverly Hills, CA. LUCIA, "Queen of the Cougar Jungle" and author of Lucia's Lessons of Love will deliver the keynote address. And one lucky woman will be crowned Miss Cougar California during this shindig. Hmm, should it be Mrs. or Ms?

Anyway if you're around that area and want to see young men, oops cubs, and older women chasing each other down the halls of the hotel, or attend eithe their rapid dating mixer or their dance party - they are packing a lot into one day -check out their website Cougar Events.

So, what do you think of this whole cougar deal? Are you for it? Against it? Would you do it?

Claim Your Pair of Ruby Slippers!

This year marks the 70th anniversary of the classic movie The Wizard of Oz. It boggles the mind that the movie, flying monkeys and all, is that old!  CRYSTALLIZED™ - Swarovski Elements and World Products invited  designers to  re-create the classic ruby slipper  with Swarvoski crystals. They were asked, “If Dorothy were living in the 21st century, what would she wear?” Alberta Ferretti, A.Testoni,  Jimmy Choo, L.A.M.B. by Gwen Stefani, Lisa Pliner,  and Manolo Blahnik are just some of the stellar names who answered that question.                                  

The shoes will be on display at the CRYSTALLIZED™ - Swarovski Elements store in New York City (499 Broadway, between Broome & Spring, 212-966-3322), until September 23, 2009..Then the collection will be auctioned off, for the benefit of the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS foundation at the Warner Bros. Entertainment’s “Emerald Gala” at Tavern on the Green on September 24, 2009.Dying for a pair of ruby slippers by Oscar de la Renta,  Roger Vivier or Christian Louboutin, but you're not in New York CIty? Don't despair! The auction will be held online, so that global shoeaholics can bid!You can go to Ruby Slipper Auction

online and view all the shoes now, then on the day, make your bid.

Not only will you be the proud owner of a pair  one-of-a-kind ruby slippers, but you'll be assisting a great cause.

Mercedes Benz New York Fashion Week -Alexander Berardi- Spring 2010

Viewing the craftsmanship, design sensibility and attention to details in his collection, it's rather impossible to believe that Alexander Berardi is only 23 years old.

His collection has an uptown/downtown vibe; fresh, chic and young.

White wasn't necessarily white; there were shadow stripes, pique, and other visual interests tucked into the fabrication.

His palette was white, black and navy. Thinking nautical look? Yes, but it wasn't over done. A bit of navy piping on white pants, or white piping on a navy print blouse-the giveaways were the nautical hats.

Berardi steered clear of stereotypical design, on this his third collection. For example, his polka-dotted dress was anything but sweet and simple. Because of the dress' clean lines and details, it came across as sophisticated and quite sharp.

This wasn't an entirely monotonal collection, silver, gold, orange and a floral print in purple, cream and orange used in a dress and separates added depth to his design.

Some might view it ( the collection) as something fit for Gossip Girl, as that show seems burned into the collective consciousness. It's not built on a gimmick; this collection reinterprets classic in a very modern and sleek manner.

Are you curious to see the rest of the collection? Well, if you'd like to view the models final walk, please click!

New York Fashion Week - 6th Annual Style360 - Liquid Metal Collection

Each New York Fashion Week, Hachette Filipacchi Media and A-List Communications sponsor a four day event, the Style360.  Established and emerging designers hold runway shows at the Metropolitan Pavilion in New York City.

Sunday, September 12, 2009, the first show of the day was the Liquid Metal by Sergio Gutierrez Spring 2010 fashion show. For the most part, Gutierrez designs accessories. How does an accessory walk down a runway? would a bag or a belt get little feet and dance down the runway? That would be cute and strange at the same time.

Gutierrez did one better by having models stalk down the runway wearing liquid leather leggings and simple tops to showcase his wares.

Leather cuffs with intricate metal mesh details, long chain necklaces, mesh-linked tops,jeans and jackets with studded accents, leather bags with metal accents, metal mesh bags, mesh-linked bras, even two-piece mesh and linked metal dresses and skirts walked the runway.

The show was very rock and roll. The handbags were large, roomy and had delicate silver accents on the side.

an the belts! Wide belts, narrow belts, complete mesh-linked belts, belts with just a touch of metal, belts that screamed "heavy metal;" it really was belt heaven.

One of the hot trends for fall is the studded rock n' roller look. Well, it appears that that style will be with us for spring 2010. And if so, Sergio Gutierrez has that trend locked down. If you've ever dreamed of being a sexy rocker chick, definitely check out his collection online at Liquid Collection by Sergio Gutierrez. I bet you'll be tempted by his wares.

Mercedes Benz New York Fashion Week -Maria Grachvogel- Spring 2010

British designer Maria Grachvogel brought a bit of the UK to her show on Sunday, September 12, 2009 at the Altman Building. Attendees were treated to tea, complete with crustless sandwiches, scones and clotted cream.

The presentation was set up like an old fashioned department store tea room fashion show. Attendees were seated at round tables bedecked with a lt candle and a floral bouquet. A truly civilized way to watch clothing parade down the runway. And parade it did; the show ran continuously from 2 pm - 4 pm.  The way it was run, it really afforded the viewer to study the collection as you could see a dress twice.

Grachvogel is well known in the UK; not only for her line of day and evening wear, but also for her line of bespoke bridal couture. Angelina Jolie. Yasmin Le Bon and Marie Helvin are just a few of the celebrities who wear her clothing.

And oh the clothing! Sinuous, sensual in idea and made with simple clean lines that enhance the wearer. Think Marlene Dietrich. Zac Posen, pre-war movies from the 40's and smoldering sexuality, and you've hit the nail on the head for this collection. The basic colors were black , taupe,  with occasional blasts of white and red. Grachvogel had two floral dresses;  one in red and one in yellow. A huge Georgia O'Keefe type flower adorned the front and back of the dress. There were abstract print tops,small hounds-tooth print taffeta dress, and a gown that had a feathery abstract print down the front hand-painted by Maria.

 

If you'd like to be center-stage in the movie of your life, oh this is the wardrobe for your starring role.