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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?

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.

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.

Celebrities Shopping! Lindsay Lohan and Taraji P. Henson! Oh Look, There's Jessica Alba!

No, not together silly!

A zillion and one celebrities are in New York City for Mercedes Benz Fashion Week, New York Fashion, The Parade of Models, Clothes, Shoes or whatever you want to call it. Anyway, they're here, they're shopping and they're going out.

Lindsay Lohan is in New York City, and she's been staying at the Bowery Hotel. Wednesday, September 9, 2009 she was spotted leaving the hotel and heading over to Victoria's Secret. There she picked up a bunch of cosmetic goodies (various shades of eyeshadow quads, blush trios, lipsticks and more) from the new VS Makeup Collection. Her fav purchase? The VS Makeup Gloss ($10). It's available at Victoria's Secret stores nationwide and online at Victoriasecret.com .

That same night, Taraji P. Henson (I Can Do Bad All By Myself, Benjamin Button) was seen wearing  a one shoulder nail head studded chiffon dress by designer KAUFMANFRANCO to Saks Fifth Avenue's celebration unveiling their third floor. Some dress, huh!

Over in LA on that same day, Jessica Alba was seen leaving LAX with her daughter wearing a lightweight charcoal gray and cream leaf patterned scarf ($26) by Erge. Luckily for you, it can be picked up at Nordstrom.com

Who said Wednesdays were the dullest day of the week?

**Lindsay Lohan photo courtesy of Shadow PR, Taraji P. Henson photo courtesy of  bluPRint PR, Jessica Alba photo courtesy of Red Light PR

Mercedes Benz New York Fashion Week - Twinkle by Wenlan- Spring 2010

Knitwear goddess Wenlan Chia's line has a long list of celebrity clients; Lauren Conrad and Vanessa Hudgens are just two in her Rolodex.

For spring/summer 2010 she played with silk, not knit; viewing her flowy, well draped and cut line, it sure looked like she had a lot of fun. Bright pops of red, soft pink, pale aqua, touches of blue, and hints of green worked well again the basic black and white palette. It was nice to see her use bold graphic prints and a  clever use of buttons to highlight outfits.

Here and there you'd see classic Twinkle; slouchy over sized tops, and cardis. However, the collection was, for her, surprisingly body-conscious with cigarette pants, nipped in waists and short skirts.

Designers always evolve. They have to or they can't survive. Wenlan's move to a sexier more sophisticated look is a very welcome one.

 

*photos courtesy of Dan Lecca/Laforce-Stevens

Iodice and the Jet Set Woman

Brazilian designer Valdemar Iodice held his spring presentation at the Morgans Hotel yesterday. In this intimate setting, fashion people were able to touch and pet his clothing. While I was going through my walk through, two stylists were going through a rack exclaiming over items and saying they would be perfect for Ms.X to wear during fashion week. "This collection,"Iodice stated,"was designed to keep in mind the life of the jet set woman. My inspiration was classic and timeless sophistication."

Iodice designs clothing, shoes, and jewelry; in short a complete look, the only thing missing is a body. His palette ranged between soft earth tones- sand and sage with primary colors- red, navy and white. Soft suede and jersey silk were the main fabrics. If you're jetting off to Capri, these are the fabrics you'll need!

The way the clothing is draped, and the intricate detailing-note the beadwork highlighted-that was on the sleeve of a gossamer white silk dress, brings to mind designers like Norell and Adrian. Men who felt that every little detail as as important as the overall look. After all, the devil is in the details, and the eye delights on tiny treasures.

Olive and Bette Delivers One Of A Kind Designer Bags

Olive and Bette (384 Bleecker Street, NYC) is kicking off fashion week and Fashion's Night Out with a chance for you to win a one-of-a-kind designer tote! Susana Monaco, Letarte,  and Medusa’s Heirlooms have created these babies, and they'll be on display throughout the month of September at the store. They're being auctioned off for a very good cause; a portion of the proceeds will go to Fashion Delivers, a charity that unifies the apparel and home industries to aid victims of disasters and individuals in need. Bidding starts at $25, and you can use the "Buy It Now" option for $250. The bags are left to right; Letarte, Susana Monaco and Medusa's Heirlooms. If you'd like to bid on a bag, but you're not in New York City, you can phone in your bid to (212)206-0036

This is a great way to spend money and feel good about it. You not only get a designer original bag, you're donating to a charity. Talk about multi-tasking!

Guess Who Shops at Wal-Mart and Target?? C'mon Guess

Think you're too hotsy totsy to shop at Wally World AKA Wal-Mart? Only hit Tarjay for paper towels? Next time you're in one of those shops, take a walk through their racks and look at their very fashion forward items.

On your left is actress Kate Beckinsale. She's wearing an up-to-the-minute maxidress with all the right accents. How much do you think she spent on her Susie Rose? $100? $300? $1100? Nope, $15! It's a Wal-Mart exclusive! Yeah, Wal-Mart!

Michelle Obama, or uber-chic first lady is wearing a Merona for Target dress when she and her family went to Arizona for the weekend. The dress cost about $30, and while it's no longer available, Target has other on-point and fashionable clothing.

So please stop thinking that you have to bankrupt yourself to look good. If celebrities are wandering through mass stores like Target, Wal-Mart or Kohl's, what's holding you back? Remember the key to being fashionable is being smart. You can pair up a $12 dress with a $300 bag and look like a million.

Just open your eyes and close your wallet.

Do you have a favorite store? Do you have a great tip on how to look fab without going broke? What's the least you've spent on an item?

Please leave me a comment and let me know!

*photo of KB courtesy of  Michelle Marie PR, photo credit for Michelle Obama- Merona for Target

Fashion's Night Out - Get Ready to Rumble

Fashion's Night Out is on September 19, 2009.  Vogue, CFDA, and New York & Company have come together and organized the New York City event. If you haven't heard of the event, it's a one night global initiative to get people out of the house and spend, spend, spend. September 10, is also the first day of Mercedes Benz New York Fashion Week. There will be a lot of exhausted and delirious fashion people in the streets that night.

As you can imagine, almost every store has an event going on. Here's my list of stores that I think would be fun to visit.

Macy's Herald Square is having a boatload of events- Michael Kors and Debra Messing Will be making an appearance to promote Micheal's newest fragrance, Very Hollywood. Tommy Hilfiger is hosting a performance of the Michael Freo Jazz Trio. You can meet designer Rachel Roy and Jewelry.com is debuting a collection inspired by the iconic images of New York City; The Brooklyn Bridge, Grand Central and more.

Barneys New York (Mad & 61S t) has the mayor, Manolo Blahnik, Brian Reyes, Thom Browne and other celebs making appearances. Yes there will be drinks and nibbles.

Rebecca Taylor (260 Mott Street bet Prince & Houston) is combing glamorous, feminine, sexy clothing with a cotton candy machine! How cool is that??!!

Nine West (675 5th & 53 St) is launching their new Nine West Vintage America Collection and the Vintage America Voices Contest that night. They're collecting gently used footwear for Soles4Souls. Look for appearances by Miranda Lee Richards (Singer/songwriter and Nine West VAC brand ambassador), Fred Allard (Nine West Creative Director), Tiffany Johnson (Soles4Souls spokesperson and musician).

MAC Cosmetics (113 Spring Street & Mercer) will have performer Jonelle Manae will be making a personal appearance and DJ Harley Viera-Newton will spin. Other MAC stores -148 Columbus Ave- DJ Chelsea Leyland, 175 Fifth Ave - DJ Lola Schnabel, Macy's Herald Square - DJ Lady Starlight, Macy's Rego Park - TBA .

To get the full checklist, visit Fashion's Night Out website.

*photo by PJ Gach