Archive for December 2010

Magazines

First Look: American Fashion Designers Shine in W‘s January Issue

By Lauren Sherman Thursday, Dec 16, 2010 / 9:00 AM

W‘s January issue, which hits newsstands December 21, is all about American designers. And we’re not just talking Tom Ford. Shot by by Willy Vanderperre and styled by Olivier Rizzo, “Spring Awakening” features Lindsey Wixon and co. decked out in New York Fashion Week Spring 2011 looks from Alexander Wang, Marc Jacobs, Michael Kors, Proenza Schouler, as well as Ohne Titel, who rightfully moved up to the majors this season.

Click though to see the full spread. And go to www.wmagazine.com for more on the shoot.

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Sales

Racked Dealfeed: Elizabeth Gillett, Sunner, & Derek Lam

Elizabeth Gillett
Deal: 60% to 70% off scarves, sweaters, and jackets sold at Anthropologie. The designer will be on hand to help with selection.
When/Where: Tuesday, December 14 through Wednesday, December 15. Daily 10am—5pm. 242 W. 38th St between Seventh and Eighth Aves, ninth floor (no phone)

Sunner
Deal: Sample sale on coats, dresses and more. Winter coats are $75, silk tops and dresses are $30—$50, and cotton tops and tunics are $25.
When/Where: Tuesday, December 14 to Wednesday, December 15. Daily 8:30am—7pm. 265 W. 37th St between Seventh and Eighth Aves, ninth floor (646-290-6409)

Prairie New York
Deal: Up to 75% off retail, which means cute on-trend dresses for $60 to $75 and tops for $40 to $55.
When/Where: Monday, December 13 through Thursday, December 16. Daily 11am—7pm. 306 West 38th between Eighth and Ninth Aves, second floor (212-967-8166 or customerservice@prairieny.com

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Fashion Is Fun

Molly Sims’ Gift Guide

By Steff Yotka Wednesday, Dec 15, 2010 / 7:40 PM


Model, actress, jewelry designer–Molly Sims does it all, including picking some amazing gifts to give and get this holiday season. She took the time to tell us why she loves each and every one of these gifts. She also told us she makes a mean red velvet cake, enjoys the occasional Judge Judy episode, and that her childhood nickname was “Bones” (for real–it’s her middle name) but that’s another story…

Click through to see her picks.
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Charlotte Ronson On Twin Shopping Telepathy and Why JCPenney is a Perfect Partner

LOS ANGELES–Last night, designer Charlotte Ronson hosted a dinner, sponsored by Belvedere Vodka, for her west coast posse (sis Samantha, mom Ann Dexter-Jones and stepdad Mick Jones, Nicky Hilton, Ashlee Simpson and husband Pete Wentz, Ione Skye and Mindy Kaling included) while her hometown of NYC was hit with a snowstorm. Guests gathered around communal tables at Hollywood hotspot Eveleigh (an eatery that shares its Aussie owners with NYC’s Kingswood) and munched on calamari, butter lettuce salad and braised beef among other dishes, while Charlotte made the rounds.

Despite being in the middle of designing both her namesake collection (Fall 2011) and diffusion line “I Heart Ronson” for JCPenney, the rock ‘n roll scion seemed visibly relaxed. The collaboration with JC Penney’s, she pointed out, is in fact the least of her worries. “It’s really fun because they know their customer so well. You get to really design into it. We do our few pieces, and it’s fun that the line is accessible and affordable. With them you just focus on the design. We do the full techpack but they do all of the production. So, I get to focus on the creative, which is so rare. It’s the perfect partnership.”

And how does it feel to have her name exposed to such a wide, mass market audience?

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  • Alisa Gould-Simon
  • Wednesday, Dec 15, 2010 / 7:33 PM
  • 0 Comments
Menswear

If You Still Haven’t Bought Gifts for the Men in Your Life, Jack Spade is a Good Place to Start

This happens to me never: I love everything at Jack Spade. The brand, whose very elegant, and very male satchels, bags, wallets and trinkets can be found in immaculately edited shops—from SoHo to Venice Beach, as well as Barneys and a host of other department stores—is branching out with its third season of apparel. And I want it all.

From the herringbone, three-button, Stutsman jacket to thee playful striped sweaters, to the bulky knits, it’s a winter wonderland of style. Actor Tobias Segal, who I recently caught in the play Edgewise, and who will be appearing in Men in Black III, came with me to see what I’d been raving about. And do a little shopping.

Jack Spade’s vice president and general manager, Cuan Hanley, has taken a brand whose limited offerings were already firmly rooted in heritage themes and expanded into a full collection that doesn’t come near to the trendy traps of the genre that have captured more established apparel brands like Rag & Bone.

For everything from scarves to leather goods, this should be your one-stop for your guy, your dad, your brother, or yourself this Christmas.

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  • John Ortved
  • Wednesday, Dec 15, 2010 / 5:07 PM
  • 0 Comments
Entertainment

How Nixon’s Daughter Inspired the Wrap Dress and Other Words Words of Wisdom from DvF

One of our favorite fashion people, Diane von Furstenberg–who apparently just goes by DvF now, as Diddy goes by Diddy-Dirty Money–is great in front of an audience. She says ridiculous, off-the-cuff things that are actually true, and it’s hilarious.

And last night on Bravo’s Watch What Happens Live, DvF didn’t disappoint, dolling out some real–as in real funny–advice:

Best snack that won’t make you gain weight? “Your nails.”
Biggest turn off in a man? “I don’t like men who tell jokes. I like shy men. My husband was a very shy when I met him.”
One thing you should never wear past the age of 30? “Diapers.”

She also let on about how her career-launching wrap dress came about.

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Style

Check Out Nicole Richie’s Marchesa Wedding Dress

The other two gowns have yet to surface, but I’ll admit that I’m digging Nicole Richie‘s froufrou Marchesa ball gown. First off, the top is lace with long sleeves–my dress is, too!–and although I typically vomit at the site of tulle, I think its light and fluffy and gorgeous.

Sure, it’s not what I’d pick, but it’s unique. And that’s what’s missing in the bridal market these days. Kudos to Nicole for choosing such a lovely look, and congrats to the happy couple!

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Streetwalker

Street Style: Genevieve Likes Anything With Dark Chocolate

Name: Genevieve White

Age: 27

Occupation: Performance artist

Who is your favorite artist? Marina Abramovic

How would you describe your style? A chaos of colors and forms. I shop at thrift stores a lot, mixing vintage while staying feminine. I like big forms, lots of textures, and colors.

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The Business

KCD Does Digital

KCD, arguably the most powerful fashion public relations firm in New York, has set up a digital shop.

Much like competitors PR Consulting and Starworks, KCD will now have a dedicated digital team, lead by digital director Danielle McGrory, formerly a marketing manager at Intermix. McGrory will report to agency vets Keith Baptista and Rachna Shah, who will serve as managing directors of the new division. (They’ll also continue in their roles of senior vice president of production and senior vice president of public relations for the entire firm.)

Why set up a separate digital division? For one, it’s a different service at most PR firms. A client can buy traditional PR, but now they have to pay extra for digital PR. It makes sense, given the additional work it takes to manage a brand’s online presence, including a Facebook page, Twitter account, etc. Instead of hiring two firms to do the PR–one traditional, one digital–a brand can now go to KCD and have them do it all. (Not that they weren’t embracing digital before: From a blogger’s perspective, KCD has always been respectful and encouraging of online coverage. And it’s been greatly appreciated by all of us.)

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Fashion News Roundup

Fashion News Roundup: Crystal Does Zac, Karl’s Commercials, & ‘Tis The Season to F*** Off

Karl Lagerfeld, The Actor? Karl Lagerfeld can now add actor to his growing list of occupations. Uncle Karl is set to star in a series of Volkswagen commercials which will premier December 22 in Germany. {Racked}

‘Tis The Season To F**k Off: It seems that a Harrods employee got a little upset after he was fired from his position as the toy departments “Father Christmas.” The employee barricaded himself in the store, located all the corresponding switches of the light display outside, and spelled out “F**K OFF” with the lights. Apparently, he had been drinking –the reason he was fired in the first place. {Tumblr/Dashperiod}

H&M Sales Soar In November: H&M’s sales jumped 8% last month –the same month Lanvin x H&M hit stores. Do we smell more designer collaborations? {Retail Week}

False Lashes Claims? Claire Danes recently hopped on the Latisse bandwagon when she became a spokesperson for the eyelash growth treatment. However, things didn’t go (or grow?) so smoothly. Sources are claiming that Danes suffers from skin hyper-pigmentation, one of the side effect of Latisse. And while Danes did say in an online video diary she saw a little bit of redness under her eyes, both Latisse’s and Danes’ reps are claiming that it’s all untrue. {Page Six}

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Fashion Is Fun

Karl, Lacroix, and More Sketch Their Dream Wedding Dresses for Kate Middleton

Even if Bruce Oldfield seems to have pinned down the honor, designers still had fun imagining what they would create for princess-to-be Kate Middleton, if indeed she chose them to fashion her royal wedding dress.

Women’s Wear Daily asked 29 designers to sketch their fantasy. Karl Lagerfeld gave her boots. Chris Benz gave her color: yellow, to be exact. And Christian Lacroix–yes, the man, not the brand–gave her a collage of the old (a Victorian skirt), new (a patchwork gown), borrowed (Queen Elizabeth’s veil), and red (an “Elizabethan top, as red was the wedding color until 1900!”). Other impressive participants included Tory Burch, Lyn Devon, Prabal Gurung, and Jason Wu (shown here). Which look did we like the best? Well, we have to hand it to our friend Chris Benz. While we know Kate won’t go with his sunny yellow–as fun as that would be–we do think the slinky, nipped in silhouette he chose is perfect for the soon-to-be royal. (And we promise we aren’t being biased.)

Click through to see our 12 favorite designs.

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Entertainment

The Mystery of Conan’s Jeggings Solved: Where They Came From And How They Fit So Damn Well

The hysteria surrounding Conan O’Brien‘s glorious man jeggings has died down a bit since he wore them during his monologue a couple weeks ago. But we were still intrigued by his painted-on faux denim. Where did they come from? And how did they get so tight?

Every specialty retailer makes jeggings for ladies now, but the man jegging is a far more elusive thing. They’ve been spotted on the runway, at Uniqlo and at Topshop, but they have yet to saturate the men’s denim market the same way they have for women (though as men’s jeans get skinnier and skinner the man jegging was an inevitability).

So when Conan, after learning from Tim Gunn that man jeggings were things that existed, decided to wear an excessively tight acid wash pair for an entire show, we set about finding out their origins. Our source inside the Conan show tracked down the now famous jeggings for us–which proved more of a challenge than it should have.

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