Archive for May 2011

Streetwalker

Street Style: Soraya Has the Cutest Puppy

Name: Soraya

Age: 31

Occupation: Jewelry designer, Finn Jewelry

How would you describe your style? Casual, comfortable.

What is the most prominent color in your wardrobe? Light pink.

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  • Ashley Jahncke
  • Tuesday, May 24, 2011 / 2:01 PM
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The Business

How Daisy Fuentes Went From MTV VJ to Fashion Mogul

Between Martha Quinn and Carson Daly came Daisy Fuentes, arguably the most famous MTV VJ ever. She looked like a model, worked the camera like an actress, and made the whole idea of being an on air personality for the (then) music fueled channel a lot more glamorous.

But that was long ago. Since Fuentes left MTV, she’s been plenty busy with other television work. (Did you know she was one of the first Hispanics to be a Revlon girl?)

Yet she’s become, in a way, more well-known for her Kohl‘s fashion empire–which launched in 2004 and has since made over $800 million in sales–than for her work as a personality. And she’s okay with that. What was once a side project to help build her personal brand–as well as her personal worth–is now Fuentes’ serious passion. We recently caught up with the exceedingly friendly star to talk fashion, fame, and why she’ll never do a reality show.

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Fashion News Roundup

Fashion News Roundup: Joe Zee Gets Picked Up, a Topshop Pop-Up, and a Boy for Carla?

All on the Line Continues: Joe Zee’s fashion reality TV venture for Sundance has turned out to be as successful as the designers he’s helped. All on the Line has officially been picked up for a second season of entertaining designer rescue missions. {WWD}

Mary-Kate as Me: We love a good Olsen twins photo shoot and we love a good Terry Richardson photo shoot. Combine the two and we’re pretty much in heaven. Think fur coats, big glasses and lots of thumbs up. {Terry Richardson’s Diary}

Secret Shopping: This Thursday, there will apparently be a “secret” pop-up shop inside the Topshop store in Soho (as well as Oxford Circus for any Londoners). It will stock special collaboration items from Pamela Love, Nasir Mazhar, Meadham Kirchhoff, and Ann-Sofie Back and will be located…somewhere near a florist? {Racked}

Gaga Needs Help: If you missed The View yesterday, here is a video of Lady Gaga’s interview, including her having to be helped onto the stage by two men and almost falling when trying to hug Barbara Walters because her shoes are so insanely tall. {Styleite}

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Who is Behind Andre Leon Talley’s New Reality Show Pilot?

It was hard not to notice the cameras trailing Andre Leon Talley at the Savannah College of Art and Design this past weekend. Talley, who’s a member of SCAD’s board and was in town for the art school’s annual senior fashion show and a panel with good friend Manolo Blahnik, was reportedly filming his very own reality show. But since it’s yet to be picked up by a particular channel–we would have heard about it at last week’s Upfronts if it was debuting this fall–we’re wondering: Who’s behind this new venture? Three possibilities:

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See the Lady Gaga, Karl Lagerfeld and Blake Lively-Designed Uniqlo T-Shirts, All Benefiting the Japanese Red Cross

Fashion has been generous and compassionate towards Japan in wake of the country’s recent disasters, but no company so much as Uniqlo, whose chairman and CEO donated $12 million of his own money to relief efforts. In addition to millions of dollars more in clothes and funds that the company donated, it’s now teaming up with an A-list group of designers and celebs to do the now-ubiquitous T-shirt design collaboration.

According to a release sent out by the retailer, ten designers and celebs created t-shirts, with proceeds benefiting the Japanese Red Cross. The high profile celebs include Lady Gaga, Karl Lagerfeld, Gwyneth Paltrow, Nicole Kidman, Alber Elbaz, Blake Lively, Charlize Theron, Cyndi Lauper, Victoria Beckham, and Orlando Bloom.

The shirts will retail for $19.90 and are available starting June 25. We’re partial to Alber’s hearts, Gaga’s characters, and Karl’s wash of color. Click through the gallery to check out the designs.

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Update: The $340 Reiss Dress Kate Middleton Wore to Meet Michelle Obama Sells Out Online

Mrs. O! Kate Middleton! Together! In the same room!

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are back from their 10-day honeymoon in the Seychelles and for their first royal engagement they met with President Obama and the First Lady. So what did two of the most influential women in style wear to meet each other?

If you thought Kate would ditch her high street standbys for designer dresses now that she’s a Duchess and doing things like meeting the President and First Lady, think again.

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Beauty

Dree Hemingway Whispers in Justin Bieber’s Ear For His New Perfume Campaign (Plus the Commercial Is Out)

By Leah Chernikoff Tuesday, May 24, 2011 / 9:19 AM

Here is the Terry Richardson-shot campaign for Justin Bieber’s highly anticipated new fragrance, Someday. The campaign co-stars Dree Hemingway (let’s be honest, she’s more like a supporting actress here) and it somehow manages to position her as something of a cougar. Hemingway is only 25 but the Biebs is just 17, and in this shot, she looks like she wants to take a bite out of him. Think it will go over well with the Beliebers?
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Fashion Is Fun

The 10 Best Tumblrs By Fashion Industry Insiders

Tumblr can be a little daunting for those don’t “tumbl,” especially when it comes to navigating the myriad of fashion-related ones.

There are a lot of decent tumblrs out there devoted to fashion, but after awhile they all start to blend together in a sea of pretty pictures. Luckily, there are quite a few industry insiders whose access to the industry lends itself to smartly styled pages, valuable tips and insights, and, of course, very pretty pictures. Here our are favorite tumblrs run by folks within the fashion industry–they range from models to editors to PRs to photographers but they’re all, clearly, ahead of the game when it comes to social media.

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Beauty

Catching Up With Caudalie: Its Latest Eye Cream and a Sneak Peek at What’s Launching This Summer

Any skin care line that’s inspired by wine and vineyards automatically gets a vote of confidence from us. It gets another one when facialists and dermatologists alike rave about it, which they have been doing since Caudalie launched in 1995.

We took a long overdue trip to the Caudalie Vinotherapie Spa at the Plaza here in NYC. Mathilde and Bertrand Thomas, the brand’s founders and new transplants to New York City, greeted us warmly with smiles and an immediate glass of wine, which we didn’t turn down despite the fact that we were working. (It would have been rude, right?)

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Parties

Comme des Garcons x Matt Groening: Why the Simpsons‘ Creator Trusted Rei Kawakubo ’100%’ With the Collaboration

In today’s collab-happy times, joint ventures (particularly on the high street) are a dime a dozen. But when we learned that legendary animator Matt Groening, the man behind both The Simpsons and the late-70s comic strip Life in Hell, was launching a capsule line with Comme des Garçons, we were intrigued.

While the fashion flock boasts some interesting characters, to be sure, cartoons and couture have seemingly little in common. Turns out, however, that Groening was quite familiar with Rei Kawakubo‘s avant-garde designs long before the pair partnered up.

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  • ELANA FISHMAN
  • Monday, May 23, 2011 / 4:15 PM
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Events

Manolo Blahnik: I’m Still Trying to ‘Make It’

SAVANNAH–Good designers may have flashes of brilliance, but legendary designers marry that inborn talent with a great deal of hard work. And in Manolo Blahnik‘s case, more modesty than one would expect.

On Saturday, just hours before its top 25 senior fashion collections were shown to students, press, and industry insiders alike, the Savannah College of Art and Design hosted a chat with shoe king Blahnik and his good friend (and SCAD board member) Andre Leon Talley, moderated by Eric Wilson from the New York Times.

Blahnik, who was honored with the André Leon Talley Lifetime Achievement Award at the SCAD senior fashion show later that evening, did a bit of reminiscing with Talley about Bianca Jagger, Fire Island, and Sophia Loren’s feet. But his answers to Wilson’s questions about the industry weren’t as cookie cutter as one might expect from such an established name. “I’m still trying to make it,” he said off-offhandedly at one moment.

What we learned:

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Streetwalker

Street Style: The Like’s Tennessee Thomas Sips Coco Helado

Name: Tennessee Thomas

Age: 26

Occupation: Drummer in The Like

How would you describe your style? Beatles fan.

What flavor of shaved ice are you sippin’ on? Coconut, which I’m supposed to be sharing with my friend!

What is currently on your iPod? New York Dolls, The Ramones.

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