1. Jimmy Choo and Hunter teamed up to make a pair of faux crocodile Wellies (at left), which will be featured on the last page of April Vogue for Last Look.
2. The Clue (at right) is far and away Jimmy Choo’s best selling shoe. “They are the most popular shoe for us globally. They sell 10 to 1 compared to the other shoes, if not more,” said Jimmy Choo USA President, Brian Henke. We asked what made the $700ish slingbacks so irresistible: “It’s the comfort,” said Brian, “the pitch allows you to walk in them all day.”
3. Tamara Mellon‘s designed a line of makeup bags for Fall, which perfectly match the regular bags, possibly resulting in the cheapest clutches Jimmy Choo never intended to make.
4. It is illegal to import python commercially in the state of California.
5. It is totally appropriate to squeal “CHOOS!” in the midst of champagne, mini pieces of toast and the open invitation to try on anything in the store.
And now, we’ll just wonder why we never learned so much in a single day of school.
Author
Natalie Hormilla
Posts by Natalie Hormilla
Fact: Kiehl’s customers are die-hard – they don’t call it a “cult” favorite for nothing – and will go on and on about everything from the Cr√®me de Corps to the Grooming Cr√®me until you kind of want to shove their Lip Balm #1 down their throats. If you’ve ever wondered how the 158 year-old brand keeps up such hype, you might like to know it’s because they actually listen to their customers.
Case in point: Late last year, they launched a stronger hold version of their Clean Hold Styling Gel. Not because some big name stylist declared that stiff hold was in, but because a group of customers said they’d really like it.
And now, they’ve launched their new Marvelous Mineral Mascara (on shelves as of yesterday), a direct result of fervent requests by loyal consumers who wished for a natural mascara that also conditions lashes.
I got my sample yesterday and tried it immediately even though I abused them with tests last week. The formula glided on without any tugging, and washed off with minimal discomfort to my lashline. There was some smudging around midday, but nothing too horrendous, and the crazy separation and decent amount of length means it’s officially entered heavy rotation on my bathroom sink.
And even if I wanted a totally smudge-proof option, I know all I have to do is complain to the right people, and poof, it’ll be a click away on their site. And with consumers dropping like flies, more beauty brands would be wise to focus their efforts on keeping their fan base happy instead of coming up with the next limited edition “it” nail polish shade.
–MEGAN MCINTYRE
Here’s a sneak peek of W‘s fashion feature, “Stardust”. Check out the rest on W‘s site tomorrow.
Everybody’s looking for ways to drum up cash these days, and camera crew-toting stylists are no exception:
Next Thursday (March 26), the Decades Two in Los Angeles is hosting an in-store shopping event for 50 – 100 pieces of contemporary costume jewelry from Rachel Zoe’s personal collection, handpicked by one of the store’s owners. A portion of the proceeds will benefit a charity of Ms. Zoe’s choosing.
Unsurprisingly, you can’t go unless you’re invited. But here’s the flip side: Jewelry that makes it past the first night will end up on DecadesTwo.com and on the store’s eBay page the very next day, meaning you can click yourself silly with your friends while making all the bananas references you want in the privacy of your own home.
Though LA party girls, beware: The event will be taped for the Rachel Zoe Project, meaning you could end up on Bravo shopping Rachel’s cast-offs. We think the website might be the way to go.
We’re endlessly fascinated with the meeting of “real,” “reality” and “fashion” on television these days, and the way it endlessly fascinates us despite our constant stream of questions and concerns. Like:
1. Doesn’t Diane von Furstenberg (as in, the real DVF, not some character of herself she plays on MTV) care that the entire world has now watched her discuss Whitney Port’s love life on prime time?
2. Doesn’t Whitney Port care that the only time she actually got to talk to the real DVF (who, let’s face it, is always present with her on-screen self) was during a work party where she spewed about her boyfriend instead of about wanting to do more with her job?
3. Also, don’t the producers care that DVF just repeated the same advice we’ve heard her give several times?
Please, discuss this moment in true tele-reality. Because when Diane started playing with her hair and asking legitimate questions about Jay, we lost too many brain cells to think on this any further.
Last week, WWD reported that Jil Sander was spotted at a fabric fair, sparking rumors that the German designer was readying for a comeback after exiting her semi-eponymous label (her real name is Heidemarie Jiline Sander) in 2004.
But those hoping for a return to the runway should instead focus their attention to the racks: Jil Sander’s just signed on as a “design consultant” for Uniqlo, the Japanese high street brand known for bright basics and a steady stream of capsule collections from designers like Phillip Lim, Alexander Wang, and now from Jil herself, who’ll release her own designs for the company as part of the long-term deal.
No word on exactly when these designs will materialize, but if other megabrands follow in Uniqlo’s lead and add value and originality to their own designs, too, we can’t wait to see the amazing clothes that’ll end up in the hands of everyone.
Quietly, the news that Katie Holmes has been working on a line of children’s clothing has been floating around without any real confirmation until ELLE‘s Twitter yesterday afternoon.
It seems the former Joey Potter’s foray into fashion as the face of Miu Miu for Spring 09 wasn’t even the beginning, since Katie’s reportedly been working on the line with her stylist, Jeanne Yang (whom you might remember let Katie design that white jumpsuit with her), for over a year.
Whether this is really because she couldn’t find cute/comfortable clothes for the most famous daughter ever, or because she’s jumping on the highly profitable designer kids wear market is unknown, and will probably stay that way.
Meanwhile, if Suri ends up the face of TomKittens Holiday 09, we’ll officially boycott any photos of her immediately.
Last week, the big non-Fashion Week news was Phoebe Philo’s Bicyclette collection. Turns out, the original reporters had some incorrect info, so here’s the real deal for those who were excited about Phoebe’s return:
1. The collection was not designed by Phoebe, but by Ivana Omazic, the designer Phoebe’s been hired to replace. Bicyclette marks Ivana’s final efforts for Celine.
2. The clothes hit stores in April, not August, so there won’t be any designer confusion once Phoebe’s Resort collection hits the runway in June.
So, bad news: This has nothing to do with Phoebe. Good news: The clothes come even sooner for those dying to have the perfect outfit in which to circle Nolita looking for Scott.
That is all.
Even though I’m officially brown-bagging my lunch since the e-word fell into a r-word, the one thing I can’t bear to give up is my pricey haircuts. Try as I might, I just can’t cut back on them. I’ve considered trying to DIY, but I had a bad experience in my youth that left me with uneven, half-inch long bangs on Picture Day Eve, so I can’t even handle a pair of shears without having traumatic flashbacks.
I guess I’m a salon snob, but I dealt with so many horrible hair cuts back in the day (hello infamous bowl cut of ’92), that the minute I had the chance, I plopped myself in a chair at Bumble and have refused to go anywhere less since. The unfortunate side effect of this stubbornness is that my already anemic bank account goes on life support every 6 – 8 weeks.
So, news: Ted Gibson, one of my all-time favorite stylists and an all around sweetheart, was feeling my pain. The man behind the hair of Angelina Jolie and Anne Hathaway understands that times are rough and wallets are tight so he’s launching Recessionista Tuesdays at his eponymous salon. Every Tuesday, you can swing by the Fifth Avenue location for bargain basement prices on all the basic services. We’re talking $40 for a blowout and $75 and up for a cut or color. Considering the usual base price for services is $125, that’s one hell of a deal.
Best of all, if you swing by the salon between 10 and noon on Tuesdays and drop your business card, you’ll be entered to win a free hair makeover with Ted himself at the end of the day. The economy might be a mess but Ted is apparently a firm believer that your hair shouldn’t have to be. Amen.
–MEGAN MCINTYRE
Last fall, we told you Scott got a book deal. And just now, the real details are starting to emerge:
The book’s coming out under Penguin, it’s call The Sartorialist, will sell out in days. More interesting: It’s getting its own pop-up shop in Colette – The Sartorialust – which will include racks of accessories (“great pyjamas, great suspenders”) to go alongside stacks of his tome.
Also possibly in the works: A certain shopping “deal” and a style guidebook a la Tim Gunn.
Is Scott the fashion world’s next mega-brand? We don’t know, but the best part of his profile in the Times UK this weekend? The fact that he wouldn’t shoot a girl’s outfit because she was wearing Uggs.
Discuss!
UPDATE: You may have noticed some changes in the above story – Scott’s assistant says that the only part of the Times story (in terms of business deals) that’s fairly certain is the pop-up store, which is slated to open up in Colette (other locatiosn are not definite quite yet). Who says newspapers have fact checkers?
“It’s a bit like for an actor. Do you want to go to Hollywood or do you want to stay here in Paris and do the cinema I like to do? I think I prefer to stay here in Paris.” - Carine Roitfeld, on why she would never take Anna’s job, to CNN.
Popular Stories
The 10 Best YouTube Hair Tutorials
The 10 Best YouTube Makeup Tutorials 
Fashion's Most Stylish Guys Give Mark Zuckerberg an (Almost!) Hoodie-Free Makeover for Facebook's IPO
Style and Substance: 10 Ladies Who Have Proven You Can Have Both
10 Beauty Boards You Should Be Following on Pinterest
