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Nora Crotty

Posts by Nora Crotty

Photo: Getty

Last week, in the middle of New York fashion week, and on a night that felt like the absolutely, most frigid night of this entire winter, I ducked into an indoor pop-up park in SoHo (yes, they exist) to escape the elements and curl up fetus-style on a beanbag chair with my 6″ Italian herbs and cheese tuna sub. What I encountered inside was far less relaxing but about 10,000 times more amazing. It went a lot like this:

PR-type girl: “Are you here for the event?”
Moi: “Um… no?”
PR-type girl: “Want to see a fashion show?”

Did I even have to answer that? Of course I wanted to! The PR girl promptly led me down some AstroTurf-ed stairs to a small elevated runway lined with park benches. I was seated in a chair marked “reserved” with literally no idea of what was about to come down the catwalk. But before I knew it, I got my answer: A 40-something blonde woman with bangs and a bump-it appeared on stage, and in an almost comically thick southern drawl, clarified the situation: She was a pageant mom–but not just any old pageant mom. No, standing before me was the mother of all stage mothers, Mickie Wood, famous for birthing and managing “America’s Sweetheart” and Toddlers & Tiaras breakout star, 6-year-old Eden Wood. And we were about to witness the debut of her very first children’s fashion line inspired by her living-doll daughter, aptly titled “Sparkle Baby!” Read more »


We reported a few weeks ago that Banana Republic would once again be collaborating with Mad Men costume designer Janie Bryant on a collection inspired by the stylish Sixties AMC drama– and now we’ve got a preview of the limited edition line, courtesy of our North American neighbors at HuffPo Canada (we’ll post the full look book later today).

This second collaboration– which comes just in time for the return of the long on-hiatus series– features classic (and super-flattering) retro shapes: Nipped-in waists, shrunken cardigans, and pencil capris for women; tailored blazers and fitted polos for men. The spring/summer palette, inspired by Mad Men‘s country club scenes, is full of creme, fuchsia, and navy.

The collection doesn’t hit Banana Republic’s site or stores until March 1, but until then, you can check out these brand new look book images featuring the gorgeous Don Draper David Gandy and (omg) Shalom Harlow (is she back?) doing their best Don and (brunette) Betty Draper Francis impressions. Read more »

Photo: Getty

Kate Moss’s Arm is Paralyzed: Don’t freak out! It’s only temporary. Lady Kate woke up in the Ritz Paris this past weekend to find herself unable to move her right arm and hand. Apparently the condition is caused by ulnar nerve entrapment, which, while nowhere near permanent, can take several months to totally disappear. Which means it might be a while till KM can work again– though, with all the photoshopping that goes on, it probably wouldn’t be much of a problem to edit Kate’s limp limb. {Daily Mail}

Jude Law’s Daughter’s Conversation-Starting Dress: 12-year-old Iris Law attended Vivienne Westwood’s show, with mum Sadie Frost, wearing a little babydoll Peter Pan-collared dress covered in a conversation hearts print. Sounds adorable, right? Except that, upon closer inspection, the sugary hearts read some not-so-sweet phrases like ‘Blow Me,’ ‘Please Drown,’ and our favorite, ‘Eat Shit.’ Sadie later apologized to the disapproving public via Twitter, claiming the oversight was a #genuinemistake. {Styleite}

High-End Retailers Are Doing Better Than Wal-Mart: For the ninth straight quarter, budget retail giant Wal-Mart is reporting major profit losses. But higher-end stores like Saks and Blommingdale’s have reported increasing profits, with customers spending more on such luxury goods as high-priced jewelry. It seems that Wal-Mart reduced its prices so sharply over the holidays, it actually lost profit. Would raising its prices and quality of goods (with Macy’s and Target-like collaborations, for example) help or hurt Wal-Mart? {New York Times}

Is Scott Schuman Into Uggs? Our friends at Refinery noticed the Sartorialist’s discerning eye had picked up some Uggs. As in Uggs. Those shoes that most fashion people get all huffy about hating. Is he joking? We can’t tell. {The Sartorialist via Refinery 29}

Why Brands are Making Their Own Glossies: Why attempt to convey the values and culture of a brand through a few photographs in an ad campaign and placements in an editorial when you can produce an entire magazine for about the same cost? That’s the idea motivating more and more brands to create their own mags and blogs that are miles from being considered catalogues– Many, like those by BLK DNM and Acne, don’t even mention the brands’ own collections within the pages. {New York Times}

Will the Economy Rise with Our Hemlines? According the the Business Insider‘s seemingly extremely thorough study, the average length of hemlines this NYFW has risen greatly since last time — which historically could (emphasis on could) mean that the economy is in for a boost as well. Which we genuinely would have absolutely no problem with. {The Cut}

Adele Wears Black and Bling at The Brits, Flips Bird: Someone get this girl into some color please! The six-time Grammy winner and Vogue cover girl wore two more black dresses to last night’s Brit Awards in London, along with some crazy finger bling that are inspiring engagement rumors. When Adele won the night’s biggest honor for Album of the Year, she was beyond rudely cut-off 40 seconds into her acceptance – resulting in an appearance from another, less sparkly – but perhaps more telling – finger. We can’t say we blame her! {Styleite}

Fashion Week

Street Style Roundup: Our 25 Best Street Style Shots From NYFW

Monday, Feb 20, 2012 / 3:00 PM

It’s certainly been one whirlwind of a week, and just like that, NYFW has come to an end. Of course we’re already in the midst of London and we’re about to move to Milan and then Paris. But there’s nothing like seeing amazing people and style right in your own neighborhood.

Each day this past New York fashion week, our street style photog Ashley Jahncke has captured the style and personalities of some of the brightest stars in fashion–from celeb stylist and Bravo star Brad Goreski, to blogger Elin Kling, to Victoria’s Secret model Behati Prinsloo and more.

In celebration of the end of New York Fashion Week and all the fabulous street style that came with it, here’s a gallery of our top 25 street style snaps from the past eight days. Which ones are your faves?
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It’s never too late (or too early!) to start your new career in fashion. Whether you’re just getting started, or just want to start over, our careers page has got the jobs and internships that will get you where you want to be! We’re constantly updating out site with all the latest and hottest openings. Right now, we’ve got postings for a PR internship at Black Frame (they rep Rodarte, OK?), a fine jewelry production and sales intern at Monique Pean, a footwear design intern at Juicy Couture, and tons more. So update that resume and start applying now!
Read more »

Photo: favim.com

Alexa Chung Named Newest BFC Style Ambassador: She’s long been the stye ambassador to our hearts, but now Alexa Chung can add yet another title to her growing list of fashionable ventures. The British Fashion Council has named the influential Brit It-Girl their ‘Young Style Ambassador,’ as which she will “promote British fashion design talent to a global market.” While it seems to us that Chung already does that job quite well, it never hurts to make things official. {Elle UK}

Parsons Students Compete in International Fashion Showcase at London Fashion Week: The first ever International Fashion Showcase is happening now at London Fashion Week, with young designers from 19 different countries competing against each other for the Emerging Talent Award. Representing the US is a group of MFA students from Parsons, showing a collection titled “Lost Time is Never Found Again.” {Racked}

Carine Roitfeld Working with V on New Project? We’ve been anxious to hear about Carine’s latest project following her departure from French Vogue, and now WWD is speculating that her new magazine may be in collaboration with V Magazine. Though Carine herself has yet to comment, she’s already guest-edited an issue of the fashion mag and has reportedly been seen around the V office a lot lately… {WWD}

Here’s an (Obviously) NSFW gif of the NYFW Streaker: Who said fashion week is all about clothes? Apparently there was a streaker outside of Lincoln Center yesterday. Allegedly, she was somehow promoting an improv show, and, well, why just read about it when you can watch it in action? Check out Refinery’s lovely, floppy little NSFW gif. {Refinery29}

Nicole Richie’s has a QVC Line, is Just Like Us: Nicole Richie’s new affordable collection for QVC launches on February 24, and the reality star-turned-designer wants potential customers to know that she’s just like them: “A mother of two [who] work[s].” Who was raised by Lionel Richie, is married to a rock star, and has most certainly never purchased anything from QVC in her life. But otherwise, yes! She’s just like us. {WWD}

Christy Turlington Covers The Gentlewoman: More proof that supermodels are superhuman– check out the absolutely ageless Christy Turlington on the latest cover of The Gentlewoman, with the simple (yet totally fitting) heading, “Oh Wow!” which was exactly our thought when we saw this cover. {Cover Junkie}

Ralph Rucci Possibly Filing for Chapter 11: It’s been reported that the luxury designer has been meeting with lawyers to file for bankruptcy. Rucci, who canceled his show this season (holding studio appointments instead), could be more than $7million in debt for owed money to supplies, lenders, and personal taxes. Hopefully this will serve as a necessary wake-up call rather than the end of his line. {NY Mag}

Models’ NYFW Street Style Watch: You’ve seen shots of what all your favorite models were wearing on the runway at NYFW, but what about when they left Lincoln Center? Here are some street snaps of Liya, Gisele, et al in their own sharp ensembles. {FabSugar}

Mary Quant’s Pants Gave Her Orgasms: Miniskirt inventor and ’60s super designer Mary Quant has a very candid talk with the Telegraph, saying, among other things, that she had never seen a fat person until she came to the US (gee, thanks!), Coco Chanel didn’t like her very much, and that her pants were so tight back in the day that they made her orgasm. Hey Mary, who made those pants, exactly?? {Telegraph}

New York Fashion Week may be coming to an end, but these stylish citizens are still going strong. Check out our latest street style shots: Today we’ve got Lulu Frost jewelry designer Lisa Salzer, the amazingly coiffed Alla Kostromicheva, Paper Magazine’s editorial director Mickey Boardman, and more. Click away at our best camera clicks.
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David Beckham might just be the perfect (ahem) package: He’s a world-famous athlete, adoring dad, all-around Grade-A certified hottie (yeah, we said it), and underwear model for his new collab with H&M — and it seems that his posh designer wife, Victoria, wants to show her appreciation for it erm… him. Check out this personal photo of VB doing her best to (literally) support her husband’s latest venture, which David posted on his Facebook page with the caption “So proud of my wife taking #NYFW by the balls”. Read more »

Marc Jacobs Uses Underage Models, Defies CFDA Guidelines: Much like the crazy nastyass honey badger, Marc Jacobs just don’t care about the CFDA’s proposed guidelines to ban models under age 16 from the runway, despite the fact that Jacobs is a member of the organization. In brazen defiance, Jacobs used at least two models who had potentially just completed their bat mitzvah’s, stating “If their parents are willing to let them do a show, I don’t see any reason that it should be me who tells them that they can’t.” Whatever, whatever, Marc does what he wants! {NY Times}

New Designers Struggle to Get Notice at NYFW: Not all designers can get Anna Wintour (or even George Lucas) in the front row. Take a look into the world of the new and talented designers who can’t yet afford a runway at Lincoln Center, or a professional makeup artist for that matter. {NY Mag}

Bar Rafaeli Felt Flabby in Sports Illustrated: The lingerie model-turned-designer says she felt fat and flabby posing with professional athletes for the Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue. In the poignant word of Michelle Tanner: “Puh-lease.” {NY Mag}

Crouching Anna Dello Russo, Hidden Seating at Diesel: So much for being ‘fashionably late’! ADR showed up so late to the Diesel Black Gold show yesterday that her front row seat had already been snatched and she was forced to crouch on the ground. Hope she wore comfortable shoes… {NY Post}

George Lucas Thinks Rodarte is “Out of the Box”: NYFW’s most random attendee George Lucas went to the Rodarte show with his daughters and girlfriend because, “Whatever they say is right.” The Star Wars director did seem to pay some attention to the presentation though, saying that the Mulleavy sisters are “very quirky in an interesting way.” Correct, he is and quirky, they are. {WWD}

Oscar de la Renta Letting Public Inspire Next Collection: Could ODLR have designer’s block? For the next three months, the classic designer is encouraging the public to upload images to a digital “mood board” that will inspire his upcoming resort collection. Alright people, start uploading your cutest kitten images right meow. {WSJ}

Terry Richardson x Lindsay Lohan for Love: We can never get enough of these skeevy LiLo photo shoots. In this one, she barely escapes catching her hair on fire, walks into a pool wearing in heels, and shows us that she’s finally bought some (albeit very tiny) underpants. {ONTD}

DKNY PR Girl Reveals Even More: We’ve known since October that DKNY PR Girl is actually publicist Aliza Licht, but did you know that she once wanted to be a plastic surgeon? Take a look inside the life of the girl who dishes the dirt. {NY Times}

Lady Gaga Goes See-Thru for Terry Richardson: This guy sure has a knack for getting the girls to take it all off. Here’s a preview image from a shoot Uncle Terry did for Gaga’s upcoming “Born This Way” tour. Her plastic “dress” is by up-and-comer Hogan McLaughlin and hopefully looks less like saran wrap in hi-res. {WWD}

Prabal Gurung Wears Commes des Garcons, Will Do Menswear: Prabal revealed that he never ever goes shopping, but when he does, it’s at Commes des Garcons – where he bought his favorite (and constantly worn) baseball jacket. He’s also planning a menswear line and though he doesn’t know when it will launch yet, we’ll bet when it does he’ll probably wear that too. {NY Mag}

Celebs Dress Up for the Front Row: Check out what all of your favs, including Leighton Meester and Olivia Palermo, were wearing in their front row seats at New York Fashion Week. {FabSugar}

Every fashion week, we look for new and exciting trends from the runways to guide us into the next season. This year is no different: We’ve seen monochrome prints, crazy (like really crazy) hats, several Jenna Lyons dopps, and now…hands?
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Has Fashion Week given you the urge to throw yourself into the madness? Fashionista has just what you’re looking for! We are constantly updating our Career page with new and exciting opportunities and all you have to do is apply. So take a break from checking those street style blogs to brush up your resume and put together cover letters. Read more »

Streetwalker

Our Top 5 Street Style Snaps from New York Fashion Week: Day 2

Friday, Feb 10, 2012 / 6:41 PM

One thing’s for sure about New York Fashion Week: The looks outside of Lincoln Center are most often just as inspiring as those inside. On day 2, our Street Style cam caught up with some definite head-turners, including Teen Vogue‘s Laurel Pantin, model Aline Weber and Opening Ceremony buyer Kate Foley, and some other stylemaking citizens–including one with some serious flexibility.

What do you think of their Fashion Week fashions?
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