I was greeted with throngs of screaming teenagers, like, dying over one Gossip Girl arrival after another. Inside was worse, paparazzi (and PR) pushed and shoved and threatened to escort us out if we - standing at a whopping 5’4” - didn’t get out of their way to take the perfect shot.
But after waiting forty-five minutes for Leighton to sing, I wasn’t going anywhere. When she did come on stage, well, who knew white leggings painted with blue and yellow fallopian tubes even existed? I spent a minute wondering where the bangs came from, then I turned on the camera and watched Carter Baizen try and boogie his way past Rufus onto the stage.
And then, after one song, I escaped, kind of devastated I’d skipped Fred Perry’s birthday celebration with a civilized Friendly Fires performance in lieu of the violent teenage mob.
The best part of this article, in which WWD explains they’ve heard Michelle Trachtenberg’s ‘designing’ a line of jewelry for Coach’s new Poppy line, is when they describe her, “tough-girl meets sugary-sweet vibe.”
That’s Georgina, right? Minus the all-important word “psychopath?”
So she’s making baubles with Coach for spring. The line will focus on colorful crystals and fake pearls with “intricate hardware.” We loved the necklace she wore last night, to the nightmarish American Eagle flagship opening in Times Square, so maybe, despite our increasing distaste for celebrity collaborations, we’ll like what she does for Poppy.
(More on Leighton’s performance once I figure out how to upload videos to Youtube.)
In the midst of Fashion Month, a vacation, a birthday and what’s starting to feel like a blog explosion, I ran out of time to finish posting the series of Life With’s I worked on in LA this summer.
Next up is Molly Stern.
I’m tempted to call Molly “make-up artist to the stars,” but that doesn’t really cover it. Yes, she’s pretty much the only one who touches Reese Witherspoon’s face, but she’s also landed a gig for Cover Girl. She used to have her own clothing line, which sold in Barneys etc, she’s a mother of three and for lack of a less cheesy word, she’s one of the most inspirational women I’ve met - especially in this industry.
She got her start at the Shu Uemura store in her local mall, made fast friends with the girl who replaced her, Jillian Dempsey, moved to New York to find herself, moved back to LA when her mom set her up with the guy behind the counter at her favorite deli and only recently came to terms with working in beauty.
Truthfully, I didn’t even know Eric Daman, Gossip Girl’s stylist/costume designer, was writing a book until I showed up at its party last night.
It’s called You Know You Want It and it’s a charming, realistic guide to style with fantastic illustrations, quotes and photographs.
Leighton Meester, who popped up in one of Marios Schwab’s 3D dresses, wrote the intro and since you probably aren’t familiar with her writing, here you go:
“Eric is more than a stylist…He’s also a psychologist, a scientist, and an artist. Simply put, he’s a genius.
“Imagine this: you’re on set, in the middle of a frenzy of activity that would make the Energizer Bunny beg for a nap. You’ve had weeks of fittings and been in and out of different looks all day, done a month’s worth of changes in an afternoon. You are getting sleeeepy…the biggest cup of coffee in the world could not rouse you. But then Eric holds up a piece of clothing, a slip of silk dangling on a hanger, and whispers, “You know you want it.” His tone hovers between sly and delighted, as if he knows he’s about to make some kind of magic. And instead of exhaustion, you feel a glimmer of excitement. Because it’s so true. You want it. You need it.”
We all know the Roady is the newest member of the YSL family to cause a commotion among handbag addicts. It’s already being toted around by the likes of Rihanna, Rachel Bilson, Leighton and of course, MK. I have admired the hobo carryall from a distance on their arms, and on mine in my daydreams.
The bag already comes in a bunch of colors and patents, but YSL is taking it to the next level in New York and Los Angeles by offering clients the chance to purchase a customized Roady for the holidays.
From November 19th through December 1st, boutiques will have artisans on-hand to customize the handles of your Roady. You can choose from a bunch of different skins and colors, for a total of 29 different handle options. The handles will be changed on-site and ready for pick-up the next day! And if you’re just dying to monogram your bag, you can do that too, for free even.
Yesterday, Jared, as in Just, posted about the latest starlet to wear Prabal Gurung on the red carpet, Leighton Meester.
There’s something in there about rosettes and something about singing and even something about American Eagle Outfitters, but we can’t really get past the part where she’s out and about with Vogue’s Entertainment Editor Jillian Demling.
Leighton’s boyfriend, Carter Baizen, was also present, but she was with Jillian enough to get them written up as a threesome on gossip blogs which means they’re
a) New best friends.
b) Conducting interviews through a week’s worth of parties.
Attention, aspiring stylists, Fashionista here and we’ve got an opportunity for you. J. Logan Horne who styles none other than Queen Bee Leighton Meester herself is looking for some help.
Obviously, you need to be fashion-obsessed, and a little experience with a stylist or in a fashion closet would be helpful, but isn’t required. This is definitely a paying dues kind of job, so you’ll be doing loads of returns. But we’ve found it’s the best way to learn the collections…you get to see so many amazing pieces. You really learn how the system works. And really, we’ve all been there.
They’re looking for someone who’s available 2-3 days a week. If you’re interested, send your resumes to Cassie at jlhassistant@gmail.com
The great thing about a Phillip Lim show is that you know you’ll love whatever comes down the runway.
It might not be revolutionary, but it’s cute, comfortable, flattering, easy to wear and pretty, which is probably why Leighton Meester sat front row bobbing her head to the music, laughing with Hamish and waving to Alexa Chung across the aisle - Lim has that effect.
Along with, at least yesterday, a “Woah, what’s going on” effect when he sent out five dresses that might as well have had Rodarte labels sewn into the neck. A quick scan of the front row’s eyeballs made it clear how blatant the ‘inspiration’ was.
But other than that there were sequins and sequins and more sequins, an adorable red patent trench and, I’m sorry to say, a handful of crop tops. No pants I can do, but crop tops will never happen (for me I mean).
The gold sequin romper Hanne wore toward the end though? That will most definitely happen.
Fashion Week unofficially kicked off last night in a small screening room at Norwood packed with Vogue-ettes, socialites, Rachel & Rodger & Brad, Lorenzo, Nathalie Rykiel, Jack, Lazaro, Leighton Meester, Patrick McMullan and the Trainas.
Sundance Channel screened the first episode of The Day Before, the documentary style show that follows designers for the thirty-six mad hours leading up to their runway show. It was, as past fashion documentaries have proven, hilarious, stressful and fun to watch - there’s even a bit with a dog.
Before the screening Jack swore, “We never fight,” with a twinkle in his eye.
Lazaro jumped in to clarify, “In the end, if he sees a black collection and I see white, it’ll be gray.”
Seventeen magazine is turning 65 this year and some of you may have seen this September 1944 cover that is going out to subscribers as a way to commemorate the milestone.
This got me thinking that a) we probably won’t see many more magazines make it to the 65 year mark (if they haven’t already) and b) sometimes I wish that our subscriptions would, from time to time, just come with a retro cover from some period in their history. (God, am I feeling wistful this afternoon, or what?)
Considering how dull many of us find US cover options to be these days, wouldn’t it be a lovely surprise to open your mailbox and see an illustrated Vogue cover from the 20s, Bianca Jagger from the 1974, or anything of the supes from the 80s and 90s. Instead of Leighton Meester, you’d get Jean Shrimpton from a 1965 Harper’s Bazaar. Oh, and all the delicious old W’s. Yum. There are even a bunch of celeb covers that I wouldn’t mind revisiting.
Of course, I realize this is never going to happen. But it’s a fun thing to think about on a gloomy, humid Thursday afternoon.
We’re still rolling our eyes over the Leighton aging antics in September’s Harper’s Bazaar, but this morning, Models.com posted an editorial that gives us back some faith in the mag: Agyness channeling the different looks of Michael Jackson.
It is especially telling to Michael’s influence that he could be portrayed by a blonde, white, British woman. Though you could definitely insert a joke here. Of course, his sketchy cosmetic surgery changed who he was, making his face a blank canvas of sorts. His surgery dramas were a reflection his way too complicated to understand issues and we’re guessing sadness. But this editorial is focusing on his long-lasting and widespread musical and fashion legacy, the things that brought his fans happiness.
Terry Richardson shot it (he also shot Leighton for the cover) and we love it. They capture the fun in fashion that Michael definitely embraced when he dressed. Life can be rough, but clothing can always lift our spirits—especially if it’s sequined. His fashion choices were as significant as his music, and this homage is making us feel like moonwalking again.
Being a former magazine editor, and still a current magazine lover, I often get angry when I see things I once loved go sour. I already made it pretty clear how I felt about the pick-up paparazzi shot of Angelina Jolie that Harper’s Bazaar used on the cover.
And, forgive my rant, Glenda, but now I’ve got another gripe. Enough with the “At Every Age” shtick. Please. It seems like every single story in the magazine now has this age component.
Apparently even cover stories are no longer immune as Leighton Meester has been digitally aged on the inside pages. I’m happy that Leighton scored a big cover. But is this really the best idea to be had about what to do with her?
The streets of Soho were lined with people waiting for a Gossip Girl glimpse.
And we couldn’t have had better luck, walking up just as Blake and Leighton filmed a scene that found them sauntering up Prince St having a somewhat heated, though not entirely angry, discussion. A truck moved out of the way just as they stopped in front of the Karen Millen store and we were able to snag a pretty decent shot.
What do you think of Blair’s footwear? Of course, I’m totally obsessed with Serena’s maxi dress.
Enjoy the pic larger after the jump. We’ll swing by tomorrow and see if any of the boys join the set.
That rumor we spread about Mark Fast doing a line for Topshop? It's true. And it's in last week's Sunday Telegraph magazine which means it was true before we even said anything and we've had it in our lap since... Read More
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