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Am I the Only Person Who Doesn’t Want to See the Clothes Until They Hit the Runway?

Around this time of year, the Fashionista office becomes flooded with invites. But before we even step foot inside Lincoln Center, there’s the matter of pre-fashion week coverage. We approach it by doing our own take on Mad Libs. But there’s one part of the pre-fashion week puzzle that just doesn’t sit right with me: a collection sneak peek.

Whether it’s a sketch or an image, I really, truly don’t want to see the clothes until they hit the runway, whether I’m in the audience or watching the live stream from my desk. Why? Because for me, there’s still something magical about seeing clothes on models–The way they’re styled, the soundtrack…. I want to be surprised.

I know I’m spoiled in that I do get to see these clothes in person and up-close. But does anyone share my sentiment? Do you like runway show previews and collection sketches? Or would you rather be surprised by the real thing?

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We Want to Know: Who is @Fashionweeknyc?

Yesterday, someone typing under the Twitter handle @Fashionweeknyc began revealing his/her plans for the upcoming Spring/Summer 2011 shows:

“I will be Streaming Live from @Lincoln_Center on Tuesday at 3pm! I will be Giving a Tour around Lincoln Center for Spring 2011 Fashion Week!”

“Question of the Day: Who is your Favorite Fashion Designer on Twitter?”

When a few reputable brands retweeted this mysterious person’s thoughts, I decided to look “her” up. A Lincoln Center rep told me that they are not affiliated with her. IMG said the same thing. According to her Twitter bio, she is an “Independent Fashion Tweetologist that Will be Streaming & Tweeting Live from the runway during SPRING 2011 Fashion week.”

Tweetologist. Fascinating.

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Can Stylists Like Kate Young & Tina Chai Make Boring Clothes Interesting?

It’s impossible to ignore the stellar names listed in bold on Theory’s store window’s right now: Andrea Lieberman, Tina Chai, Leslie Fremar, Kate Young, Annabel Tollman, etc. They’re part of Theory’s “Fashion Insider” initiative, in which they’ve hired 17 stylists (including, inexplicably, Derek Blasberg) to take their classic SS10 collection and make it look both [...]

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Elle Misses Luella As Much As We Do

It was rough going through London Fashion Week without an early morning Luella show, and we’re not the only fans going through withdrawal. In the Keira Knightly covered March issue of Elle, a floral Luella bracelet pops up in an editorial. She’s credited, and the Shopping Credits direct readers to the designer’s website, which has [...]

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Ashish for Topshop, Take Two

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Would You Tell a Co-Worker to Amp Up Their Style?

Yesterday, a friend asked, “How do I tell a co-worker to step it up, style wise?” First thought? You don’t. Next thought? If it’s affecting her job, you say something – nicely. In some jobs, in fact in most jobs (at least in New York, the only city I’ve worked in as an adult), what [...]

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Tommy Ton Accuses Jimmy Choo of Stealing His Style

This morning, Tommy Ton tweeted, “Is it me or does the jimmy choo 24:7 campaign look a lot like…ahem…you know what i mean :S.” Yes, it does look just like the images Tommy shoots for his blog, Jak & Jil, and as of last season, Style.com. They’re simple, vibrant snaps of women’s shoes – spectacular [...]

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A Reader Wants to Know, What’s Halston’s Secret?

Vogue’s Life With André brings up loads of questions, but this weekend a reader was so curious he emailed, Dear Fashionista. So I was reading Life With André in the new Vogue, and he talks about the new Halston documentary, which is tr√®s exciting, but in the column he mentions that Halston acted as his [...]

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mean girls pi phi
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‘No Frumpy’: Cornell’s Pi Phi Forbids ‘Gross, Plastic Shizzz’

This morning, I was forwarded six pages worth of dress code requirements for Pi Phi’s Cornell chapter.

Because it’s Friday, and they’re outrageous, I’m sharing.

What does one wear to rush? If we had a sorority our rule would be there are no rules – we’d welcome vintage flannel and Dior couture heels in equal measure, but Pi Phi’s rush chair’s a bit more specific. Her strictest rules, below. (UPDATE: We’ve attached the whole thing at the end, by popular demand.)

On Clothes
– Denim leggings are appropriate as long as it’s done right: aka, not from American Apparel and worn with chic, cool, chunky boots over them and a longer top.
– No satin dresses. No one looks good in satin dresses unless it’s from Betsey Johnson or Dolce & Gabbana, you weigh less than 130 pounds, have three pairs of Spanx on and it’s New Years Eve.
– No Frumpy.

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The Two Worlds of Net-A-Porter

My computer’s had a hard time adjusting to life in the States after being in the Middle East for three weeks. Abc.com alerts me to their US-only policy and my Google Docs Fashion Week calendar still wants to display in Arabic, but it’s Net-A-Porter‘s UK orientation that I’m struggling to make right. Their sale section [...]

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Real Vs. Target

Over the weekend, Natalie Portman attended the 9th Annual New York Times Arts and Leisure Weekend at the Times Center here in New York. Like always, she looked lovely in a canary yellow version of the much sought after tulle Rodarte for Target dress. But of all the dresses in all the land, why did [...]

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Alternative Biker Jackets

In this video, The Guardian‘s Jess Carter Morley suggests that the problem with biker jackets is the leather. She advocates the “non-biker biker,” and says, “If you take the leather out of the equation, the biker jacket becomes a lot more wearable.” Denim options from Goldsign and Gap hang on the rack, as well as [...]

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