About this time every year, we find ourselves spending an inordinate amount of time day-dreaming about our summer vacations–and even more time fantasizing about what we’ll wear on them. Somehow dressing for vacation is just always more fun than dressing for real life. That being said, it’s often hard to find exactly the right of Read more →
Designers generally present their collections in one of two ways—strolling down the catwalk or stationary at a presentation—on a live model. After years of reporting on fashion we’ve just come to expect this, but with Norma Kamali perhaps we shouldn’t have. In all fairness, the sassy 66-year-old designer is anything but typical. “I’ve been doing Read more →
Each swimsuit season offers more and more options when it comes to one-piece styles. We rounded up 15 of our favorite.
Ever wish you had your best girlfriends around every time you went shopping so you could get their feedback before you made a purchase you might later regret? Enter Pose, a new free iPhone (and soon Android) photo-based fashion-sharing app, which debuted yesterday. The premise is that you snap pictures of pieces you find while shopping, then share them with your network which includes folks using the app, Facebook, or Twitter. Or don’t share your finds at all, and just use the pics as an archive of things you lust after.
When you do share a find with friends, or “friends” as the case may be, a unique page is created at Pose.com for that item. Friends can then comment and give feedback on the item in question. You get instant notifications when anyone comments.
Pose is a bit more selective and sophisticated than other fashion-sharing sites, like Fashism, where any random person can say “I like it” or “I hate it” and leave comments. It’s a more controlled way for the user to distribute content and elicit opinion.
There are a few different streams within the app: your own, everyone else, the most popular, and a category called Posers. Posers are handpicked by Pose and are either very stylish, very good shoppers, or both. Current Posers include Norma Kamali, Natalie Joos, Leandra Medine (Man Repeller), and yes, our very own Lauren Sherman.
While it’s unclear how Pose is going to work as a business, they’ll likely look towards models like Foursquare, where retailers can message users directly.
One issue?
Norma Kamali
Deal: Up to 95% off sleeping bag coats, gowns, loungewear, and jersey dresses in this Black Friday follow-up to Wednesday’s one-day sale
When/Where: Friday, November 26, 10am—6pm. 11 W. 56th St between Fifth and Sixth Aves (212-957-9797)
Oak
Deal: 30% off everything in-store plus online deals on select items from 6am to noon every day. Click here for the full schedule.
When/Where: Friday, November 26 through Monday, November 29. Fri—Sat 11am—8pm, Sun 11am—7pm. Noho: 28 Bond St between Lafayette St and Bowery (212-677-1293.) Williamsburg: 208 N.8th St between Driggs Ave and Roebling St (718-782-0521)
Screaming Mimi’s
Deal: 15% off all hats, bags, and vintage jewelry, 10% off fur bests, and other markdowns throughout the store
When/Where: Friday, November 26 through Sunday, November 30. Fri—Sat noon—8pm, Sun 1pm—7pm. 382 Lafayette St between Great Jones and E 4th Sts (212-677-6464)
AllSaints
Deal: 25% off everything online and in-store. (Online sale begins Thursday, November 25.)
When/Where: Friday, November 26 through Sunday, December 5. Soho: Mon—Sat 10am—9pm, Sun 11am—8pm. 512 Broadway between Spring and Broome Sts (646-862-1832.) MePa: Mon—Sat 11am—8pm, Sun 11am—7pm. 415 W. 13th St between Ninth Ave and Washington St (no phone)
Norma Kamali is one of my industry idols. Not only because she makes a great swimsuit, but because she runs a successful, independent business pretty much on her own. A business that includes a flagship store, a diffusion line sold at department stores like Bloomingdale’s, a bustling online retail site, a massive deal with Wal-Mart, and special projects with eBay as well as several other mini ventures.
That’s why she’s the ideal keynote speaker for FashInvest’s first annual conference, taking place December 15 at FIT. Neil Cole, CEO of Iconix Brand Group, which owns everything from Madonna’s Material Girl collection for Macy’s to Candie’s to London Fog, is the other keynote speaker.
FashInvest is a New York-based organization formed by a group of venture capitalists, private equity managers, and fashion company executives who want to help emerging designers and other fashion entrepreneurs find funding. Unlike Fashionstake, another fashion/business startup I’ve written about, there’s really no crowdsourcing involved. It’s all about finding the right investors for your specific brand.
To get the opportunity to listen to the wise words of Norma Kamali and Diane von Furstenberg in one sitting is pretty spectacular. Throw the young, talented, and eager Prabal Gurung into the mix, and you’ve got one entertaining evening.
Last night I stopped by the NY Times for a very fashionable edition of its TimesTalks series, moderated by style reporter Eric Wilson. Kamali, von Furstenberg, Gurung and Fern Mallis sat on the panel. The main topic of the evening was the Fashion Center Sidewalk Catwalk, that 30-odd row of incredibly inventive mannequins in the Garment Center. Those mannequins will subsequently be auctioned off, with the proceeds going towards art supplies for city kids who might not have them otherwise.
Each designer discussed the inspiration behind his or her mannequin–DvF’s wanted hers to represent a feline female, Prabal paid homage to Alexander McQueen, Kamali considered technology and communications–but the conversation soon moved on to each designer’s thoughts on Twitter, branding, and yes, success.
But Will There Be Cone Bras? Jean Paul Gaultier has designed a line of lingerie for La Perla, set to hit stores this November. {WWD, subscription required}
Richardson Goes Jersey: Headline-making photog Terry Richardson shoots the cast of The Jersey Shore for Rolling Stone. {Daily Mail}
It’s Not Always Clean Being Green: Be careful about what you put in your eco-friendly canvas bag. They can carry lots of icky germs. {Racked via The Consumerist}
Sorry for the minor Life With gap – we’ve been busy! We’re getting back in the swing of things, so meet Rolando Beauchamp. He’s a Bumble & bumble super stylist who does both editorial and runway work. And oh yeah, he styles Mary-Kate Olsen’s hair for most major events in New York. I fell for Read more →
We’ve long been fans of Norma Kamali. The designer seems to have always stayed incredibly true to herself and we’re pretty sure that’s a huge reason she’s been around for so long. And anyone who created the sleeping bag coat, made outfits for The Wiz, and is in The Met’s permanent collection is major in Read more →
More good news from Norma Kamali: If you’ve always wanted one of her famous (and expensive) sleeping bag coats, now’s the time to buy. They’re selling for 30% less than previous seasons, right on her website. And considering that the sleeping bag coat is supposed to last at least fifteen years, you could even consider Read more →
Fact: More and more people are shopping online. Fact: Yet, plenty of people don’t shop online, because they really want to try everything on before giving up their Amex. Solution: Norma Kamali’s site has just introduced perhaps the most brilliant addition to the online shopping experience since Net-a-Porter finally gave a wink and nod to Read more →
