What was the hot ticket item of the sale? The classic Hermès scarf of course (above are two pictured for the NY Times).  One might argue that the Hermes silk scarf has always had a cult-like following and its gravitational pull has nothing to do with the current popularity of scarves in the mainstream.   Do you think the popularity of scarves in general helped women migrate from the financial district to the Chelsea sale despite the possibility of them losing their jobs in the very near future? Or is Hermès that much of a legacy that consumers will simply do anything to get their hands on the rolex of scarves? How brand-concious will we remain during this time of economic hardship?

For those of you playing it safe in this time of uncertainty, you needn’t break the bank for a great scarf.  I happen to love my H&M-bought scarves just as much as my one Hermes silk beauty.  To incorporate über popular tartan into your everyday wardrobe, pick out a scarf in the Scottish pattern.  And if you have some more money to play with, don’t be afraid to invest in a nice scarf, as the trend isn’t going anywhere anytime soon.

Source: NYTimes

Photo Credits:bet.com, nytimes.com, forever21.com, nordstrom.com, shopbop.com

Welcome to 'New York Fashion Week 101' Spring 2009

In the wake of New York Fashion Week, I am ever grateful of the wonderful world wide web for being almost as good as an all-access credential hanging around my neck for all the different shows.  I was glued to style.com all week whenever I wasn't able to actually attend certain Fashion Week festivities.

Yes, it is a majorly helpful tool to have media access faster than ever before, but it can also overwhelm even the most avid fashionista.  Since I did an unhealthy amount of catwalk stalking myself, I am here to give a list of ten things you need to know in order to sound like you are of front row status.

1. Calvin Klein's 40th Anniversary Bash: All though the designer himself wasn't in attendance for the homage of his 40 years in the biz, plenty of A-listers were.  Guests partied in an extravagant three story stucture (which was torn down the very next day) in the High Line park in West Chelsea.

2. Diane Von Furstenburg: Models, complete with their flowing flower head bands, swept past audience members just after they had pushed and fought their way to the front row.   It's Diane dahling.

3. Marc Jacobs: It wouldn't be fashion week without everyone talking about his fabulous showing.  Marc nodded the 19th century this year in his own way.  This is a show worth viewing for yourself.

4. William Rast vs. J. Lindeberg debaucle:  One of the hottest tickets all week was the William Rast collection shown at The Roseland Ballroom.  There was a great deal of confusion, though, as editors thought they were going to see J. Lindeberg's offering (the Justin Timberlake -and friend- label's new design partners).  Even those that knew it was the William Rast meets J. Lindeberg deal left dissapointed as Justin didn't perform as expected.

5. Fashion Rocks well...rocked!: Sorry MTV VMAs, the performance-stocked Fashion Rocks special that aired on CBS in the middle of fashion week was much more entertaining and came off much more polished than yours did.  Fashion industry leaders attended and music industry leaders performed.  Great concept executed flawlessly once again in their fifth year of presentation.

6. Wintour and SJP play Politics at Runway for Change: Anna Wintour and Sarah Jessica Parker appeared during this Obama effort to tie politics to fashion.

7. Marc Bouwer skips the tents:  Instead of forking the average $100,000 for a Bryant Park extravaganza, Bouwer decided to do an online only show this season that was broadcasted on his website.  Lydia Hearst was one of five models to walk the virtual runway.

8. Style 360 brings light to new talent:  While the big guns showed at the tents (sans Bouwer) fresh fashion talent was showcased in this week long event including Abi Ferrin, and Walter.

9. W Magazine's Lounge: Rubbing shoulders with bold-face names while plucking champagne off passing trays was the W lounge in a nutshell.  This was the place to hang out in between collections at the tents morning, noon and night.

10. and finally the after party: The hot spot for the "after the show party" this season was 1 Oak.

There you have it.  Now you can impress your friends and colleagues with your fashion knowledge and you didn't even have to do the style stalking yourself.  You're Welcome! If you feel like I missed something crucial, please--don't hesitate to leave it in a comment.

Abi and her new team are steadily climbing the fashion ladder.  Abi went from designing pieces for herself as a hobby to now having a small team working towards a larger label.  The show was a great success even despite that a last minute incorporation of a thin blonde member of the Ferrin design team who stepped in for an absent model.  Here’s to seeing Miss Ferrin and her team do their thing in the future. 

*Photo Credit: Elle.com 

It all started 3 weeks ago – the poles were set in place and the ominous white tents were raised – Fashion Week is here again! I was lucky enough to have my client JOICO sponsoring the first show of the week, Michael Angel. JOICO sent one of their best stylists, George Papanikolas, to head up the backstage hair area. Armed with hair straighteners, JOICO Re:nu Stylers and Design Collection, and the inspiration of straight hair with plenty of sheen, George rocked them out one by one until they were runway perfect.

Editors, buyers, TV crews and photographers took their places around the runway as we waited for the show to start. The lights dimmed and the music started. The first of the models came out to show what Michael Angel is known for – surreal colors splashed and printed on beautiful flowy garments. Swarovski Crystal mesh shoulder pad details, printed silks, organza, and stretch georgette dominated the runway.

I have to say, the hair complimented the clothing and makeup perfectly. George and his team did an amazing job, can’t wait to see the reviews in the papers!

Jean, Mike and Yuli took the time to answer a few questions about Inside the Tents, which we are also gladly a part of:

Shannon: What is the mission for Inside The Tents?

Mike Pratt- To bring together all of the independent online voices in fashion and beauty who will be providing coverage of MB Fashion Week into one cohesive and comprehensive "dashboard" of information. InsideTheTents provides a fresh look into the exclusive world "inside the tents" at Bryant Park.

Shannon: How did the idea come about?

Yuli Ziv: Mike and I were talking about FW at one of our Fashion 2.0 MeetUps and wondered how we could do something new and innovative to break the stranglehold of exclusivity that "big fashion media" has on an event that is covered by so many bloggers and online journalists.

Shannon: Who is involved?

Jean Voute Pratt: We have over 50 fashion and beauty bloggers and online journalists from the very popular to super-niche sites. We have it all covered...and so do they!

Shannon: Which social media programs/tools are being incorporated into the site?

Mike Pratt: Great content doesn't care what form it's in! We have live Twitter comments, in depth blog posts, inside the tents video and images via Flickr feeds.

Shannon: What can those interested in New York Fashion Week expect to find on Inside The Tents?

Yuli Ziv: InsideTheTents has already begun to reveal the "pulse" of Fashion Week. You're getting the instant and un-filtered opinions of bloggers that seriously know what they're talking about and millions of people interested in the biggest fashion event of the year want to read about.

Shannon: Can you give us a few hints about any big interviews or shows you have secured?

Thanks to Christian Louboutin, style stalkers have been given another measurement of trendiness.  When a women passes by, if her rear view features a pop of red at the bottoms of her feet then she gets major points since red soles=Louboutin.  The instant recognizability of the soles has undoubtably fueled the line's major success.  Who could forget Ryan Seacrest's Louboutin shout out while hosting the Emmy's a few years back? Eva Longoria sat front row with her legs crossed with one red sole waving in the air and Seacrest instantly knew they were Louboutin's design. (Great for Christian’s image—for Seacrest’s? Maybe not so much.)

Having red bottomed feet has become a status symbol not unlike the Chanel quilt, the interlocking LV or the newly annointed Tory Burch sheild.  Louboutin was revolutionary in discovering a way to add a signature semblance to a shoe line.   Many designers have attempted to share in the sole success of Louboutin.  Below are a handful of the more interesting soles I found.  

 When Betsey Johnson sat down to design shoes her sugary fairytale take on fashion came not only through her shoes’ design, but the variety of printed soles they had.  From flowers to polka dots to animal print to plain hot pink—the soles correspond with the design of the shoe.

Mark Nason answers with a men’s line of boots and sandals with decorative soles.  Any man seen with boots with a hand sculpted dragon or “rock angel” on the bottoms will be well received.  Trouble is the design doesn’t stand out as much as a signature color or print.

Indie Fashion & Beauty Magazines:
1. Visionaire
2. Metro.Pop
3. VMAN

Foreign Beauty & Fashion Magazines:
1. Company (UK)
2. Jessica (Hong Kong)
3. Trendi (Finland)

TV Shows:
1. 90210
2. Kath & Kim
3. Gossip Girl

Women’s Apparel:
1. Topshop
2. Valentino under Alessandra Fachinetti
3. Rodarte

Men’s Apparel:
1. Pastelle
2. RMC Martin Ksohoh
3. ANAMA

Jewelry Brands:
1. John Hardy
2. Alexis Bittar
3. Trollbeads

Handbag Lines:
1. Rebecca Minkoff
2. Foley+Corinna
3. Timi & Leslie

Cosmetic Lines:
1. e.l.f.
2. Colorescience
3. Classified Cosmetics

After closely reviewing the runways from fall 2008, I noticed a fun trend across a few big names that I feel is losing some attention. A minimalist flavor with just the right touch of space-suit like metallic accent to create an out of this world look- Future Femme if you will.

The Jetsons would be considered fashionable with this season's stark and structured dresses coming from the top design houses. These bold shapes can opposition the flowy chiffon hemlines that are also a wardrobe must have this fall.

Many fall 2008 shoes are a showcase for this trend with embellished heels looking alien in contrast to the typical sleekness of a traditional fall pump. Think extra fabric off the back of the heel to create a chunky abstractness.

Oh and there's encouraging news! All of those shiny gold, silver, and bronze pieces you stocked up on during the denomination that metallic had in the past few seasons? With the right amount of judgement, metallic pieces can be the perfect nod to this new futuristic movement. Just remember minimalistic is key to staying current with this trend.

  Trend Evidence Exibit A: We can thank Balenciaga for this ultra chic yet dangerously different dress.  Between the metallic straps and the structured bodice, we are talking major future femme points.

  Trend Evidence Exibit B: Lanvin showed this latex smoke colored piece. The abstract lines and space-age material make it trend appropriate.

 

Trend Evidence Exibit C: Yves Saint Laurent delivers this sunny yellow (hot color this season) Jetson-like A-line dress that is just begging to be worn. 

Whether Gossip Girl or even the election had any influence on the private school/classic american girl look frequenting the Fall 2008 runways in New York is debatable.  Certainly Michelle Obama was taking notes. (Will we have the repeat first lady "O"? Michelle's fashion savvy has so far been comparable to the classic lady-like motif Mrs. JFK was well known for.)  

That same Jackie O. flavor was ever present amongst runway stompers for this Fall's offering.  Prep-owned patterns argyle, tartan and plaid came in the form of ascot-like scarves, skirts, jackets, vests and even tights (and tartan even took the shape of models in D&G's showing due to the pattern overload). Tailored shapes + bold colors + a pinch of feminine frill= total American girl.

Trend Evidence Exibit A: Diane Von Furstenburg does what she does best and takes this trend to the office.  I love the addition of pink both in the patent belt and satin shoes. The oversized doctor bag is very uptown meets war nurse.

a. Alexander Mc Queen, who I would have expected to feature in the Goth post, offers these adorable plaid and red patent peep toes. b. Rachel Leigh, one of new favorites, adds delicated detail to this bow ring c. and this Millions of Smiles red and navy striped scarf will add a patriotic chicness to pratically any outfit (plus I just love the way a scarf completes a look).

Which American Classic look are you? Blair Waldorf glam or timeless Jackie O? Look out for my upcoming trend posts featuring Future Femme and SoHo Boho.

*Photo Credits: newyorkmagazine.com, zappos.com, rachelleigh.com, and shopbop.com 

Trend #1- Goth Glam

Move over preppy florals of Spring 08, Goth is all the rage for this fall season.  Dark angels transcended the New York runways of fall fashion week 2008.  Rich velvets, delicate lace and burlesque feathers all come in the black variety for this fall.  The LBD regains it's throne as the simplest yet sexiest staple. 

Personally I am not a huge fan of the hair piece to shoe black that many a designer put forth on the runways.  I will take the following ensembles simply as trend inspiration.  Finding a few gothic pieces you really love will pack enough drama to carry the theme across.  

 

In the spirit of the goth RTW designs above, I picked out some of the accessories that will make any look reek of Marilyn Manson in just the right dose.

a. essie's new Fall Collection features this "wicked replacement worthy" shade called Lacy not Racy 

c.Between the black hue and the vampy detailing, this shoe will bring dark drama to any outfit. 

*photo credits: elle.com, saksfifthavenue.com, essie.com, alexisbittar.com 

In Paris he developed his skills in shoe-making with master Aris, who taught him the ins and outs of shoe design. He presented his first collection of shoes in Imagine at Midec in September 1999. By 2001 he won the Escarpin de Cristal New Designer award and in 2002 he exhibited his models in the Fashion to Follow show at the Museé Galliera. Enter 2003 and he was showing at Barcelona’s Fashion Week, of which he won the Footwear Designer award by the National Association for the Fashion Arts that same year.

What I love about Vicente Rey's footwear collection is that it takes on the life that Gilles Montezin recently spoke about in my recent interview with him.

Parisians think of clothes as objects of style that can be worn to enhance their personality and beauty, that will fit with the people they will meet and the places they will go to."

Vicente Rey's shoes are definitely objects of style and I would even consider it breathless art. You'll find shoes from him with rooster feathers, beads, ostrich feathers and curved iron; certainly not wearable or functional, but an object of beauty no less.

If you're in Paris, you can find him at Boutique-Atelier, a store he opened in the trendy Fourth District in Paris. For those of us in the states, stop by his IQONS and MySpace profile to view his gorgeous collection. Prepare to swoon!

Strolling along every fashion fiend's favorite stomping ground, Madison Avenue between 60th and about 74th, my celebrity fashion radar hones in on one unsuspecting stylish mannequin.  She was standing below the name Herve Leger.

If I had to choose the number one hottest dress amongst celebrities this summer it would have to be the Herve Leger bandage dress.  Called the bandage dress due to the form fitting nature of the strip-like design, celebrities love the sophisticated sexiness and Herve Leger effortlessly conveys. 

Luckily for Rihanna, Christina Aguilera,  Lindsay Lohan, Victoria Beckham and many, many others who have chosen this dress for red carpet moments, the simple dress comes to life in a new way on each woman's body. The array of colors from solid black to vibrant coral to a mix of purple and grey, also contribute to the dress's otherwise distinctive uniformity across the line.  

Each and every time I flip through an US Weekly or OK! Magazine there is always at least one of those "who wore it best" polls involving Herve Leger wrapped celebrities.  I happen to think that's a hard question when just about everyone looks amazing in this design.  

The bandage dress is so hot that upscale chain stores are clamoring to put forth worthy imitations.  The best of the bunch, in my opinion, are the designs found at Bebe. (my favorite is pictured to the right and can be found at bebe.com) The material is luxurious enough to make people wonder whether you are donning the bandage dress.

Of course nothing beats the real thing and plenty of trend obssessors sought after Herve Leger dresses sold at Intermix both in-store and online.  The day that Intermix got the Victoria Beckham-worn frock pictured below, their server crashed.

This surge of popularity comes 10 years after Max Azria acquired the label.  But don't credit Max Azria and his team of designers, Herve himself is responsible for the ever popular bandage structure.  His original design was inspired from wrapping seam bindings around a dress form like an Egyptian mummy.  The bandage dress was born and lived on through each of his collections to follow its successful introduction in 1989.  Herve worked under fashion greats Karl Lagerfeld and Diane Von Furstenberg and his expertise and recognized talent has definitely paid off for him in his solitary endeavors.  Below is a clip of the fashion house's Fall 2008 offerings, let me know what you think.

*Photo Credits: Bebe and Intermix