Thursday, September 30, 2010

Shoot It Twice and It's Yours

I wish. I keep taking pictures of this bag when I'm in Gap Herald Square.


That photo was from the beginning of September, and the below is from last week. The bag is now surrounded by its clog partners. I'm charmed by them all.
Totes are $98, clogs are $79.50. I'd go for the bright suede ones, they are totally 70's.

Gap Herald Square, 34th Street & Broadway

Wednesday, September 29, 2010

Rebecca Taylor Spring 2011 is So Us

There's a lot of neutrals going on for Spring 2011, and some of the prettiest were spotted on the Rebecca Taylor runway for Spring 2011. I wasn't there, but sent an operative, Lindsey, to cover the show. She said: "I would wear every piece." Thus I'm going to challenge Lindsey and play one of my favorite games "That is So You, This is So Me." Click on her links to check out her style, and me, well, I'm generally a pants-wearing minimalist. Her iphone photos from the show were even worse than my usual awful shots, so thanks to Style.com for the pretty pictures. And, lest I sound like an ingrate, thanks, Lindsey, for helping me out during a very busy NYFW!

This first one's tough, but I'm going to call it So Me. The long dress is So You, Lindsey, as she could definitely wear this length and those tiers.


 Both of these, Lindsey, are So You. Although the pants on the left are So Me.

 She's going to challenge this one, but the blue pants are So Me. Which means I have to give her the gorgeous green skirt on the right.Damn.


 This one's easy: the left is So You, and the right is So freaking Me.


You all can play this game too, right? Because this collection is universally gorgeous. Next post, Lindsey and I will arm wrestle for the blue pants. No, kidding, although that might be a good video?

The Natural: World's Smartest Bra*

I got these images from a former 34th Street PR contact, and I haven't even tried this bra yet, but the pictures had me at Hi, Tricia. The Natural line of underpinning solutions has the usual selections, like the chicken cutlets and the adhesive daisies, bras, and tape, all of which I've used with some success in the past. But the Natural Solutions Bra is now on my get-this list, because look:


   
It can do everything!* Now it just needs to teach everything else in my closet to be this versatile, and then I'll stop shopping forever. The Natural Solutions bra is not yet available on 34th Street,** but the Sexy Plunge bra (below) can be found at Lane Bryant.com.


For you non-curvy ladies who don't shop Lane Bryant, the Natural line can be found here.





*Writer's license, hyperbole 
**This post has been amended/edited since it was first published due to some incorrect retailer information, but now we think we've got it right. We hope this caused you no 34th Street bra-shopping distress!



Lane Bryant, 7 W. 34th Street between 5th & 6th Avenues

Tuesday, September 28, 2010

The Undie Party at Desigual 34th Street




Desigual's Undie Party madness hits 34th Street: The line started at 11pm last night, rain and all. Desigual handed out rain ponchos and let people keep their clothes on until later in the morning. A few people even brought tents.

In their ponchos. Desigual was also handing out bottled water.

Every double-decker tourist bus that passed by was cheered by the Undie Party People while tourists snapped away. The Undie People yelled "Take if Off!" to the buses, but no one really complied. I guess stripping down to your underwear in public isn't as contagious as one would think. My personal favorite Undie Person was the guy who ran out of the line and jogged across the street in his underwear. I think he went into Heartland Brewery or Starbucks for a restroom moment. Just so funny to watch a guy in his undies running across 34th Street, and crazy because he's barefoot.

Barefoot Undie Person in green undies on the right.




Here's the entrance video. It was also very entertaining to see people in their underwear running around the store, shopping. This was really a great event. I was told that in the Barcelona store in 2006 it was a Naked Party, which must have been a really, really great event. That was before Barcelona passed some kind of "no more nudity in the streets" law.
 

The first person out was this woman in her new coat, soon followed by this man in his new coat. Yeah, I'd totally be grabbing a new Desigual winter coat, and probably a long dress, too. If I had been willing to strip down to my underwear and hang out on Fifth Avenue, that is.
























So what's next, Desigual (besides your new store on 35th & 6th Avenue)? The NYC Kiss Party, perhaps?!


Hey, guys! See you at the Kiss Party!

Desigual, 358 Fifth Avenue (on 34th Street)

Monday, September 27, 2010

Tim Gunn Wows the Crowd and Shows Some Leg

 

photos courtesy of JCPenney

Tim Gunn's commentary during the Liz Claiborne fashion show last Thursday in JCPenney's Manhattan Mall was highly entertaining, but his Q&A really turned me into a fan. Watch the video below and hear Tim dish about the witness protection program, leggings don'ts, and navigating Manhattan in heels. He even shows a little leg. After the event the crowd poured down into the store to try on the new Liz Claiborne. I'll be reviewing it in the JCPenney dressing rooms later this week. You know I'm curious about the fit of the fabulous leather vest.





JCPenney Manhattan Mall, lower levels 1 & 2, 33rd Street & 6th Avenue

Friday, September 24, 2010

Desigual Undie Party On 34th Street


Well, it could be worse. It could be November and it could be Spain, where, according to 34th Street Desigual staff, there have been naked partays. Those crazy Europeans! For local exhibition, check out these Racked NY photos from the underwear party held at the Soho store Thursday morning.

Next Tuesday morning it all happens again, but on 34th Street just off of Fifth. The first 100 people to line up at Desigual on 34th and Fifth Avenue in their underwear get two free items of clothing. Everyone else in their undies gets 50% off same-day purchases. Check out the Desigual blog for more info. Next week rain is predicted, but a rain date is scheduled for the following day.


I agree with Racked NY, I'd rather be practically naked in Soho than in Midtown. But at least it's 34th and 5th and not the corner of 34th and 7th where, during the morning rush hour, more than 10,000 people could be checking you out in your underwear on their way to work. Yikes.

Updated to add: Above is a photo of the SW corner of 35th & 6th Avenue, where we've been hearing rumors about a new Desigual store opening. Looks like this is true, and the former pizza place will soon be another 34th Street District Desigual. But the pizza place was tiny, so an accessories store, maybe? Curious...


Desigual 34th Street, 358 Fifth Avenue (on 34th Street)

Thursday, September 23, 2010

Madonna, Madonna!

I don't know how the celebs do it, but I guess the money's good.




















Madonna, Lourdes, and Taylor Momsen at Macy's Herald Square last night before they went in to party it up for Material Girl on the fourth floor of the Junior's department. Have you ever heard the paparazzi scream at celebs on the red, or in this case, pink carpet? It was "MADONNA MADONNA MADONNA LOOK UP HERE THERE'S A SECOND ROW MADONNA MADONNA!" I was in the third row, which explains my photos. Luckily I got some assistance from a photographer as I had a new, foreign camera. He gave me some shooting tips, paparazzi-style, and also knew where MADONNA MADONNA was eating dinner last night (I didn't ask because I don't trust myself with that kind of information). He also had some really good Jack Nicholson and Elton John stories.

Pictures from Celebrity Gossip so we can get a good look at Taylor's eyeliner and Lourdes' really adorable outfit, which looks like it could be Material Girl. But did she rip her stockings by accident or on purpose? Burning, important questions...















Taylor was wearing A LOT A LOT more black eyeliner than in her poster (above). You know you're acting too mom when the first thing you think is "Young Lady, you get back inside and take off about half that black liner!" Because hey, she's what, 17? Taylor is allowed a goth dark liner phase but could use a little guidance.

I also took a few shots of the clothes on the floor of the department. I tried on a lot of the collection over a month ago, and for the very inexpensive pricing the quality is good. That does not look like the jacket Lourdes was wearing last night, but the red bow print dress next to it is adorable.













Macy's Herald Square, 34th Street between Broadway & 7th Avenue

Wednesday, September 22, 2010

Show Alert! Tim Gunn Unveils the New Liz

JCPenney Manhattan Mall and Tim Gunn, Project Runway co-host and Chief Creative Officer of Liz Claiborne, are unveiling the new Liz Claiborne tomorrow evening at 6pm with a fashion show, party, and Q&A with Tim. This show is open to the public, so go and don't miss an opportunity to get Tim's book for free as the first 100 guests to spend $65 or more will have a photo op with Tim and will get an autographed copy of his book, Gunn's Golden Rules: Life's Little Lessons for Making it Work, aka The Book Where He Takes on Anna. Who doesn't need to read this?

The first 300 guests will get a free canvas tote bag. Me, I'm curious about the new collection. I was a big fan of the Mizrahi Liz. His collection is now called Liz Claiborne New York and is available on QVC, and, from the website shots, not looking so great. But the JCPenney Liz is looking very cute:













Check it all out online here.

Fashion Week Wrap-Up: General Idea, Argentina, and LAMB

I had no idea what General Idea was before this Fashion Week, but I attended the show in an attempt to further my horizons. I'm so glad I did. General Idea is at the crossroads of prep and street-style. I died for these sleeveless trench coats (right). I like a menswear designer that takes risks and General Idea didn't disappoint. I could rave about all my favorite pieces but we'd be here for hours. Take it from me, General Idea is brilliance.


My last day at Fashion Week was a roller coaster of emotion. First, the Argentina Group Show blew my mind. As someone with Argentinean ancestry, I was really excited to see how Argentinean culture would come across on a runway. I was blown away.





The first designer, La Dolfina, is a polo lifestyle brand based in Buenos Aires. Horses scare me to death but I would brave a ride just to wear La Dolfina's riding pants. The whole collection was impeccably clean. While the other Argentinian designers brought great shows, it was La Dolfina that stuck with me. Just look at these cuts!




The aforementioned emotional roller coaster took a giant dip at the LAMB show. Getting into the show was a nightmare so I was in a sour mood once the show started. The clothes did nothing to salvage my feelings. While I give kudos to Gwen for keeping the brand relevant for so long, I think this collection was a complete bust with oddly cut clothes and ridiculous prints. Gwen has completely shed her Harajuku Girl days and was channeling some intense African vibes as seen in these prints. I appreciate her attempt to widen her range, but these left me nostalgic for vintage Gwen.



All photos via Getty Images

Tuesday, September 21, 2010

Gottex Spring 2011: Go Granny

Pieces I loved from Gottex: Left, from the Sun Sentinel, middle from Sicka Than Average, right, me.
















There's a classic family photo of my mom and dad playing poker with my visor-wearing grandma in Hawaii, and it was the first thing that came to mind when I saw this on the Gottex runway:

Both Karolina Kurkova photos from Gossip Center.






















Visor-wearing granny probably isn't what Gottex was going for. Few grandmas have Karolina Kurkova's body and get decked out in monokinis, but every woman, no matter what her age, loves a gorgeous coverup. There were a few stunning suits with coverups (see opening photos) that I wanted to jump up and encourage onward with vigorous clapping, but then the crystals happened, and this is all I left the show remembering:

Photos from SunSentinel.com
.






















I am not anti-crystal. I've got two gorgeous red Carla Westcott bathing suits I bought at her sample sale ages ago, and both are lightly adorned with little red crystals to beautiful effect. The Spring '11 Gottex go a lot further with the crystal love, to a place I'm not crazy about where visors rule. No offense to Grandma, because when I'm as old as she was I hope to be playing poker in a fabulous visor in Hawaii. A big bonus if it's crystal-adorned so everyone can see me coming.

Monday, September 20, 2010

The Perfection That Is Tibi Spring '11

I love a two-lane runway and a scenic backdrop.




















During the Tibi show I raved a bit on Twitter about how the designer, Amy Smilovic, makes the simplest items of clothing perfect and chic. Exhibit A:

Every year I look for the perfect item of black clothing, the thing that is the black standard of my closet's stable of black. My old shopping partner and model BFF Monica (aka the DC Naomi) used to roll her eyes every time I would grab an item of black clothing and say "This is perfect for insert anything here." I was perpetually on the hunt. So I'd like to say Hey, Monica, that tunic top/dress above has officially sated my eternal black lust.

These are gorgeous in motion from all angles.



















Now excuse me while I further wax poetic about the perfection of this collection, and bombard you with images from the Tibi site. Yes, the design is not game-changing but it's impeccable. There was barely a misstep in the whole crowd. Next spring you're going to see a whole lot of white and beige eyelet, but don't bother shopping around: Tibi's eyelet was the most stylish and least precious on the runways. Which means I'd actually buy white eyelet and not feel like I'm six years old. And while I'm sure you've all heard that neutral (beige) is the color for spring, don't freak. Yellows and oranges like those seen below were also everywhere. And, of course, some black, too.

Usually I find that shade of purple gag-worthy. But not this one, totally buy-worthy.





































Reminder to self: I must have these shoes.