Friday, September 21, 2007

Fall Trends in February?




An interesting thing about the fashion world is its ability to predict what we (consumers) will be wearing months before we even begin to think about it. Designers are challenged a year or so in advance to create pieces that not only look good, but that can make a shopper feel like he or she was the one that decided they want to dress that way.

In February 2007, the Fashion Week for the fall season showed in New York. There were several trends forecasted to be big six months later. It will be fun to see if these trends actually do begin to happen when I am shopping for my fall wardrobe. The following come from a WWD magazine published on February 9, 2007. Check and see if these styles are what you are wearing now:

- Larger, more structured bags with muted hardware
- Greens dominate, from emerald to olive and sage to aquamarine
- Bracelets and cuffs in leather or metal
- Berry tones jazz up neutrals
- Details like wood, horn, or bone buttons replace heavy embellishment
- Dresses with a Sixties' vibe, big sleeves, and looser cuts in jackets
- High waistlines and Victorian ruffles
- Rich and bold colors, mixed with black and white, and geometric patterns
- Dark denim, floor sweeping dresses, as well as micro mini's
- Comfortable fabrics and easy dressing are in demand
Did these trend predictions hit or miss? We'll see in the coming weeks as the leaves begin to turn...

Wednesday, September 19, 2007

The Reality Diaries


I'm unofficially sharing with you one of my deepest darkest secrets: I love dramatic, catty, reality television. Call it a guilty pleasure, call it shallow, call it whatever you want, nothing is going to stop me from DVR'ing any show whose title contains the words "The" or "Hills".

My latest pleasure has been relishing in the torturous lives of the cast of The Fashionista Diaries. The show chronicles 6 newly hired, well dressed (suspicious to their access to sponsored sample closets, will investigate later) assistants and the hellish lives they live while working at a Fashion Magazine, PR Company, and Cosmetics Company. The season culminates at the Charlotte Ronson Fashion Week Show where the three companies have to work together to pull off a fashion show. My mission during Fashion Week: meet the flirtatious aspiring designer Andrew and determine sexual orientation.

The season finale has yet to debut, but I got a sneak peek because I was actually at the show during the filming. Not that I'm going to ruin it for other FD fans, but (unfortunately) there were no models falling, no bitch fights between castmates, and no one was sloppy drunk at this show finale. And although I got to sit right in front of Andrew while he was watching the show, professionalism called and I could not get a meet and greet.

I however, am not the type to lose hope. That evening we got behind the ropes at the Charlotte Ronson Afterparty at The Cellar Bar, rubbing shoulders with beautiful models, even more beautiful gay men, and the cast and camera crew of the Fashionista Diaries. Any type of paparazzi or camera crew situation is always awkward in real life since we never see how much space the crew, lighting guy, and microphone guy actually take up, and in this case, at a jam-packed party, it was even more so. Attempt to rub shoulders with Andrew: strike two.

Then, destiny. Leaving the party, no cameras in sight, I bump into Andrew on the sidewalk! We meet, and my gaydar is flashing. He is tres cute and acts exactly like his character, which I guess is good since he plays himself. However, I still cannot pick up on which team he plays for. He is flirtatious (straight) he is wearing a scarf (gay) he has charisma and confidence in front of two random girls (straight) he is wearing an awfully tight pair of jeans (gay) and I just don't know what to think.

We are interuppted by 3 men with cameras, microphones, and a woman with a headset and clipboard. No thank you. I leave without being able to ask him either on a date or to go shoe shopping in the West Village. If anyone knows the real deal with Andrew, please let me know. In the meantime, maybe we will find out on the finale.

Luxurious, Soft, Flowing... Denim?

We have all noticed the almost out-of-nowhere spike that denim has taken in the past decade for becoming "designer". From the moment that jeans started having special fits, cuts, dyes, washes, embellishments, and even buttpads, the rise in denim couture has yet to stagnate. What else can we do with this All-American, durable material? American designer Zac Posen has one idea, and it is nothing short of luxury.

He designed Katherine Heigl's dress for the 2007 Emmy Awards. Her angelic white, floor length column-gown channeled retro-glam looks of old Hollywood. The cap sleeve and spaghetti strap combination kept the fullness of the fistail bottom from being too overwhelming. To make sure she hit the point, she topped it off with bold red lips and her hair pulled back.

At first glance anyone would think this wedding-appropriate dress would be made from silk or satin, but we discover its edginess in that the material used by Posen was denim! Posen is known for making complicated (yet beautifully crafted) dresses that are difficult to wear if one is planning on well, moving around. Katherine Heigl however, floated down the red carpet with style and grace. Posen's perfect pitch of combinng old-Hollywood style with the of-the-moment material made this nothing short of classic couture with contemporary edginess.

**Viewer results are in and the audience loved it! Not only did Heigl walk away with an Emmy Best Supporting Actress win, she also walked away with winning votes from Access Hollywood's Best Dressed at the Emmys.

Friday, September 14, 2007

"But I see Homeless People at Bus Stops"...


...is the reaction I got from my roommate when I told her that on my way to the 6 train in Manhattan, I jumped on the Lexington Bus Line instead.

Since becoming a slave to a full-time job, my daily issue, along with 11 million other subway-riding New Yorkers, is making a smooth transition out of digging for my Metrocard while zipping down the stairs, swiping correctly on the first try, passing through the turnstile without getting my purse stuck, and then contorting my body in a way that squeezes me into the train before the dirty doors inevitably crush my snowy white Marc Jacobs bag.

Day after day I have had to accept the harsh reality that if I climb into the subway donning anything white, I will emerge a slight shade of gray. Granted the seasons have turned and white is no longer a dominant color, I do not appreciate my collection of newly-grayed possessions: 1 satin Coach hobo bag, 1 Max Azria bustier, 2 leather BCBG stilettos, 1 Michael Kors purse, 1 silk wristlet, 1 Chanel wallet, 2 summer dresses, and I won't even mention the condition of my Essie Ballet Slipper Pink nails. For readers who don't take the subway, the staining is comparable to hugging a dirty chalk board while wearing a black sweater.

Today I was on my way to work in a white cropped jacket, already plotting maneuvers around pre-8am stains, when I saw a line for the bus, an option I had (in my 6 weeks of residence) never thought to use before. I decided to try my luck and...I loved it for so many reasons:

I got my own seat (which is monumental compared to the subway) next to a very well dressed old gentleman (who has apparently known the secret about bus travel for years) and we both had room to read the morning paper without bumping into 10+ people. Also, I got a little breeze through a sunny window, and I got dropped off right at my 57th St., leaving me one block away from my Park Avenue office. Best of all: my jacket was still its original shade of angelic white!

It did take a few minutes longer, but well worth waking up six minutes earlier in order to preserve my whites. So my suggestion to those who rock the delicate pre-fall outfits, unless you really root for the jam-packed-sardine-chic look, give the bus a chance.