Wednesday, October 24, 2007

A Hipster Recipe


Last Saturday in NYC, French DJ dance-music duo Justice spun a sold out 3-story dance party in the former gay-club, chandilier clad venue Terminal 5. The mosh pit was moshing, the champagne was flowing, and sweaty crowd surfing filled the dark venue while we went deaf to the upbeat techno-esque sounds of the DJs. Most notable was the amount of Converse sneaker wearing, funky haired boys and girls that floated about. I know that hipsters are supposed to be hip because they are "different", but this venue proves that even the least uniformed genre has a uniform of their own, it was probably the biggest collection of skinny jeans I have ever seen.

Wednesday, October 17, 2007

Race to Roberto




My former post may have smelled a bit of fashion-snobbery compared to the "how many of us can actually afford Versace so good thing that Arden B made a cheap copy" mentality, however this is not in fact the case. Designers are so esteemed because of their unique creations, and should be allowed to bask in their successes. A better alternative to buying a knockoff dress is to check out fabulous collections at lower price points (they do exist).

Roberto Cavalli may be out of reach to many, but rather than finding a Cavalli frock on the sidewalks of Canal Street, why not get your original Cavalli at H&M? It was officially announced that Roberto Cavalli will team up with the trendy retailer for a temporary collection due November 8th.

If Cavalli maintains his Italian flair in the development of this line, expect desirable pieces at even more desirable prices. With a limited release of the clothing (only 200 stores will house Cavalli’s designs), they are sure to go fast so get your slipdresses and shopping shoes ready to snatch up the new line!

Versace vs. Arden B


My limited knowledge of intellectual property does not stretch much further than knowing Forever 21 is constantly being sued by big designer names such as Louis Vuitton. However, seeing this rip off Arden B has done to the Versace dress in their new ads (running in November issues of InStyle and Lucky so far) is anything but subtle.
I had already questioned the mental state Donatella (yes, we're on a first name basis) was in when embedding mirrors on mini dresses, but switching them for sequins and plastering it on full page ads is a bit much. The dress was already crossing the thin line of unique statement/just plain strange, and I do not think that cheapening the material as well as the total product helps in the effort of its design.

Puma Party


Attended the "I'm Going Out @ Puma!" event in Union Square last night, and thanks to my live-in PR girl, I could cut the line of 900 people that stretched down the block and around the corner... of the next block. I guess word got out (through Bratskier PR) that the limited number of goodie bags allowed girls to walk away with $200 worth of free goods!

The Puma store setting opened up to a complimentary photo booth, a Pink Vodka & fruit juice infused cocktail bar, a table of yummy appetizers, and a Mally makeup stand complete with artists applying a wide range of lipglosses to the ladies that made it in through the madness.

The venue was jam packed with people making purchases as well as walking away with Puma canvas totes full of treats. The DJ was spinning great party music and intermittently described new products you could pick up around the store. At the end of the night I was in a great mood, had a bag full of great stuff, and now know that this Union Square store is a set destination for the latest Puma gear. Look out for these events in major cities across the country.

Great job Bratskier.

Friday, October 5, 2007

Is Beauty Only Knife Deep?


Tyra Banks, known for telling girls to embrace their bodies and love their real selves, all the while having 365 different hairstyles (someone clearly cannot embrace their real hair) wasn't always the superstar supermodel she is now. A designer friend of mine knew her pre-Victoria days and shared with me this photo of Tyra and her model nose. I have no facts to state this claim, but I see major differences in Tyra with model nose and Tyra with supermodel nose. You be the judge.