Getting Into the Spirit of Fashion Week

The insanity officially starts tomorrow! I shoot my first show at 5pm. At least as long as the weather cooperates. Still trying to get everything prepared and feeling twice as rushed with the upcoming snow, but I thought I’d post some of my favorite photos from last season to get into the spirit!

Rachel Antonoff.

Emma Stone and Jessica Szohr at the Anna Sui for Target launch party.

Lauren Conrad at Nanette Lepore.

Phillip Lim.

Abbey Lee at Milly.

Sasha Pivovarova at Anna Sui.

Anna Wintour at Bloomingdales for FNO.

Gwen Stefani at Fashion’s Night Out.

Outside the L.A.M.B. Show.

So excited to see what this season brings!!

My Fashion Week Essentials

It’s Time for Fashion Week!!!

Lately, my life has been a little crazy. I’ve been so busy getting ready for it, I almost forgot to actually mention here the fact that I am going to fashion week! I was approved for Mercedes Benz Fashion Week credentials, and have been invited to attend both shows in the tents, and off site! I’m really excited, as this will be my first full fashion week covering shows. I went one day in September 2007, and for three days last season. Here’s hoping I survive ten days of fashion insanity. (Yes, I said ten, fashion week unofficially starts on Wednesday.) Some of the items I’ll be carrying around to help keep me sane, and insure I’ll be getting the best possible coverage of all of the events:

1. Canon DSLR Camera
2. Plenty of Extra Memory Cards
3. Flip Ultra HD Video Camera
4. Camera Backpack
5. Step Stool AKA a “Turtle” to see above the crowds in the press pit.
6. Assorted Lenses. Probably Three. (I shoot most shows with a telephoto, but will need variations for shooting street style, and presentations where the models stand much closer to the audience.)
7. My Blackberry
8. Macbook. For all the times I’ll have breaks to edit photos or make posts.

Other Essentials I’ll also be carrying or wearing:

1. Converse Chuck Taylors
2. Moleskine Weekly Planner
3. C.O. Bigelow Ultra Mentha Lip Shine (I’m addicted, and it’s sooo glossy!)
4. Peanut Butter Crackers. Perfect mix of carbs and protein for a quick snack.
5. Water. LOTS of water.
6. LUSH Lemony Flutter Hand/Cuticle Lotion
7. My Invites. Just in Case.
8. Not Pictured: Glucose Tablets. If you’re like me, and get uncontrollable rage and feel nauseous when your blood sugar gets extremely low, they will fix it (and save you from passing out). Perfect for those days you just can’t get away before realizing it’s 4pm and you never ate lunch.

I can’t wait until all the fun starts on Wednesday. It really is hard work too though, and pretty much guaranteed by the end of the week you either won’t be able to feel your legs, or will be sick. Ten 10hour+ days in a row catch up with you fast. Despite the unavoidable exhaustion, I’m incredibly excited and so happy I’ll be able to bring everyone so many great posts and photos. Keep an eye out for news of some guest posts I’ll be doing too! I’ll be sure to update everyone once I know more about my exact schedule.

Thanks for reading everyone, if it weren’t for you, none of this would be possible.

<3

All images via google images.

Twelfth Street by Cynthia Vincent & Barlow Summer Collection Preview

Last week, I was invited to preview the Twelfth Street by Cynthia Vincent and Barlow summer collections at their midtown showroom.

First up, were the spring and summer collections from Barlow! Barlow is a new clothing line started by Cynthia Vincent’s former design assistant Molly Girard Coonan. Named for her best friend and former coworker Alice Barlow, the line is a perfect mix of tough and sweet. Super soft tees with lace cut outs, flirty short skirts, corset tops, and leather jackets round out the collection.

For spring:

Oversize stripe tees

My personal favorite, and an item that is guaranteed to sell out:

Laced leather biker vest

One of the greatest things about the vest is the lace up detailing on the back:

Close up:

Like the biker vest, many Barlow pieces have unexpected detail that elevates the pieces from run of the mill basics to extra special looks. From the front, a white dress shirt:

On the back, a surprise lace cut out:

Gossip Girl Blake Lively has already been spotted out and about in NYC in two different Barlow leather moto jackets, including the leather and mesh style seen here:

Mini dress, which can also be worn unzipped as a vest.

For Summer:

I can’t get enough of moto jackets!

Zip up lace dresses/vests

Asymmetrical cardigans, which can be buttoned in a variety of ways to change their style. I want one now

Cropped lace inset jacket, and lace inset tee.

Many of the pieces come in multiple colors, which is perfect for someone like me who tends to buy multiples of their favorite items.

Barlow’s spring collection is set to debut this month at Shopbop, Fred Segal, Harvey Nichols Hong Kong, Big Drop, and Revolve Clothing, with the summer looks arriving in stores around mid-June 2010.

Twelfth Street by Cynthia Vincent’s summer collection:

I’ve been a big fan of Twelfth Street’s shoes for a while now, so it was great to have a chance to see even more of the brand and view the summer 2010 collection. Seeing it all at once–I wanted everything!

Dresses and flowy tops come in a mix of bright tribal prints, and classic romantic fabrics like silk, chiffon, and lace.

The yellow embellished tank is one of my favorite pieces. A perfect summer top that could be both dressed up with a skirt or dressed down with jeans.

Detail:

Lace vest and lace trimmed slip dress.

Lace detail.

As with Barlow, there are plenty of lovely cardigans:

Another of my favorite pieces! Loose knit bat wing style cardigan.

Also in the collection– beautiful dresses that would be perfect to wear to summer weddings:

Pattern detail.

Love the detail on the woven corset top.

The full collection:

The summer 2010 collection is due in stores mid June. You can find Twelfth Street by Cynthia Vincent at Shopbop, Barneys New York, Revolve Clothing, and specialty stores throughout the U.S.A., Dubai, Japan and Europe.

I’d already been dreaming of warm spring weather and wearing cute summer dresses again. But if I wasn’t before, I definitely would be after seeing these two collections. I’m totally inspired and want to revamp my wardrobe. Time to start saving up now!

Thanks again to Angela at the Twelfth Street and Barlow showroom for inviting me to preview the new collections!

A Peek Inside M&J Trimming

On Thursday, I had attended a designer presentation in midtown (more on that soon!). On the way home, I passed by M&J Trimming, and decided to stop in and grab a few DIY supplies. I have an enormous DIY “to do” list, and a folder full of saved inspiration images.

While I was there I picked up some supplies to make a belt, 2 headbands, a few packs of studs and a hair bow. Since I had my camera with me I snapped a few photos of the trims and many goodies for sale in the store.

Can you tell why this is one my favorite stores in NYC?

Trim cutter extraordinaire Genevieve:

What you see is only about a quarter of the store! There is a lot more to browse. Next time I’m there, I plan on taking even more photos.

Norma Kamali for Walmart Spring 2010

While doing a bit of fashion week research this past week, I discovered some cute new pieces showcased on Norma Kamali’s web site. Turns out they are part of the upcoming NK for walmart spring collection!

Last summer I posted about the NK batwing cardigan (and the months it took me to finally track one down). I’m happy to say it’s back for sale once again, along with a whole collection of new pieces for the spring 2010.

Known for her innovative clothing that can be worn multiple ways, Norma Kamali carries on the aesthetics of her namesake line in her Walmart collection, which debuted in 2007. Many designers “dumb down” their brand’s characteristics when it comes to collaborations with mass retailers. Not Norma Kamali! As in her past collaborations (with brands like Spiegel and Everlast), she manages to hang on to her trademark designs while bringing them to a larger audience. You can see many of the standout pieces of her namesake line translated into similar looks for less at walmart.

Here are some of my favorite pieces from the spring collection. Most of these will be available on walmart.com February 1st!

Sleeveless All in One Dress.

Sleeveless Tie Waist Dress.

All in One Dress.

Watch an animation of the many ways to wear the all in one dress here.

Rectangle Top

My personal favorite:

Motorcycle Jacket.

Also available in grey!

Blanket Sweater. Looks like my typical Sunday afternoon outfit, hair and all.

Bandeau Tankini: A cute take on the retro swim suit trend in a modern fabric.

Elastic Sandal. Hope they are as comfortable as they look!

Most of the items come in various colors, and are available in size XS-XXL. The full line includes swimwear, accessories, athletic wear, business wear such as blazers and trousers, dresses, and more casual jersey loungewear. The best part: the most expensive Norma Kamali for Walmart item available on the site right now retails for $24.00!

The walmart batwing cardigan in particular is a near replica of the original, much more expensive version. I once compared my own cardigan to a friends (which cost hundreds of dollars more), and other than thicker fabric saw almost no difference in the quality! I’ve been incredibly happy with my Norma Kamali for walmart cardigan, and definitely plan on picking up some more pieces once the spring line arrives. One downside: not every walmart carries the line–I called many mystified stores (in three states!) looking for the batwing last summer only to have staffers have no clue what I was talking about. So it’s probably best to research availability before you go on a walmart run. Or just shop online.

Fashion Week Fun

With less than three weeks to go, NYFW related events and work opportunities are popping up left and right. Some of the best to show up so far:

On Tuesday the lineup for Independent Fashion Bloggers “Evolving Influence” Conference went live. Bloggers such as Susie Bubble, Gala Darling, Bryan Boy, Tavi, and more will be on hand to discuss blog ethics, the business of blogging, and the future of fashion blogging.

See the full schedule here. Register here.

Also posted on Tuesday, Ed2010 (my favorite job/internship board!) put up an internship listing for NY Mag seeking PAID fashion week interns:

NYmag.com’s Online Fashion Department seeks interns to contribute to
exciting New York Fashion Week coverage. Candidates must be able to
identify trends, fabrics, models, designers, and possess a love of
everything fashion. Any HTML knowledge is a plus. The ideal candidate will
have previous fashion internships, be eager, outgoing, professional, work
efficiently with computers, and be able to work in a fast-paced, extremely
deadline-oriented environment.
Candidates MUST be able to work entire duration of New York Fashion Week,
February 11 to February 18, including the weekend. Night positions are also
available. Please DO NOT APPLY if you can not work that entire week. This
is a paying position. There will be training pre-Fashion Week, with
possible opportunity to continue work post-Fashion Week.
If interested, e-mail fashionjobs@nymag.com with your resume and a brief letter of interest. NO PHONE CALLS.

February 17th near the end of NYFW, photo bloggers Garance Dore and The Sartorialist Scott Schuman will be discussing social media and fashion at Tribeca Skyling Studios.

Ticket prices are a bit steep in my opinion, but if you’re a big fan of the two photographers, their first press appearance together would be a great opportunity to hear them talk shop.

Lady Gaga at Radio City

This past Saturday night, I saw Lady Gaga’s amazing sold out show at Radio City Music Hall in New York. I’ve been to nearly two hundred concerts over the last fifteen years, and this show definitely earned a ranking in the top five.

The sets and lights were phenomenal, as was Gaga’s stage presence. She managed to engage the entire audience and made it feel more like an intimate night club than Radio City. She played all of her best songs (except Telephone!!), including “Poker Face” both acoustically and normal. The only downside of the entire night: I was seated somewhat far back and was stuck using a digicam instead of my DSLR. Everyone there was taking pictures, so I probably could have got away with sneaking it in, but didn’t want to risk it. But I think I still got some great (albeit grainy and sometimes pixelated) shots of Gaga and her fabulous outfits, and also a ton of video that I might upload at a later date.

There were a lot of costumed fans in attendance:

After the show, I met the fans with the best (handmade) costumes of all:

This show is seriously phenomenal. If you have a chance to see Gaga live TAKE IT. You won’t regret it.

VOGUE Korea’s Corpse Bride

Between the upcoming Alice in Wonderland film adaptation and the MOMA’s retrospective, it appears we’re in the midst of Tim Burton mania right now. I’ve been a fan since I first saw Beetlejuice on VHS back in the late 80’s, and am always inspired by everything the man does. One of the greatest things about his work is how it in turn inspires others, and they then reinterpret it. Particularly, I loved Bazaar’s Tim Walker Burton themed shoot which was talked up on nearly every blog I read. This, however is something I hadn’t seen:

I’m a big fan of the half smeared makeup, the styling, and just the general atmosphere captured in these shots.

For another great editorial, take a peek at this “cake” themed shoot from 2007.

Images originally appeared in VOGUE KOREA December 2009

Scans via Sassisam
First discovered at The Lovely Bones

Topshop Answers My Prayers

Can you tell I’ve been a bit obsessed* with shoes as of late? So imagine my shock when I saw that finally, someone has designed a suitable replica of the Ann Demeulemeester flat lace up boots I’ve been posting about for the past 6months.

Last year Pixie Market sold their own “designer inspired” version, which promptly sold out in less than a day. I’ve spent countless hours looking for a similar style with no luck. The flat boot just doesn’t seem to get as much attention as the heeled boots, making my search near impossible.

I am now so glad to say these shoes are on their way to my home, all the way from the UK:

The inspiration: the original Ann D flat boot.

Main differences between the two styles: the topshop version has bronze rivets, and a wedge heel.

The shoes are available for $80, but hurry– at least two sizes that were still up last night are now unavailable! Do a little google-ing, and you might just find yourself a topshop discount code.

* This post is dedicated to my fabulous blogger friend Jinah, who I’ve apparently been torturing with my recent lovely shoe posts. <3

Need Supply Co. Jeffrey Campbell Exclusives

Need Supply recently hosted a “design your dream show” contest in collaboration with lookbook.nu, and Jeffrey Campbell. The winning shoe designed by lookbook user Emily L is now available for pre-order!

In case you somehow haven’t noticed, wedges are very “in” right now. The harness style straps, and round stud detail take the Jeffrey Campbell C’est Moi wedges to the next level. The shoes come in both black leather, and gray suede, and retail for $135.

I’m already mentally in sandal and ballet slipper mode, despite the fact that there is still snow on the ground and it’s freezing cold in NYC. Really liking all of the spring JC shoes I’ve seen so far, but still waiting for some more creative flats! Come on Jeffrey!