OMG

FABULOUS FASHION CONTEST:

Fashionista.com is reporting that Radio station 93.9 WNYC (that would 93.9 on your FM dial, 820 on your AM) is holding a Become Your Own Designer Contest.

The grand prize is a chance to chat with Isaac Mizrahi on the Leonard Lopate Show, along with a signed copy of the designer’s book How to Have Style.

There are essentially no rules. All you have to do is design a t-shirt and submit a picture of yourself in their flickr group wearing it by June 5th.

Should you win, what would you ask? Question number one in our book: who is Isaac's favorite model, cindy or naomi? its about time he chose once and for all!

for more info: http://fashionista.com/2009/05/do_it_for_isaac.php

To post on flickr: http://www.flickr.com/groups/fashion_tshirt/

Up and Coming

Cant make it out to the Hamptons this memorial day? Here are some fashionable (and recessionista friendly!) alternatives for your national holiday:

RICHARD AVEDON FASHION PHOTOGRAPHY EXHIBIT
where: International Center of Photography (1133 6th Ave), 212.857.0000
what: displaying a selection of Avedons shots from Vogue covers to jumping models, the exhibit will feel like you're flipping through your favorite glossy, only in public. and not in your pjs. Break out your Sunday Prada, because there's sure to be a lot of sartorialists in attendance.
when: all day, but call the ICP for hours.

JAPAN BRAND POP UP STORE
where: Felissimo Design House (10 W 56th St), 212.956.4438
what: we mentioned it in yesterday's post but nothing says memorial day like shopping for japanese designs.
when: 11-6

JOHN LENNON EXHIBIT CURATED BY YOKO ONO
where: Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Annex NYC, 76 Mercer St between Broome and Spring Sts
what: titled "John Lennon: the New York Years" displays photographs and memorabilia from John Lennon's life as manhattanite. Sure, he's from london, but if he's not the epitome of the ultimate New Yorker, then we're not sure where else to turn.
when: 11-10pm

MODEL AS MUSE EXHIBIT AT THE MET
where: the met tisch gallery floor 2
what: We didnt get to go to the Gala, so we're definitely not missing the chance to catch the exhibit!
when: MET standard hours

OMG

We love our pop up retailers, and like every other nyc fashionista will drop everything, run scrambling through the subways, pushing other luboutin wearing divas out of our way, just to get to that sale if that sale brings us things we cant find in New York. You can imagine in a city this fashionable, that is a hard thing to do and definitely worth checking out, even for a new york minute.

We're putting our best running heels on for this one: the Japan Brand pop-up store arriving May 18 and departing the 30th. located on 56th and 5th across from the Trump Tower, this temp-boutique will carry impeccably crafted pieces from designers currently unavailable in the US. You know what that means: ONE OF A KIND! You wont have to worry about having a "who wore it better" moment in the line for One Oak.

Check this site for more info:

http://flavorpill.com/newyork/events/2009/5/18/japan-brand-pop-up-store

OMG

Anna Wintour's recent 60 minutes interview: http://www.tressugar.com/3165175

Decide for yourselves.

UPDATE: here's a better link!!!

http://www.stylesightings.com/index.php/2009/05/19/anna-on-anna/

You Better Work.

Good resort collections move beyond bikinis and kaftans, taking the opportunity to create a design perspective that is unique rather than just a complement to spring/summer. Nobody does this better than Chanel, who plays on the idea of travel with each resort collection, not by creating beach totes and carry-on friendly garments, but by calling upon design to recreate the feeling of being in a different time and place. In 20 or so looks, Lagerfeld takes you there, and the lucky few invited to the show actually get to go there. This year's destination, Venice. The show, titled "Coco on the Lido" was an excursion through black lace dresses, girdle-and-brassiere bathing suits, sandy chiffon tops and smoky eyes to "the café society of the thirties and the life Chanel lived here, which is gone now," said our favorite uncle to style.com. That being the case, we'll have to credit Mr. Lagerfeld with knowing the secret to immortality. Coco came alive in every piece that marched down the boardwalk-as-runway, though staple elements like fringy tweed and dramatic pairings of black and white were noticeably scarce, or at least overshadowed by sailor stripes and rich vibrant red dresses and tights. If the era is gone, its certainly been revived, and will live forever in this romantic and whimsical collection.

Take a look at the style.com photos : http://www.style.com/fashionshows/review/2010RST-CHANEL

OMG

Check out this article we found on defamer.com, shedding light on Anna Wintour's recent and unusual friendliness with the press. She held an "inside the actors studio"-like conference with John Tisch, fielding questions from no-namers at the 92nd street Y!!

The article amusingly attempts to decode the mystery of a $25,000 sequined dress Ms. Wintour says she nixed for a Meisel shoot on behalf of the declining economy, which defamer.com believes to be "the key to understanding the new fashion economy."

We think it raises and important question about PR and branding. Like many of her other colleagues--Armani, Jil Sander, Kate Moss, Michelle Obama--she is utilizing the press to reposition and strengthen the Vogue Image. That's pretty obvious, and so is the answer to the dress mystery: Balmain.

Still, the article raises some great points about Vogue's content consisting of photoshoots that appease advertisers spaced out by fluff stories on obvious topics. Definitely worth reading.

here's the link: http://jezebel.com/5252682/what-piece-of-apparel-is-anna-wintours-fashion-rosebud?skyline=true&s=x

You Better Work

Click here for WWD's Costume Institute Gala report.

Some of our favorite quotes :

"The ladies’ room drew a mixed crowd, including Olivier Theyskens, Lou Doillon, January Jones, Eva Mendes, Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez. The sinks were filled with wet cigarette butts and there was so much exhaust in the air that even nonsmokers like Zellweger left smelling like an ashtray..." WWD.com staff

“In today’s world, muses don’t come for free. They’re a lot of money...” Tom Ford on designers and their muses.

Check out more at wwd.com

You Better Work

Felicia Sullivan's Fashion for All event hits Ft. Greene on May 16th, 2009. We're partially excited because it's right near our offices, but also because the shopping event will include heavily marked down selections from designers like Balenciaga, and its all for a good cause. 250 women from low-income households were given access to this well-stocked sale. What a way to boost morale! Just because you're down on your luck doesnt mean you dont deserve something fabulous.

Kudos to Ms. Sullivan for planning such an inspired event. Work it, girl.

for more information check Felicia Sullivan's blog: http://feliciasullivan.com/?p=1239

Clothing donators receive a wholesale discount on MINT by Jodi Arnold!!!

Up and Coming

CARRIBEAN CERULEAN CHIC


All too often we fail to look for correlations between real life and fashion trends. For consumers, the research involved in understanding a trend is less important than whether or not the 3 B's (Bergdorf, Bendels, Barneys) have deemed it a must-have. The designers word is rarely questioned. Norwegian Ice Princess? Sure, Galliano. Safari Chic? Okie dokie Michael Kors.

After a recent 5-day excursion on the french and dutch sides of St. Martin, we had the opportunity to see for ourselves just how inspired designers can be by the world around them. We've been reading that blue is the color to wear for spring, and realized when we touched down on the Carribean Island we hadn't fully understood why until we'd arrived here.

The clear waters of the carribean were an instant comparison to Gucci's cerulean chiffon gowns. We saw Balmains distressed acid-wash denim in the cloud spotted periwinkle skyline. It was a nice reminder of why these choices are made in design; not for the richness of their hue or the quality of fabric, but because they call to the actual climate and culture of the season.

These are shades we'd find floating below white stucco houses on hills in Santorini or Capri. We see them mixed with yellow and gold, a combination reminiscent of sunsets in clear skies.

It's a reminder to look for life existing in fashion, and a recalling of the reason we love what we do.

For more trend tips and consultations for your boutique, visit www.mshopnyc.com to make an appointment!

OMG

In a recent taste test conducted by the American Association of Wine Economists, 18 volunteers were given a range of pate dishes, asked to distinguish which of these was actually dog food. The results? only 2 of the subjects were able to correctly identify the dog food from the variety of gourmet spreads.

a spokesperson claims the test proves that "content plays a huge role in taste and value judgment."

hmm...we wonder what this says about Label Whores ...

check out the article: http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-pate1-2009may01,0,6580998.story?track=rss

OMG

DO NOT MISS THIS!!!

Refinery 29's Port Authority Pop-up Store opened today and runs for the next week. The "about as secret as a sample sale in nyc can get" sample sale features unique designers like Rick Owens marked down to the kind of prices you have to hear twice to believe. In fact, if nymag's fashion blog The Cut didnt print an announcement, we might not think this is true.

This could signal a new wave in the new york retail experience. Sample Sales have always been a staple, but as they become more prevalent and legitimate we might find less fashionistas window shopping, instead opting to save their pennies for these magical moments.

Check out this article by thedailybeast.com on scheduled sample sales: http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-stories/2009-04-29/shopping-showdown-at-high-noon/

for more info on the save fashion sample sale: www.savefashion.com

OMG

Check out this article in the daily beast about "FACE MASK CHIC," the new trend sparked by that pesky little airborne swine flu pandemic. We're not sure if its horribly inappropriate or positively upbeat...who says when life gives you lemons you cant make a chartreuse minidress? From a trend perspective this is only temporarily cute, but we wouldn't go around stocking up on dust masks, nor would we expect to see them at the next accessories trade show. Consumers, save your dollars for that Balmain jacket you're drooling over. Buyers, well, you should just know better.

here's the article:

http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-stories/2009-04-30/face-masks-are-the-new-black/#gallery=231;page=9

For trend forecasting and consultation for your fashion business, visit the M Shop!