September Issue Documentary

Fashion is not about looking back, it's about looking forward
Anna Wintour

The September issue of most fashion magazines tend to be much bigger than the rest of the year. The September 2007 issue of Vogue weighed just about 5 pounds! If you are anything like me, the thought of September Vogue brings a smile to your face. For me it marks the onset of fall fashion, the chance to wear jackets again, at a the time when I'm most likely fed up with the humid and muggy NYC summer.

R.J. Cutler is a documentary filmmaker who decided to take on the multifaceted world of fashion, by following the single most important figure in fashion in North America. He shadows her life at Vogue and gives an inside look at what it takes to be the most successful fashion magazine in the US. We have heard the rumors about Ms. Wintour and we have watched the movie about the devil who wears a certain Italian designer, but what do we really know what it's like?

In the trailer to the documentary we are introduced to a frank and forthright Anna. She doesn't hold back, using snappy remarks that are both honest but probaly true. While speaking to Oscar de la Renta she retorts every so nonchalantly, "I certainly would not put this one in the show. The other things you've shown are more exciting." He most likely listened. Her influence is evident by the way designers speak about her, the way bloggers write about her, and the way fashion media follows her every move. Like her or not she is important.











"There is something about fashion that can make people very nervous," Wintour says to the camera and she is right. After all the fashion industry is greatly influenced by our senses, sight and touch, as well as fantasy and inspiration. Each season designers strive to push boundaries, excite us, make us want more. And for all the critics out there, they cannot deny that fashion is a billion dollar industry. The influence is overwhelming.

I haven't seen the documentary and cannot wait to watch it. This seems much more interesting than the contrived fashion reality shows that have been on TV.

Gwen Stefani Elle Cover

Gwen looks stunning on the July issue of Elle magazine. I love the photographs taken by Carter Smith, some of which are a bit faded and almost overexposed, but display Gwen's beauty just the same.

Elle.com behind the scenes look at the cover shoot.


In the picture above Gwen is wearing a wool coat from Alexander McQueen Fall 2009 Ready To Wear collection. On her the dress looks amazing, however something tells me that many women wouldn't wear the dress to work or for everyday, especially the giant sized neck brace. Below there are some alternative houndstooth dresses and jackets that may be around your price range.





















Soia & Kyo
Black houndstooth 'Billy' funnel neck coat
$178.50
bluefly.com









Via Spiga
Black houndstooth wool blend 'Carso' belted coat
$149.99
bluefly.com









Marc by Marc Jacobs
Scribble houndstooth dress
$229
eluxury.com









Check out ShopStyle.com.

Jimmy Choo for H&M

Great news! Jimmy Choo is making a line for H&M! Shoe lovers everywhere can now say that they own a pair of Jimmy Choo's. Another luxury brand is lowering its prices for the Sweedish chain.

Last week Jimmy Choo anounced that it would team up with H&M to create a collection comprised of shoes, bags, and accessories. The collection will be ready and in 200 stores around the world in mid November.

Tamara Mellon, founder and President of Jimmy Choo is very happy with the collaboration. "We are privileged to be among the fashion greats who have been affiliated with H&M so far, and to be designing a collection appealing to fashion savvy, street smart women, and to be including some great pieces for men, too," said Mellon. She calls the collection, "sophisticated, fashion forward, accessible, and glamorous."

Tamara Mellon (left) with Margaret van den Bosch (right)

The creative advisor for H&M Margareta van den Bosch is the reason behind the impressive lineup of designers H&M has had, including Comme des Garcons, Matthew Williamson, Viktor & Rolf, Karl Lagerfeld, Stella McCartney, and Roberto Cavalli. Margareta says, “We adore Jimmy Choo’s shoes and bags. I like the way we have worked with clothes to accessorize the shoes and bags rather than the other way around. This collaboration is particularly exciting because it's our first shoe designer collection. It's a joy to be able to offer top end designer shoes and bags of excellent quality to our customers."

Street Style Spain - Madrid (Barrio de la Latina) Summer 2009

Spanish women always seem to put their best foot forward. As a little girl I remember my grandmother always stressing the importance of dressing up whenever we went into the city. They dress for themselves, but also to be seen, which is probably why they often look so good.





















This two toned, tie dye dress is from Zara. The Aviators are Ray Ban.




















The gladiator sandals are vintage and the gray handbag is from Pull & Bear.




















This girl's floral print dress is from Spanish label Mango. The brown shoulder bag is from Blanco, a Spanish fashion store.




















The braided sandals shown here are another alternative for the gladiator sandals, if you find them to be too much.




















Here you see another dress from Zara with a flirty floral print. Her bracelets are from a variety of places such as flea markets or boutiques such as Durán y Tous.

more at vogue.es

Eva Mendes Steamy Calvin Klein Ad

To keep with the traditional sexy, barely any clothes Calvin Klein Jeans ads, Eva Mendes takes it all off again. This time she isn't revealing everything (she still has on her Calvins), like she did for a certain scandalous Calvin Klein Secret Obsession commercial, but the pictures are still stirring some buzz in tinsel town. Eva visited The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien where they spoke candidly about her 'work.' I mean its her job, but as Conan pointed out, it hardly seems like work when you slather oil all over your body and get cozy with male model Jamie Dornan.

Needless to say Eva looks amazing in the photos, if not a bit greasy. The ads are said to be on billboards as well as magazines.

Kate Moss and Darias Werbowy pose for Mert & Marcus for Longchamp Winter 2009

Kate Moss and Daria Werbowy, a Canadian model are featured in the ad campaign for Longchamp Paris for Winter 2009. The campaign was shot by the sought after photography pair, Mert Alas and Marcus Piggot, also known as Mert & Marcus.

Not sure that I understand the meaning behind the faceless soldiers in the background. The pouty pair contrast greatly next to the soldiers who only seem to be there to do the models bidding, as well as hold their bags.

Lindsay Lohan a Thief?? British Police Seem To Think So

The star we affectionately call LiLo posed for British Elle with a £250,000 custom-made Dior necklace and earring set. That's $411,480 big ones. Somehow these pieces went missing and many are pointing fingers at Miss Lohan.

To Lindsay's defense, it did take Elle staffers two days to report the missing jewels. Hard to believe that they would allow for those gems out of their sights for a couple minutes let alone a few days. Although I don't know if you remember, but Linsday has had some trouble with sticky fingers before, once snagging a few accessories and dresses from a photo shoot. And what about that $11,000 fur coat that happened to come into her possession after a night out on the town in NYC. So who knows? Anything is possible.

Elle doesn't seem to think that LiLo is guilty. A spokeswoman for ELLE gave this statement:

"I can confirm on behalf of ELLE magazine that items of jewelry went missing from an ELLE photo shoot two weeks ago and the matter is now being investigated by the police. ELLE has no reason to believe that Lindsay Lohan was in any way responsible and has no further comment to make."

Lindsay's rep says that she is 'happy to co-operate' with the investigation. As for being 'happy,'
it is highly doubtful.

Scarlet Johansson is the new face of Mango

Not only have Scarlett Johansson and Penelope Cruz shared the spotlight in the Woody Allen film Vicky Christina Barcelona, but now they are sharing the spotlight from the Mango collection. Well not sharing exactly. Scarlett is taking over Penelope's old job as the 'face' of Mango featuring in the Fall 09/ Winter 10 campaign. Penelope designed for the Spanish label, however Scarlett will not be following in her footsteps.

A spokesperson for Mango tells WWD that Johansson is an "extraordinary personality, fun, young" and adding, "She's Mango's ideal urban woman, independent and cosmopolitan."

The photographs taken for the campaign (shown above) were taken by photographer Mario Sorrenti.

Related stories:
Penelope Cruz - Mango 2008 Spring Summer Collection
Penelope and Monica Cruz Design For Mango

Plaid Done Right

Stars like Linsay Lohan really made plaid popular. You can pair a plaid dress with your favorite skinny jeans or layer one of your plaid shirts under a cardigan to create some color in your outfit. Below are a few pieces that I found for a pretty reasonable price.

Plaid Shirts

Forever 21 - Tuxedo Ruffle Plaid Shirt

$17.80

Forever 21 - Buffalo Plaid Shirt
$17.80

Dresses

French Connection - Chatussa Check Dress
$129.99

Plaid Outerwear

Delia's - Stephie Plaid Bomber
$79.50

WEZC - Rosali Plaid Hooded Coat in Black
$149.00

Delia's Gia Toggle Coat
$59.50

Gap Plaid Belted Coat
$39.99

J. Crew Inspirations For The First Family

J. Crew. Above is a screen shot from the J. Crew website. They are very proud of designing the various looks for the First Family. So proud in fact they will be featuring the children's designs in their next fall campaign. Something tells me that the campaign will be very lucrative.
Malia and Sasha look absolutely adorable in their outfits -- the colors, the bows, everything expresses cuteness. Malia wore periwinkle blue and Sasha wore pink with orange accessories.

The outfit that J. Crew created for Michelle, she wore during the Kid's Inaugural concert. One thing is certain, the Obama family loves to dress up in color.

Michelle Obama's Inaugural Dress - Isabel Toledo

When Michelle Obama stepped out in her Isabel Toledo designed coat and sheath dress I smiled. The color was noteworthy and Mrs. Obama looked stunning, but most importantly confident. Whether intentional or not Mrs. Obama stood out amongst the crowd of neutrals. After all, it seems too coincidental to choose such a bright and hopeful color by chance. Either way she was on the mark. Naturally there are some skeptics of the Toledo design but it serves it's purpose. She looked sophisticated, as the First Lady should, and she was confident and capable of supporting her husband as he got sworn in as the United State's 44th President.

On closer look the coat has intricate detail that most lenses cannot capture. The fabric was a Swiss wool lace. Isabel Toledo named the yellow toned color, lemongrass, appropriately so, seeing as the confusion as to whether the dress was in fact yellow or green. Depending on the camera angles and the quality of photographs taken, the dress seemed yellow or a faint green.

Some bloggers felt that the First Lady appeared a bit matronly in this ensemble but I would beg to differ. I agree there is a fine line, especially when you wear such heavy fabrics and brocade, but Michelle knows how to look fresh. If the color had been a tan or another neutral she would have tipped the scales towards matronly, however she wisely chose a bright color and brighter accessories.
The First Lady wore Jimmy Choo 'Glacier' pumps in a deep green to accompany the lemongrass ensemble. She also wore a pair of green J. Crew Gloves.

Dr. Jill Biden has not been getting as much attention as the First Lady however she also looks great in her red coat.

Inauguration Weekend - "We Are One: The Obama Inaugural Celebration At The Lincoln Memorial"

"We Are One: The Obama Inaugural Celebration At The Lincoln Memorial"

Despite warnings of snow, as well as the bone-chilling temperatures, thousands of spectators crowded around Washington's monuments. By looking at Barack and Michelle Obama, always the sophisticated couple, you couldn't guess how low the temperatures had dropped, but pan to the bundled crowd and you can see just how cold it must have been these past couple of days during the inaugural ceremonies.

We often see Michelle Obama in dresses and skirts, however this weekend she decided to bring out the suits. For the We Are One Concert at the Lincoln Memorial, she chose another Narciso Rodriguez suit, this time in camel and black. She balanced nicely the role of First Lady with her chic independent style. There has been some buzz about the borrowed earrings that she wore, $17,000 Loree Rodkin. Some people question the extravagance of choosing such pieces, but we cannot forget that she is the First Lady and she must dress the part. Michele Obama has become popularly adept of mixing high price tags with lower priced finds. One thing for certain she keeps us, the spectators, on our toes. By choosing a designer such as Narciso Rodriguez, she shows her interest in the fashion world. Narciso Rodriguez is known for his sleek, feminine style and sharp clean silhouette.

The We Are One concert attracted many celebrities such as U2, Beyonce, Sheryl Crow, Tom Hanks, and Bruce Springsteen to name a few. The star-studded event adds to the message that the Obama campaign has been driving forth all along -- that despite the difficulties we have before us, we must be hopeful that we shall overcome. President elect Barack Obama words echoed just that:

"But never forget that the true character of our nation is revealed not during times of comfort and ease, but by the right we do when the moment is hard. I ask you to help reveal that character once more, and together, we can carry forward as one nation, and one people, the legacy of our forefathers that we celebrate today."

Mr. President and his First Lady

Biden and Obama families

Performers, Presenters, and Attendees at the We Are One Concert


Image Credit - hbo.com