Fashion

Turn outs are usually associated with those swan-like models/actresses who profess to have studied ballet their entire lives until their ungainly height surpassed their ballet de corps ambitions. That said, there was another kind of turn out going on in NYC for the 32nd annual American Image Awards. Steve Madden won the Brand of the Year Award and on hand to present the fashion mogul with the honor were Mary Kate and Ashley. The connection? The duo has worked with Madden on their spinoff lines – namely through manufacturing deals for their accessories. Still, as they say, the petite Olsens drew in quite the turn out. Continue…

Where can you spot Mary-Kate Olsen? Not where you would expect. The more boho twin hung out at Chelsea Piers over the weekend and soaked in the sun while watching NYC’s own mini-version of the World Cup. The adiCup, hosted aptly by Adidas, held it’s annual soccer tourney and with teams from Opening Ceremony (who predictably won for best jersey), Nom de Guerre and dining downtown spot La Esquina in the mix, there was surely some solid people watching. Check out the pics from the sun-drenched event. Continue…

Timo Weiland may be the charming  young designer around town, but underneath that perennial party favorite is a let’s-push-the-fashion-aesthetic kind of creative. Weiland and his design partner Alan Eckstein has teamed up on a line with Urban Outfitters and unlike many high-low collabs, this one doesn’t feel watered down. The four-piece collection is slated to launch this July and will feature some quirky accesssories for the fashion brave: think dramatic bibs, oversized bow ties, and Peter Pan collars. “We wanted to create a line that was distinctive, smart, cool, and adaptable to an everyday creative’s wardrobe,” says Weiland. Smart and cool in this instance is a bolder take than Timo’s eponymous line – expect in-your-face patterns in plaids and polka dots.

Just when we thought the recession might have slowed the fashion cycles down, we realized we were wrong. The biggest change is that while some brands have dropped off the fashion map altogether, big mega-labels are reaping the rewards and flexing their resources. For example, just a week after Karl Lagerfeld et al hit Saint Tropez for Chanel’s 2010 Cruise collection, he sends this Pre-Fall 2010 campaign featuring Mirte Maas out to the fashion news-obsessed online masses. Between Cruise, upcoming Resort and somehow mixed in there Pre-Fall, our heads are veritably spinning with questions of season-appropriate attire. Good thing for global warming… Continue…

Yes, we all know Miranda Kerr is sexy. But did you know the Aussie is pretty damn flexible too? Kerr graces the cover of June’s GQ in nothing but a bra. Aside from making us wonder if all men’s mags save for Out and Details reads more like something we should be reading in, er, private,  GQ’s Miranda coverage doesn’t stop there. Go inside the issue and the Victoria’s Secret regular is pulling a yoga position in nothing but a bikini. Your move Maxim. Continue…

The Michelle Obama fashion machine chugs on, but one thing of note today. The First Lady opted for a mainstream designer for an all important day. After the first State Dinner fiasco, Mrs. O and the Pres. were out to make a good first impression with Mexican President Felipe Calderón and First Lady Margarita Zavala. Tack on some legal skirmishes over immigration in Arizona and you’ve got yourself a political situation. So you could say smartly, MObama turned to a classic American designer. She donned a Calvin Klein carmine viscose jersey short sleeve dress with a carmine silk nylon coat from the Resort 2010 collection. Did she make the right fashion move?

While we love a flashy “it” bag or two, we’ve noticed a dearth of function these days. So when we were on our latest hunt for a bag that traveled well yet didn’t skimp on the style, we found that our best options were labeled for men. Seeing as how androgyny is now a well-hashed thing, let’s call the bags unisex. After all, good design transcends so many boundaries – notions of sex included. Continue…

There must be something muy caliente going on in Spain. After Elle Espana released some sultry behind-the-scene shots of a recent bikini shoot, Vogue Spain one-upped them by casting penultimate sexy girl Adriana Lima on its latest cover. Shot by Vincent Peters and styled by Barbara Baumel, the fashion isn’t what’s eye-catching here but rather the Brazilian model. It seems the once-famous virgin has come into her own since tying the knot and popping out a kid. We love how Lima comes off frankly adult – a bit Sophia Loren if you will – rather than a pouty nymph teen. Take a look at the shots here. Continue…

Cool yet nice girl designers Sophie Buhai and Lisa Mayock are going the unconventional route. In time for sunnier weather, the duo behind Vena Cava are throwing their first ever garage sale. Along with designer duds, there are some serious tchotkes. Some items of the bizarre (pun intended) include Bad Dates (a 1980’s paperback), a 1970’s coffee mill and nut grinder featuring a graphic design, vintage cream suede YSL safari jacket, a misspelled Vena Cava friendship bracelet, a 1982 Volvo station wagon, Lisa Mayock’s birth certificate (that’s right, stalkers), social security card and self esteem (sold as a set), Vena Cava mixed CD, biker jacket from Contempo, a 1960’s yellow circular phone and other one-of-a-kind oddities. If that list didn’t bring a smile to our face, then surely landing the killer combo of the Contempo jacket plus SS Card + self esteem would do the trick. Continue…

Feeling Rich? Well for those of us that have experienced a certain sort of fashion dehydration – that is, the dearth of unabashedly style-oriented fashion editorials  – take refuge in Rich magazine from Tokyo. Issue 1 (which is actually the second issue, the first was Zero) is titled Music Saves Our Lives. Aside from agreeing wholeheartedly with the saying, we were wowed by the photo shoots inside. At once textural and new, it wasn’t your boring “lets jump in the air and looking fashiony” kind of attempt. Take a look for yourself. Continue…