Isabel Toledo is a cuban fashion designer highly regarded in the designing world. Her name in growing recognition now in the eyes of the general public for the design of Michelle Obama’s inauguration day dress. The elegant designer works very closely with her husband and illustrator Ruben Toledo. The FIT museum in NYC will be welcoming a new exhibit on Isabel Toledo and her work starting June 16th and will remain until September 26th.
Narrowing the gap between designer and contemporary clothing lies Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen’s new line Elizabeth and James. The collection’s inspiration grabs from counter ideologies, casual and dressy, masculine and feminine, updown and downtown. This Friday and Saturday, May 15th and 16th, Elizabeth and James will be holding a sample sale at 72 Wooster in New York City from 11am to 7pm.
In recent years Topshops reinvention has taken the British chain from deeply unfashionable to fashion couture. With upscale lines at affordable prices, the store is all the rage. Stella Vine created a line based on her artwork and Kate Moss, as of 2007, is now a designer for store as well. With locations in over 100 countries, Topshop has finally made it to the United States. In late March 2009 the doors opened on New York City’s Broadway in Soho.
Spring is here which means we can finally pack up our heavy winter coats and trade them in for lighter, more fre-flowing ensembles. Breathe… it somehow seems easier to do with the temperatures warming and our clothes are feeling the same thing.
Spring 2009 runways were filled, naturally, with a lighter color palette but what makes the garments stand out are the fabrics of selection. Aim for sheer and shimmering silks and satins. Mix them up with woven pieces such as a tank or light jacket. Here are a few of my personal favorites straight off the runways.
The Fashion Institute of Technology is a world renown school of high fashion located on seventh avenue at 27th street in Manhattan. In 1967 the institute created a museum “dedicated to advancing knowledge of fashion through exhibits, programs and publications. The MFIT has over 50,000 permanent garments and accessories from the 18th century to the present. Exhibits change periodically and classes, book talks and signings are also offered.
From now through June 16th you can see “Seduction”, a fascinating exhibit on the definition of the word and how it continues to be redefined throughout the centuries. Often carrying a negative connotation, “Seduction” presents the idea that it’s meaning is rather something of charm and of appeal to the senses. Garments and pieces of lingerie are on display dating from the present back to the very early 1900’s.
The Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week is off again with a new season of clothing lines set to inspire what to wear for the Fall of 2009. On February 13th The Academy of Art Institute opened the week stylishly under the Bryant Park tents. Graduates from the School of Fashion displayed their works of art and held there own out there, taking no shadow to the brilliant collections of some of our favorite designers.
Keep your eyes on the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week website for updates on the designer collections as the week progresses.
Here’s a new way to switch up your wardrobe without spending even a penny and it’s all the rage. Grab your girlfriends for a night in and throw a clothes-swap party. All you do is have each person bring the pieces from their wardrobe that they no longer wear and let the economic exchange begin. You never know what you’ll get and besides the fun you’ll be having, there is no time like the present for austerity.
A new year brings new fashion trends. Here are a few of the things you just might catch yourself wearing in 2009, even if you are the type to exclaim, “Oh, I would never wear that.”
Ladies…….
Cork Accessaries- No, we aren’t wearing wine bottle corks on a necklace chain (although we may be on to something) but clutches and shoes with cork detail are all the rage!
Let your pants sag- Instead of wearing your waste line low bring it up and allow your crotch to appear like it hangs at your knees.
Colored mascara- I know, I know it is so 80’s but you just might!
Leotards- No lie, the leotard is back and begging to be warn under those high wasted skirts and pants.
Gentlemen….
High waters- 
Cropped pants are no longer just for the girls or for the boys that clam dig.
Not so buttoned up- It may seem a bit 70’s disco-esque but it’s time to loosen up those buttons, the lower you button the better. Also, you’ll find more mens cotton T-shirts in a much lower cut V-neck. Let the chest hair blow in the wind!
Shoe Patches- Time to brush up on your cross stitch. When your shoes begin to wear this year grab the needle and thread. Patch away! Apparently the economy is in rough shape or something.
Henri Bendel’s boutique opened in 1895 on New York Cities 5th avenue, which at that time was mostly residential to the cities most influential of high society. It was and still remains a place where girls venture to browse for the latest in accessories, beauty products, and (oh, why not?) chocolates.
The historic three story building was petitioned in the early 1990’s by Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis herself to gain landmark status. More than a century later it stands as a forerunner to boutiques all over the city. Step inside from the chaos of NYC’s busy streets and get a glimpse into the world a hundred years ago.
FYI: Henri Bendel is now exclusively selling Lindsay Lohan’s line of leggings called 6121 (it supposedly has something to do with Marilyn Monroe’s birthdate).
New years always brings high expectations and apparently it should be no different for your feet. The 70’s platform and the 80’s stiletto will look like ballet flats compared to the sky scrapers of ‘09. Podalic fashion of the new year is architecturally angular and the fabrics and patterns, transcendent. Maybe art is better worn than hung.
FYI: Four inches is said to be the minimum heel height; It’s time to start practicing the stilt walking, ladies.
