Style Fix

It’s time to check in with the busy fashion designers who are struggling to stay afloat in this economy. Those that aren’t showing in the currently occurring Spring 2010 Menswear Fashion Week are busy elsewhere …

* Karl Lagerfeld shot the fall 2009 Chanel ad campaign at his Vermont home and land, giving the photos a barnyard meets Little House on the Prairie feel. See the leaked pictures at fashionologie.

* Marc Jacobs and his fiancé Lorenzo Martone have pushed their wedding date back to August to work around Jacobs’ busy working schedule.

* Nicole Richie, who is technically a designer because she has her own line of accessories, is expanding to include clothing. After the sell-out success of House of Harlow 1960, Richie will be adding shoes and clothing with “old English, equestrian and more sophisticated looks,” according to New York Magazine.

* Rachel Roy is finally getting her day in the spotlight thanks to Michelle Obama wearing a dress from Roy’s spring 2009 collection at a conference on volunteering and service in San Francisco, as shown here.

* Donatella Versace is flexing her good karma muscles by helping to inspire kids to use their creativity by donating art supplies to Art Unites, a special project of the Whitney Museum of American Art. Versace will also host the museum’s Gala and Studio Party. Find out all the details of Versace’s big heart at WWD.

* Vera Wang has signed on to be a contestant on the ninth season of Dancing With the Stars.

* And Betsey Johnson? Well, she is apparently contemplating retiring, according to an interview with New York Magazine.

With two big name celebrity deaths yesterday, June 25, (Farrah Fawcett and Michael Jackson in case you live under a rock) we also lost two people who made a large impact on fashion during their peak. Farrah and Michael undeniably had two very distinct, iconic personal styles.

When you think of Farrah Fawcett and the 1970s, you can’t help but instantly picture her famous feathered hair. The picture shown here, which was originally printed in Life magazine in 1976, the year Charlie’s Angels debuted, is proof off just how popular Farrah and her look were at the time: It is the best-selling pin-up poster of all time with more than 12 million copies sold. Millions of teens and women got the “Farrah” haircut, making it an pop culture symbol for the decade and even into the next. The hotness of her hair also propelled Farrah to international sex symbol status.

As for Michael Jackson, he was a trendsetter like no other. The red leather jacket, the military-style jacket, the aviator sunglasses, the black fedora, the band member jacket details, and, of course … the glove. Who can forget the single, white glove. Michael continues even today to be an inspiration for fashion designers. In the Balmain spring 2009 collection, a Jackson-like military jacket walked down the runway, and it was snagged by Jackson-emulating celebrities like Beyonce and Rihanna. His songs also continue to show up at runway shows with Thriller and Pretty Young Thing being two popular tunes for the catwalk.

Both Farrah Fawcett and Michael Jackson will be missed, for sure, but I am also sure that they will live on through their trend-setting fashion ways for decades to come.

P.S. And yes, Ed McMahon died this week, too. But he was not so high on the trend-setting scale.

This week, on Tuesday, June 16, the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) held the 2009 CFDA Fashion Awards, hosted by comedian Tracey Ullman.

The winners and honorees of the 2009 CFDA Fashion Awards include:

Womenswear Designer of the Year, presented by Diane Kruger
Kate & Laura Mulleavy for Rodarte

Menswear Designer of the Year (tie), presented by Jimmy Fallon
Scott Sternberg for Band of Outsiders and Italo Zucchelli for Calvin Klein Collection

Accessory Designer of the Year, presented by Kerry Washington
Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez for Proenza Schouler

Swarovski Award for Emerging Talent Womenswear, presented by Blake Lively
Alexander Wang

Swarovski Award for Emerging Talent Menswear, presented by Blake Lively
Tim Hamilton

Swarovski Award for Emerging Talent Accessory Design, presented by Blake Lively
Justin Giunta for Subversive Jewelry

Geoffrey Beene Lifetime Achievement Award, presented by musician Jack White of the White Stripes
Anna Sui

International Award, presented by Antoine Arnault and Robert Duffy
Marc Jacobs for Louis Vuitton

Eugenia Sheppard Award for Fashion Journalism, presented by Patrick McCarthy, Editorial Director of W and WWD
Edward Nardoza, Editor-in-Chief, Women’s Wear Daily

Eleanor Lambert Award, presented by Justin Timberlake
Jim Moore, Creative Director, GQ

Board of Directors’ Special Tribute, presented by CFDA president Diane von Furstenberg for her support and commitment to American designers
First Lady Michelle Obama

The CFDA is a not-for-profit trade association whose membership consists of more than 340 of America’s foremost fashion and accessory designers. There is also the CFDA Foundation, which is a separate not-for-profit organization that raises funds for charity and industry activities.

Veganism is still growing in prevalence in the mainstream news, even in the fashion world!

* New York Magazine’s blog, The Cut, featured Olsen Haus shoes because the brand “Makes Being Vegan Stylish.” The fashionable blogger wrote about the fast-growing, young, vegan-owned design house saying: “when we think of vegan clothes or shoes, we tend to picture shapeless sacks, earthy colors, and Birkenstock-esque footwear. … But Olsen Haus is breaking that fussy image with its chic, leather-free shoes.”

* The New York Post reported that France’s own first lady, Carla Bruni-Sarkozy, reached out to PETA to talk about her semi animal-friendly fashion choices. In a letter to PETA, Carla wrote: “I do not wear, buy, or own fur or animal skin other than leather or skin of animals raised for feeding purposes. I am not a vegetarian and I don’t find it illogical to wear skins of animals whose meat is also eaten. … I would gladly consider giving away sable, fox, and other fur coats - if I owned any.” PETA responded rather maturely and anti-abolitionist, saying that they respected Carla’s forward thinking. They did not bash her for approving of leather, instead they simply sent her a pair off vegan shoes from Stella McCartney.

* Speaking of Stella McCartney … the vegetarian designer has teamed up with Gap to design affordable, sustainable clothing for Gap Kids and Baby Gap. Read all about this new venture over at Vegetarian Star.

* Vaute Couture has been working diligently on a limited-edition collection of four vegan, high-fashion, winter coats and they are finally here! The coats, one of which is shown here, are available for pre-order right now for fall 2009, and Vaute Couture is offering to match your down payment now through June 30. So if you pre-pay $100 today toward your new Vaute Couture winter coat, they will take $100 off your remaining balance.

* Green Day bassist Mike Dirnt teamed up with vegan shoe company Macbeth to create his own vegan rocker sneaker. If you want to see the shoe and read more about it, check out my post about it at VEGdaily.

Okay designers, joke’s over. Bringing back leggins was funny at first. When Ray-Ban and LA Gear made a comeback, it started to be a little less so. The return of Members Only jackets was a bit much. But now you’ve done it, American Apparel. You’ve taken it too far, to a place that should have died when the ’80s ended: the scrunchie.

American Apparel is now shoving on unsuspecting teens “a throwback to every girl’s favorite 80’s accessory.” First, the editor in me has to point out that it’s ’80s not 80’s. But even though we - yes, myself included - absolutely loved accessorizing with wacky colored and printed schunchies, that does not mean that they should be revived … especially when the wound (created when the ’90s made us realize how ugly they really were) is still so fresh.

If you simply must relive this faux pas, and don’t have any scrunchies left in your closet, you can snag some in plain or print cotton, shiny lamé, or neon-colored nylon for a rip-you-off price of $6 per hair band. But wait - if you buy the cotton two pack, available only in solid black and solid white, you can save $2 and pay just $10!

While shopping online, you can also view some odd ’80s scrunchie porn that they call a “slideshow featuring this style,” complete with a nipple slip. The slideshow also shows the many ways that you can wear your new/old look: Stack several on a super high pony tail, line your wrists or ankles with a variety of colors, secure a loose side braid, slick your hair back into a side pony tail, or lay in a pile of them.

Enjoy your ’80s throw back if you must, but know that bloggers everywhere will be mocking you.

Having tan lines is never a fashionable look. Usually, people choose to avoid this by either using sunscreen or, for those who have no fear when it comes to skin cancer, roasting in a tanning bed or in the sun with the bathing suit straps untied. But now there’s another option, reserved only for the extremely skin cancer fearless: the tan through bikini from British company Kiniki.

Not only will these bathing suits - for men and women, but banana hammocks only for men - allow you to get a tan even on your nether bits, but you can even get the full New Jersey housewife look as they come in either tiger or leopard print.

I can see it now on the Jersey Shore … 40-year-old woman, overly tanned and wrinkly, smoking a cigarette, but glamorous because she doesn’t have tan lines.

Memorabilia from the iconic, sex symbol Marilyn Monroe will go up for auction later this month in Julien’s live online Summer Sale taking place Friday, June 26, and Saturday, June 27. The collection includes over 700 unique items from several different legendary Hollywood celebrities and productions, and about 150 of these items are from the personal and professional life of Marilyn Monroe.

Some of the Monroe items up for auction include vintage photographs, the umbrella shown in this picture, belts, her “Some Like It Hot” script, a rhinestone costume, a skirt, and more. View the complete Summer Sale collection online at Julien’s Live now.

Other featured stars include Errol Flynn, Henry Houdini, Greta Garbo, Mickey Rooney, Joan Crawford, a number of silent stars, Ronald Reagan, the Marx Brothers, Elvis Presley’s doctor, Clark Gable, and Jean Harlow.

We are no longer in the middle of red carpet award season - unless you are excited for the quirky mix of styles that will be gracing the MTV Music Awards tonight, Sunday May 31, at 9 p.m. But that doesn’t mean the awards have stopped rolling in, they’re just smaller recognitions.

The FiFi Awards, considered the Oscars of the fragrance industry, recognized one male and one female scent as “Fragrance of the Year” this weekend at the 37th Annual Fragrance Foundation awards ceremony. Victoria’s Secret NOIR Eau de Parfum received the top odor honor for females, while Sean John’s I Am King did so for males.
Mark Jacobs, Queen Latifah, Ernest Borgnine, Dustin Hoffman, and Paris Hilton all attended the banquet held in New York City.

NOIR is a new “playfully provocative, yet elegant” scent launched by Victoria’s Secret in January 2009. The fragrance is a blend of sparkling nectarine, sultry amber, and exotic orchid. I Am King Sean John’s second fragrance for men and combines sensual fruits and warm skin nuances. P. Diddy previously received this honor in 2007 for Unforgivable, his first fragrance.

Also happening this month, Allure magazine announced the winning beauty products in the 2009 edition of the annual Readers’ Choice Awards. More than 2,000 products were entered in numerous categories including lipstick, eye liner, facial cleanser, and more, but only 53 products were selected for recognition in Allure.

To celebrate, Allure is giving away winning products for free every day in June, with 10,200 products being given away total. Visit allure.com/freestuff every day in June to enter the contest. To have a daily reminder sent to your cell phone, text “FREESTUFF” to ALLURE (255873).

Over on the fashion blog My Fashion Life blogger Anna Winston created her dream guest list if she could have dinner with any five fashion icons, living or dead. She chose Coco Chanel as her top choice, followed by Katherine Hepburn, photographer Cecil Beaton, Marie Antoinette, Vivienne Westwood, and Debbie Harry. I won’t heckle Anna for her counting skills, but I will jump on her bandwagon and create my guest list for a dream fashion icon dinner party. Assuming Coco Chanel is a given and a freebie, here are my five “other than Coco” guests:

1. Kate Moss. I don’t understand my obsession with Kate; I think it started because she was one of the top models in magazines when I first started getting interested in fashion back in the ’90s.

2. Diane von Furstenberg. Browse this blog for a few seconds and you’ll know that I love her. I love her designs, but I also love her story and would love to hear it first hand from her. I see her as a strong business woman that didn’t sacrifice her self in order to get ahead. She deserves every success she has in life.

3. Gwen Stefani. Her style is not only over the top unique, it is also stylish - a hard combination to pull off. I would steal her away from the dinner table for a few minutes to help me put together an funky outfit.

4. Heidi Klum. More for her personality then her style, but Heidi would definitely top my list for a party.

5. Bill Blass. I love his designs, but again, as with Diane, I am a sucker for stories of overcoming hard times. A young Bill first found his artistic outlet when his father committed suicide. Plus, we’ll need some testosterone to even out all the females!

Runners up include Jackie O, Cindy Crawford, Stella McCartney, Niki Taylor, Marie Antoinette, Betsey Johnson, Twiggy, and Audrey Hepburn. Who would you invite to your party?

Have you been following the latest Tyra Banks drama? Let me break it down for you …

1. America’s Next Top Model judge and former supermodel Paulina Porizkova announced that she was fired from the show while visiting the Late Late Show on May 12. She said that the producers told her that “Top Model has gotten too fat, and they needed to cut some fat.” She was also told that her “gigantic, huge ego” played into the decision.

2. Tyra is silent.

3. Two days later, on May 14, Paulina told Access Hollywood more dirt about working with and for Tyra: “I must admit I was having a little bit of an issue with Tyra being late for every judging,” she told Billy Bush. “It’s six hours later and I feel like I am being told my time is not as valuable as hers. They pointed out that I should shut up and be grateful for the job and that Tyra is really busy.”

4. Tyra is still silent.

5. Finally, on May 18, Tyra and company release an official statement about Paulina’s firing: “The current state of the economy has forced shows to make major budget cuts industry wide. America’s Next Top Model is not immune to these financially challenging times. We’ve had to make significant cuts in every area of the production and, unfortunately, Paulina was a casualty of these cuts.” The statement went on to claim that Tyra “was incredibly saddened by the decision the show was forced to make.”

What will we see next … Paulina’s rebuttal? A new ex-supermodel judge for ANTM? At the least I am sure that we can expect more catty stabs back and forth.

For one day only this weekend - Saturday, May 23 - Old Navy’s ubiquitous, bright colored flip flops for adults and kids are on sale for just $1 per pair! I already have about ten different colors from previous summers, but this sale means that I can replace my black and my white ones that have holes worn in the heels and still afford to grab some new colors, too!

The ladies of fashion reality shows are making the news for all different reasons lately.

Paulina Porizkova, the former supermodel who replaced Twiggy, who replaced Janice Dickinson, as a judge on America’s Next Top Model, has been fired. “The reason I was told I was fired was because it seemed that America’s Next Top Model has gotten too fat and they needed to cut some fat,” Porizkova told Craig Ferguson during her guest appearance on the Late Late Show, “and the fat was me.” Read the full story at NYMag’s fashion blog The Cut.

Heidi Klum’s job, on the other hand, is getting ready to start up again on a new network. Season 6 of Project Runway will begin airing on Lifetime on Thursday, August 20, at 10 p.m. Eastern. Klum also made news when she renewed her wedding vows with husband Seal at a white trash-themed ceremony shown here, complete with cornrows for her, a mullet and American flag jacket for him, and an Elvis officiating it all.

As if the revival of leg warmers weren’t enough …

If only it had stopped with the leggins …

If only top designers like Vivienne Westwood hadn’t jumped on the jelly bandwagon …

If only we let our fashion mistakes of the ’80s rest in peace …

If only … then we wouldn’t be forced to weed through torn, bleached, tapered, and skin tight jeans. But, alas, we are reliving fashion dos - and don’ts! - of two decades back.

Much like the relaunching of LA Gear and Ray-Ban, another infamous clothing brand from the 1980s is returning: Members Only jackets and clothing are back. Why - I can’t really comprehend. But should you feel nostalgic for your stand-up collar and shoulder straps, well, now you can have it all again because “when you put it on, something happens.”

Tap into your inner hippie without sacrificing your inner fashionista with Sir Alistair Rai’s collection of tees, scarves, dresses, and more inspired by “Mohandas K. Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr., Hindu deities, and timeless messages of peace and passive resistance.” In the line, designer Kiran Rai’s Indian heritage is merged with his love for fashion, rock and roll, and classic messages of wisdom and peace.

Drew Barrymore started the Rai craze when she grabbed a few of his scarves - which each come with its own personal message of love, peace, hope, karma, and kismet - and raved about them. Now Rihanna, Angelina Jolie, Julia Roberts, and Halle Berry are all fans of Sir Alistair Rai (a.k.a. “Sir A”), as are Kristen Bell who is shown here wearing Rai’s Gandhi v-neck tee shirt in New York City recently, and Jessica Alba who is shown here wearing the hand-painted white Karma scarf. The Karma scarf/wrap seems to be a popular one; Nicole Ritchie and Lindsay Lohan also own it. The scarf retails for $150 - a steal considering that it is hand painted, embroidered, and features beaded fringe. The Gandhi tee is on sale right now for $63.

The scarves are easily Rai’s best designs, an easy way to a add a small pop of color and positive attitude. If you’re feeling a bit more dramatic and daring, try on one of his head-to-toe looks, such as the dress shown here: the Goa Asymmetrical Caftan, $370.

You can find the peace-and-love collection at Nordstroms, Intermix, Henri Bendels, Selfridges, Harvey Nichols, and over 500 specialty stores world wide, or online at www.siralistairrai.com.