Style Fix

Earlier this month, N.E.R.D. front man Pharrell Williams made an appearance at the Serpentine Gallery summer party in London wearing knee-high boots over his pants. What do you think about this look? Share your thoughts through the poll below! Note: If you are reading this in email or a reader, you will need visit the actual site to see the poll.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Coco Chanel’s well-known statement about taking off one accessory before leaving the house is one of my favorite famous quotes. What are fashion folk saying today? Nothing quite as memorable as Chanel’s thoughts, but interesting and entertaining nonetheless …

“I’d rather young girls were looking at a normal body like mine rather than an anorexic model.” - Peaches Geldof on her new gig as a lingerie model for Michelle Mone, as shown here. (Read more about Peaches six-figure deal.)

“Kate gave me loads of advice, there were lots of things I didn’t know about, all the industry stuff like order times and things like that. But she told me just get involved with everything and really push my ideas.” - Beth Ditto, singer for the Gossip, about Kate Moss giving her advice about starting up a clothing line. (Read more Beth and her mentor.)

“The key to this administration’s appeal is, I think, that it’s so energetic and positive, and (yes, one of my favourite words) glamorous! The first lady looked beautiful. It was so great to see a President’s wife in a hot pink dress, a jewelled necklace with a pink flower and purple eye shadow. Great hair, great make-up — this is what we want to see: confidence.” - Donatella Versace in her debut blog post after this weekend’s White House Correspondents’ Dinner. (Read more about her blog.)

“I will be able to spend more time painting and sculpting as I am planning a one man show at a prestigious gallery in the west end in the autumn.” - Fashion designer and Project Catwalk mentor Ben de Lisi on the closing of his Elizabeth Street store and womenswear line. (Read more about De Lisi’s future plans.)

Ginnifer Goodwin, star of HBO’s Big Love and the movie He’s Just Not That Into You, will grace the cover of the June issue of W magazine, which will include a rather racy photo fashion spread featuring the actress.

As Goodwin is an outspoken vegan, W editors put together their third vegan fashion installment online with an exclusive interview with Ginnifer during the photo shoot. In the beginning of April, W published their first ever article with an animal slant when their online version featured “The Best Vegan-friendly Accessories.” A couple weeks later, editor Dana Wood wrote “Trials of a Fashion-Loving Vegan!” And now you can read up on what convinced cover girl Ginnifer to become vegan in the editors’ blog post “She’s just not that into meat: Ginnifer Goodwin on going vegan.”

There was an article in the Metro, a free daily newspaper, today about actors in Hollywood during this recession. A small-time actor was whining about having to take another job when formerly he could get by on acting gigs alone. It talked about top-level actors taking more commercials, too. So, who is catching extra work in the fashion biz?

Justin Timberlake’s woman Jessica Biel is out fetching him some extra moolah (not that he needs it - he just reportedly dropped nearly $100,000 on a diamond-encrusted Chanel watch and a pair of diamond Montblanc earrings for Jess) by joining Jennifer Connelly, Jessica Alba and Halle Berry as a spokesmodel for Revlon cosmetics. Her face will debut in the makeup company’s spring 2010 campaign.

It’s nothing new, but one of the Becks is posing in underwear for an Emporio Armani ad yet again. The newest display was of wifey Victoria Beckham donning sleek lingerie and an I Dream of Jeannie inspired hairdo for the Autumn/Winter 2009/10 season, shown here. The photo was revealed today, May 6, when a 20-foot picture was uncovered in front of Macy*s Herald Square. Now that we have our Posh fix, we move on to awaiting the unveiling of hubby David’s newest near naked Armani ad.

Fasion designer Anna Sui is following in the footsteps of Alexander McQueen and designing an affordable clothing line for Target as a part of the store’s Designer Collaboration series. Sui is taking her inspiration directly from the wardrobe of Gossip Girl for her collection that will appear in a select 250 stores nationwide on September 13.

I didn’t have HBO when Sex and the City was popular. When it was edited down for TBS, I watched the occasional episode. But really, I was never a big fan. So when the SATC movie came out around this time last year (the movie hit theaters May 30, 2008) I was not swept away with Carrie fever like the rest of the fashion-loving world was. The movie did intrigue me, but nobody could tell me whether or not I would enjoy and understand the plot having barely ever seen the TV show.

Now that I have HBO, and now that the station is airing the SATC movie, I decided to tune in … and I liked it! A lot! In fact, I even cried when Carrie called “Big” from the library and found out he was no longer there. There were moments every once in awhile when I didn’t know something right away - for a bit I was confused as to whether Charlotte adopted or if we were supposed ignore the hint of Asian in her daughter. But still, it was an enjoyable film full of great fashion.

And since we’re on the Sarah Jessica Parker topic: Matthew Broderick and wife SJP are expecting twins. Doing it the way I imagine Carrie would, Parker has a surrogate mother giving birth to her babies for her. No official confirmation yet whether Matt and Sarah are genetic donors or if the surrogate is their biological mother. The twins are expected to join their 6-year-old brother, James Wilkie Broderick, this summer.

P.S. What is up with Matthew’s hair, shown here at this week’s Tribeca Film Festival?

Drew Barrymore has been seen all around town promoting Grey Gardens, her new HBO film costarring Jessica Lange. The movie is a remake of the story of Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis’s aunt and cousin that lived together in squalor and almost total isolation. Drew’s over-the-top outfits have been telling a different story, one that I can’t quite figure out.

Barrymore has been seen in dozens of outfits this past week and weekend. All have been glamorous. All have been eccentric. But some have been better than others.

It all started with the best of them all at the New York premiere of the HBO film. Neutral tones work for Drew, especially when she punches her lip color up with a deep red. But don’t get too hopeful - it was downhill from here …

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On Wednesday, April 15, Drew got all decked out in anything but your average little black dress for her appearance on the Late Show with David Letterman in New York City. Slicking her hair back with such large, um, sleeves? was an excellent choice.

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It was all about big hair and big jewelry at the Los Angeles premiere of Grey Gardens on Thursday, April 16.

At the “Inside Grey Gardens” panel discussion on Friday, April 17, in Hollywood, California, she rocked a draped sea foam dress with one full-length sleeve and one shoulder bare. As for her shoes? Could work with the right outfit, but this dress was their perfect match. Don’t miss her mini head piece.

No comment on her outfit from Saturday, April 18, at day 2 of the Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival.