MODELICIOUS(These up and coming models are hot and so are their careers)

Models, everybody wants to be one, only a few get to successfully obtain the title. Models are known for being fabulous fashion hangers, having great bodies and getting even better paychecks. It's easy to see why everybody wants to be a model, look sexy for a designer and possibly become a millionaire before the age of 25. These up and coming models are young, hot and have all ready made a name for themselves within the fashion industry, and most importantly they're getting paid!

Agyness Deyn


The 26 year old blonde haired Brit from Manchester, England is ubiquitous open any fashion magazine, watch any fashion show and you're almost guarenteed to see Agyness Deyn strutting her stuff at Burberry Prorsum, Anna Sui, along with numerous ad campaigns such as Mulberry, Giorgio Armani, Gianfranco Ferre, Paul Smith, and the list seems to be almost endless. With such an impressive resume it doesn't look like a bad economy is going to stop her any time soon.

Chanel Iman

With a strong name and a soft face. Chanel Iman born Chanel Iman Robinson is a Georgia native with mixed African American and Korean heritage, giving a look that one could describe as eccentric. She makes heads turn at just 5'9 and 110 pounds. Her sleek physique, her fierce name and her young age, 19, make her one of fashions most sought after models.

AJ Abualrub

If you've been reading your Vogue recently or whatever fashion periodical you fancy you'd notice this stunning male model posing for the Calvin Klein Collection advertisements. A Ford model, and former American wrestler, AJ posseses the athletic physique that have all of us drooling over him.

Mathias Lauridsen

One of New York Model Managements finest specimens, respectively. Mathias has the piercing blue eyes that make him a sensation, he has successfully mastered editorial, runway and campaigns. He has modeled for Gucci, Givenchy, Hugo Boss, ..... etc. He puts veterans like Gabriel Aubry to shame, sorry Halle.

AU-REVOIR (PARIS FASHION WEEK)

Paris fashion week is beginning now to wind down, as fashion week comes to an unfortunate close. The city of romance really had shows worth waiting for, Karl Lagerfeld, showed twice once from his self titled line, which had a surrealist,coutore like quality to it and then again for Chanel, showcasing a collection that would’ve made Mrs. Coco herself give the master of design a standing ovation. He of course included his blacks and whites but added some color, pinks and greens galore. It was effortlessly timeless, in that it had no heir of trend, but truly great style, the quality that Chanel is known for.

(VIEW THE COLLECTION)

Stella McCartney surprised and delighted with her leather pants, glimmering silver sequin dresses, grey business suits, and a glamorous ruffled fur esque jacket, so large that any woman wearing one will not only feel like a glamazon but will catch the attention of every man and woman on the way to work or to an event.

(VIEW THE COLLECTION)

Alexander McQueen recycled old hits and made them well strange, collagen filled lips, grandiose hats and outfits one would never wear outside of a circus were displayed. When a reporter commented that Mr. McQueen was symbolizing the end, Linda Fargo a Bergdorf Goodman representative added, " I'd like to go out looking like that." Well, I wouldn't, would you? Then of course there was Loewe the 100+ year old fashion house whose new designer Stuart Vevers made fashion seem exciting again. It seemed as if he had an obsession with leather. His runway show was very intimate and unconvential instead of a large bourgois catwalk models walked through aisles of spectators who were enjoying a little cafe and a snack as they watched in awe at the beauty coming before them.

(VIEW THE COLLECTION)

All in all, Paris fashion week was really as always everything it is known for, sophistication, glamour and romance. With Paris fashion week putting an end to fashion month all together, we've learned a lot about the future of fashion. 1) It's not as grim as we may think, 2) Designers are all about the 80's, sticking to their roots or completely revamping their image 3) leather is the new fur and 4) minialism can be just as sexy as and chic as excess. One thing is for certain the fashion honeymoon is over, people will start to think more wisely about what they wear, it's practicality and if they're willing to make the investment.

STRENGTH,SEX AND BEAUTY ON A BUDGET (MILAN FASHION WEEK)

Milan fashion week threw away the dull blacks and grays and let in some color, some glamour and some edge. It was all about going back to roots, houses were re-evaluating their individual style and their stamp on the fashion industry. Instead of the usual 80's references that most designers decided would be the focus of their Fall 2009 collections, many Milanese designers decided to step outside of the box. Pucci was on a roll with a refreshing line and a new head designer. The Pucci show was held this year in the Pallazo Veneza.

(VIEW THE COLLECTION)

Dolce&Gabbana's theme this season was surrealism. They had hats made of black gloves, and necklaces made of watches, insuating time is ticking.


(VIEW THE COLLECTION)



However, at one point in the week, things became a little too real for the Roberto Cavalli house when news surfaced that Just Cavalli the houses younger line was bankrupt. Apparently, the designer held a teary eyed press conference discussing the logistics of it. Despite this, the house showcased the line anyway, and the mother brand's focal point was based on strength.
(VIEW THE COLLECTION)

Something both women and men need to be strong in these hard times, especially those within the fashion industry who are experiencing an enormous loss of luxury customers, in their department stores and boutiques. All in all Milan fashion week was a beacon of hope that the industry will someday soon return to its glory days, and the young eyed girl will no longer have to look into the store window looking at the Marni dress she simply can no longer afford.

SHORT AND SWEET (LONDON FASHION WEEK)

Much to the opposite effect of New York fashion week which concluded last Friday after an excitement of upbeat fashion shows and after parties filled with celebs, fashionistas, socialites, and people within the fashion industry, with such chic people as Rachel Zoe, a stylist to the stars, showing that the recession hasn't stopped her a bit. London seemed to be quite cold. Everything seemed to be very straight forward, business, very little time for error. While I scanned my sources for men's fashion videos of the week I had no such luck. Instead I discovered punk is very much alive in the London girl. One could picture a wardrobe seemingly filled with Rock &Republic denim and tops from Topshop . It's easy to imagine rock bands like the Beatles coming from this iconic city. At Luella the British designer stuck to her roots, cropped dyed hair, black tops with gold embellishments, were everywhere it was almost as if her girls were playing dress up in men's clothes, with a feminine twist, and at every corner there seemed to be rapper and R&B singer, self-proclaimed artist of his generation, Kanye West. When interviewed about his ubiquitous apperance at London fashion week he replied, " I cleared out my whole schedule for this." This coming from the man who in Details magazine had said earlier that he planned on retiring from the music industry to become a fashion designer. A feat as old as time amongst celebrities and socialites. Will his collection be any good? We'll have to wait and see for ourselves.


(VIEW THE COLLECTION)
At Danielle Scutt due to the bad economy the designer was forced to shorten her collection and thus her pieces were ultra luxurious and eye catching. Hoping this will appeal to the luxury consumer, she created each piece with precision, and metophorically warmed up London fashion week.

RECESSION PROOF RUNWAYS? (NEW YORK FASHION WEEK)

It's that time of year again, the fashion industry's glitterati are in New York this week, for the semi-annual fashion week at Bryant Park. I think we're all looking forward to the future as scary as it may or may not turn out to be. Fortunately, Fall 2009 is uber edgy and luxurious this year as an andidote to the fear that has gripped many of us. Designers are making a statement with their greys and blacks and whites, and ocassional brights,(although many designers are using hard colors this season) by saying even misery can be glamorous. Sarah Jessica Parker who was spotted at Alexander Wang's show really captured the feelings of the moment by saying " I think this is a scary time for many young designers and I think he's [Alexander Wang] carved out a nice place for himself." Mr. Wang however is very optimistic about the future and has been well recieved by many fashionistas and people within the industry. He's even ambitious enough to create a men's collection which is said to debut in Spring 2010, we can only hope we won't be eating out of trashcans by then. Fortunately, for him I believe that as an American moderately priced designer he'll survive the downturn with grace, but will other young designers be so lucky?

Hear what Micheal Kors has to say about American fashion in times of recession:

(link to video)

WOMEN FALL 2009/10

Women's fashion this season was anything but predictable, Rodarte used silvers and metals to get across a feeling of "a future explosion" expressed by American actor, Elijah Wood. Although the pieces were sexy and beautiful to look at, I'm not sure if they were at all wearable and socially conscious of the time America's in at the moment. However, two women's collections really stood out for me, Donna Karan, who clearly understood the concept of what luxury wear should be, using traditional solid colored browns, blacks, and grays, and adding fur cuffs to compliment the beautifully draped dresses striding down the runway. The other designer that literally made me hold my breath was Carolina Herrera using flowers, copper,lapis and plum that literally shimmered down the runways of Bryant Park. Mrs. Herrera did not play it safe this season and instead decided to take a risk and the outcome was pure brilliance.

(VIEW THE COLLECTION)

MEN FALL 2009/10

Men's fashion this season was not so appealing, once again, redundant suits in blacks and greys were ubiquitous. Rag&Bone who have never really been a favorite design house of mine were once again dissapointing. They mixed black suits with samuari inspired pants. Ick! Although Calvin Klein was on point as usual, using shiny materials, prefectly geometrical tailoring to breathe life into men's fashion.

(VIEW THE COLLECTION)

FOREVER THINE; FOREVER MINE

With Valentines Day literally around the corner. 2 days and counting. Hopefully, you haven't been stressing out about what gift to give to your lady friend, or signficant other this year. Well no worries here, what's better than a pair of Jimmy Choo's or sexy Victoria's Secret lingerie? Discovering a new designer. I introduce to you the Mary Kate Olsen, Kate Moss, downtown girl inspired look, with a hint of Upper East Side snob, Elizabeth and James have arrived, with a spring collection that will knock her socks off, and maybe even her top too, one can be so lucky.

Elizabeth and James IV Blazer $395 at eluxury.com

And boys, I didn't forget about you, give him the gift of fragrance from Prada. Or some chic Paul Smith cufflinks, at eluxury.com, the premiere online department store. Or if you're not doing gifts this year then just give him the gift of company what can be more fulfilling than that?

PATRONS AND THE FASHIONS THEY INSPIRE

It's no doubt that the fashion industry is a melting pot of all types of people from all walks of life. Fashion editors, buyers, designers, models, and of course society men and women. Society women are as vital to the fashion industry as a 30 x 30 waist is to the perfect pair of Italian jeans. They are the backbone of the industry the oil of the industry when the tank is low, and is it not on low? They're able to appreciate and support designers who have a dream but lack adequate funds. They truly are superwomen. Now, not all society women are patrons of the arts or have style, but there are many who do. And that's what this post is attempting to honor. The women who have inspired many and have let us in to their gated lives and communities. Women like Georgiana The Duchess of Devonshire pictured above is a great example. She stood for female beauty and elegance and she certaintly had a way with fashion. So let's be thankful for the people who believed in us even when we didn't believe in ourselves.

9 PICK ME UPS FOR 2009

I think everyone can agree that 2008 was a year of Surprises, between the untimely death of legendary French designer Yves Saint Laurent the first designer to use all black models in his runways shows the likes of Naomi Campbell. No can forget the closing of fashion house Bill Blass or the collapse of the financial system decades in the making. 2009 is all about optimism, from bright rainbow colored dresses and daring jumpsuits, transparent tops, and wrinkles on textiles that one could percieve as sloppy,(Prada)for spring to the inspirationational flapper 20's. A celebration of all that was, before financial advisors became just as vital as heart surgeons, and 70% off sales became the norm. 2009 is the time for optimism and change, and change, yes we can! In honor of our new year I've composed a list of 9 essential fashion related things to look forward to in our new year:

1. Gucci's Men's Spring/ Summer Collection

2. Confessions Of A Shopaholic

3. Isaac Mizrahi for Liz Claiborne

4. Thakoon for less at Target

5. A Second Season of The City

6. Deep Discounts on everything we love

7. What Michele Obama will wear next

8. Dolce & Gabanna's cosmetic line

9. Amy Winehouse's new CD

FASHION STIMULUS

Just two days ago, on the night that changed history forever, when a Black man was sworn in front of millions in Washington D.C. as the new president of the United States. There was much jubulance and celebration, there were tears and smiles, but none that made the fashion world grin more than seeing our first lady walk out onto stage in a strapples Jason Wu dress, with her two adorable children Sasha and Malik wearing custom made J.Crew jackets.

Michelle Obama's undying loyalty to American fashion has inspired many bright eyed up and coming designers to dream that one day see they too will see their masterpiece on such influentual people. It's a proven fact that after the turbulent week that the economy had last week not excluding the fashion industry, which announced Saks was cutting 1,100 jobs including corporate ones, that fashion is suffering just like everybody else. Fortunately, we have spring and summer to look forward to for a little pick me up, from the doom and gloom of uncertainty, with new designers like Jason Wu and Alexander Wang who is making his first Spring/Summer collection. Hopefully, luck will be a lady to them, we can only hope so.

GLAMOUR... WHY NOW?

As the nation faces one of the worst financial crises of its time in light of the 1930's Great Depression, people begin to lose faith in their government and themselves, in spite of living under a dark cloud for the rest of eternity, people have forgotten what matters most, glamour. Don't get this confused with matters of finance and financial stability, because truth is ANYBODY, can be glamorous! Whether one lives in a shack or a mansion, whether one cleans toilets for a living or manages hedge funds, glamour is not exclusive to any one particular group of people. To obtain glamour one must have a natural charm, a way of entering a room to make everyone feel special. One with glamour has a natural way with words as they do with style. Style is not trend, nor is it exclusively Dolce & Gabanna.


It is the ability to recognize, and appreciate beauty. Beauty in all things: life, love, happiness, and even remorse. Glamour is being able to wear what makes you feel most content and happy without fear of judgment or what others may say. NEVER dressing for anyone, but yourself. Glamour is more than just being dripped in diamonds, it's an awareness of the world around you and how positively or negatively it impacts you. Don't buy a dress solely because its Bottega Veneta, don't buy a scarf because it's Hermes. Buy it because it's art, and it fills you with joy. Look past the label and appreciate it for the love and care that went into making the garment. And always trust your gut if you know something is not right, don't follow the crowd, have the courage to be your own trendsetter, no matter what the occssian. Also, look back to the great innovators of style, such as Jackie Kennedy, Coco Chanel, Elizabeth Taylor, Aubrey Hepburn and Diahann Carrol and appreciate their grace and elegance. Even in matters of despair there can be glamour, and there's no shame in that.

THE HUNT. . .

Where has the joy of shopping gone? People are so worried about losing their jobs, that they're forgetting their favorite American pastime, SHOPPING! Stress at work... go shopping... wife giving you a hard time take it out at Barneys. Since the recession/depression has deepened, people's pockets have gotten much lighter. And what happened to luxury wear being the staple of status and privledge that it used to be? Now, everything's "Buy now, pay no interest for 12 months!"... Saks... Not that's there's anything wrong with a sale here and there, but 70% off that's absurd! On the other hand, it does save you money. On my second trip, this time to the suburb of Bridgewater, Massachusetts to visit my cousins, we took a detour for a little R&R shopping, because God knows after NJ I needed one. I was well prepared to spend a moderate, $100 or $120 on a new sweater or mock turteneck I eyed at Club Monaco, a hip,young, high end boutique geared toward customers in their late teens, and early 20's with a little extra money to burn. However, through lack of communication we ended up in Wrentham. Wrentham Premium Outlets, have every major label, Bebe, Guess, Ralph Lauren, Hugo Boss, DKNY.... you name it, they even have a Barney's New York and a Saks OFF 5TH department store. Fret not, apparently they also were having an after Christmas sale, that we were unaware of. In this case my mental shopping brain waves changed direction, screw the turtleneck I needed a new pair of white jeans! I waltzed into Hugo Boss and bought myself a pair, that fit me just right, and hugged every crevice of my slender body, then I swung over to Barneys New York, and picked up one of their thermal tees with a silver skull on it, with the stores logo on the front. In the end, I ended up saving $50 + bucks! I was flabbergasted! that was one of the few times that I had ever actually had money left over after a shopping trip. Moral of the story, don't knock it till you try it! Although, it's not chic to go outlet shopping every time, it is advisable to do so every once a while. Plus side, everything you need's only a foot or so away from you, and I can guarentee you'll get everything you wanted!

BOOKS I RECOMMEND:

I kind of stumbled across this book.

It's a relatively contemporary memoir

of the former editor-at-large of American

Vogue, Andre Leon Talley. He recalls his

humble beginnings in North Carolina

raised by his grandmother which he writes

about for the first five five chapters of the book.

He takes us on a journey with him from the South,

to Paris and eventually to New York to his current

role in life. The descriptions are rich, and the

language is pompous but but in an elegant way.

I love this book, as many of you know it is seldom

told the story of the African American in matters

of high fashion and high society. Enjoy!

FASHION AND A MOVIE

Happy New Years to All!!!

I just finished watching the New Years Eve ball drop in Times Square, wishing I could be there, standing next to Kathy Griffin who was wearing a very chic black fur collared and sleeved jacket, that any woman would be crazy not to grab off her shoulders.
Anywho, all this week after I left my aunts house in New Jersey, and nearly ended up walking back to Amherst, Massachusetts after a grand fall out between her, my mother and myself, I was thinking of what I would write about next week, because it is rather selfish to always talk about myself every week, although I tend to do it a lot, feel free to skip all these paragraphs to "get to the good stuff" if you like. I stumbled across a documentary that peeked my interest, or rather my mother did at Blockbuster and she ordered it for me. She compared it to the 1995 docu-tell-all about the exciting world of legendary fashion designer Isaac Mizrahi, in "Unzipped". A film which I recommend to any fashion loving sport.

However, this documentary was entitled " Seamless", and was pretty contemporary made only three years ago in 2005. It was about the birth of the CFDA/Vogue American Fashion Designer Fund, a fund started by none other than editor- in-chief and famous media vixen Anna Wintour. Who rarely makes television appearances or for that matter movie ones. She started this fund to award a talented, young, up and coming American fashion designer with 250,000 dollars and a year of mentoring by a seasoned veteran in the industry. The film follows the story of 3 of the ten fashion finalists in the first year that this fund began which was in 2004. For the real fashion know it alls you should know who is crowned the winner. It was between Lazaro Hernandez and partner Jack McCollough of the hip, young, femme fatal women's apparel line known as Proenza Schouler, the driven New Jersey based designer who was literally designing her clothes in the basement of her parents laundry mat before she was discovered, Doo.Ri, and the Russian romantic who was dealing with being seperated from his wife literally by an ocean, Alexandre Plokhov founder of Cloak, a company which has somehow seemed to vanish into fashion obsecurity. For those of you who are a little behind on your fashion reading I won't spoil the surprise of the winner, and for those who all ready know the answer it's still a movie I recommend anyone see, with commentary by Tom Ford, and other fashion mavens you'd be ludicrous to miss it.
Another media insider I recommend my subscribers entertain is not a documentary but a reality TV show that I think really exposes the true bones and heart of the fashion industry especially in New York City, where one can see fashion literally eating lunch beside you at a trendy Soho eatery or on the subway
to work.



The City, is sort of an MTV spin off of the teenage cult following The Hills, an L.A. based reality show focusing on the California social scene and on high fashion, with the City's protagonist as one of the girls besties, who now has been given her own show, about life in the big city with a sucessful career in fashion working for Diane Von Furstenberg. It's a revamped, younger, and purer version of Sex and the City, because let's face it although we do love the girls, they're a little developed in years to be wearing strappy Manolo Blanhik heels down Fifth Avenue past a certain age and wearing dresses that leave little to the imagination. The City has everything you need in a good reality TV show, drama, fashion and intrigue. Intrigue into a world that most may never know or may be too intimidated to experience for themselves. A world where a trip to Bergdorf Goodman is as common as stopping by Starbucks for your daily coffee and donut every morning. It's well worth the watch. Catch it every Monday at 10.
Ciao for now have a happy and blessed holiday season