You know how it is. You finger through pages upon pages of a fashion magazine and 95% of them are advertisements - at least in the September issues. They're fantastic and amusing when your state of mind is passive, though not so much when you're digging for an actual article to read.

However, my situation was the former. My mind was less of a solid cogitative machine and more like milllions of gigamolecules participating in an endless game of Pong with the walls of my skull. Thrown in with that was the fact that I won't be wearing my newly purchased Yves Saint Laurent glasses for a week or two since they're currently in the process of having prescription lens installed into it. So within the drive from Pomeroy to Athens, I had to somehow occupy myself for the next 20 minutes in order to get away from this awful tattoo debate on NPR. The option of completing Precision Language homework during a car ride almost had me going bonkers, so I got out my copy of Harper's Bazaar's fall fashion issue.

About 100 pages into the magazine, I did a double take because someone familiar caught my eyes. After careful evaluation of this mysterious visage, I immediately figured out who this model gracing the pages of, Italy's own , Diesel ad campaign was: it was my high school friend Amy Hixson!!!

I remember going into discussions with some of my friends from high school and some conversations would eventually lead into someone saying, "Oh! I saw Amy in some ad in [insert major magazine here]!" Until now, I've ardently observe the content of these "fashion bibles" from cover to cover and have not been able to find her at all. A possible fault for that could be that I don't really focus on the models, but more so the actual fashion - clothes, bags, accessories, etc. Or maybe she was there all along and the joke's on me. Who knows.

Anyways, here she was staring into the mirror with a look of vengeance while decking out in Diesel wear. That ad was pulsing with attitude! To make sure I wasn't really wrong, I hopped on a wagon to cyberspace to clarify my sources. According to her modeling agency Vision's blog, she booked the new Diesel campaign back in May with John Scarisbrick. She also did a spread in C Magazine.

I messaged her via Facebook not to long ago about her possible presence at New York Fashion Week because I didn't want to be a lone rider walking around Bryant Park in a haphazard manner. She informed me that she'd be very busy. It seems the future looks bright for Miss Hixson, from sneaking in a slice of pizza from her former job at Goodfella's to owning the runways worldwide. Next thing I know, she'll be appearing on the big screens in front of my eyes. You go girl!

Turns out Posh will not be having a catwalk show but will apparently be inviting lucky editors and designers to view her new high-price range of dresses during fashion week, probably in some hotel room. Seeing as her dVb denim range didn’t exactly set the fashion world alight, I don’t hold out much hope for this ‘collection.’

Posh wants so, so, so badly to be accepted the fashion-pack – and they know it. They can smell desperation a mile off and she just reeks of it. Just look at how Marc Jacobs made a complete fool of her in the ads she did for him. He knew it, we knew it, Posh didn’t know it.

My main issue with Posh is the fact that she has absolutely no personal style, she simply looks at what appears on the catwalks and wears it. Yes, she is skinny - but her boobs are too big, skin too orange and face too expressionless to look good in haute couture. Half the time she literally looks like a dodgy shop mannequin awkwardly positioned on a red carpet, example:

Obviously, her situation here is not helped by the fact she is standing next to the exquisite Dita von Teese, a woman who is one of the best examples of amazing personal style, she can take a designer look and make it her own. She is everything Posh wants to be.

Anyway, I’ll be waiting with baited breath for the dress collection Posh….

The New York Times and Bergdorf Goodman announced today that they will kick off New York Fashion Week in September with special window displays and an in-store exhibit of Bill Cunningham's photography from his long-running "On the Street" and "Evening Hours" columns. Both columns appear weekly in the Sunday Styles section of The Times and online at NYTimes.com. The windows will be on view from Sept. 5 - 16, along with an exhibition on the third floor at Bergdorf Goodman, which is located in New York at the corner of Fifth Avenue and 57th Street.

Mr. Cunningham is a familiar face on this very corner, where he can often be spotted snapping away at the city's most fashionable citizens, capturing within the keen eye of his camera's lens many of the glamorous personalities and colorful characters that populate his New York Times columns. The Bergdorf Goodman windows and exhibit will offer a unique retrospective of Mr. Cunningham's work. The images - candid photographs of everyday New Yorkers taken on the street as they sport their fashion know-how, and of equally stylish guests at glittering evening events - have never before been collected and shown in this way.

In addition, Mr. Cunningham will be honored at a private V.I.P. event at Bergdorf Goodman co-hosted by The Times, Bergdorf Goodman and - in tribute to Mr. Cunningham's preferred, low-emission mode of transportation around the city, his bicycle - the New York City Department of Transportation.

read more...

The gorgeous ladies are said to do exactly that, instead taking time to work on other projects:

"After such an exciting year, we've decided to take a break from New York's Fashion Week this season, and focus our energies on a couple of new projects happening over the coming months,"

Sarah-Jane Clarke and Heidi Middleton of Sass & Bide have a Topshop collaboration and are doing really well with  Sass & Bide Vie.

Sarah-Jane Clarke is also working on another collaboration with husband Daniel Baffsky – she is pregnant with a sibling for sons Bo and Arky.

Source

OK. For all of you wanna be fashionistas and fashionistos the New York Fashion Week schedule is upon us. I, myself, will hopefully be able to make at least a show or two!! Continue to read after the jump to check out the time and date for the Project Runway finale!

Matthew Williamson

You will gain an understanding of how a fashion house produces and collates show pieces in the exciting run up to New York Fashion Week. Travel expenses paid. Email lucy@matthewwilliamson.co.uk by 15th August.

In current time, two familiar names in the modern art of clothing have been buzzing about in many fashion blogs and magazines alike. In comparison to the high-fashion designers and prices, which a good chunk of America can bare to afford (unless they choose to starve until receiving their next paycheck), their services openly approach even a size 0 wallet with a gentle kiss and an additional wink for its owner's chic indulgence - at a great deal!

For those who haven't recently dabbled in any medium of fashion media, drink up what I've had brewing in my cauldron for some time: In five days, Target launches yet another Go International line designed by fashion's newly celebrated Asian designer, Richard Chai. In the midst of fall, SIr Phillip Green will launch his Topshop store in NYC, as its flagship in the United States.

Target announced the news of selecting Richard Chai earlier this month, while its online store contained

marked-off remnants from Go International's previous client, Rogan Gregory, a New-York based designer who was the go-to man for Bono and his wife, Ali Hewson when they launched their 2005 eco-conscious line, Edun. Other predecessors include London's queen of modern alternative, Luella Bartley, and Erin Fetherston.

Chai's breakthrough occurred when aiding the launch of Marc by Marc Jacobs with the designer himself back in 2001. When he shifted to creative director for TSE, he was applauded for extending its fashion house outside of the basic cardigan. In 2004, he launched his own line which showcased his penchant for fabrics and intricate details. He has been referred as one of the "New Asian" influence of haute couture, according to his bio on Nymag.com.

However, Nylon succeeded a first look into this highly anticipated collection back in June. They've carefully crafted 8 outfits which, as stated in their news release, could achieve for just $80. What's behind this mysterious door was, unfortunately, a physical reminder of what has been seen before and could be easily confused as something bought from Forever 21: wacky graphic tees, modest ruffles, the staple blazers, stylistic pleats on has-been-done areas, and the granny cardigan.

If you're the type who loves to diversify your wardrobe with designer names regardless of style, and have been dying to welcome a Richard Chai piece into its colony, then mark your calender for August 3. Otherwise, you can scrape through the clearance racks for similar styles at an even cheaper price, even though the line itself is moderately affordable.

Not to say that I am damning the whole collection, but I wasn't completely knocked out of my seat upon witnessing it - as I hoped to expect because I am a fan of his higher-end pieces. However, I would like to comment that I absolutely love the casual two tone empire dress with the back tie stunningly placed in the front! I'd put up a fight to have that dress in my own hands - and on my body of course.

In other amazing news, I'm still shrieking to the top of my lungs over the announcement of Topshop's sail overseas to establish a flagship store in the United States. This will be the first of several stores that will station Topshop's "global invasion", which will include India, China and many more.

Without paying more than we should on international shipping, NYC residents and visitors can easily click-clank out of their pads with the authentic London look. This store will resemble its Oxford Street location, at least in services, which includes a nail bar, one hour tailoring service, delivery of purchases in under an hour, hair salon, and personal style consultant.

Among the range of clothes is an almost infinite amount of styles includes lines by Kate Moss, Unique, and Danielle Scutt. Other brands will be showcased in this store, and owner Sir Phillip Green hopes to create smaller stores for up-and-coming, promising designers who are unable to afford the high rent within Manhattan. These stores will serve as "an incubator... where we incubate some of these young designers, initially with a view to help get these people early. And once we've got them working, move them along."

It alarms me slightly that Topshop will become a global sensation, because I wonder if the company will be able to maintain its London charm and stray away from the possibility of being watered down and cheapened. At the same time, it seems like Sir Phillip Green has found his million dollar formula that would prevent that from occuring. Another issue that circulates my mind is the translation in prices, since the current dollar is so frail in comparison to this store's birth town.

Topshop is set to open its tall doors October 10, 2008.

Sources: nylon.com, nymag.com, target.com, treehugger.com
Images from nylon.com, poshbot.com, elleuk.com

Porta de entrada para muitos extrangeiros, Nova York não é só a maior cidade dos EUA, mas também uma das cidades mais rica culturalmente do mundo. A cidade recebe em média 3,6 milhões de pessoas a cada mês. Os principais turistas são os britânicos e os vizinhos canadenses. Pontos Turísticos? Vários. A começar pelos arranha-céus, principais cartões de Nova York, seguidos pela Estátua da Liberdade, Empire State Building, a ponte do Brooklin, Central Park e, agora, o buraco onde antes era as torres gêmeas do World Trade Center, derrubadas em 11 de setembro de 2001.

A metrópole já serviu de inspirção para muitos artistas, como o cineasta Woody Allen e o cantor Frak Sinatra e tem na arte um dos seus principais atrativos. O Metropolitan, MoMa e o Guggenhein, são enormes e têm um acervo renomado no mundo inteiro. No Museu da História Natural, pode-se observar Dinossauros e mamíferos que já nao existem mais na Terra. Para ver os ainda existentes, há o Zoológico do Bronx, um dos maiores do mundo.

O Central Park, o maior parque urbano do mundo, passa por 50 avenidas, indo da 59th street até a 110th street e com uma infinidade de árvores, gramado, bancos e lagos, quer se torna um dos pontos mais visitados da cidade. Outro ponto alto é a gastronomia. A cidad está recheada de restaurantes governados por chefs renomados de diversas culinárias.

A noite, a cidade fica ainda mais agitada. A começar pelos badalados teatros e musicais da Broadway, passando pelas baladas do Greenwich Village e o Chelsea. Não esquecendo claro, dos pontos de compras: os enormes shoppings e galerias de compras, principalmente na área de eletrônicos, onde pode se encontrar de tudo, com preços muito mias acessíveis do que no Brasil. Por isso, com tantas opções, antes de viajar a Nova York, faça um belo planejamento.

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New York Fashion Week always feel like "back to school" for some reason. I think it's in the timing, and also getting together once again with the people you've worked and partied with season after season.

COACD has just posted the S/S 2009 New York Fashion Week schedule.

Here we go again...

[Peeped at COACD]

The brands I'm currently lookin' out for...

Lacoste
Ralph Lauren
Band of Outsiders
Marc Jacobs
Vera Wang
Thom Browne

and of course, Victoria's Secret Wednesday, Sept. 10, 8:30 a.m.

Really difficult to fight that impulse.

OmniaLuo, a ShenZhen-based women's fashion brand, last week announced their plans to enter the U.S. market. With another Asian luxury brand making its move on American consumers while the rest of the word tries desperately to capture the lucrative Chinese market, I am starting to see a reverse trend....aren't you?

To provide you with a little bit of background, OmniaLuo features feminine designs with lots of intricate embellishments and details (to ward off would-be copy cats and pirates). The brand is built on the high-profile of chief designer, Cindy Luo who has dressed Zhang Ziyi and Fan BingBing for various paparazzi events. The line is targeted at China's "Golden Collar" professionals, working women between the ages of 25 and 35 with an annual income of US$2,500 to US$22,500. Just note, China's national per capita income is per capita income is between US$1,676 and US$3,465, so clearly they are selling to wealthy urban women.

According to WWD.com, Cindy Luo is in the process of apply for a runway show in one of the tents at NY's fashion week in September. With currently over 202 retail stores throughout China, OminaLuo plans to open up shop in the U.S. once they have expanded to 300 locations. No word yet as to where they will be planting those shops, though I hope they look West.

In a rather interesting PR push, the company was quick to utilize their Women's Wear Daily placement with a press release announcement distributed via BusinessWire on Jun 19th. It's not a particular great use of wire distribution budget, but I suppose it will help spread the word to all the non-WDD.com subscribers. However, if they really want to make an impact on American consumers, they better fix the English-language version of their Web site - It's pretty horrendez right now!

That's what targetmarketnews.com says.

And according to a recent BET release, at New York's September 2007 Fashion Week the runways were dominated by white faces.

In fact, Black faces were more absent from the runways than some fashion insiders have seen since the '60s. Of the 101 runway shows, more than 1/3 employed no Black models.

Because of this decline in African Americans on the runway, BET's been asking, "Has Black become unfashionable?"

Really.

Get a glimpse of what stars like Halle Berry, Anne Hathaway, Mischa Barton, Cindy Crawford, the Hilton sisters and Beyonce will be wearing this season with a VIP Experience at the Luca Luca New York Fashion Week show.

Bid for tickets to Luca Orlandi's New York Fashion Week show, and you'll also get backstage passes and a private lunch for two at Luca Luca with a preview of the new collection.

The charity auction will raise funds for Barnard College.

The Luca Luca New York Fashion Week VIP experience charity auction ends June 26.

be01 sets individual accents. It’s urban chic, trendy, unique and real.
The be01 styles are unpredictable – just like the flow of the city.

contact

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www.be01.com

more info coming soon 

Project Runway sashays down the catwalk one more time on Bravo as season five begins July 16 in a new time period at 9p. Heidi Klum continues as host along with Tim Gunn as mentor to the contestants. Both Nina Garcia and Michael Kors will judge the 16 designers as they each hope to be among the finalist showing their creations at New York Fashion Week. After this fifth season on Bravo, Project Runway moves to Lifetime Television for Season #6. (Cynopsis 6/13)

A documentary on Hollywood madam Heidi Fleiss -- "Heidi Fleiss: The Would-Be Madam of Crystal" -- and a drama built around a Latino nightclub in New York are among the latest projects announced by HBO. "Empire" writer Franc Reyes is developing the "Palladium" nightclub drama, while other projects in the works include adaptations of two British series, "Sensitive Skin," starring Kim Cattrall, and "Bad Girls." Multichannel News (6/12) , The Hollywood Reporter (6/13)

Featuring interviews with cast members and creator Matthew Weiner, "The Best of Mad Men Season One" will be televised at 11:30 a.m. Sunday on AMC. The special, which will also include the cast's favorite scenes and on-set capers, heralds the series' second season, which debuts July 27. TVWeek.com (6/12)

Mike Huckabee, former governor of Arkansas and recent 2008 GOP presidential candidate, signed on to Fox News Channel's America's Election HQ program as a regular contributor. (Cynopsis 6/13)

ESPN announced it has reached an agreement to acquire Student Sports, Inc., a premier high school-focused digital media and event production company based in Torrance, Calif. (Cynopsis 6/13)

By the end of 2008, nearly seven in 10 U.S. households will own a DTV set, compared with 50% at the close of last year, according to the Consumer Electronics Association. The group also found nearly 75% of U.S. consumers know about the pending DTV switch, compared with 41% two years ago. TVWeek.com (6/12)

May 24 is celebrated as "Africa Day in the Diaspora." In honor of Africa Day, Real Time Africa hosted a wonderful, cultural enriching event in Washington DC.

Real Time Africa is an assembly of individuals, organizations and interest groups hailing from the diverse countries, communities and cultures that make up Africa and her Diaspora. Click here to Learn More about Real Time Africa.

Check out some pictures from the Event!!

We discussed fashion, fashion, more fashion, social entrepreneurism, fair trade, community development, eco-friendly fashion, Kiva, philanthropy, and micro-financing. We also discussed Boutique Mix's 2008 Pledge Campaign to rebuild Sierra Leone and impoverished Africa, one innocent child at a time. Thanks to Pamela and everyone at SARFM for all their fabulous support!!!!

SARFM(otherwise Known as the Heartbeat of Africa in New York) is an internet based radio station that broadcasts 24 hours from New York City. It was started in April 2005 with the goal of providing radio programming similar to that found in their homeland to millions of Africans in the Diasporas. Chaka Ngwenya is a popular Radio personality from Africa and is the Founder and CEO of SARFM. After analyzing public information regarding radio programming in New York city as well as the influx of support from the African American, Caribbean and Spanish community [they] have restructured [their] programming to meet the needs of a broader demographic.

Visit SARFM Right Here!!

Pamela's Picture Source

12. Mai Christian Dior Cruise

15. Mai Chanel

Haute Couture Fall 2008
PARIS:  30 Juni bis 3 Juli, 2008

Womenswear Spring 2009
NEW YORK: September 7-14, 2008
LONDON: September 14-19, 2008
MILAN: September 20-27, 2008
PARIS: September 27 - October 5, 2008

TIME Magazine reports in their Top 25 Looks from New York Fashion Week feature that "when recession looms in an election year, fashion tends to reflect the more conservative national mood."

Shop for you!

Shop for Mom!

Shop for anyone on your list!

10% off all items in the Store plus Free Ground Shipping!!

Sale ends May 14, 2008!!!

Shop the Boutique Mix Mother's Day Sale Right Here.

Now celebrating five years of her label, she plans to hold an opening party for her first Sydney store later this week. The party will be one step ahead of Fashion Week - which opens on April 28, after a planned collaboration with its organisers fell through.

Kit Willow-Podgornik's label, Willow, made its New York Fashion Week debut with its autumn-winter collection in February.