Tuesday, December 15, 2009

Tom Ford's new venture

Tom Ford, known strictly as a staple name in the fashion world, is trying on a new hat - director. The designer has spent the last three years working on the script for the new flick, A Single Man, for which he is also the director. And, apparently he's not too shabby. The industry newbie won a slot in Venice's 66th Film Festival's Lion d'Or. The film follows the life of a gay English professor after his partner has died and included actors Colin Firth, Julianne Moore, Matthew Goode and Lee Pace.

Graydon Carter and Tiger

In the January issue of Vanity Fair, Editor-in-Chief Graydon Carter's "Letter from the Editor" (a great dissection of Goldman Sachs as the bonus-hungry elephant on Wall Street) was coyly juxtaposed next to a full page Tiger Woods-endorsed ad...the mag obviously went to print before the scandal blow-up, but it's still pretty hilarious!

Saturday, December 12, 2009

T by Alexander Wang on SALE!

FYI - The T Alex Wang Classic t with pocket is almost 50% off at Alexanderwang.com...I ordered one in charcoal and it just arrived today...love it! It is the softest tank with the perfect silhouette. I was feeling really guilty about spending full price ($74) so, for $44, it was a steal!

So Good!


I love the new installment of the Levi's "Go Forth" commericals...check it out!

Wednesday, December 9, 2009

Chinatown bust

Yesterday morning and the night before, NYC police did a surprise raid in Chinatown, shutting down more than 30 counterfeit vendors who were hawking knock-off goods from designers like Gucci, Chanel, Coach and Cartier. The bust is said to be spurred by the designers themselves who's products are being copied. WWD reported that in recent months Chinatown has been busier than ever with shoppers coming from all over the country to check out these faux designer goods. I have to admit, that when I first came to NYC a few years ago I did indulge in the knock-off craze but since then have seen all of the ways that it damages not only designer company revenues and prestige but it also is linked to economically supporting terrorist groups!

Tweet Tweet Tweet

Okay, so I'm slightly embarrassed to say this but I have joined the ranks of twitter (my roommate now aptly calls me a "twat") and because I obviously was way too excited to get life updates from designer demigod, Prabal Gurung, I saw that he tweeted that he wants Taylor Swift to open up his fall 2010 runway show: "Dear Santa May I make an early Xmas reqst? found out Taylor Swift is 5'11"Can she openmy Fall 2010 collctn? promise 2behave for a year xo PG," he tweeted. Excited to see if she acquiesces to his request!

Follow me on Twitter, I'm kikivonglinow

Eat, Pray, Love on the big screen

So, I know that everyone and their mother, sister, grandmother and dog has read this book but the hype isn't over. Elizabeth Gilbert's Eat, Pray, Love is being turned into a silver screen flick and will star Julia Roberts and James Franco. Haven't heard anything about Roberts in a while and am excited to see her back on the marquis. Although, according to my mom, there's one problem: "Everyone knows that Elizabeth Gilbert is bright blond so unless Julia breaks out the bleach, I don't know if I'm going to buy it."

Elephants and Snowmen and Gucci, oh my!

Gucci has recently teamed up with author and illustrator Michael Roberts to guest design a collection of bags, key chains and coin purses from which 25% of the sales will go benefit UNICEF. Roberts, author of Snowman in Africa (also available on Gucci.com- 100% of proceeds from book sales will go to UNICEF), lent his colorful and child-like prints to a variety of products that seamlessly combine childhood fantasy and chic sophistication. If you've got the cash, these products would make great gifts that give back.

Happy Birthday to me! Kind of...

So, I'm not one to got too crazy with nail polish colors (lately I've been sticking with Essie's Chinchilly) but, I'm really into the Lippman Collection's new color, Happy Birthday. A fun mix of every color imaginable in varying shaped glitter, I feel like this would be an awesome look for New Year's. In the photo it's shown just by itself but try it over a neutral polish for a fuller look.

Posh designer - take three

Victoria Beckham, or as she'll always be cemented in my mind as Posh Spice, launched her new collection exclusively on Net-A-Porter today. A third-season-veteran designer, Beckham decided to give her line another go after her first collection, a denim line, was dropped by Saks Fifth Avenue. Rather than just sticking to denim, Beckham is diving into her own signiture looks including architecturally structured mini dresses as well as her staple cigarette slim denim. Beckham will also introduce a sunglass line - surprise surprise, I feel like I've never actully seen a photo of her without a pair of oversized shades. Hopefully third time's a charm!

Tuesday, December 8, 2009

Your favorite designers at your fingertips

When you're getting ready in the morning, do you ever feel like you have a little Karl Lagerfeld whispering in your ear, "go for the boxy tweed jacket today" or mini Ralph Lauren urging you to go with a classic denim trouser and gingham button down? Well, even if you don't (maybe that's just me), now you really can! Check out these "fashionable finger puppets" made by Rubbish. From John Galliano to Hamish Bowles, these style-gushing minis are hilarious and adorable...and would be a great gift for the fashionista with a sense of humor on your list.

Alber Elbaz - hononary mailman?

You know you've made it when the French postal service asks you to design their stamps. For the 120th anniversary of French fashion house, Lanvin, designer Alber Elbaz designed two different stamps that are illustrated with the colorful doodles for which he's known. Not that I'm not patriotic but this is what differentiates the ridiculously chic French from Americans. Even their postage stamps are fashionable!

Leather rosettes, I'm in heaven

How beautiful is this clutch?!? From Anthropologie, this buttery leather bag is the perfect topper to any holiday look. If I had $298 laying around, I would definitely snatch it up.

Wednesday, December 2, 2009

Hot head


The man can do no wrong...even when designing helmets? It's true and from the first time we saw them on Karl Lagerfeld's runways last spring, they have finally come to fruition and are available at Colette in Paris as well as other various specialty stores. These tough chapeaux range from $1,805 to $6,837 and include anything from mink to pearl detailing. This is a giant step for all of those fashion conscious motorcycle riders out there! Hey, if you can pull it off, more power to you!

Attack of the snuggie!!

AHHHHHHH! If you haven't seen the commercials for the Snuggie (aka. hideous blanket that you wear!) you must YouTube it now. And, it doesn't stop at hilarious commercials...Urban outfitters just came out with their own version of this monstrosity. They're calling it the Booty Buddy Blanket as if that makes it any better. And, it's selling for $68! Boycott all things Snuggie!

Suri in heels?

Not sure if this is cute or just kind of weird...three-year-old Suri Cruise in heels. What do you think?

A Bleak Black Friday

In my hometown of Chicago this past Friday after Thanksgiving, I ventured out of the house with my mom and sister armed with comfy shoes and a easy on-and-off jacket- ready for the crowds of Black Friday. A day that I usually dread, I don't get to see my family often so I thought I'd tag along on this shopping day from hell. But, to my surprise, the stores didn't seem any more crowded than usual. No home plate dives to snag that last pair of Chloe flats, (In your size!!) no cart bashing, no store employees herding the masses from door to dressing room to cash register. But, the herds of shoppers didn't seem to be absent because they had something better to be doing, but because the savings that most stores were offering really weren't anything to write home about. Apparel stores boasted sales of 15% off or buy one get one 30% off. We found ourselves in Best Buy later that afternoon, my dad dreaming about upgrading our huge cube TV to a sexy plasma, and the best deals they had were $50 off a $600 plus TV! It's a vicious cycle: retailers can't afford to give discounts and consumers can't afford the quasi-full prices. I've read a lot of blogs too saying that online discounts (free shipping, X% off) were way better than in store discounts on Black Friday- makes sense because online retailers don't have to pay rent!

Christian Lacroix in dire state

Although an investor seemed to have swooped in to save the 22-year-old staple Parisian brand, Christian Lacroix, it seems as though the deal fell through and the fashion house is once again on the verge of disappearing. Apparently it's going to take an investor with at least 100 million euros to save the company. Only eleven of the company's 120 employees will keep their jobs to work to pay off the debt that the fashion house owes. I hope that they can make some magic happen!

Tuesday, December 1, 2009

ZAC POSEN FOR TARGET!

On the heels of my last post, and constantly checking my online bank account to convince myself that I'll still have enough money for rent if I do go a little crazy at Target when the Rodarte line finally shows itself in store, I find out that Zac Posen is slated to follow Rodarte as Target's Spring 2010 guest designer! I've always given target the perfect bullseye but now they've really outdone themselves!