Style Weekly

Zac Posen is my red carpet darling. I've swooned over sooooo many of his gowns, including Tina Fey's fab Oscar gown, Lucy Liu's Met Gala ensemble, and of course, the bridesmaid dresses from SATC The Movie.



Of course these fantasy gowns can run upwards of $20,000. Now my dream designer is launching Z-Spoke, a new collection with prices from $78 to about $700! Posen told WWD, “To me, it’s more appropriate to build a whole brand and collection around this price point. Chic sportswear should be at this price point. Designer dresses and cocktail pieces should be at a more expensive price point.” Z-Spoke will have about 60 pieces in the collection, including knits, cotton shirts, blazers, and other such basics.




As cute as these pieces are, they just don't bring Zac's signature glamour to the table. Obviously a woman's wardrobe can't be built entirely of evening gowns, but I love to work a little bit of drama into the most basic outfit. What do you guys think about the new collection? Would you wear it or is just a bit blah?

Bamboo has been toted as an amazing eco-friendly fabric, and tons of designers have been using it to "green" their collections. However it may not be as sustainable as we think. A recent Wall Street Journal article examined the truth behind how bamboo fabrics are manufactured, and why they are not as eco-friendly as we think.



To get bamboo from a panda's mouth to a rack in a boutique takes a lot of chemical processing and manipulation. First, its chopped up and dissolved in toxic solvents, which is why its not technically a "natural" fabric. I've never been a big fan of it since it doesn't wear as well and is a pretty unstable fabric.


Do you wear bamboo? Will you reconsider after reading this?

You guys know I love luxury, but a balanced wardrobe always needs cheap-chic basics. Old Navy, Gap, and Banana Republic are perfect for staples like basic tees and tanks and trendy accessories. Stock up during the Gap Friends and Family Sale, with 30% off all merchandise through November 15th.

I thought I was just about over all of these cheap-chic designer collaborations. Until I saw the latest ad campaign for Sonia Rykiel for H&M:

Celebs have always been able to borrow anything they want from pretty much any designer, for any occasion. Now us mere mortals can get the red carpet treatment from Rent the Runway.



Imagine being able to wear any designer you want for any occasion - weddings, birthday's, a really hot date, and of course, the upcoming holiday season.  Most of us wouldn't want to drop close to a $1,000 for a dress we will wear once, and us die hard fashionistas would def not want to wear the same dress for all of our special events. Rent the Runway brings you an amazing selection of outfits from all your high fashion faves, including Herve Leger, Proenza Schouler, Diane von Furstenberg, Matthew Williamson, and Yigal Azrouel. Rental fees range from $50-$200, for anywhere from 4-8 days, with usually 1-2 days shipping time.


Sign up on their website for an invitation, and if you get accepted, you can reserve a dress up to 6 months in advance! I've got my eye on that Herve Leger sunset ombre dress for my birthday in April . . .

Your fave online auction site will be making their mark in the city this holiday season!




Ebay just announced that it will open a 5,500 square foot pop up shop on 57th street from November 20th-29th. The space will be stocked with goodies including an exclusive collection from Norma Kamali, L.A.M.B. shoes, Michael Kors dresses, and loads of cosmetics and fragrances. Plus you can access all of Ebay's live auctions via internet kiosks. Look out for opening and closing cocktail parties on Nov 19th and on Black Friday! Plus Ebay will match up to $200,000 in sales to support Global Giving, Grammy in the Schools, Oxfam America, Right to Play, Save the Children, Share Our Strength, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Starlight, Toys for Tots, U.S. Fund for UNICEF and YouthAIDS EBay.

Did you guys catch last night's episode of ANTM? Tyra is pretty much known for conceiving crazy photo shoot ideas for her wannabe top models, but last night had me wondering if she went a bit too far.




The basic idea was to have her models highlight Hawaii's cultural diversity by portraying biracial women by dressing them in ethnic garb and painting them in blackface. Check out the pics of the rest of the girls below:




Now I'm not gonna get all preachy on a blog called "Style Weekly, " but the blackface tradition has some really racist roots and is still deeply offensive to many Americans, black and white a like. I honestly think the photos are beautiful, but unsettling. In the fashion industry, models of color are grossly underrepresented. As my good friend and fellow blogger Shaena Henry points out in this very insightful article, fashion designers have been strongly influenced by African style, but have not celebrated models of that heritage. If anything, these photos, and a recent French Vogue spread that showed Lara Stone in blackface, suggest that black models might in fact become totally obsolete.




What do you guys think? Am I reading too much into this, or is this a sign of a new, and very disturbing fashion trend?

One of my fave sales of the year goes live today at noon - Gilt Groupe's Final Sale. Gilt always has amazing prices on goodies from your fave designers, and the final sale is pretty much the best of the best. Prices have been slashed up to 90% on merchandise from 50 designers, including Carolina Herrera, Peter Som, Marc Jacobs, Alexander McQueen, and 7 for all Mankind. Check out this small sampling of what's up for sale.

 

Tomorrow you can meet the man behind some of the world's sexiest shoes, Christian Louboutin. He'll be making an appearance at Bergdorf Goodman from 2-6pm to show of his fab new line and answer all of your burning questions.


I'm still trying to figure out exactly what I want to ask him, but here are some of the Q's I'm considering:


1. How do you manage to construct a 6-inch heel that is surprisingly comfortable?


2. Of all the shoes you have designed, which ones are your favorites?


3. If a woman could only afford one pair of your shoes, which one would you suggest she buy?

To promote their new TV Drama, "White Collar," USA Networks has teamed up with Thomas Pink for a dress shirt giveaway on Thursday and Friday. Over 1000 men's and women's dress shirts will be distributed at a pop-up shop on the plaza at Rockefeller Center, and the stars of the show - Matt Bomer and Tiffani Thiessen will make an appearance at 9am on Friday. The giveaway is scheduled to run from 10am-6pm each day, but I suggest going early to get the choice goods.


In case you are not familiar with Thomas Pink, think luxurious fabrics, amazing fit, classic British style, and shirts that can set you back almost $200.

The latest high-fashion designer hitting the bullseye is none other than fashion's wacky darling, Jean Paul Gaultier.



I've always loved Gaultier's wacky, sexy, chic style, and am curious about how his brilliance will translate into Target priced items. The collection hits stores March 7th, and is inspired by American women and pop culture.  I wouldn't say I'm jumping for joy over this one (you guys know I'm really getting over these cheap-chic collabs), but am definitely interested. I'll keep you posted on the whereabouts of the usual pop-up shop.

Do you ever get that almost overwhelming feeling of magic, romance, and sheer joy when shopping? I, like many fashionistas I know, remember the first time I tried on a pair of Christian Louboutin pumps, stroked an Hermes scarf, and held a Louis Vuitton bag. Now luxury brands are trying to tap into that euphoric feeling with a brilliant, and slightly creepy strategy - sensory marketing.


Sensory marketing, or neuromarketing measures the brain's response to shopping experiences, and numerous brands are turning to this tactic due to reduced consumer spending and pressures of the recession. Testing of sensory marketing has doubled this year among 100 of the world's biggest brands. One major luxury brand is using MRI's and EEG's to scan brain activity as customer's shop, trying to find out what exactly happens in your head when you decide a luxury item is a must-have.


But it doesn't stop there. Brands are trying to appeal to consumer's senses on all levels - from the sight of the product to the smell of the store. Get the full scoop here and let me know what you think! Would you want to shop in a store if you knew they were monitoring your brain waves?

The ultimate luxury lingerie retailer will launch their first bridal collection this November. The collection promises rich, upscale, Twenties inspired design, in fabrics like Chantilly lace, silk, and satin. 

The collection will feature five different design groups in white and ivory, with prices ranging from $74 to $649. The looks are relatively conservative, remnant of the innocence of a blushing bride. So if you imagine your wedding night attire to be of the drop-dead sexpot variety, look elsewhere. This collection is soft, romantic, and totally classic.

Brigitte, Germany's most popular women's mag just announced that they are doing away with the use of professional models. "For years we've had to use Photoshop to fatten the girls up," said EIC Andreas Lebert. "Especially their thighs, and decolletage. But this is disturbing and perverse and what has it got to do with our real reader?"

According to The Guardian, readers complained about seeing women who they do not relate to, and I don't know if you've noticed, but a lot of the faces seen in magazines this year have been a bit plumper (protruding bones in fashion mags and on runways usually goes out of style in such lean economic times).


From now on, real women will grace the pages of Brigitte's fashion, editorial, and beauty stories. What do you gals think about this? Is it part of fashion's declining "size-zero" culture or just a cost-cutting strategy for the magazine?