Romancing the Future of Fashion
PARIS Marc Jacobs's fall 2008 collection for Louis Vuitton swayed beautifully between the contrasting poles of supreme romance and sleek futurism. At yesterday's show, a strong sense of classicism...
View ArticleParis Pizzazz
PARIS If the top fashion houses are able to influence the public at large, there are a few silhouette choices that may hold sway this fall. During Paris fashion week, which ended Sunday, cropped...
View ArticleFrom Beirut to Beijing, With Louis Vuitton
PARIS When you're out for a sightseeing walk down the Champs-Elysees, Louis Vuitton's glittering palace of luxury goods stands out like a beacon. What's less noticeable, however, is that around the...
View ArticleMusic on the Go
You may not be a DJ, but you can travel like one. The luxury brand Longchamp has partnered with top fashion DJ Michel Gaubert, the man behind the music at runway shows for Chanel, Oscar de la Renta,...
View ArticleA New Way on the Bay
SAN FRANCISCO Ballet companies around the world struggle for a happy balance of past and present. At San Francisco Ballet, however, that balance is beautifully maintained minus the struggle. Its...
View ArticleConnected Through Fashion
When we last checked in with Israeli fashion designer Mirit Weinstock, she had launched her spring 2008 collection with the photographic work of artists she had never met. The designer contacted five...
View ArticleA Dior Biography, Revisited
The house of Christian Dior has been a leader in fashion since that celebrated day February 12, 1947 when a young, shy designer introduced what would come to be known as the New Look. With a nipped...
View ArticleYoung & Unafraid
HAMBURG, Germany When the Hamburg State Opera performs its new production of "Das Rheingold" the first opera in Richard Wagner's four-part "Ring" cycle the opera is sung, as it is written, in...
View ArticleShop Easy
Two new shops in downtown Manhattan are pointing toward the future of retailing. At John Varvatos and Banana Republic's Monogram, both of which recently opened along Bleecker Street, the emphasis is...
View ArticleBlow, but Don't Touch, That Horn
Sergeant Ernest Gabriel III, of the Orleans Parish Sheriff's Department, has what is arguably the best beat in all of policedom. His duty is to guard the bejeweled Elysian Trumpet, a handcrafted,...
View ArticleFresh Updates on the White Shirt
The classic white shirt will have a new look today when the 2008 Gap Design Editions land in stores. For the second consecutive year, Gap has asked up-and-coming designers for their take on the white...
View ArticleSkagen in Sync With MoMA
Skagen Designs, the Danish-American brand known for sleek Modernist watches, has made its first foray into arts sponsorship with the Museum of Modern Art's new exhibit "Take your time: Olafur...
View ArticleIt's a Bird, It's a Plane - It's at the Met
When Madonna wore her pointy-bra bodysuits onstage, circa 1990, the costumes were so outside the realm of normal human activity that they raised the question: Who but Madonna would wear such a thing?...
View ArticleFashion Follows Art In 'Sex and the City'
"Sex and the City: The Movie," which opens May 30, is set to be a fashion lover's dream, with reportedly more than 80 costume changes for Carrie and 300 changes for the four leading ladies combined....
View ArticleThe Functional Heel
Ballerina flats have become the go-to casual shoe for New York women, but the dirty little secret is that hitting the pavement in flats can be severely uncomfortable. That's why footwear designer Faryl...
View ArticleThe Best Little Guidebooks to Paris (and London)
PARIS Living the good life on a trip abroad requires at least a glance through a travel guide or two before the flight. And the Paris-based publisher Wilfried LeCarpentier wants to make that research...
View ArticleContemporary Photography in a Cyber Gallery
Contemporary photographers who straddle the line between art, fashion, and celebrity have a new home: Photographers LimitedEditions.com. Based in Vienna, Austria, this recently launched art gallery is...
View ArticleFashion Legend Yves Saint Laurent Dies
In a consumer culture that burns through trends faster than they can emerge, it is almost impossible to imagine one fashion designer having an impact on an entire generation. Yves Saint Laurent, who...
View ArticleAnne Fontaine's Natural World
Fabric may seem like an obvious factor in fashion, but for designer Anne Fontaine it's the inspiration. "I am obsessed with natural textures," she said. "I love fabrics, and I want to work with natural...
View ArticleFiery Reds, Dappled Prints In Cruise Wear Fashion Forecast
You may still be shopping for summer 2008, but for the past few weeks, fashion designers have been presenting their pre-spring 2009 collections. Traditionally referred to as "resort" or "cruise," these...
View ArticleShady Looks
Whether you're on a covert mission or a coffee run, sometimes you just don't want to see or be seen. And as every Hollywood starlet on her way to rehab knows, the way to hide in public is behind a pair...
View Article'Get Smart' Gets Fashion
At a time when fashion is heading toward traditional silhouettes hourglass figures, belted coats, and knee-length hemlines along comes "Get Smart," the film adaptation and update of the 1960s...
View ArticleArt Shopping With the Azrias
The Whitney Museum of American Art hosted its annual Art Party on Tuesday night at Skylight studio on Hudson Street. Sponsored by Max and Lubov Azria, proprietors of BCBGMAXAZRIAGROUP, the night...
View ArticleLet's Go Out Tonight
INDIAN SPICE This evening, American Ballet Theatre opens a week-long run of its "La Bayadère" at the Metropolitan Opera House. Tonight's cast is led by the majestic Veronika Part and Marcelo Gomes....
View ArticleCorrecting a Mozart Deficit
When you really don't know something, it's best just to admit it. And earlier this year, an embarrassing fact emerged: I didn't know Mozart's music as well as I thought I did. The catalyst for this...
View ArticleMozart in a Month
Rather than plow through a list of must-hear works, a pleasant way to learn is by reading "Mozart: A Life" by Peter Gay (Penguin). The later half of this short book can serve as a listening guide to...
View ArticleRefreshed, for Free, at Clarins
Clarins is offering a must-try freebie. Within its SoHo location, Clarins has opened a cozy private space where it is offering complimentary 20-minute spa treatments. The goal is to introduce clients...
View ArticleParis Couture Week Opens With Dior
It's elegant. It's sumptuous. It's couture week in Paris. While the ready-to-wear collections in New York, Paris, and Milan are driven by commercial concerns, the couture shows are flights of sartorial...
View ArticleWine, Sun & Shopping
EAST HAMPTON The East Hampton Antiques Show is only in its second year, but its benefit preview last weekend suggested that it is poised for success. Presented by the East Hampton Historical Society,...
View ArticleAntique Rugs With Stripes and Stars
Though antique rugs are functional, they're also works of art. In appreciation of this duality, ABC Carpet & Home is organizing an exhibition and sale of rugs with a shared design motif: stars and...
View ArticleDeconstructing the Classic Chanel Jacket
In today's luxury economy, Chanel is identified with a lively, ebullient approach to fashion. This has much to do with its founding: In the early 20th century, Coco Chanel offered women a new way of...
View ArticleAviators and Wayfarers Take to the Street
Trends can peak and valley in ways that surprise the entire fashion industry. This summer's most notable disparity was between editorial coverage of sunglasses and the actual trend on the street. While...
View ArticleScan To Shop
Polo Ralph Lauren is launching its 2008 U.S. Open Collection along with a new system that allows shoppers to purchase gear via cell phone. All that's necessary is a camera phone or hand-held device...
View ArticleSo French, So New York
The weak dollar may have put the kibosh on your summer trip to Paris, but that's no reason to skip a season's worth of Gallic style. Shopping in New York for French brands can give a sense of direction...
View ArticleFashion Central
As the last of the summer sun settles on New York, fashion designers will present their spring 2009 collections at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week, beginning on Friday in Bryant Park. The week will include...
View ArticleHow To Buy a Seat at a Fashion Show
Twice a year, the giant white tents go up at Bryant Park, signaling the return of Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week. But while the location itself is central and visible, it's a bit of a tease for the public....
View ArticleSuiting Up in One Piece
Strange but true: The one clear trend to emerge from the first few days of Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week is the presence of jumpsuits and rompers. These one-piece wonders have popped up in the spring 2009...
View ArticleSummertime Brights
Fashion collections for the warm-weather seasons lend themselves to brighter colors than the cold-weather seasons. But even with all the bold shades, abstract prints, and floral patterns that designers...
View ArticleMarc Jacobs Reinterprets American Life
At the Marc Jacobs show on Monday night, the zippy, shifting strains of Gershwin's "Rhapsody in Blue" made for a stirring soundtrack. And the music was an astute choice. While Gershwin's score captures...
View ArticleFashion Ticker: Max Azria, Malo
Max Azria's namesake collection was full of sexy draping. Dresses hung from one shoulder and fell over or under the mesh belts as if they not the designer had decided which way to go. Harem pants...
View ArticleCalmed by Fashion
Innovators are always easy to cheer for: They carve out a place at the forefront of their industry and, once there, determine the shape of things to come. But designers who are known for consistency...
View ArticleFashion Ticker: Zang Toi
In lieu of a runway show, Zang Toi rented out the restaurant Daniel and threw a combination fund-raiser-presentation to benefit the Lance Armstrong Foundation. A crowd of supporters and fans of Mr. Toi...
View ArticleSo Hip To Be Square
It wasn't just minimalism that Francisco Costa delivered for the 40th anniversary collection at Calvin Klein. It was the geometry of minimalism. Squares and cubes were the defining shapes, which were...
View ArticleAndrée Putman's Masterful Output
When the owners of high-end hotels want to make a splash, they hire celebrity fashion designers to create stylish interiors. But such collaborations weren't always de rigueur. In 1984, Morgans...
View ArticleColor Safe at the Emmy Awards
Gowns in bold colors came down the red carpet as celebrities arrived at the 60th Primetime Emmy Awards. Brooke Shields found a supremely flattering shade of magenta. Mariska Hargitay projected...
View ArticleLeather Worth Caring For
The Ralph Lauren collection for fall 2008 is strong on outdoorsy themes and hunting motifs. And that extends to the accessories. Several handbags in the brand's most popular shapes, including the...
View ArticleWill the Real Alyssa Milano Please Stand Up?
A bad dress is a bad dress, but let us lay blame at the right pair of platform heels. At the 60th Primetime Emmy Awards, actress Christina DeRosa showed up in the frightful concoction pictured here....
View ArticleOnly in Tokyo: Limited Edition Retro Louis Vuitton Bags
How far will you travel for a Louis Vuitton handbag? Well, if you want one of the limited edition bags designed by Rei Kawakubo, founder of Comme des Garçons, you'll have to hop a flight to Tokyo. Now...
View ArticleMoving Fashion Forward
What makes Paris fashion week the pinnacle of the industry is not just the collections from venerable French houses, such as Dior, Chanel, Balenciaga, and Lanvin. No matter the brand, the Paris shows...
View ArticleSigns of Spring At Paris Fashion Week
PARIS This city doesn't need to rely on bright sunshine and fragrant fall breezes to make it beautiful. But yesterday, Paris had both. The Tuileries gardens were teeming with people lounging outside,...
View Article
