STYLEnosh

EVERYONE'S TALKING ABOUT KANYE WEST- IN A GOOD WAY (MOSTLY)

Image by Getty Images via @daylife

I know. We're all a wee bit fatigued with celebrity fashion lines. And while most of them look like crap, these days they seem to be getting a lot tighter in design and production. Enter Kanye West. (Cue N--gas in Paris) If you missed the debut of Kanye West's first fashion collection this past weekend in Paris, click the link to see the entire slide show from Lucky magazine.

My opinion? Most people who know me know that I love, love, love Kanye West. Yes, even when the rest of the world likes to hate him I love this man. Not like that silly. (Though I have seen the pics of all of him and I have to say not bad Mr. West.) Anyhoo, he's a creative genius. Committed to innovation and perfection, he motivates me to manifest the same results in my own work.  Like the man, I found Kanye's collection to be neoteric. The clean lines paired with crisp whites and modern neutrals makes me energized for the fresh fashion of spring. And I absolutely love the shoes!

It's his first time showing a complete collection so it's natural for there to be areas of improvement. But dare I say it, I was impressed.

What do you think about Kanye West's first fashion collection?

Related articles

• Kanye West: a journey through style (guardian.co.uk)
• Oh Kanye, Kanye, Kanye... (tiedyebowtie.wordpress.com)
• KW by Kanye West (margauxbangs.com)

WHAT DID THE STARS WEAR TO THE 2011 EMMYS?

I didn't stay up for the whole Emmys show but I did see the arrivals. See the clip below from the Today Show where Lloyd Boston (one of my top two fav celebrity stylists) and Jill Martin dish about the good, the bad, and the ugly in red carpet fashion. I'm surprised they didn't talk about Nina Dobrev. To me she was hands down the best dressed last night. Just gor-geous!

Here's a slideshow of all the dresses from eonline.com. Who was your favorite and who got it wrong? 

 

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

 

 

Related articles

• Emmys 2011 Red Carpet (marieclaire.com)
• Emmys 2011 PHOTOS: The Best & Worst Of The Red Carpet (huffingtonpost.com)
• That's a Wrap For the 2011 Emmys - Catch Up on All the Fashion, Beauty, and More! (popsugar.com)

VIDEO AND CLIPS FROM NEW YORK FASHION WEEK 2012

Since I'm not at New York Fashion Week (yet!) I have to live vicarously through those fortunate individuals who are breathing in all of the creativity and artistic expression. If you're looking for a place to sneak a peek at what's coming for Spring 2012, head over to Essence.com where they've captured an insider view of NY Fashion Week.

And if you're looking for detailed videos and slideshows of all the runway shows, don't miss nymag.com. Here are links to a few of my favorites: Tracy Reese and "just wait til you get your little hands on L.A.M.B"! (Yes, I am over here dancing.)

Anyhoo, below is a clip from the Rebecca Taylor runway show with the Essence beauty and fashion editors weighing in on the awesomeness that is Rebecca Taylor. Love, love, love the knit yellow dress. Keeps me motivated to gobble up my fruits and veggies and keep working out. Hard. 

What are your fashion week favorites?

Video from essence.com

 

Related articles

• Welcome to New York Fashion Week (boston.com)
• Postscards from New York Fashion Week (Day 3) (modedimitri.wordpress.com)
• New York Fashion Week: Samantha Pleet's Modern Spin on Ethereal Style for Spring 2012 (Photos) (treehugger.com)
• Video: Rebecca Taylor's Japanese Inspired Spring 2012 Collection (shoppingblog.com)

ARE YOU EXCITED ABOUT MISSONI FOR TARGET?

Image via Wikipedia

We're only a few weeks away from the latest Target  designer collaboration. On deck is Missoni! The Italian design house known for its use of bold colors and that famous zig zag pattern. They've planned a full line for Target including clothing for women, men, and kids, bed sheets, luggage, and even bikes! For a little sneak peak, check out the first ad for the collection on Refinery29.

The Missoni for Target line is set to hit stores on September 13th. Some people are so giddy they're planning to camp out the night before just to get their hands on a piece of zig zag fabric! I'll just wait to see what's left later that afternoon.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Related articles

• Advertising: Target Evokes a Touch of La Dolce Vita (nytimes.com)
• First Missoni for Target Ad Appears (shoppingblog.com)

TOO MANY SHOES: A CAUTIONARY TALE?

Is there such a thing as too many shoes? Maybe a better question is how many shoes can you afford? The lady featured in the Today Show clip below has over 1,200 designer pairs of shoes. Jealous? But she can (seemingly) afford them. I counted my shoe collection this morning and I have 55 pairs; including flip-flops, boots, and athletic shoes. Like many women, I adore shoes. But in recent years I've purchased fewer pairs because I'd rather have two or three awesome new shoes per year instead of 10 or 20 pairs of average ones. 

How many shoes do you own right now in every closet, nook, and cranny?

 

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

CREATIVE WAYS TO HELP JAPAN DISASTER RELIEF

We've all been fixated on the devastation that has occurred in Japan following last week's earthquake and tsunami. And if you're still looking for a way to give support (cause that's what citizens of the world do), consider these options as a way to donate.

Purchase

This beautiful red and white wristband comes from the Lady Gaga official store. Joining the Little Monster fan club is not a requirement for purchase.

The message is simple and poignant: We pray for Japan. Spelled out in English and Japanese. It sells for $5 with all proceeds going toward relief efforts in Japan.

Note: You can order the wristband now and it will ship around March 25th.

 

Image: ladygaga.shop.bravadousa.com

Check Local Deal Sites

Those local discount sites are not only good for sending you 60% off deals for your favorite restaurant. You can also look for sites like Living Social and Groupon to provide ways to donate to a worthy cause too. When you visit Living Social, there's a link to donate to the Japan Earthquake and Tsunami Relief. You can make a one-time gift or set-up a monthly recurring one. 

 

Don't Forget Social Media

Twitter and Facebook pretty much keep us plugged in to everything going on in the world. So it's no surprise that both social giants play a big role in times of disaster too. Even if you don't tweet, you can search for current topics on Twitter. The site becomes your own personal up to the second search engine, allowing you to easily follow donation information and updates concerning Japan.

And there are several  relief pages dedicated to Japan on Facebook. A quick search will lead you to people around the world coming together over this tragedy like this group titled, Pray for Japan Earthquake and tsunami relief.

 

For more potential ways you can donate, visit the Refinery 29 disaster relief link. 

 

OSCAR RED CARPET RECAP FROM E!

The last week has provided a bevy of activity in my world. All good stuff, of course. But I've been so consumed that I totally missed the red carpet festivities at Sunday's Academy Awards. You missed it too? No prob. Head over to E! where you'll find plenty of videos from the beginning to the after parties.  Below a great summary of the red carpet event. I'm loving both looks from Gyneth Paltrow and Halle Berry. But I honestly don't know what Melissa Leo was thinking. Out of all the possibilities, that was your choice? Yikes!

Who wore your favorite dresses at this year's Oscars?

TREND SO HOT EVERYONE WAS WEARING IT AT THE GRAMMYS: LEOPARD!

There was Swizz Beatz rocking a leopard jacket on the red carpet. Jaden Smith performing with Justin Bieber in leopard pants (with his parents proudly watching). And then there was Nicki Minaj delivering a bold leopard print statement from hair to toe. Say what you want about Nicki but people will be talking about what she wore last night. And that's the whole point, right?

You too can wear leopard in your own personal animal print statement. Leopard hairpiece not included.

This knitted dress by Rare is on sale for $25.10 at asos.com. (One of my new favs for shopping. Be prepared to spend hours combing through the vast selection of clothes, shoes, and accessories.)

Or if you're looking towards the near future and the lovely spring temps that are sure to come, check out this layered chiffon dress by TFNC. Find it at asos.com for $64.55. Note it is a mini dress so if you're not eager to show the gams, add skinny jeans or tights.

Warning: If you yearn to maintain your wallflower, no one notices me status, do not wear these shoes! Peep-toe, leopard, stiletto heel with side cut-outs. Whew! That's a lot of sexy wrapped in one shoe. These leopard pumps are by Guess and can be found at Nordstrom.com for $119.95.

Images: Dresses from asos.com. Shoes from Nordstrom.com

 

For more pictures of last night's 2011 Grammys, click here.

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LOVERS OF FASHION UNITE! NY FASHION WEEK IS HERE!!

Today is the day that all of us who love the shows, the  creativity, and the, ahem, members only pretention have excitement bubbling over. Today begins the first day of a week long presentation of the Fall 2011 fashion shows.

And even if you're not in New York (next year!) to take in the art and elation, you can stay deliciously informed and utterly immersed in all things Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week. Fall 2011 edition, that is.

First stop, The Cut. This is the fashion blog for New York Magazine. The writing is superb. And will magically transport you from your domain to the glamorous and gritty streets of New York. If your heart aches to see a live show, The Cut has comprised a useful guide for all the shows streaming live. Just remember not to watch the runway struttin on your work computer. They also conveniently posted the calendar for all of the shows. Thank you!

For a more compressed version of the must-see shows, head over to The Wall Street Journal blog, Speakeasy, for a truncated fashion week user guide. And check back regularly for the daily updates.

And over at Daily Candy, they've created a microsite dedicated to all that is New York Fashion Week. Genius! They also provided some insight on what to wear in the weeks to come for those of you who can't fathom thinking about fall frocks in February.

Which fashion shows are you thirstily waiting to see? Personally, I want to devour them all!

 

Image: mbfashionweek.com

If you enjoyed or deplored this riveting point of view, please click the green Share This link below to Retweet, Like, Email, Digg, etc, etc. And feel free to leave your praise or gripe below. Thanks! Remember, sharing is caring.

GAP MAKES CHANGES TO REVIVE SALES: WHY AREN'T YOU SHOPPING THERE?

There's a bit of musical chairs going on at Gap these days. The head of the company was ousted and replaced by another leader from within the company. This article gives some indication of Gap's dilemma. They reported that revenue was down 8% for December. Unfortunately, I wish I was slightly surprised. I like Gap. It fits in my retail world for the sake of nostalgia if nothing else. But lately, I haven't been pressed to shop there with any consistentcy. (I did buy one item from them last year. A charcoal colored shirtdress for under $25.) And after talking to some friends about their lack of shopping at Gap stores, I know I'm not alone.

Most people over the age of 30 still love and respect the brand. But those same people, at least in my circles, don't appear to be spending much cash in the beloved store. Those same people, me included, are regularly shopping and buying at Gap, Inc's other more popular store, Banana Republic. Why the discrepancy? I think Gap is missing that fresh, you gotta buy this look factor that other stores have been able to repeatedly reproduce. Remember when Sarah Jessica Parker was starring in the company's ad campaigns? That was the last time I felt like Gap had that "thing". I wanted to buy that whole collection. Ooh, it was 2006. Wow. That's forever ago in fashion speak. Anyhoo, here's one of the commercials from back then. SJP and Lenny Kravitz. Still loving it!

So, why aren't you shopping at Gap? What would make you start shopping at Gap?

YAY! H&M TO OFFER US ONLINE SHOPPING BY THE END OF 2011

Finally! H&M is throwing it's US customers a bone! We've waited for eons. Okay maybe just a few years but it sure does feel like an extremely long time. But come the end of the year (ish), H&M will offer online shopping in the US! Which means that those of  you without a brick and mortar location (like my south Florida peeps) can experience a little H&M, no travel required. Sweet!

THE NEW SHOPPING DESTINATION FOR CLOTHES: EBAY

Image: www.ebay.com

I know. The online auction king has always sold clothes. But now with a little site makeover and a new Creative Director, ebay has positioned themselves to provide a more polished shopping experience. Enter Andrea Linett, the new Creative Director. If you're not familiar with the name, you probably know her last gig: Lucky magazine's Creative Director. She, along with Lucky's long-time editor Kim France, burgeoned that magazine into a print wonder when it was launched 10 years ago. Now they've both moved on to add their distinct mark on other areas of fashion, with Linett landing at ebay.

In the past I've searched ebay in passing really. Just to poke around and see what designer shoes or handbags people might be hocking. I've never actually purchased anything and I haven't visited the site in a while. But since I heart Andrea Linett (she instilled in me the value of  being a stylish traveller),  I decided to do a quick look through to see what her impact might be. And while the buying process is the same, the initial fashion category page looks refreshed, like say a fashion magazine spread.

Never considered shopping on ebay for clothes? Well, I have two words for you: designer deals. While "researching" for this blog post (hey, this is serious stuff), I found a used Louis Vuitton briefcase with a starting bid of $349.99. And it looks authentic. That find motivated me to do a little reconnaissance on Tory Burch items which led me back to my all time coveted handbag purchase. The Louis Vuitton Sac Plat bag. There are several used Sac Plat bags listed for under $300. Someone bid $99 for one. I actually stopped breathing for a second. The point is that there are plenty of deals and steals to be found on the endless pages of ebay.

So yes, ebay has always been a choice for shopping. Andrea Linett's new job there just reminds us that it's an option definitely worth checking out. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to get back to "researching". 

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