“I Mean…What?!?” – Abe Gurko

Yes, there is a definite shift in the air since Spring, when nelly, prissy, fembots ruled the men’s runways. There is a butcher tone overall, but Lord knows not exclusively, as that would render me out of business. Surprisingly, Junya Wantanabe, Viktor and Rolf, and even Gaspard Yurkievich all had smart showings. It’s not like I am disappointed that I can’t find what to poke fun at, I would frankly rather not have ever started this Manzie business. I am a bit Pollyanna in that I want every designer to do well. Rather than leave a hole for yet another… Read More »

WE HAVE RAISED WAY OVER 11 MILLION DOLLARS THROUGH TEXTING. KEEP UP THE GREAT WORK! SEND $10 via text to the Red Cross Now by simply texting the number 90999 and writing HAITI Did you watch the telethon last night? Did you donate any money to any of the charities? I’ve been looking at all the coverage or yesterday’s benefit and really, no one provides a link to where you can donate more money. Maybe I am clueless, but not a link, not a card, not a letter. So, I am going to continue doing my part, having texted for… Read More »

Who says that I Mean…What?!? wouldn’t lead to major things? Actually, several great opportunities have come my way, mostly writing gigs, which has officially become my mid-life career. Hey it’s sure beats the mid-life crisis…trust me. One of the gigs is writing articles for a just-launched website catering to the newly divorced set called Divorce Candy. Though not newly divorced, rather, I was in an eleven-year relationship that ended about three or so years ago, rendering me a good enough candidate to speak on the topics at hand. Since I am as opinionated as hell in matters of style and… Read More »

Some girls have all the luck, like being born into a cool family, being the kind of beautiful that gives you the opportunity to model, work as an actress, experience motherhood…all the things that I would like to be and do when I grow up. Liv Tyler is one of those girls. Today, Women’s Wear Daily reports that G-STAR, the Dutch denim brand is working with her on their upcoming Spring ’10 advertising campaign. Great choice you guys. As G-STAR expands their presence in the United States, using Liv was a strategic, aspirational choice of talent because she has a… Read More »

There’s no accounting for taste, or what the American public will salivate over in terms of media nonsense. Case in point: The Jay Leno – Conan O’Brien Saga of Tremense Proportions. I could care less which one of these guys is on which channel and at what time…if ever again. We (those of us on Earth) are dealing with two vital wars, a tragedy in Haiti that has tragic ramifications, we are starting to lose our Democratic grip in the Senate, Barack Obama is walking around like a wounded puppy, and this is the big news…every day for the past… Read More »

Oh man. Will the celebrity-turned-designer cycle ever stop? Or at least slow down? Everyday this week, Women’s Wear Daily has reported YET another celebrity-designer collaboration, which is beginning to make my skin crawl. Must every actress try her hand at designing (and I use that term loosely here) a capsule collection? The only capsule I am interested is one that can be washed down with fluids and alter my reality. But the new reality world of celebrity designers is like living in Bizarro World. We now have Sarah Jessica Parker heading up the Halston legacy (click link for yesterday’s IMW… Read More »

Overall, the men’s collections in Milan are pretty great. Sifting through all the images to mine for Manzies was not quite as easy as last spring. Somehow I would like to go out on a limb and take some credit, that my Manzie Reports impacted some of the designers. Seems like many of them worked overtime to avoid making Manzie Faux Pas, for fear of being included in the Manzie Reports. What I can say about Fall 10 is that there’s much ado about nothing special, since quite a few collections played it really safe. Perhaps it is a no… Read More »

It has been a while since the last round of men’s shows where we first met The Manzie, which we sometimes refer to as “The Manz” or “La Manz”. You newcomers need to be brought up to speed. What is a Manzie? (pronounced man – zee), hence, What is a Manzie Report? At last season’s men’s fashion shows in Europe, the overarching trend was something that I hadn’t seen in quite some time, actually ever. I came up with the term Manzie to capture the moment. A Manzie is not a Dandy, nor is he a Pansy, hence the revised… Read More »

Look, I think Sarah Jessica Parker is great. Who does not love Sex and the City and who does not think her willingness to wear ridiculous hats makes her even more sympathetic…to the cause of fashion uber alles. But, today, Women’s Wear Daily is reporting the SJP is going to take an active role at the Halston Heritage Collection…whatever that is. Seriously, Halston must be turning in his grave. From Randolph Duke to the Rachel Zoe nonsense, to the current Marco Zanini, who will surely be overshadowed by SJP. I don’t know, perhaps Harvey Weinstein and Tamara Mellon should just… Read More »

Not sure where you stand with the results of last night’s Golden Globes, but can we all agree that it is a sad state of affairs if The Hangover and Avatar are the best movies of the year. Best Cash Cows? For sure. But Best Movies? Really? I loved Avatar, was thoroughly entertained. Don’t get me wrong, it was a visual masterpiece. The script was a tad hokie. Was it as moving and gut/heart-wrenching as The Hurt Locker or Precious? I don’t think so. This year is surely an upset for Kathryn Bigelow, who totally deserves to win every award.… Read More »