“I Mean…What?!?” – Abe Gurko

I Mean..What?!? loves a good best dressed list…but there’s nothing like the exact opposite to warm the cockles of  our heart. That and Suzy Menkes. Of all the film festivals…and there are millions these days because all you need is a Chamber of Commerce and ta-da…but I digress…the Cannes Film Festival is the one where fashion really matters most. Sure the films are important too, but there’s no red carpet other than the Oscars that commands such drama. Sorry Emmys and Golden Globes…get over yourselves. Anyhoo, I could not help noticing a few fashion faux pas from the AmFAR Benefit…probably… Read More »

Many of you must know by now that I have coined the phrase “fotz”. There ‘s many applications to this term. But, what, do you ask, is FOTZ? Etymology: What started out as a sarcastic reference to something that is or someone that “thinks” they are fascinating. So, it went from fascinating to fotzinating to fotzy balloons to fotzy to the currently, most used…fotz. Here are a few good examples. Bing is fotz. What Madonna wore to the Costume Institute Gala was fotz. George Bush was fotz…still probably is. Most Republicans are fotz. Susan Boyle’s first makeover was fotz. People… Read More »

In case you have been living under a rock in New York City, then you will surely know that the long-awaited High Line opened its pearly gates this week…after much toiling and trepidation. Finally, you can stroll down this lovely patch of whatever it is, that stretches from the Meatpacking District to Far West Chelsea. This, naturally, suits me just fine as I live on one end and have a client on the other. It’s as though they built this little walk-way just for me. And a stunning patch of thing it is….at night it’s amazing. Thank you New York… Read More »

What do Rooney Mara, Hillary Duff, Brooklyn Decker, Mia Wasikowska, Eden Wood, Cherie Martorana & Nicki Minaj have in common… this week!… Read More »

Billy Reid. (Silence) Billy Reid. (Thump, he fainted and fell to the floor) Billy Reid. Well, maybe he didn’t faint, but the immediate surprise in the room was surely palpable. One would have expected him to get up to the podium and say, “Awww, shucks.” Perhaps Billy Reid received the prestigious CFDA Award ($300,000 bucks) because fashion, as in politics, is turning it’s other cheek to the conservative right. After all, Billy Reid is based in Florence, Alabama, the Bible Belt or is it the new fashion capital? Yes, Billy Reid’s clothing line is cool, but is it Earth shattering?… Read More »

The highlight of the Tony Awards show last night was not the musical numbers, but just how great so many of the women looked as they sashayed onto the wet red carpet. It is odd that the women of the the-A-ter outshone the women in fashion, when you look at the recent CFDA Not Best Dressed Awards. Here are the best and worst of the last night’s lot, in no particular order.… Read More »

Last night was the big kahuna of the New York City social whirl, The Costume Institute Gala, a.k.a. Anna Wintour’s Playground. If you were not there, then you do not exist. If you are not on Anna’s guest list, you might as well just curl up and die. If you are not BFFs with a top fashion designer, then you might as well just call it a day and move out to the suburbs. Sounds harsh? Perhaps…but it is true. The theme this season was American Woman. There’s all sorts of good reasons for this theme since America’s schmatta business… Read More »

THE I MEAN…WHAT?!? BEST DRESSED OF THE EVENING AWARDS…AT THE APOLLO CIRCLE BENEFIT Welcome to The Softer Side of I Mean…What?!? I was recently invited to join the Patrick McMullan family of bloggers, so I thought it would be fun to fill the Mr. Blackwell void and determine the I Mean…What?!? Best Dressed of the Evening Awards. Each week, I will select an event covered by Patrick and stick in my two cents about who were the Best Dressed of the Evening. Since I don’t get invited to these glammy evenings (hence I do not own any gowns or a… Read More »

Just when I thought that my Manzie Reports were getting read by all the right people, being viewed on all the right laptops, iPhones and Blackberries, comes the reality that I am not fully doing my job. I know that the Manzie Report has been a source of laughter and hysteria by many of the industry’s top taste-makers, creatives and editors. But clearly, there are several stylists and fashion designers that must be deleting the IMW Manzie Report and clicking to CocoPerez.com. Big mistake girl. He is not going to steer you in the right direction. Perez will just feature… Read More »