“I Mean…What?!?” – Abe Gurko

V is For Victory for Voluminously, Voluptuous Women. To be clear, V Magazine is doing a whole issue with plus-sized models. This is a major statement for the normally anorexic audience that reads most uber-fabulous glossies. Didn’t they all start the trend in vomiting and other such lovely feats of strength to look thin and gorgeous. As a past fatty, I am glad that V is willing to dedicate this much attention and resources to acknowledge this audience. I just wonder if it will be the token fat issue and never again will we see an a bulge…except in V… Read More »

Anyone who is anyone that reads I Mean…What?!? knows my opinion on the fashion phenomenon called World Fashion Week. New to town? Let me explain. Just about every city on Earth except Peoria, Illinois, ‘has been’ hosting their version of a Fashion Week. Sure, we all are obsessed with New York, Paris, Milan and London…Tokyo even. But this year, there seems to be an epidemic of Fashion Weeks spreading like the H1Ni Virus. I have reported on Los Angeles Fashion Week, Madrid Fashion Week, Lakme Fashion Week, New Zealand Fashion Week, Pakistan Fashion Week, Arabia Fashion Week, Dubai Fashion Week,… Read More »

At the risk of sounding like Rachel Zoe, “Chanel is EVERYTHING”. I just love whatever Karl Lagerfeld does. Between his grand visions, over-the-top theatrics, master-talent and his taste in men (Baptiste Giabiconi), the Chanel show was the highlight of the Paris season. I loved  much of what I saw this past week. As for the “trends”, well, “the ruffle” happens to be something my friend and Icelandic Designer Steinunn Sigurd, has been doing for several seasons.   A couple of seasons ago, a Saks Fifth Avenue buyer told Steinunn, “Enough with the ruffles already”. Hmmm…bet you twenty bucks that there will… Read More »

Here we go again. Just what we need, another celebrity cum laude fashion designer. Enter Katie Holmes. When will the world learn that “celebrity designer” is an oxymoron. Yes, there are designers that by sheer virtue of their brilliance and craft become celebrities…and rightfully so. Karl Lagerfeld, John Galliano, Donna Karan, Ralph Lauren, you know who belongs on that list. And it’s really not that long a list either, if you ask me. Sure there are a lot of “designers” who are really good, and a slew who think they are brilliant. They are just over-glorified dress makers. For them,… Read More »

In Day 2 of the Paris Couture shows, there was definitely more hits than misses with Chanel, Armani Prive and Christian Lacroix showing stunning collections. For people like me, it was slim pickin’s. But as always, one can find horrendosity amongst the flowers, crap alongside elegance, preposterous within reach of fantastic, as in the case of Givenchy. From there we segue into Maison Martin Margiela then onto the two Alexandres.… Read More »

On Easter Sunday, I was invited to my friend Jules’ house for brunch at her loft filled with assorted fashionistas. The conversation landed on the documentary Valentino-The Last Emperor. A group of us in our champagne-bubbly-state planned to meet the following evening to see the film.… Read More »