“I Mean…What?!?” – Abe Gurko

Madonna is finally jumping into the fashion business?!? I knew that she was hankering to become a schmatta peddler for years but was waiting for the right time and the right deal. And I guess this is it. There is no time like the present and there’s no place like Macy’s…though I wish she would just stay home. Anyone who is anyone that reads I MEAN…WHAT?!? knows how obsessed I am with this whole celebrity-turned-designer quagmire that we find ourselves in. And not obsessed like “I am obsessed with my Sarah Jessica Parker for Halston number” but more like, “Can… 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 »

Not too long ago I did a piece Fresh Cheeks on cheeks. No, not the cheeks on your butt, there’s always Levi Johnston’s spread in Playgirl for that. I’m much more obsessed with the ones on your face…especially after they have been enhanced. As Christmas is upon us, I wanted to see who’s been naughty or nice…well…who cares about that really, I wanted to see who’s been getting fresh cheeks.… Read More »

Short List of Things That I Am Just Not Feeling: Bullshit Gucci Fragrance Outtakes, (click on this link or on the image, you tell me.)… Read More »

Now that we have gotten through New York Fashion Week, and speaking of fashion, I wonder how the filming of Sex and the City 2 is coming along. In the midst of all the mayhem and fabulousness of the week, I saw images from the set of the film and just needed to get through the shows and my doubled up work-load before I addressed them. Look, I am a gay man, so naturally I am looking forward to the sequel…or I am afraid prequel…as these images show. I love these ballsy independent woman. I can also appreciate the fawn-like… Read More »

Here’s what’s missing from the Fashion’s Night Out PSA…PEOPLE…real people! People like the people that are being courted to come out in droves to spend, spend, spend. Now, if you wanted to engage people like me, with expendable income, discerning taste and a huge supporter of the fashion industry, then you might not have shoved the obvious “celebrities” or rather “fashion celebrities”, in our faces. All those people damn well want you to come out and shop…they are white knuckling through this economic retail crisis. A better, more sophisticated idea would have been use The Sartorialist as a model for… Read More »

Jil Sander was always the epitome of cool, chic, sophisticated, clean lines, muted palette. Perhaps that was when Jil Sander was actually Jil Sander. That story has turned upside down. The German-born designer, Sander, is now designing for Japan-based Uniqlo and Belgian-born Raf Simmons is at the helm of the Milan-based headquarters of Jil Sander, who sold out to Muccia Prada, which ultimately pissed off Jil Sander, causing her to split, hence her current deal with Uniqlo. The saving grace for Jil Sander in this scenario, as opposed to what happened to Halston when he sold the rights to his… Read More »

You all know how vomitous I feel about the barrage of designer-nee-celebrities (a.k.a. celebrity-turned-designers) that are flooding the already tenuous fashion market. Click on any of these links for a recap of how annoyed this makes me and how unsettling this is for real-live fashion designers. There are just so many open-to-buy dollars from retailers and if they are compelled to purchase from a celebrity-brand, that effects someone else’s bottom line. One plus one equals two. Till now I have been kind to the Olsen Twins, because their collection, The Row, was being well received, they are true on-the-fashion-scene insiders,… Read More »