“I Mean…What?!?” – Abe Gurko

What started out as a great way to connect college students has turned into a key marketing strategy for many industries…most notably…fashion. When you think that a bunch of beer keggers were the original sought out members of this non-elite community, one can’t fathom how that changed to the point where now, so many fashion designers are retooling their public relations efforts to reach their audience through such a down-market channel. Most of the people trolling Facebook would otherwise be shunned. You too can be a member of the Chanel or the Oscar de la Renta fan club. The thing… Read More »

There has not been this much talk about a dress since J Lo wore that green, Versace scarf number. In case you have been under a rock, I am referring to Chelsea Clinton‘s Vera Wang number. The cover of today’s Women’s Wear Daily declares Chelsea’s Moment, but in truth, it is Vera Wang‘s. Miss Wang, known mostly for her wedding collections could not have asked for a better PR moment than the Clinton wedding. Her ready-to-wear collections are much more modern and edgy than her frothy wedding gowns. Though Vera receives a good amount of attention and editorial for her… Read More »

The Paris Fall Couture Shows are under way and from the looks of it, my editing services were surely needed at all the shows, except maybe Christian Dior. A freind of mine asked me why I didn’t goof on the recent John Galliano men’s show in Paris, and my response was, “John Galliano can do no wrong”. He is such an incredible creative force that he could put doody in a bag, and I would say, “Brava, Maestro.” Anyhoo, back to the couture story at hand…rather… petites mains. Shall we start with Chanel? Look, I know he is the lion… Read More »

As the world tries to figure out what makes for great online moving images a.k.a. original content, leave it up to Marc Jacobs to create a fierce behind the scenes vignette from the upcoming Louis Vuitton campaign. There really isn’t much to say but congratulations. Recently, Dior and Chanel did these short films that went on an on, whereas in this Vuitton case, you don’t need all that bla bla bla. All you see are stunning models being stunning. Now that is branding at its finest rather than the aforementioned videos that are more filler that fierce. As someone who… Read More »

Yet another Gay Pride Weekend filled with cha cha and booze is upon us. Since washboard abs and cheesy music has hijacked the look and tone of what is “gay”, let alone the Manzie fashion filled funways, you can see why I have proclaimed that I am homosexual yes, gay no in the piece I AM ASKING AND I AM TELLING.  However, this season there is provocative and compelling element that will be front and center in the Gay Pride Parade. I am speaking of my friend Lauren Foster, the Miami-based glamour puss, who has chosen to take this moment… Read More »

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 »

I want to be Mary Alice Stephenson when I come back to Earth in my next life. Tall, blond, female, smart, beautiful, industrious, glamorous…need I say more? Either I want to be just like her or a French poodle in a Jewish household on Long Island. Both lives are charmed. I met Mary Alice at a fund-raising event…you see…she is perfect…and we have since kept in touch. Recently, we both were speaking on a panel about the future of the fashion industry. There she was, clad in red Calvin Klein fierceness. I mentioned interviewing her for IMW-TV, though at that… Read More »

Boy, am I glad I am not a socialite or one of these ladies-who-lunch that have to wear Haute Couture in order to justify my existence. Pawing through the images from this week’s 2010 Spring Couture shows, it is hard to understand why some of these designers even bother. Naturally, there are choices galore at Chanel, Armani Prive, Christian Dior and even Stephane Rolland (major improvement this outing, click for last season’s yikes). You really have to be uber-fabulous and have even more uber-fabulous places to go in order to justify some of these eccentric pieces of art to frolic… Read More »

Have you seen the images of the Christian Dior Couture Collection? Are you kidding me? John Galliano is so amazing, that it hurts my eyes to look at some of the other showings that are under way now in Paris for the Spring Couture Shows. I’ll get to those outings shortly, but I am not finished gushing on this “what fashion is all about” collection. John Galliano is so fierce that he probably scares himself. His throw back to Fifties glamour, with Gay Nineties thrown in there was just so inspiring that anyone else that remotely calls themselves designers should… Read More »

St. John, is that brand of women’s clothing that for years used Kelly Gray, the daughter of the company’s owners (nepotism much?) in their advertising. One day, they finally realized that Kelly was a total yikes for the brand, so they hired Angelina Jolie in an effort to reposition the brand…which worked-ish. Now, the big news is that St. John has bagged Angelina Jolie and replaced her with Karen Elson. See below. “We wanted to make a clean break from actresses and steer away from blonds and cleanse the palette,” said CEO Glenn McMahon. So I guess Karen Elson, iconic… Read More »