“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 »

You probably think that I am going to do into a tirade about yet another celebrity-turned fashion designer, namely Kate Moss, which was just reported in Women’s Wear Daily. This is the next gig for the uber-supermodel. But surprise! Kate Moss is a style icon and she can do whatever she wants, especially design clothes. Or serve as a Design Director. I mean…who doesn’t want to look like Kate? Style and otherwise. Kate Moss is one of the few supermodels that has sustained her career in spite of ugly rumors, ugly truths and ugly boyfriends. But let me get back… Read More »

And now, for your viewing pleasure, the 2nd edition of Last Five Minutes Of Fame ®, the new weekly installment of people that truly belong on this list. With a nod to Andy Warhol, being on “the list” puts members of this most exclusive club in the center of the media glare…kind of like a deer in the headlights just before…KABOOM. One can’t help feeling sorry for them since they mean so well, not as in well-meaning, rather, mean so well to be famous, not matter what, at any cost, uber alles. The great thing about the Last Five Minutes… 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 »

Dear Anna, It is with great joy that I am writing to you this morning after having such a great time at your city-wide…correction…world-wide shopping party last night. I hope you are sipping your coffee and reveling in your success. You know, a lot of people were looking with a crooked eye at this Fashion’s Night Out thing. From the get go…I knew this was gonna be mayjah. I believe the retailers, consumers, well, everyone needs to thank you because when you said “Jump” everyone asked, “How High?” And the higher they jumped, the better off they did. Everywhere I… Read More »

A few weeks ago I did a piece on the “End-of-Summer Stomach Ache” and now…sadly…summer is really over. Today’s headlines in Women’s Wear Daily speak to the stomach ache designers are feeling while they approach the worst economic market since the Great Depression. How is that for an Imodium Moment? While reading through the article, something stuck in my craw that I wanted to talk about. In addition to the many elements that made our economy crumble, I firmly believe that the fashion designers who made those Target, K-Mart and other down-market deals, did not do themselves or their peers… Read More »

No, I have not yet seen The September Issue yet…film or magazine. I’m going to do the ritual this weekend, see the movie then flip through Vogue. I’ve said it once, I’ll say it again, I think Anna Wintour is fierce. Anyone from Lauren Wiesberger to Maureen Dowd can say what they want about Anna, but they are simply riding her Oscar de la Renta coattails. Having worked for years in Hollywood, inside the inner sanctum of celebrity, you learn really quickly that “those” people are not what they seem. When I moved to Los Angeles, my goal was to… Read More »

The Party’s Over has become one of the more fun entries on I Mean…What?!? It gets lots of laughs from the viewers, and while that is the main reason for everything, I must say it brings me unending joy to research “who’s” out there, or shall I say the “who are you’s” that are out there getting photographed at events. Things that are shocking need no introduction as pictures speak louder than words…therefore…… Read More »

I was just reading on the The Daily Beast about how stylists are being cut from budgets and all other sorts of nonsense. The article was an outtake from a bigger story in The New York Observer pointing out that these “celebrity stylists” are being bypassed as the actual celebrities are going directly to designers. There seems to be less and less patience for these spotlight grabbing stylists such as Rachel Zoe, Phillip Bloch and Stacy London. Well, let me pipe in here and say hold on just one minute. Unless you have been a stylist, you can take these… Read More »

Yes, this is true. Jay-Z just inked a deal with some fragrance factory in Fort Lauderdale… the stink capitol of the world…to pound out a collection of new fragrances called Rihanna, Kanye and Jay-Z (working titles). Oh, and one other surprise pop star, who at press time has remained nameless. Um…let me guess….Beyonce? Poor Beyonce, she is the only viable one in the bunch that could launch a celebrity fragrance, but now that she is married to Jay-Z, so much for her doing a Mimi or Brittany, instead, she will enter the ranks of…well…rank.… Read More »