“I Mean…What?!?” – Abe Gurko

Has the parade passed us by? Is it over yet? Can we breathe? Can the dresses just stop careening down the runways now? Damn, World Fashion Week is endless. Thankfully they saved the best for last…and no, I do not mean Louis Vuitton. That shizz screams Emperor plenty. That, or, since he is so big in Japan, there is a touch of Harajuku sprinkled in the looks. Besides, LV is far more interested in the bags than the clothes. If you remember correctly, all the LV ensembles worn by the likes of Madonna, Lake Bell (zzz) and Leighton Meester ended… 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 »

Pack your bags kids. It is time to move off this continent and go to a place, any place in this world, where you will be safe from the prying, vomitous eyes of the media that gives us the endless stories about wanna-bes, never was-es, and nobodies galore. Today I have read a story that has made me so nauseous, that I am beside myself. Let me just list the cast of characters in this item and surely you will agree and run to start packing. Jon Gosselin, Michael Lohan, Jill Zarin. Should I stop now? And wait, this trifecta… 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 »

Whenever people make a point that something is au courant, they say “Bla Bla is the new black”. Isaac Mizrahi thinks “Competition is the new black” (in an effort to promote The Fashion Show on Bravo) and Queer Eye guy Carson Kressley, once declared “Gay is the new black,” (well, perhaps it was in the late 70’s, but definitely not when his show was happening. If anything “gay became the new annoying”). The phrase originated in 1983 when Gianfranco Ferre referred to his somber collection in the LA Times that, “Grey is the new black”. We can agree on one… Read More »

Being a man of many opinions, and having commented extensively on the horrendositude of what Madonna and Leighton Meester wore to the Costume Institute Gala, I’ve decided to elaborate on that train of thought and create my own worst dressed list. Having worked within the confines of the industry for years, it never ceases to amaze me how The Emperor’s New Clothes fable is alive and well and entrenched in the fashion industry. My seasonal “I MEAN WHAT?!? Was She Wearing List”, will highlight the women (and men) that made me say, “Don’t they own a mirror?” or “Don’t they have any real… Read More »

The other thing about non-interesting media whores who get to the top of the heap are those who write “memoirs” or “tell-alls”. There is a vast difference between an obscure writer, compelled to tell their life story, which strikes a chord and becomes a best-seller (Elizabeth Gilbert’s Eat, Pray, Love) versus Sarah Palin’s seven-million dollar book deal that will have as much depth as my shoe. Or how about the upcoming Studio Head by Jon Peters (Barbra Streisand’s ex hairdresser turned producer) who plans to reveal dirty details about all his trysts and even several of Streisand’s trysts as well.… 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 »

So next up is NY Fashion Week. And an interesting one it will be. You have Marc Jacobs cutting his audience by two-thirds, Vera Wang not doing a show, Betsey Johnson fleeing the tents, independant designers bellying up. I mean…what?!?  Has the world come to a fierce end? With all the doom and gloom in the financial headlines, WWD is beginning to sound like Chicken Little. But, this is the New York Fashion Week, for Christ sakes. The smoke-and-mirrors, Emperor’s-new-clothes capital of the world. We can’t act like we’ve been licked by this stupid recession. We have to “act as… Read More »